"Did you hear me?" He Changdi turned the full force of his gaze onto Laiyue, who froze. The poor manservant replied in agreement and left to carry out his orders, though not without a troubled expression.
Halfway to the kitchen, Laiyue still felt uncomfortable. That look from Third Young Master had been like a firebrand; even though he hadn't been able to meet eye-to-eye with that fiery gaze, he still felt tense, as if his skin had been scorched by the encounter.
Laiyue shook his head helplessly. He couldn't understand how the gentle, refined Third Young Master had suddenly turned into this unreadable, fearsome young man.
No matter how much the servant in the kitchen pled, Laiyue still took away the bowl of snow fungus and lotus seed porridge sitting on the stove and brought it to the study.
When he brought it to He Sanlang and lifted the porcelain cover, the refreshing, delicious scent of lotus seeds drifted up. The porridge had been cooked until the rice grains were thin and sticky, while the snow fungus had turned translucent. There was no trace of the thick flavour of meat in the porridge; instead, there were plump, cute lotus seeds mixed in with the grains. Anyone's appetite would have been awakened by the mere sight of it. This kind of porridge really suited the current hot summer.
Laiyue couldn't resist gulping as he watched from the side.
He Sanlang, on the other hand, inwardly snorted at the dish's presentation. How had he missed this in his previous life? That wicked woman really knew how to eat well.
"Serve a bowl for me."
Laiyue scooped some porridge into a small celadon bowl and placed it in front of He Sanlang.
Without another word, He Sanlang dug in with his spoon, scooping some porridge into his mouth.
Soft, sticky, fragrant and sweet, it was simple and refreshing to the taste, exactly like it's scent.
Since He Sanlang hadn't said anything, Laiyue stood by his side and didn't dare to move away. He watched as his reserved master, who usually didn't have much of an appetite, gulp down bowl after bowl of that snow fungus and lotus seed porridge without any hint of stopping
By the time He Changdi put down his personal bowl, there was nothing left in the original dish that Laiyue had brought to the study. Not even a single grain remained
Laiyue's mouth twitched and he lowered his head. He didn't dare to make a single sound and quietly took the bowls away from the study.
As he stood outside, Laiyue looked at the empty bowls and shook his head regretfully. It must've been delicious, based on the way Young Master had been so heartily eating. What a pity that Young Master hadn't missed a single drop; otherwise, maybe Laiyue could have had a taste of it too.
With food in his stomach, especially since it was something that Chu Lian had prepared for herself as next mornings breakfast, He Sanlang's tense mood immediately relaxed into something lighter.
When he thought of how that wicked woman would wake up to find that the porridge she had worked so hard to make was gone, he felt positively elated.
Now filled with energy, he read some military strategy books for two more hours before he finally washed up and went to bed with a light heart.
Back in the kitchen, when the servant assigned to watch the porridge saw that Third Young Master's personal manservant had forcefully taken it away, she hurriedly ran to report to Senior Servant Gui.
Senior Servant Gui nodded and sent the servant back.
The next morning, the moment Chu Lian woke up, Senior Servant Gui reported the matter to her.
Chu Lian's mouth wordlessly twitched.
Conversely, it was Senior Servant Gui who filled in Chu Lian's thoughts.
She picked out a hairpin made with kingfisher feathers and inserted it into Chu Lians hair. Senior Servant Gui smiled as she said, "Third Young Madam, you must have left that porridge out for Third Young Master on purpose!"
After getting exposed, Chu Lian's cheeks reddened as she blushed. She pouted. "Who would leave something out for that guy to eat? Didn't he eat before coming back?"
Senior Servant Gui smiled and stopped speaking, understanding that the young lady was too shy to admit
Chu Lian blanked out. She was in a daze as she looked at herself in the mirror, her mind drifting far away.
In the few days after their wedding, she could tell that He Sanlang had no kind feelings at all for her. In fact, his indifference might even be to the point of hatred, although she didn't know where that hate had come from.
According to the novel, they had only seen each other a few times before the wedding, and they had been practically married blind.
As a main character, her looks were top-class, and she hadn't run into any scandals before the wedding. Rightfully speaking, it was hard to expect much from two strangers who had suddenly found themselves married to each other. Any sort of feelings should be out of the question; however, there shouldn't have been any animosity, either
But as fate would have it, everything was different from what Chu Lian had expected. Not only was He Sanlang totally different from the novels male lead, he seemed to hate her quite a lot.
Chu Lian was fine with that, since she was currently the female lead and she could use her foreknowledge to her advantage. However, she also wasn't the original Chu Lian, and she couldn't possibly fall in love with Xiao Bojian.
She was part of House Jingan now. After spending a few days in this family, she liked everyone except He Sanlang and she wanted to continue staying in this family. However, that meant that she had to consider the relationship between her and He Changdi.
Even if they couldn't be a loving couple who grew old together, they could still stop fighting each other. They could become normal friends who wouldn't hold grudges or interfere with each others business.
She could live happily in the Jingan Estate as a layabout. If she was bored, she could cook some delicacies and earn some money. After two years, if He Sanlang wanted children, she could even help him find a concubine or two to birth some heirs to carry on his family line.
