The Laid-back Life of a Stepmother

After finishing a set of sword and fist exercises, both father and son had their collars darkened and tiny beads of sweat on their foreheads.

Xu Yuxuan huffed and puffed as he ran towards Wen Ye, but she extended her index finger to gently press against his little chest, saying, "Stay right there." Xu Yuxuan looked puzzled: "Mother?"

Wen Ye replied, "I've already had someone prepare warm water for you. You need a good wash after working up such a sweat."

Xu Yuxuan picked up on the hint of disgust in her voice and sniffed himself: "I'm not stinky!"

Wen Ye calmly stated, "Even if you're not stinky, you still need to wash. Otherwise, by evening, you'll start to smell sour."

Xu Yuxuan huffed again, "Then Father needs to wash too. He's bigger than me, so he must be even more smelly!"

After saying that, he turned to search for his father's figure but let out an astonished "Huh?": "Where's Father?"

Wen Ye popped a grape into her mouth and said, "Your father already went in to wash."

In terms of self-awareness, the son, being younger, just couldn't match up to the father.

Seeing Nanny Ji reappear, Wen Ye urged, "If you don't go wash soon, by then your father will be the one smelling fresh while you reek."

Xu Yuxuan didn't want to smell bad, so he vigorously shook his head, "I'll wash!"

Nanny Ji had gone back to the west courtyard to fetch Xu Yuxuan's clean clothes, and the bathwater was already prepared in the side room.

★

This year was even hotter than last year. Wen Ye had prepared the summer attire for escaping the heat early on, just waiting for Madam Lu to make the final decision.

Having learned from the previous experience, Madam Lu had specifically reduced the number of social engagements after the new year to focus on domestic affairs. This time, they planned to stay at Xiquan Mountain for a month.

Of course, they might not stay at Xiquan Mountain the entire time. Madam Lu had also selected two other places as alternatives, and they would decide closer to the time. As usual, Duke Xu and Xu Yuejia would remain in the Duke's residence, while Wen Ye and Madam Lu took the two children on the trip.

This time, Madam Shen was also joining them. Madam Lu had written to her half a month earlier.

Madam Shen had managed the Wen Family for half a lifetime, and now, apart from Wen Ran, all the other children had already married and settled down. Wen Ran was only eight this year, so there were still seven or eight years before she would be married.

Wen Ran was well-behaved and sensible, dedicated to her studies, filial to her elders, and very attentive towards her nieces and nephews. She never needed anyone to worry about her.

Madam Shen now felt much more relaxed and open-minded. After a moment's consideration, she agreed to Madam Lu's invitation, knowing that with two daughters-in-law at home, she didn't need to worry too much.

However,

When Wen Ye and Madam Lu had been traveling for half a month, Xu Yuejia got involved in a case related to a wealthy merchant in Linzhi County, near Xiquan Mountain.

The case was somewhat "complicated," taking nearly half a month to complete the investigation.

·

Upon returning from Xiquan Mountain to Bishu, they coincided with Xu Yuxuan's actual birthday. Because he was still young, they didn't tell him about it. On that day, Wen Ye casually made him a bowl of longevity noodles.

This bowl of noodles was different from what Xu Yuxuan usually ate—just one long noodle, but quite lengthy, filling up half the bowl like a regular portion of noodles.

Xu Yuxuan, now able to use chopsticks, lifted the slightly yellowish long noodle from the bowl and asked, "Mother, this noodle is so long."

Wen Ye explained, "These are called longevity noodles. The longer they are, the longer you'll live." Xu Yuxuan was thrilled immediately and tried to stand on the stool to see how long the noodles in his bowl were.

In front of Xu Yuejia and Wen Ye, Xu Yuxuan didn't have to follow any specific rules. Under Xu Yuejia's guidance, Xu Yuxuan, despite his young age, gradually understood that actions like standing on a stool, except in front of his parents, were inappropriate elsewhere.

With Hexiang's help, Xu Yuxuan stood steadily on the stool and, upon seeing that the noodle was even longer than himself, his mouth opened wide in astonishment. After getting back to his seat, he looked at the noodles in his bowl, clearly reluctant to eat them.

Xu Yuxuan glanced left and right, noticing that both Wen Ye and Xu Yuejia also had a bowl in front of them. His eyes lit up as he asked, "Mother, you have some too?"

Wen Ye "mm"ed in response: "There was extra dough, so it would be a waste not to use it."

Hearing this, Xu Yuxuan then looked at Xu Yuejia: "Father~"

A child's thoughts are always written on his face. Xu Yuejia glanced at him, then eventually picked up his chopsticks and lifted the noodle from his bowl. Under Xu Yuxuan's expectant gaze, the noodle appeared, noticeably shorter.

Facing both the big and little pairs of eyes, Wen Ye remained composed, saying, "Unfortunately, by the time there were noodles left for your father's bowl, the dough became insufficient again."

Although she could cook, Wen Ye rarely made noodles from scratch. If the dough was too liquid, she'd add more flour; if it was too dry, she'd add water. She repeated this process several times.

Originally, she had only planned to make one bowl, but the extra dough led to the bowls in front of her and Xu Yuejia.

"My bowl isn't long either," Wen Ye added to show she wasn't being biased. She lifted the noodles in her own bowl and said, "Husband, one shouldn't be too greedy. Living for another seven or eight decades is enough for us, but Xu Yuxuan is the one who needs to live a long, healthy life."

Xu Yuxuan probably only understood half of it, but he firmly disagreed, "No! Xuan'er wants Mother and Father to also live for a hundred years!"

