Chapter 32

◎Soft words are as sweet as candied fruit◎

Because she hadn't been diagnosed with pregnancy, Xue Lingyu was in a bad mood that day and didn't even eat properly.

After their intimate evening, a servant brought them a bowl of tonic.

After each sexual encounter, Xue Lingyu would drink a tonic. He was so concerned about having a child that he never missed a single time. However, the medicine didn't taste good; it was sour and bitter. If he hadn't been able to endure it, he would have vomited it up.

He was quite tired today and didn't rush to drink the tonic. Jiang He saw that he had been drinking it for so long without any effect, and since the tonic didn't look like it tasted good, she waved her hand and told the servant to leave.

Drinking less once or twice won't cause any major problems.

The servant was somewhat taken aback, since the tonic was ordered by Jiang's father, but since Jiang He had spoken, he could only obey.

"I was thinking of resting before drinking, why did you have it taken away?" Xue Lingyu groaned weakly as she lay in Jiang He's arms.

His face was flushed, and he was steaming with heat. His soft words were as sweet as candied fruit.

Having drunk so much tonic for so long, he now feels nauseous at the mere smell of it, but since it was Jiang's father's arrangement, he had no choice but to comply.

"Every medicine has its side effects. Just listen to me and let nature take its course." Jiang He gently placed Xue Lingyu under the covers and whispered in his ear.

“You don’t need to drink anymore. I’ll talk to Father. Just keep a happy mood and do things you enjoy every day.” Jiang He leaned down and gently touched his lips with tenderness.

Jiang He's thoughtfulness touched Xue Lingyu deeply.

He had intended to sleep next to Jiang He, but unexpectedly she got out of bed and sat down at her desk to read.

Xue Lingyu's hand missed its target, and her lowered eyelashes trembled involuntarily.

Dr. Ji said there was nothing wrong with his health, so could it be that someone else has a problem?

However, Jiang He's performance was normal, and the time was not short.

The more Xue Lingyu thought about it, the more outrageous it seemed. She thought it best to cover her head under the covers so that Jiang He wouldn't see her.

When Jiang's father rescued Xue Lingyu and his son, he arranged for them to stay in an ordinary house in the Jiang family. Later, Xue Lingyu became a concubine in the Jiang family, and Xue's father continued to live in that house. Jiang's father was not a mean person, and he arranged for many servants in the house, as well as a doctor to take care of Xue's father.

After all, if something were to happen to Xue's father, Xue Lingyu might not obey him obediently.

Jiang He assumed that her father had given Xue Lingyu a place to stay because he couldn't bear to see Xue's father suffering from illness. She was unaware that there was such a deal between her father and Xue Lingyu.

She personally escorted Xue Lingyu to her father's residence, and even called several highly skilled guards to protect her. Ji Xue was also there to protect Xue Lingyu closely, and the coachman was someone she trusted. With all this, if anything went wrong, it would really make her seem incompetent.

The carriage stopped at the gate of the mansion. Jiang He had the guards unload all the things they were carrying, which took three guards several attempts to empty.

These are all presentable gifts from the Jiang family's business; gift-giving between prominent families is always done with decorum.

Jiang He personally helped Xue Lingyu down from the carriage, but did not intend to go inside with Xue Lingyu.

Three years ago, she proposed to Xue Lingyu. The person who opposed her the most was Xue's father. He warned her to stay away from Xue Lingyu and not to continue to entangle her. It would be best if she never appeared in front of Xue Lingyu again and affected her bright future.

Mr. Xue had a deep-seated prejudice against her, and if she were to go in rashly again, it might worsen his condition.

Xue Lingyu was also worried that his father would be angry if he saw Jiang He. Now that Jiang He had taken the initiative to say that she would not go in with him, he felt a little sad.

Jiang He treated him very well, and she was not as bad as outsiders perceived her to be.

Jiang He tightened Xue Lingyu's fox fur coat and whispered, "It's windy outside. You and your father haven't seen each other for a long time, so you should go inside quickly."

Xue Lingyu held her hand and found that her hand was even colder than his own.

