Chapter 239

Du Ren Mei immediately became suspicious.

If it were before, he might not have thought in that direction, but now the situation was different. In front of Jiang Shi, he was just a soft-legged shrimp who couldn't stand up.

Whether it was daily life or married life.

Even after drinking three big bowls of nourishing soup and barely going into battle, he still couldn't avoid surrendering in the end.

For this reason, Du Ren Mei couldn't hold his head up in front of Jiang Shi, and Jiang Shi was like a wolf or a tiger, wanting it every few days. Helpless, Du Ren Mei could only try his best to avoid her, either saying the Ya Men was busy or hiding in the study; in any case, he didn't sleep in the same bed.

But just because he didn't want to sleep didn't mean he could allow another man to sleep for him.

That's called "apricot blossoms over the wall" (infidelity)!

As a man, not wearing a green hat (being cuckolded) was his last bit of dignity. Let alone a noble daughter of a marquis's residence, even a princess couldn't do that!

Du Ren Mei put on a sour face, stood on the spot, hands behind his back, quietly waiting for Jiang Shi and the man to walk up.

Jiang Shi looked puzzled, "Why did the master release the Ya Men so early today?"

Du Ren Mei snorted secretly.

Look, complaining that I came back too early, right? Fortunately, I came back early, otherwise I wouldn't have caught you two adulterers!

Du Ren Mei didn't answer Jiang Shi's question, but squinted at the sturdy man with unkind eyes, "This is..."

"Greetings, Magistrate Du," the man hurriedly cupped his hands and smiled, "I am Lu Shunfeng, from the Shunfeng Escort Agency."

Escort Agency?

Now it was Du Ren Mei's turn to be puzzled, and he turned to look at Jiang Shi.

Married for many years, Jiang Shi knew he had thought wrong as soon as she saw Du Ren Mei's expression, and she couldn't help but feel angry.

In Du Ren Mei's heart, was she such a loose woman?

Truly hateful!

"Escort Leader Lu was invited by me. I am preparing to take Zhu'er to Fengyang Prefecture in a few days and have invited Escort Leader Lu to escort us all the way."

Jiang Shi smiled without smiling, "Why, does the master have an opinion?"

So that's how it was, he had thought...

Du Ren Mei cleared his throat awkwardly, "Not at all, I was just asking casually, no other meaning."

Lu Shunfeng was smart and quickly sensed the undercurrents between the couple. To avoid being caught in the crossfire, he hurriedly took his leave, "Madam Du, since the matter has been settled, I will go back first. Please prepare before setting off."

Jiang Shi nodded, "Thank you for your trouble."

She gave a look to the maid Lianyi standing behind her, signaling Lianyi to send Lu Shunfeng out.

Then she darkened her face and turned to walk toward the inner courtyard.

Du Ren Mei felt a bit guilty and hurriedly chased after her, asking questions just to talk, "Madam, what are you going to Fengyang Prefecture for? It's almost the end of the year, and the residence is busy..."

"If I'm not here, naturally others will be busy," Jiang Shi didn't stop, and her tone was even colder, "Hasn't your mother been reaching her hands quite far lately? It's enough to have her busy. At worst, you work harder and bring your 'original wife' into the house sooner to manage this home for you, so you don't have to worry and lose your appetite."

Du Ren Mei choked, "..."

With this attitude, it seemed she was really angry.

He followed Jiang Shi like a puppy, smiling shamelessly, "Madam, that's not right. This home can't do without you! Mother is old, how can she have the energy to manage the chores in the residence? Hui Niang is even less worth mentioning, a country bumpkin from the countryside who doesn't even know a few characters, how can she convince the crowd?"

"Unlike you, Madam, who grew up in a marquis's residence since childhood, your ability to manage the house and calculate accounts is first-class. Only when you are in charge can I be at ease."

Jiang Shi stopped her steps, looked back at him, a cold sneer on her lips.

"Magistrate Du, you don't need to tell me those nice things. Don't think I don't know, you've probably been wishing I would leave for a long time!"

These days Du Ren Mei had been avoiding her like the plague; she wasn't blind, how could she not see it?

Du Ren Mei's eyes flickered, "Madam, you're overthinking it, how could that be possible."

"Whether it's possible or not, you know in your heart."

Jiang Shi couldn't be bothered to argue with him; she had more important things to do, "It's almost the seventh-seventh memorial day for Nanny Kang. I am preparing to take her coffin back to her hometown in Fengyang for burial, and I also need to invite a high monk to perform a ritual to transcend her soul, so I must go to Fengyang Prefecture."

Du Ren Mei had the heart to object.

No matter how favored Nanny Kang was, she was just a servant after all. Was it necessary to make it so grand?

Thinking about it again, he decided to forget it. Jiang Shi had never easily changed things she had already decided; it was probably useless to say anything.

That was fine, he was just worried about "paying the public grain" (marital duties). With Jiang Shi gone, he could catch his breath.

