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: The Way of Favors Chapter 3\n
: The Way of Favors Chapter 5\n
âMy lady, you should wear this. Madam Kaichun had the embroidery house make it and no one has worn it yet. Youâll have to wear summer clothes soon and you wonât be able to fit into it next year. It will be a pity to waste it.â\n
Lan Xiang took a bright red coat embroidered with peonies out of the cabinet and stood in front of the dressing mirror to wait for Fu Rong. Her upper body was a little bent, and her small mouth was slightly open as if she was enduring something she couldnât say and almost chirped a few times.\n
Fu Rong finished washing her face, then gave the towel to the maid who was helping her wash. She turns around to see Lan Xiang standing in a weird position and couldnât help but laugh, âYou both were flogged ten times, but why does Mei Xiang seem fine and you are not recovered?â\n
That maid who was âneglecting her dutiesâ stayed on her bed for three days and could finally come out today.\n
Hearing this, Lan Xiangâs face was bitter for a moment, and she muttered as she helped Fu Rong put on her clothing, âAnd ladyâs still talking about this. We tried to persuade you countless times but you never listened. Now, itâs not you who has to suffer, we also got flogged by Master. Forget it, itâs not a big deal to be flogged as long as my lady wonât be naughty anymore. Ten flogs will be worth it then.â\n
Fu Rong smiled, then looked inside the mirror at her loyal servant who was walking around her, then said, âYou guys are so nice to me. Donât worry, I wonât implicate you guys anymore.â\n
These two maids of hers are only a year older than her. Mei Xiang was steady and Lan Xiang was clever. It could be said that they grew up together. When she was too playful, they would dissuade her. When dissuasion didnât work, they would cover up for her, keeping her as the priority. In the dream, when she was married, she had been bullied by her mother-in-law and aunts countless times. Everyone was afraid of the prince manor as it was so powerful, but those two werenât afraid and always stayed by her side.\n
As she was thinking, Mei Xiang walked in after finishing picking the curtains, âMy lady, the food is on the table. Madam wants you to go over there earlier.â\n
Fu Rong raised her head to have Lan Xiang help her wear a coat with a white jade collar button and an apricot pattern, then said as she looked at herself in the mirror, âHas Young Master been brought over there?â\nâYes, Madam wants Young Master to go to the mansion as well.â\n
Thinking of the white and chubby Young Master, Mei Xiang couldnât help but curve the corners of her mouth. The master of the manor has a magnificent face, the madam is a one-in-ten-thousand beauty, and their children, the young ladies, and masters, also have the most good-looking faces, not to mention this Third Lady in front of them, who is only thirteen years old and looking like a bright flower. Even the young master, who is only eight months old, looks like the most handsome little boy with his thick eyebrows and large eyes.\n
She was in a happy mood, but Fu Rong looked worried.\n
She was thinking about her younger brother. It was getting closer and closer to the time where her rash would start appearing, at most, four days, and although the doctor said that it wasnât easy to contract the disease, Fu Rong was still afraid that her younger brother would fall ill.\n
But if she wanted to go outside, she couldnât continue to pretend to be sick.\n
Fu Rong clenched her teeth and undressed. She climbed back onto the bed as her two maids stared at her in shock and ordered Mei Xiang, âGo tell Master and Madam that I was too excited last night so I didnât sleep well and wonât get out of bed now. Tell them to eat without me and that Iâll definitely be ready when we go.â Itâs better to be safe than sorry. Before she fully recovers, she will always be at least ten feet away from her younger brother.\n
Mei Xiang was frantic, âWhat nonsense is my lady saying now? You should get up. Itâs such a nice day, not a day to make Master and Madam unhappy.â\n
Fu Rong couldnât explain and could only pout, âItâs none of your business, just follow my orders.â She then turned away and laid on the bed.\n
She put on a cold face. The two maids could only follow her orders.\n
In the room of the front courtyard, Fu Pinyan and the others were already there. Fu Rong was the only one missing.\n
After hearing what Mei Xiang had to say, Wife Qiao not only frowned, but she also stood up as she said, âThis child is becoming more and more outrageous, Iâll go see her.â She wasnât against her daughter playing cute to win the hearts of many, because she knew that men liked cute and pouting women down inside, as she had used some of those means to win her husbandâs heart, but a girl must follow the rules and not be lazy.\n
