Chapter 683: Chapter 685: Concubine
"Even though we were in that poor, remote village, she didnât seem like a country girl at all. Otherwise, your father wouldnât have arranged such a marriage for you back then.
He was thinking, if you could become a Scholar, having such a Scholarâs wife wouldnât bring you any shame."
Madam Ning sank into her memories. "Itâs just a pity your father died so early. I didnât have the ability to support this family, so I had to find another backer.
But we didnât treat her unfairly back then. We compensated them with Silver, and her parents happily accepted it.
I know her family looked down on you for being poor back then. Without your fatherâs support, they probably figured that was as far as youâd go.
Why bring this up all of a sudden?"
Ning Yuchen said in a low voice, "Mother, you know I have no brothers or clan relatives to support me. Itâs hard to earn respect when Iâm fighting all on my own.
Since Lady Yao has come to us for refuge, and we have a history together, I was thinking of becoming sworn siblings with her.
Then I can help her find a good family to marry into. If anything ever happens, we can look out for each other."
Madam Ning immediately understood what he meant. Lady Yao had some good looks; if she were cleaned up nicely, it wasnât impossible....
"But Iâve seen her trying to get close to you several times. Does she still have feelings for you?"
A flash of smugness crossed Ning Yuchenâs eyes, but he said, "Iâve already spoken to her about it, and she didnât object."
Besides, if Ancient Wen Hengâs men hadnât been so cautious, the plan might have already succeeded.
He had also been looking for a target these past few days; after all, he couldnât let his own matters be delayed.
"Well, if you have a use for her, then go ahead and become sworn siblings. But when she marries, we canât provide a dowry."
"..." Ning Yuchen opened his mouth, wanting to say that a concubine doesnât need a dowry, but out of consideration for his old feelings for Lady Yao, he couldnât bring himself to say it.
Lady Yao was also pacing restlessly in her room, standing up from time to time to look at the door.
Living here without any official statusâit had only been a few days, but she was already finding it unbearable.
Everyone in this household looked down on her. Just a moment ago, Old Mrs. Ning had even told her directly to leave.
âI have to find Ning Yuchen today and force his hand.â
âI wonder what that mother and son are saying behind closed doors.â
âTheyâve been in there for most of the day and still havenât come out.â
She stood at her door, listening intently. After an unknown amount of time, she heard the CREAK of a door sliding open. She quickly fixed her appearance and slid her own door open as well.
There was no dramatic moment of their eyes meeting. It was just that this rented house was old, and the sound of any door opening was quite loud. It was impossible for Ning Yuchen not to notice.
He asked gently, "Lady Yao, not resting yet?"
"Brother Ning, can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Of course," Ning Yuchen said gently, pointing to the kitchen. "The stove is still lit, so itâs warmer. Letâs talk in there."
Lady Yao sat by the stove, warming her hands by the fire. "Brother Ning, Iâm just living here for free and disturbing your family. Maybe I should just go back to my village."
She didnât relay what Old Mrs. Ning had said. She knew in her heart that Ning Yuchen felt guilty towards her and also had other intentions, but he had always been a filial son and naturally knew some things were better left unsaid.
"What kind of life would you have if you went back?" Ning Yuchen soothed. "Iâm already making arrangements for you. Donât worry about household chores; just rest well for the next few days."
At least without chores and with good food these past few days, she had regained much of her former beauty.
Plus, now that she was a married woman, she no longer had her youthful naivete. Instead, she possessed a different kind of charm and was even more eye-catching than before.
Yao Liang noticed Ning Yuchenâs appraising gaze and touched her face. "Brother Ning, is there something wrong with my face?"
"No, itâs fine." Ning Yuchen thought he should take this opportunity to be clear. "Lady Yao, I truly want to help you find a good place. If itâs an ordinary family, youâll still be living a life of mundane chores.
Take Ancient Wen Heng, for example. A high-ranking official from a wealthy family. If you had entered his rear courtyard, you would have been guaranteed a lifetime of glory and riches.
Last time, we werenât thorough enough in our planning and wasted such a great opportunity.
Itâs a pity he had to rush off to his post, causing him to miss out on a beauty like you."
Lady Yao shyly covered her face. "Brother Ning, please stop.
I had to summon all my courage last time. After what happened, I donât have such thoughts anymore."
"Brother Ning, do you look down on me because Iâve been married?" Lady Yao lowered her hands, her face full of grievance.
Seeing the tears welling up in Lady Yaoâs eyes, shimmering in the light of the charcoal fire, Ning Yuchenâs heart suddenly sped up. He felt that in this moment, Lady Yao was breathtakingly moving.
He licked his lips. "How could I ever look down on you? Even though youâve been married, youâre still the Lady Yao from my memories."
But Lady Yao sobbed softly, "I donât believe you. Otherwise, why would Brother Ning keep trying to find another family for me?
Is it because Iâm not good enough for Brother Ning to want me?
Brother Ning, I really donât care about status. But if I have to be a concubine, Iâd rather be by Brother Ningâs side."
A warmth spread through Ning Yuchenâs heart, and his gaze softened. He raised a hand to comfort her, but a burning sensation in his palm snapped him back to his senses.
He had accidentally touched the stove. He lowered his head, avoiding her gaze. "How could I not find you desirable? Itâs just... youâve seen my situation. I can barely fend for myself, so I canât give you a good life.
I canât be so selfish. Besides, I owe you this, so I must arrange things properly for you."
"But I donât want to be with anyone else," Lady Yao said, looking at him with tear-filled eyes. "I truly donât mind a hard life, as long as I can be with Brother Ning."
Ning Yuchenâs heart skipped a beat for a moment, but he quickly composed himself. "Iâve already let you down once. I darenât ruin your life again.
Mrs. Fang is a jealous woman. I took a concubine before, and she caused the poor girl to meet a terrible end. Since then, Iâve given up on the idea."
Ning Yuchenâs expression was exceptionally pained. "Or perhaps with our... sigh..."
Lady Yao was startled. She truly hadnât known about this. She stammered, "But Sister-in-law doesnât seem..."
"You canât judge a person by their face. Itâs getting late now, you should go back and rest. Iâll take care of everything else." Ning Yuchen couldnât stay any longer. He offered a few perfunctory words of advice and left in a hurry.
Lady Yao sat for a long while before finally returning to her room.
ăThe next day,ă she went about helping the old maids and servant girls with their chores as usual.
In the course of their conversations, she slowly managed to fish for some information.
These servant girls and old maids might not have known much about the masterâs affairs, but from the few snippets they let slip, she learned that a certain Aunt Xiao existed and that she was no longer here. She couldnât find out the specific reason, however.
What she didnât know was that the servant girls and old maids who knew about the matter had all been gradually replaced. The current ones only knew of this person because they had overheard a few words from their predecessors.