Chapter 35 035 Temporary Housekeeper

Chapter 35 035 Temporarily in Charge

At some point, Qin Yan started returning to the master bedroom more and more often, and his clothes gradually increased and were slowly placed back in her room. The two tacitly avoided mentioning this matter, silently accepting each other's actions.

She didn't tell Qin Yan to go back, and Qin Yan acted as if the words from their wedding night had never been spoken—after all, he wanted to sleep with his wife. As for Qiao Wanyue, she felt that sleeping together in winter was quite nice and warm; Qin Yan's body heat could just melt the icy cold bed, so she wouldn't be afraid of the cold at night.

At that moment, Qin Yan had just finished changing and came over. Seeing her collapsed on the bed, he frowned with concern and asked, "Is Mother feeling any better?"

She shook her head, her eyes full of exhaustion, with faint dark circles under her eyes. "No, the doctor said it's an old ailment and needs long-term care."

That's what happens when you get older. It's not a serious illness, but minor aches and pains torment you, never quite getting better. Sigh.

Qiao Wanyue yawned and asked him, "Are you going over there? Your younger brother is taking care of her now."

Qin Yan had originally wanted to go and check, but upon hearing this, he stopped in his tracks and turned back. "I'll go tomorrow."

A son is still closest to his mother. Qin Nuo was studying at the academy, but when Yang fell ill and kept saying she missed her son, he was allowed to come home for a few days. After Qin Nuo returned, Yang's mood improved noticeably; although the illness hadn't gotten better, her mood was good.

Qin Yan wouldn't disturb their mother-son reunion; it would make him feel out of place.

Qiao Wanyue gave a soft "Oh" and fell silent. Qin Yan approached and saw she had already fallen asleep. She really had been exhausted from tending to Mother these past few days. He tucked the blanket in snugly and then headed to the study to avoid disturbing her rest.

Qin Yan came over in the evening, just as Qiao Wanyue woke up. After a snooze, she felt much more energetic and also hungry.

Zhu Qing brought in the meal and lit the lamps in the room. In winter, it gets dark early, so without lighting the lamps, it's hard to see the path.

Qiao Wanyue sat in the room watching them bustle about. Once the meal was set, she ate together with Qin Yan. There was no need to ask; Qin Yan would definitely be sleeping in her room tonight. The guest room on the other side had been cold for a long time.

At night, Qiao Wanyue couldn't sleep. She stared at the ceiling for a while, then turned her head to look at the person beside her. His eyes were closed, breathing evenly, as if he were asleep. However, under the blanket, his hand was gripping hers so tightly their palms were nearly sweating.

She tried to pull her hand back to air it out, but as soon as she moved, Qin Yan tightened his grip. After a few attempts, she gave up. Let him hold it. She had never noticed this habit of his when sleeping before—a strange habit.

The habit was a bit odd, but he was truly handsome—sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and nice lips, thin and soft, nice to kiss. But he always frowned and rarely smiled. If he were more inclined to smile, probably even more people would want to marry him.

Lucky her.

The girl smiled secretly. With her other hand, she reached up to touch his brow, nose, lips, and then his Adam's apple. She liked the way it moved when he swallowed, full of desire and sensuality. His chest was also nice, warm and firm.

And his abdominal muscles, clearly defined. She hadn't seen him practice martial arts; how did he get them?

Her small hand paused there, hesitating whether to continue downward. She wanted to play but was afraid of starting something she couldn't finish. So her fingers moved up and down like an ant crawling back and forth.

After a while, the one who wanted to play still hadn't made a decision, but the one with closed eyes spoke first: "Why don't you continue?"

Qiao Wanyue's heart pounded with fright. So he was only pretending to sleep! She thought he had actually fallen asleep—he was just tricking her.

She quickly withdrew her hand, placing it over her chest. "Continue what? I'm sleepy. Let's go to sleep."

Qin Yan had been a bit drowsy, but her wandering little hands had completely awakened him. He was now wide awake. In fact, he had hoped she would boldly go further.

He waited a long time, but the person beside him said nothing else and seemed to be asleep again. He opened his eyes to look—she was already asleep.

Qin Yan sighed silently. In this matter, the man still had to take the lead; women are shy. With that thought, he let go of the hand he was holding and moved it to her waist, gently stroking.

Qiao Wanyue was only feigning sleep; with the man's hand now roving, how could she possibly sleep? It tickled, and she squirmed, unable to maintain the act any longer.

"Marquis, let's go to sleep. I'm very tired."

During the day, she had to attend to Yang, and at night, she had to deal with Qin Yan. She didn't have that much energy.

Her soft, playful voice came, sweetly pleading with him. The man's heart instantly softened.

Qin Yan thought of her recent exhaustion and immediately dismissed his intentions. But a little closeness was still in order, and his hand didn't stay idle, slowly moving upward.

She was still growing, so her body had undergone some changes. Qin Yan felt with his hand and immediately noticed. Her soft, fragrant body—he truly didn't want to let go.

In the end, Qin Yan kissed her passionately for a long time before finally letting her go.

-

Winter mornings were exceptionally quiet and also exceptionally cold. A gap in the door allowed the cold wind to blow in, making Qiao Wanyue shiver.

She shouted for Zhu Qing: "Zhu Qing, close the door! There's a draft."

Hong Mei wasn't there, and calling for Zhu Qing yielded no response. Qiao Wanyue poked her head out from under the blanket, and she saw a tall figure walking slowly to the door, shutting it.

He then turned and stirred the charcoal fire. Once the fire was burning brighter, the room felt warmer.

Qiao Wanyue had slept well and simply watched him finish all this. Only then did she speak: "Marquis, why aren't you going to court?"

