Chapter 12
Second Household

After comforting Lin Jiayue, Jiang Xingjian walked out of the inner residence. He was not a man who indulged in sensual pleasures, but at this moment, he couldn’t help but feel that Confucius’ saying, ‘Only women and petty people are difficult to deal with,’ was more apt than ever. Lin Jiayue’s crying and clinging annoyed him, while Song Wan…

Thinking of this, Jiang Xingjian’s mind conjured up the image of her holding Jin Si Hu yesterday, on the verge of tears. Her eyes, filled with a mix of anger and grievance, pain and sorrow, had a look that was neither angry nor reproachful, making his scalp tingle.

Jiang Xingjian frowned.

“Brother, are you unwell?”

Jiang Xingjian did not answer, instead asking, “Did you just come back from outside?”

Jiang Yan nodded in affirmation and stood aside, his demeanor full of respect.

The Marquis’ residence was a family of officials and scholars, highly valuing traditional etiquette and morals. Jiang Xingjian and Jiang Yan were not only separated by their status as legitimate and illegitimate sons but also by their age difference. Jiang Yan knew that Jiang Xingjian disliked rude and reckless people, so over the years, he had restrained himself and strived to be a gentleman, a paragon of virtue. Even when facing Jiang Xingjian, he could remain calm and respectful, genuinely respecting his elder brother.

Jiang Xingjian looked at the young man in front of him and suddenly sighed, “I am a bit troubled. Would you walk with me?”

The two walked to the white jade bridge in the garden. Jiang Xingjian looked at the lotus flowers under the bridge and said, “You have worked hard these years.”

“Brother, you overpraise me.”

Jiang Xingjian turned around and saw that Jiang Yan’s eyes were calm, thinking that his half-brother either had no interest in the title or was a person of deep scheming.

Inviting him to walk together was an impulsive decision, and now, after saying a few words, there was nothing more to say.

Jiang Xingjian paused slightly and brought up Song Wan.

“Yesterday, the cat in your sister-in-law’s room was poisoned, she…”

“Jin Si Hu was poisoned? What happened?” Jiang Yan’s tone was slightly high, and Jiang Xingjian raised his eyebrows as if he didn’t know how he knew the cat’s name.

“You know that cat?”

Jiang Yan raised his eyes, and his pair of dark eyes appeared exceptionally bright. Jiang Xingjian didn’t know why he suddenly remembered seeing him at Fuhe Hall that day. For a moment, he felt the same as now, giving people a sense of pathological fanaticism. However, the brightness in his eyes disappeared in an instant, returning to normal before he could think deeply.

“Brother, you don’t know, that cat is quite famous in the mansion, and Jin Si Hu was originally sent to the eldest sister-in-law’s room by Madam Liu.”

Madam Liu is Jiang Yan’s biological mother, and Jiang Xingjian stopped talking after hearing this.

There was a moment of silence, but Jiang Yan seemed to be interested and asked about the cat. Jiang Xingjian had no choice but to tell him about Lin Jiayue accidentally injuring Jin Si Hu.

Although Jiang Yan listened with a gentle smile on his face, his fists behind him clenched tighter and tighter.

She treated Jin Si Hu like her own child, but now she was killed by that frivolous woman. One can only imagine how heartbroken she must be.

Jiang Yan furrowed his brows, his eyes unconsciously narrowing.

Jiang Xingjian thought he was displeased with Lin Jiayue’s actions and touched his nose apologetically, saying, “Jiayue didn’t mean it; it was really a misunderstanding.”

“Brother, you shouldn’t say that to your younger brother.”

Jiang Yan pursed his lips as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t. After a moment of contemplation, he said, “Wait a moment,” and returned to Yuling Studio. Half an incense stick later, Jiang Yan came back holding a bamboo basket.

“The cat in my courtyard just gave birth to kittens the day before yesterday. Brother can give one to sister-in-law as an apology.”

In the bamboo basket, a yellow and white kitten was meowing non-stop. Although it was only the size of a palm, it had a lot of energy and didn’t stop meowing for quite a while.

