The Laid-back Life of a Stepmother

Extra Chapter 3

Trivial Daily Life (Part 6):

In the blink of an eye, Xu Jingrong had turned seventeen, and Madam Lu began to consider it time to find him a suitable match. Xu Jingrong had entered Pine Mountain Academy at the age of nine and barely passed the imperial examination to become a scholar at fifteen, after which Madam Lu allowed him to gain experience in the military camp.

Although his academic performance was average, as the heir to Duke Xu's Mansion, he was handsome and had no romantic entanglements. Many noblewomen in Sheng Jing were eager to have him as their son-in-law.

Without Madam Lu even needing to spread the word, many distant relatives came inquiring about the marriage prospects for her eldest son.

However, Madam Lu had her heart set on the Song family. Grandpa Song was a respected elder who had served three dynasties, and while his descendants were not particularly outstanding, they were honest and upright, with no scandals to their name.

Madam Lu had briefly met the eldest daughter of the Song family's main branch at a flower-viewing banquet. The girl was dignified, gentle, and spoke with grace and confidence.

Madam Lu shared her thoughts with Wen Ye.

After hearing this, Wen Ye said, "I remember the Song family's daughter is still quite young, isn't she? Just recently came of age?" Wen Ye had also attended that flower-viewing banquet and had a vague impression of the girl.

Madam Lu replied, "That was last year. The Song family's daughter is now sixteen, and Madam Song is likely also looking for a match for her."

Wen Ye asked, "Should we arrange a meeting with Madam Song?"

Madam Lu looked at her and said, "I’ve already sent out an invitation. We’re meeting the day after tomorrow at Puqing Temple to offer incense."

Upon hearing this, Wen Ye couldn’t help but remark, "Puqing Temple outside Sheng Jing might as well be renamed 'The Sheng Jing Noble Families' Matchmaking Center.'"

"You’re coming with me," Madam Lu added quickly, as if afraid Wen Ye might refuse.

"Alright," Wen Ye chuckled. "I’ll help you assess the situation."

Madam Lu nodded in satisfaction, "That’s more like it."

On the Song family's side, Madam Song was somewhat surprised when she received the invitation from Duke Xu's Mansion.

The Song family had always maintained a low profile in court, with Grandpa Song frequently reminding them to stay humble. Though they were neither the most prominent nor the least, Madam Song had been considering matches for her eldest daughter, mostly from families of similar or slightly lower status.

Lord Song, upon learning of the invitation, expressed concern, "Isn’t Duke Xu's Mansion too high a status for us? What if Lingyi is mistreated after marrying into such a family?"

Madam Song scoffed, "As if marrying into a lower family would guarantee her happiness. At least a family like Duke Xu's would offer her basic respect and dignity."

She had no intention of letting her daughter marry into a family where she would have to struggle to support her husband’s household without receiving any appreciation in return.

Lord Song, of course, wished for his daughter’s happiness after marriage. He said, "In that case, go ahead and meet with them. I’ll inform Father about this."

Before leaving, Lord Song added, "Regardless of how the meeting goes, Lingyi’s marriage should be settled soon."

Madam Song understood. She hoped everything would go smoothly. The families she had previously considered now seemed inadequate in comparison.

With Madam Lu’s interest and Madam Song’s willingness, the meeting at Puqing Temple went smoothly.

Now, all that was left was for Xu Jingrong to return from the military camp next month so he could meet the Song family’s daughter. If both sides were satisfied, the marriage would be finalized.

After returning from Puqing Temple, Wen Ye told Xu Yuejia about the matter. Xu Yuejia, who was peeling grapes, handed her a peeled grape and said, "The Song family is a good choice."

Wen Ye ate the grape and sat up, saying, "Of course. Madam Lu and I have never been wrong in our judgment." Xu Yuejia silently watched her for a moment before continuing to peel grapes, as if confirming her words.

While Madam Lu was now at ease, Wen Ye began to worry, "Husband, do you think Xu Jingrong will kick us out after he gets married?" Having lived in Duke Xu's Mansion for nearly a decade, Wen Ye had grown accustomed to Madam Lu’s care and couldn’t imagine leaving her.

Wen Ye sighed, "I don’t want to move. I’ll miss Madam Lu and everyone else too much."

Though he didn’t share her concern, Xu Yuejia humored her, "Even if we do move out, we won’t end up homeless."

Wen Ye turned to him, "If we move out, will you handle all the household affairs?"

She began to calculate, "Xuan'er is only eleven. It’ll be at least six or seven years before he gets married. You’d only need to manage things for those few years."

Xu Yuejia thought for a moment, then changed his tone, "I need to go to the front courtyard to discuss something with my brother."

