The Laid-back Life of a Stepmother

Madam Lu was still easy to appease.

After Wen Ye fed her two pieces of melon, her expression softened noticeably.

Although she understood the situation clearly in her heart, whether or not she acknowledged it verbally was another matter.

In front of Madam Shen, of course, everything had to be portrayed in a positive light.

Madam Lu fibbed, "Wen Ye often helps me with my burdens."

Madam Shen saw through her but didn't call her out, merely smiling and saying, "It seems marriage does bring maturity."

Madam Lu was rendered speechless once again.

Madam Shen's words were perfectly okay, but somehow, they didn't sit right with her.

Wen Ye, with her thick skin, maintained her "well-behaved" smile when Madam Lu glanced at her for the second time.

This topic was best left untouched, so Madam Lu decided to avoid the issue by sending Wen Ye away.

Wen Ye, being perceptive, took the hint and returned to Wen Ran's side with a small plate of melon in hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Wen Ran looked up and replied, "Homework."

Wen Ye was surprised, "You brought homework to the hot springs?"

Wen Ran explained, "These are the problems the Crown Prince gave to the princess, and she copied some for me."

She couldn't work on them now, so she was just looking at them beforehand.

Wen Ye was truly impressed. Unlike Wen Ran, she rarely even opened the novels she brought along on trips.

Speaking of novels, Wen Ye suddenly remembered that the two she brought this time were chosen by Xu Yuejia.

She wondered how he was doing back at the mansion.

In the Duke Xu Mansion, Duke Xu was chasing Xu Jingrong around the courtyard, holding homework filled with red marks he had found in his eldest son's room.

Xu Jingrong, relying on his small and agile frame, ran around, avoiding his father.

While fleeing, he shouted, "I didn't slack off!"

He had submitted his homework on time, and it wasn't entirely his fault if it wasn't correct.

Duke Xu was furious, "I must discipline you properly today! Stop right now!"

Xu Jingrong quickly climbed a tree, shouting down, "This tree is mother's favorite! Think carefully before you come up here, father!"

Xu Jingrong swayed left and right on the tree trunk. The tree had only been planted for a few years and was still thin at the top.

Xu Jinglin, enjoying the spectacle, encouraged, "Father, hurry up and climb!"

Nanny Xian, anxious, turned to Duke Xu and pleaded, "Your Grace, look... perhaps we should get Little Marquis down first. Climbing so high, what if he falls?"

She added, "And then, with Madam..."

Duke Xu weighed the situation in his mind and, suppressing his anger, nodded.

He took a few steps back to signal his stance, and seeing this, Nanny Xian turned back to the tree, "Little Marquis, come down. It's dangerous up there."@@novelbin@@

With the assurance, Xu Jingrong slowly slid down from the tree.

Nanny Xian quickly approached, checking to ensure Xu Jingrong wasn't hurt before breathing a sigh of relief.

She sighed, thinking, "It's not the same without a lady of the house."

Just as she finished this thought, she noticed Xu Yuejia, Xu Yuxuan, and Nanny Ji approaching from a distance.

Seeing the harmonious relationship between them, Nanny Xian couldn't help but glance at Duke Xu and think, "Even without a lady in the west courtyard, there's never been a time when Second Master chased his son to scold or beat him."

Xu Yuejia approached with Xu Yuxuan in hand, greeting, "Brother."

Duke Xu nodded, "Hmm."

Xu Yuxuan, with a childish voice, called out, "Uncle."

Duke Xu responded with an 'Eh', lowering his voice, "Finished with school?"

Xu Yuxuan nodded, "Yes, and then father came to pick me up~"

Duke Xu glanced at Xu Yuejia, his voice returning to its usual tone, "Back from the office so quickly?"

Xu Yuejia simply answered, "Mm," then asked, "Brother, what's going on here?"

Duke Xu pointed to the side, "He was being disobedient, so I was disciplining him."

Xu Yuejia glanced at Xu Jingrong, standing far away, and said, "Has Sister-in-law been informed?"

