Translator: Flying Lines

  After the wedding banquet the guests of the Wong family gradually left. Scholar Wong also went back to his room. As he agreed to marry Qin Qingqing, he could not just cold-shoulder her.

  Red candles were lit in the room. Qin Qingqing sat on the bed with a red handkerchief covering her head.

  The bride, wearing phoenix coronet and in her glowing wedding robe, looked rather charming at a glance. Scholar Wong, however, was thinking about Ye Xiaoxian. If the bride were Ye Xiaoxian, what would it be like?

  Scholar Wong nodded instantly. He should not think this way. He had married someone else so he must forget about Little Ye. Even if he had not got married, he still should not have other thoughts about her.

  Scholar Wong then walked over to the bed and, after some short hesitation, reached out his shaking hand under the bride’s red handkerchief.

  Against the bright glow from the red candles the bride lowered her head, looking like a flower dripping with dew. Her profile was beautiful and, as she was brought up in a wealthy family, her skin was fair and looked so pretty that Scholar Wong started having feelings for her.

  In fact, most men in the world were affectionate but not loyal. They could fall in love with many girls and love them at the same time. They could treat all the girls with equal affection but they also would differentiate their wives from their lovers.

  Scholar Wong admired Ye Xiaoxian but he clearly knew that his current wife was Qin Qingqing.

  Besides, Scholar Wong was also a normal man. Some men would still play around with so called “soul mates” when they already had wives back at home, and now with a delicious wife sitting in front of him, how could he hold it back anymore?

  So, they made love together as naturally as water flows.

  After consummating their marriage Scholar Wong felt as if he had opened a door to a new world. Besides, Qin Qingqing looked quite pretty and was a conservative lady which made Scholar Wong unable to control himself.

  They had a sleepless night, not falling asleep until early morning and not waking up until midday. In this era, the newly-married daughter-in-law had to wake up early to serve tea to her parents-in-law. Lord Wong and Mrs. Wong had been waiting for quite some time and still did not see the two of them come over.

  They then sent a nanny to call them. The nanny came back after a short while, saying that she could not wake them up and dared not to make too much noise in case she startled them.

  Lord Wong was surprised and pleased. He quickly said, “Since you couldn’t wake them up, you don’t have to. Just let them sleep. Young couples are like this.” He was also experienced so of course he understood.

  Mrs. Wong said that she understood also.

  The young couple did not arrive until almost lunchtime. Qin Qingqing was very self-conscious. When she walked out of her room the family servants looked at her with stealthy smiles. They must be laughing at her getting up so late.

  It was Scholar Wong who was to blame. He looked rather delicate and polite but who’d expect that when he got down to business he could be that vigorous……

  When they went to serve tea to Scholar Wong’s parents, Lord Wong and Mrs. Wong looked at Qin Qingqing who was very pretty and also obedient, so they were overjoyed. They also found that Qin Qingqing looked rather tired with dark circles under her eyes. They asked the kitchen to quickly cook some ginseng soup, generously offering her the ginseng which they had preserved for a long time.

  As for Scholar Wong and Qin Qingqing, although they only spent one night together they were already inseparable, as if they were a couple who had known each other for years. They actually began to do everything together in the family.

  Scholar Wong’s dream and ambition had faded because of Qin Qingqing. With a young and beautiful wife by his side he did not even want to read his books. It was not that he did not want to pass the examination anymore, but once he experienced such things he could not control himself to some extent.

  Sometimes he wanted to read books, but each time Qin Qingqing called him to the room, he’d hear her soft voice and would lose his attention, so all he would then do was to cuddle his little bride and have fun.

  As for Xiao Baozhu, she was almost forgotten by Scholar Wong.

  Scholar Wong was like that. He would not have things which did not belong to him. If you forced him to have them, he would feel more uninterested and just keep even more distance from them.

  Looking at Scholar Wong and Qin Qingqing being in love and so affectionate with each other, Xiao Baozhu felt completely dispirited and in pain. He was not uninterested in women but simply not interested in her particularly. He could cold-shoulder her all day long but devote himself to accompanying the other woman.

  Every time she saw Scholar Wong and Qin Qingqing walking by hand-in-hand, her heart felt as if it had been cut by a blade.

  The news of Xiao Baozhu had also spread to the village, but the version was totally different from the one in the town.

  “What? Baozhu actually married into an upper-class family?” Wong Mudan’s eyes were popping out.

  Chen Ju was also surprised. “Baozhu can marry into a wealthy family? That’s shocking. In the past Baozhu was just……well, who would expect this. She was just a wild girl. I thought she would be lucky to marry Wong the cripple. She has no dowry and isn’t good-looking.”


  Wong Mudan snorted. “So, fortune will favor people in turns. Now she gets the good fortune but maybe I’ll get it someday also. It will happen anyway.”


  Chen Ju then asked Wong Mudan, “Can we go to visit her?”


  Wong Mudan’s eyes lit up. “To visit her is a great idea. We haven’t been to any upper-class family before. If we visit her, we can get to know them, can’t we?”


  Xiao Tieshu brought the news about Xiao Baozhu back. Xiao Tieshu also heard it from Xun Wenda. Xun Wenda was also not entirely sure about it and had heard it somewhere else. He held a grudge against Ye Xiaoxian, so he went to Xiao Tieshu to tell him in a jealous way.

  Xiao Tieshu had been working in the government office for quite a long time and had not had many opportunities for promotion. In this era, they did not emphasize professional performance and besides, he didn’t have many achievements either. The fact that he wanted to get promoted was just pure daydreaming. Thus, he also wanted to cling to some wealthy and powerful people. If he got assistance from powerful people then perhaps his superior would think highly of him.

  Xiao Tieshu said again. “But I heard that Baozhu is only a concubine in that country gentleman’s family.”


  “A concubine?” Chen Ju and Wong Mudan looked at each other.

  Wong Mudan said, “A concubine is alright. Concubines in wealthy families only suffer a little at the beginning. When they have a son afterwards, their status is promoted very quickly.”


  Chen Ju also said, “Right, being a concubine is better than marrying an ordinary man as a wife. Just look at us, aren’t we wives? We’re still worked to death and are busy all day long.”


  Wong Mudan’s tiny eyes were rolling up and down. “I also heard that a concubine also has people to serve her. They will even empty her toilet for her.”


  “What did Baozhu do right in her previous life? Oh, if our Baoxue could marry that well, it’d be perfect. A concubine is just alright, anyway she won’t be worried about food.”


  “When she has a child in the future, she will have a nanny to help her and will not have to get up in the middle of the night to change diapers.”


  “She just needs to pamper her child when she’s free and usually she just needs to embroider in her room.”


  “.……”


  Xiao Tieshu and Xiao Tongshu listened to the women expressing and changing their envious ideas and they were almost going crazy with rage. They were obviously mocking them for being incapable.

  But if they were actually capable, why would they have married these two? They would have married ladies in the town. Nevertheless, they could now go to the town and get to know some wealthy relatives.