Who Cares – Chapter 73
Chapter 73 Beloved Wife
After everyone finished their meal, they walked to the side hall to chat about the current situation at home.
Guan Suyi took out a letter from her sleeve pocket and handed it to Zhao Luli, “This is Mr. Lu’s leave letter, saying that the elders in the clan are sick and need to go back to Langshan to take care of them, and the return date is uncertain. Except for him, there is no one in the house that resign for the time being. Your study was smashed by Zhou Tian’s subordinates a while ago, and many antique ornaments were damaged. I have ordered stewards in the front yard to register them one by one. You can take a look later and check it out to avoid any mistakes.”
“Of course I feel reassured with Madam’s work.” Zhao Luli seemed to inadvertently pat the back of his wife’s hand.
Guan Suyi felt uncomfortable with his gentle voice and intimate attitude, so she couldn’t help but move away, and continued, “No matter how reassured, you should go and have a look, you know the numbers of items in you heart. Although I tried my best to stop the raid, but many building and utensils were still ruined, and a lot of gold and silver jewelry were lost, it can be said to be a serious damage. I have sent someone to deliver a letter to the second brother, but due to the tense war at the border, he has not been able to reply for a long time. It’s probably will take a few months for him to learn the accident at home. But now it doesn’t matter, all the disasters have subsided, and he didn’t intervene, but left a righteous impression on others.”
After finished speaking, she took a small box from Minglan, placed it on the low table, and sighed, “The property you left with the old madam, the old madam passed it on to me. Because all the shop hung the name of Marquis Zhenbei at the front, when you were stripped off your title and imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, a lot of people wanted to take advantage of someone’s misfortune and take it by force. Fortunately, I put on the signboard of General Zhengbei in time, only then able to save them, but it still lost 30% to 40% of its income. I have already sorted out the account books, you can take it back to check, and if you have any questions, just send someone to ask.”
Zhao Luli pushed the box back and said with a wry smile, “Why Madam is so distant? What’s mine is yours, what’s yours is still yours. I am very reassured to handed over these properties to you.”
Guan Suyi looked directly at him, and said firmly, “You better take your things back. Internally, I have take charge of the central feed, serve the elders, take care of sister-in-law and the children, and externally, I have to help you take care of the property and dispatch expenses. Do you think I have three heads and six arms? They all say that men are the master outside and women are the master inside, but you are good, want me to be the master inside and outside, and you as the family head is going to relax and doesn’t have to worry about anything. If so, it’s better if I exchange with you, anyway, you are very idle now.”
Zhao Luli really wanted to do something for his family, and even more wanted to make up for his wife, so he said that he would give her full authority over the property, he intend to pat the horse’s butt but didn’t expect to pat the horse’s leg, his heart was full of remorse, and he bow down to sincerely apologize. Seeing Madam turned her head away with a cold snort, revealing half a delicate profile, although her eyes, ears, mouth and nose were already vibrant, they still carried a little bit of childishness. Only then did he realize that she, when all said and done, was only eighteen years. Having encountered such a terrifying change, if she hadn’t been strong enough and kind enough, she would have left everyone in the Zhao mansion and ran back to her parents’ home to escape the disaster.
What’s even more hateful was that he had never given her a hint of warmth and tenderness before, but instead repeatedly humiliated and placed blame. No wonder now, no matter what he said or done, he couldn’t warm up Madam’s heart. If the two people changed places, Zhao Luli knew that he could never do better than her.
The more he thought about it, the more guilt he felt in his heart. When he looked at the cold-faced of his little wife again, he felt that she was extremely respectable and also very lovely, and he couldn’t help but think of an old saying – having a wife like this, what else can a husband ask for?
He smiled tenderly, and was about to hold his wife’s boneless wrist, thoroughly admitting his sin and comfort her, but then heard his mother scolded, “I thought you have really change this time, turns out still as out-of-tune as before! Suyi manages from top to bottom, maintain inside and out, and is already very tired. Didn’t you say you will support this family, but then push everything to her, do you still have a conscience?”
Ruan shi patted the sleepy Mu Mu, and whispered in agreement, “Yes, eldest brother, since you have nothing to do, you can share one or two burden for sister-in-law. How much trouble have you brought to sister-in-law? Leaving aside the Ye family’s matter, just saying that scholar Mr. Lu you hired before is really an ungrateful and arrogant person. On ordinary days, our family has never given him less tutoring salary. Wangshu alone is twenty taels of silver a month, then to have clan’s parent sent over cloth, food, brush, ink, paper, inkstone and other items, enough for ordinary people to spend a few years. Treating him so kindly, but not only he’s not grateful, as soon as he heard that you have been stripped off the title, he threw away the children of the clan, and came to ask sister-in-law for resignation, which made the already panic-stricken clan even more uneasy. I don’t think any elders in his family were sick, he just made an excuse to get away. Even the elders dared to curse, his inferior character is evident. Just wait, once the news that our family is safe and sound has spread, he will definitely return within half a month. Your eyesight is also too poor!”
