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Xiao Yuan was so caught up in Cheng San Niang's antics that she didn't even think about the bionic flower workshop. It wasn't until they returned to Quanzhou and the house was sold to a broker that she remembered that Cheng Si Niang was still unmarried. She couldn't let her be pampered at home as before, so she sent someone to inquire about her.

Before the person who went had returned, A-Xiu arrived first and reported, "Young Madam, Aunt Ding can't be locked up in the woodshed forever. Send her to the estate to do farm work." Xiao Yuan slowly stroked the fur trim on her sleeve, then called Ruiniang in and asked, "You know about how Aunt Ding almost sold your fourth aunt. What do you think should be done to punish her?" Ruiniang pouted, "Fourth aunt isn't good either; she borrowed money from me and didn't pay it back." Xiao Yuan smiled, "Once she earns money from the work, you can ask her for it." Ruiniang became happy and asked, "Is Aunt Ding a concubine?" Xiao Yuan nodded, "She's your grandfather's concubine." Without thinking, Ruiniang easily answered her earlier question, "Since she's a concubine, I won't blame her. Just sell her."

Xiao Yuan laughed and said to A Xiu, "It turns out I was confused. The child understands better than me." A Xiu understood and went out to find a slave trader to sell Aunt Ding into becoming a maid.

Xiao Yuan wanted Rui Niang to learn something, so she took a small abacus and had her sit next to her and start calculating, while they waited for the person who had gathered information to return. Before long, someone came to report that although Cheng San Niang's house was empty, the bionic flower workshop was still in the same place. The brokers came every day to urge them to move, but Xue's eldest and second sisters-in-law did not have the money to rent another place.

Xiao Yuan nodded slightly. It turned out that the workshop had been handed over to the two ladies of the Xue family. Three years ago, when the Xue family divided their property, the two ladies did not get any benefits from Aunt Chen. Now they couldn't even afford a house, let alone a workshop. She instructed A Cai, "Go and ask the eldest and second sisters-in-law of the Xue family if they are selling the workshop and how much it will cost."

Ah Cai accepted the order and left, but unexpectedly, the two ladies from the Xue family transferred their resentment towards Aunt Chen to Xiao Yuan, raising the price exorbitantly, with an attitude of "I'm going to rip you off." When Xiao Yuan heard about the situation, she laughed and said, "No matter how much money I have, I can't let myself be ripped off. Since they have no sincerity in selling, I have no choice but to give up and open another shop."

The business model of Cheng San Niang's biomimetic flower workshop was taught to her by Cheng Mutian, so it couldn't be simpler for Xiao Yuan to open another one. She called A Xiu over, handed over her current job to someone else, made her the workshop manager, and taught her how to purchase goods, how to sell them, and how to hire people.

Ah Xiu, who had previously managed her business, understood immediately. Following her instructions, she planned to partition off half of the last courtyard and open another door to use it as a flower arrangement area. Knowing that Cheng Si Niang was still living in the last courtyard, she informed Xiao Yuan and asked her to move out for a few days until the courtyard wall was finished before moving back.

After returning to the Cheng family, Cheng Si Niang rarely dared to leave her room. This time, taking advantage of the move, she secretly inquired about the whereabouts of Aunt Ding. Xiao Yuan hadn't instructed her to keep Aunt Ding's sale a secret, so the old woman who was asked told her the truth. Upon hearing this news, Cheng Si Niang nearly fainted, barely managing to stay upright by leaning against the wall of the alley. When she lived with Madam Qian, she would have been tortured to death long ago if it weren't for Aunt Ding's protection; her birth mother, who had given birth to her with such difficulty and protected her life, had actually been sold! Suddenly, she felt dizzy, her vision blurred, and her body went limp. Seeing that she was unwell, the old woman quickly stepped forward to support her and tried to take her to her room.

Cheng Si Niang forced herself to say, "Take me to my sister-in-law's place. I want to ask where my aunt was sold to." The old woman thought to herself, "Isn't selling people all the same? They go to all corners of the country, depending on their luck." She was afraid of upsetting Cheng Si Niang, so she didn't dare to say it. She could only do as she was told and help her to Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan was listening to A Xiu talk about the spinning and weaving workshop and didn't look in her direction. She dared not act rashly, and even if she was dissatisfied, she could only wait. A maidservant placed a cup of tea on the small table and softly said, "Please." Cheng Si Niang touched the cup; it was smooth to the touch, a fine Jian kiln black-glazed hare's fur cup. She picked it up and took a small sip; the aroma was rich and fragrant, a variety she had never tasted before. Seeing Xiao Yuan busy, she wanted to get some information from A Cai, so she asked her the name of the tea.

A-Cai didn't answer her question, but instead took out a tea recipe and read aloud: "One ounce each of baby tea powder and tea, one and a half mace of sandalwood, one and a half mace of white cardamom, one fen of musk, five mace of amomum villosum, two and a half fen of agarwood, four fen of borneol, and then add licorice paste and glutinous rice paste to make a tea cake." Cheng Si-Niang asked in bewilderment, "I only asked for the name of the tea, why are you reading this whole string of words?" A-Cai said, "This is fragrant tea. The young mistress went to great lengths to find a tea master to prepare this cup of tea."

