diskusbooks Chapter 108: Just a Concubine
Chapter 108: Just a Concubine
It was still dark, and the two glazed lanterns in front of the carriage illuminated the road ahead.
With Song Yanbai's instructions, the carriage left Xia Xiaorou's house and headed towards the county town.
Although it was February, the ice and snow on the road had already melted.
But in Qingyang Prefecture in the north, it was still freezing cold early in the morning.
Seeing Xia Xiaorou wrapped in a cloak, like a fat rabbit, Yan Heng couldn't help but smile and reached out to her, "Come here."
If it were in the past, Xia Xiaorou would subconsciously shrink back.
But now she is Yan Heng’s fiancée, and if she continues to hide, Yan Heng will be angry.
Xia Xiaorou pursed her lips and moved over carefully.
Yan Heng pulled her into his arms and rubbed her lips regardless of anything.
Xia Xiaorou was afraid that he would press on her belly, so she pushed him away and said, "My sister and Sister Xianyun have been combing my hair for half an hour. If you mess it up, who will help me comb it?"
Yan Heng held her face and chuckled, "It's just combing your hair. I'll help you do it."
Xia Xiaorou, "..."
Yes, he had combed her hair before.
After all, they were in a carriage, and the space was too small and inconvenient, so Yan Heng did not take any further action.
However, the journey was long, and Yan Heng did not comb Xia Xiaorou's hair immediately, nor did she let her get up. Instead, she held her in her arms and let her close her eyes and rest.
Thinking about the inevitable verbal battles that would occur when she met the county magistrate's wife and a group of guests, Xia Xiaorou listened to Yan Heng's advice and closed her eyes to rest.
When she woke up again, Xia Xiaorou heard a lot of noise outside the carriage. After listening carefully, it seemed that there were many carriages and horses coming and going.
She sat up, lifted the curtain and looked outside. It turned out that the carriage was entering the city gate.
Xia Xiaorou panicked immediately and hurriedly looked for a mirror and comb in the carriage. Yan Heng, who was leaning on the side, saw her panic and couldn't help laughing, "Why are you panicking?"
"The carriage has entered the city and will arrive at the county magistrate's residence in a moment, but my hair is not done yet."
"So what? Let the county magistrate wait." Yan Heng stood up and took out a mirror and comb from a secret compartment in the carriage.
He stuffed the mirror into Xia Xiaorou's hand, picked up the comb and started combing Xia Xiaorou's hair.
She kept combing her hair until the carriage stopped in front of the county magistrate's mansion. Someone was outside the carriage greeting her, but Yan Heng still hadn't finished combing her hair.
Xia Xiaorou was worried that people outside were making wild assumptions about her, so she turned her head and looked behind her anxiously.
But Yan Heng pressed her shoulders and said, "Be patient."
There was no other way, she could only wait patiently.
After waiting for a long time, Yan Heng finally combed her hair.
Looking at her new bun in the mirror, Xia Xiaorou was secretly surprised that Yan Heng's craftsmanship was not worse than Xia Xiaoying and Chu Xianyun's.
Yan Heng lifted the curtain, got off the carriage first, and then reached out to support Xia Xiaorou.
The county magistrate, his wife, and the stewards of the county magistrate's mansion who were waiting outside the carriage were all stunned.
Because they recognized Xia Xiaorou.
Hearing that Yan Heng would bring his fiancée, the county magistrate brought his female relatives out to greet him. He never expected that Yan Heng's fiancée was the woman who sued her husband for beating someone to death and keeping a mistress last time.
So, Yan Heng’s fiancée is a divorced woman from the village?
"Mr. County Magistrate, we are tired from the car ride and would like to have a cup of hot tea. Do you have any tea?" Yan Heng spoke in a low voice when she saw the County Magistrate and his men staring at Xia Xiaorou in a daze.
"Ah, yes, yes, yes, Yan...Mr. Yan, please come in." The county magistrate made a gesture of invitation to Yan Heng and took Yan Heng to the back house.
The county magistrate's wife came to the back to accompany Xia Xiaorou.
Xia Xiaorou nodded slightly at her as a courtesy.
The county magistrate's wife smiled in return and looked at Xia Xiaorou as she walked.
This woman who was remarried was stunningly beautiful, but it was a pity that she was divorced.
She's still a village woman.
What on earth was Yan Heng thinking? Why did he want to marry such a woman?
After arranging Yan Heng and Xia Xiaorou to rest in the guest room, the county magistrate's wife and the county magistrate returned to the main room and talked about Yan Heng and Xia Xiaorou.
