Unable to help herself, she asked, "Who’s in charge at your home now?"
Her question was somewhat impolite. In ancient times, men took care of external affairs while women took care of household matters. Naturally, men were in charge of important business matters, but she couldn’t help asking anyway.
Ye Zi’an’s answer, however, was quite unexpected to outsiders.
"Of course, my wife is in charge."
Mu Shaofeng shook his head, looking at Ye Zi’an with some displeasure. "It seems that we still need to talk to Xiaxia about this."
Shen Qiu, who had been listening to their conversation, was conflicted. She was unhappy that Yang Chuxia hadn’t introduced her to the man in front of her. From his appearance, he seemed to be wealthy or of high status. If she couldn’t participate in the selection, it wouldn’t be too bad to have someone like him by her side.
His last name was Mu? Yang Chuxia asked if he was here to visit his cousin. The only person who lived in the Yang household and had the last name Mu was Divine Doctor Mu. It seemed that he was also from the Mu Family, but she didn’t know which branch he belonged to. Marrying into the Mu family would be much better than being with Yang Chuxia, even if it wasn’t as good as the palace.
In Shen Qiu’s heart, she always wanted to surpass Yang Chuxia.
Even when participating in the selection, her goal was to outperform Yang Chuxia.
"Indeed, my wife handles all the business matters."
Mu Shaofeng shook his head. "As a man, how can you let a woman take care of everything? After you’re married, you should take charge."
"You’re right and wrong at the same time," Ye Zi’an chuckled. "Of course, I want my wife to enjoy life, but... what does it have to do with you?"
Ye Zi’an originally wanted to say that the business at home also involved the shares of the Yang siblings and Yang Dayong. After all, he had the Ye surname. If he took over, the Yang siblings would naturally have no objection. But in the future, when they all had their own families, things might change. Unless they separated the business at that time, there would still be suspicions about his management.
However, it wasn’t appropriate to tell Mu Shaofeng this, so Ye Zi’an quickly changed the topic.
"You shouldn’t fuss, you never seemed to mind before. Your tone when talking to Mu Shaoling really is becoming more and more alike." Yang Chuxia teased, seeing him pouting.
She naturally knew Ye Zi’an’s thoughts on avoiding suspicion, and they had even discussed the matter before.
Moreover, Ye Zi’an was planning to take the Imperial Exam, so it wasn’t appropriate for him to take over the business.
"Oh, right. Did my cousin return to the capital city, or is he still in the county?"
At this point, Shen Qiu was overjoyed, confirming that he was from the Mu family, and his cousin was indeed Mu Shaoling.
"He’s in the county."
The few of them were chatting casually, completely ignoring Shen Qiu on the side. But Shen Qiu was attentive. Hearing that Mu Shaoling was in the county, she planned to return there first and seek him out. If he couldn’t help, she’d figure out something else.
Having made up her mind, she suddenly stood up.
Seeing everyone looking at her, she said somewhat embarrassedly, "Xiaxia, I’ve been here for quite a while now, and it’s time for me to go back. Otherwise, I won’t be able to reach the county by nightfall."
"Alright, you’d better leave early then and be careful on the road." Yang Chuxia then told Xiu’er, "Go to my mother and get some sugarcanes for Shen Qiu to take back. Share them with County Magistrate Shen and Uncle Bo so they can taste some fresh sugarcanes and visit our village when they have time."
"Xiaxia, thank you so much."
Shen Qiu was delighted at the mention of sugarcanes. She had heard of and seen them, but had never tasted them before. With that thought, she felt even more sour. Yang Chuxia was so lucky to be able to enjoy such good things.