CHAPTER 404: CHAPTER 385: THE COUPLE GETTING ALONG (1)

The night breeze is slightly cool.

The County Magistrate’s Wife didn’t wear a cloak, only a thin outer garment as she headed toward the County Magistrate’s study.

She recalled her mother’s advice on the day she was married.

Her mother said, getting along as a couple requires careful handling.

When a man is tough, a woman should be soft.

When a man is soft, a woman should be tough.

If both are tough and confront each other, it’s like swords clashing—either both are severely wounded, ending it together, or one suffers greatly.

If both are soft, days pass without interest, like water.

Currently, she and the County Magistrate have come to a point where they are both being tough.

Because of her illness some days ago, because of the matter with their son, because of Aunt Hua, she had often been cold toward the County Magistrate.

When both are tough, when will these days end?

She thought of Li Yuzhu’s parents. Why not try their way of getting along as a couple?

.

The County Magistrate was reading documents in the study.

Aunt Qing was also in the room, squatting on the ground, tending a small stove with a small pot on top, inside which was steeping a small wine pot.

The weather was turning cool, and the County Magistrate liked drinking warm wine.

The stove was just lit, the fire weak, and Aunt Qing was fanning the smoke with a fan.

The doors and windows were open, and the smoke was wafting outside with the movement of the fan.

The County Magistrate’s Wife walked to the window just as Aunt Qing was fanning the smoke out.

She took a breath of the smoke and coughed sharply.

Upon hearing her voice, Aunt Qing was startled and dropped the fan, quickly coming out to see.

"Madam... Madam..." She greeted with an anxious expression.

"I came to see the master." The County Magistrate’s Wife glanced at her indifferently and walked into the study.

The County Magistrate put down his book and gazed at the County Magistrate’s Wife.

"Fei Niang? Why haven’t you rested yet?" The County Magistrate’s smile was amiable, yet his tone and content were like addressing an outsider.

Previously, the County Magistrate’s Wife would have immediately turned cold-hearted and walked away.

But today she had specifically come to invite the County Magistrate to bed, so she endured her displeasure and smiled, saying, "I want to talk to my husband about something."

Aunt Qing entered the room and upon hearing the County Magistrate’s Wife say this, she promptly said, "Master, Madam, I will take my leave now."

She was indeed perceptive.

The County Magistrate’s Wife nodded at her, "You don’t need to serve the master tonight, rest early."

"Yes." Aunt Qing didn’t dare linger a moment longer and hurriedly left.

With no one else in the room, it was just the couple.

The County Magistrate reached out to hold the County Magistrate’s Wife’s hand and smiled, "Your hand is cold, you’re wearing too little. You go sleep first, I still have some official documents to read."

The County Magistrate’s Wife grasped his hand in return, "Where will you sleep then?"

The County Magistrate was slightly startled and gently smiled, saying, "I’ve been quite busy lately..."

Implying that he might be busy until late and wouldn’t disturb the County Magistrate’s Wife.

This was something the County Magistrate’s Wife had heard many times—sometimes reported by the maids, sometimes told by the County Magistrate himself.

No matter under what circumstances she heard it, the words made her extremely angry.

She was the County Magistrate’s Wife, from a scholarly and prestigious family; she couldn’t lower herself like a concubine to coo and plead to keep him.

If the County Magistrate ignored her, she would ignore him as well, and they would sleep separately.

Thus, after being apart for a long time, their meetings increasingly lacked affection.

Which benefited the concubines.

The County Magistrate’s Wife changed her usual cold demeanor, "I’ll wait for you."

The County Magistrate was again taken aback.

Seeing her not getting angry like usual, he couldn’t muster any temper and simply said, "Okay, then wait for me on the couch in front; it’s warmer there."

The County Magistrate’s Wife, looking at his kind face, smiled gently, "Alright."

She stood up and walked toward the couch by the window.

However, she did not take a seat.

Seeing the warm wine on the stove, the County Magistrate’s Wife picked up the fan Aunt Qing had dropped and continued stoking the stove.

The fire in the stove had started to burn a bit more, and with a few fans, it quickly kindled fully.

Soon, the water in the pot boiled and the spout of the wine pot gradually emitted steam.

The County Magistrate’s Wife found a cloth and reached for the wine pot.

But the cloth was too thin, and the copper handle of the wine pot too hot, causing the County Magistrate’s Wife to cry out in pain.

"So hot!" She quickly put down the wine pot.

"You’re really something! Didn’t you know to be careful?" The County Magistrate sighed, swiftly putting down his book and striding over.

"I’m sorry, husband, did I startle you?" said the County Magistrate’s Wife apologetically.

The County Magistrate took her hand to look, "It’s all red, come on, let’s apply some medicine quickly."

The County Magistrate’s Wife stood still, looking at him, usually he wasn’t like this...

The County Magistrate found it amusing and exasperating, "Just like before."

The County Magistrate’s Wife asked while looking at him, "What was it like before?" She didn’t remember.

The County Magistrate glanced at her, "Before Ah Xing was born, you made a fuss about everything. Even if pricked by a needle, I had to coax you, but after Ah Xing was born, you could even fight a tiger."

Thinking of the County Magistrate’s Wife when they were newly married, he couldn’t help but laugh.

