Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

Once the courtyard gate was locked, Sun Shishi wouldn't be able to see Lou Qianyuan as often as she wanted, and she immediately pouted and put on a sullen face.

Before Sun Shishi could speak, Uncle Li immediately stepped in front of her, smiling and saying, "That would be perfect, young mistress, you are truly virtuous."

Ruan Wan feigned exhaustion and said, "Uncle Li has taken care of Miss Biao since she was little, and from now on, she will be in Uncle Li's care as well."

After Ruan Wan left, Sun Shishi tugged at Uncle Li's sleeve and pleaded, "Uncle Li, the gate is locked. How am I supposed to see my cousin now?"

Uncle Li said, "Miss, for now we must stay in the manor before we can think of another way."

Sun Shishi was still throwing a tantrum, saying, "I begged that vixen so humbly, but I still can't see my cousin."

Uncle Li looked at Sun Shishi with some helplessness and said, "There's plenty of time in the future. Besides, the young mistress is your elder. How can you address her like that? If the young master hears this, he'll get angry again."

Sun Shishi pouted, "Uncle Li, you have no idea how bad her reputation is in the capital. She was dumped by the Seventh Prince, then seduced the Third Prince. When she was still a young lady, she even seduced my cousin, who ran away for a year. They even called each other husband and wife. I don't know what kind of bewitching potion she gave my cousin to make him like this."

Uncle Li also sighed. He knew Ruan Wan's reputation in the capital, which was why he insisted that Cui Mo take out the chastity cloth so that she would still be a virgin before the new wife married into the family.

Uncle Li glared at Sun Shishi. "No matter what, she is the young mistress of the Lou family, the future matriarch of the Lou family. You must respect her. If I hear you spouting nonsense again, I won't help you."

Seeing that Uncle Li was really angry, Sun Shishi immediately pleaded, "Uncle Li, Shishi understands, Shishi won't say it again. If Uncle Li doesn't care about Shishi, then no one in this family will want Shishi anymore."

As she spoke, tears welled up in Sun Shishi's eyes, and Uncle Li immediately comforted her, saying, "As long as you're obedient, I will definitely make sure the young master marries you as a concubine."

Sun Shishi immediately stopped crying, smiled, and hugged Uncle Li's arm, saying, "Uncle Li is still the best to Shishi."

Sun Shishi's eyes couldn't hide her resentment and malice. After Chang Le left, Ruan Wan suddenly appeared.

Princess Chang Le took a liking to Lou Qian Yuan, and thus opposed Sun Shi Shi at every turn, constantly using her status as a princess to suppress Sun Shi Shi. As a result, even the noble ladies in the capital were ostracizing Sun Shi Shi.

When Princess Chang Le got married, Sun Shishi thought her chance had come, but little did she expect that Lou Qianyuan would get married instead.

Lou Qianyuan would rather marry Ruan Wan, who was jilted and had a bad reputation, than marry her. Now, Sun Shishi has to ask that woman's consent to go home. How can she not hate her?

Lou Qianyuan didn't return until evening. Dinner was already prepared. When Lou Qianyuan came to the living room and saw Sun Shishi in the room, he was stunned.

Sun Shishi stood up and bowed to Lou Qianyuan, calling him "Cousin."

Ruan Wan also stood up and said with a smile, "My husband is back. Quickly wash your hands and eat."

Lou Qianyuan pulled Ruan Wan aside, glanced at Sun Shishi, and asked, "Why is she back?"

Just as Ruan Wan was about to speak, Li Shuqiang spoke up from the front, "Young Master, the young mistress is kind-hearted and felt that Miss Biao was lonely and miserable in the temple, so she asked this old servant to bring her back."

What a compliment! Ruan Wan had no choice but to accept it. She smiled and said, "I felt that it would be bad for Miss Biao's reputation to be placed in a temple. People who didn't know the situation might think that Miss Biao was sent to the temple because of her bad character. It might affect Miss Biao's marriage prospects in the future, so I took the liberty of bringing Miss Biao back."

Lou Qianyuan nodded in satisfaction, took Ruan Wan's hand, and smiled, "Madam is indeed very thoughtful."

Lou Qianyuan turned to Sun Shishi and said, "Shishi, your cousin-in-law has been so considerate of you; you must be grateful for her kindness."