Cheng Si Niang asked in surprise, "Sister-in-law, don't you not drink this kind of tea?" A Cai replied, "It's not that the young mistress ordered it. This was specially prepared for Si Niang. The young mistress said that when Si Niang goes to her husband's family in the future, she will have to follow her mother-in-law's taste and drink tea made with ancient recipes. It's better to start drinking it now so that her taste will be different later."

Looking at the tea in her hand, Cheng Si Niang murmured, "Sister-in-law...you've thought of everything so carefully..." She drank the tea one sip at a time. When Xiao Yuan finished her work and asked her what she had come for, she no longer wanted to mention Aunt Ding's matter. She got up, bowed, and took her leave.

Xiao Yuan asked in surprise, "Te Te came all this way to wait for me, why did he leave without saying a word?" A Cai smiled slightly and said, "He probably missed the young mistress and came to check on her." Xiao Yuan naturally didn't believe this explanation, but she didn't ask any further questions.

A few days later, the courtyard wall was built, and the bionic flower workshop opened. Sister-in-law Xue and Sister-in-law Xue moved their workshop to a remote location, but it continued to operate. However, Xiao Yuan did not hold back. Relying on her abundant capital, she sold every flower cheaper than them. In less than half a month, she squeezed them out of business and monopolized half of the flower shop's supply channels. While doing all this, she kept Rui Niang by her side, regardless of whether Rui Niang understood or not. She would often ask her a few questions and give her some pointers.

Once everything was on track, Rui Niang continued her training course for wealthy young ladies, while Cheng Si Niang began working in the workshop. She was skillful, and learning to make lifelike flowers wasn't difficult for her. The challenge lay in sitting at the table all day, with only short breaks for eating, sleeping, and using the restroom. Moreover, the workshop operated on a piece-rate system; exceeding the quota earned bonuses, while failing to meet it meant receiving only half the wages. She initially approached it with a learning attitude, not caring much about the meager pay, but unexpectedly, Xiao Yuan cut off her monthly allowance after she entered the workshop. In the first month, she only earned half her wages, so poor she couldn't even afford cosmetics. She went to Xiao Yuan to complain, but Xiao Yuan claimed that working women didn't wear makeup. She continued working for another half month, weeping and wailing, gradually getting used to it. She would get up before dawn, splash some cold water on her face, quickly comb her hair, and go to the workshop. At noon, she ate the same food as the other workers, working until dark before finally going home.

The New Year was fast approaching, and mutton and bamboo shoots were sent from the mountains. Xiao Yuan, feeling sorry for Rui Niang who had endured more than a month of hardship, had someone call her over for a meal. Rui Niang, still thinking about asking for money, glanced down at the thin calluses on Rui Niang's fingers, hesitated, and remained silent. Cheng Mutian picked up some paper-thin pieces of mutton, dipped them in sauce, and placed them in Rui Niang's bowl, gently urging, "Eat quickly, and after you're done, Daddy will take you to the market to buy New Year's goods." Xiao Yuan nudged him, gesturing towards her two sons. Cheng Mutian then cooked another piece of meat, placed it in her bowl, and said, "A man should stand tall and upright; why should I serve him food?" Xiao Yuan was about to retort when Wu Ge placed a piece of meat in Cheng Mutian's bowl, saying, "How dare I trouble you, Father? It's my duty to be filial to you." He then placed another piece in Xiao Yuan's bowl. Cheng Mutian and Xiao Yuan smiled at each other; their eldest son was the most mischievous, yet also the most endearing.

Cheng Si Niang ate silently, feeling like an outsider, when suddenly Xiao Yuan asked, "The New Year is almost here. After you finish eating, Si Niang, pick out some fabric and have the sewing shop make you two new outfits." Cheng Si Niang asked, "Should it be deducted from my wages?" Xiao Yuan hadn't intended to, but after hearing this and thinking it over, she nodded and said, "It won't be difficult for you. Just give me an advance on next month's wages." Cheng Si Niang hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I haven't even worn all my old clothes yet. No need to make more. Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law."

Cheng Mutian praised, "This is what it's like for a humble family to live like this. When she marries into an ordinary family, she'll be more likely to win over her in-laws." Cheng Si Niang was pleasantly surprised by her brother's praise, which overshadowed her sadness about not having new clothes. She found the rice in her bowl to be especially delicious.

Xiao Yuan looked at the corners of her lips curving upwards and seemed to understand something. When something is given too much and received too easily, it is not cherished. Just like Cheng Mutian's praise, which she only received by chance, made her happy for a moment. If she were to say it, it would definitely not have the same effect.

After the meal, Cheng Si Niang, still thinking about work, hurried to the bionic flower workshop. Xiao Yuan took the three children back to the room, picked out two pieces of fabric for each of them, and then called the seamstress to take their measurements. The children were eager to go with Cheng Mutian to buy New Year's goods, and after patiently letting the seamstress finish her work, they all ran outside.

