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Chapter 37: Shaking Off
The day after the wedding, Qin Fu’s older brother, Qin Keng, was preparing to return to the capital. Wen Ruyu asked her reliable eldest son to escort him partway.
Because the relationship had improved, the third son, Lu Ke, also rushed to send them off for a few miles.
Since Qin Keng was leaving, his sister Qin Fu and brother-in-law Xu Rui naturally went to see him off as well.
Before they even reached the small pavilion, Qin Fu had already cried once.
Both Qin Keng and Xu Rui comforted her along the way. Seeing how attentive his brother-in-law was to his sister, Qin Keng felt somewhat reassured.
Before parting, Qin Keng still couldn’t relax completely and told his brother-in-law, “I don’t know when we’ll meet again. My sister was pampered and spoiled since birth. You must treat her well. If I hear that you mistreat her, even from the capital, I will come personally.”
Xu Rui smiled helplessly, “Rest assured, brother. I will cherish my wife.”
Hearing this, Qin Keng turned to speak with Lu Songnian and Lu Ke.
After bidding farewell, he wished the three of them early success in the imperial exams so they could reunite in the capital.
Then, accompanied by guards and servants, he rode away on horseback, leaving only his silhouette behind.
Meanwhile, at the Lu residence, Wen Ruyu herself did not go to see Qin Keng off. She originally wanted Qin Rong to go, but Qin Rong was unwilling, so Wen Ruyu didn’t force her.
“Your brother’s gone. Who knows when you’ll meet again. You traveled all the way here together. Don’t you miss him?”
Qin Rong looked calm and simply shook her head.
Seeing this, Wen Ruyu said nothing more.
Truthfully, the Qin family didn’t show much affection to Qin Rong. For the old master of the Qin family, his feelings toward her were more of a responsibility than love.
Just then, the maid Chun Tao entered and, noticing the weather, said, “It’s been cloudy a lot lately, but it won’t rain. It hasn’t rained since two showers after the New Year.”
Wen Ruyu glanced outside and said, “Looks like it might rain soon.”
But instead of rain, bad news arrived.
Soon after she said that, someone came from the Xu family reporting that the old master of the Xu family had just passed away.
The Lu family, being nearby, heard the news quickly.
Wen Ruyu felt a sudden concern for Qin Fu.
She summoned her daughter-in-law, Zhao Shu, and instructed her, “Send someone to check if Fu’er has returned. If she has, ask if she needs help. If there are any difficult funeral matters, teach her what to do.”
With the old master gone, the old matriarch would surely be grieving, and the funeral responsibilities would likely fall on Qin Fu.
As a new daughter-in-law who hadn’t yet taken over household management, Qin Fu might not be able to handle the complexities of a funeral.
If it were just for a day or two, it would be manageable, but funerals typically last seven days with almost no rest. It would be exhausting.
Wen Ruyu hadn’t personally arranged a funeral before, but in the original host’s memory, it was her daughter-in-law who helped manage things, and the entire household was in chaos.
The original host had it even harder back then.
Their entire family had to return to their hometown, sell property and shops, send people to deliver news, sort belongings, and release some servants. The hustle lasted nearly a month.
They had to charter boats and hire reliable guards themselves if the Qin family hadn’t helped.
Back then, they had just lost their husband and father, and while still mourning emotionally, they had to push through physically. It was not easy.
The Qin family truly helped the Lu family a lot during that time.
Zhao Shu also took Qin Fu’s situation to heart. Once Wen Ruyu gave the instruction, she immediately sent someone to deliver the message.
When Qin Fu returned home with her husband, she saw that the red lanterns at the Xu family’s gate had been replaced with white ones.
Xu Rui, seeing this, broke into tears.
Servants quickly led them into the house. In a daze, Qin Fu was stripped of her hairpins and jewelry and changed into mourning clothes—white hemp robes and head coverings.
The joyful wedding had just ended, and now they were thrown into mourning.
It felt surreal. The past few days of the wedding felt like a dream. When she opened her eyes, all she could see was white and the sound of sobbing.
She pulled herself together and went to see her mother-in-law.
As expected, the old matriarch was too unwell to oversee the funeral.
While Qin Fu was feeling lost, thankfully someone from the Lu family came to help, preventing her from being mocked by the household.
A new daughter-in-law must prove herself; if the servants looked down on her now, managing them later would be difficult. Even her mother-in-law might see her as unreliable.
After two days of chaos, Zhao Shu visited again on the third day. Qin Fu had only slept about three hours over two days.
She had to arrange for monks and priests, prepare for rituals, manage the servants setting up tables and chairs, greet guests, and buy incense and paper offerings.
