The Laid-back Life of a Stepmother

Trivial Daily Life (Part 3):

Forced to blush deeply, Wen Ye couldn’t leave the house for several days. The day after Xu Yuxuan mistook her for his mother, before dawn had fully broken, Xu Yuejia was already up.

Wen Ye hadn’t slept soundly, and after waking up, she half-lay on her pillow, squinting slightly at the man by the bed as he straightened his clothes and adjusted his hat. Suddenly, she felt compelled to say, “Don’t you think we’ve been acting like we’re having an affair lately?”

Xu Yuejia paused while fixing his collar, his gaze naturally shifting back to her. He opened his mouth slightly and said, “Are you still half-asleep?”

Wen Ye replied with reason, “You come over, sleep, and then leave. And I can’t go anywhere. Doesn’t that sound like it?”

“That’s how it’s written in the novels,” she added as a final point.

Xu Yuejia said, “We have a marriage certificate stamped by the government. In your novels, does such a relationship still count as an affair?”

Wen Ye casually responded, “Why wouldn’t it? It’s not like their names are written side by side on that marriage certificate.” Both were proper wives and husbands, each with their own marriage certificate, but with no real connection between them. Xu Yuejia only knew that she liked reading novels of various styles, but he hadn’t expected them to be this unconventional.

He gave Wen Ye a deep look.

Wen ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‍Ye laughed sheepishly and said, “Just pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Xu Yuejia thought to himself: Too late.

Then he began to undress.

Wen Ye, seeing that he had just finished dressing, was now taking off his clothes again, and asked in confusion, “Aren’t you going to the government office?”

Xu Yuejia replied, “No rush.”

Wen Ye said, “Even if there’s no rush, you don’t need to undress, do you?”

Xu Yuejia looked up at her, his tone very serious, “Didn’t you say you wanted to experience a new identity?”

Wen Ye: “?” When had she ever said that!

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Trivial Daily Life (Part 4):

In the year Xu Yuxuan turned seven, the Wen Family welcomed another joyful event—Madam Liu gave birth to a son.

That month, Xu Yuejia was away investigating a case and couldn’t return in time, so Wen Ye took Xu Yuxuan alone to attend the full-month celebration. Over the years, Wen Ye had often returned home, and gradually, Xu Yuxuan had become familiar with the other children in the Wen Family. Wen Cheng and Wen Che, raised well by their eldest sister-in-law Madam Yang, got along with everyone regardless of how close or distant the adults were. Xu Yuxuan easily blended in with them.

Wen Ye had been married into the Duke’s household for five or six years but had yet to conceive. There were certainly rumors and discussions outside, but within the Wen Family, Wen Ye rarely heard such things.

Her father wouldn’t be so considerate, so it must have been Madam Shen who had privately instructed the servants not to gossip. Even Wen Hui, who used to love boasting about her three children in front of Wen Ye, had stopped doing so.

Wen Hui’s lack of bragging meant that Wen Ye was a month late in finding out that her son, Du Mingyou, had passed the child scholar exam. A child scholar at ten years old—it seemed he hadn’t inherited anything from his mother, Wen Hui. He had been quick at memorizing poems as a child, and now he was excelling in exams too.

When Wen Ye found out, she took the opportunity during the full-month celebration to bring a congratulatory gift for Du Mingyou.

Wen Hui hadn’t expected to receive a gift from Wen Ye and felt a bit awkward. She said with a sharp tongue, “Gifts out of nowhere…” Wen Ye interrupted her, “Then give it back.” Wen Hui immediately dodged to the side and said, “How can you ask for a gift back after giving it?”

Wen Ye replied, “I can.”

Wen Hui was speechless but finally managed to say, “Fine, but I won’t be giving you any gifts in the future.”

She then handed the gift box to her personal maid, repeatedly instructing her to keep it safe.

After the sisters finished their banter, they each went their separate ways.

Wen Lan returned to Concubine Gui, where mother and daughter shared some intimate words.

In the Wen Family, they were the least noticeable pair, but they had never suffered any grievances. They never lacked for food, clothing, or anything else.

Concubine Gui was content with her life. She had once been Madam Shen’s maid, then became Wen Ye’s father’s concubine, and later had her own daughter. Even after her daughter married, they still managed to meet two or three times a year.

After Lady Bai passed away, Concubine Gui felt that the surroundings had become much quieter. She and Concubine Chang were not competitive by nature, each content to live in their own small courtyards. They often visited each other, chatting about needlework and other crafts.

Wen Lan’s personality was almost a carbon copy of Concubine Gui’s—non-confrontational and never one to clash with anyone. When Madam Shen had chosen a husband for her, she had done so carefully. After Wen Lan married, although her sisters-in-law each had their own small schemes, none of them were truly malicious.

Last year, Lady Wang, Wen Lan’s mother-in-law, had decided to divide the family property. With the backing of the Wen Family, Wen Lan’s life after the division had improved. She was very satisfied and deeply grateful to her stepmother, Madam Shen.

