Chapter 7 Has He Gone Mad_2

Sang Wan gently nodded and said with a soft "Oh", "You must be tired, my dear! I specifically instructed the kitchen to prepare a few of your favorite dishes for lunch, please eat more!"

Seeing her smiling so gently and gracefully, leisurely and naturally, as harmonious as an actual family member, Shi Fengju's awkwardness gradually faded away. Indeed, why should he feel uneasy and unnatural? They had already cleared the air last night, so why not face each other openly?

"Let's eat!" Shi Fengju smiled, glanced at the dining table and seeing indeed all his favorite dishes, he said, "From now on, you don't need to trouble yourself like this, just order whatever you like to eat! Don't just cater to my preferences!"

Sang Wan smiled slightly, sat down and responded, "I don't have any particular preferences, our Sang family isn't that particular!"

Shi Fengju was momentarily stunned, smiled, and did not say anymore. He of course knew about the Sang family's situation, but what he didn't expect was for Sang Wan to speak so openly and confidently about it in front of him, which made him secretly admire her even more.

After all, even men could hardly express such a sentiment so freely, her character was indeed rare!

After lunch, Shi Fengju commanded Xingzhi to gather all the servants of Ningyuan to pay respect to the new mistress, as this would be the place she would be calling home from now on. He couldn't allow her to be underestimated by others.

Sang Wan was quite surprised, genuinely confused about what had gotten into Shi Fengju's head for him to suddenly start considering her feelings so proactively! Naturally, she was overjoyed!

Once Shi Fengju made his stance known, the maids and older female servants in Ningyuan showed much more respect towards Sang Wan. Many were anxious about their previous mishaps, worried that the new mistress would hold grudges and make things difficult for them, hence they became even more diligent and careful.

Sang Wan instructed Liu Ya to bring out the gifts she had prepared, which were purses of different colors, embroidered with various auspicious patterns and adorned with tassels, containing some scattered silver coins. The Sang family was just about getting by, hence Sang Wan's gifts couldn't be too lavish; the amount of silver in each purse varied from the most at two coins to the least at two portions of a coin, which for the servants of the Shi family, wasn't much at all! In her past life because of this, she earned a reputation for being stingy and lost the hearts of the servants; today, the amount she could give was still the same.

"This mistress can only offer so much, aiming for good fortune and celebration—this is the honest truth, not just lip service! Keep them if you don't disdain them! If you do your jobs well, rely on the young master's wealth in the future to properly reward you!" said Sang Wan half-seriously and half-jokingly.

The crowd couldn't help but laugh after hearing this, and Shi Fengju also smiled slightly.

The stir of unhappiness in everyone's hearts vanished like smoke. They all knew the state of the Sang family's finances; it was just for a bit of festive luck! Who in the service here truly lacked that bit of money? Moreover, the mistress had spoken up confidently, implying better things were to come in the future, so why worry about the lack of benefits?

Even the young master had approved of these words.

"Since the mistress has said so, let us have the kitchen prepare two tables for a feast tonight, you go and enjoy it! Tell the kitchen to charge it to my account! Xingzhi, you arrange it!" said Shi Fengju, maintaining a spirit of seeing things thoroughly and humorously.

The servant's eyes lit up, smiles spreading across their faces, pleased by the young master's generosity. Thinking that this was spoken for the sake of the mistress, they looked at Sang Wan with even greater respect than before.

Liu Ya too was delighted, smiling more broadly than anyone else.

Seeing that the act was almost over, Shi Fengju felt a bit restrained and uneasy staying too close to Sang Wan, so he made an excuse and left for another matter. Sang Wan and the others promptly stood up to see him off. Afterwards, they surrounded Sang Wan back to her residence, their attentiveness multiplied.

Sang Wan did not miss this excellent opportunity to win hearts, and chatted warmly with everyone for a good while before finally dismissing them. She secretly sighed to herself, reflecting on the events of her past life, acknowledging her own responsibility in being too rigid and passive! If not for the poignant lesson of her previous tragic death, perhaps in this life, she might not have changed her nature!

In the evening, they dined together in the main courtyard of Mrs. Wang, performing another act of a harmonious and respectful married couple. Mrs. Wang was very relieved and smiled frequently in approval.

It must be said that Mrs. Wang had initially rejected the marriage, but as soon as the thought arose she immediately suppressed it. After all, this was the last wish of her father-in-law and husband, and as a daughter-in-law and wife, she had to uphold their decision. This was the last thing she could do for them, unless Sang Wan was a disabled person missing limbs or a notorious evil woman in the village, otherwise, she was determined to welcome her into the family! As for other issues, they would have to be temporarily put aside!

Gu Fangzi also conveyed a subtle good will and friendliness, occasionally smiling at Sang Wan affectionately. Each time she smiled, Sang Wan courteously smiled back, fully aware of her ulterior motives, but if someone else was putting on an act, why couldn't she play along?

In the evening when only the two of them were left in the room, they inevitably felt a bit awkward.

That night, the small partition in the outer room had a maid on night duty, clearly making it impossible for Shi Fengju to sleep in the outer room like the previous night. As a newly married husband, he couldn't possibly sleep in the study either.

For a moment, he seemed more troubled than Sang Wan.

"It's getting late! You sleep on the bed, I'll sleep on the floor!" Shi Fengju quickly made up his mind, quietly took bedding from the cabinet and laid it on the carpet in front of the couch, took off his robe, pulled over the blanket, and was about to lie down when he suddenly looked up at Sang Wan, hesitating to speak.