Chapter 28

“Oh, oh…”

The first ray of morning sunlight filtered through the window curtain, and a faint rooster’s crow crept into her ear. Shao Qing, tangled in her quilt, tossed over, and only after a brief moment did she hazily open her eyes.

That rooster’s crow was nothing short of an ancient alarm clock—punctual and unwavering, come rain or shine. As for why a rooster was crowing? It was the rooster that Wang Mi kept, raised in a small open space behind the left row of houses. Its call came at just the right volume—neither too loud nor too soft.

The county office’s rear yard had long been freshly renovated, along with the row houses reserved for the attendant families. When they were relocated from the front, the Kou family and Yan Ming, among others, readily moved into these row houses to settle in.

Wang Mi hadn’t originally planned to keep that rooster, fearing it might cause a disturbance; Shao Qing said she didn’t mind, so she brought it along. By a happy accident, it turned into an impromptu alarm clock.

By July, the lingering late-summer heat was still biting, but the restlessness of the evening had quietly faded away. Snuggling under a thin quilt, Shao Qing slept very comfortably. After dozing a little while longer, she finally sat up and pulled the quilt around her.

“Aren’t you going to sleep a bit longer?” Wei Jing turned over and sat up—he had been awake for a while already, although he had remained still to avoid disturbing her. Noticing Shao Qing bending her head to rub her eyes, he said, “It’s still early; you can sleep a little longer.”

In the dim morning light, he looked at her with concern, and Shao Qing smiled, “I’m not going to sleep any more; I’m not tired.”

The ancients believed in rising at sunrise and resting at sunset. Since she had already gone to bed early yesterday, sleeping any longer would be a waste of time. She pulled up the thin quilt and got out of bed with Wei Jing. Picking up the clothes she had prepared yesterday from the small table, she shook them out, intending to hand them to him. However, Wei Jing turned to the side and raised his arm. That was his way of signaling for her to help him get dressed.

Shao Qing rolled her eyes. He hadn’t been like this before; ever since the issue regarding the women’s household arose, he began occasionally asserting these minor husbandly privileges.

Amused, she stepped forward a couple of paces, slipped her arms into his sleeves, and set about dressing him.

After a month, Shao Qing’s process of adjusting her mindset had gone smoothly. After the initial awkwardness, she had grown accustomed to it.

In fact, it wasn’t so bad after all—a comrade turned husband made them closer, and perhaps in the future, they might even have a child, anchoring her in this unfamiliar realm with a bond that could never be severed.

Moreover, the change wasn’t drastic at all. Having shared nights and meals for so long, apart from occasionally asserting his authority, Wei Jing had not overstepped any other boundaries, much like kissing and other intimate behaviors.

This, in turn, made it easier for Shao Qing to adapt and accept their new relationship emotionally. What would happen after the ceremony of paying homage to Heaven and Earth could be considered later. After dressing him in his outer garment, she took the belt and fastened it for him.

Wei Jing stood upright to cooperate. He kept his head bowed as he watched her.

In the dim morning light, the rising sun filtered through the window curtain, casting its glow on her face, cheeks, and neck—resembling smooth, milky jade. Her skin appeared radiant and nearly transparent, tinted with a soft pink hue. Her long, thick, and gently curled dark eyelashes trembled subtly as she focused intently on dressing him. Her slender arms wrapped around his waist, and her face was nearly pressed against his chest and abdomen. Wei Jing, with his sensitive hearing, could clearly detect the sound of her gentle breathing. Suddenly, the blood in his veins began to stir, and even the area just below his navel responded instantly.

Wei Jing was a man with perfectly normal physiology—young and vigorous. In the past, his mind had been consumed by sorrow and indignation, but now, as time went on, he was gradually adjusting and beginning to pay attention to other matters.

Having a beautiful young woman share his pillow every night—legally, his wife—and especially after the matter concerning the women’s household, he was particularly mindful of this point. A reaction—one that was both abundant and potent—was only normal.

However, ever since Shao Qing began to take a more proactive role, he adjusted his strategy in daily interactions, carefully maintaining proper boundaries and never becoming overly intimate.

Wei Jing did not know that Shao Qing was adapting to this new relationship, but instinctively, he had already taken the best possible approach. Her slender fingers moved nimbly along the space between his waist and abdomen, occasionally brushing against him. Even through two thin layers of summer clothing, it seemed as if one could sense the warmth upon them.

Wei Jing silently drew a deep breath, closed his eyes to perform his internal cultivation, and suppressed the stirring within him.

“It’s done.” Shao Qing glared at him and snorted before going off to get dressed. Wei Jing watched as she dressed; once she was ready and after the two had rinsed their mouths, he tossed his towel into the copper basin, wrung it out, and handed it over.

