Lu Lingxiao finished speaking, but after a moment, Meng Qianqian still did not respond, so he turned to glance at her.
And what he saw was Meng Qianqian staring fixedly at... his rear.
Lu Lingxiao furrowed his brows and shifted a little to the side, looking at the spot where he had just been sitting. He asked, "Is there some filthy thing there?"
Meng Qianqian paused and said, "Husband, don't insult yourself like that."
Lu Lingxiao: "..."
Suppressing his anger, Lu Lingxiao said, "Forget it. You're young; I won't hold it against you. But it's one thing for you to act this way in front of me—don't you dare defy Mother."
Meng Qianqian replied, "Mother treats me very well. Why would I defy her?"
Once again, Lu Lingxiao was left speechless by Meng Qianqian's retort.
He glanced at her and said with heartfelt earnestness, "As long as you behave, I will treat you well in the future."
"Oh."
Her indifferent response was utterly devoid of enthusiasm.
Everything about Meng Qianqian's reactions was completely contrary to what Lu Lingxiao had imagined.
He had braced himself for her to wail and start making a scene, but at this moment, it felt like he had punched into cotton.
Feeling slightly awkward, his gaze swept the room and landed on a few yellowed letters on the bedside table.
He instantly recognized them as the letters he had sent her as family correspondence back then.
One each month—six in total.
The contents weren't much, merely assurances of his safety and reminders for her to eat well, show filial piety to his parents, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
Since she was illiterate, she relied on his mother to help write replies to the first few letters. Only the last letter was written in her own hand, its characters crooked and almost illegible, like ghostly scrawls.
It turned out she had started learning to write from his mother just so she could respond to him.
In her letter, she asked him when he would return home.
He had replied that he would return when she grew up.
And now, she truly had grown up, and he had returned as promised.
But things between them could never go back to how they were before.
He had Wan'er now, and for the first time in his life, he understood love. He would never fall in love with another woman.
Not even his wife by first marriage.
Looking at Meng Qianqian's youthful, innocent face, Lu Lingxiao felt the urge to say something more, but at that moment, the urgent voice of a maid came from outside:
"General! General, are you there? Miss Wan'er is not feeling well—"
Lu Lingxiao's expression changed. He got up immediately and left without so much as a backward glance!
Ban Xia and Nanny Li entered the room.
The two were Meng Qianqian's personal attendants and the people she trusted most within the Lu Family.
Glancing at the letters deliberately left on the bedside table, Meng Qianqian said in a detached voice, "Do not act on your own again in the future."
Ban Xia lowered her head guiltily. "Understood, Miss."
Meng Qianqian continued, "Change the bedding."
Ban Xia hurriedly replied, "Yes!"
After changing the bedding, Meng Qianqian asked Ban Xia to bring out her intricately carved box.
Inside were dozens and dozens of letters, all written by Meng Qianqian over the past five years to her "deceased husband." There were at least a hundred, and the handwriting had gradually transitioned from crude and unsightly to a refined, elegant cursive.
Ban Xia, filled with excitement, asked, "Miss, are you going to give these letters to the master? Once he understands your feelings over so many years, he'll surely change his mind!"
Without hesitation, Meng Qianqian replied, "Burn them."
Affection is rare, but some people are undeserving.
Back then, Meng Qianqian had married into the Lu Family in part to bring good fortune to Old Madam Lu, but there was another, unspoken reason: to save the Lu Family from financial ruin.
Though they appeared prosperous on the surface, the Lu Family was neck-deep in debt, and it was Meng Qianqian's massive dowry that had filled their financial void.
For the past several years, the household's expenses had depended entirely on the silver from Meng Qianqian's dowry.
With a trembling voice, Ban Xia asked, "Miss, do you really want to burn them? Then what do these years of effort amount to?"
Meng Qianqian picked up a fried pastry. "It amounts to feeding a dog with all my earnestness."
Nanny Li walked over, frowning. "Miss already said to burn them—didn't you hear?"
Ban Xia could no longer hold back her tears and sobbed loudly:
"The master is too heartless... How could he treat you this way… How will you endure life in this household going forward…"
Nanny Li turned to look at Meng Qianqian, who was quietly sitting in a chair, counting fried pastries, and let out a long sigh.
Indeed.
Her young mistress came from a humble background and had no family of her own in the Lu Household. There was no one she could confide in about her mistreatment, let alone seek support.
The master should have been her biggest source of reliance, but now he had a lover outside and even had the audacity to bring her home openly.
What place was there for her in the Lu Family anymore?
Nanny Li suddenly thought of someone. "Miss, why don't—"
"Nanny."
Meng Qianqian spoke up.
"Yes, Miss."
"I want to sleep now. Make sure to close the door when you leave. Don't call me in the morning. Oh, and there are five fewer pastries today."
Nanny Li froze momentarily.
Meng Qianqian climbed onto the stepping bed and let the curtain fall.
The next day, Meng Qianqian woke up naturally with the sun.
Upon waking, she was informed that Lu Lingxiao had come over early in the morning and had been waiting in the Warm Pavilion for her ever since.
This rekindled a sliver of hope in the hearts of Ban Xia and Nanny Li, whose expectations had already been dashed to pieces.
The two selected a bright pink fitted silk dress for Meng Qianqian and added a peach-toned fur-lined cloak on top.
Meng Qianqian, blessed with natural beauty, had delicate brows like distant hills, a nose as poised as a hanging blade, and lips pale but naturally tinted—a youthful radiance unique to her age, vibrant and fresh as peach blossoms.
The sniffling, golden-haired girl sent to bring luck had now blossomed into a graceful young lady of remarkable poise.
Lu Lingxiao froze for a moment at the sight of her.
Meng Qianqian asked, "What brings you here?"
Lu Lingxiao thought this girl seemed to have two faces—obedient and agreeable in front of his mother, yet, ever since he had spoken to her about Wan'er the night before, she had shown him nothing but frost.
Looking away, he replied indifferently, "Mother sent me. She wants you to join her for breakfast. She's been waiting for over half an hour now. Do you always wake this late?"
Before Meng Qianqian could answer, Lu Lingxiao added, "Next time, wake earlier."
In truth, Meng Qianqian usually woke even before the chickens, but over the past two days, with Old Madam Lu and the family matron away, Lu Mother had allowed her to rest a little.
Meng Qianqian offered no explanation.
When a man's heart is biased, no amount of explanation makes a difference.
The two made their way to Lu Mother's quarters.
In Lu Lingxiao's memory, his mother used to have to stand and serve while his grandmother ate.
But Lu Mother treated Meng Qianqian differently.
She held Meng Qianqian's hand as she had her sit down and piled the best food onto her plate.
Looking at his own empty plate and then at his mother, who kept serving Meng Qianqian dish after dish, Lu Lingxiao suddenly started to wonder who her real child was.
"Osmanthus cake."
Meng Qianqian said.
Lu Mother patted Meng Qianqian's hand with a smile. "Alright, alright, Osmanthus cake. Chuntao, hurry to the kitchen and check on it."
Chuntao looked hesitant.
"What's the matter?" Lu Mother asked.
Chuntao replied sheepishly, "The Osmanthus cake was sent to Miss Lin's quarters."
Lu Mother frowned. "Wasn't it made for the Eldest Young Madam?"
Chuntao stole a glance at Lu Lingxiao. "I did say so…"
Lu Lingxiao set down his chopsticks and said, "I asked the kitchen to send it over. Wan'er wanted to try Osmanthus cake too."
Then, he lifted his gaze toward Meng Qianqian, seated beside Lu Mother, and said, "You wouldn't begrudge Wan'er a piece of cake, would you?"