Duke Xu, already feeling uneasy, became even more so when Xu Yuejia added this question, hitting the nail on the head.

If Xu Jingrong's homework had been copied from classmates, Madam Lu wouldn’t have stopped Duke Xu, but since it was all his own work and submitted on time, the situation was different.

Madam Lu’s temperament was well-known to the servants guarding the gate, let alone her husband, Duke Xu.

She could tolerate temporary inadequacy, but any improper thoughts would be her breaking point.

Duke Xu struggled to maintain his stance, "Even if your sister-in-law were here, I’d still discipline him the same way."

Xu Yuejia didn’t respond but looked back and forth between the father and sons for a long while before finally saying nothing and left with Xu Yuxuan in his arms.

Shortly after he left, Duke Xu let out an inaudible sigh of relief.

Nanny Xian, seeing this, quickly had someone take Little Marquis away.

With the crisis averted, she felt much relieved, only to notice Nanny Ji nearby, causing her to pause.

Nanny Xian and Nanny Ji had a good relationship, so she approached and quietly asked, "Does Master often come to pick up Little Marquis from school?"

Nanny Ji shook her head gently, "Not usually. It's just that Madam is out at the hot springs, and Little Marquis misses her terribly. To comfort him, Master has been picking him up for the past couple of days."

Nanny Xian realized, "Compared to the past, Master and Little Marquis seem to be closer."

Nanny Ji agreed, looking at the distant Xu Yuxuan, who was demanding his father's embrace, and sighed, "Indeed. Before, the father and son rarely saw each other for weeks or months, and they were quite unfamiliar. Now that Little Marquis has moved back to the west courtyard and with Madam's mediation, their relationship has improved significantly."

Hearing this, Nanny Xian felt envious. It seemed that having the lady of the house occasionally away could also work.

Having been chased for most of the day, Xu Jingrong was still panting heavily when Nanny Xian went to the east courtyard to see him. She sighed, "Little Marquis, I'll have the kitchen prepare some ginseng soup for you."

Xu Jingrong quickly stopped her, "Nanny, I don't want ginseng soup; I want to go out."

Without Madam Lu around, the servants in the east courtyard obeyed Nanny Xian's orders.

Nanny Xian didn't agree, "Madam instructed before leaving that you need to rest more and go out less."

Xu Jingrong hung his head, dejectedly murmuring, "Nanny, I'm not going out to play; I want to visit the bookstore and buy a few books..."

Nanny Xian thought that Duke Xu's words must have hurt Little Marquis's feelings. After all, how could a father speak so harshly about his son?

Moved with pity, she said, "Then let Zhao accompany Little Marquis."

Zhao was a clever young servant in the east courtyard.

Xu Jingrong's eyes lit up immediately, "Nanny, you're the best!"

Nanny Xian smiled, "Go ahead, Little Marquis. By the time you return, the ginseng soup will be ready."

Xu Jingrong quickly changed into clean clothes and called Zhao.

As soon as they left the Duke Xu Mansion, Xu Jingrong headed straight for the bookstore, making the excuse to go upstairs to read for a while and asked Zhao to wait downstairs. Then, he slipped out the back door.

Once outside, he headed straight for the nearest Huibin Tower.

Duke Xu, already with Xu Jinglin waiting in a private room on the second floor, scolded Xu Jingrong as soon as he arrived, "Why so late? The food is almost cold."

Freed from her previous grievances and outrage after being scolded, Xu Jingrong said, "Zhao's quite sharp; it took some effort to distract him."

Xu Jinglin chimed in, "Big brother, father ordered many dishes—roast duck, roast goose, braised pork trotters, spiced ribs, fried cakes, glutinous rice duck... all our favorites!"

Duke Xu coughed, "Since your mother isn't here, eat more today. Also, don't go back and tattle on me after eating."

Xu Jingrong grabbed a large pork trotter and started gnawing while saying, "I'm not stupid."

He could tell the difference between eating this one meal and coming for a meal every once in a while.

Duke Xu still had some concerns, "By the way, Nanny Xian didn't notice, right?"