Wu Ge ran the fastest, heading straight out of the gate. After a few quick steps, he saw a girl squatting about three zhang away. She was dressed in coarse cloth clothes, patched upon patched, her face red from the cold, and he could vaguely see frostbite hidden by her hair. Chen Ge followed closely behind, and seeing Wu Ge staring intently, asked, "What are you looking at, brother?" Wu Ge pointed to the girl and asked, "Doesn't she look like Su Niang?" They had visited the village last autumn during the harvest, and Chen Ge recognized her after a few glances. He nodded and said, "It's her! Why is she selling vegetables at our doorstep? If Mother sees you, she'll scold you again." Wu Ge punched him lightly and said, "She can sell her vegetables, why should Mother scold me? It's you who keeps thinking about Qianqian. If Mother finds out, she'll beat you until you're bruised and battered."

Su Niang heard their voices, looked over, and exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Wu?" Brother Wu touched his nose, walked over, and said, "Let's go to the gatehouse to warm ourselves by the fire."

Su Niang sighed and bent down slightly, trying to lift the vegetable basket that was taller than her. She tried a few times but couldn't manage it. Wu Ge quickly called over the servants at the door and told them to move the vegetables to the kitchen. He then said to Su Niang, "I've bought your vegetables." Xi Ge, with candy in his mouth, popped out from the side, counted out the money, and generously said, "Keep the change."

Chen was jealous that Xi was always eating candy but never got bad teeth or gained weight, so he picked on him, saying, "You didn't even ask the price. You might have given too little and then told others not to keep the change." Xi retorted, "I often go grocery shopping with my mother, so I know the prices. There's always more, never less." The two started arguing and continued all the way to the carriage, leaving Wu and Su Niang behind.

Cheng Mutian carried Ruiniang out and, seeing this scene, considered betraying Huanwu Ge but also wanted to see how he would act. So he put Ruiniang in the carriage, told the children not to make noise, and then quietly went behind a tree to eavesdrop.

Wu Ge looked down and saw Su Niang's pair of shoes with exposed toes. He sighed, "Go warm yourself by the fire. Tell the old woman to find you a good pair of shoes. Just say I ordered them." Su Niang happily agreed, but didn't move. She only asked, "Where are you going?" Wu Ge replied, "Just going to stroll around the streets and see what's going on." Su Niang glanced at the large cart and lowered her head, saying, "I've never been to a city street before..." Wu Ge frowned slightly, but didn't reply. He changed the subject, asking, "Even at full speed, it takes half a day to get here from the mountains. When did you arrive?" Su Niang crossed her arms and hugged herself tightly, shivering, and said, "I traveled in the middle of the night and was squatting here before dawn." Wu Ge asked again, "Did you come alone?" Su Niang shed tears and replied, "I came with my uncle. He said it's cold, so we're going to the street to have a couple of drinks first..."

Wu Ge understood. It must have been the Yang family who sent an old servant with Su Niang to sell vegetables, but the old servant had betrayed his master, leaving Su Niang alone to guard the place while he slipped away to drink. Traveling at midnight and selling vegetables in the early morning, dressed so thinly, she must be suffering terribly. He couldn't help but sigh again and asked, "Have you eaten?" Su Niang shook her head: "I haven't eaten for two meals." Wu Ge wanted to call the servant at the door, but after thinking for a moment, he went in and called out an old woman, asking her to take Su Niang to change her clothes, have a good meal, and give her some money for her journey home—although Su Niang had money from selling vegetables, he knew it couldn't be touched, or she would be beaten by Madam Yang.

After arranging everything, he turned to leave, but Su Niang grabbed him and asked, "Brother Wu, I make you schoolbags every year, why don't you ever use them?" Brother Wu shook off her hand, somewhat surprised, "How did you know?" Su Niang glanced at him, rather resentfully, "Last year when you went to the mountains, Brother Xi and Brother Chen both said the same thing..." Brother Wu was embarrassed to say that he thought those schoolbags were shameful, so he brushed her off, saying, "My father and siblings have been waiting for me for too long, I have to go, write to me later."

His unintentional remark was remembered by Su Niang. She went home and searched everywhere for pen and ink, and wrote a letter that was completely incomprehensible to everyone. But that's another story.

Chapter 202 Su Niang's Letter

The old woman led Su Niang to eat and warm herself by the fire, things she could decide, but as a servant, she couldn't provide her with clothes and money. So she reported the matter to Xiao Yuan. Xiao Yuan was looking through Cheng Mutian's self-compiled foreign language textbook when she heard the report. She casually took a handful of coins from the jar where she kept her pocket money and handed them to the old woman, saying, "I don't have any clothes for a girl of ten or so here. Go look in your own courtyard, but don't give her anything too nice."

