Chapter 51: Tang Mo's Attentiveness

Chapter 51: Tang Mo's Attentiveness

Tang Mo was somewhat tempted by Xin An's suggestion; he indeed lacked a clever errand runner by his side. "I'll ask around later."

Watching from not far away, the Old Lady and Lady Wang were delighted to see Tang Mo and Xin An getting along so harmoniously. The Old Lady even said proudly, "I told you they were a good match. They can talk about the same things and enjoy the same activities; that is fate."

Lady Wang nodded with a smile. Having had no household matters or worries to deal with these past few days, her mood had brightened significantly. Seeing her son and daughter-in-law getting along so well made her even happier, though she said, "It's just that they both love to play. They caught some wild game on the mountain yesterday and said they wanted to roast and eat it this afternoon. It looks like they're having so much fun they don't want to go back."

"They also picked up a bunch of colorful mushrooms; I'm not sure if they're edible."

The Old Lady didn't want to go back either. She felt that living on this manor was quite nice—the vast sky, the fresh air, and the novelty of it all made it much more comfortable than living in Chunrong Hall. "You two go back in a few days. The household cannot be left without someone in charge, but I shall stay here a bit longer."

Lady Wang pressed her hand to her forehead; it seemed once she arrived, she didn't want to leave. "Even though it's nice here, it's not as convenient as the manor. I won't feel at ease leaving you here alone. Why don't I stay here for a short while to accompany you? We can leave the household management to the second daughter-in-law. I think she has some talent in managing a household."

The Old Lady did not agree. She had brought her here to relax, hoping to ease the relationship between the couple. It wouldn't be right to stay at the manor indefinitely without returning.

"You should go back too. The second daughter-in-law is young after all, and she doesn't know much about the household affairs. If you, as the mother-in-law, want to rest, you'll have to wait a bit."

"It's settled then. I'll stay for another half month and then return."

Lady Wang was still uneasy. She turned and instructed someone to return to the manor to bring more items the Old Lady might need, and to send the family physician. Additionally, she needed to arrange for several guards to ensure everything was thoroughly prepared.

The people who had returned were Auntie Wang's husband and son. They had come to oversee the manor's fields. After careful inspection for several days, they found no issues; the soil was fertile, the crops were growing well, and everything was neatly maintained. There were no dishonest workers on the manor, so since there was nothing for the two of them to do, they might as well return early to arrange the renovations of the main residence.

"Good, quick! Ershan, chase after them! Hurry!"

The boys' football match had reached a fever pitch. Tang Mo stood up excitedly, hands on his hips, shouting loudly from the sidelines. Xin An was also visibly excited, though fortunately, she didn't stand up and wave her arms. Lady Wang felt even more helpless and said to the Old Lady, "With him like this, I don't expect him to achieve any great greatness. As long as the couple can live a stable life, avoid causing trouble, and be more filial, that will be enough."

The Old Lady smiled. "How many people are destined for greatness? Being able to live a smooth life is an achievement in itself."

"Come, let's go fishing by the lotus pond."

The Old Lady had become obsessed with fishing. Whenever a fish bit the hook, she would get as excited as a child and could fish for half a day straight.

At dusk, they roasted the wild game. Ershan arranged a group of boys to do the work, and they did it quite professionally. While waiting for the meat to cook, Tang Mo asked Ershan if he wanted to follow him. Ershan nodded without hesitation. "I do. Can I bring one more person?"

Tang Mo originally thought he would bring a playmate, but it turned out to be a young girl. "To be honest, Master, I have a large family and I am ranked second. My father dotes on my brother, and my grandfather dotes on my younger brother. I am caught in the middle and loved by neither. My family thinks I'm too wild. Among the three brothers, I do the most work, eat the least, and wear the oldest clothes. My cousin is named Xia'er, and she has it even worse. Seeing that the Prince was not in the capital and the manor was unattended, my family secretly sold her. If Manager Yang hadn't discovered it and chased her back, she might have been beaten to death."

"Our lives now are no different from livestock. We live in a woodshed, eat the worst food, do the most work, and get beaten all day. If you could take my sister with you, my sister and I will only ever recognize you and the Young Madam as our masters for the rest of our lives."

Ever since he knew the Master was coming, he had been putting his best foot forward. One could say he had exhausted all his efforts these past few days, just waiting for this opportunity. His family was biased; he couldn't finish the work, had nothing to eat, and felt deeply wronged.

Tang Mo did not agree immediately, saying he needed to consider it. Ershan was somewhat disappointed, but subsequently worked even harder to impress him.

Xin An did not particularly like the charred, tough wild game, but she loved the atmosphere. The sunset filled the sky as birds returned to their nests, and everyone was laughing. Even the dog wagged its tail happily. She found herself smiling along unconsciously. Tang Mo handed her a roasted rabbit leg, glistening with oil. "Look, I had them marinate it and deep-fry it first, then I roasted it just now. It's crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and well-seasoned."

Knowing that although she wasn't from a prestigious noble family, she had been raised in wealth and naturally hadn't eaten such rustic food, Tang Mo would never admit he was catering to her preferences. He was simply thanking her for mentioning the matter of Prince Jin, which had provided him with a path toward advancement.

Xin An did not refuse. She took it, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and took a bite. It was indeed crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a great flavor. Seeing her struggling to eat, Tang Mo snatched the rabbit leg from her hand, placed it on a plate, took out a knife, and in a few quick motions, stripped the meat and cut it into small pieces before handing the plate back to her. "Eat."

"I'm telling you, a leg should be gnawed on directly to get the full flavor. If you don't believe me, take another bite; the taste will be different from just now."

Xin An didn't believe him. It was the same leg; how could gnawing it directly be different from eating it cut up?

She picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of meat, and put it in her mouth to savor it. With a suspicious look in her eyes, she realized it really wasn't as fragrant as before. Tang Mo smiled triumphantly. "See? You're no expert at eating like I am. Next time, I'll buy a crispy fried chicken to eat in the room and just tear off the legs and gnaw on them. That's the real way."

Xin An put down her chopsticks; she didn't have much expertise in food. "In the future, if there is anything delicious to eat or drink, remember to bring me along."

Thinking about how in her past life she had barely even stepped out of the Marquis's manor gates, busy every single day, let alone researching food, she felt it was quite a waste.

Tang Mo spoke animatedly, but he hadn't eaten much of the roasted game himself, likely finding the flavor lacking. Instead, he ate the rest of Xin An's rabbit meat. When they lay in bed that night, he spoke of the need to return. They had originally come for a short stay, and the matter of Prince Jin had been an unexpected bonus. "I need to go to the Northern Guard camp early, and I also need to go back to push my second uncle regarding his matters."

"If we aren't there, won't those two next door turn the place upside down?"

Xin An was somewhat reluctant to return, but thinking that if she slacked off today, there would be even more work tomorrow, she said, "Let's go back. I had Uncle Wang inspect the manor thoroughly, and he said it is well-managed. You also checked the ledgers; the people Prince Jin selected are indeed useful, so there is no need to change them. From now on, we only need to ask about the situation when Manager Yang goes into town once a month to collect his wages."

Tang Mo hummed in agreement, but suddenly felt his stomach was uncomfortable. Having suddenly eaten a bunch of miscellaneous things, his stomach couldn't handle it. "Ouch, I can't do this, my stomach hurts."