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Recently, drinking tea late has made it hard to sleep, so Wen Ruyu asked Tao’er to change it to floral tea.
Qin Rong had been diligent lately and was the one who brought the tea in the evening.
She came in with two cups, handing one to Wen Ruyu and the other to Madam Wang.
Zhao Shu had gone back to calm Lu Qing, who was crying and making a fuss.
Now only Wen Ruyu and Madam Wang were left in the room.
Zhao Shu had asked Madam Wang earlier about her plans, but truthfully, Madam Wang herself didn’t know what she would do after returning to her parents’ home.
Although her parents loved her dearly, unless absolutely necessary, they wouldn’t support her getting a divorce.
Besides, she had also hit someone today. That would only make her parents less likely to take her side.
She had married into the Song family and became its madam. Even if she had neither her husband’s affection nor her mother-in-law’s approval, she was still the mistress of the Song household.
But if she got divorced, she would simply be a wealthy villager’s divorced daughter.
And if she had children in tow, remarrying would be even harder.
If she didn’t remarry, it wouldn’t just be gossip from outsiders—her brothers and sisters-in-law might be kind for now, but who knew if she’d still have a place in the Wang family in the future?
Madam Wang didn’t really want to leave, but she also felt that if she stayed in the Song household, she might go mad one day.
“All I want is for my husband to treat me with some respect, for my mother-in-law to stop giving me attitude every day, and for my children to grow up safe and sound. But the more prosperous our days become, the lower my status in this household gets.”
“To be honest with you, even the maidservants by the old lady’s side dare to throw attitude at me. I keep up appearances, only to be torn down again and again. Now that wretched girl is pregnant, and the whole household dotes on her like treasure.”
“When I was pregnant with twins, did I get such treatment? Once that child is born, even the standing of my own children will be threatened! Old Madam, why is my fate so bitter?”
Wen Ruyu watched Wang cry, but she didn’t feel too moved.
After all, there were women much worse off than Wang in this era.
Still, just because others suffer more doesn’t mean Wang’s own suffering isn’t real. Her pain wasn’t material—it was emotional.
Living in a place where no one likes you… even wealth can’t buy happiness.
When someone has nothing else, they cling to what they do have. For Madam Wang, that was her children.
She had placed all her hopes on them, which made it even harder for her to bear the thought of their future being compromised.
This kind of tragedy could follow her for a lifetime. Even if she divorced and remarried, there was no guarantee she’d find someone better than Mr. Song.
Because, at the very least, he had money.
Wen Ruyu sighed and said, “My maternal grandparents were well-off in their younger days. Back then, my grandfather also had multiple wives and concubines.”
Wang’s attention was caught when she heard Wen Ruyu speak of the past.
“Tell me, what virtuous woman, if she still cared about her husband, would be willing to share him with other women? My grandmother used to fight it too.”
“She fought with the concubines, argued with the maids. It turned the household upside down. At one point, my grandfather even talked about divorcing her.”
This part was true—Wen Ruyu remembered hearing about it from her mother as a child.
“So what happened after that?” Wang wiped her tears, suddenly feeling that Wen Ruyu’s words might hold some wisdom.
Wen Ruyu looked at her and said, “After that, my grandmother stopped fighting.”
“She gave in?” Wang asked.
Wen Ruyu continued, “At first, my grandfather was pleased. But as time went on, the women in the household increased, and my grandmother no longer managed them. Things got even more chaotic than when she used to fight.”
“I heard that she started reading the Thirty-Six Stratagems, stood by watching the chaos, conserving her energy. The more others argued, the more composed she appeared. She ended up gaining favor with her mother-in-law and even with my grandfather.”
“Did your grandfather change his heart in the end?”
“Not really. He still liked young, pretty women,” Wen Ruyu replied. “But once my grandmother became ‘virtuous,’ her life grew much more peaceful. And she and my grandfather stopped fighting constantly.”
“Plus, her brothers from her natal family were accomplished. As long as she kept her heart at ease, the elders didn’t make things difficult for her. She focused on managing the household and pleasing the elders, so all major affairs were entrusted to her.”
“My mother said that was because my grandmother had stopped caring about my grandfather. That’s why her own life got better.”
“In my opinion, giving your heart to a man like my grandfather was the most worthless thing in the world. Don’t you agree?” Wen Ruyu asked Wang. “As long as you have value in your husband’s household, a woman’s life doesn’t have to revolve around her husband’s affection.”
She even thought: a woman doesn’t necessarily need to marry at all—but that thought didn’t suit the times, so she didn’t say it aloud.