Sun Shishi's eyes were fixed on Lou Qianyuan holding Ruan Wan's hand, her jealousy practically blazing out of her.

Ah Rui, who was standing nearby, immediately bumped into Sun Shishi and coughed lightly. Only then did Sun Shishi realize what was happening.

Sun Shishi forced a smile and bowed to Ruan Wan, saying, "Thank you for your thoughtful consideration, Cousin-in-law."

Lou Qianyuan smiled and pulled Ruan Wan to her seat, saying, "This is good, so the whole family can be harmonious."

After finishing their meal, Uncle Li immediately took Sun Shishi back to her courtyard.

Seeing that no one was around, Lou Qianyuan laughed and said, "Uncle Li must have taken it upon himself to bring her back, right?"

Ruan Wan nodded. "Who else could it be but Uncle Li?"

Lou Qianyuan sighed. "I found it strange that he was standing here serving me today. He's probably afraid you'll tell the truth at the dinner table."

Lou Qianyuan looked at Ruan Wan and said, "My cousin has been raised by Uncle Li since she was three years old. Uncle Li treats her like his own daughter."

Ruan Wan asked, "You treat her like your own daughter, so why would you want to make her a concubine?"

Lou Qianyuan was drinking tea when he choked and spat it out. He then chuckled dryly a few times.

Ruan Wan continued, "She's already nineteen this year, and will be twenty in a year. If this drags on, it'll be hard for her to get married."

Lou Qianyuan wiped his mouth, frowned, and said, "Who says otherwise? Father asked Uncle Li to arrange a suitable marriage proposal earlier, but she turned them all down."

Lou Qianyuan suddenly smiled and looked at Ruan Wan, "Why don't you arrange a marriage for her? As the saying goes, an elder sister-in-law is like a mother, so you'd be a good fit to make the arrangements."

Now it was Ruan Wan's turn to burst out laughing. She quickly said, "How could I possibly arrange that? Besides, I've only been married into this family for a month. If I were to rush to marry off my cousin, what would people say about me?"

Seeing that Ruan Wan was genuinely anxious, Lou Qianyuan laughed and said, "I was just joking with you. You don't even know everyone in the capital, where are you going to find someone to marry her?"

Ruan Wan glared at him. "It's all your fault! She's been longing to marry you. Why don't you just marry her yourself?"

Lou Qianyuan glanced out the window, and Ruan Wan looked over as well, discovering that Lou Qianyuan was looking in the direction of the second courtyard.

Lou Qianyuan said, "Shishi used to cling to me too. We used to cling to my older brother and play together since we were little. Back then, Shishi would say every day that she wanted to marry my older brother."

So Sun Shishi has taken a liking to a man from the Lou family and won't marry anyone but the Lou family's young master.

"Her father, who is also my uncle, was only a Left Vanguard during his lifetime, and was posthumously awarded the rank of Lieutenant General. When it comes to marriage, even with the Lou family behind him, they can only discuss marriages with families of rank below the third grade. That's why Uncle Li is determined to have her marry into the Lou family."

It seems that Uncle Li truly loves Sun Shishi like his own daughter.

But no matter how much he felt sorry for Sun Shishi, he was still a servant of the Lou family, and he had to consider whether Lou Qianyuan agreed to it.

Ruan Wan didn't want to discuss Sun Shishi with him anymore, so she asked, "You spent the whole day at the Seventh Prince's residence today. Was there something you needed?"

Lou Qianyuan then remembered that they hadn't discussed the important matter yet, so he pulled Ruan Wan to sit down at the table.

Lou Qianyuan looked at Ruan Wan solemnly and said, "There's something I need your permission for."

Seeing his serious expression, Ruan Wan assumed it was something serious. "If it's about yourself, you can make your own decision."

"It is indeed about me, but I still need your consent, after all, we are already husband and wife."

Ruan Wan began to feel uneasy and whispered, "Tell me first, what exactly happened?"

Lou Qianyuan said, "Changfeng informed His Majesty about the plan and the prescription, and His Majesty wishes to reinstate me to my original position."

Ruan Wan thought it was something serious and laughed, "This is a good thing. It's not good for you to stay at home all day."

"However, once I am reinstated, I will have close ties with Changfeng, and you will inevitably have to meet with him as well."

