Help! The Frosty Noble's Son Is in Love With Me!-Chapter 272: Only the New Bride Smiles, Who Hears the Old Lover Weep?
What causes newlywed couples to sleep a bit late, wake up with sore backs and require extra rest the next day?
The answer is self-evident.
The elderly lady has eagerly awaited her grandson’s marriage, looking forward to great-grandsons, and wouldn’t let the formalities of morning and evening greetings become an obstacle. She immediately said, "From now on, you don’t need to come for morning greetings. My early risings are due to my age; young people have much to do, so they should rest more. You need not establish any formalities; we are all family, harmonious and peaceful is what matters. All those formalities are for others to see. Filial piety lies in the heart, not on the surface; without true filial feelings in the heart, any amount of formalities is useless. As long as you don’t make mistakes before outsiders, doing what’s comfortable at home is just fine."
The latter words were directed at the Marquis couple, telling them not to impose too many rules on the newlyweds.
The couple readily accepted.
Qu Fulan had prepared for daily morning and evening greetings, but on the first day, she was exempted. Naturally, she was delighted.
She knew it was all orchestrated by Heir Pei.
As they were heading back, she said, "Heir..."
"Don’t call me Heir. Call me Si."
After Pei Ji’an spoke, he looked at her, awaiting her change of address. Qu Fulan felt a bit awkward under his gaze, "...Si."
"Mm, what did you want to say?"
"Thank you," Qu Fulan said.
Although he hadn’t informed her in advance, she wasn’t ungrateful.
Pei Ji’an merely smiled, neither accepting nor rejecting her thanks.
According to custom, there’s a three-day return to the bride’s home, and today plans related to this need to be prepared.
However, Qu Fulan had nowhere to return home to,
so this step was skipped.
Thus, she found herself with more free time, and the relatives still staying at home, aware of this, invited Qu Fulan to play Mahjong.
"If you don’t wish to go, I’ll send someone to decline," Pei Ji’an suggested.
Qu Fulan quickly declined, as Heir Pei couldn’t accompany her all the time; eventually, she would have to face many things herself, and it’s good to adapt early.
When Qu Fulan arrived, she saw Pei Lan, Yao Xing, and a cousin around a table with three players, while other tables had four players already halfway through their Mahjong game.
Upon sitting down, the cousin smiled, "Young Madam indeed brings a fresh ambiance as a newcomer. Even the clothes and jewelry you wear are rare and unseen by others. Heir Pei has truly put thought into this."
Pei Lan and Yao Xing kept sizing up Qu Fulan. They noticed yesterday during the tea ceremony that her presence felt distinct, entirely owed to the luxurious items she wore.
This is why everyone desires to be among the elite; with enough nobility backing them, even former maids can transform into dignified mistresses, now equalizing with them around the Mahjong table.
"Leaving aside everything else, the jade hairpin on your head is truly unique. Which artisan crafted it?" the cousin inquired.
Women generally find interest in jewelry, curious about good ones and compelled to ask.
Qu Fulan paused before responding, "These were casually picked by the attendants from the jewelry box. I don’t know whose craftsmanship is behind them; we’d need to ask the maid to find out."
The household’s clothing and jewelry were managed by specific maids, with every item cataloged, making their recollection clearer than the mistress.
However, aside from other things, Qu Fulan was aware that the jade hairpin she was wearing now was a coming-of-age gift from Heir Pei.
It would likely require asking Heir Pei himself for its origins; however, these words were inappropriate to express publicly, so instead, she declined by suggesting to ask the maid, subtly ending the topic for the keen enough to catch on.
Nevertheless, the cousin was too interested and said, "Could you please inquire, Young Madam? I’d like to craft a similar one later on."
Compelled, Qu Fulan called over the maids to inquire. She now had four maids beside her, including Bicao and Ruyin. Besides them, there were two who stayed in Lixiang Courtyard, knowing more about the household affairs than Bicao and Ruyin. Thus, they handled many matters.
As the two maids approached, they glanced at the hairpin on Young Madam’s head and responded, "This hairpin wasn’t commissioned but was personally carved by the Young Master himself from a fine jade, injuring his hands in the process, not wanting the Young Madam to worry, and thus kept it secret."
This maid was quite adept with her words, explaining three things clearly; first, that the hairpin was made by Heir Pei; second, that Heir Pei wanted it kept secret, hence Young Madam’s ignorance wasn’t intentional; third, since everyone insisted on asking, they revealed it, and it was not their fault if Heir Pei inquires later.
Truly shifted any blame elsewhere, leaving themselves blameless.
The cousin’s expression naturally became awkward, "So it was carved by the Heir himself, no wonder it’s so exquisite, only Young Madam is worthy of such a hairpin."
Pei Lan and Yao Xing were deeply shocked; that it was personally carved by Heir Pei for Qu Fulan?
Momentarily, they felt an indescribable bitterness; although it’s due to their recent marriage, they themselves had been newlyweds once, never enjoying such treatment.
Not once did they even receive a personally poured cup of tea, let alone a hand-carved jade hairpin.
Comparisons lead to envy.
Don’t even mention others’ surprise; even Qu Fulan was shocked, for he hadn’t mentioned the hairpin was hand-carved when he gifted it to her...
During the subsequent Mahjong game, Qu Fulan noticed that the other three players weren’t as skilled as her, but she didn’t win without discretion, striking a balance by winning occasionally, and mostly letting the other three vie against each other.
Yao Xing and Pei Lan intended to give Qu Fulan opportunities to win, but they lacked the skill, consistently losing to the cousin instead.
Speaking of Mahjong, this entertainment was currently prevalent in the rear residences of Capital City. Although Yao Xing had played countless times, it didn’t necessarily equate to skill. Pei Lan had just learned this time around; she showed some knack but lacked experience. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
The two ended up gloomy from losing, as they were gambling with their monthly salaries, and losing tens or hundreds of coins was disheartening.
Pei Lan’s husband might have a salary, but it wasn’t enough for his expenses, so he couldn’t supplement hers. She wasn’t the household manager, hence not entitled to its profits, and could only rely on her dowry to maintain appearances. Yet, every aspect needed money, which wasn’t sufficient. That’s why she once asked Qu Fulan for recipes to start her eatery, but it didn’t pan out.
Yao Xing was in a worse situation; she used to depend on her maternal family, but they’ve since declined, and she had to support them financially, while Pei Lian didn’t pass his exams to earn a position or salary, relying solely on the family, with nothing left for contingencies involving her.
Right at this moment, a maid approached Qu Fulan, holding a box, "Young Madam, Heir Pei sent this box of money, requesting Young Madam to enjoy playing, and send someone for more if needed."
Such indulgence certainly made everyone playing Mahjong feel envious.
But if the Young Master delighted in pampering, who could say otherwise?
At least not openly in front of everyone; once back in their rooms, Yao Xing swept the tea on the table onto the floor furiously.
"Displaying to outsiders without restraint, afraid others wouldn’t know their newlywed bliss. Hmph, I’ll wait and see how long this honeymoon lasts, so ostentatious now, let’s see how things turn when there’s only laughter from new faces, leaving old ones crying! I shall wait!"