The old woman agreed and left. A-Cai put the lid of the coin jar back on, worriedly saying, "This is what Brother Wu brought back, Young Madam, why aren't you worried?" Xiao-Yuan asked curiously, "It's just to help out a little, why should I be worried?" A-Cai said, "Then why are you so anxious about Brother Chen and Qian-Qian, Young Madam, like an ant on a hot pan?" Xiao-Yuan smiled and scolded, "You married off a talkative servant, and now you've become a chatterbox too. Can Brother Chen compare to Brother Wu? That child is sensitive and easily gets caught up in things, unlike his brother, who can let go easily—but I digress, I don't think Brother Wu has any feelings for Su-Niang at all." A-Cai agreed, "I think so too. If he really intended to bring her in, why would he let her warm herself by the fire in the gatehouse? Young Madam understands Brother Wu best." Xiao-Yuan smiled slightly and picked up her book again to read.

As dusk approached, Cheng Mutian returned with the children, followed by servants carrying boxes and bundles. Rui Niang ran ahead, inserting a double-pronged gold hairpin with an embossed floral design into her small, round hair, and exclaimed, "This is what Father bought for Mother!"

This child is definitely doing it on purpose. Xiao Yuan, holding the hairpin, looked up at Cheng Mutian and saw that his face was bright red.

Cheng Mutian walked over in a few steps, pinched Rui Niang's little face, and asked, "Didn't we agree that you would give it to me?" Xiao Yuan smiled and sighed, "We're already so old, an old married couple, what's wrong with giving each other a hairpin? And you're still shy."

She said this in front of the children, and Cheng Mutian's face turned even redder. He felt so ashamed that he couldn't face anyone, and he rushed into the inner room. Xiao Yuan wanted to follow him in, but the children held her back, so she had someone bring in tea and went with a few children to see what they had bought for the New Year.

The children bought mostly snacks and toys. Wu Ge brandished a six-ringed dagger with great flair, scaring Zhong Lang into hiding. Chen Ge wanted to buy candy, but Cheng Mutian refused, bringing back only a few leisure books. Rui Niang bought the most things, filling a whole box with clay figurines, a small stove, a small pot, a small jar, a small bottle, and small bowls—clearly an arrangement for playing house. Xiao Yuan covered her mouth and laughed, pointing to the birdcage and bird in the maid's hands, asking, "Rui Niang, why did you buy birds again? You don't like them." Rui Niang pointed to the wealthy lady crouching under the birdcage, watching intently, and said coquettishly, "Mother, it wants to celebrate the New Year too. I bought one for it to play with."

Xiao Yuan told her to take Fu Gui Niangzi out to play, and also sent her two sons and Zhong Lang out. Cheng Mutian heard that it had quieted down outside, so he came out and opened the box, taking out all the things he and Xiao Yuan had bought to show off; Xiao Yuan also had a gift for him, embroidering a new purse for him, and she did not embroider the red heart out of shape again.

Sweeping dust, eating New Year's Eve dinner, staying up late on New Year's Eve, setting off firecrackers, cleaning up ash heaps... After New Year's Eve, spring has arrived again in the blink of an eye.

The Cheng family still had a few relatives in Lin'an, and they were all bored during the first month of the lunar year, so they all wanted to celebrate the Lantern Festival in a lively manner. Xiao Yuan glanced at Cheng Mutian and deliberately said, "Hanging lots of lanterns at home won't make it lively; the liveliness is in the streets." Over the years, Cheng Mutian's mindset had long since transformed from that of an official's son to a merchant, and he generously said, "On the Lantern Festival, everyone rushes to see the lanterns; our whole family will go."

Everyone was delighted by these words, and the children gathered together to discuss what to buy for the festival. The New Year had just ended, and the artificial flower workshop hadn't opened yet. Cheng Si Niang, bored at home, also wanted to go for a stroll, but Xiao Yuan, seeing her small feet, resolutely refused her request.

Before the Lantern Festival arrived, a letter arrived from the mountains. It turned out that Yang's mother, Su Niang, had taken Wu Ge's unintentional words to heart while selling vegetables before the New Year. She went to great lengths to write a letter and, while selling vegetables, handed it to the Cheng family's gatekeeper. The servant then passed it on to the second gate, and the old woman at the second gate handed it to A Cai. It went through many layers of intermediaries before finally reaching Wu Ge.

When Wu Ge received the letter for the first time, he was very happy. He first held it up in front of his father, daughter, brother, sister-in-law, aunt, and uncle to show it off before sitting down to open the envelope.

Zhonglang reached out and touched the letter, bluntly saying, "Rough and dirty." Wu Ge, usually so thick-skinned, blushed and retorted, "Her family is poor; where would they get any good paper?" He avoided Zhonglang and hid in a corner, reading the letter three times from beginning to end. The more he read, the more confused he became, so he had to ask Xiaoyuan, "Mother, I can't understand the letter Su Niang wrote?"

