Chapter 52

He was sexually harassed!

Xin Yan had a sweet tongue and received praise from Father Jiang on her first day in the main courtyard. She also did her cleaning and sweeping duties efficiently, making her one of the most outstanding among the new servants. Many people were paying attention to her.

Xin Yan was not arrogant. He remembered the words of the sage in his younger sister's book: one should not show complacency on one's face, and one should be patient and down-to-earth in everything to achieve great things.

Previously, I had only heard others say that wealthy families were so rich that even their decorative vases were inlaid with gold. I could never see such things in the outer courtyard. But in the main courtyard, I could not only see them with my own eyes, but I also gradually broadened my horizons.

When the master was in a good mood, he would reward him with some good food. Xin Yan felt that she was born with a big and plump body, and if she continued to eat, she would become a little clumsy when doing her work. So she secretly kept the food and after finishing her errands, she would sneak to the outer courtyard and take it to her future brother-in-law, who was as thin as a willow catkin.

Aside from the fact that no one wanted to talk to him, Xue Lingyu's life was actually quite good. He didn't have to go to the kitchen to light the stove or wash dirty clothes. He only had to sweep up the fallen leaves of the plum tree every day. Many people were envious of this job.

Xin Yan pulled Xue Lingyu aside, mysteriously took something out of her bosom, and stuffed it into Xue Lingyu's hands. "Try this. This is osmanthus cake bestowed by the lord. I have never seen such exquisite pastries before."

The pastries in the main courtyard were all made by a chef specially invited from Jiangnan. These past few days, Father Jiang had not been able to eat these sweet pastries. He happened to see Xin Yan and heard him say a few auspicious words. On a whim, he gave the rest to him.

The pastry smelled very sweet. Under Xin Yan's expectant gaze, Xue Lingyu removed her veil, took a small bite, and then slowly swallowed it.

After tasting it, Xue Lingyu smiled and commented, "Delicious."

His eating manners were somewhat childlike, with crumbs of pastry getting all over his mouth. Xin Yan wiped them away with a handkerchief, her eyes crinkling with satisfaction. "If it tastes good, then eat more. Look how thin you are. I wonder if your family doesn't feed you."

Xue Lingyu had taken a bite of the osmanthus cake in his hand when he heard the words "family." He slowly stopped eating, his slender eyes filled with mixed emotions, as if a certain point in his mind had been touched, but he couldn't recall it no matter what he did.

Xin Yan noticed something was wrong with him and asked anxiously, "What's wrong?"

Xue Lingyu pursed her lips, her eyes filled with disappointment. "I don't remember my family."

After waking up in a dilapidated hut, he seemed to have lost all his previous memories. All he had with him was a lip rouge box and a sachet. If it weren't for the ten taels of silver given to him by that kind person, he probably would have starved to death long ago.

He hadn't told anyone else, and no one would have wanted to hear it anyway; he was just a fool who didn't even know his own name.

After hearing what he said, Xin Yan was even more moved and felt more sympathy for him. She became even more determined to work hard in the Jiang family so that one day she could make her family and future brother-in-law live a good life. If he really became a first-class servant in the Jiang family, perhaps he could even help her brother-in-law find his family.

"Don't worry, you're so good-looking, something must have happened to get you separated from your family. Your family is probably looking for you all along, and there will definitely be a chance for you to reunite in the future." Xin Yan patted his hand and comforted him, "Do you still remember things from before, even your name or what your home looks like?"

Xue Lingyu looked up at the sky, trying hard to recall, but to no avail.

"I only remember that my name has the character 'jade' in it. As for what my home looks like..." Xue Lingyu looked around, and finally pointed to a plum tree, saying uncertainly, "I think, I think there's a tree like this in my home too."

“Plum trees are too common; it will probably be very difficult to find them.” Xin Yan sighed, put his hand on Xue Lingyu’s shoulder, looked into Xue Lingyu’s eyes, and made a firm promise: “Chunxiao, do you believe me? Once I become a first-class servant, I will definitely ask my master to help you find your family.”

Xue Lingyu paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded, her tone as innocent as a child's: "I believe it."

A few days after he spoke with Jiang He at the Jingzhao government office, Jiang He sent word that there was no need to go to great lengths to find Xue Lingyu's whereabouts. The Imperial Guards sent by His Majesty had also been withdrawn, and no new missing person notices were posted on the bulletin board.

Su Yawan knew that Jiang He had taken her words to heart, but the Jiang family was facing new troubles. She had heard that Jiang He was planning to sell Ruyi Restaurant, and she wanted to go over to see if there was anything she could help with. However, she unexpectedly found Jiang He drowning her sorrows in alcohol.

She walked over with a smile, her deliberate ease evident in her expression. "Seeing that you even have time to drink, have you made up for the losses at Beifang?"

As she approached, she smelled an unusual odor of alcohol and couldn't help but cover her nose and take a few steps back, exclaiming in surprise, "This is strong liquor from the Western Regions. You actually have the guts to try it? Aren't you afraid of getting so drunk that you pass out?"