Since long ago Ruan shi had a lot of complaints towards her brother-in-law. In the past, she didn’t dare to say it, but now she had to, otherwise he wouldn’t know how to repent, then wouldn’t be sister-in-law who suffered?
Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu didn’t make a comment, but they were also very dissatisfied with their father. If he hadn’t insisted on bringing the Ye family back, the following things would not happened. Fortunately, Zhao Chunxi was clever and escaped the arresting guards, fortunately Guan Suyi had a life title and could suppress Zhou Tian, otherwise the two would be like those servants, stripped off their clothes and humiliated, and then death would be better than life.
Seeing his family members glaring at him, Zhao Luli felt very uncomfortable. He didn’t even have the face to mention the words of apology again, could only smiled bitterly. A few words of “I’m sorry” couldn’t erase all the past disasters. Forget it, don’t say anything, just concentrate to treat his family wholeheartedly in the future.
He took the account book and bowed deeply. He wanted Madam to stay in the East Mansion, but he couldn’t say anything. How could he be worthy of such a good Madam now, even touching her jade-white fingertips felt like he desecrate a sacred object.
Watching Madam helped his mother back to the West Mansion, closed the courtyard door and dropped the copper lock, Zhao Luli rubbed his eyebrows, feeling quite sad.
“Don’t look Daddy, there is me and my brother with you.” Zhao Chunxi gently tugged at his sleeve and comforted him, “Mom have a sharp tongue but a soft heart, she looks very strict on the surface, but when encountering difficulties she will definitely stand up and bear the burden for the whole family. Besides, she is prideful and ordinary people cannot enter her eyes. If you treated her wrongly in the past, don’t blame her for treating you coldly. Only sincerity can be exchange with sincerity. Let’s slowly let her see our true heart, one day the old suspicions will be cleared up.”
“That’s right. Although mom is annoyed with us, she still let us to go to the West Mansion to read and write characters every day, without any perfunctory. Mom is soft-hearted.” Zhao Wangshu added.
Zhao Luli took the two children and said with relief, “You can now distinguish who is good and who is bad, which is better than daddy. Before this, daddy was confused and almost made a big mistake and hurt the whole family. In the future you can ignore your daddy’s words, but you cannot ignore your mom’s, okay?”
The two children nodded again and again, obediently agreeing. Without experiencing life and death catastrophe, they might never be able to see through people’s hearts, let alone distinguish right from wrong. This time it was a blessing in disguise.
The three walked along the dark path and walked to the waterside pavilion where the gauze lamps were hung, then saw a woman wearing a misty-green floor-length dress standing under the dim yellow light. Her black hair only used wooden hairpin to bind the hair behind the head, which looked extremely indolent. Her face didn’t have any makeup, looking very pure, but she used color ink mixed with gold powder to depict a camellia on the forehead. The whole body had only this little bright color, but it seemed to be a finishing touch that gave birth to spirituality.
Zhao Luli shook his head, his eyes blurred, and he was stunned for a while.
Zhao Wangshu was still ignorant, but he saw his sister walking over, pushed the person down, rubbed her forehead with a handkerchief, until she wiped the camellia completely before scolding sharply, “What are you calculating?” Dare to learn from my mom?
She had already remembered stuffs when her mom left, no matter how her daddy deceived and induced her, she couldn’t forget the hazy shadow in her heart. Therefore, how could she not know who Ye Fan was imitating now? This person first prepared to find another way out, and seeing that the Ye family had no room to turn around, she resorted to some despicable scheme and performed such ghostly tricks. If Daddy was really bewitched by her, wouldn’t this family that was finally saved from disaster be ruined again? Even if the broken mirror was reattached, it would inevitably leave a gap, and it would be torn apart with only a slight bump.
She must not tolerate anyone who disturb their peace and spoil their happiness.
“You roll back to Nanyuan for me! Mother is kind-hearted, generous and tolerant, but I am a small-minded master. If you continue to play these dirty tricks, believe it or not I will let people ruin your beautiful face and sell you to the border as an army labor? By the way, the Ye family is all there now, you just went to reunite with them.” She whispered in Ye Fan’s ear, her voice was soft, but it contained a trace of cruelty.