Shao Qing took it, washed her face, sat at the dressing table, and neatly tied her hair.

There was only one basin of water, and Wei Jing naturally washed his towel and wiped his face. Seeing this in the copper mirror, she had no objection. Ever since their journey from Hexiang, things have always been like this—the two were perfectly accustomed to it.

However, this time, Wei Jing added, “Ah Qing, another day I’ll have a few people come in.”

By “people,” he meant servants—maidservants or elderly women of a similar class. The water they were using to rinse their mouths had been fetched by Wang Mi the day before. In the heat, it was acceptable, but once autumn arrived, it would cool too quickly to be used in the same way.

Moreover, Kou Xuan’s status as one of his subordinate officials might be tolerable for the moment, but it wouldn’t be appropriate in the long run.

Now that things had settled, it was necessary to select a few attendants. This duty would normally fall to the mistress, but given their special circumstances, Wei Jing wouldn’t feel comfortable unless he inspected it personally.

Shao Qing was momentarily stunned before quickly gathering her thoughts. “Hmm, alright.”

She understood the rationale perfectly—claiming that she was capable was redundant. Her family was well-off and had servants in her previous life, so she accepted it naturally.

It’s practically the same; she only needs to treat them well. Given their current situation, neither of them feels at ease unless they have their servitude contracts in hand.

Moreover, she had heard from Wang Mi that in today’s world, many poor people even look forward to selling themselves—after all, survival is far more important than freedom. Under the current social system, people’s sense of freedom is far inferior to that of later times; indeed, for the vast majority of household servants, being granted freedom would be the worst catastrophe imaginable.

This matter was left to Wei Jing because she was unfamiliar with it—her former self had little experience selecting outside servants to assist.

Shao Qing chose a hairpin decorated with tassels and plum blossoms to secure her bun. Rising from her seat, she picked up the two large ledger books from the desk beside her and said, “These have already been organized.”

Wei Jing, who believed in quality over quantity when it came to staffing and always faced a tight manpower situation, recognized that Shao Qing—who had at least been a university student in her past life—easily picked up routine administrative tasks. What began as temporary assistance naturally turned into a permanent role. She even managed to secure her own duty room in the front office.

However, once the backyard renovations were completed, the work would move to the front office. Since the front office had just been freshly repainted and still carried a faint odor—and because her official duties were not intended for public view—it was no problem to relocate there temporarily for a few days.

Wei Jing took the ledgers and said, “Rest when you’re tired; don’t overdo it.”

Shao Qing responded with a couple of “mm mm,” waving him off to continue with his own tasks. She then tidied her bed, pulled over the half-organized ledger from the previous day, and continued working diligently.

Though busy, life was fulfilling and stable—and she was extremely satisfied.

……

After being busy for most of the morning, just as Shao Qing set down her pen and was about to stand up and stretch her limbs, she heard the sound of little “dong dong” footsteps—small, rapid paces approaching from afar.

It must be Kou Yue; only this passionate, unrestrained little girl could have such joyful, skipping footsteps.

Sure enough, Kou Yue’s voice immediately rang out, “Madam, madam!”

“The festive garments have arrived! Madam, please try them on quickly—if anything doesn’t suit you, have it changed immediately!”

Knowing that Wei Jing was not around, before the words had even faded, the main room door creaked open a crack, and a head poked in.

From behind came Wang Mi’s hasty scolding, “You must wait until Madam gives the orders before opening the door; why did you go ahead and open it yourself again?!”

Shao Qing had already stepped out of the inner chamber, and Kou Yue shrank back slightly and giggled at her.

“Sister Wang, don’t scold Yue Niang—I already said it was fine.”

Once it was confirmed that Wei Jing wasn’t there, opening the main room door was acceptable, but you must not open the inner chamber door on your own. In these ancient suite layouts, the outer room was arranged much like a reception hall. Kou Yue, possessing an innate sense of propriety, has never overstepped by entering the inner room without permission.

Whether Shao Qing’s status was high or low, Kou Yue’s attitude has never changed. She truly enjoys spending time with this little girl, and the two have always had a very good relationship.

Since she had said so, there was no reason for Wang Mi to continue scolding her little sister-in-law. She then led two servant women carrying a large trunk inside, and after they had paid their respects to Shao Qing, one of them said, “Madam, these are the maidservants from the ready-made garment shop—the festive attire is ready.”

Nowadays, refined ladies naturally possess these skills, but Shao Qing had no intention of doing it herself, nor had Wei Jing ever considered it. Consequently, they chose the best embroiderer from the finest shop in Pingtao and selected the most exquisite style.