Xu Jingrong waved it off, replying, "Father, you were so furious you nearly beat me to death; how could Nanny Xian notice?"

Meanwhile, Xu Yuejia returned to the west courtyard with Xu Yuxuan in his arms.

With Wen Ye away, the west courtyard felt much emptier.

Two swings on the porch swayed gently in the breeze. Xu Yuxuan got down and ran over to them, sitting for a while on each before heading inside.

In the west side study, Xu Yuejia was copying classical texts. Xu Yuxuan entered and immediately noticed the opened food box on Xu Yuejia's desk.

The sweet scent of osmanthus cakes filled the air. Xu Yuxuan's nose twitched, and his feet involuntarily moved toward the box.

He clung to Xu Yuejia's chair, pointing upwards, "Father, cake~"

Xu Yuejia paused, setting down his brush and glanced over.

Xu Yuxuan urged, "Osmanthus cake~"

After some time, Xu Yuejia finally reached into the box and handed Xu Yuxuan the smallest piece. The rest of the text appears to be a garbled mix of unrelated words, potential code snippets, and random characters, making a coherent translation impossible. It's likely a result of a text corruption or unintentional input.

Xu Yuxuan took the osmanthus cake but didn't eat it immediately. Instead, he stared at it for a while before suddenly saying, "So small!" Then, he gobbled it up and reached out to Xu Yuejia again.

Xu Yuejia looked at the few remaining pieces in the lunch box and slightly pursed his lips, replying, "That's all there is."

Xu Yuxuan hugged his stomach, clearly not believing this with his expression.

*

After spending two days soaking in the hot springs, the relationship between Madam Lu and Madam Shen had also subtly changed, becoming more like a friendship between people of different generations. They had become closer, with less distance between them.

Madam Lu even invited, "Previously, I took Ye Niang to the Xi Quan Mountain to escape the summer heat. It's quite nice there. Next year, if you have time, we can go together again."

Hearing this, Wen Ye quickly leaned in and said, "And me! Don't forget about me, Sister-in-law, once you make a new friend."

"This is your mother. Behave yourself," Madam Lu chided.

After speaking, she looked at Madam Shen with a helpless expression.

Madam Shen raised an eyebrow and smiled lightly, saying, "It's fine. I'm used to it."

Upon ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍hearing this, Madam Lu glanced at the person beside her with a hint of discontent. Over these two days, whenever she tried to pry into Wen Ye's past from Madam Shen, she was met with frustration. Either Madam Shen would suddenly feel unwell just when she was about to get to the key point, or Wen Ye would interrupt their conversation.

Wen Ye: "..."

She suddenly regretted agreeing to Madam Lu's request to have Madam Shen come along for the hot spring trip.

Madam Lu stared at Wen Ye for a moment and said, "I feel like I've boarded a pirate ship."

Wen Ye chuckled, "It might not necessarily be a pirate ship. Take another look, Sister-in-law."

Madam Lu: "You're quite the smooth talker."

Regardless, the outing was quite pleasant overall.

On the way back, the four of them initially shared a carriage. Upon entering the city, they split up at Yongxiang Street. Madam Shen and Wen Ran returned to the Wen Mansion carriage, heading in another direction.

Wen Ye and Madam Lu's carriage needed to pass through Yongxiang Street.

As their carriage passed through the lively Yongxiang Street, Wen Ye, hearing the vendors' calls outside, couldn't help but lift the curtain and look out.

Inside the carriage, Madam Lu, thinking of her family back at the mansion, began, "Luckily, your eldest brother has been helping to keep an eye on things. Otherwise, Jingrong and Jinglin would surely have taken the opportunity to sneak out and eat street food while I was away."

Wen Ye nodded quickly without blinking, "Yes, with Eldest Brother around, Sister-in-law can be completely at ease."

The words had barely left her mouth when she suddenly let out an "Eh" and said, "Isn't that Eldest Brother over there?"

Wen Ye withdrew her head and looked at Madam Lu, "Sister-in-law, come take a look and see if it's him."

