Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 705 - 343 Long Affection_3

Chapter 705: Chapter 343 Long Affection_3

After paying respects to the ancestor, the men would go to the front yard. As for the women, aside from Lady Cui managing the household affairs, everyone else would spend time joking and chatting with the ancestor before dispersing.

Lunch would be eaten separately, and the family would gather again in Wanshou Hall for dinner in the evening.

After making a full round, Qian Yixiu returned to Lotus Hall, and it was already noon.

She asked all other servants to leave except for Cai Yun, whose mother was the Deputy Manager of the Inner Courtyard. Cai Yun was likely to know more about certain affairs.

When Qian Yixiu paid her respects at the main courtyard today, she noticed that Lady Cui’s eyes were a bit red. Although she tried hard to suppress her emotions, it was still evident that she had just cried.

Qian Yixiu said, "Tell me about some of the affairs in the inner courtyard. The Master Duke rarely used to be at home, and it wasn’t until last year that he started to stay at home regularly, mainly in the outer courtyard, so he doesn’t know much about the inner courtyard."

Cai Yun, with her clear understanding, knew why Qian Yixiu was asking. She then said, her voice lowered, "In our house, aside from Old Duke and Princely Heir who only have one woman, the other masters, besides their official wives, also have concubines or mistresses." She blushed and glanced at Qian Yixiu, then continued, "It seems the Master Duke has taken a liking to a young lady from a respectable family and wants to make her a Good concubine. The main wife disagrees..."

Although Qian Yixiu didn’t have much affection for Auntie Cui, this father-in-law was indeed excessive. He already had a concubine and two mistresses, and still, he wanted to take another Good concubine. No wonder, she had always felt that Old Duke Liang seemed to care for his grandson, Liang Jinzhao, far more than for his own son—who indeed...

She then said, "The father-in-law is really something, being of such an age..."

Cai Yun replied, "Actually, the Master Duke wasn’t like this before, he was very affectionate with the main wife. It all started after the main wife returned from her family and said..." Her face grew even redder, and seeing that Qian Yixiu wasn’t going to keep pressing, she added, "After that incident, their relationship wasn’t as good as before. Plus, with the Cui family’s issues, the Master Duke always felt that he wasn’t as favored by the Emperor anymore, perhaps due to his main wife’s family... In fact, the Master Duke has been quite faithful. Many daughters from families that have fallen upon hard times either get divorced or enter a nunnery. Only our main wife still manages the household affairs, and the Master Duke spends most of his time in the main courtyard."

So, their marital discord had its own reasons!

Qian Yixiu thought that Lady Cui’s continued control over household affairs was not only due to the Master Duke’s faithfulness but also due to the ancestor, Old Duke Liang, and Liang Jinzhao’s influence. Liang Jinzhao was Lady Cui’s son, so he would naturally support his mother. And not only were the ancestor and Old Duke Liang respectable, but they also valued the Liang Family’s reputation greatly and certainly wouldn’t heap misfortune on Lady Cui.

However, as a daughter-in-law, she had no say in this matter. After grumbling internally about Liang Yiqian for a while, she let it go.

After lunch, she sent the servants away, not keeping anyone in the room to the east side. She even had Zi Zhu keep watch under the eaves to prevent anyone from being near her window.

Qian Yixiu knew that Zi Zhu was smart and tight-lipped and that she might have been aware of Qian Yixiu’s secret for a long time, yet she never asked about it nor talked too much.

When she reached the bed, she let down the bed curtains before nervously removing the small cover from the clam shell pendant. As soon as she removed the cover, the clam shell turned into a crystal form, and Pearl Kid and Squirrel Sister tumbled out, followed by a clattering release of many small pearls, indicating how upset Pearl Kid had been these past few days.

As soon as Pearl Kid emerged, he opened his mouth to cry. Qian Yixiu quickly covered his mouth, whispering urgently, "Be quiet, if someone hears us, it would be bad."

Pearl Kid quieted down, then began to sob silently, tears rolling down like pearls falling from a string. His small, pitiful appearance was extremely heartbreaking.

Sister Squirrel also sobbed spasmodically.

Qian Yixiu felt incredibly sorry for them. Holding one in each arm, she soothed them gently, "I’m sorry, it was mother’s fault. I won’t shut you away for so long again. From now on, I’ll let you out every day to play... When Hongji comes over, I’ll find an excuse, claiming you were found by the Old Monk in the mountains, and he entrusted me to take care of you; that way, you’ll be able to stay outside all the time... There, I even had some delicious treats made for you."

Hearing this, Pearl Kid and Squirrel Sister stopped their tears. Pearl Kid hugged Qian Yixiu, sobbing and saying, "Mother, I thought you didn’t want me anymore when you locked me in that small place."

Qian Yixiu replied, "How could mother not want you! You’re so adorable and beautiful; mother couldn’t get enough of loving you." With that said, she took out the prepared pastries to feed them.

While they were eagerly munching on the pastries, she hurriedly collected the small pearls scattered on the bed.

She had already planned what to do with these pearls; she would never use them for jewelry as that would be too wasteful. She intended to grind them up to eat, as these were celestial health supplements not found anywhere else on earth.

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