The moment the master spoke, she knew what he meant. After all, such things had happened many times before. She could only storm back to her room, pick up her brush, and write a letter.
Master Zhou watched her retreating back, clenching his fists in secret, veins bulging. He thought of the rumors outside and hated them. Who wasn't mocking him behind his back, saying he wore a cuckold's horns? But what could he do?
Wu Caiwei, on the other hand, had been having a rather smooth and fortunate time lately. She had made a fortune for the Zhang family, who were eager to shower her with praise.
As they interacted more, Young Master Zhang was amazed by her talent. In the quiet of midnight, he even felt a tinge of regret. If time could turn back, he would have broken through all obstacles and proposed to her family. However, thinking of his wife beside him, Wu Caiwei's widowed status, and her six-year-old daughter, he couldn't help but sigh a few times.
The first to notice his change was his wife, who shared his pillow. To her, business was something she didn't understand, nor did she need the Zhang family to reach greater heights; she was content to maintain their current life. But as her husband's gaze increasingly lingered on another woman, and he showed her a little more care each day, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhang family felt an unprecedented sense of crisis. Sudannovel.com
Not far away, in the Zhou manor, Madam Zhou, upon remembering how she had been outmaneuvered by Wu Caiwei, also began to resent Xu Yijie. She hadn't visited him for several days. Xu Yijie grew anxious, thinking he had fallen out of favor. He personally went to a place near the Zhou residence to intercept her.
At first, Madam Zhou was annoyed whenever she saw him and ignored him completely. Seeing the situation was not good, Xu Yijie secretly vowed to find any means necessary to break this deadlock.
He had a premonition that if he didn't see Madam Zhou again and reconnect with her, he would become a thing of the past. This day, after intercepting her carriage, Xu Yijie scrambled onto it without restraint. The coachman, an old acquaintance of his, had received many favors from Xu Yijie in the past. While Madam Zhou couldn't see, he pulled Xu Yijie up, feigning annoyance, "Hey, hey, Madam didn't let you up, how can you climb on? It's no joke if you fall."
Once inside the carriage, he directly opened the door and looked at Madam Zhou with an adoring gaze. Seeing his expression, Madam Zhou's heart softened. She sighed helplessly and instructed, "We'll go to his courtyard today."
The coachman agreed and quickly followed the madam's orders.
Another reason Madam Zhou doted on Xu Yijie so much was that he always looked at her with such an admiring and dependent gaze, which she found extremely gratifying. Although she was the dignified Madam Zhou in public, in the manor, she still had to contend with Master Zhou's moods. While Master Zhou appeared gentle and mild-mannered, his eyes held an undisguised contempt for her.
When someone looked at her like that, she didn't feel so worthless and felt like a needed presence.
Seeing that she was willing to return with him, Xu Yijie's heart relaxed. He quickly stepped forward, took her hand, and rubbed it, looking at her with a wronged expression, "You are truly heartless. I waited for you at home, just hoping you would come to see me. But you, you enjoyed yourself outside and forgot all about me. Even if you were unhappy with me, you should have at least let me know the reason."
Madam Zhou looked at him meaningfully, "A while ago, you said you had divorced your original wife and given the children to her, all so you could be with me. We've been together for several years now, and I've never known what your original wife was like. Today, tell me about her properly."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yijie became suspicious. Didn't she usually dislike it when he mentioned other women? Why was she asking about it today? Had Leng Shui Xiang done something to make her uncomfortable? Although he was puzzled, he maintained his usual obedient demeanor and said dismissively, "She was a complete rustic, illiterate, and had to go out to work in the sun and wind every day. She was dark and rough, how could she compare to you?"
Madam Zhou fell into thought. Was this person the same Leng Shui Xiang she had heard about? Or did he truly not think highly of her and not understand her at all?
Seeing her expression, Xu Yijie's heart sank. He thought he had said something wrong again and asked cautiously, "What's wrong? You don't seem happy. Did I say something wrong?"
Madam Zhou looked at him deeply, "What you said is indeed problematic. Do you know about the pills that have recently appeared in the city? They are said to have been personally developed by your original wife, causing the Zhou family considerable losses. You belittled her completely, but if people know about this, at least your original wife is literate and has excellent medical skills."
Xu Yijie subconsciously straightened his back, his mouth agape, and he was speechless for a long time. "How is that possible? Did you get the information wrong? Her?"
Seeing his instinctive reaction, Madam Zhou felt much better. At least this man had not betrayed her; he likely didn't know.
Xu Yijie, seeing her serious expression, said with disbelief, "It really was her? If you hadn't told me, I would never have believed it. We were childhood sweethearts, and the Leng family were simple farmers. Where did she learn all this?"
What was said without thought, was heard with intent. Madam Zhou thought it was indeed true. How could a simple farm girl know so much?
As soon as Xu Yijie finished speaking, he casually looked up and saw Madam Zhou looking at him with a look of ill intent. He stammered, "Why... why are you looking at me like that?"
"You were once the closest to her. I think you should personally try to get close to her. If you can get the formula for the pills, that would be best."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yijie's face immediately crumpled. The last time he dealt with her, he felt that woman had changed, becoming difficult to get along with and unwilling to talk. Thinking that Madam Zhou hadn't spoken to him for so long because of her, he felt that if he could accomplish this, he might be able to atone for his mistakes. He nodded reluctantly.
The next day, Wu Caiwei saw an unexpected person at the Zhang family's medical hall. She guessed what was going on immediately and stepped forward with a sarcastic tone, "Who is this? A rare visitor, daring to come out in broad daylight?"
Although Xu Yijie had prepared himself to be刁难 by her, her opening words caused the water he had just swallowed to get stuck in his throat, making him cough incessantly. After adjusting for a while, he finally managed to speak, "Why are you so annoying? Have you ever reflected on why I divorced you?"