Translator: 549690339
Su Wenyue had realized that she had misspoken out of haste. The last thing Han Yu wanted to hear was her talk of leaving. In the past, whenever she broached the subject, she would end up in a terrible state, and although she was pregnant now, Su Wenyue believed that if Han Yu wanted to, she would end up just as miserable, not to mention the proverbial settling of scores after the fall.
“Anyway, anyway, I won’t leave. I like you the most, Husband.” Under Han Yu’s unfathomable gaze, the spineless Su Wenyue boldly rephrased her statement, even bursting into a sob. This time, however, Han Yu didn’t feel pity; his expression remained less than pleasant.
“Do you really mean that? Why do I hear no sincerity at all? If one truly liked someone, would they cry and make a fuss about separating or divorcing so easily?”
Indeed, one would not be in trouble if they didn’t seek it. Su Wenyue saw that Han Yu was not willing to let the matter go. It had been her who had troubled Han Yu, and yet, suddenly, she found herself apologizing in a lowly manner.
“Husband, what I said was out of anger. Your Mother spoke ill of me, and I was too angry. I didn’t think before I spoke. You know well enough that pregnant women are prone to emotional outbursts; saying something wrong by accident is forgivable.” Su Wenyue hugged Han Yu’s arm, her face displaying a mixture of flattery and caution.
“That’s a convenient excuse,” said Han Yu with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes—his expression made Su Wenyue’s scalp tingle. And she was getting annoyed; after all, she had been in a bad mood today.
“So, what exactly do you want! It was just a slip of the tongue, why are you dwelling on it? If you truly don’t want to continue living together, then let’s not. It would spare me from all of you coming to find faults with me. I’m just a miss who doesn’t know how to be coquettish, I can’t meet such high expectations.” Su Wenyue let it all out in one breath, feeling much more relieved.
This time, Han Yu didn’t look angry. Even though he was uncomfortable with his wife frequently mentioning leaving, the situation was different now. His wife was truly annoyed and had spoken out of frustration. There would be other opportunities for lessons in the future. For now, the most urgent thing was to mollify her, to prevent any further trouble. After all, not only could his wife not withstand much more trouble, but the child in her stomach, too, couldn’t bear it.
“Wife, you must not talk about separating again in the future. You are already the mother of two children, and some things need not be mentioned again by me.”
Su Wenyue had been in the wrong to begin with. After losing her temper, she felt somewhat guilty. Seeing that Han Yu was willing to back down, she stepped down gracefully, thinking to herself that being pregnant certainly had its privileges; otherwise, Han Yu would not be cajoling her like this. He would have likely taken her away for a lesson long ago.
After Su Wenyue had calmed down, Han Yu asked about Feng Susu and her child: “I heard from Father and Mother that you want to bring Feng Susu and her child to live with us in our home?”
When Su Wenyue heard Han Yu ask, she looked up at his expression but couldn’t discern anything. She didn’t know what Han Yu really thought—was he in agreement or not?
“Yes, I saw that Aunt Feng and her child were pitiful, so I wanted to lend them a hand. You wouldn’t disagree, would you?” Su Wenyue asked, eyes fixed on Han Yu, waiting for his answer.
“Do you truly want to help them just because you feel sorry for them?” Han Yu was skeptical about his wife’s motive, thinking that she was trying to bluff him. She was not one to be overly compassionate. There were plenty of pitiable people in the world, but he hadn’t seen her eager to help any of them. What distinguished Feng Susu and her child that she would extend help time and again, even bringing them home, he didn’t know. Though Han Yu had not yet identified anything untoward, the fact that his wife had asked him to help find Feng Susu’s husband was indeed questionable. He couldn’t help thinking that he might be onto something.
Su Wenyue, however, had no intention of enlightening Han Yu, firmly deciding to surprise him later.
“What else could it be? They have nothing to offer me. I just see Aunt Feng and her child as pitiful, and since they are grateful and wish to repay kindness, I wanted to give them a hand. This, I thought, would also bring good fortune for the child in my stomach. Don’t you know how kind-hearted your wife is?” Su Wenyue shamelessly extolled her own virtues.
“Yes, my wife is indeed a kind-hearted woman,” Han Yu said with a smirk, his eyes reflecting a teasing glint.
Su Wenyue seemed not to detect his tone: “So, do you agree to bringing Aunt Feng and her child home?”
“Don’t worry. Aunt Feng and her child won’t be freeloaders; they are not the kind to accept charity so easily. I am inviting them to our home to work. Aunt Feng’s pickling skills are truly unmatched; not even the royal chef in the palace comes close. I’m asking her to pass on her skills to those who serve me. It would definitely be a worthy investment.” Su Wenyue explained, sensing Han Yu’s hesitation.
“I haven’t said I wouldn’t let them move in. How could I not agree if my wife wants to do good deeds?” Setting aside his suspicion about Su Wenyue’s intentions, even if it was purely an act of philanthropy, Han Yu would not refuse it. After all, it pleased his wife, and Feng Susu and her child wouldn’t be much of a burden to him; he could afford it.
“Aren’t you afraid that Father and Mother will be unhappy? It seems like the elders are against letting Aunt Feng and her child move in,” Su Wenyue looked at Han Yu with doubt.
“You don’t need to worry about Father and Mother. I’ll talk to them. If they ask about Aunt Feng and her child, you shouldn’t argue with them. Just put the blame on me.” Ultimately, they were his own parents. Even though Han Yu was biased towards his wife, taking her desires as his decree, he couldn’t disregard his own parents’ feelings entirely; at the least, he needed a good reason to gloss over the issue.
“I understand,” Su Wenyue acknowledged, knowing that it was not easy for Han Yu to go this far. After all, they were his birth parents, and she did not wish to push things too far, willing to make some concessions.
Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang had initially been firmly against the idea. When Han Yu said that the matter of Feng Susu and her child was his decision, they were doubtful. They wondered if their son was only saying this for the sake of his wife but looking at the situation, it didn’t seem likely. Their son had come to them directly after returning and hadn’t really spoken to his wife beforehand; he couldn’t have conspired with her.
Could there truly be some reasons for sheltering Feng Susu and her child? The Fourth Daughter-in-law didn’t seem to be the kind to cause trouble without reason; it wouldn’t be like her to casually invite someone to stay at home. Perhaps it truly was the son’s idea.
With a favorable impression of Su Wenyue, Old Man Han believed his son right away, whereas Mrs. Yang was more skeptical, suspecting there was more to the story and wanting to understand the details. However, she soon lost the interest to investigate further, as orders from the Imperial Court to reform the currency system had arrived, likely heralding a period of upheaval. Both Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang adopted a wait-and-see attitude towards this news, uncertain whether it was good or bad.