Jiang Xingjian pinched the kitten by the scruff of its neck and lifted it up, saying, “It looks pretty good.”

Jiang Yan silently took the kitten back from his hand, carefully placing it on the soft cushion in the bamboo basket, and covered it with a square indigo cushion.

Jiang Xingjian saw his careful manner and chuckled softly, “This little thing is quite sturdy. No need to be so cautious.”

“After all, it’s still young, so it’s better to be gentle.”

Handing the bamboo basket to Jiang Xingjian, Jiang Yan lowered his eyes and said, “Brother, I know you didn’t mean to bring others back to the mansion, but for both public and private reasons, the dignity of the legitimate wife of the marquis’ mansion cannot be compromised in the slightest.”

“……” Jiang Xingjian held the still-meowing kitten, speechless for a moment.

Now in the marquis’ mansion, whether it was his grandmother, mother, or Jiang Yan, even the servants, they all saw him as a reckless person who favored concubines over his wife. Jiang Xingjian wanted to argue, but after stammering for a moment, he couldn’t come up with convincing words to clarify his name. After a while, he finally squeezed out a sentence from his throat, “I understand,” and then he carried the bamboo basket and the kitten to Lan Ting Courtyard.

Jiang Yan watched his back, feeling a surge of powerlessness and envy. He didn’t know how much he envied Jiang Xingjian, envying that he was born two years earlier and that he was born as the legitimate heir of the Marquis’ mansion.

“Second Master.” A servant boy called out softly from behind, but Jiang Yan looked listless and uninterested.

Over there, Jiang Xingjian returned to Lan Ting Courtyard with the kitten. Song Wan was negotiating with the stewardess in the main hall. After a brief thought, he carried the bamboo basket to the study. In the study, Huai Su was organizing books on the desk. Seeing him come in with the bamboo basket, she got up to take it.

“Hold it carefully, don’t drop it.” After a pause, he added, “Don’t let Jiayue see it.”

Huai Su nodded, carefully placing the kitten on the soft couch in the study, and then asked Xieyi to bring a plate of meat soup from the small kitchen. It wasn’t until dinner time that the stewardesses gradually left Lan Ting Courtyard.

Jiang Xingjian carried the well-fed and now deeply sleeping kitten and strode to the main room of Lanting Courtyard.

“First Master is here.” The maid outside announced his arrival, and the second-class maid in the second hall went to find Heng Zhi and Heng Wu. By the time Jiang Xingjian entered the room, Song Wan had already changed into an outer robe and was standing in front of their bedroom to greet him.

Jiang Xingjian glanced at the desk full of account books and the abacus on the table, frowning, “Is there a problem with the accounts in the mansion?”

“It’s not very good. If you have nothing else to do after dinner, you can take a look with me.”

Jiang Xingjian nodded and casually asked the maid to set the table, deciding to stay and eat there.

While waiting for the meal, Jiang Xingjian handed the bamboo basket to Song Wan, saying, “This cat… I also bear some responsibility for Jin Si Hu being poisoned. This cat is my way of making it up to you.”

Feeling guilty, his confidence weakened a bit.

Song Wan, holding the bamboo basket somewhat stiffly, gently lifted the soft blanket on top.

Inside, the furry little creature was sleeping soundly, its exposed belly and pink paws sprawled on the soft cushion. Seeing this, Song Wan didn’t look happy but instead felt a pang of sadness, remembering Jin Si Hu.

This kitten looked exactly like Jin Si Hu when it was young.

Song Wan lightly touched its belly with her finger and then picked up the cushion under the kitten.

The cushion was made of indigo Shu brocade, which wasn’t particularly valuable, but the light-colored dark patterns on the fabric had some significance. It was the linked pearl peacock pattern that Jiang Xing from the second house had drawn a few days ago. When the embroidery room finished weaving it, they sent a plain piece to her, and she had Heng Wu return a jeweled box with inlaid silver and colorful treasures.

In the mansion, only she and Jiang Yan raised cats, so Jiang Yan sent this kitten.