"Young Master...we thought..." Dong Qing and Xia Hui pouted aggrievedly. Ning Xian on the bed had obviously been woken up by this disturbing and immoral voice—didn't he know that others were sleeping? Couldn't he speak a little more quietly?
She rubbed her eyes and got up. Her already loose undergarment slipped off her shoulders as she moved, revealing her smooth, white shoulders and a small section of the strap of her light green bodice...
Just as Bai Mo was about to turn his head to look at her, a glimpse of spring in his peripheral vision made him immediately turn back to her, his eyes filled with the stark contrast between her fair, delicate shoulders and the pale green brocade ribbon—
Greenish-blue? Dong Qing and Xia Hui also took a second look. Why isn't it red?
Seeing their gazes, Ning Xian smiled at them half-asleep and explained, "Oh, I put the red one away last night. Anyway, no one will see it, and I don't need it."
—[Use, no, wear]? Is this something a newly married young lady from a respectable family should say?
Bai Mo held back his anger. It seemed that his wife was truly unique!
Ning Xian was fully awake by then and only then did she notice the presence of a man in the room—her husband. He had changed out of his red python robe and was now dressed in a white long gown, tall and slender, his figure accentuated by the fitted waistline, which highlighted his curves even more than yesterday. He was truly a striking sight.
Ning Xian raised an eyebrow and asked, "My lord, I haven't even gotten out of bed yet. Shouldn't you wait a bit before coming in?"
"I would like to ask why you are not ready by now? Your parents are waiting for us to serve them tea."
"Oh, I see... I think you forgot you were a groom last night, and thought I could pretend you weren't married into the family today. In that case, I need to get up and change. Husband, wouldn't you like to leave?" She stood up casually, her loose undergarments hanging on her body. Without her saying anything, Bai Mo walked towards the door—Ning Xian secretly scoffed at his back, then opened the wardrobe and began to leisurely select clothes.
Well… I doubt anyone in the household would be completely unaware that the groom was sleeping in the study. It would be rather ironic if she wore bright red. But since she had just married into the family, she couldn't dress too plainly—after much deliberation, she chose a light purple long dress with a light pink outer robe over it. Dong Qing and Xia Hui styled her hair beautifully, and then her mother meticulously applied her makeup using techniques she had been taught. Only after she was properly dressed did she step out the door.
Bai Mo stood in the courtyard, watching the woman emerge from the house. Unlike the heavily made-up woman of the night before, she was like a lotus flower in clear water, a bud about to bloom. Such a beautiful woman seemed to have a good temper; otherwise, why would she have given up so easily after being neglected last night? It was a pity that he was about to ruin her life.
The Bai family elders were naturally extremely satisfied with their new daughter-in-law, probably thanks to the Qiu family elders' excessive praise in order to sell their daughter, thus making her a unique and exceptional daughter.
As for the two of them being late in serving tea, it was naturally all the blame that fell on the eldest son of the Bai family, who supposedly spent the night in the study.
But seeing Madam Bai affectionately holding Ning Xian's hand while looking at Bai Mo with a cold, sharp gaze—if her daughter-in-law hadn't been there, she would have already reprimanded him. Leaving his bride alone in the study on their wedding night—what kind of behavior is that!
As parents, they certainly wouldn't be completely unaware of the reasons behind their son's behavior, and they must have heard about [the other woman] beforehand. Ning Xian simply couldn't understand why, given this, they didn't just marry [that woman] directly, instead of forcing a miserable couple together.
"You really are a lovable child. When I met your mother, I knew you would be a lovely beauty." Madam Bai praised sincerely, but Ning Xian's mind inexplicably conjured up the image of his mother's glittering jewelry display, and he couldn't be happy at all, so he could only force a smile.
"Xian'er, once you marry into the Bai family, you'll be just like my daughter. If Mo'er treats you badly or you suffer any grievances, tell your mother, and I'll stand up for you!"
"Yes, Mother." — To make the decision? No need. She glanced sideways at Bai Mo; if it was her own problem, she would naturally solve it herself.
