Guan Xiaorou's Regret

Although Tang Dongdong had long been mentally prepared to marry Jin Feng, she still blushed when she discovered there was only one bed in the room.

"Are you kidding me?"

Jin Feng also had a dark expression on his face. He turned around to call for Aunt Liu, but Guan Xiaorou grabbed his sleeve.

"Husband... let's just squeeze in."

"Squeeze in? And if we end up with a baby, whose fault would it be?"

Jin Feng retorted irritably.

"You can blame whoever you want."

"Stop talking nonsense. Wait till I get back, I'll deal with you properly."

Jin Feng swatted Guan Xiaorou's head lightly, pushed her hand away, and ran off to catch up with Aunt Liu.

Guan Xiaorou shrunk her neck and stuck out her tongue playfully.

Seeing Jin Feng leave, she sighed in frustration, "Dongdong, didn't we agree on this at home? Why did you freeze up just now?"

"..."

Tang Dongdong twisted the corner of her clothes, silent.

"You, you!"

Guan Xiaorou stomped her foot, feeling both helpless and regretful.

They were so close to succeeding...

"Aunt Liu, why did you only prepare one room for us?"

Jin Feng caught up with Aunt Liu and asked with a bitter smile.

"Huh?"

Aunt Liu clearly misunderstood Jin Feng's meaning: "Young master, are you saying the bed is too small?"

"You've got it wrong. The one in the blue dress isn't my wife."

"I know, she's your concubine."

Aunt Liu suddenly understood: "Is the madam unwilling to sleep with the concubine?"

In their village, no matter how many concubines there were, they all slept together.

Most common folk only had one bed in their homes, and at most, they might add another bed when the children grew up.

It wasn't until she moved to the city that she learned some wealthy families' main wives refused to sleep with their concubines.

"Dongdong isn't my concubine either."

"If she's not your concubine, why did she come to send you off to the battlefield?"

Aunt Liu's curiosity was piqued, and she asked suggestively, "A lover? Young master, I know it's not my place to say this, but I must speak up now. If you've taken a liking to her, you should give her a proper status..."

"She's not my lover either!"

Jin Feng's face darkened: "She... she's more like a manager I hired to help me run my business."

"A female manager?"

Aunt Liu clearly didn't believe him: "Really?"

Jin Feng was on the verge of losing his temper: "Whether it's true or not, it's none of your business. Can you just prepare another room for me or not?"

"Of course! I'll go clean up the side room for you."

Seeing Jin Feng was about to lose his patience, Aunt Liu quickly ran off.

Zhong Wu, who was patrolling nearby, overheard their conversation and couldn't stop laughing, clutching his stomach. When he noticed Jin Feng's stern gaze, he quickly composed himself.

"Zhong Wu, has Aunt Liu always been like this?"

Jin Feng asked curiously.

Weren't servants in ancient times supposed to have low status?

How did Aunt Liu, with her nosy nature, manage to survive this long?

"Sir, Aunt Liu's son was once one of the Marquis's personal guards. He died protecting the Marquis. Knowing that Aunt Liu had no one else to rely on, the Marquis brought her to Qingfeng Villa to give her a means of living."

Zhong Wu explained: "The Marquis hasn't married yet, so there's no lady of the house to manage the servants. And you know the Marquis's temperament—he never makes things difficult for the servants. That's why they've become a bit lax. Please bear with it, and I'll have a word with Aunt Liu later."

"No need, it's fine."

Jin Feng shook his head.

He was just a guest, and there was no need to make a fuss over such a small matter with a poor old woman.

When he returned to the side room, Tang Dongdong was still there, chatting with Guan Xiaorou about the room's furnishings.

"Dongdong, Aunt Liu is cleaning up the side room. You can stay there later."

"Okay."

Tang Dongdong nodded: "Brother Feng, is there anything else you need to explain about the workshop?"

"Not really. Just keep doing what you've been doing while I'm away."

"Is Brother Liang going this time too? If he is, who will deliver the goods to the county?"

"I'm going with Mancang. Brother Liang will stay behind," Jin Feng said: "But while I'm away, don't let Brother Liang handle deliveries. Have him stay at home in case anything happens. You can discuss things with him.

For deliveries, let Brother Tie take over."

"Alright."

Tang Dongdong nodded: "Then I'll go find Aunt Liu."

"Dongdong, why don't we just squeeze in..."

Guan Xiaorou still wasn't ready to give up.

Tang Dongdong shook her head, her face red, and ran off.

"Husband, Dongdong is a girl. She's shy. Couldn't you have been a little more initiative?"

Guan Xiaorou watched Tang Dongdong run away, regretfully saying: "I had already talked to Dongdong at home. She's really willing to marry you. If you had just made a little effort, Dongdong would have stayed tonight."

"Wait, why are you so insistent on me marrying Tang Dongdong? Isn't it enough that I'm married to you?"

Jin Feng asked, puzzled.

Guan Xiaorou had brought up the topic of taking a concubine before, but she had never been as pushy as she was today.

Jin Feng felt like she was ready to tie Tang Dongdong to the bed herself.

"Husband, I know you're good to me, but..."

Guan Xiaorou trailed off, not finishing her sentence.

"But what? Just say it."

A thought suddenly crossed Jin Feng's mind, and he asked: "You're not... falling for Dongdong, are you?"

He had once read an online theory that many women have bisexual tendencies, which is why some close female friends engage in very intimate actions without feeling awkward.

Could Guan Xiaorou be...?

"Husband, how could you think of me like that?"

Guan Xiaorou denied it vehemently, even sounding a bit angry: "If you really think that, just throw me in the pig cage tomorrow."

"Why would I throw you in a pig cage?"

Seeing that Guan Xiaorou was genuinely upset, Jin Feng quickly said: "If you're not interested in Tang Dongdong, why are you so eager to push me into marrying her?"

"Because I'm useless..."

Guan Xiaorou pouted: "Husband, our workshop is getting bigger and bigger. We're spinning more thread every day, and Brother Liang is bringing back more and more goods from the county. But... I can't read, and I keep making mistakes with the accounts. Recently, the income and expenses have exceeded two thousand coins, and I just can't figure it out...

Husband, our family will earn even more money in the future, but when you're not home, I can't protect our family's wealth. If someone cheats me, I wouldn't even know..."

As the lady of the house, every time Zhang Liang returned from the county, he would go to her to settle the accounts. At first, when the amounts were small and the purchases were few, she could manage.

But now, with more purchases and increasingly complicated accounts, she couldn't keep up.

The better the workshop did, the more anxious Guan Xiaorou became.

And that led to today's events.

Jin Feng saw Guan Xiaorou's anxiety and gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, pulling her into his arms:

"Xiaorou, don't worry. When I get back, I'll teach you how to read and do accounts."

"I'm too stupid to learn, and you're leaving tomorrow..."

"While I'm away, just ask Dongdong to help you."

Jin Feng suggested.

"How can I do that?"

Guan Xiaorou sat up straight: "You haven't shared a bed with Dongdong, and there's no marriage certificate. She's not officially part of our family. She can help with the work, but how can I hand over the accounts to her?"