Xiao Yuan took the letter and read: "Brother Niu, thanks to your kindness last time I sold lottery tickets, you bought all my tickets so I could get them sooner. I'm also making you a new schoolbag, which should be ready around the Lantern Festival. Then I'll lock it up with you, and we can go see the lanterns together." The more Xiao Yuan read, the deeper her brows furrowed. She looked up and asked Cheng Mutian, "Did Su Niang come to our door to sell vegetables?" Cheng Mutian was about to nod when he suddenly remembered that he had been eavesdropping that day, so he shook his head and said, "Ask Brother Wu." Brother Wu was eager to understand the meaning of the letter and nodded haphazardly, "Yes, yes, yes, she did sell vegetables. I just had someone take her to warm herself by the fire and eat. I didn't break any rules." Xiao Yuan asked, "Why would she come to our door to sell vegetables for no reason?" Brother Wu said hastily, "Who cares? I didn't break any rules." Cheng Mutian had seen what happened that day, so he nodded slightly to Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and handed the letter, riddled with misspellings and typos, to Cheng Mutian. She said, "For a girl, I might turn a blind eye to giving a boy a schoolbag in private, but to invite a boy to see the lanterns is far too forward and inappropriate. It makes her seem ill-mannered." Cheng Mutian read the letter, finding it increasingly amusing. He laughed, "What kind of good child could the Yang family raise? I wouldn't even consider him as a concubine for Brother Wu." With that, he called out loudly to Brother Wu, "Brother Niu, come quick, there's something good here!"

The room erupted in laughter, and Zhonglang loudly echoed, "Brother Niu, Brother Niu!" Cheng Si Niang, her small legs trembling, couldn't stand up straight, covered her mouth and laughed, then fell back into her chair, still laughing uncontrollably. Chen Ge walked over, took the letter, and began translating it with the air of a scholar: "Brother Wu, last time we sold vegetables, thanks to your father's kind heart..." Before he could finish translating, Brother Wu snatched the letter and ran out, bumping into the curtain several times before finally stopping.

On the Lantern Festival, Wu Ge acted out of character, reluctant to go out. Cheng Mutian and his wife guessed what was going on and went out to take a look. Sure enough, Yang Suniang was standing far away outside the gate. She wore a faded white cotton dress with medicinal stains on it, and her skirt was not tied. She was only wearing thin trousers, which swayed from side to side in the chilly early spring wind.

Xiao Yuan sighed inwardly. For a girl like this, with a poor family and oppressive stepmother, the only way to have a better life was to rely on a good man. Unfortunately, she had used the wrong method. The schoolbag and that letter over the years had completely destroyed any pity Xiao Yuan had for her. At this moment, she only defined her as one thing: a woman who seduced her son.

Since that's the case, why be polite? Xiao Yuan glanced at the servant at the gate: "From now on, no unauthorized people are allowed to wait outside our gate." The mistress reprimanded him, and the servant panicked, hurriedly saying, "I thought the young master had feelings for her and wanted to take her as a concubine." Xiao Yuan stopped talking to him, turned to call the steward, and said, "It's your dereliction of duty that someone in our household is secretly trying to guess the master's intentions." Her tone was calm, but it frightened the steward into a cold sweat. He quickly took the servant at the gate away to be punished and replaced him with a reliable and honest person.

Seeing this, the other servants dared not stand still any longer and rushed forward, driving Su Niang far away. Cheng Mutian shook his head and cursed, "Shameless!"

Xiao Yuan said, "If she were honest and law-abiding, I might pity her and let her work in the artificial flower workshop. It's a pity." Cheng Mutian turned around and shouted to the back of the gate, "The person is gone. Hurry up and come out to see the lanterns."

Wu Ge crawled out from behind the door, peeking around to make sure Su Niang was gone. He then patted his chest and came out, complaining, "It's really hard to be a good person. I pitied her poverty and didn't hold it against her, but she's become so clingy." Xiao Yuan asked curiously, "Why didn't you hold it against her?" Wu Ge replied, "She sells vegetables right at our doorstep? I wouldn't have bothered if I hadn't pointed it out, but she's treating me like a fool."

"So he understands everything," Xiao Yuan said self-deprecatingly. "I'm just worrying for nothing." Cheng Mutian said, "Wu-ge is all grown up now, he can tell right from wrong on his own. Isn't it good that you don't have to worry about him?" Xiao Yuan sighed, "In the blink of an eye, the children have grown up, and I've gotten old too." Seeing that the children had already boarded the car and there was no one else around, Cheng Mutian said some tender words to comfort her, saying, "I'm seven years older than you, but looking at you, I always feel you're young." Xiao Yuan smiled, but deliberately teased him, "I'd forgotten..." "At your age, no wonder you've already shown your talent. Don't walk next to me when we're watching the lanterns, lest you become a laughingstock." Cheng Mu was furious and wanted nothing more than to push her onto the bed and punish her according to family rules. But the children couldn't wait and kept urging him from the car. He could only curse, "No manners!" and go to get on the car first. After walking a few steps in a huff, he worried that Xiao Yuan really disliked him. After thinking for a moment, he felt that this was inappropriate, so he turned around and grabbed her hand tightly, as if afraid that she would run away, and "escorted" her all the way to the car.

On the Lantern Festival, the streets were packed with people. Not to mention large carriages, even sedan chairs couldn't get in. The family had no choice but to get out of the carriage on the street and, surrounded by a group of servants, walk and look around with the flow of people.

Chapter 203 "Wild Sex"

The three days of the 14th, 15th and 16th of the first lunar month are the Lantern Festival, also known as the Yuanxi Festival. During these three days and three nights, when the moon is full, the residents of Lin'an City indulge in extravagance, vying with each other in the ingenuity of their decorations and lanterns. Embroidered banners, beaded curtains and colorful lanterns are hung on the porches of every house, and shops, squares and even the narrowest alleys are decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations.

