Chapter 55

Chapter 55

The new home was a three-courtyard compound, each section quite spacious.

Su Qingruo and Yun Zhangxie resided in the main, central courtyard.

The male servants lived in the front courtyard, which also housed the stables.

Liu Shi and the others occupied the rear courtyard.

This back courtyard had its own gate, allowing them to exit without a detour.

Currently, their household employed only two male servants: Hunter Chen and Yuan Zhi.

Yun Zhangxie’s study attendant rarely stayed at home, so Yun Zhangxie decided to purchase another male servant.

Since they were acquiring a male servant, Su Qingruo also needed a new attendant.

Once Su Qingruo had children, Tian Sang alone would likely be overwhelmed.

It would be best to let Su Qingruo choose someone to her liking while they were already buying a male servant.

So, on his day off, Yun Zhangxie arranged for a broker to bring several servants to their home, and they carefully selected them in the front courtyard.

Originally, they had planned to buy just one male servant and one attendant.

However, upon seeing Liu Shi—who was advancing in years—and recalling the hardships Qing Shan had endured alongside her, Yun Zhangxie thought that since they were already buying servants, they might as well get one for Liu Shi too.

A young, hardworking servant could ease Qing Shan’s burden.

While Qing Shan was still young, she could train the new servant, who could eventually take over her duties, allowing Qing Shan to enjoy a comfortable retirement in her later years.

Liu Shi was quite pleased with this arrangement. She, too, did not wish for Qing Shan to overwork herself.

After all the suffering Qing Shan had endured with her, now that they finally had a better life, she wanted Qing Shan to have an easier time.

The broker brought a considerable number of people: five men, five women, and four young male attendants.

Yun Zhangxie first chose a young lad to assist Hunter Chen in guarding the house.

Su Qingruo selected a male attendant in his early twenties.

The attendant was quite thin, with slender arms and legs, and did not appear to possess much strength.

However, Su Qingruo did not require heavy labor; he sought someone meticulous.

Since the attendant would not be performing strenuous chores, his lean build was of little consequence.

Next, Liu Shi chose a maid. As a woman, having a maid would be more convenient for her.

She was aging, and Qing Shan was no longer young either, so she selected a younger girl to bring more youthful vitality into their daily lives.

After the three had made their choices, Yun Zhangxie also picked a robust cleaning woman.

Since male servants were not permitted in the rear courtyard, they still needed someone for cleaning duties.

Among the available servants, there happened to be a sturdy farm woman who looked very strong, so Yun Zhangxie decided to purchase her as well.

These four servants cost less than thirty taels in total.

In this feudal society, human lives were truly the least valuable.

After purchasing the servants and signing their contracts, Yun Zhangxie gave them new names.

Continuing the tradition of names like Gan Cao, Ze Lan, and Yuan Zhi, he chose names derived from medicinal herbs.

The new male servant was named Zhi Xin.

The maid was called Cui Yi.

The young attendant was named Du Ruo.

The cleaning woman was called Pei Lan.

Once they were named, Aunt Liang and Tian Sang bought them two sets of ready-made clothes for changing.

After a good wash and tidy-up, the four no longer looked as disheveled as before.

With the servants settled, Yun Zhangxie took Su Qingruo out to purchase a shop.

Since their household had no apparent source of income, buying a shop for Liu Shi and Su Qingruo to manage would provide additional household revenue.

They bought a shop conveniently located near the academy where Yun Zhangxie studied.

It was a storefront with a small courtyard at the back.

Because the shop was not large, totaling just over eighty square meters including the backyard, its price was naturally not very high.

This shop cost Yun Zhangxie over four hundred taels.

After purchasing it, he entrusted its management to Liu Shi and Su Qingruo.

Su Qingruo had no experience managing a shop, and Yun Zhangxie did not rush him to learn. Instead, he let him gradually learn by observing Liu Shi.

For now, the shop was primarily managed by Liu Shi.

Having operated a shop before, Liu Shi possessed some business acumen.

She, Qing Shan, and Tian Sang were all skilled in embroidery.

They planned to sell small items such as handkerchiefs, fan covers, and wedding veils.