Jiang He's eyes were slightly tipsy. When she saw that it was Su Yawan, she raised her slightly drunken eyebrows and casually twirled the wine glass in her hand, saying, "The losses have been made up, and the problems in the business have all been solved. I'm just happy. Would you like to have a drink too?"

With a crash, Jiang He's wine glass fell onto the table, spilling all the wine inside. This sight made Su Yawan frown.

She stepped forward and stopped Jiang He from pouring the wine, taking the wine aside. She then began to speak earnestly, "What exactly happened? Weren't you going to sell Ruyi Restaurant? How come you've already incurred losses before you've even sold it?"

She had a lot of silver notes in her arms, intending to help Jiang He out of her predicament. Unexpectedly, Jiang He resolved such a huge loss without saying a word.

Seeing that the wine had been moved, Jiang He paused for a moment, as if she were still drunk.

Su Yawan opened the window, letting the cold wind blow on her, which finally made her sober up for a while.

Jiang He pinched the bridge of her nose, sighed with relief, her voice hoarse, "We sold that private residence on Jinghua Street."

Su Yawan knew that this was the most valuable house under Jiang He's name. She originally wanted to give it to Xue Lingyu to live in. Although she failed to give it away, it still had the name Xue Lingyu attached to it.

Jiang He must have struggled with this decision.

However, she will eventually have to face the fact that Xue Lingyu is no longer here.

Su Yawan withdrew her hand, and Jiang He picked up the overturned wine glass, refilled it, and drank it.

With mixed feelings, she watched her friend drink heavily and couldn't help but bring up a heavy topic, "Are you going to tell Xue Lingyi and Xue Lingyu's father about Xue Lingyu's death?"

Jiang He took a sip of wine, her eyes darkening slightly. "I will build a cenotaph for him in the name of Jiang He's husband, and I will personally tell the Xue family about it."

"The official husband? Are you out of your mind? Aunt Jiang will never agree to this." Su Yawan found it hard to believe. When Xue Lingyu was still in the Jiang family, she could only be a concubine because of her status. But after her death, she was able to take the title of Jiang He's official husband. Isn't this a violation of social order?

Historically, very few men have elevated their concubines to the status of legal husbands, so Jiang He's actions will undoubtedly draw criticism from many people.

“It was supposed to be given to him when he was still alive, but it seems it’s too late now.” Jiang He chuckled softly, turning her eyes away so that Su Yawan wouldn’t see the sadness in them. A moment later, when she looked up, all her emotions had vanished.

"I will try to get my mother's consent."

This was something she had prepared for a long time. She originally planned to make him her official wife when he gave birth to the child or when the time was right. But things didn't go as planned. Life is unpredictable.

Su Yawan was speechless. She suddenly remembered Jiang He, who never took the initiative to socialize with people in officialdom. However, she had recently been drinking with the Minister of Rites. The Minister of Rites was a stubborn old man who valued orthodoxy and rules the most. Jiang He must have put a lot of effort into getting her involved.

Could it be that back then it was for...

Su Yawan gasped, unable to think any further. LJ

After eating the osmanthus cake given to him by Xinyan, Xue Lingyu was about to go to bed when someone told him that Steward Qiao had instructed him to go to the young lady's courtyard to sweep the plum blossoms immediately, without delay.

Manager Qiao had already received the instructions, but he had forgotten them in his confusion. As soon as he remembered, he hurriedly urged Xue Lingyu to go.

It was late at night, and the wind was blowing in gusts. The servants were dressed in thin clothes, and they would most likely catch a cold after being swept away. It wasn't a big deal, and it wouldn't be too late to go during the day tomorrow. It was just that Steward Wang and Xin Yan weren't around, and they were simply bullying Xue Lingyu.

If it were someone with a temper, they would have already turned their back and quit. But Xue Lingyu was gentle and obedient, so she actually went obediently.

This gave Xue Lingyu a chance to enter the inner courtyard, but no one told him how to get there.

Xue Lingyu didn't know who to ask, as no one wanted to talk to him. He also didn't know where Xinyan lived, so he had to find his way there by himself. He thought it would take a long time, but he stumbled upon Liushui Xiaozhu by accident, just like he had been there before.

Yuan Ge originally wanted to scold her for only arriving now after she had already instructed the outer courtyard to do so. However, when she saw that the maid was a rough servant wearing a veil and whose eyes looked pitiful, she thought that the maid was just following orders and that if there was any mistake, it would be the steward's fault. So she couldn't say anything and just told Xue Lingyu to wait here.

Seeing that Su Yawan hadn't left yet, and that Jiang He was drunk again, Yuan Ge hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to report: "Miss, the person in charge of cleaning the plum blossoms in the outer courtyard has arrived. Would you like him to go back first, or wait a while?"

Jiang He drank her wine without looking up, so Yuan Ge looked at Su Yawan, hoping she could give her some advice.

Su Yawan looked at the plum tree outside the window and said to Yuange, "The plum blossoms in this yard need to be cleaned up. Tell that person to wait a while."

Seeing that Jiang He did not deny it, Yuan Ge silently withdrew.

Even after leaving the room, Su Yawan's voice continued to ring out, as if she were talking to Jiang He. Yuan Ge snapped out of her daze and rushed to convey her master's message to Xue Lingyu, who was waiting at the courtyard gate.