But Fu Pinyan seemed to not care and smiled as he stopped his wife, âForget it, if she doesnât want to get up we can just let her stay there a little longer, weâll eat first. Mei Xiang, go bring breakfast to your lady and tell that she can only sleep for a quarter of an hour. She can only stay here if she doesnât get up after that.â\n
She didnât receive any punishment, so Mei Xiang happily left.\n
Wife Qiao glared at her husband with a dissatisfied look, âJust spoil her. Sheâs already thirteen, and if sheâs any lazier, no one will come and propose.â\n
Fu Wan lowered her head, smiling and bowed down to wipe the corner of the mouth of her little brother, who was sitting in the wooden carriage.\n
Fu Xuan also thought that her third older sister was too lazy, but she was already used to it as if Third Older Sister should be just like this.\n
Fu Chen adored his younger sisters the most, and he replied indifferently for his father, âItâs best if no one comes to propose, I can take care of them. It would be best if all three of them stay unmarried, so they wonât be bullied by their mothers-in-law.â His three younger sisters were three flowers, why does someone else have the right to take them away even if it was him who had watched them grow up?\n
Wife Qiaoâs anger immediately was directed at her eldest son now, âShut up, youâre always saying nonsense. Have you learned nothing from your studies, talking like this in front of two of your sisters?â\n
Her voice was soft and gentle, having none of the ferociousness needed to teach and scold people. Fu Chen chuckled, then obediently shut his mouth, pretending to be afraid.\n
Fu Pinyan silently kicked his wifeâs embroidered shoe, then ordered the maid to set the table when Wife Qiao looked over.\n
With no one helping her, Wife Qiao kicked her husband and stayed silent, angry.\n
Knowing that her mother was unhappy, Fu Rong didnât procrastinate. She estimated the time and came over hurriedly right when the family was about to leave. She ran up to Fu Wan and said to her, âOlder sister and I will sit in the same carriage. Xuan Xuan, youâre still young, so go sit with mother. She can take care of both you and younger brother.â Her younger sister was only nine years old, so she needed to be cautious. Even if there was no threat to her life, she didnât want her sister to experience the pain of developing rashes.\n
Fu Xuan kept her mouth shut, too lazy to take her sisterâs teasing into importance.\n
Wife Qiao wanted to scold this girl who likes to bully her younger sister, but Fu Rong was most observant and ran away before her mother opened her mouth, running into the horse carriage. She opened the curtains happily, and said to her family members in a crisp voice, âMother, you guys should go onto the carriage. Weâll only go for a day, so letâs not waste any time at the door. Iâll listen to motherâs scolding when we are at the mansion.â\n
âAh!â Seeing his older sister, the Little Guan in Wife Qiaoâs arms reached out to her, but it was unclear whether he wanted his sister or wanted to go on the carriage.\nThe chubby boy wore a small tiger hat, his big black eyes gazing at her with desire. When she first awoke and saw her little brother, Fu Rongâs eyes immediately filled with tears. Afraid of being discovered by others, she didnât even play around with him and hurriedly put down the curtains and hid into the carriage.\n
Qiao Shi glanced at the carriage.\n
Why does her daughter seem so distant from her younger brother? There was no choice two days ago because she was sick, but she hadnât gone to his courtyard after she had recoveredâŚ\n
âGet on the carriage.â\n
After Fu Pinyan checked and inspected the carriages himself, he took his little son into his arms and put him into the carriage after Qiao Shi and Fu Xuan went inside. Seeing that they were fine, he went to check on Fu Wan and her sister, then said the order to leave. He rode on a horse along with Fu Chen, one person on each side of the two carriages.\n
In the corner of an alley not far away, a young man in green clothing was whispering with his companion while pointing at the slowly moving carriage. He then quietly followed it, but his companion went the opposite direction. The two of them looked well-trained as if they were used to doing this kind of stuff. They walked at an extremely fast speed when no was around and would immediately slow down when they encountered others as if they were just leisurely taking a walk and would not move their eyes at all.\n
The Fu family arrived at the mansion in the suburb an hour later.\n
Fu Pinyan was the son of a concubine and Qiao Shi was the daughter of a concubine of his motherâs family. The couple didnât have much wealth, and the first two years were a struggle, but he then became an official, and as he became more familiar with the job, their life gradually improved. Whenever he had a mission in a place, Fu Pinyan would always build a mansion there for the family to relax there when they had the time. The mansion was kept clean and tidy by servants and the family became more and more wealthy over the decade.\n