One of the servant women carefully set the trunk down and knelt to kowtow, greeting, “Greetings, Madam.”

Though Shao Qing was rather unaccustomed to this style of kneeling and kowtowing, she understood this was the proper way. Not intending to be unconventional, she resolved simply to get used to it. “Please rise—there is no need for more courtesy,” she said.

The two servant women bowed respectfully in thanks. Together with Wang Mi and Kou Yue, they washed their hands and carefully took out the festive garments from inside the clothing, unfolding them.

The men’s outfit was a dark red robe with wide sleeves adorned with subtle motifs; the women’s outfit was a vibrant red robe paired with a gauzy skirt. On the soft, delicate silk, the golden thread had been used to embroider entwined patterns of swirling branches and clouds featuring mandarin ducks with interlocking necks. There was also a bright red head covering decorated with a mandarin duck design. It was not as luxurious and refined as what Shao Qing remembered, but it was already the best that could be produced in this county.

She smiled and said, “Very good, approved.”

With the help of Wang Mi and Kou Yue, Shao Qing went inside to try it on—it fit perfectly and needed no alterations.

As for the men’s outfit, it would be tried on when Wei Jing returned.

Wei Jing was eager to make up for the wedding ritual of paying homage to Heaven and Earth, not even minding that he was in his mourning period. He also did not want to inconvenience Shao Qing; originally, the men’s style was meant to be bright red, but since Shao Qing understood him, she didn’t mention it outright—she simply said that she preferred dark red.

Since the festive attire fit well, the task assigned to the two elder maidservants was successfully completed, and they could now go back. Wang Mi went to lead the way, warning Kou Yue to handle the festive attire with utmost care.

It was already late July—at this time, even a slight scuff would leave no time for a redo.

Knowing how delicate it was, Kou Yue carefully folded it, and Shao Qing helped out as well. Seeing that Kou Yue was almost holding her breath, Shao Qing laughed and said, “Put a little more force into it; it won’t hurt it.”

Kou Yue chuckled softly. Her movements became more natural as she carefully smoothed out the slight creases on her dress. With a hint of envy, she remarked, “This wedding dress is so beautiful—it’s the prettiest I’ve ever seen!”

She wondered if she could also have one made when she married Yuan Lang. It was very expensive; she knew the price, and for a moment, she was reluctant to let it go.

“My sister-in-law said there’s no rush for marriage—I’m only seventeen. Let’s wait another two years until Yuan Lang has saved some money; then, it won’t be too late to get married.”

Nowadays, those who marry at fifteen or sixteen are usually the daughters of wealthy families. For ordinary girls, it’s quite common to marry at seventeen, eighteen, or even in their early twenties.

So, what Wang Mi said was entirely reasonable, and Kou Yue didn’t think there was anything amiss with it. Yuan Hong was assigned clerical work—he didn’t deal with any confidential matters on a daily basis, and his routine copying and writing didn’t lead to any mistakes.

Wei Jing had once told Shao Qing that this arrangement was made on Kou Xuan’s orders.

Yuan Hong, being not exactly strong-willed, was privy to some secretive matters; that’s why Wei Jing hadn’t taken any action—in effect, he had entrusted the matter to Kou Xuan.

Since Kou Xuan was already involved, involving Kou Yue would have been somewhat delicate, so he let her handle it on her own for now, planning to step in without delay if she wasn’t satisfied or circumstances changed.

Having said all that, the main point was that it was now certain Kou Xuan would not marry his younger sister to Yuan Hong—a potential risk had been eliminated.

Shao Qing looked on with a dreamy expression, while Kou Yue—whose big, sparkling eyes shone with brightness—momentarily made her wince with envy.

Tricky, isn’t it?

Shao Qing understood very well that Kou Xuan was being careful not to hurt his sister’s feelings. If possible, he wouldn’t want this warm and pure-hearted girl to suffer heartbreak either.

She smiled and said, “No rush. In two years, there might be something even prettier. As long as your elder brother has money, you won’t be shortchanged.”

Kou Yue agreed wholeheartedly on this point; the bond between siblings had always been excellent. She laughed and added, “I’m not in a hurry—let’s first see Madam’s additional wedding gift!”

Wei Jing and Shao Qing explained to others that they were merely completing the formalities. Out of the six traditional wedding rites, they had already performed five, with only the final rite—’personal greeting’—remaining. Due to upheavals in Shao Qing’s family, they had been unable to complete the process fully.

Kou Yue cheerfully said, “Today is the 27th; in three days, it will be the auspicious day!”

Yes, in three days, it will be the first day of the eighth month.

So fast. Well, fast or not—it will eventually come, right?

Shao Qing thought like that too, but the three days flew by, and soon enough, the proper day had arrived.