The County Magistrate’s Wife was originally of a fierce character; when newly married, she acted cautiously because she was shy in front of the County Magistrate. Now, with the child born, and a few years later the child should be getting married too. If she were still shy about everything, how could she manage the household?

Reminded by him, the County Magistrate’s Wife also thought of her past self. She didn’t know whether to act weak and coax the County Magistrate to sleep with her or continue being her fierce self, applying medicine while giving the County Magistrate the cold shoulder.

She stood there, her face turning red and then white.

The County Magistrate found her increasingly amusing, took her hand and headed out, calling for Chang Sui to close the study room door.

"Come on, let’s go, I’ll take you to apply medicine," he said with a smile, his footsteps heading towards the County Magistrate’s Wife’s main room.

The County Magistrate’s Wife followed behind him, pursing her lips into a smile, "Okay."

Chang Sui, hearing the County Magistrate’s call from the neighboring room, immediately came out, "Understood, sir."

But then he didn’t see the County Magistrate; the County Magistrate had already walked away, holding the County Magistrate’s Wife’s hand.

Chang Sui blinked, "Are the couple getting along again? Just as it should be."

That night, the County Magistrate slept in the County Magistrate’s Wife’s room.

The County Magistrate’s Wife said he often suffered from insomnia and specially got some medicine for it from Li Yuzhu.

As long as it was Li Yuzhu’s medicine, the County Magistrate trusted it. He accepted the water the County Magistrate’s Wife handed him and took the pills.

The County Magistrate’s Wife didn’t rush him as usual, demanding children in a businesslike manner, making the County Magistrate very nervous and awkward, often fleeing to sleep in the study.

This time, the County Magistrate’s Wife didn’t push him, just casually chatted with him.

The two had known each other since childhood. Although they weren’t childhood sweethearts, they were familiar with each other’s pasts.

The County Magistrate’s Wife talked about their childhood memories, then about their wedding night, playfully mocking herself for being clueless back then and making many blunders, also blaming the County Magistrate for not teaching her.

The County Magistrate, both angry and amused, said it was his first time getting married as well, and since his family didn’t arrange a concubine before the marriage, he was just as clueless. How could he teach her?

The two teased each other and soon broke into laughter together.

In the outer room, Chun’er and Xiaxia sat under the lamp, doing needlework.

The two looked at each other in surprise, wondering if the couple was getting along.

Chun’er stretched lazily and whispered, "I reckon the sir won’t leave tonight, and the madam won’t call us to keep her company. Shall we go back to sleep?"

Xiaxia nodded, "Mm, let’s go back to sleep."

The two girls returned to their own room.

In the bedroom, the couple no longer talked, with only the County Magistrate’s Wife softly giggling.

.

Taohua River Village, Li Family.

It was a windy sunny day. With the arrival of autumn, once the wind blows, it becomes particularly chilly.

The Li Family all wore padded jackets.

The Second Princess, the Great Princess, and the Second Young Master took a carriage to the town after breakfast.

With a carriage, traveling became much more convenient. They no longer had to wake up at the first crowing of the rooster, start each day with tired eyes, and return with legs so weary they felt like jelly.

With the carriage, although they still left early and returned late each day, their spirits improved a lot.

Except that the Second Princess had gained a bit more weight.

Prince Luling and the Princess Consort spent the morning tending to the children.

Because Chai Eying was pregnant, she spent her free time doing needlework, making clothes for the soon-to-be-born baby, leaving her no time to look after Li Jing, Guoguo, and their nephew Chai Tianlang, who insisted on moving in.

The Princess Consort, fearing her concern, had made it clear since the day of her pregnancy that she didn’t need to worry about the other children in the family, only focus on the one in her belly.

Li Xingmao was managing the affairs in the fields.

The family owned a lot of farmland, and when he couldn’t handle it alone, Chai Eying’s driver, Uncle Gui, would help. Mu Yuanxiu also occasionally lent a hand, and when Li Xing’an wasn’t going out, he would also pitch in fieldwork together.

The two mu of marshland paddy fields had been harvested before Guoguo’s birthday, along with one mu of wheat in the dry fields. The largest acreage of soybeans was also harvested, now just waiting for the cotton to bloom fully before picking it.

As for the rows of Chinese cabbage, they didn’t need to be harvested yet. In the south, there were no cellars, and harvested veggies would rot, so they could stay longer in the ground.

Li Xingmao took Li Xing’an to the fields to check on the cotton. As soon as they left, Mu Yuanxiu came down from the mountain.

Uncle Gui opened the door for him, saying with a smile, "The young master has taken the third son to the fields, the second son, and the second and first young ladies have gone to the market, but the third young lady is at home."

"Okay, I’m here to see the third young lady," Mu Yuanxiu smiled.

"Alright, I’ll call for you," Uncle Gui said, smiling, and went to fetch Li Yuzhu.

Li Yuzhu was at the kitchen, helping Nanny Jiang with drying the vegetables. Once dried, they could be made into pickles.

In the open space in front of the kitchen, several bamboo poles were set up, with vegetables hanging all over them.

Under the light of the rising sun, water droplets shimmered with crystalline brilliance.

There were various types of vegetables, including carrots, white radishes, red-skinned water radishes, mustard greens, and baby cabbages.