Carriage lamps, ball lamps, sun and moon lamps, silk lamps with poem plaques, mirror lamps, character lamps, horse-riding lamps, wind lamps, water lamps, glass lamps, shadow lamps, various glass lamps, various ingeniously crafted lamps, Pingjiang jade lamps, sand play lamps, fire iron lamps, frame lamps, lifelike fish lamps, canopy lamps, seafood lamps, red lanterns depicting figures...

Cheng Mutian was afraid that Xiaoyuan would really find him too old and leave his precious daughter with the wet nurse, so he held his wife's hand tightly and pointed out the lamps to her one by one. Xiaoyuan knew what he was thinking, and wanted to clarify a few things, but she was afraid that if she spoke out, he would let go of her hand, so she just suppressed her laughter and moved a little closer to him.

The children, unwilling to be neglected, clamored for seasonal food, so Cheng Mutian had no choice but to temporarily let go of Xiaoyuan's hand. He found a vendor and bought several portions of various foods, including milk candy dumplings, crystal sashimi, chive pancakes, honey-fried dishes, raw and cooked stuffed lotus root, and rare fruits from both the north and south, and distributed them to the hungry children.

With Xiao Yuan taking care of Xiao Rui's mother, Cheng Mutian had nothing to do. He happened to see a stall selling festive headdresses nearby, so he went over to take a look, intending to buy a few for his wife to wear. A woman who looked to be in her early twenties was also there buying headdresses. Seeing Cheng Mutian's handsome appearance, she had a sudden urge to have sex with him. She inserted a large, date-sized, pearl-like lantern into her hair and asked him coquettishly if it looked good.

Speaking of this "wild union," it is a "tradition" during the Lantern Festival. Some men and women, who are deeply attracted to each other after their first meeting, and cannot stop to flirt in the alleys, go to the bridge in the city to "wildly unite" for pleasure, and then say goodbye and part ways.

Cheng Mutian, who grew up in a large mansion and was self-disciplined after marriage, was unaware of this custom. However, he could tell that the lantern-making lady was teasing him, and he immediately blushed and moved to a nearby stall. The lantern-making lady, who seemed to love men like this, followed him and picked up various silk ornaments—jade plum blossoms, snow plum blossoms, snow willows, bodhi leaves, moths and bees—to try them on, all the while flirting with Cheng Mutian. Cheng Mutian was stunned and wanted to run away, but there were too many people around. He tried to call Cheng Fu to help, but Cheng Fu had disappeared with Xi Ge. He was frantic, but the lantern-making lady remained calm, choosing a moth and bee ornament to put in her hair, and then invited him to meet her under the bridge. The stall owner, probably used to this kind of scene, looked at Cheng Mutian with envy and muttered, "What good fortune." It was unclear whether he was referring to Cheng Mutian or the lantern lady.

Seeing Cheng Mutian with his head down and clutching his purse tightly, neither moving nor refusing, the Lady of the Lantern Ball didn't realize he was too frightened to move. She took it as tacit consent and, taking advantage of the crowd and lack of attention, quietly pressed her limp body against him and whispered, "My dear, there are too many people here. Let's go under the bridge."

After Xiaoyuan finished feeding Ruiniang the lactose-coated dumplings, she struggled through the crowd to find Cheng Mutian, and this was the scene she saw.

If this had happened a few years ago, she might have misunderstood, but after so many years of marriage, she knew her husband's character all too well. She immediately put on the act of a shrew, stepped forward, grabbed Cheng Mutian's ear, and scolded him while suppressing a laugh: "You think you can't see me? So you come here to cause trouble?"

The lantern-wearing lady, caught red-handed by the very person in question, was overcome with shame and quickly covered her face, turning away. Cheng Mutian breathed a sigh of relief; his back was already drenched in sweat, and a gust of cold wind made him sneeze. Xiao Yuan quickly released her grip on his ear and asked with concern for details. Not wanting to lose face, Cheng Mutian deliberately said, "Didn't you think I was too old and embarrassing to walk next to you? If you don't like me, there are others who think I'm better." Xiao Yuan wasn't annoyed; she shaded her eyes with her hand and looked around, "Hey, where's the lady wearing the lantern? I'll go find her for you..."

Cheng Mutian hurriedly slapped her hand away, dragged her into the crowd, and said angrily, "Stop talking nonsense." Xiao Yuan pinched him and asked, "Weren't you so smug just now? Why are you scared now?" Cheng Mutian didn't dare to answer, but only held her tighter. Xiao Yuan clung to his side, her waist aching from his tight embrace, and asked with amusement, "That lantern lady is so shameless, is she a prostitute pretending to be a respectable woman?" Cheng Mutian was also puzzled and said, "She doesn't seem like it. I don't know why she's so bold, even inviting me to the bridge."

