Hanqiao gently helped her beat her sore legs and said: "Madam, I have sent people out to inquire in the past few days. Madam Tong has always lived in seclusion. Now, although the medical clinic has a sign, it has not been opened. People come to visit her. People will basically be turned away.
"The only way the eldest girl has contact with Mrs. Tong is probably because of the Guo family. The girl from the Guo family seemed to have some unspeakable physical problems, so she privately invited Mrs. Tong to see a doctor. The eldest girl had a good relationship with the girl from the Guo family, and she had even I once stayed at her hot spring villa, and I think that’s how I got involved with Mrs. Tong.”
"First it was Prince Rui's Mansion, then it was the Guo Family, and now there is Lady Tong. Shen Tianshu's little hooves are really good at it. I really misjudged her before!"
Mrs. Xu turned over and let out several uncomfortable groans.
Recently, she always felt that her body was getting heavier day by day, and she was gradually losing her energy. She looked a bit like when she got sick later in the year, but it was not as serious.
"Is Madam Tong still closed to the public?"
"My servant has arranged for someone to guard her there, but it seems that Madam Tong is not at home. She has never been seen."
"Let me continue to stare at you. Once you find Mrs. Tong, I will come to your door immediately with a greeting card." Mrs. Xu was irritated, turned over and said, "Give me a few rubs on your back. I always feel stuffy and uncomfortable in the back today. "
While helping her rub her vest, Hanqiao made her happy and said, "Madam, you don't have to worry about these trivial matters all the time. In two days, the college will have a holiday and the young master will go home."
"Yes, Yuan Lin is coming back!" Mrs. Xu immediately became energetic after hearing this, "I was counting the days a few days ago, but as it gets closer, I forget about it."
"Isn't that right? We'll leave early the day after tomorrow and get home in the evening. And this vacation is long, so I can stay longer when I get back!"
Shen Yuanlin was sent to Huguang's most famous Sanyi Academy by Shen Zhonglei last year to study. Although it is located in Hengzhou Prefecture, not far from Yongzhou, the academy has strict management and only lets students go home once every two months for holidays.
Normally, there are only five days to go back and forth, but this time it coincides with the Qingming Festival. In order to facilitate students who are far away from home to go back to worship their ancestors, the holiday lasts for half a month.
Thinking that her son was coming back, Mrs. Xu immediately felt less uncomfortable and her mood improved a lot.
Hanqiao saw that Mrs. Xu was in a good mood at this time and took the opportunity to say: "Madam, I dare to say something out of line. You and the master have been at odds for too long this time. Why don't you take advantage of the young master's return this time to ease the relationship?" !”
When Mrs. Xu heard this, her originally happy expression suddenly became startled, and her whole body became hesitant.
If it had been in the past, she would have actively tried to find ways to repair her relationship with Shen Zhonglei.
But this time, several things happened one after another, which made her feel that the gap between herself and Shen Zhonglei was getting bigger and bigger.
She even couldn't help but suspect that in Shen Zhonglei's heart, she was not Xu Yurou at all, but just Mrs. Shen.
Behind Mrs. Shen, it could be Xu Yurou or someone else. To Shen Zhonglei, it didn't seem to make any difference.
Hanqiao saw Mrs. Xu's ambiguous attitude and thought she was still angry, so she continued to persuade her gently: "Madam has been with the master for so many years, and she should know that the master is a soft-hearted and nostalgic person. As long as the wife is willing to be soft, , plus the young master is standing next to Cheng Huan, and most of the master’s anger can be eliminated in one shot.
"What's more, this year is a crucial year for whether I can be promoted. No matter in public or private life, I definitely want the stability of my family. As long as my wife stops getting angry with me and gives me a step, I can still be in trouble." Come down?"
The first half of what she said has penetrated into Mrs. Xu's heart. She doesn't want to be harmonious as a husband and wife, but now there are more and more gaps between them, and they are getting bigger and bigger. She doesn't know how to bridge them. Take action.
But the second half of Hanqiao's words hit home the reality that Xu was least willing to face.
She has always known in her heart that Shen Zhonglei never had the same passionate feelings for her as he did for his first wife Liu Yaxuan, and he just lived a step-by-step life.
But what she wanted was never just the title of Mrs. Shen, but a real husband and wife who were harmonious and loved by someone.
Thinking of this, Mrs. Xu's mood, which had just improved, sank again. She turned over and faced the bed and said, "Okay, I know what's going on, let's get off!"
At night, Mrs. Xu tossed and turned alone, feeling very sad, but she knew clearly what she should do.
Early the next morning, although she looked tired, she had already sorted out her mood.
After breakfast, he started to ask people to clean up the house, dry the bedding, buy the food that Shen Zhonglei and Shen Yuanlin liked to eat, and ordered the servants in the house to run around.
In order to show her kindness, that night, Mrs. Xu asked the chef to prepare some of Shen Zhonglei's favorite side dishes and sent Hanqiao to him in the front study.
When Hanqiao came to the study room in front with the food box, Shen Zhonglei was drinking alone in the room.
When he saw her coming, he didn't react at all.
Hanqiao gritted her teeth and stepped forward with a smile on her face and said: "Master, my wife specially asked the chef to make a few of your favorite side dishes. Look, what a coincidence, it's just for you to drink."
As she spoke, she opened the food box, took out several side dishes one by one, and placed them on the table in front of Shen Zhonglei.
Shen Zhonglei raised his head and drank the wine from the glass. He reached for the wine bottle and happened to touch Han Qiao's hand that had not yet been withdrawn.
He was already tipsy now, and he subconsciously closed his fingers to hold his delicate hand in his palm.
Shen Zhonglei has the hands of a typical literati, slender and delicate, with only a few thin calluses where he holds the pen.
His palms were hot and slightly sweaty.
Hanqiao immediately blushed with embarrassment, and half of her body couldn't help but feel a little weak.
She called out in a soft voice: "Master——"
Shen Zhonglei kneaded it twice as if he was confused. The catkins in his palm were tender and smooth.
Then he suddenly woke up, let go of Hanqiao's hand, grabbed the wine bottle, and said: "Okay, you can go back!"
"Yes, please leave!" Hanqiao tried her best to calm down, packed up the food box, and turned to leave.
After walking out of the study, she couldn't help but raise her right hand in front of her face and look at it carefully.
There was a temperature that did not belong to her, and there was still some damp sweat on her hands.
But it didn't make her feel bored. Instead, she felt like someone was tickling her heart.
Hanqiao's right hand slowly clenched into a fist, as if trying to retain the heat that was slowly dissipating in the night wind.
She had been thinking about how to find another way out for the past few months, and today she seemed to have finally found the perfect answer.