Thus, this bowl of snow fungus and lotus seed porridge was actually a white flag and a sign of peace from Chu Lian to He Sanlang.
The two of them had to live under the same roof. There were still two or three more years before disaster would strike the Jingan Household. Before that, the two of them were still considered husband and wife after all. They couldn't possibly continue hating each other and fighting everyday!
Even if he could go on with a life like that, she couldn't.
Chu Lian had made such careful plans, but she hadn't ever considered that He Changdi might have completely misread her actions and misunderstand entirely. Even now, He Sanlang was still sound asleep, thinking that he had stolen her breakfast!
"Third Young Madam, what would you like to eat this morning?" Mingyan came in to ask.
Chu Lian was pulled away from her thoughts. She glanced outside and saw that the sun had already risen; it was already getting hot so early in the morning. In this scorching summer, it was easy to become listless and lose appetite. Chu Lians thoughts churned in her head and she suddenly thought of the clear, cooling raindrop mochi.
Just as she was about to speak up, a maidservant ran in to report.
Senior Servant Gui finished doing up Chu Lian's hair and furrowed her brows. She turned to look towards the rash maidservant and said, "What happened? What are you doing, forgetting your manners?"
The maidservants head lowered, but she didn't dare to delay her report. "Third Young Madam, momo, Senior Servant Liu from Qingxi Hall sent someone over with a message. She asked Third Young Madam to head over to Qingxi Hall as soon as possible."
Chu Lian frowned. A message from Senior Servant Liu?
Senior Servant Liu was one of Matriarch He's most trusted servants. Her words were almost equivalent to Matriarch He's. Something big must have happened since she had sent a message in such a hurry.
Chu Lian quickly tidied up her dress and brought Xiyan and Fuyan over to Qingxi Hall with her. Before stepping out of the courtyard, she recalled He Changdi and asked, "What about my husband? Is he still sleeping?"
Senior Servant Gui shook her head. "I sent a maidservant over to look. The study was already cleaned up and there was no one inside. Perhaps Young Master is in the main study in the outer court."
Chu Lian nodded. "Momo, send someone over and ask him to head to Qingxi Hall too."
"Understood."
When Chu Lian reached Qingxi Hall, everyone else in the Jingan Estate, excluding the bedridden Countess Jingan and He Changdi, were already there. Even the rarely seen Second Young Master, He Changjue, was present.
The moment she entered the parlour, everyones gazes turned onto her. If she wasn't reading them wrongly, those eyes were clearly filled with sympathy and guilt.
Chu Lian's big, clear eyes blinked once. What was going on? She was alive and well; why were they all looking at her like she had been suffering in silence all alone and they had just found out about it? What was there to pity her for?
"Grandmother, Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-Law, Second Brother."
Chu Lian bobbed in greeting to each senior family member.
Matriarch He waved her over. "Lianer, come sit next to Grandmother."
Ah? Chu Lian glanced at her eldest brother and sister-in-law sitting a tier below the matriarch. Although she was reluctant to, she could only slowly walk over to the matriarch's side. Matriarch He's warm hands tugged her down to sit on the sofa.
Chu Lian looked at Madam Zou and checked for any hint of jealousy on her face, but upon seeing none, she relaxed.
The matriarch kept staring at her pretty granddaughter-in-law before she inwardly sighed.
Chu Lian found it weird that everyone was staring at her. Even the matriarch was holding one of her hands, patting it gently as if to comfort her for some mysterious reason.
She innocently blinked. "Grandmother, is anything the matter?"
Matriarch He patted her head gently, absentmindedly noticing that her hair hadn't been brushed thoroughly in her rush to get here, and sighed. "Lianer, Grandmother has something to tell you. But first, promise Grandmother that you won't get angry."
Chu Lian smiled to herself. As long as it wasn't something that concerned her safety, there wasn't really anything in the Great Wu Dynasty that could make her angry.
Still, Matriarch He's words had piqued her curiosity. "Grandmother, please speak freely. Granddaughter-in-Law isn't so petty as to get angry."
The matriarch paused for a moment, as if she didn't believe Chu Lian's reassurance. When she did speak, it was with some degree of guilt. "Alright, my child. Grandmother will tell you now. Sanlang has gone off to the northern border to join the army. He left this morning before dawn."
Chu Lian froze; she hadn't expected that at all.
Wait a minute, something was wrong here. How could that be?
Im the novel He Changdi had never thought of joining the army. This could be seen from how he had never taken up any official post despite growing up in a military officials family. How how could he have gone off to join the army now?!
Why did it seem like the story was changing? He Sanlang was completely ignoring the novels original plotline.
If everyone in the room right now could see what Chu Lian was thinking, they would surely roll their eyes.
As He Sanlang's young, newlywed wife, wasn't your focus a little off, Chu Lian?
Shouldn't you be trying to think of why your husband would abandon his newlywed wife to join the army, rather than worry about how the current events didn't match the original fiction?
For a good several moments, Chu Lian was completely preoccupied with her thoughts. Seen through the eyes of the He Family, it looked like she was at a loss for what to do.