"Miss is still drinking inside. Once she's asleep, you can clean up. Remember to be quiet." As Yuange spoke, she felt that the person in front of her was somewhat familiar, especially his eyes, which were as clear as freshly melted snow from the Tianshan Mountains.

Suddenly wanting to see the person's true face, Yuange couldn't help but reach out her hand, "Why are you wearing a veil? Are you injured on the face?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Lingyu was so frightened that she took several steps back, her eyes filled with terror.

Yuan Ge became suspicious, and then heard him explain haltingly, "It was an accident...it left a scar..."

He ate a lot of osmanthus cake today and didn't have time to drink water. His throat is dry and even his voice has changed.

Since it touched on his painful memories, Yuan Ge had no choice but to pull her hand back and give an awkward smile: "I was being presumptuous."

Yuan Ge then asked a few more questions and found out that Manager Qiao was in charge of assigning tasks in the outer courtyard. She quietly kept this in mind, told Xue Lingyu to wait in the relatively warm corridor, and then went to attend to other matters.

For some reason, she actually felt quite fond of this maid from the outer courtyard, as if she had seen her before.

Yuange turned her head and laughed at herself for being so busy lately. She had been following her mistress around the whole time, so how could she have seen anyone else?

Before the city's curfew, Su Yawan left the Jiang residence, leaving Jiang He alone to drown her sorrows. She had been drinking strong Western liquor without restraint today and should have been completely drunk. If it weren't for the cold wind blowing outside the window, she wouldn't have regained any semblance of clarity.

When all the wine was finished, Jiang He didn't know what to do. The sky was dark and gloomy, and the maids serving in the courtyard had long since retired. She was too lazy to wake them up again.

She slept on the table for a while, but perhaps the wind outside was too strong, as the windows were rattling, which made her frown. Not to mention, for some time now, there was a noise that seemed to come from nowhere that kept lingering in her ears.

Jiang He opened her eyes impatiently, but caught a glimpse of a figure that bore a striking resemblance to Xue Lingyu. She suddenly had the illusion that Xue Lingyu had returned.

Xue Lingyu was sweeping fallen leaves, but the wind kept blowing through the windows, making it impossible for him to have any peace and quiet. He decided to close the windows, but they were strangely designed and could only be closed from the inside. He peeked through the windows a few times and, seeing that no one was inside, he sneaked in. But to his surprise... there was someone inside.

He was a drunkard reeking of alcohol.

He was already thin, and he hadn't been eating well lately, so even if he wanted to break free, he didn't have much strength. This drunkard was incredibly strong and managed to grab him with just one hand.

Unable to break free, Xue Lingyu's voice became extremely soft, "Let...let me go."

The drunkard ignored his words, turned over and pressed him down on the bed. Xue Lingyu suddenly felt a lightness on his face, as the drunkard had even torn off his veil.

He remembered what Xinyan had told him: if others saw his appearance, he would definitely be given to the masters as a concubine, and he would surely be humiliated to death.

Xue Lingyu bit her lip, terrified. This woman was staying in such a nice room and dressed so well; she might be some favored steward who would offer her to the mistress.

Jiang He thought she was seeing things. She touched Xue Lingyu's face, looking at the face that had once smiled so brightly at her, and couldn't help but murmur, "Xue Lingyu..."

Xue Lingyu's body trembled violently, not because of the name, but because this drunkard had kissed her without warning.

He was harassed!

This guy drank so much alcohol that his nose and mouth reeked of it; it was absolutely disgusting!

Jiang He had only one thought: to hold Xue Lingyu close, to be intimate with him, and to talk to him. But when she saw tears welling up in the eyes of the person beneath her, who seemed unwilling, her heart ached, and she gradually loosened her grip.

Taking advantage of her momentary lapse in attention, Xue Lingyu quickly broke free and ran outside without even turning her head, afraid that if she was a step too slow, she would be caught again.

Jiang He touched her lips; there were still bite marks on them, and the pain was still clearly visible, but the person was nowhere to be seen.

It felt like a dream, yet it wasn't quite a dream.

A note from the author:

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 21:00:02 on February 3, 2022 and 21:00:02 on February 4, 2022!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: 1 chili-flavored candy;

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: gg 3 bottles; Xie Wuyan 1 bottle;

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

◎Latest Comments:

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【Here it comes! Here it comes! Here it comes!】

[The little one's storyline hasn't even started yet, so recognizing each other is impossible. I've already figured out the author's tricks.]

【renew. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 】

Aaaaaaaahh ...

Why didn't I recognize him?! Waaaaah, I want to see Jiang Jiang spoil Xue Xue!

[It's strange that I don't recognize people I know when I meet them? Even if they're wearing masks, I should be able to recognize them.]

[I saw your bold statement about writing 10,000 words a day in the comments, so I'm waiting for tomorrow's update. If it doesn't reach 10,000 words, I'll uninstall it first and save up to read later, really!]

[Holy crap???]

No! Calvin will become a bald little bastard!

Give me a quick answer.

No gifts accepted for today's update, except for nutrient solution!

Hehehe

[Update!]

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