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 Shu’s 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 hasn’t married?"
Xu Shu seemed to pause for a moment before replying earnestly, "I will graduate from the Imperial College in another year. My parents’ 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 hadn’t gone inside.
This call caused the voices inside the room to pause.
Song Wei’s expression didn’t 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 couldn’t stand it, "You’re a respectable Mr. Scholar and you’re doing this kind of work? Take a break, I’ll let a few servants come over. It won’t 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, "Don’t rush to refuse your buddy, mate. I’m doing this for your own good. You two are about to participate in the Spring Examination—a precious time indeed. Wasting a day is like wasting the opportunity to become an Advanced Scholar and rise to prominence. No harm in what I’m saying, right?"
Song Wei ignored him, wrung out the towel, and began working.
Xu Shu didn’t 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 isn’t 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 Wei’s hands was taken over by the maidservants; he cleaned his hands and sat down.
Xu Shu thought of something and suddenly said, "Your wife didn’t 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."
"You’re just so stubborn!" Xu Shu criticized, "I didn’t 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, "We’re here for the Spring Examination and won’t stay long."
"But you’ll have to eat while you’re 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, it’s indeed inappropriate for us cousins to keep maidservants around."
Xu Shu rubbed his nose and didn’t 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, "It’s this late and you’re 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 there’s no one to cook. I can’t just leave them and go, right? How about I don’t 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 you’re 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, "What’s the difference, it’s all fake anyway?"
"Of course there is," Xu Shu raised his chin, "Begging your cousin, mate, I’ll say you left me to have fun outside. Begging your husband, I’ll say your third brother became a scholar and came to the Capital, and you’re helping him settle down."
Song Fang slammed the dough onto the board heavily, "So if I don’t ask you today, I won’t be able to report back, right?"
Xu Shu, afraid she might grab a knife, retreated a step while saying, "Just talking, can’t you stop resorting to hands all the time? Having been at Hongwen Academy for half a year, I see you haven’t 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 weren’t for prior agreements with the Xu Family, she really didn’t 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, "Someone’s cooking today, but what about tomorrow? Are you coming back?"
Song Fang also knew this wasn’t realistic. Skipping a couple of meals from the mansion might cover things up temporarily, but if she continuously didn’t return, the old lady would definitely become suspicious.
"Help me get through today first, and I’ll think of something."
——
Xu Shu was just being cheeky, he actually didn’t mean to trouble Song Fang. After he went back, he truthfully told the old lady that Song Fang’s third brother passed the scholar exam and came to the Capital for the provincial examination. Her sister-in-law was heavily pregnant and didn’t come, there was no woman in the courtyard, so Song Fang went over to help look after things.
The old lady said, "Then why don’t you arrange for a few servants to go over there?"
Xu Shu exclaimed, "Oh wow, what did I say, you’re my real grandmother! We’ve really thought the same thing, unfortunately, it didn’t work, Song Wei doesn’t 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 didn’t want maids to serve him. She didn’t 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 didn’t expect the old lady to be so understanding, he was secretly delighted, "Then we can consider it settled, alright? Please don’t 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 I’m not understanding, how could they ever come together?"
At first, she didn’t spot the flaw, but as time went on, some details were unintentionally exposed even without anyone deliberately pointing them out.
The old lady didn’t 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.
——
When Xu Shu went to pick up Song Fang at the Hongwen Academy the next day, he told her about the old lady’s 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 Shu’s 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 Fang’s 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 didn’t 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 Fang’s 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 I’ll do to you, if you don’t believe it, call me once?"
Song Fang looked sullen, "Shameless!"
Xu Shu tossed the book back to her through the window, "I say, that’s enough, if I really start to act shameless, don’t 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 Song’s reaction just now, Xu Shu felt inexplicably comfortable all over.
Calming her emotions, Song Fang decided not to continue riding the carriage, since she wasn’t going back to the General Mansion anyway.
She lifted her skirt and stepped down directly, Xu Shu, fearing he’d be hit, had already gotten on his horse, ready to flee at any moment.
Song Fang didn’t 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 Wei’s courtyard, even on foot it wouldn’t take long.
Watching Song Fang’s 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!"