The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 586 - 553: Rubbing Salt in the Wound (First Update)
This conversation ended with an invitation from Jiang Qingyu.
She was the first to leave with Tang Yong.
Tang Yuan and Xu Jia exited the main courtyard one after the other, walking along the quaint and elegant cobblestone path.
Xu Jia had already hung the warehouse key back at her waist. Since Tang Yuan remained silent, she too said nothing, remaining very quiet.
After walking a short distance, Tang Yuan suddenly stopped and turned to look at her, "My sister-in-law is unwell. When you visit, just sit for a bit and then leave, so as not to disturb her rest."
Clearly, he was afraid she might say something inappropriate in front of Jiang Qingyu, leading Jiang Qingyu to mistakenly believe there was something untoward between him and her, causing Jiang Qingyu to be heartbroken.
Xu Jia calmly replied, "As a sister-in-law, it wouldn’t be right for me to slight my sister-in-law’s face. Since she was the one who invited me first, it’s only natural that I’ll return whenever she says."
Seeing Tang Yuan’s furrowed brows, Xu Jia gently smiled and whispered, "Second Master, my body has already recovered. So, when do you think would be convenient to fulfill the promise? How about tonight?"
Tang Yuan’s back stiffened, and the resentful gaze Jiang Qingyu occasionally cast towards him earlier in the East Hall of the main courtyard surfaced in his mind. He pursed his lips, "I..."
"Then it’s settled." Xu Jia pretended to shyly lower her head.
Tang Yuan lowered his gaze and saw that the young woman in front of him had long eyelashes. Her eyes were unlike Qingyu’s soft and gentle ones, but rather they shone with a firm brightness, as if she could nonchalantly say such things as "I can live without a man," showing her optimistic confidence to a remarkable degree.
Her carefree and unrestrained demeanor, derived from a military family, was completely different from the gentle and delicate women in Tang Yuan’s impression, igniting an inexplicable warmth in his heart and a desire to conquer.
When he came back to his senses, Xu Jia had already turned away toward Jiang Qingyu’s courtyard.
Tang Yuan’s eyes were fixed on the direction she left, thinking of his momentary loss of composure, and he couldn’t help but frown deeply.
Ruyi Courtyard.
Although Jiang Qingyu seldom returned, everything in the courtyard remained much as it was before she left for the villa. With Tang Yong living there, the servants meticulously cleaned daily, showing hardly any signs of long neglect.
When Xu Jia arrived, Cui Xi was standing outside the door, obviously waiting for quite some time.
Seeing her, Cui Xi showed no expression and only reached out to lift the curtain for her, calling inside, "Second Madam is here," without another word.
Both Yuan Yang and Cui Xi were Jiang Qingyu’s trusted maids, well aware of their master’s sordid affairs. Not only were they aware, but they were also efficient helpers.
It must be said that in her past life, Xu Jia’s tragic death was no small part due to these two.
Suppressing her emotions, Xu Jia rounded the screen partition.
In October, the Capital was already chilly in the morning and evening, and it was nearing dusk. Jiang Qingyu, habitually afraid of the cold, had already ordered the fire basins to be lit. She leaned against a soft couch made of rosewood with bird and sparrow patterns, a cashmere throw covering her legs. Xu Jia had vaguely heard the mother and son talking before she entered, and judging by Jiang Qingyu’s slightly hostile gaze, it wasn’t hard to guess that Tang Yong was complaining.
Most likely about how his second aunt treated her nephew so harshly.
Xu Jia walked to the center of the hall, bowed, and said, "Sister-in-law."
Jiang Qingyu’s voice was devoid of emotion as she raised her hand slightly, "Sit down."
After speaking, she had Yuan Yang take Tang Yong out.
Xu Jia did not hesitate and sat down on the round chair beside her.
Having trained in martial arts, she had always been strict with herself and was not used to approaching the brazier even in the harshest winters, thus she found the warmth in Jiang Qingyu’s room uncomfortable.
Especially since the silver frost charcoal burning in the copper basin, no matter how high-quality and smokeless, still held a trace of acridness.
Xu Jia feigned an inadvertent gesture to cover her nose with a handkerchief.
Jiang Qingyu leaned half her body on a large welcome pillow.
One must admit, a beauty is indeed a beauty. The lazy posture she assumed exuded the allure and charm of a mature woman with even an idle glance.
Putting aside grievances, Xu Jia still quite admired Jiang Qingyu’s appearance; after all, the appreciation of beauty is universal.
Being siblings, Xu Jia’s temperament bore some resemblance to Xu Shu’s, open and carefree, not one to hold grudges easily.
So in truth, she didn’t harbor much resentment towards Tang Yuan and Jiang Qingyu.
But even if there isn’t much resentment, revenge must still be sought.
When the dog bit her, she naturally couldn’t bite back, but she could peel off its skin layer by layer and carve its meat.