They would also purchase embroidered patterns from other women and male attendants in the inner quarters, which would help these individuals earn a little money while allowing Liu Shi to profit as a middleman.

Once the shop was handed over to Liu Shi, Yun Zhangxie completely disengaged from its operations.

He did not genuinely expect this small shop to generate significant profit.

His primary intention was to give Liu Shi something to do.

Being confined to the inner quarters all day, too much idleness made her feel restless.

People, after all, needed a purpose.

Only by staying busy could one feel fulfilled.

As for Su Qingruo?

Yun Zhangxie also had his own plans. He intended to both prepare for having children with Su Qingruo and seek renowned physicians to treat Su Qingruo’s muteness.

He was unsure whether Su Qingruo’s muteness was congenital or caused by some other factor.

He needed a skilled doctor to examine her. If it was congenital, it would be more troublesome, and curing it might be difficult.

If it was acquired, once the root cause was identified, treating it would be much simpler.

For instance, if it was caused by an injury, Yun Zhangxie could use his medicinal pills to treat him.

However, before understanding the root cause, one could not simply administer medication indiscriminately.

...

After the twelfth lunar month began, Yun Zhangxie’s academy went on holiday.

In the capital, snow began to fall once the twelfth lunar month arrived.

One day, Yun Zhangxie went to the academy to pack his belongings. Since he would not be attending for over a month, he planned to take his books home to study diligently.

On his way back with his study attendant, they happened to encounter a wedding procession.

The procession was so long that it brought the entire street to a standstill.

Yun Zhangxie and his study attendant were separated in the crowd.

The study attendant, seeing the throng of people, immediately broke into a cold sweat, anxious.

His young master was frail and a delicate scholar, and he greatly feared that his master might get hurt.

Yun Zhangxie, however, was unharmed. Being very astute, he had immediately found a place to hide when he sensed the situation was amiss.

He only emerged from his hiding spot after the wedding procession had passed.

Just as he looked up to search for his study attendant, he spotted a somewhat familiar figure in the crowd.

At first, Yun Zhangxie thought he had seen wrong, so he deliberately walked closer for a careful second look before approaching the person with a surprised expression.

"Dr. Xu, you—what brings you here?"

This Dr. Xu was none other than the physician from Yunxiang Village.

Upon seeing Yun Zhangxie, Dr. Xu could not help but become incredibly excited.

"Wonderful! I’ve finally found you!"

"What’s wrong? Weren’t you in Qiuping County? Why are you in the capital alone?"

Dr. Xu grasped Yun Zhangxie’s arm and explained, "I didn’t come alone. Jin Yang and Muxu came with me too."

Hearing that Su Muxu had also come, Yun Zhangxie inquired about their current residence, intending to visit them personally to see how they were doing.

Six months prior, Su Muxu had sent Su Qingruo a letter, stating that she had recently given birth to a daughter.

Unfortunately, being in the capital, they were unable to return to celebrate with her.

At the time, when Su Qingruo replied, he sent Su Muxu twenty taels of silver.

Unexpectedly, six months had passed, and no one knew what had happened, but Dr. Xu and his family had arrived in the capital.

They had no acquaintances in the capital, so it was clear they had come to seek refuge with Yun Zhangxie and Su Qingruo.

Later, Yun Zhangxie followed Dr. Xu and met Su Muxu and her husband, Xu Jinyang, and learned the reason for their seeking refuge.

Bandits had appeared near Yunxiang Village, and County Magistrate Yun was currently leading efforts to suppress them.

Xu Jinyang felt it was unsafe there and initially wanted to move his family to the county town.

However, Su Muxu then had a nightmare: in her dream, she was targeted by a ruffian in the county town, and Xu Jinyang was severely injured protecting her.

Regardless of whether the dream was real or not, the fact that it occurred just as they were about to move to the county town made Su Muxu feel it was highly suspicious.

Terrified, she insisted that Xu Jinyang take her to the capital.

She believed that only the capital was safe—because her elder brother and Yun Zhangxie were there.

After hearing the full story, Yun Zhangxie thought Su Muxu’s dream might be true.