After discussing it for a while without reaching a conclusion, Cheng Mutian suddenly remembered that he hadn't bought his wife a hair ornament yet. Fortunately, there were stalls selling festival items everywhere, so he picked out a snow willow branch for her to wear. He also wanted to put a "fire bayberry" in Xiaoyuan's hair, but Xiaoyuan was afraid of the sizzling sparks and refused. Rui Niang, on the other hand, was bold and let Cheng Mutian put one in her hair.

Along the roadside, government clerks carried large bags of paper money, extorting thousands of coins from any vendor they encountered. Xiao Yuan noticed several cunning vendors repeatedly squeezing through the dense crowd to the clerk with small plates of pears and lotus roots, asking for "official money." Although the official knew they were repeatedly asking for it, he didn't openly stop them. Curious, Xiao Yuan asked Cheng Mutian, who replied, "It's the court's money anyway, what difference does it make who gets it? It's just for fun."

Hand in hand, the two walked to the Duanmen area, where they saw thousands of young men and women holding hands and walking side by side, openly watching the colorful lanterns without any restraint. Xiao Yuan stared in astonishment and said, "So the rules of etiquette are only for wealthy families. These children are really... bold... carefree." Cheng Mutian frowned, pulled her back the way they came, and said not to corrupt Rui Niang.

Why only mention Rui Niang? Xiao Yuan looked back and realized that the other children had long since disappeared. She couldn't help but worry; with so many people and such a chaotic scene, she was afraid something might happen. Cheng Mutian laughed and said, "Someone is following them. Don't worry, they must have gone to see the dance troupe. Let's go and see too."

In the area where inns were concentrated in Lin'an, many foreign merchants and wealthy people gathered. When the lanterns on each building were lit, groups of dancers wearing fox fur hats that partially covered their foreheads, which were decorated with gold ornaments, and wearing narrow Western Region short jackets and light gauze draped over their shoulders, competed to perform for the wealthy merchants and nobles who were sitting in the high buildings enjoying the lanterns.

The wealthy merchants and nobles were all very generous, rewarding everyone who came to dance. Officials also made special trips to distribute money, wine, oil, candles, and other items according to the size and quality of the dance troupes as encouragement. The rewarded dance troupes were overjoyed, each sending their leader to the officials to obtain a reward token, to the Shengyang Palace in the south of the city to collect wine and candles, and to the Chunfeng Tower in the north of the city to collect money.

Xiao Yuan watched the dance troupe while searching for her two sons, but couldn't find them after a long time. Cheng Mutian guessed: they must have gone to see the puppet show. So the two of them squeezed to the puppet show area, where "Happy Sanlang" was being performed. A small clay figure with hidden mechanisms to move its limbs attracted many children to watch. But Wu Ge and Chen Ge, the two little brothers, were still nowhere to be seen.

The couple grew anxious and quickly dispatched several servants to search for them. The streets were crowded, making the search difficult. It wasn't until the fifth watch of the night, when the Prefect of the Capital, riding in a sedan chair and surrounded by large and small dance troupes, toured the main streets of the city, that news of Wu-ge and Chen-ge arrived. The servants reported that the two of them, along with Zhong-lang, were in the West Ward, waiting to see the Prefect of the Capital's verdict.

Cheng Mutian slapped his forehead and said, "Why didn't I think of that? It must have been Brother Wu who started it." The couple hurried to the West Ward, where the bustling and lively area had already been set up with curtains and large candles lit. Several prisoners, who seemed to have committed crimes at the lantern festival, were waiting for the judge's verdict under the illumination of various lights.

Led by servants, Cheng Mutian and Xiaoyuan found the children squeezing into the crowd, craning their necks to look towards the curtain. Cheng Mutian initially intended to reprimand them, but seeing several servants surrounding them, he figured they weren't being too reckless, so he calmed down and watched the case, called "Installing the Lanterns," with them before returning home.

At the entrance of the Cheng family's main gate, five-colored glass lanterns were displayed, quite beautiful. Wu Ge seemed somewhat lost in thought, gazing at the lanterns intently, and then followed Xiao Yuan into the second courtyard. Cheng Mutian scolded him, "What time is it? Why aren't you in your room sleeping?" Wu Ge was taken aback and asked, "Father, what does 'illicit relations' mean?" Although Cheng Mutian didn't know the custom of "illicit relations," he knew the meaning of the term. His face immediately turned red, and he raised his hand to strike. Xiao Yuan quickly stopped him, saying, "Why don't you distinguish right from wrong? Let's hear what the child has to say first."

With his mother's protection, Wu Ge then recounted the whole story. It turned out that he had "bumped into" Su Niang at the lantern festival. Su Niang wanted to take him to meet under the bridge, claiming it was a custom of the Song Dynasty called "wild union." After Wu Ge finished speaking, his face flushed red: "I...I didn't know what 'wild union' was, so I went with her. Unexpectedly, unexpectedly she...she actually started to undress me..."

Cheng Mutian was both shocked and terrified: "That girl is shameless to this extent?" Xiao Yuan suppressed her anger and asked, "And then?" Wu Ge lowered his head and refused to speak, but he didn't leave either, which made Cheng Mutian and his wife very curious.

