CHAPTER 340: CHAPTER 173: REKINDLING OLD TIES

Third Madam Shi was instantly stunned, her face flushed with shame and embarrassment in a blink of an eye.

"Is this, is this true?" Third Madam Shi asked with difficulty and a strained voice.

"Would I lie to you?" Third Master Shi slowly nodded and sighed, "From now on, stop letting your imagination run wild! Fengju is a proper young man, and even Sang Wan doesn’t do too bad either. Even if there are one or two areas where she might be lacking, for Fengju’s sake, we shouldn’t be so nitpicky! I heard that today you embarrassed Sang Wan in front of your elder sister-in-law, you know this might even make her uncomfortable! She has always been protective, you know that!"

Third Madam Shi started to feel restless and defensively said, "It’s just that I was too upset! First, Yingfang had a fracture, then Mrs. Gui hurt her back, how can one not be upset with all these troubles one after another?"

"Here you go again!" Third Master Shi frowned, "These are clearly two separate issues, why do you lump them together? The matter with Yingfang was due to the servant’s negligence, and Sang Wan has already explained that! As for Mrs. Gui, it was because we delayed our meal time that led to her injury, how is that related to Sang Wan? Think about it, in what way has Sang Wan not been considerate enough for us? Could anyone do better?"

Third Madam Shi was at a loss for words and after a long pause, she sighed, "I am not that unreasonable, but we just returned, and if we don’t establish our authority, won’t we have to live at the mercy of others in the future? Master, you wouldn’t want that either! Sang Wan, she did perform well, but that doesn’t mean she’s exceptional, Fangzi is no worse than her!"

"It’s good you know not to be unreasonable!" Third Master Shi’s expression darkened as he said, "We are the legitimate masters, do we need to establish authority? Any insubordinate servant can be dismissed on the spot! I don’t believe that in front of proper rules, Fengju and Sang Wan would shield a servant and disregard the elders. If they dare to do so, I would handle it myself! Also about Fangzi, you should lessen your interactions with her in the future. She is now Fengju’s concubine, and it’s not suitable for you to interact too much with her!"

"What!" Third Madam Shi’s attention was suddenly piqued by her husband’s last comment, and she exclaimed with wide eyes, "What did you say? Fangzi is—Fengju’s concubine?"

"You didn’t know!" This time, it was Third Master Shi’s turn to be surprised.

"How could this be!" Third Madam Shi sighed, believing her husband would not joke about such a matter, and lamented, "Elder sister-in-law is indeed heartless, to let her own relative become a concubine to her son, this is just—"

"Don’t talk nonsense!" Third Master Shi frowned even more, "This has nothing to do with elder sister-in-law. You should remember that Fangzi was raised in our house from a young age? I don’t know much about this matter, when you have time, you can inquire about it yourself."

Third Master Shi, mindful of his dignity, naturally wouldn’t gossip about his nephew’s romantic past, but his remarks piqued his wife’s curiosity. Third Madam Shi kept asking persistently, not letting go until Third Master Shi ended up spilling the little he unintentionally heard.

"This past half a year, the house has actually been this lively!" Third Madam Shi suddenly realized and sighed, a bit regretful in her heart: It would have been good if she hadn’t missed it!

Unable to hold back, Third Madam Shi added, "I see Fengju is very considerate and caring towards Sang Wan, Fangzi really is pitiful, this girl has a hard fate!" she then glanced at Third Master Shi and added ruefully, "It just shows that a man’s heart can never be relied upon! It changes so suddenly!"

Third Master Shi snorted, "Fengju and Sang Wan’s marriage has been arranged a long time ago, who in the household doesn’t know this? It’s only right for him to treat her well, what you’re saying is unfair to Sang Wan! Not to mention, Gu Fangzi knowing that Fengju is betrothed should have kept her distance to avoid suspicion, but instead, she caused so many troubles, I actually feel that Sang Wan is the one who is wronged!"

Third Madam Shi remained unconvinced, "That’s not fair either, maybe it was Fengju who initiated the flirtation?"

"Fengju isn’t that kind of person," Third Master Shi responded, "Besides, even if Fengju approached her, if she had any sense of propriety, she should’ve avoided him! She rushed to enter our doors during a period of mourning, this kind of woman, I think, is inappropriate. From now on, you better not get too close to her, and the same goes for the two girls, don’t let them associate with her!"

Third Madam Shi said nothing.

The following day, Mrs. Li brought her team to Jicui Pavilion, asking for Third Madam Shi’s opinion on where to set up a small kitchen, ready to start work. She also mentioned, "The last couple of days, Madam and the young master have been busy checking the gifts prepared for various families to ensure everything is in order. In a couple of days, they will start delivering them. Madam said that once these days are over, she will come to pay her respects to Third Madam. Madam also asked me to inquire from Third Madam and Third Master if there are any families you want to send New Year gifts to. In previous years, only your natal family received gifts from the estate, other relatives were not included. Now that Third Madam is back, should we also prepare something? If there is a need to send gifts, please advise Madam so she can prepare the list and requisitions properly!"