"What is Mr. Yan thinking? Why would he marry a divorced woman from the village?" the county magistrate's wife asked the county magistrate in surprise.
The county magistrate thought about his own living arrangements and nodded, "Maybe just a concubine."
The county magistrate's wife laughed sarcastically, "Haha, so she's a concubine."
-
After Yan Heng and Xia Xiaorou moved into the guest room of the county magistrate's mansion, Madam Luo brought Xia Chunfang to the mansion as well.
She was the wife of the chief steward of the Anguo Mansion, and her brother was a local squire in the county. Naturally, the county magistrate knew her and sent her an invitation.
However, when she arrived at the county magistrate's mansion, she was received by the wife of the chief steward, not the county magistrate's wife.
"Has Mr. Yan arrived at the mansion?" Madam Luo asked the housekeeper who came to greet her.
"In reply to Madam Luo, Young Master Yan arrived at the mansion two quarters of an hour ago," said the steward.
When Xia Chunfang heard that Yan Heng had arrived, she was so excited that she grabbed the hem of her skirt.
Madam Luo held her hand and gave the money to the housekeeper. "I want to stay in the guest room next to Mr. Yan. I'll have to trouble you to arrange it."
The housekeeper received a large sum of money and nodded with a smile, "Okay, okay."
They all came from the capital, and Ms. Luo's family was of high status, so the housekeeper of the county magistrate's mansion didn't dare to offend them and had to arrange for them to stay.
Madam Luo pushed aside the branches and saw Shanliang standing guard at the door of the house next door. She smiled gently and took Xia Chunfang into the guest room.
After the housekeeper arranged for Madam Luo, she went to report back to the county magistrate's wife. At this time, someone stopped her.
"Mother Gui."
Mother Gui looked up and found that it was the county magistrate's new concubine. She stepped forward and saluted, "Auntie Lan."
"In the small garden ahead, Mr. Yan and his fiancée live, right?"
"Yes."
"Who lives in the next room?" Lan Ruxin stretched her neck and looked towards Madam Luo's guest room.
"She is the younger sister of Mr. Luo from Luojiazhuang. She is the housekeeper of the Duke of Anguo's mansion in the capital, and she is accompanied by a young girl."
Lan Ruxin narrowed her eyes and waved to the housekeeper, "I understand, you can leave now."
After sending the housekeeper away, Lan Ruxin walked towards Madam Luo's room.
Madam Luo was talking to Xia Chunfang, reminding her to pay attention to something in the county magistrate's mansion, when she heard a knock on the door.
Madam Luo walked over and opened the door. She found a beautifully dressed young woman. She opened her eyes in confusion and said, "Madam, who is..."
"I am the county magistrate's concubine. You can call me Aunt Lan." Lan nodded.
Madam Luo looked puzzled, "Auntie Lan, is there something wrong?"
"It's nothing, I just came to see if your accommodation is nice. If you are not satisfied with anything, please tell me." Lan Ruxin glanced at Xia Chunfang and said with a smile.
Mrs. Luo smiled and said, "Thank you very much."
Lan Ruxin looked at the room again and left.
Seeing her walk away, Xia Chunfang asked in confusion, "Madam Luo, that woman just now was so strange. Why did she keep looking at me?"
Mrs. Luo couldn't understand why a county magistrate's concubine would look at Xia Chunfang. "Have you met before?"
"No, this is the first time I've seen this woman." Xia Chunfang was confused.
Mrs. Luo thought of some important things to arrange, so she waved her hand and said, "Forget it, ignore her. Let's arrange the next things."
As the two were talking, there was another knock on the door and a maid came in with food.
There are two bowls, one is an orchid bowl and the other is a pink bowl.
The maid gave the pink bowl to Xia Chunfang, "This is made by our Aunt Lan. She said the girl looks like her sister and she liked it at first sight." She gave the orchid bowl to Madam Luo, "Madam, you have a lot of things to do, have some tea to nourish your spirit."
Madam Luo was puzzled that a county magistrate's concubine could be so thoughtful.
Xia Chunfang was young and thought Lan Ruxin really liked her, so she thanked the maid happily and ate the sweet soup from the bowl.
Madam Luo thought, she is just a concubine, what can she plot against?
She also had tea.
The girl left with the empty bowl, satisfied.
Xia Xiaorou was tired from the car ride and didn't want to lie down, so she walked to the window to look at the forsythia.
At this moment, she saw a familiar figure leaving the next door.
that is not--
Song Wenshan’s mistress?
Why is she in the backyard of the county magistrate's mansion?
Xia Xiaorou's eyes narrowed slightly.