Her voice was a bit hoarse from just waking up. She coughed, and Qin Yan immediately poured her some tea. She gave a small, tight-lipped smile, took it, and drank it down in one gulp.

"Today is my day off. Didn't I mention it yesterday?"

"When did you say that?" She had no recollection of it.

Qin Yan glanced at her and said, "I told you last night."

At his reminder, Qiao Wanyue suddenly remembered. Last night, she had been dizzy from his kisses, nearly asleep when he mentioned it. How could she have remembered that?

She gave a soft "Oh," stretched lazily, and got up, her body still weak. After breakfast, she had to go to Yang's again. Judging the time, if she went now, she would be just in time for Yang's medicine.

She would have to feed Yang her medicine. Sigh.

But today, she wasn't going alone—she went with Qin Yan. When they arrived, the maid was just bringing in the medicine. Qiao Wanyue glanced at it and naturally took over.

Qin Nuo was also there, respectfully greeted his elder brother and sister-in-law, then stood to the side. Qin Nuo seemed very afraid of him, standing stiff and proper, looking somewhat tense, without the relaxed demeanor of yesterday.

Qiao Wanyue, who was about to feed the medicine, looked around and said nothing, then continued.

Qin Yan's face was expressionless as he glanced over. "Second Brother, you feed Mother the medicine."

At these words, not only was Qiao Wanyue shocked, but even Yang and Qin Nuo were stunned in surprise.

Yang quickly said, "Let Wanyue do it. She's meticulous."

"Second Brother has been away. Now that he's back, he should also show his filial piety. Yueyue is in the mansion every day; she can show her filial piety anytime."

With these words, no one had a retort. Yang wanted to argue but couldn't find the words. She glanced at Qin Yan's expression and simply fell silent.

"What are you standing there for? Come here."

Qin Nuo acknowledged and then sat beside the bed. Qiao Wanyue handed him the bowl, letting out a light breath of relief.

The man's gaze swept over, then he tilted his chin slightly, signalling her to sit down so she wouldn't tire herself standing.

So Qiao Wanyue sat there, watching Qin Nuo awkwardly feed the medicine, while Qin Yan stood like a supervisor, watching intently.

The room fell silent, the atmosphere somewhat heavy.

Yang drank half the bowl of medicine, frowning at the bitterness. When she finished the last mouthful, Nanny Liu entered from outside carrying the previous month's account books. She came to the bedside and said, "Old Madam, the account books for last month have arrived."

"Just set it down."

Nanny Liu put it down as instructed and then left.

Just as Nanny Liu was closing the door, the man said in a steady, powerful voice: "Mother is still ill and shouldn't be overworked. Let Yueyue manage things temporarily. Rest well, Mother."

Nanny Liu paused at this, her expression shifting slightly as she closed the door and left.

It wasn't just Nanny Liu whose face changed. The expressions of everyone in the room varied. Qiao Wanyue was shocked, and Madam Yang looked at Qin Yan, even more bewildered, not understanding what he meant.

Qin Nuo, on the other hand, couldn't care less. For him, whoever managed the household was the same; it wouldn't fall into his hands anyway.

Madam Yang's complexion had been a little rosy after taking her medicine, but now the flush faded, leaving her face pale as wax.

"As the end of the year approaches, there's a lot to handle. Wanyue has no experience; I'm afraid she might make mistakes."

Qin Yan smiled. "That's all right. I'll be watching over it. Nothing will go wrong."

Then he gave her a meaningful nod. Qiao Wanyue immediately understood and sat quietly without speaking. She understood that Qin Yan intended for her to run the household.

Qin Nuo chimed in, "Mother, Big Brother is right. Listen to him. You're not well, and if you get sick again from overwork, it wouldn't be worth it."

"You shut up." Of course Madam Yang understood the reasoning. If she gave up the management rights now, it would be hard to get them back later.

"My health is almost fully recovered. Going through some account books won't hurt me."

Madam Yang tried to look energetic, but as soon as she finished speaking, she coughed several times in a row, her complexion worsening.

Qin Nuo anxiously patted her back and said quickly, "Don't push yourself. Listen to Big Brother."

Qiao Wanyue also took the opportunity to say, "Don't worry, Mother. Take good care of your health. If there's anything I don't understand later, I'll certainly come to ask for your advice."

Three pairs of eyes turned to her, urging her that if she didn't agree, their intentions might be exposed.

Madam Yang gritted her teeth and nodded in agreement.

Before leaving, Qiao Wanyue took the account books with her. Once out of the courtyard, she couldn't help asking Qin Yan, "Why did you want me to manage the household? You didn't even discuss it with me beforehand. I almost didn't catch on in time."

"You reacted really quickly just now."

Qin Yan glanced around, seeing no one else nearby, and said, "Mother is getting older and can't manage everything anymore. You are the lady of the marquis's household; you'll have to manage the household sooner or later. Last time you said Mother was unwilling to hand over control, and today the timing was right. Besides, if you don't step in while Mother is sick, people will talk if word gets out, which would be unfavorable to you."

Qiao Wanyue nodded, finding some truth in his words.

"So study hard this time. If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me right away."

She smiled cheerfully, her expression relaxed. "Actually, I already know how. I was just tricking Mother last time."

Qin Yan turned his head, a smile filled with doting affection. "You little sly one."

He knew she had been lying.

Qiao Wanyue glanced at the account books and patted her chest with confidence, saying, "Don't worry, it's just looking over account books. What's so hard about that?"

Who knows, maybe she might actually find something in them.

After returning, Qiao Wanyue cleared everything off the table to make room for the account books and asked Zhu Qing to find an abacus, looking ready to tackle a big task.

Seeing this, Qin Yan teased, "Work hard, my dear."

"Go on, shoo. Stop bothering me."