Chapter 5 The Bai Family's Daughter-in-Law
Bai Mo had long since disappeared. Ning Xian was dizzy and confused as Madam Bai kept her talking all day. Even her mother had never talked so incessantly since she was a child. It seemed like she would never get tired or stop. She talked about everything from the last time Bai Mo wet the bed as a child to the first time a maid embroidered a purse for him, the first time he managed the accounts himself, and going on long trips. She talked about everything, big and small. The gossipy aunts and uncles among the women in the inner chambers were the greatest pastime, so they were naturally unbeatable when it came to chatting.
Is this Madam Bai's way of showing kindness, wanting to increase her understanding of Bai Mo?
But can't she go crazy?
Why should she listen to a man who has nothing to do with her about how old he was when he last wet the bed?
— Calm and self-disciplined since childhood, he appears leisurely and composed, but in reality, he is like a precise mechanism, always starting and closing at fixed times and on fixed tracks, strict and regular—this is the characteristic of the eldest young master of the Bai family that she summarized from Madam Bai's words.
Good heavens, is this even a human being? Luckily, she wasn't really planning to spend her life with him. She'd rather stay away from decent men like this.
Just as night was about to fall, thinking he could finally escape the nagging of the gossipy aunts and retreat back to his bridal chamber, Madam Bai said, "Xian'er, we've always eaten dinner together as a family, so I didn't instruct the kitchen to prepare anything special for you two. From now on, please come over for dinner together." Ning Xian was instantly plunged into despair. His lips twitched, and he forced a stiff smile, "Yes... Mother..."
—My dear mother, how much longer must we endure this?
The servants quickly set out the meal, and Ning Xian followed Madam Bai to the table, standing aside to wait for Master Bai's arrival. After Master Bai arrived and took his seat, Madam Bai then led Ning Xian to sit down.
There were two empty seats at the table, one for Bai Mo and the other for the second young master, Bai Yan.
"Why hasn't Mo'er arrived yet? I haven't seen him all day. Where did he go, leaving his wife here alone?"
“Master, he’s here. Let’s wait a little longer.” Madam Bai then turned to Ning Xian and said, “Mo’er’s younger brother, Yan’er, has gone out to collect debts. He’ll be back in a couple of days, and then you’ll see him.”
Ning Xian smiled and nodded. From the moment she entered the house yesterday until now, she felt nothing but boredom and constraint in this home.
Just then, Bai Mo walked in. Old Master Bai asked in an unfriendly tone, "On your first day of marriage, you left your new wife here. Where did you go?"
"That's right, it's because you ran out that your 'helpful' mother-in-law stepped forward without saying a word and spent the whole day with her," Ning Xian said, giving him a disgruntled look.
Bai Mo frowned slightly, almost imperceptibly, as she met her gaze—could it be that she had complained to her parents? There was no reason for that; she had clearly promised…
He didn't want to easily suspect that his newlywed wife, with whom he had agreed to a superficial marriage, was a backstabbing shrew, but...
"Father, there are still many things to finish in the accounting office, I've been there the whole time..."
"Is there no one else in the Bai family besides you? You ran back to the accounting office on the very first day of your marriage. People will laugh at you and think that without the eldest young master, everyone else in the Bai family is a good-for-nothing and everything will fall apart! You don't need to go to the accounting office these next few days. Stay home and keep your wife company!"
Bai Mo did not respond, so Madam Bai quickly smoothed things over, "Alright, Mo'er has been tired all day, sit down and eat first, we can talk about it after we finish eating."
Bai Mo glanced at the seat next to Ning Xian, sat down silently, and didn't even look at her—how dare she despise [Jialing] Ning Xian!
—The chopsticks she was holding made a dull "crack"—
She ran off right after serving tea in the morning, leaving it unclear whether she was keeping her mother-in-law company or her mother-in-law was keeping her company all day!
—"Click"—
Hey you, you idiot! If you try to run away again, I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!
—"Click"—
"Xian'er, why aren't you eating? Is the food not to your liking?"
Ning Xian quickly snapped out of her daze, forcing a smile. "It's alright, Mother," she said, secretly tossing the chopsticks under the table and elegantly and casually asking the maid beside her, "Could you get me a chopstick?"