His heart was filled with mixed emotions, and he had a thousand words to say but couldn't get them out. He could only purse his lips and say, "Then hurry back to the carriage and be careful not to catch a cold."

Jiang He wasn't afraid of the cold, but after receiving Xue Lingyu's words of concern, she still nodded with a smile, "Okay."

Xue Lingyu entered the courtyard, turning back every few steps.

For some reason, he felt a pang of sympathy for Jiang He.

When he first entered this mansion, he was Xue Lingyu of the Xue family, in a sorry state with nowhere to go. Now he has become Jiang He's concubine, protected by guards and favored by Jiang He.

The affection in Jiang He's eyes constantly reminded him of the mistake he made three years ago, which always troubled him.

If he opens his heart and stays, will Jiang He really treat him the same way forever?

Mr. Xue was well taken care of. Mr. Jiang instructed that everything should be provided with the best to avoid any mistakes, especially since the Jiang family was not short of money.

There are even things here that the Xue family wouldn't have been willing to use much of, but the Jiang family can squander them at will.

Under the care of his father, Xue's illness gradually improved, but he still had a knot in his heart. His only son had been forced to become someone else's concubine, and he didn't know if he was doing well.

As Mr. Xue missed his son, he vaguely heard Xue Lingyu's voice.

"Father, I've come to see you."

Mr. Xue looked up and, to his surprise, actually saw Xue Lingyu. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"Yu'er, is it really you?" Father Xue quickly dropped the needle and thread in his hand, ran over and hugged Xue Lingyu tightly.

Xue Lingyu nodded, her nose tingling with emotion: "Yes, Father."

“You’ve been at the Jiang family’s house for so long without any news coming back. I thought you…” Father Xue’s eyes reddened as he spoke. He touched Xue Lingyu’s face and said with heartache, “You look so much thinner.”

Xue Lingyu wiped away her father's tears, and then couldn't help but shed tears herself.

Looking at his son's wealthy attire, so different from the refined young master he used to be, Xue's father felt a pang of emotion and asked, "Is that child from the Jiang family treating you well?"

Xue Lingyu nodded, then sat down with his father, smiling gently. "Father, please rest assured, Jiang He is very good to me and has not blamed me for what happened before."

Seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, Xue's father continued to ask, "Then, does your agreement with the Jiang family lord still stand?"

Xue Lingyu hesitated for a moment, then nodded silently under her father's gaze.

Outside the mansion, Jiang He sat in the carriage, having waited for an hour without seeing Xue Lingyu come out.

Since it's not easy for father and son to meet, they should have some private conversations. She doesn't mind waiting a little longer.

Jiang He then began looking for something to pass the time. She squinted and stared at the plaque on the gate of the house for a while. She wanted to talk to Yuan Ge, but Yuan Ge had only been by her side for three years and did not know about the Jiang family's past.

Jiang He then struck up a conversation with the coachman: "I remember this house was bought from the He family at a low price."

“Miss has a good memory. The He family suffered a sudden misfortune three years ago and had to sell many properties to survive that period. This courtyard is the best the He family owns in the capital, so the master bought it at a low price.” The coachman had spent most of his life with the Jiang family and naturally knew about these things.

Jiang He commented honestly, "It's not as good as the one I have on Jinghua Street."

She didn't even look at the best house in the He family.

However, there is a factor in her having extremely high standards.

Although the He family is gradually catching up with the Jiang family and has the potential to become the second Jiang family, the incident three years ago almost brought the He family to its knees. It is normal for businessmen to experience ups and downs.

Perhaps if Jiang He were to make a mistake one day, she too would end up like the He family, having to sell their house.

Jiang He couldn't help but sigh. Just then, Xue Lingyu finally walked out the door.

He appeared normal on the surface, but the redness in the corners of his eyes was unmistakable, clearly indicating that he had been crying.

Jiang He helped him to the carriage, and the two remained silent for half the journey until Jiang He finally broke the silence.

"That house on Jinghua Street is nice. How about your father moves in there?"

Without connections, even royalty couldn't buy a house on Jinghua Street, let alone afford its exorbitant price.