Luckily, the coffin had been prepared in advance. Otherwise, she would’ve had even more to handle.
On top of that, she needed to find doctors and medicine for her mother-in-law, so she barely had any rest.
Zhao Shu only gave some pointers since the Xu family matters weren’t related to the Lu family. She could advise but not intervene.
After seven days of funeral preparations, the old master was finally buried. Wen Ruyu sent someone from the Lu family to pay respects but nothing more.
After all, the Lu and Xu families weren’t particularly close—only connected because of Qin Fu.
This spring had poor weather—mostly cloudy, with little rain.
Spring rains are supposed to bring warmth, but this year had fewer rains, making it colder than usual.
In ancient times, people relied heavily on the environment, so after Wen Ruyu transmigrated, she paid close attention to the weather.
She memorized the 24 solar terms.
That day was the Cold Food Festival, so they followed tradition and ate only cold dishes.
In a few days, it would be Qingming (Tomb-Sweeping Day), and Wen Ruyu planned to take her children to visit the Lu family ancestors.
Lu Mingzhu’s health had improved. She was more lively now, often out and about with Wen Ruyu.
She loved green rice balls (qingtuan), especially with cold porridge or chilled noodles. Though she usually had a small appetite, she could eat 3-4 palm-sized rice balls in one sitting.
The Lu family’s qingtuan was made from glutinous rice and a plant called mian cai, pounded into a dough, stuffed with dried tofu, radish, pork, or bamboo shoots, then steamed on pomelo leaves.
The subtle flavor was enhanced by the pomelo leaves, making it the only way Wen Ruyu would eat them.
Seeing her daughter eating happily, Wen Ruyu gently reminded her, “Don’t eat too much, or you’ll get a stomachache.”
“They’re so good. It’s a shame we only eat them during Cold Food Festival,” Lu Mingzhu said.
The food from Cold Food Festival usually lasted until Qingming.
Just then, Lu Jinnian walked in. “Indeed, ‘lazy women long for New Year, greedy women for Cold Food Festival.’ You’re like a little glutton, with no self-control.”
Recently, Lu Mingzhu’s appetite had improved, and she looked fuller and more vibrant.
Lu Mingzhu pouted, not liking being called greedy, and stuck out her tongue at her brother. “I’m not eating yours. Why do you care?”
Wen Ruyu didn’t bother with their bickering. Seeing her son arrive, she remembered the new clothes from the shop.
“Perfect timing. Take your new clothes with you.”
She then told Qin Rong, “Go get Fourth’s clothes for him.”
Qin Rong nodded and went to fetch them.
Lu Jinnian followed behind her, which Wen Ruyu thought was just curiosity about the clothes.
Once out of sight, Lu Jinnian grabbed Qin Rong’s hand.
Her fair hand looked delicate, but it was rougher than he expected.
As soon as he touched her, Qin Rong jerked her hand away like she’d been shocked.
Lu Jinnian was surprised by her quick reaction. Looking up, he saw that her expression wasn’t shy or flustered—she looked disgusted, like she had just seen something gross.
Lu Jinnian blinked in confusion. Wasn’t she supposed to blush or act coy?
He always thought himself attractive. From childhood, he’d received many benefits for his looks. His mother doted on him. Usually, when he flirted, the girls responded positively.
He expected Qin Rong to be shy and reserved.
Why did she look like he was dirt?
Qin Rong didn’t even look at him anymore, walking off on her own.
She was eye-catching, around thirteen or fourteen, thin but with refined features. Her tight lips revealed a proud spirit.
Even though she hadn’t read much, she carried a scholarly elegance—unlike many pretty maids who lacked refinement.
Lu Jinnian appreciated both men and women of taste. Qin Rong’s strong spirit was especially appealing to him.
Since the day she arrived, he’d been captivated by her.
He kept visiting his mother’s place just to catch glimpses of her.
After observing her, he noticed she didn’t smile much, meaning she wasn’t sociable.
So he figured he just needed to sweet-talk her a bit, and she’d fall for him.
But since she was under Wen Ruyu, he didn’t plan to toy with her. Just holding hands or stealing a kiss would be enough.
If he grew to like her more, he could always ask to take her in officially.
Though she was a concubine-born daughter and not acknowledged by the Qin family, becoming his concubine wouldn’t be beneath her.
But unfortunately, the interest was one-sided.
He hadn’t expected Qin Rong to be so utterly uninterested in him.
Now she had shaken him off and walked away without a glance.
She fetched the clothes, brushed past him without a word.
Lu Jinnian tilted his head, thinking—maybe he misread the situation?
Might as well try again.
While no one was around, he reached out for her again…