âDaddy chose a great place this time, there is water, there are mountains. Itâs very similar to our mansion in Lanxi.â Fu Rong said delightfully as she jumped off the carriage. Logically, this was her first time at the mansion. So even if she had lived here for almost a month in the dream, she couldnât show them that she was familiar with the place.\n
Receiving a compliment from his daughter, Fu Pinyan slightly smiled and said as he went to pick up his little son, âOkay, letâs first go in and take a rest. Iâll take you guys outside later.â\n
Fu Rong blinked her eyes at Fu Chen, then went inside with Fu Wan, Fu Xuan on Fu Wanâs other side.\n
Fu Chen also walked around wittily, supervising the people who were organizing their things in the process.\n
Fu Pinyan and his wife went into the main room together. When they were inside the room, Fu Pinyan set his little son on the bedside and took advantage of Qiao Shi coming over to take a look at her son. He pressed her to the bedside and kissed her frivolously, âAre you still upset that I donât have any time to accompany you?â\n
Qiao Shiâs lip pursed and she said with a frown, âHow is this accompanying me? If it wasnât because Nong Nong is too playful, would you think of bringing me to this mansion?â\n
Qiao Shiâs mother was from Suzhou, and her voice was like the one described in books, tender and soft. Qiao Shi had also fully inherited her motherâs good attributes. She was beautiful, had a soft voice and a gentle body. This alone made Fu Pinyan forget about her status, as the daughter of a concubine. She was especially gentle on the night of the wedding when they consummated. Qiao Shi was also an intelligent person and made her husband understand her life in her maiden family in just a few words and used her actions to show that she was determined to be a good wife. Like this, the couple became honey mixed in with the oil, their affection for each other never changing.\n
It wasnât long ago that Qiao Shi gave birth. She was slender in the places that she was supposed to be slender, still plump in some areas, though, and would be petty and act like a baby. Fu Pinyin was just so tired, so he retracted before she could say anything. He then became calm and content, but Qiao Shiâs legs became soft, her clothes all wet and her eyes so uncomfortable that she couldnât see anyone.\n
âPerfect, you can stay in the room to coax Little Guan. Iâll take them outside for a walk. You donât like to move, anyway, right?â\n
âWho said I donât like walking?â Qiao Shi ferociously pushed her husbandâs waist, her face flushed and her eyes like autumn waves, âYou only know how to bully me. If youâre like this next time, Iâll never leave the manor with you again!â\n
Fu Pinyan lowered his head, smiling, then coaxed her. He coaxed his wife until she wasnât angry anymore, then changed his clothing and went out the door.\n
Fu Rong and her sister just happened to come out and not seeing her mother, Fu Wan asked about it curiously.\n
Fu Pinyan said seriously, âLittle Guan needs to sleep. Your mother will stay inside to coax him, so she wonât go.â\n
Fu Wan and Fu Xuan agreed and said nothing.\n
Fu Rong quietly distracted her father, then turned around, secretly smiling. Daddy and motherâs relationship was very strong. They would often have arguments, but they would always end very quickly. No matter how serious a man looked on the outside, they always were loving on the inside. In the dream, her motherâs teachings were ones with experience.\n
After Fu Chen came over, the five of them confidently went on a walk.\n
The path in the forest was not flat, and Fu Rong was pondering how to have her father let her stay here. Her conclusion was still to fake illness, so she purposely walked towards the rugged areas, planning to pretend to twist her ankle or something, a good excuse for inconvenient mobility. But it was a pity that she forgot the tempers of her father and older brother and when one of them was in the front while the other was in the back, Fu Rong bent over. Fu Chenâs elbow immediately reached out, scolding her, âYou wonât walk on the flat areas in the middle and insist to walk on the edge. Youâll deserve it when you fall over and ruin your face!â\n
Her older brother was too careful, so Fu Rong could only abandon her plan to get hurt.\n
The sun was high now, and they started to walk back.\n
When they arrive outside of the forest, they suddenly see a man dressed in gray walking out of a path to the left of them, a tree branch in one hand, the other hand wiping sweat. Both sides lock eyes, and that person freezes for a moment. Fu Pinyan and his son said nothing, blocking the three sisters, analyzing the person silently.\n
The man in gray looks at the mansion in front of them and seeing that there was only one family nearby, pondered deeply, then turned around and asked Fu Pinyan, âYou look like nobles, are you the owner of the mansion?â\n
Fu Pinyan smiled, nodded his head, and said gently and politely, âAnd you are?â\n
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