After Jiang Wanru untied the knot in her heart, Chu Xiao saw that her smile was radiant and natural, unlike when she first entered the door. Her expression relaxed, and for the time being, she didn't have the heart to worry about things that hadn't happened yet. Anyway, there was still more than a year's time, and she could slowly persuade Jiang Wanru. As for external matters, what did it have to do with her, a small woman, thinking so simply? He smiled at Jiang Wanru and asked: "I heard that the young master has two concubine maids who are quite to his liking?"

  Jiang Wanru was surprised to hear Chu Xiao's words, as she didn't expect him to be interested in such things about Lian Hua. She thought of the two maidservants, who had been trying to show off Lian Hua's considerate and affectionate treatment towards them in front of her these days. Smiling and nodding, she said: "Yes, according to what those two girls say, they seem to be quite to that gentleman's liking." Ming Yu and Ming Tuo, if not for their identities being revealed, were more elegant and refined than ordinary young ladies from good families in terms of their behavior.

  Chu Xiao glanced at Jiang Wanru, who was laughing as if nothing had happened, and reminded her in a soft voice: "You still have to stay in the Wang Mansion for more than a year. If those two have children, you'll become their mother overnight, and your nominal relationship will be impossible to sever." Jiang Wanru's eyes widened in surprise when she heard Chu Xiao's words, saying: "His legitimate wife hasn't even entered the door yet, and he would actually allow concubines to give birth first? I've seen those two masters now, they only have children born of their wives, I haven't heard that they have any children born of concubines."

  Chu Xiao listened to her words and observed her expression, she seemed completely unaware that she was now the legitimate wife of Lian Hua. Chu Xiao sighed inwardly, recalling how he and his wife had mentioned the rumors about Jiang's third miss in front of her multiple times, each time seeing her listen intently as if it were someone else's business, sometimes even nodding sympathetically. Now thinking back, she must have been using forgetfulness to numb herself, so that outside, she could live freely and at ease.

  Chu Xiao's eyes turned gloomy as he thought about it, and the couple secretly suspected many Jiang families. Neither of them had expected that she was actually the third miss of the Jiang family. When Chu Xiao saw Jiang Wanru in the Wang Mansion, he forcibly suppressed his emotional shock and appeared exceptionally calm, but his heart was turbulent. After returning home, when he thought about it again, his sworn sister was indeed the third miss of the Jiang family, and his indignation took a long time to suppress before he could face Chu Yang with a calm expression.

  Chu Xiao glanced at Jiang Wanru's current expression, covering up the sympathy in her eyes. She sighed softly and said: "According to the rules, the children born to concubines and maids are considered to be the children of their legitimate mothers. In general, aristocratic families would not allow illegitimate children to be born before the birth of a legitimate son. Unless the legitimate mother is infertile for a long time. But that master, he has been willful since childhood, no one knows what he will do. If he wants to allow concubines to give birth, others in the Wang Manor probably won't be able to object either. I'm just reminding you, so you can prepare yourself mentally."

  Jiang Wanmu nodded vigorously after hearing this. She wouldn't care about Lianhao and that woman having a child, as long as the child wasn't related to her. From now on, she didn't want to be involved with the Wang Manor anymore, let alone hold onto an empty title of legitimate mother. It seemed she had to carefully observe Mingyu and Mingtou's bellies; if there was even a slight abnormality, no matter what, she would have to leave the Wang Manor ahead of time. Jiang Wanmu took a deep breath and said: "Thank you, brother, for reminding me. I will pay attention to this matter. No matter what, I don't want to bear this title."

  Chu Xiao saw Jiang Wan's understanding and said to the outside, "Chu Chui, come in." After Chu Chui entered, he bowed to Chu Xiao and Jiang Wan, saying, "Master, please instruct." Chu Xiao looked at Jiang Wan and asked, "What dish do you want to eat?" Jiang Wan shook her head lightly and said, "Brother Yi, you order, I'm not picky." Chu Xiao nodded and said to Chu Chui, "I heard the restaurant has some new dishes, have them send it up for us to try. Also, bring a pot of good tea and let Xiaozhen serve herself."

  Chu Dui nodded and wrote it down, looking at Chu Xiao and smiling at Jiang Wanru: "Little lazy miss, do you want sweet or savory desserts after dinner?" Jiang Wanru glanced at Chu Xiao's expression, thought for a moment, and said: "Don't have too sweet desserts." Chu Dui smiled and left, and after the door closed, Jiang Wanru sighed and said: "Brother Dui is still only willing to show me a big smile when he's in front of his sworn brother." Chu Xiao glanced at her and said: "You and your sister-in-law both love staring at him, how can you expect him to laugh openly in front of you?"

  Jiang Wanmu burst out laughing and said, "This has nothing to do with me and my sister-in-law. I thought my sister-in-law had seen Chu Kui's smiling face, but it turns out that neither of us had seen his smiling face." Chu Kui had been by Chu Xiao's side since childhood, and Jiang Wanmu had known her since she was a little servant girl. As for Chu Yangshi, who had married Chu Xiao several years ago, she was naturally interested in this loyal and devoted attendant by his side. However, no matter who it was, Chu Kui's face always seemed frozen, with the exception of when he was in front of Chu Xiao, where he would show a smile.

  Chu Xiao gave a sidelong glance at Jiang Wanru, who was smiling with her eyes open, and shook her head saying: "Little lazy one, do you have any long-term plans for after leaving the Wang Fu?" This question left Jiang Wanru looking bewildered. In the past, she had been waiting to get married in the Jiang family, thinking that maybe she could have a real home. When she entered the Wang Fu, she only thought about leaving and traveling around to see the world. She shook her head lightly and said: "I'll just take things one step at a time. As for my future, it seems like there's nothing much to look forward to now."