Wen Ye asked, "What are you going to discuss?"

Xu Yuejia met her gaze and said, "I’ll remind him to argue less with Madam Lu in the future."

It took Wen Ye a moment to understand his implication, and she added, "Then I’ll go research some new medicinal dishes?" The couple quickly reached an agreement.

Trivial Daily Life (Part 7):

It seemed that many people were seeking marriage matches this year. Since Wen Ran came of age at the beginning of the year, Madam Shen had also begun to look for a suitable match for her. Wen Ye, upon hearing this, returned home for a visit.

Objectively speaking, the families Madam Shen had chosen were all decent. Wen Ran was exceptionally beautiful, intelligent, and had served as a companion to Princess Changle in the palace. She also had a close relationship with the princess.

However, before Madam Shen could make contact with any of the potential families, the palace suddenly issued an edict announcing the selection of a Crown Princess. The selection criteria shocked everyone.

The Crown Prince himself would compose the examination questions, with the Emperor, Empress, Empress Dowager, and Consort Shu assisting in creating the test. The candidate who scored the highest would become the Crown Princess.

At first, the Emperor was against the idea, finding it utterly absurd. He even called everyone together to help persuade the Crown Prince to change his mind. However, the Crown Prince remained firm in his decision.

The Empress Dowager and Consort Shu were merely there for show. They believed that the younger generation should find their own path and chose not to interfere. The Empress, however, asked a symbolic question, "Why did you come up with such an unconventional method of selection?"

The Crown Prince replied solemnly, "I don’t want any more surprises." As he spoke, he glanced at his father and Prince Wen.

The Emperor and Prince Wen: "..."

What exactly did that look mean?!

The Empress fell silent after hearing this and did not try to dissuade him further. After all, the future ruler of the Great Jin Dynasty needed to be intelligent.

Trivial Daily Life (Part 8):

Another New Year’s Eve arrived, and the family at Duke Xu's Mansion gathered in the ancestral hall to pay their respects. Perhaps because Xu Yuxuan had many ancestors to chat with, he was always the last to leave in recent years.

At the age of nine, Xu Yuxuan had learned the truth about his origins. Now twelve, he had grown into a handsome young man. However, if one listened closely, they would find that this young man was quite the chatterbox.

He recounted every detail, even describing the saltiness of the dumpling filling he had eaten earlier with perfect accuracy. As he finished, Xu Yuxuan suddenly remembered something, "By the way, Auntie, I wanted to discuss something with you."

Perhaps expecting a response, Xu Yuxuan paused briefly before continuing, "Father isn’t getting any younger. In Sheng Jing, men his age who married early already have children as old as you, Auntie.

Since you and he don’t have any feelings for each other, after Father passes away, I’d like to have him buried with Mother, just like my parents.

But that would leave you all alone in the afterlife. So, I’ve come up with an idea. How about I burn some handsome men as offerings for you? I’m not sure what type you like, but I’ll make sure they’re all young and good-looking. If you have a preference, you can always send me a dream, and I’ll have them made according to your taste."

Wen Ye, who had lost her handkerchief on the way back to the west courtyard and had been searching for it, happened to overhear Xu Yuxuan’s words. She immediately stepped in and said, "What handsome men? Why don’t I get any?"

When there were no outsiders around, Wen Ye was always a bit mischievous, "We’re both your mothers. You can’t be so biased."

Xu Yuxuan was momentarily speechless. He hadn’t offered any to his birth mother either, as his birth father was watching from the afterlife.

Just ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‍as he was about to explain, he caught sight of someone approaching from the corner of his eye and stifled a laugh, "Mother, why don’t you turn around first?"

Wen Ye turned around instinctively and saw Xu Yuejia, who had been following her.

She quickly changed her tone and said, "Husband, you’ve arrived just in time. I just heard Xuan'er say you’re getting old, and I was scolding him for it."

Xu Yuxuan: ...

Xu Yuejia walked closer and, without saying a word, grabbed Wen Ye's wrist and led her away from the ancestral hall. On their way back, Wen Ye continued, "He really said it."

Xu Yuejia glanced at her and asked, "So, you believed him?"

Wen Ye studied his face, which bore the marks of time yet remained youthful, and shook her head honestly. "Not really."

Xu Yuejia, who was not yet thirty-five this year, and with his recent focus on self-care, didn’t look at all like someone who had a son as old as Xu Yuxuan.@@novelbin@@

Of course, she looked even less like it.

"However," Wen Ye suddenly added, "we still need some solid evidence."

Xu Yuejia:

Mini Scene:

Young and Vigorous Xu Yuejia: What kind of evidence?