Chapter 186: Chapter 174: Just Joking Around (3 Updates)
After coaxing her son to sleep, Song Wei left the master bedroom. Xie Zheng and Xu Shu sat in the main room.
After some interaction, Xie Zheng had a rough understanding of Xu Shuâs temperament and was no longer as unfamiliar as when they first met in the morning. They were able to chat more freely now.
Song Wei stood outside the main room, ready to draw the curtain, when he overheard Xie Zheng asking Xu Shu, "Young Master Xu is twenty-one years old this year and still hasnât married?"
Xu Shu seemed to pause for a moment before replying earnestly, "I will graduate from the Imperial College in another year. My parentsâ intention is to focus on my studies for now."
Just as Song Fang came out of her room, preparing to go out and buy a bed mattress, she saw Song Wei standing outside and greeted him, asking why he hadnât gone inside.
This call caused the voices inside the room to pause.
Song Weiâs expression didnât change much; he nodded in acknowledgment and turned to enter the room.
After not living in the room for half a year, despite the windows and doors being tightly closed when they left, a layer of dust inevitably settled.
Song Wei let the two sit, then brought a basin of warm water to begin cleaning the room.
Xu Shu couldnât stand it, "Youâre a respectable Mr. Scholar and youâre doing this kind of work? Take a break, Iâll let a few servants come over. It wonât take more than an hour, and I guarantee all the rooms in your house will look completely new."
Seeing Song Wei seemed ready to speak, he added, "Donât rush to refuse your buddy, mate. Iâm doing this for your own good. You two are about to participate in the Spring Examinationâa precious time indeed. Wasting a day is like wasting the opportunity to become an Advanced Scholar and rise to prominence. No harm in what Iâm saying, right?"
Song Wei ignored him, wrung out the towel, and began working.
Xu Shu didnât engage in more chatter, soon heading out to let the driver go back once, and bring a few maidservants over.
Before long, several lively young maidservants stood in the courtyard alley. Xu Shu instructed loudly, "Work well! If any spot isnât clean, none of you will eat dinner tonight."
The young maidservants obeyed orders quickly, dividing up tasks, some sweeping the floor, others wiping tables and chairs.
The work in Song Weiâs hands was taken over by the maidservants; he cleaned his hands and sat down.
Xu Shu thought of something and suddenly said, "Your wife didnât come, and Song is living in Hongwen Academy, not coming home. How about leaving these maidservants to help you with cooking and laundry, okay?"
Song Wei replied with indifference, "Not really."
"Youâre just so stubborn!" Xu Shu criticized, "I didnât ask them to sleep with you, just to serve you two guys food and drink, is that too much?"
Song Wei picked up a book from the table and casually flipped through it, "Weâre here for the Spring Examination and wonât stay long."
"But youâll have to eat while youâre in the Capital, right?"
"I can cook for myself," Song Wei said leisurely.
Xu Shu was stumped, then turned his gaze towards Xie Zheng.
Xie Zheng replied apologetically, "Young Master Xu is considerate. Without a matriarch in this courtyard, itâs indeed inappropriate for us cousins to keep maidservants around."
Xu Shu rubbed his nose and didnât speak further.
The maidservants cleaned all the rooms thoroughly, and Song Fang coincidentally returned with their purchases.
Aside from the essential living goods for two rooms, she also bought the necessary rice, flour, and oil for the kitchen, along with meat and vegetables for dinner.
It was brought back by hiring someone with a cart.
After serving as "Young Madam" at the General Mansion for half a year, getting used to having servants for meals and clothing, suddenly having to serve others, Song Fang was exhausted, so she entrusted the following tasks entirely to the servants and sat down to take a break.
Once rested enough, she finally stood up and arranged the kitchen items.
Xu Shu stayed for half the afternoon; as evening came, he was about to leave. Seeing Song Fang still in the kitchen, he slipped in and asked, "Itâs this late and youâre not leaving yet?"
Song Fang was kneading dough; hearing this, she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, "My third brother just arrived, and thereâs no one to cook. I canât just leave them and go, right? How about I donât go back for dinner tonight, and you find a way to cover for me with the old lady?"
Xu Shu cleared his throat, putting on a serious face, "If youâre asking for help, you need to adopt the right approach. Clarify, are you asking your cousin or your husband?"
Song Fang really wanted to smash a ball of dough onto his face, "Whatâs the difference, itâs all fake anyway?"
"Of course there is," Xu Shu raised his chin, "Begging your cousin, mate, Iâll say you left me to have fun outside. Begging your husband, Iâll say your third brother became a scholar and came to the Capital, and youâre helping him settle down."
Song Fang slammed the dough onto the board heavily, "So if I donât ask you today, I wonât be able to report back, right?"
Xu Shu, afraid she might grab a knife, retreated a step while saying, "Just talking, canât you stop resorting to hands all the time? Having been at Hongwen Academy for half a year, I see you havenât made any progress at all."
Song Fang clenched her fingers tightly.
At Hongwen Academy, the teachers all said she was learning well, and her temperament was gradually becoming more elegant.
Yet every day after school, three words from Xu Shu could completely strip her of elegance, turning her into a shrew.
If it werenât for prior agreements with the Xu Family, she really didnât want to serve anymore!