For the first time, Ye Fan saw the savage side of her niece. In a trance, she remembered the long-dead aunt Liu shi, and couldn’t help but shudder. She hurriedly pulled up the hem of her skirt, stroked her red forehead, and ran away quickly.
Zhao Luli woke up from the trance and said, “Xi’er, do you still remember your mother?”
“I was over six years old and almost seven, how can I not remember?” Zhao Chunxi squeezed her father’s wrist and said word by word, “Father, mom is already ‘dead’, forget her!”
How could Zhao Luli not understand the meaning of his daughter’s deliberate accentuating the word “dead”? He was stunned for a while, and finally smiled bitterly, “Alright, daddy will forget her, don’t think about it any more, it’s not something you should worry about. Let’s go, go back to rest, and go to the West Mansion tomorrow morning to greet your grandmother.”
The three gradually drifted apart, and the silhouettes under the illumination of the candlelight get longer and slowly blended together.
On the other side, Ye Fan, who had fled back to Nanyuan in embarrassment, happened to bump into Mingfang, and her face couldn’t help turning white. Mingfang naturally saw that she had carefully dressed up, and sneered, “Yo, the Ye family really has some family learning, and can’t wait to hook up with the master when you barely came?”
“What are you talking about? Go there if you have the ability, and shut your dog’s mouth if you don’t!” Ye Fan straightened her back and choked back, so angry that when Mingfang came up she wanted to tear her up.
The servant who was in charge of taking care of Nanyuan couldn’t stand it any longer, and roared, “Can you two stopped for a while? Both of you have been reduced from noble concubines to lowly concubines, and you still can’t see who is in charge of the mansion? If you have the skill to hook up with the master, why don’t you go to the main house to serve Madam. Bah, what a two stupid trash!”
Lol the servant should say that to all members of West Mansion 🤣🤣
Two useless rice bowls biting each other😆 And almost feel sorry for the ex Marquis… he was just a good general who wholeheartedly loved a scheming woman, then promoted to Marquis out of guilt but never had the brains and cunning to recognized his misplaced love and loyalty in Ye Zhen and the Ye family, even servants take advantage of him.
Thanks for the chapter
Many thanks
:V honestly.. I think YZ would have had a good enough life if she didn’t want to reach so far. She was smart and patient. Too bad she wanted too much
Nope. He himself admitted that everything that happened after the battle of Hencheg was him playing dumb, pretending to be too grief-stricken so that he could brainwashed himself into thinking he was the poor victim and just kept on going down that path. He said he himself knew what he was doing was wrong but couldn’t stand up to the things he did so he kept lying. He even told Chunxi that he was not really cowardly but that he had to act like that to help the family, but we all know that was just bullshit.
His greatest disaster is the tragedy of Hancheng. Zhou Tian is only one of the enemy that lost his brother due to him. He had thousands if not ten of thousands life on his head courtesy of Ye Zhen. He wanted to be seen as victim all this time, I can only imagine how deeply Zhou Tian and the rest loathed that act. I mean they are the victims and had to see him acting for nearly 10 years. He and Ye Zhen definitely isn’t one to reach into noble status. He is too irresponsible for the status (that it costed too many bloods to get the title; without those bloods he is just a poor lowly army) and Ye Zhen is too greedy (already a stable main wife with two children, still dare to climb into harem and got Jieyu rank.. but again, dare to dream of Empress seat?, while her father secretly colluded to smuggle previous dynasty prince for rebellion later?) Omg gosh. So both really isn’t peaceful people. Ye Zhen is much more chronic of the two. She can never be satisfied. Her scheme too is seen by Sun shi. Emperor had an excuse of unfamiliarity with tricks of Han while Zhao Luli is a blind man in love from the get go. So they aren’t any benchmark. The words of Marquis Zhenxi, Li Shi that had worked with Ye Zhen, Grand Princess that had seen her in army before.. are more trustworthy. They had seen her scheme whichs shows she isn’t that intelligent and patient that so many people saw her true face.
I feel so bad for the kids. I know what it’s like to have a terrible event destroy your life and family life and all you want is to protect what you have left and gave things go back to a somewhat normal
I wish MC could privately tear all face with her scum husband. Just simply exposing that his ex wife is still alive, he shouldn’t dream of touching her. It’s sickening seeing him act so intimate.
Tsk tsk, the reason for Lulli’s downfall and his family’s poor condition was because he never forgot about his traitorous wife. Ugh, selfish man who needed his daughter to remind him that the ex wife although in fact alive is basically dead to them.