Du Ren Mei then agreed, and thinking about it, asked, "Then why take Zhu'er with you? It's a long journey, and Zhu'er's body has just recovered, how can she withstand it?"

"Do you think I want to? It's just that there's no other way."

Jiang Shi glanced at him, "Although Zhu'er's body has been nurtured well, do you know how painful she is every day facing the ghost-like appearance in the mirror?"

"In half a month, it will be the triennial Apricot Forest Conference, which happens to be held in Fengyang Prefecture. All the famous divine doctors from all over the place will come to participate, and it is said that even people from the Medicine God Valley will show up."

"With such a good opportunity, how can we miss it? As long as we can see the people from the Medicine God Valley, Zhu'er will be saved!"

Hearing this, Du Ren Mei was also happy.

"Good, good, good, then let Zhu'er go together!"

Just as he was about to ask if everything was prepared, he suddenly remembered the dark room Magistrate Li had ordered to be cleared out. Du Ren Mei hurriedly said something to Jiang Shi and then rushed to the Ya Men.

By the time Du Ruo and Jiang Li arrived home, it was almost dark.

Zheng Shi was busy in the kitchen with Chunhua. Hearing the movement outside, she ran out without even washing her hands.

Seeing her daughter, it was naturally a very affectionate reunion.

Especially seeing that her son-in-law wasn't missing any arms or legs, Zheng Shi's heart was finally completely at ease, calling out "Amitabha, Bodhisattva bless" repeatedly.

Soon Jiang Li went to settle the carriage.

Du Ruo held Zheng Shi's arm and walked into the room, asking with a smile as they walked, "I haven't been home for a few days, nothing happened at home, right?"

"Nothing, everything is fine," Zheng Shi patted her hand not too lightly or too heavily, complaining, "You child, your guts are really big, actually daring to run into a bandit's nest. I was scared to death when I heard the news."

Du Ruo lifted her chin, with an attitude of fearing nothing, "Don't worry, Mother, your daughter is very capable, ordinary people can't hurt me."

After saying this, she suddenly felt something was wrong.

"That's not right, Mother, how did you know I went to Yugui Shan?"

Zheng Shi didn't hide it, "Du Ren Mei told me."

Du Ren Mei came?

She knew that scumbag wouldn't let it go. Sure enough, he took advantage of her absence and came to pester them again.

"What did he say?"

Zheng Shi smiled bitterly, "He said a lot..."

It wasn't just Du Ren Mei; Old Madam Du also came along.

The two of them spoke one after another, using all kinds of emotional appeals, reasoning, and promising benefits, trying every possible way to coax her to go back.

They even said to let her suffer for a while and enter the residence as a concubine, but it wouldn't be long before they would let her sit back in the position of the mistress of the Du residence, and so on.

It left her stunned.

"Mother, you didn't agree, did you?" Du Ruo asked hurriedly.

"No, Mother isn't senile. You've warned me several times, I'd have to be stupid to agree."

That's good, Du Ruo breathed a sigh of relief.

It was getting more and more bizarre. Promising the position of wife? Then what about Jiang Shi? Divorce or cast her aside? With Du Ren Mei's personality of not doing anything without profit, would he be willing to give up the title of a marquis's son-in-law?

If he was really willing, there was only one possibility—he could obtain greater benefits from Zheng Shi than from the marquis's residence.

But how could that be possible?

Du Ruo really couldn't figure it out, but it didn't matter. Anyway, just ignoring him was enough.

To be on the safe side, Du Ruo gave Zheng Shi another "preventive injection," incidentally mentioning the matter of Yang Dian Feng trying to kill her on the way, and finally framing it on Du Ren Mei.

Although she didn't think it was ordered by Du Ren Mei.

But Du Ren Mei could carry this rotten pot.

Sure enough, after hearing her daughter's encounter, Zheng Shi's face turned pale, and she was filled with lingering fear.

Then she hated Du Ren Mei completely, almost cursing him into excrement. Even a tiger doesn't eat its own cubs; that inhuman beast Du Ren Mei was simply worse than a pig or a dog!

She even swore that if she ever spoke another word to him, she would be a turtle king!

Du Ruo hurriedly stopped her, "No need to swear, Mother, I trust you."

What a joke, if Zheng Shi really became a turtle in the future, wouldn't she be a turtle's egg?

Ah, ptooey.

After a while, Zheng Qinghe, Jiang Sheng, and Tie Dan also returned, and the courtyard of the Jiang family's second branch became even more lively.

The last one to return was Jiang Wan.

Jiang Wan was sent back by Master Jiang.

Master Jiang didn't leave immediately, but called Du Ruo to the door, still with that poker face, "For the next twenty days, Wan'er doesn't need to go to school for classes."

Du Ruo just wanted to ask why, and the next second she suddenly realized.

"Third Uncle is preparing for the Prefectural Examination?"

"Correct," Master Jiang nodded, "The Prefectural Examination is held in Fengyang Prefecture. The journey is long, and it's an unfamiliar place, so we must set off a few days early."