"To think of Sang Wan’s meticulous attention, I hadn’t even thought of this matter myself!" Third Madam Shi internally felt ashamed and quickly smiled, "I will draft the list for you right away, please let Sang Wan handle this! Actually, this small kitchen doesn’t need to be done so urgently, we can also wait until after the New Year! Mrs. Li, you can go ahead with other tasks!"

"We have already arranged for people, it will just take a day or two to get this sorted, it’s no trouble!" Mrs. Li hurriedly smiled, "With such cold weather, even just for heating water or tea, it’s more convenient, isn’t it?"

Third Madam Shi sighed and smiled, "That’s also true, well then, I will take you there! Sang Wan is really thoughtful, I’ll thank her later!"

As she spoke, Third Madam Shi stood up, leading Mrs. Li toward the wing room. Behind her, Mrs. Li followed, chuckling, "Third Madam, you’re too modest, our madam is not such a stickler for formality!"

Third Madam Shi chuckled, thinking of her husband’s words, she felt even more remorseful.

In Ningyuan, Sang Wan and Shi Fengju were reviewing the gift lists for various relatives and friends, presented one by one, with two managers explaining and answering whenever needed. There were several additions, deletions, and modifications, and the two managers busily noted everything down. After a busy half day of going back and forth with revisions, the task was finally completed satisfactorily.

Suddenly, Chang Huan came to ask for an audience, saying that the young master had sent for something, Shi Fengju hastily instructed Liu Ya to bring the maids to receive the items, then turned to Sang Wan with a smile and said, "A few days ago, I specifically instructed Chang Huan to prepare it, a gift for you. I guarantee you’ll love it!"

Sang Wan smiled, "Didn’t you already give me clothes and jewelry a few days ago? What new interesting thing have you got this time?"

Shi Fengju smiled, "You’ll know when you see it, I guarantee you’ll love it!"

Soon, Liu Ya and two little maids each carried in a wooden box nearly two feet long and almost a foot tall, as well as a small brocade box the size of a palm. Shi Fengju signaled to put them on the bed, and then dismissed them.

Shi Fengju hugged his wife from behind and playfully said, "Guess what it is?"

Sang Wan giggled lightly, tilting her head and smiling back, "What happens if I guess right? And what if I don’t guess right?"

Shi Fengju’s hand kneaded her waist lightly, eliciting a soft moan from her as she reached to swat his hand away. His chin rested on her shoulder as he rubbed his cheek against her temple and cheek, whispering with a laugh, "Whether you guess right or wrong, it’s yours. If you guess right, there’s a reward tonight, but if not, you’ll be punished..."

Sang Wan’s face turned red, she gave a light spit and whispered, "Either way, it’s all your wish fulfilled."

Shi Fengju burst into laughter, warmly said, "How can it just be satisfying my wish? But I see you quite like it as well—"

Sang Wan blushed deeply, pushing him away as she tried to struggle free, but Shi Fengju wouldn’t give in, he laughed out loud, his heart swayed by her coy and inviting demeanor. Suddenly, he held her face and deeply kissed her beautiful lips, only stopping when both were nearly breathless.

"It’s not dark yet, don’t mess around!" Sang Wan panted with a flushed face, eyes bright and misty.

Shi Fengju, knowing she was shy, decided not to tease her further. He gently stroked her soft lips with his finger pad, huskily chuckling, "Alright, it’s not dark, I won’t mess around!" The charming and passionate appearance of his little wife really made him want to take her into the room and love her fiercely.

The conversation headed more and more indecent! Sang Wan felt a stir in her heart, her blush deepened and heat spread across her face. This man, in her mind, left no trace of a gentleman.

"What is it really, being so secretive!" Sang Wan felt it was better to bring the conversation back on track.

"Just guess!" Shi Fengju continued to tease her playfully, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he watched her, as if calculating the rewards and punishments for her guesses.

Faced with his gaze, Sang Wan’s face uncontrollably turned red again, somewhat flustered as she avoided his eyes, randomly guessing items like jewelry and cosmetics; such as jade hairpins, hair ornaments, earrings, bracelets, rouge, face powder, flower dew, perfume, etc. However, none of her guesses were right, Shi Fengju just smiled and shook his head.

"I give up, I give up!" Sang Wan deflated, pouting as she complained, "There’s no clue at all, my throat is dry from guessing, I won’t guess anymore!"

Shi Fengju laughed heartily, casually picked up a nearby tea cup that was still warm, lifted the lid and brought it to her lips to drink. Sang Wan obediently opened her mouth and took a few sips, only to hear him chuckle lowly, "So does that mean you lost? Tonight you have to listen to me..."

Sang Wan’s face heated up, dodging the question with a laugh, "What is it really!" Thinking that she couldn’t possibly get out of his whims anyway, what else could happen in bed if not following his lead? Just, don’t have too many embarrassing tricks...

Thinking about it, she herself felt embarrassed. This man truly was a wolf in private, wanting nothing more than to devour her completely.