Taking a deep breath to calm her emotions, Song Fang said, "Say whatever you want; anyway, I must stay here today to make dinner for my third brother."
Xu Shu asked her, "Someoneâs cooking today, but what about tomorrow? Are you coming back?"
Song Fang also knew this wasnât realistic. Skipping a couple of meals from the mansion might cover things up temporarily, but if she continuously didnât return, the old lady would definitely become suspicious.
"Help me get through today first, and Iâll think of something."
ââ
Xu Shu was just being cheeky, he actually didnât mean to trouble Song Fang. After he went back, he truthfully told the old lady that Song Fangâs third brother passed the scholar exam and came to the Capital for the provincial examination. Her sister-in-law was heavily pregnant and didnât come, there was no woman in the courtyard, so Song Fang went over to help look after things.
The old lady said, "Then why donât you arrange for a few servants to go over there?"
Xu Shu exclaimed, "Oh wow, what did I say, youâre my real grandmother! Weâve really thought the same thing, unfortunately, it didnât work, Song Wei doesnât want it."
The old lady had met Song Wei before and knew his character, so upon hearing Xu Shu say this, she could somewhat guess the reason why Song Wei didnât want maids to serve him. She didnât force the issue, "Then let your wife take good care over there, the imperial exam is a big deal, she can come back once her third brother finishes the exam."
Xu Shu didnât expect the old lady to be so understanding, he was secretly delighted, "Then we can consider it settled, alright? Please donât forget about it later and ask me for your granddaughter-in-law again."
After Xu Shu left, Nanny Wu stepped forward and said, "The old lady is really understanding."
The old lady looked in the direction where Xu Shu left, sighed, "The little girl never had any feelings for my eldest grandson, if Iâm not understanding, how could they ever come together?"
At first, she didnât spot the flaw, but as time went on, some details were unintentionally exposed even without anyone deliberately pointing them out.
The old lady didnât even summon Mrs. Xu for questioning; she had already pieced together most of this secret marriage situation by herself.
Since they were putting on an act, she decided to play along, hoping to turn the fake into reality eventually.
ââ
When Xu Shu went to pick up Song Fang at the Hongwen Academy the next day, he told her about the old ladyâs consent.
Song Fang was a bit incredulous after hearing it, she lifted the carriage curtain and looked at Xu Shu, "The old lady really said that?"
Xu Shu frowned and grasped the key point, "Am I, in your heart, totally unreliable or something?"
He was being rarely serious, did she have to doubt him this much?
Song Fang suddenly let down the curtain, blocking Xu Shuâs view, "Do you have no idea what you are like in my heart?"
Who knows which nerve was touched, Xu Shu suddenly got off the horse and strode onto the carriage.
Song Fangâs eyes showed a hint of wariness. Seeing the man suddenly come up, she leaned her back as far back as she could, "What... what are you doing?"
Xu Shu leaned in closer, his warm breath sprayed on her cheek, "Am I, in your heart, really such a lowlife, and so inhumane?"
Song Fang didnât respond, her fingers at her side slightly curled.
"Married" for more than half a year, they had never been this close.
No matter how noisy they were daily, in such a cramped space with just the two of them, as a girl not yet married, she instinctively felt tension.
Song Fangâs silence was seen as tacit agreement by Xu Shu, he nodded with a stern face, "Alright, I get it."
Song Fang turned her head the other way, still silent.
However, her left cheek was suddenly touched by two soft, warm things, and they quickly left like a dragonfly skimming the water.
Song Fang quickly turned her head, and the man who had sneaked a kiss was already off the carriage, peeking half his face back through the window, "Wife, is your husband in your heart just like that?"
Song Fang grabbed a book and directly threw it at the window, "Xu Shu, you bastard!"
Xu Shu caught the book with one hand, winking at her, "Yell more, whatever you call me Iâll do to you, if you donât believe it, call me once?"
Song Fang looked sullen, "Shameless!"
Xu Shu tossed the book back to her through the window, "I say, thatâs enough, if I really start to act shameless, donât start to scream and cry."
Song Fang gritted her teeth, took out a handkerchief, and rubbed hard where he had kissed.
Xu Shu was overjoyed in his heart.
In this fake marriage for so long, it was always him who was made a fool of by her, finally, there was a time when she was gnashing her teeth at him in frustration.
Remembering Songâs reaction just now, Xu Shu felt inexplicably comfortable all over.
Calming her emotions, Song Fang decided not to continue riding the carriage, since she wasnât going back to the General Mansion anyway.
She lifted her skirt and stepped down directly, Xu Shu, fearing heâd be hit, had already gotten on his horse, ready to flee at any moment.
Song Fang didnât even look at him, turned around and walked towards the small courtyard in the alley.
Hongwen Academy was right across from the Imperial College, not far from Song Weiâs courtyard, even on foot it wouldnât take long.
Watching Song Fangâs back, Xu Shu spurred his horse forward a few steps, "Hey! Are you really angry?"
Song Fang pretended not to hear, looking straight ahead.
"I was just joking." Xu Shu had never seen her like this before, suddenly a bit panicked, "Okay, I admit I was wrong, will you accept my apology?"
"Scram!"