Young widow in her boudoir

They finally managed to see Ye Wanyu off.

On the first day of her period, Xie Rutang felt noticeably unwell, with her waist and legs feeling weak, but not to the point of being unable to walk.

She could only lie in bed for most of the day until Jin Yue boiled a bowl of brown sugar water and brought it to her to drink, which made her feel a little better in her lower abdomen.

Xie Rutang sipped her brown sugar water and sighed softly, "I feel terribly tired today. I'm afraid I won't be able to concentrate on painting for the next few days."

Jin Yue comforted her, saying, "Madam, it's most important to rest and recuperate for a few days. There's no rush for the Chengxin Painting Manual business."

So Xie Rutang spent the day resting peacefully in the inner courtyard. Unable to paint, she lay on the daybed reading poetry and books to pass the time.

As expected, Pei Zhiheng did not come over tonight.

Xie Rutang understood that he would only come to Cuiwu Courtyard after her menstrual period ended.

The next day, Madam Pei actually visited the Shen family in person.

As dawn broke on the horizon, the sounds of carriages and the tinkling of jade pendants could be heard from the streets outside the Shen residence.

Pei's mother was a Lady of Noble Rank, bestowed with an imperial title by the court. Her visit to the Shen family was grand and imposing.

Xie Rutang was woken up early in the morning. Jin Yue came into the room and told her about Pei's mother's visit to the Shen family. Then she busied herself with washing and dressing her up.

Even when Xie Rutang was menstruating and unable to move around easily, she still had to go to Shou'an Hall with Ye Wanyu, who was also a daughter-in-law, to serve her.

Xie Rutang dared not delay. He put on a slightly worn plain-patterned jacket and a light blue horse-face skirt, and hurriedly arrived at Shou'an Hall.

Just as he arrived at the corridor, he bumped into Ye Wanyu, who had come to pay her respects that morning. He breathed a slight sigh of relief, at least he wasn't late.

As soon as the two women entered the room, they saw the main hall adorned with brocade curtains and beaded screens, surrounded by pearls and jade. Accompanying Pei's mother was Pei's daughter-in-law, whose complexion was bright and full, and who looked noble and flamboyant.

Inside the room, there was a murmur of conversation as the two matriarchs from the two households were talking.

Xie Rutang and Ye Wanyu tidied their appearance and went in to pay their respects to the two old ladies, curtsying slightly.

Madam Pei, dressed in a dark-colored dress, sat dignifiedly and elegantly on a rosewood chair. The two families had been friends for many years, and she was familiar with the two daughters-in-law of the Shen family. She smiled and nodded, telling them not to stand on ceremony, and then turned back to continue comforting the distressed old lady of the Shen family.

Upon seeing her old confidante, Madam Shen could no longer suppress the pent-up emotions that had been building up in her heart for days, and slowly began to pour out her heart to Madam Pei.

Old Madam Shen covered her chest with a handkerchief, tears streaming down her face. She was crying so hard she was about to faint. "My life is so miserable... Yuan Cheng left me all alone so early, and he no longer recognizes me as his mother. I tried so hard to persuade him not to abandon his studies for the battlefield where swords and spears have no eyes, but he wouldn't listen..."

Xie Rutang and Ye Wanyu joined the Pei family's daughter-in-law in comforting their mother-in-law.

Sitting to the side, Madam Pei listened with a heavy heart and gently patted the back of Madam Shen's hand to comfort her.

The two of them grew up together in their youth, and she watched Shen Yuan grow up. That gentle and refined young man from a noble family ultimately perished on the battlefield, which even pained her.

Madam Pei sighed deeply, "Things have come to this, you must not be so hard on yourself. Children and grandchildren have their own nature, how can parents completely stop them? You have already worked too hard all these years managing the household affairs on your own."

Xie Rutang listened and served by his side, but felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

Madam Pei was kind-hearted and, mindful of her mother-in-law's grief over the loss of her son, arranged for Second Master Pei to stay at the Shen family's residence to keep her company and visit her frequently. Little did anyone expect that Second Master Pei would not only stay with Shen Yuan's mother but also take care of his widow.

Madam Shen was still choking back tears, wishing everyone knew how hard she had been through.

Just then, a maid came to report that Second Master Pei had arrived to pay his respects to the two mothers.

In the blink of an eye, the man stepped into the main room.

Xie Rutang felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Looking at Master Pei, who was also in the house, the man stood tall and slender, his appearance so solemn and dignified. Who would have thought that he had spent a night of passion in the backyard of the Shen family, in the widow's room?

Seeing him reminded her of the absurdity of that night, the hot sweat from the Second Master's chest falling on her body, Xie Rutang felt her cheeks getting hot, and even her clothes were starting to steam.

Pei Zhiheng entered the room and knew that Shen's daughter-in-law had also come along. He did not look at her, as if to avoid suspicion. His temperament remained cold and indifferent, unlike his fiery and hard-spoken nature on the bed.

That figure still stood out from the crowd in the main room, embraced by the bright moon. They were talking, and she, the marginalized widow, didn't even have the right to interrupt.

Xie Rutang found it hard to reconcile him with the man who had been unrestrained and indulgent with her the night before; there was a disconnect between them.

After entering the house, having had a passionate night together, Xie Rutang quietly loosened her grip on her sleeve, pretending nothing had happened, and stopped looking at him, afraid of attracting too much attention.

Xie Rutang stared blankly at the patterns on the window, but the indifferent voices of Master Pei and the two old ladies occasionally reached her ears, unhurried and slow.

It was probably because Madam Pei was present today, and Old Madam Shen praised her for the first time ever. After all, praising Xie Rutang's virtue in public would enhance her reputation, and it would also make people think that the Shen family was good at managing their household.

She spoke slowly and deliberately, "My eldest daughter-in-law is quite capable. After Yuancheng passed away, she managed all of Yuancheng's businesses without making any mistakes, and she didn't cause me much worry."

Upon hearing this, Xie Rutang stiffened slightly and could only step forward to show her face in front of Madam Pei. Her demeanor was very proper. "Rutang greets Madam Pei."

Perhaps because of his affection, her voice sounded noticeably more alluring today.

As Xie Rutang was performing the curtsy, she sensed the man beside her looking over.

Pei Zhiheng sat to the side, playing with a piece of black jade in his hand. Even his few fingers exuded an air of solemnity and authority.

The second master's glance was as indifferent as air, as if his gaze had merely swept over her unintentionally.

She and Pei Zhiheng had indeed been intimate, although they hadn't reached that point yet. But after encountering Pei Zhiheng at the Shen family today, the way he looked at her was like a man looking at a woman, extremely aggressive.

She was so frightened that her heart skipped a beat, fearing that someone from either family would notice the subtle ambiguity between her and the Second Master.

Fortunately, he didn't dare to be too blatant, and soon looked at Pei's mother.

Despite this, her palms were damp with sweat.

Afterwards, Madam Shen continued to cry about her son in front of both families. Xie Rutang, as a widow, could only follow along. She had to cry sincerely and heartfeltly so that everyone would know how much she missed Shen Yuan. In this way, everyone would praise her as a virtuous woman and say that Shen Yuan had married a good wife.

Xie Rutang covered her face with a snow-white handkerchief as she cried. She didn't know if the Second Master was watching her anymore. She cried so hard that she forgot everything and only wanted to do her best to play the role of a widow so that the elders would pity her.

Looking at the slender white neck of her exposed, pale blue embroidered dress, Pei Zhiheng paused for a moment, wondering how many days her period was still left.

That gaze was dignified and aloof, and then slowly shifted away.