  Chu Xiao gazed at Jiang Wanru, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he said in a low voice: "Xiao Lan, you've always loved writing, and outside, you use the name Jiang Xiaolan. The current emperor highly values people with multiple talents, allowing them to use pseudonyms for external activities, purchasing houses, and shops. I'll think of a way to get you a Jiang Xiaolan's permit, attached to Jiang Wanru's name. You just need to hand over your household register to me, and this matter can be settled."

  Jiang Wanru's eyes suddenly lit up, and she remembered that when the owner of the bookstore helped her buy the store, he used Jiang Xiaolan's name. He only reminded her by saying: "Xiaolan, if there is any trouble in the future, I am willing to come forward to prove your identity for you. However, if your family members have a way to go to the government office to apply for an alias, all matters will be proper and legitimate." She looked at Chu Xiao and said: "Brother Yi, can I use Jiang Xiaolan's name openly and honestly in front of people? Will this matter be very difficult to handle?"

  Chu Xiao nodded and said, "If you have the heart, this matter can definitely be done. I'll think of a way to find someone to prove it for you." Jiang Wanru hurriedly asked, "What kind of person can prove that I can use an alias?" Chu Xiao thought carefully and said, "I've heard that the owner of a certain bookstore can provide such proof. He has many people under his name, and the government believes in his testimony. However, I'm not familiar with him, so I'll have to think of a way to find someone who is familiar with him and ask for his help."

  Jiang Wanmu was overjoyed and said with a smile: "Brother, I'm familiar with him. The two shops on South Street were bought by him in the name of Jiang Xiaolan. I'll go talk to him about what needs to be proven, but for the rest, I'll need your help. I don't want others to know about the relationship between Jiang Xiaolan and the third miss of the Jiang family." Chu Xiao had always known that Jiang Wanmu made a living by writing and earning some extra silver, but he never thought she was so well-connected as to be familiar with the owner of a bookstore, and their relationship was close enough for him to help her purchase shops.

  Chu Xiao looked at Jiang Wanru with some discontent and said, "You never mentioned these things to us before." Jiang Wanru thought hard and shook her head, saying, "I did mention it to you and your sister. I told you that on the day of my wedding, I had two shops in South Street, one was a partnership and the other was mine alone. Both shops opened on the same day." Chu Xiao looked at her and said, "We thought those were dowries given by your family, and we even said that your family didn't treat you poorly after all. Who would have thought that it was actually your own savings, secretly accumulated to buy the shops?"

  Jiang Wanmu looked at Chu Xiao's dark face, thinking that she still had a big thing hidden from him, so she might as well mention it to him first. With a troubled expression, she said: "Brother Yi, I've known the owner of Youjian Bookstore for a long time, and he's always been very good to me. However, there are rules in every industry, and I promised him that I would keep secrets. Those things can't be told directly to you all, at least not for five years. Not even mentioning it to anyone is allowed. When I'm able to speak about it in the future, I absolutely won't hide it from you and your wife."

  Chu Xiao listened to Jiang Wan's words and thought of the times she had helped him with his writing, looking at her with a hint of understanding. "Little Lazy, I've never seen you write before. Why don't I have someone bring over some brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, and you can write a few characters for me to see?" Jiang Wan's face twisted into a bitter smile as she looked at him. "One of the rules is that I absolutely cannot write in front of people, including writing small characters. However, there's still one year left on this rule before it expires. As for writing big characters, there are still five years left. Besides, I don't want anyone to know that I actually recognize and can write characters."

  Jiang Wanmu looked at her own hands as she spoke, and they didn't seem to be much different from those of an ordinary woman. Although she wasn't skilled with needlework, she was quite sensitive to the feel of various brushes. Chu Xiao also stared at her hands, but there didn't seem to be anything special about them. However, since the owner of the bookstore treated her so well, her writing skills must have been exceptional. She was still young and straightforward, a woman without any background, and if it wasn't profitable for him, the owner wouldn't have taken such care with her.

  Chu Mai followed the shop assistant to deliver food, and saw that Chu Xiao and Jiang Wanmu were both staring at their hands. After he came in, the two of them looked up at the three shop assistants who brought the meal. Chu Xiao took a look at the food, and after seeing the shop assistant retreat, said to Chu Mai: "Xiao Lan is not an outsider, you two come in and have a meal together." Chu Mai's face was filled with gratitude, saying: "Master, we'll eat later, eating with you will make us worry about outside, and it won't be enjoyable." Jiang Wanmu heard this and laughed, Chu Xiao smiled and shook his head, saying: "Alright, then you go out."

  Chu Xiao hinted to Jiang Wanru to have a meal, saying: "Quickly try this new dish, if it's delicious, come again next time. Unfortunately, I couldn't let you see your nephews now, they're too young and don't know how to keep secrets." Jiang Wanru smiled and nodded, listening to Chu Xiao say in a very soft voice: "You need to prove yourself with the owner of Youjian Bookstore, no need to mention who helped you. From now on, use Jiang Xiaolan's name to live on, hoping you can live better than the third miss of the Jiang family." Jiang Wanru nodded vigorously and said: "I will live well, at least not letting you and sister-in-law down."

  Introducing two books: "Happiness is Actually Very Simple" - Rebirth can also be simple to find happiness. "Reborn in 1976" - Holding a bun to find an old husband.

  Thank you: a wooden "crossing is also happy" sent 100 starting coins as a gift, jlfr drank water and thought of the source, voted 2 pink votes, wings broke and sent 100 starting coins as a gift. Thank you to book friends for their continued support. (If you like this work, welcome to Qidian () to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

  Hard study