Madam Lu moved a bit closer and followed the direction Wen Ye pointed, her heart momentarily clenching—it was indeed him.

In the distance, Duke Xu, completely unaware, was standing in line with his eldest son at a busy stall.

Wen Ye took a careful look and saw that it was a stall selling fried rice cakes.

With so many people lining up, the taste must be decent.

Next to the fried rice cake stall, Duke Xu was making his way forward step by step while looking down and whispering to his son, "This is the last time. Your mother will be back soon. If she finds out, you're doomed."

Xu Jingrong assured, "Don't worry. I'll rinse my mouth after eating. Mother definitely won't smell it."

Duke Xu felt a bit relieved, then heard the sound of a horse’s footsteps approaching steadily. He subconsciously looked up and met Madam Lu's calm gaze.

His heart started racing, and he instinctively pushed his son, saying, "You're in trouble now."

Xu Jingrong, not understanding what was happening, raised his gaze and, upon seeing his mother, also swallowed nervously, muttering, "We're both in trouble."

Earlier, Wen Ye had bought osmanthus cakes for Xu Yuejia on this very street.

Seeing that Madam Lu had something to say to the father and son, she quickly volunteered, "Sister-in-law, I'll go buy some osmanthus cakes to take back for Xuan'er."

Madam Lu responded with an "Mm," then cautioned, "Be careful."

Wen Ye: "Got it."

And just like that, she quickly got off the carriage, steering clear of the impending awkward situation.

The osmanthus cake shop wasn't far. After a short walk, Wen Ye arrived. She had her maid, Yun Zhi, go inside to buy the cakes while she and her other maid, Tao Zhi, found a spot to sit down, eagerly keeping an eye on the direction from which they had come, ready to enjoy the drama.

Yun Zhi returned with the osmanthus cakes shortly and reported to Wen Ye, "Madam, Master and Young Master are inside the shop."

Wen Ye turned to look: "Who?"

Before Yun Zhi could repeat herself, Wen Ye saw the unexpected arrival of the father and son.

Wen Ye was surprised: "Why is Master here?"

Xu Yuejia's gaze fixed on the child in his arms and said, "He wanted osmanthus cakes."

Upon seeing Wen Ye, Xu Yuxuan's eyes lit up with excitement and he happily called out, "Mother!"

Xu Yuejia brought him over to Wen Ye, and the moment they reached her, he immediately struggled to get down.

This bakery not only sold osmanthus cakes but also served osmanthus tea and other snacks, so they had set up a canopy outside with a few tables.

Xu Yuxuan sat beside Wen Ye and began to chatter, "Father didn't let Xuan'er eat osmanthus cakes, and then they went bad and couldn't be eaten anymore."

No one could stop his enthusiastic babbling.

Hearing this, Wen Ye turned her gaze to Xu Yuejia and said, "Master, that box of osmanthus cakes... you still haven't finished them?"

Xu Yuejia glanced at the child beside her and paused before replying, "I eat slowly."

Wen Ye didn't call him out on it but instead smiled sweetly, "Next time, I'll buy something for Master that lasts longer."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuejia's lips slightly curved upward: "Mm."

Xu Yuxuan, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, raised his voice in dissatisfaction: "Father!"

Wen Ye casually placed her hand on his little shoulder and said, "Sit down, eat some snacks."

"Master, sit too. Let's watch the drama together."

Xu Yuejia followed the direction of her gaze and understood immediately.

"It seems they've been caught."

Hearing the tone in his voice, Wen Ye guessed he had known about this beforehand and asked, "How did Master know?"

Xu Yuejia looked at her and said, "The first time Eldest Brother and Jingrong had this idea, I happened to witness it."

Wen Ye was shocked: "It wasn't the first time?"

Xu Yuejia nodded.

Wen Ye thought for a moment and said, "Master came by carriage, right?"

Xu Yuejia: "Mm."

Wen Ye: "Then I'll go back with you."

Madam Lu’s mood must be terrible right now; it's best not to return and risk being in the line of fire.