Xue Lingyu looked at Jiang He, but did not understand her meaning.

Everyone in the capital knows that houses on Jinghua Street are more valuable than people. How could Jiang He just give them away for her father to live in?

Jiang He explained, "This house was originally intended for you to live in, but it's temporarily vacant now. I thought it would be better to give your father a better environment, and also accommodate more servants to take care of him."

Jiang He's considerations were very thoughtful, and she genuinely wanted to do good for Xue Lingyu and his father.

Xue Lingyu, preoccupied with her own thoughts, politely declined the suggestion, saying, "Father is already used to living here. Although the house on Jinghua Street is nice, it's too expensive, and he would definitely feel he can't afford it."

"Besides, was it originally intended for me to live here..." Xue Lingyu's voice grew softer and softer.

He recalled the time when he had asked Jiang He for a favor.

Looking back now, I think she gave me that set of keys so that I could be a mistress, someone she could keep hidden away, someone she could take whatever she wanted from.

"I'll give you the deed when we get back, okay?" Jiang He touched his fingertips and slowly covered his hand, her sincerity as genuine as a young girl experiencing her first love. "When I was little, my elders told me that if I wanted to marry a handsome husband, I had to prepare a big house first. It's not good to have my husband squeezed into a small and cramped room with me. So from the beginning, I wanted to give you a place to live."

Xue Lingyu stared intently at Jiang He, almost breaking down in her guard.

While tidying up the day, Jiang Wanyi's personal attendant noticed an exquisite box that Jiang Wanyi hadn't mentioned before, so she couldn't help but ask:

"Your Excellency, this box is so beautiful just by its appearance. I'm curious what's inside. Is it something Your Excellency intends to present to His Majesty?"

Jiang Wanyi put down her book and looked at the box.

His memories of pregnancy weren't very good, and it took him a while to recall them.

"It wasn't intended for His Majesty; it was a wedding gift for He'er, but she didn't want it, so it's been sitting there ever since."

Jiang Wanyi sighed, wondering what had become of He'er and Xue Lingyu. He admired Xue Lingyu's refined demeanor, but Xue Lingyu, like his younger sister, was stubborn and preferred to keep her thoughts to herself.

The emperor, who was standing at the palace gate, heard this and said as soon as he entered, "You're busy arranging your sister's marriage and giving her gifts, but you don't seem to care about me at all. I'm getting jealous."

Upon seeing the emperor, the servant wisely withdrew.

Jiang Wanyi deliberately asked, "Does Your Majesty want me to worry about your marriage?"

The emperor had no choice but to do something about him, and his words were full of affection: "You know what I mean, I don't want anyone but you. Alright, alright, I won't compete with your sister for your affections anymore, that would make me seem petty."

She patted Jiang Wanyi's hand, "You can rest assured about your sister's marriage. Xiao Wu promised me that he would make Jiang He take the initiative to propose to him within two months, or else he would obediently listen to me and get married. Now it has been a month, and he will soon give up."

Jiang Wanyi maintained her gentle and considerate smile.

He didn't believe the Fifth Prince was the type to sit idly by and wait for his death.

A note from the author:

I bought a pound of Dandong strawberries today on Douyin. If they're good, I'll buy another pound.

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:40:02 on January 15, 2022 and 20:52:40 on January 16, 2022!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: wowaka's guitar (3 bottles); and the medicine seller (1 bottle);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!

◎Latest Comments:

[Please tell me already, sob sob]

[Ugh, let's just talk this out and be honest, waaaaah!]

Ahhhhh, this is so good!

Come to Liaoning! Come to Liaoning!

【Ahhh】

【happy】

I absolutely love strawberries, and I love apples too!!

Did your wife win the lottery?

Is it possible?

【expect】

[It seems like Xiao Xue wasn't drinking a tonic, but a contraceptive.]

[“But Jiang He’s performance was normal, and the duration wasn’t short.” Goodness, even the male lead is starting to doubt the female lead’s ability. Female lead: “::::::”]

【。】

【happy】

-over-