There was a long silence in the room before Jiang Qingyu finally spoke up, "I heard from the servants that you and the second master had a conflict just after your marriage and even separated rooms because of it. Is everything alright?"
A worried expression and gentle tone made it seem like the typical concern an elder sister-in-law would show towards her sister-in-law.
Xu Jia listened but didn’t rush to answer. She first lowered her head.
Jiang Qingyu looked at her and saw Xu Jia’s face flush with a shy and embarrassed expression, as if she had something hard to openly discuss.
However, this silence, with everything showing on her face, made Jiang Qingyu find it very unpleasant to look at. She didn’t know how many times she had to take deep breaths to barely calm her mind. "We are all women; there is nothing that can’t be said. I, as your sister-in-law, have been through it. If you truly have something to say, tell me, and I can offer you some advice."
When Xu Jia heard this, her face turned even redder. After holding back for a while, she finally said, "On the wedding night, the second master drank too much, and his behavior was... was too presumptive. I really couldn’t handle it, so I had to use the excuse of keeping vigil for Grandmother to make him move to the study."
"Really?" Jiang Qingyu’s expression suddenly became very strained. "Second master has always been so refined; he doesn’t seem like such a person!"
Xu Jia looked up, her eyes still showing both shyness and hesitation. "Sister-in-law is always at the outer estate, how would you know what kind of person the second master is? Besides, matters on the bed, a scholar like the second master, even if lacking boundaries, can he show it in usual times?"
Jiang Qingyu’s fingers clenched the thin blanket covering her legs, completely unaware of how poorly her face was reflecting.
...
Tang Yuan feared that Xu Jia might apply the same set of tactics she used on him to Qingyu, so he followed and dismissed both Yuan Yang and Cui Xi, who were guarding outside the door. He didn’t rush in but leaned his ear against the window lattice to listen, unexpectedly hearing Xu Jia’s words of twisting truths.
Tang Yuan had a cleanliness obsession since childhood, and perhaps because of this, no matter how much he cared for Jiang Qingyu, he still hadn’t touched her to this day.
As the son of a renowned family, as he got older, there were always a few maids around to enlighten him. The reasons he used to refuse at the time, he couldn’t remember, but he hadn’t touched any of them.
Thus, in this aspect, he was as naive as a newborn baby.
Xu Jia had always treated him with cold words, and today, probably to block the awkwardness of splitting rooms with her husband on their wedding night, she had to fabricate such a reason.
But this reason, to Tang Yuan’s ears, not only did not feel repulsed, but instead left him so flustered that his ears turned red, his heart heated like it had just been pulled from boiling water, even faintly looking forward to something.
When he realized what he was thinking, cold sweat poured down like a waterfall, and he forgot the purpose of coming to Ruyi Courtyard, fleeing from the place in a hurry.
The two sisters-in-law inside were completely unaware of Tang Yuan’s secretive arrival and hasty departure, still speaking with seemingly cordial yet cutting words.
After a few exchanges, Jiang Qingyu found herself unable to even maintain a fake smile, in her heart only wishing to rush up and tear apart Xu Jia’s face.
Tang Yuan’s official wife was handpicked by her. The mamás she sent to investigate had all claimed that although Xu Jia studied at Hongwen Academy for a year, most of her time was spent at the military grounds. The only concubine in General Changwei’s Mansion had been moved away, without the troubles of other families’ backyards. The girl from such a family background had a straightforward character without schemes, incapable of using sinister tricks.
Jiang Qingyu initially valued Xu Jia for her "simplicity and lack of scheming."
But who could tell her, who was this woman before her now, hiding a needle in silk, speaking words like knives?
On the wedding night, when Tang Yuan didn’t come to the outer estate to see her, Jiang Qingyu had a vague bad feeling, but didn’t think too deeply, self-comforting that he was probably busy with guests, unable to get away.
Yet on the second and third days... consecutive days passed, and not only did he not come in person, but didn’t even send a message.
She had no choice but to let Yuan Yang deliver a comb.
She hoped he would be moved upon seeing the token of affection and let go of other matters to see her, yet he still never appeared.
Unyielding, Jiang Qingyu again sent Yuan Yang to him, claiming she was ill.
This time, he did bring back words, but they were unimportant care for her well-being.
With things as they were, how could she sit still, simply packing and bringing maids back.
Upon first seeing Xu Jia in the mother-in-law’s courtyard, Jiang Qingyu thought she had already won.
There are few men who don’t care about appearance, and in this regard, she far surpassed Xu Jia.
Later, when Tang Yuan obscurely promised in front of everyone to compensate her, Jiang Qingyu felt even more certain of victory, suddenly forgiving Tang Yuan’s failure to visit her over these days, assuming he was genuinely busy, couldn’t let go of his official duties.
Yet just now, Xu Jia sprinkled salt on her just-closed wound and dissected those shameless things of their wedding, telling it to her in detail.
Jiang Qingyu listened, eyes reddening, with a fire burning inside.
