Suddenly being held so tenderly and sincerely thanked by her husband left Mu Qing momentarily stunned, then slightly awkward. “What are you talking about, Husband? This is all just what I should do.”
She had meant to express that, based on the contract they had signed, this fell within her responsibilities.
A business deal, after all, required fairness and mutual obligation.
Considering how much her husband had done to help her—successfully rescuing her from the crisis of nearly marrying Liu Feng—doing this small thing for him was more than reasonable.
Of course, that stepmother of his… was truly a difficult character to handle.
Still, judging by the pomp of her appearance, she probably wouldn’t be stepping out of her estate again anytime soon.
That would be ideal.
As per custom, the grander a lady’s status and rank, the more elaborate her household rules were. Ordinary wealthy merchant wives like her own mother might only go to temple once or twice a season; on regular days, lighting incense at the home altar sufficed.
But for a woman with such ostentation, her family likely wasn’t just any wealthy household—it was most likely a family of true capital nobility. Which meant even more rules and limitations. She probably wouldn’t show up again for another year or half a year.
Perhaps by the next time this stepmother chose to leave her house, her and her husband’s contract would already have expired—if they had already “amicably separated,” then naturally there’d be no need to deal with her again.
Because honestly, she was exhausting.
Whether one could get past her depended entirely on luck—Mu Qing truly didn’t want to go through that again.
She thought she’d expressed herself clearly enough, but seeing her husband’s increasingly touched expression, she suspected he might have misunderstood.
Still, it was rare to see this cold-faced beauty looking so moved. Mu Qing didn’t have the heart to expose the misunderstanding and simply gave a polite smile, intending to brush past the matter.
Unexpectedly, her husband didn’t seem inclined to let it go so lightly.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, “If you want to know, I can tell you everything.”
Mu Qing blinked, then quickly understood what he meant—after spending so much time with him, she’d gotten better at interpreting his cryptic and abrupt statements.
This sentence, without a doubt, referred to the “past” his stepmother had brought up earlier.
It was easy to imagine it being a long and twisted story.
To say she wasn’t curious at all would be a lie.
But she also understood clearly what she wanted—was it really worth entangling herself in this man’s past and potentially long future just to satisfy a bit of curiosity?
At this point, the answer was a firm no.
Still, since her husband had brought it up so seriously, she instinctively felt this wasn’t the time for a blunt rejection.
Even after all this time together, she still found him hard to read—and in situations like that, she preferred to avoid unnecessary risk.
After all, if handled poorly, it could seriously hurt someone’s feelings… and if he happened to be the obsessive, domineering type, it could get troublesome fast.
Thus, delicately managing the situation was a fine art.
Fortunately, she had some experience.
For someone as intelligent as her husband, she didn’t need any fancy tricks—a little tact would be enough.
With that in mind, Mu Qing smiled and chose not to answer directly. Instead, she asked, “Before that, I’d like to ask Husband two questions.”
Her husband paused slightly, then said, “Ask whatever you like.”
Mu Qing nodded and asked the first: “Does Husband have confidence in settling all the matters from your past?”
He hesitated briefly, then nodded.
Mu Qing smiled again. “That’s good. The second question: Will Husband encounter dangers like the one in Daohua Village again in the future?”
This time, he shook his head without hesitation. “No.”
Mu Qing chuckled lightly. “In that case, what need is there to dwell on the past? So long as the days ahead are peaceful, isn’t that enough?”
After all, the contract would expire in just a few months—and if he wanted to end it sooner, she wouldn’t mind… but if not, she’d stick to the agreed terms until the end.
These thoughts she didn’t say aloud. But her tone had made everything clear.
Sweet-sounding platitudes could be nice, but sometimes they just didn’t matter.
And once the conversation reached this point, there didn’t seem to be any need to continue further.
Mu Qing waited a while, but saw that her husband not only didn’t reply, he didn’t even release her hand. He just stood there, lost in thought.
Seeing this might drag on endlessly, Mu Qing cleared her throat and said, “Husband, it’s getting late. If we stand here in the cold any longer, we’ll miss dinner.”
Her husband finally let go of one hand, though he kept hold of the other and led her down the mountain.
On the ride back, the two sat across from each other in the carriage. There was no one else present, and the atmosphere was silent and awkward.
Just when Mu Qing thought she might suffocate from the tension, her husband finally couldn’t hold back and asked, “So, everything you said earlier… was all just to appease my mother?”
She hadn’t expected him to be so blunt. Flustered, she tried to salvage the situation. “Not all of it—one part was true.”
“Which part?”
“When I was a baby… there really was a white cat…”
Mu Qing said this softly, expecting her husband to be furious. But instead, he was quiet for a moment—then he smiled.
“I see.”
Wait… why was he reacting like this?
Shouldn’t he be angry?
Mu Qing was dazed again, but her husband said nothing more. Still, she couldn’t shake the sudden chill down her spine—as if a great predator had silently marked her.