The matriarch's heart ached even more for her grandaughter-in-law. "Don't be sad, child. You still have your eldest brother, eldest sister-in-law, and second brother and Grandmother here!"
To the others, Chu Lian looked like a lost lamb utterly shattered by the news, but only she knew what she was thinking inside her heart.
Chu Lian was secretly raging at He Changdi.
It seemed like that guy was hell bent on separating from her. After eating her cooking, he had actually just upped and left! He had such a pretty face, but what a pity that his personality was so terrible! Now that this had come about, she wanted to wait and see what he was going to get up to at the northern border!
Since the two of them couldn't be friends, then they might as well cut all ties!
It wasn't like she couldn't live without him.
Actually, it was a good thing that he was gone. Now she could live freely at the Jingan Estate without anyone interfering or disturbing her!
Chu Lian didn't take it to heart at all. If it hadn't been for the novels description of He Changdi's excellent personality, she wouldn't have held any expectations towards him at all. Now that all those expectations had already fallen short, she didn't have any hopes for He Sanlang anymore. There was nothing to be sad about for her.
Chu Lian smiled. "Grandmother, I know you're all here for me. Even if Husband isn't here, I'll continue living well."
Her genuine smile seemed like a fake one to mask her sadness. Even the usually inconsiderate He Changjue spoke up. "Sister-in-Law, please don't be sad. I'm working in the Left Military Guards. The moment there's any news about my brother, I'll bring it back to Sister-in-Law."
Thus, Chu Lian passed her morning accepting comfort from her family. Matriarch He even specially gifted her with a jade ornament inlaid with gold to comfort her.
From the looks of the ornament, it must be worth at least a thousand taels.
A little giddy from all the proceedings, Chu Lian brought back a pile of presents from Qingxi Hall to Songtao Court.
The moment she entered, Senior Servant Gui was shocked by all the boxes Xiyan and Fuyan were carrying in.
"What happened?"
Xiyan and Fuyan clearly weren't as calm as Chu Lian was. They looked rather listless. Xiyan was the one to speak up. "The matriarch and Eldest Young Madam gifted these to Third Young Madam."
"Ah? It's not a special occasion, so what are these gifts for?" The boxes alone already looked expensive; she could give a good guess at the value of the items inside.
Although the Jingan Estate was much wealthier than the Ying Estate, senior family members wouldn't randomly hand out precious gifts to their juniors without any reason.
Xiyan cast a glance at Chu Lian, and seeing that her mistress didn't seem opposed, she reported the matter of He Sanlang going off to the northern border early in the morning.
Senior Servant Guis eyes widened. "What! Third Young Master just left?"
Chu Lian calmly looked at the servants around her and said, "Put everything away. I'm a little tired, so I'm going to take a nap."
It was then that Senior Servant Gui took a look at Chu Lian. It was the middle of summer, so they were dressed in fewer layers. Chu Lian had rushed over to Qingxi Hall right after waking up, so she had quickly picked out a light dress. The breeze sweeping through the room had pushed her clothes flush against her body, making her seem weak and thin.
Senior Servant Gui thought of how Sixth Miss had suffered these few days. Her husband had been at loggerheads with her right after their wedding, and now he had abandoned her for the army! He hadn't even given her any notice and she had had to find out from the matriarch instead.
How much Sixth Miss must be suffering in her heart.
While thinking of all the recent events, Senior Servant Gui couldn't help but shed a few tears in sympathy for her mistress.
The personal maidservants also had sad expressions on their faces.
Senior Servant Gui saw that the atmosphere in the parlour had dampened, so she quickly wiped at her tears with a handkerchief. Then, she took to scolding them in a low voice. "Why the gloomy faces! Your mistress is standing hale and hearty before you! Dismissed, dismissed! Go off to your chores! It's not like Third Young Master will never return. This is his home; no matter where he goes, he'll still have this place in his heart."
All the maidservants left in a hurry.
However, Senior Servant Gui knew that the situation wasn't as good as she had tried to make it seem.
She knew what kind of place the northern border was. Since Third Young Master had gone there to join the army, once he entered the border troops, he'd have to stay there for a full five years unless he somehow achieved some merit!
Five years!
Third Young Madam was fifteen this year. She would be sixteen next year. If Third Young Master really stayed at the border for five years, Third Young Madam would be twenty by the time he came back.
Five years. How was Third Young Madam supposed to wait for him? Those were supposed to be the best years of a womans life.
How could Third Young Master treat their Sixth Miss this way?
However, Chu Lian's thoughts were completely different from Senior Servant Gui's. She was currently wearing a yellow halter top undergarment and white lounge pants as she lied on her large bed. Her legs were crossed as she fanned herself with a round fan. In the other hand, Chu Lian held a comedy book, which she was happily reading.
Whenever she got to an interesting part, she would even forget to fan herself.
She would also murmur to herself from time to time.
I didn't think that the ancients would have such vivid imaginations; they even wrote stories with gender roles reversed! Tsk, tsk Too bad it's not the guys giving birth, though.