If they had moved to the county town, they would have been directly exposed to Third Madam Xu.

While she could not harm Yun Zhangxie directly now, she might have extended her hatred to Su Muxu and her family.

Fortunately, they had come to the capital; otherwise, they truly might have been in danger.

Now, Yun Zhangxie’s family had ample space with multiple courtyards and rooms.

The Xu family had little money, so they could stay with them for the time being.

Coincidentally, Su Qingruo wanted a child, and holding Su Muxu’s baby more often might bring good fortune.

Thus, Yun Zhangxie later brought the entire Xu family home.

When Su Qingruo and the other two saw Su Muxu, they were overjoyed.

The siblings huddled together, chatting and catching up all afternoon.

They only stopped when Su Muxu’s daughter began to cry.

The Xu family was accommodated by Yun Zhangxie in the guest rooms of the front courtyard.

They were not a large household—just four people, including the infant—so they did not pose a burden to the Yun family’s resources.

Moreover, Dr. Xu was a physician and found work at a medical clinic, earning some money each month.

Xu Jinyang had initially planned to seek employment as well, but later, upon learning that Liu Shi’s shop needed someone to oversee it, he temporarily assisted there.

At the end of the year, the He family came to deliver silver and collect goods.

Yun Zhangxie had earned a considerable amount more money, so he acquired a shop diagonally opposite Liu Shi’s.

Dr. Xu was an excellent physician, and Xu Jinyang had followed in his father’s footsteps.

Yun Zhangxie secured the shop and established a small medical clinic for them.

This way, the Xu family could have a livelihood and support themselves.

As an added benefit, Yun Zhangxie could also collect rent.

This shop was slightly larger than Liu Shi’s.

The shop spanned over one hundred square meters, with three rooms at the back and a small attic.

Yun Zhangxie rented the shop to Dr. Xu, and the Xu family moved in to live there.

Living under someone else’s roof, even if they were close relatives, made them feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Renting Yun Zhangxie’s shop fortuitously resolved this—the three rooms at the back were more than sufficient for their family.

As for Su Muxu and her daughter, they mostly resided at the medical clinic.

If Dr. Xu had to go out and Xu Jinyang also had commitments, she would bring her daughter to stay at the Yun residence for a few days.

After the New Year, on the third day, Su Qingruo was diagnosed as pregnant.

The one who examined him was Dr. Xu himself.

That morning, Su Qingruo felt a bit unwell and looked rather pale.

Yun Zhangxie accompanied him to Dr. Xu’s clinic.

After Dr. Xu took his pulse, Yun Zhangxie received the joyous news.

With the child finally on the way, Su Qingruo completely relaxed, and subsequently, he visibly began to gain weight.

Looking at his noticeably rounder reflection in the mirror, Su Qingruo felt a touch of body image anxiety.

He noticed that not only had he gained weight, but he had also developed spots on his face.

One day, when Yun Zhangxie returned home with Su Qingruo’s favorite pastries, he found Su Qingruo gazing into the mirror with a sorrowful expression.

Yun Zhangxie leaned in and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Su Qingruo responded by pointing to the spots on his face.

Seeing this, Yun Zhangxie smiled and reassured him, "It’s fine; they’ll disappear after the baby is born."

Some pregnant women develop spots due to hormonal changes, or so he had heard.

He wasn’t entirely sure, but most of the time, they gradually faded on their own after childbirth.

And what if they didn’t fade on their own?

Yun Zhangxie could simply give Su Qingruo a Beauty Pill.

For such minor spots, one Beauty Pill would suffice.

With Yun Zhangxie’s confident demeanor, Su Qingruo’s anxiety lessened.

He took the pastries Yun Zhangxie had bought for him and pinched the flesh on his cheeks.

He asked Yun Zhangxie if the chubbiness in his face would also disappear after giving birth.

Naturally, Yun Zhangxie nodded in agreement.

In truth, Su Qingruo was not particularly heavy at the moment; he had simply never gained much weight before, so he perceived this as being very plump.

In Yun Zhangxie’s eyes, he was just right—a little round, but not fat.