Wen Hui arrived at the small courtyard where she had once lived, her emotions complicated. She spoke a few words to the courtyard:

“Mother, I still haven’t fulfilled your wish for me to live a life of great wealth and honor.”@@novelbin@@

“But, daughter, I really like the life I have now.”

“Everyone is living peacefully and steadily. Isn’t that good?”

When Wen Ye arrived at Xicui Courtyard, she was handed a box of new clothes and shoes. Upon closer inspection, she realized they were all for children, and made of fine materials.

Concubine Chang explained, “Don’t worry, I didn’t skimp. Most of these were given by your mother.” Wen Ye smiled and said, “Auntie, I didn’t say anything yet.”

“Fourth Sister!” A slender figure ran in from outside.

After four years as a companion in the palace, Wen Ran had changed quite a bit. She was no longer the serious little scholar she used to be with everyone. Having shed her baby fat, she now had a more delicate and youthful beauty.

“You’ve grown taller again,” Wen Ye remarked, comparing their heights. The last time they had met was three months ago. Wen Ran smiled and said, “Auntie also says I’ve been growing quickly lately. Many of my dresses are too short now.”

Wen Ye habitually patted her head and asked, “Are things going well in the palace?” Wen Ran nodded, “Very well. With the princess around, no one dares to bully me.”

However, she wouldn’t stay in the palace as a companion forever. Xiuxiu and Yanhao, who were a year older than her, had recently left the palace and returned home. She would only be able to stay in the palace for one more year.

“By the way, I brought some exam papers for my little nephew,” Wen Ran suddenly remembered. “The princess heard that I have a little nephew who doesn’t like studying, so she specially asked the Crown Prince for a set of exam papers. She said they would be very useful for the child scholar and imperial exams.”

It was quite amusing—Wen Ran had never met this younger brother of hers whom the princess often complained about, even though she had been living in the palace for four or five years. However, she had answered and reviewed many of the exam questions and papers he had written.

Wen Ye looked at the thick stack of books and suddenly realized, “No wonder when I asked him if he wanted to come with me earlier, he said no.” He must have heard from someone that his aunt was returning from the palace today and deliberately avoided her. For such a young child, his network of connections was quite intricate.

Wen Ran didn’t catch what Wen Ye said and asked, “Fourth Sister, what did you say?”

Wen Ye smiled and shook her head, “Nothing, just that I’m happy for your little nephew.”

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Trivial Daily Life (Part 5):

As Xu Yuxuan grew older, he gradually understood what it meant to have a “stepmother.” However, he had never met his birth mother. For as long as he could remember, aside from his aunt, it had always been Wen Ye by his side.

He also hadn’t experienced the so-called “sweet on the outside, bitter on the inside” stepmother that others talked about. His aunt told him that he was luckier than most people because his current mother treated him well not just because he was smart, clever, well-behaved, and filial, but most importantly because she was a genuinely good person.

One day after his eighth birthday, Xu Yuxuan suddenly remembered these words from Madam Lu and repeated them to Wen Ye.

Wen Ye didn’t react much, instead laughing lightly and saying, “That part about being ‘smart, clever, well-behaved, and filial’—did you add that yourself?” Xu Yuxuan shamelessly retorted, “No, Auntie really did praise me like that.” Wen Ye replied, “Your aunt would never say something so ‘blunt.’” Caught in his lie, Xu Yuxuan let out a small huff.

At this moment, Xu Yuejia entered the room and, noticing the odd expression on his face, asked, "Did you upset your mother again?" This was a scene he had encountered many times over the past two years. Xu Yuxuan stubbornly replied, "Not at all, my mother and I are on good terms." Wen Ye was busy polishing her nails, as she had recently developed a new type of nail polish and wanted to try it out.

When Xu Yuejia came in, he naturally took over the task.

Xu Yuxuan was already used to this, perhaps because he had seen it too many times. Despite his young age, he couldn't help but wonder why a man could not only have a wife but also take concubines.

Just look at his father—one woman was already enough to keep him busy.

Wen Ye glanced at Xu Yuxuan and said to Xu Yuejia, "He was just praising me." Xu Yuxuan quickly nodded, "Yes, I was."

Xu Yuejia raised his eyes and casually asked, "Oh? What did he say?"

Before Xu Yuxuan could open his mouth to answer, Wen Ye cut in, "He said I'm smart, clever, well-behaved, adorable, and filial." Xu Yuxuan widened his eyes in disbelief. How could she just take credit like that!

After hearing this, Xu Yuejia paused for a moment and then said, "Are you sure he was praising you? Or were you praising yourself?" Wen Ye retorted, "Tell me, which part of that doesn't apply to me?"

Xu Yuxuan immediately looked at Xu Yuejia, hoping he would make a fair judgment. However, Xu Yuejia only hesitated briefly before conceding, "Nothing."

Xu Yuxuan:

Xu Yuxuan: I object! (jpg)

Xu Er: Better to avoid trouble than invite it.