After saying that, he even tried to divide the noodles in his bowl into three portions.

Xu Yuejia stopped him in time and said, "Father's enough." Wen Ye almost burst out laughing. Xu Yuxuan looked utterly confused.

★

Since learning that Xu Yuxuan was actually a few months older than he appeared to be, she often wondered if this child would still grow taller. What's the normal height for a four-year-old? Had Xu Yuxuan reached that standard?

Probably out of sheer boredom, after their nightly game ended, Wen Ye brought up this question to Xu Yuejia.

Xu Yuejia was feeding her fruit at the time.

Upon hearing the question, he felt both speechless and not entirely surprised, as it was something she would indeed ask.

Xu Yuejia set aside the fruit plate and began recalling, "My elder sister is tall and well-built. As for Xu Yuxuan's father, I haven't seen him."

Wen Ye responded, "But you've seen Xu Yuxuan's aunt, right? What about her? Siblings usually resemble each other."

Xu Yuejia reflected, "She's not much different from my elder sister."

Wen Ye suddenly felt playful: "I thought you might say, 'It's been too long; I can't remember,' like they do in those romance novels."

She had read one just the other day.

Xu Yuejia recalled the romance novel she had asked him to buy from the bookstore a few days ago, saying, "My memory is good. I haven't gone senile."

Qi Yunqin was not only Xu Yuxuan's aunt but also his lifesaver. After staying in the residence for half a year due to her illness, Xu Yuejia naturally remembered her appearance.

After a moment's thought, Xu Yuejia added, "If you're curious, there are portraits of her in Xu Yuxuan's possession." Not just portraits of Qi Yunqin but also Xu Mingyue and Qi Guangbai.

So that when Xu Yuxuan grows up and learns about his background, he'll at least get to see the portraits of his blood relatives.

Xu Yuejia's reaction wasn't entirely unexpected, but it did surprise Wen Ye somewhat.

Her heart skipped a beat as she said, "I thought you'd ask me if I was jealous."

Xu Yuejia replied with certainty, "You're not." He was well aware of what trait of his she found most appealing.

Likewise, he was glad that he possessed something that caught her interest.

How could this not be considered a form of affection?

Wen Ye indeed wasn't jealous, but her growing appreciation of Xu Yuejia wasn't hindered by this lack of jealousy.

"Why don't you tell me about the years after you became a government official?" she asked.

Xu Yuejia looked at her intently, "I'm still here. Are you already nostalgic?"

Wen Ye nearly didn't catch his drift, then couldn't help but laugh, "I didn't say I was feeling nostalgic."

She was just curious if the teenage Xu Yuejia was as agreeable to her tastes as the present one.

At this thought, Wen Ye recalled many years ago when Xu Yuejia became the top scholar and participated in the celebratory parade. She seemed to be the only one among the Wen Family's younger generation who missed the opportunity to witness it on the streets.

After ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍a long pause, Xu Yuejia said, "You'll be disappointed."

Wen Ye: "In what aspect?" The conversation had suddenly taken a sharp turn.

Xu Yuejia: "… It's not what you think."

Wen Ye raised an eyebrow, "Is it? But I haven't gone senile either."

Xu Yuejia was silent for a while before saying, "I'll tell you."

In the years following high school, Xu Yuejia became the first Top Three Scholar in the history of the Great Jin Dynasty to not take a position in the Hanlin Academy. Instead, he chose to serve as a county magistrate in a remote and underdeveloped region.

On the one hand, this decision was made to reduce the prominence of the Duke Xu's residence. On the other hand, Xu Yuejia genuinely hoped that his education and knowledge could be applied in practical ways. Before arriving in Linzhi County, Xu Yuejia was a pampered young man of noble standing, unremarkable in any particular way.

However, the small county, accessible only by crossing rugged mountains and rivers, turned out to be much more decayed and wretched than he had imagined. It seemed to be inhabited almost exclusively by men.

Two years later, he was recalled to Sheng Jing.

The power struggle among the princes for the throne was at its peak in Sheng Jing. Noticing the emperor's declining health, three ancestors of the Zheng Family, despite holding relatively minor official positions, were falsely accused one after another for refusing to align with any side in the succession conflict.

Xu Yuejia, unwilling to become entangled in the intricate power struggle for the throne, secretly gathered evidence to prove the Zheng Family's innocence and exonerated their tarnished reputations.

This action infuriated the then-powerful Prince Jiu (the ninth prince) and drew the emperor's displeasure. As a result, Xu Yuejia was demoted to Xunyang and later to Wuzhou. Reflecting on this period, Xu Yuejia paused for a moment and said, *"Had I first been sent to Wuzhou, Xu Yuxuan would have led a different life."*

Wen Ye murmured in amazement, *"It was only a narrow miss."*

Xu Yuejia continued, *"I did advise her at the time, but she still insisted on having the child."* The "her" he referred to was, of course, Xu Yuxuan's biological mother, Yueyue.

Wen Ye was surprised to learn of this hidden aspect, remarking, *"This doesn't sound like something the husband would say."* Xu Yuejia acknowledged without reserve, *"I had remnants of some bad habits lingering in my heart back then."*

Later, he seriously reflected on this and realized that since it wasn't his body carrying the pregnancy, he had no right to decide the fate of another's child, even if that person were his wife.

Wen Ye gazed at him quietly, understanding now why he willingly took contraceptive measures and abstained from extramarital affairs. Even on their wedding night, even though they barely knew each other, she was the one who took the lead and he followed without resistance.@@novelbin@@

No wonder he never pressed her for reciprocation.