Xiao Yuan thought for a moment, then suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. This kid wouldn't just half-heartedly agree... Cheng Mutian guessed what she was thinking and quietly comforted her, "Don't worry, it's not our son who's at a disadvantage anyway..."

“How can it not be him who suffers a loss? Our whole family suffers a loss.” Xiao Yuan interrupted him, saying anxiously, “What kind of family is the Yang family? Don’t you know them? Although they are poor, they are respectable people. What will happen if Wu Ge is accused of adultery by them?” Cheng Mutian said, “Going to court will not do them any good. At most, they will use this opportunity to push Su Niang into our family.” Xiao Yuan became even more anxious, “How can we let that kind of woman into our family?” Cheng Mutian looked at Wu Ge, who looked terrified, and said with a smile, “After such a scandal, you definitely can’t be the legal wife anymore. At most, you’ll be a concubine. Is a concubine a person? You can mold her however you want. Don’t panic, you’re scaring the child.”

Being a man, he didn't take such matters to heart. Normally, Cheng Mutian would seize upon and punish Wu Ge for even the smallest mistake, but this time he chatted and laughed easily, showing no intention of blaming him at all. Xiao Yuan, however, was furious at her son's lack of self-control and summoned a servant to lock Wu Ge in the woodshed.

Even after they went to their room to rest, she was still furious and vented her anger on Cheng Mutian, saying, "That Lady Lantern Ball was pulling and tugging at you, wasn't she thinking of having an affair?" When no one was around, Cheng Mutian was better at coaxing his wife than anyone else, and immediately replied, "I'm just trying to guess what my wife is thinking. How would I know what she's thinking?"

Xiao Yuan smiled wryly, punched him a few times, and complained, "This son is nothing like you."

Cheng Mutian let her vent her anger and laughed, "That's what I thought too. It took me ten years to change things, and now you're getting annoyed." Xiao Yuan chuckled, "So you've been disliking him for so long." Cheng Mutian pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed and said, "If he doesn't seem like him, he doesn't seem like him. He's still young and can't resist temptation. It's nothing. When he's older, we can just find him a maidservant." Xiao Yuan sighed, "What a pity for my future daughter-in-law. I wonder how she'll manage to discipline her husband in the future."

Cheng Mutian laughed heartily, telling her she was thinking too far ahead. But as he laughed, he started coughing. Xiaoyuan quickly brought him water and patted his back. Cheng Mutian finally stopped coughing and said, "I'm afraid I was frightened by that lantern-shaped woman and broke out in a sweat, then caught a cold. My wife, feel my forehead to see if it's hot." Xiaoyuan did as she was told and indeed it was quite hot. She quickly called for Acai to fetch a doctor.

After the doctor examined her pulse, it was indeed a cold. Xiao Yuan watched him write a prescription, asked someone to get the medicine from the pharmacy, and personally took it to the kitchen to decoct it. While waiting, she also cooked almond porridge to stop the cough, following the cook's instructions.

After she helped Cheng Mutian take his medicine and eat his porridge, she was exhausted. She hurriedly wiped her face, took off her clothes and went to bed, completely forgetting about Wu Ge in the woodshed.

Chapter 204 Leaving No Trouble Behind (Part 1)

The next morning, Xiao Yuan, who had only slept for three or four hours, stretched out from under the covers and touched Cheng Mutian's forehead. His temperature was normal, so she breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes again to catch up on her sleep. Just then, she heard a murmur outside the window. It sounded like a little maid asking, "Sister A-Cai, the servants came to ask why there's a sick person locked up in the woodshed. He's been coughing all night and keeping them from getting any peace. They wanted to go in and check on him, but the door was locked."

Xiao Yuan sat up abruptly, hurriedly putting on her clothes. She had been so angry and busy yesterday that she had completely forgotten about her son. In this early spring chill, sleeping on the cold floor of the woodshed all night was bound to cause a cough. She fastened her belt, only to find Cheng Mutian also sitting up and getting dressed. He must have heard what was happening outside, so she quickly said, "You're still sick yourself, lie down quickly, I'll go check on you." Cheng Mutian, while putting on his shoes, said, "I just caught a chill, I've taken my medicine, and the fever has gone down. What could be wrong?"

Xiao Yuan noticed that his nasal voice wasn't as heavy as yesterday, so she didn't stop him anymore. Without even washing their faces, she told A Cai to fetch the doctor and hurried towards the woodshed. The servant in charge of the woodshed already had the key in his hand, but he dared not open the door. He waited on the steps until Xiao Yuan repeatedly called for the door to open before finally unlocking it.

Xiao Yuan lifted her skirt and rushed in. She saw Wu Ge curled up on the ground, his face flushed red, and he was coughing incessantly. Her heart ached. She called out to him twice, trying to pick him up, but Wu Ge, though young, was big and strong. She tried twice but couldn't lift him. Fortunately, Cheng Mutian was there and took over, finally managing to lift him and take him to his room.

The doctor had stayed at the Cheng family's house the day before and was already waiting in the room. After taking his pulse, he said, "Brother Wu's illness is similar to that of the young master. I will reduce the dosage I just prepared and give it to him."