Seeing the worry on Lou Qianyuan's face, Ruan Wan smiled and said, "What does it matter? It's not like we're never going to see each other again. Besides, I'm Mrs. Lou now, aren't I?"

Upon hearing Ruan Wan introduce herself as Madam Lou, Lou Qianyuan immediately beamed with joy. "Then I'll send a message to Changfeng Prefecture."

It's better for Lou Qianyuan to be able to attend court and handle government affairs than for the two of them to just sit at home staring at each other.

Lou Qianyuan had to attend the morning court session every day, and then go to the Ministry of Rites to work, just in time to return before lunch.

Ruan Wan couldn't help but sigh at the welfare system for officials in ancient times. They only had to work four days a week and sit in the yamen for two hours each day before they could go home.

Lou Qianyuan spent his afternoons either discussing matters at Xia Changfeng's residence or accompanying Ruan Wan there, truly acting like an ordinary married couple.

Ruan Wan also took this time to familiarize herself with the entire mansion.

The garden was neglected, and most of it was empty. Ruan Wan planned to talk to Lou Qianyuan and clear out a plot of land in the garden to grow medicinal herbs.

For some time now, Sun Shishi has been behaving herself, or perhaps she's up to something, but she hasn't bothered Ruan Wan at all, which has made Ruan Wan happy to be free.

A month passed, and Ruan Chenjun's child was born—a boy. This meant she had finally secured her position in the Li family.

Ruan Chenjun simply sent a message and did not intend to hold a banquet. Since her grandmother had just passed away, they decided to keep the celebration private and keep the peace behind closed doors.

Because of her grandmother's situation, Ruan Wan forgot about Ruan Chenjun's pregnancy and didn't even prepare shoes, socks, or a bellyband.

Just as Ruan Wan was looking worried, Qiu Shuang took out a bib and shoes she had sewn in advance from the cabinet, and also took out an exquisite brocade box containing a set of gold-inlaid jade longevity locks.

Ruan Wan laughed and said, "You didn't even think to remind me, how come you prepared it all by yourself?"

Qiu Shuang remained expressionless. "Miss is currently grieving and doesn't have time to do it anyway."

She was still the same, cold in words but warm in heart. I had a servant take Qiu Shuang to the Li residence by carriage to deliver the congratulatory gift.

The Li family lived far away; it would take three hours for a carriage to make a round trip.

Lou Qianyuan went to the government office again. He had said before leaving today that he would be going to the Seventh Prince's residence at noon and would not be coming back for lunch.

Suddenly, Ruan Wan was all alone.

Cui Mo and Cui Lu served her diligently and cautiously on a daily basis, but Ruan Wan still felt distant from them and did not fully trust them.

After all, they were all Uncle Li's people, and all their words and actions were in accordance with Uncle Li's wishes.

Ruan Wan felt this was inappropriate, as they were all servants of the Lou family, not Uncle Li's servants, and Ruan Wan couldn't bring it up with Lou Qianyuan.

Firstly, Uncle Li had been managing the Lou family mansion for a long time, and secondly, Lou Qianyuan had a special affection for Uncle Li.

Uncle Li can no longer be considered a housekeeper in this family; to Lou Qianyuan and Sun Shishi, he is more like an adoptive father.

Adhering to the principle of "better to avoid trouble than to cause trouble," Ruan Wan endured as much as possible, after all, she was not the true master of the Lou family.

On a crisp autumn day, after finishing lunch, Ruan Wan decided to take a stroll in the garden.

The garden was kept very clean by the magnolias and lilacs, but there were not many decent flowers, making it look bare in the autumn.

Cui Mo wanted to follow, but Ruan Wan felt it was awkward for them to come along, so she ordered them not to.

Ruan Wan looked at the empty space on the ground and planned where to plant some flowers and fruit trees, and where to open up a plot of land as a medicinal herb garden. She would also need to invite bricklayers over.

There are two wells in the garden. Since she would be taking care of the herb garden herself, Ruan Wan wanted to check the surrounding environment of the wells first to see if there was enough sunlight and humidity. Otherwise, if the location was too far away, watering would be a hassle in the future.

The well in the southwest corner is in a perfect location, where it receives morning sunlight but not afternoon sunlight.

We've planted some calamus here; we can just dig it up later.

Ruan Wan peered into the well and saw that there were no duckweed or fallen leaves on the surface, indicating that they cleaned very carefully every day.