They returned to the Mu residence in silence. Outwardly, everything seemed normal, but Mu Qing felt vaguely uneasy.
It was as if her husband was sad and angry—but he said nothing, and she didn’t know what to say to him either.
In moments like this, anything she said might be wrong.
She had intended to bring out their contract and have a frank talk once they got home—perhaps even end the agreement early.
But the moment she stepped inside, she was immediately surrounded by her mother and cousin.
Her husband, meanwhile, was pulled away by her younger brother—likely to continue their scholarly research.
Resigned, Mu Qing followed her mother and cousin to the back courtyard.
The wedding had been hastily thrown together the night before, and since Liu Feng had no relatives, there weren’t many post-wedding festivities.
Still, Mu Qing hadn’t expected that so soon after marrying, her cousin would make yet another major decision.
“Cousin, come help me look—these estate layouts, which one do you think is best?”
Dressed in bright red, her cousin Yan Hong looked positively radiant, her cheeks glowing with happiness.
Beaming, she waved Mu Qing over, spreading a stack of house plans on the table like treasures.
Mu Qing walked over and blinked in surprise. House plans?
She was still stunned when her mother said, “Yes, Miao-niang, come help your cousin choose. These are all good properties nearby. Your judgment is always sound—pick one for her.”
Mu Qing was baffled. “She’s buying a house?”
Yan Hong laughed. “Indeed. Since my husband will be studying at Baihe Academy for another two years, of course I’ll stay here with him. It’s not proper to keep living at Auntie and Cousin’s place. I figured the silver is just sitting there—might as well buy a house nearby. We’ll still be close and able to visit often.”
Her words were coherent, measured—completely different from her usual fiery nature. She had clearly thought it through, and Mu Qing couldn’t help being impressed.
She earnestly helped sift through the options and shortlisted a few with the best location and layout. Unsurprisingly, Yan Hong chose the one closest to Baihe Academy.
Even a blind man could see what she was up to.
Mu Qing sighed but said no more. After sitting a while longer, it was time for the family meal.
At dinner, seeing her husband behave as usual, Mu Qing’s heart slowly settled.
Yes, she’d perhaps gone too far in her earlier “performance,” but her husband was clever. Surely he knew the wise course of action.
Stick to the contract, take the payout, and walk away—what’s so bad about that?
Feelings? Those were expensive…
Mu Qing had always been pragmatic. Once she confirmed everything was fine, she quickly let it go. With the whole family present, she soon saw her new cousin-in-law, Liu Feng.
To her surprise, he also seemed completely changed.
Though only a few hours had passed, he no longer looked gloomy. He had regained his former confidence and smooth charm—the same self-assured air he’d had while lodging at the Mu household.
It was as if the battered, vacant-eyed man from last night was someone else entirely.
Mu Qing sighed inwardly. Truly worthy of being this world’s chosen “domineering protagonist”—to bounce back instantly from any setback was a truly enviable skill.
Since both her husband and Liu Feng appeared perfectly normal, and given the festive mood, the meal was warm and lively.
Still, Mu Qing noticed someone missing—her uncle from the Yan family was nowhere in sight.
When she looked puzzled, her mother quietly explained, “Your uncle was furious. He left early this morning—but before leaving, he tossed your cousin a banknote for one thousand taels…”
Mu Qing immediately understood.
Ah, that explained where her cousin got the money for a house.
But a mere thousand taels to wash his hands of her? Not likely.
After all, her aunt had brought a generous dowry into the Yan family. Though she had passed early, Mu Qing’s mother had helped manage all those assets for her cousin—no way would that stepmother Wang Shi be able to meddle easily.
That probably explained Liu Feng’s sudden change of attitude too.
Whether he married her or her cousin, either way he’d wed into wealth.
Both options would fund his ambitions.
So what was there to be dissatisfied about?
Since they had early class the next day, after lunch and a bit of chatting with her parents, Mu Qing left with her husband and younger brother.
Unexpectedly, Liu Feng came along too.
Apparently, not even newlywed bliss could keep him from his path to success.
The four of them split into two carriages. Mu Qing shared one with her brother—no complaints there.
But the peace didn’t last. When they reached the gates of Baihe Academy, they had to dismount and walk, per academy rules.
Just as Mu Qing climbed down to retrieve the luggage, her husband casually grabbed both bundles in one hand.
He had long legs and a quick stride—before she knew it, he had pulled far ahead, her little brother happily scampering behind him, calling back for her to hurry.
Mu Qing sighed and followed. Liu Feng passed by her without a word, icy and aloof.
She didn’t mind, and took her time at the rear.
But before she could reach the entrance, Qin Qin suddenly burst out from within.
Seeing her, the girl breathed a visible sigh of relief, then rushed forward, grabbed her hand, and whispered urgently, “Sister Qing, you’re finally back! Something big has happened. My father says… he wants to see you. Right now.”