Wang stayed silent, clearly deep in thought.
At this point, she couldn’t deny that Wen Ruyu was hinting at something.
Wen Ruyu, seeing her reflect quietly, didn’t disturb her. Instead, she gently placed the now-medicated Song Yun onto the couch and said softly:
“When couples fight, it’s always the children who suffer most. If things spiral out of control, those two children will be the ones who struggle the most.”
In the worst households, a lack of love wasn’t the biggest problem—constant conflict and violence were worse.
When Wang heard Wen Ruyu speak of the children, her expression shifted slightly.
Now calmer, she looked toward her daughter…
And saw her wide-eyed, looking back at her.
The child was only five, yet she sat quietly in the old lady’s arms, holding back her tears.
After talking with Wen Ruyu for a while, Wang picked up her daughter, preparing to return home.
Wen Ruyu worried she might not be calm yet, so she tried to persuade her, “You can stay here tonight. There are plenty of guest rooms.”
“No need, Old Madam.” Wang’s eyes had grown clear again.
Suddenly, Wang felt that she had never been this calm in her entire life.
Seeing her resolute, Wen Ruyu didn’t insist. She simply ordered a servant to light the lamps and send her back carefully.
It was early in the month and the moonlight was dim. The lantern barely lit the path.
Wang didn’t trust a servant to carry her child—afraid she might fall—so she carried Yun herself, even if it meant tiring herself out.
“Mama, Yun can walk on her own,” Yun said with a yawn, exhausted from crying and the late hour.
Wang’s heart ached. “No need. We’re almost home.”
“Mama, I’ll be good. I won’t bother Auntie anymore. Can you please not leave?”
Wang froze in her steps, and tears welled up again.
She gently kissed her daughter’s forehead and choked out, “Mama won’t leave. Mama’s not going anywhere. I’ll stay right here with you two.”
Meanwhile, back in the afternoon, Le’er had arrived at the Lu family village, heading straight for Lu Baining’s old house.
Lu Baining had been living well the past couple of days—eating meat and drinking wine, even neglecting his half-planted vegetable patch.
He was napping comfortably when he heard a knock at the door.
He figured it wasn’t a local, since the villagers all knew that knocking at his door usually got no response.
When Liu Suqing was home, she rarely answered the door—unless it was someone she knew well.
Even she thought she was guarding her virtue too rigidly after arriving in the Lu village.
Coincidentally, Lu Baining was home that day. He threw on a robe and opened the door…
Only to see Le’er, his longtime servant, standing there.
Normally, Lu Baining would’ve been thrilled.
Though Le’er was just a servant, they’d grown up together and often played together as boys.
In the countryside, seeing an old friend should be a happy thing.
But today, Lu Baining wasn’t exactly pleased.
Because he already had a hunch about why Le’er was there.
He invited him in and immediately asked, “What brings you here today?”
Le’er didn’t quite catch the question. As soon as he entered, he fired off a string of concern:
“Second Master, are you doing alright? Eating well? Staying warm? Is it cold at night?”
Le’er had always served Lu Baining closely, and now that Lu Baining was in the countryside, Le’er often got assigned errands.
Whether tiring or not, it wasn’t much different from when he served the second master directly.
But when he was working, he always thought about his master.
This was someone he’d cared for all his life—Lu Baining being away made Le’er feel empty inside.
So when the Old Madam sent him here today, regardless of the task, Le’er’s first thought was just to see his master.
Lu Baining did miss Le’er’s service a little—but not enough to be sentimental. At the moment, he was more concerned about whether there was any pork head left in the house.
As they walked, he turned and said, “Don’t ask so many questions. I’m fine. You’re here to deliver a message from the Old Madam, aren’t you?”
That reminded Le’er of his real purpose. The two of them sat down, and before they could even have tea, Le’er passed on the Old Madam’s words, nearly word for word.
Lu Baining was stunned to learn that his mother knew he had money now. “How did the old lady find out so fast? I only just got the money—did she grow eyes on her back?”
Could someone in the village be leaking info? Who was so eager to tattle?
Even what he ate, who he met, whether he got money—it all got reported back to the Lu household?
Le’er said, “Who else has that kind of time and stamina to stake out your place all day? It’s that guy Tiesui (Iron Hammer). Just wait a few days and you’ll catch him sneaking around. He’s the one who snitched.”
“Tiesui?” Lu Baining’s brow furrowed. “Him again?”
Why did it feel like this guy was born to ruin his life? Every time things started going well, Tiesui would show up and cause trouble.