Lin Xiaoyue looked at her, thinking of her three scheming sisters, and then thinking of the purpose of her trip, her heart was unusually heavy.
Wen Wan wiped Jinbao’s nose, wondering if the little guy had caught a cold after the bath earlier; she reached out to feel his forehead.
Fortunately, the forehead wasn’t hot.
Apart from that sneeze, the little guy seemed perfectly fine.
From birth to his first birthday, Jinbao only coughed a few times on the journey to the Capital due to the climate change from south to north, but it wasn’t serious. The doctor prescribed some medicine, and he recovered after taking it a few times.
Most of the time, he hadn’t been sick.
Even his mother-in-law said that naming him "Jinbao" was a good choice, as a strong name helps ward off illness and misfortune.
Shifting her gaze from her son, Wen Wan looked at Lin Xiaoyue, "You didn’t come today just for a chat, did you?"
Lin Xiaoyue tugged at the corner of her mouth, "That day on the street, I intended to talk to you, but my husband stopped me. Afterward, I thought about it and felt that since we were classmates, it’d be better to be honest, to avoid awkwardness in future meetings. Anyway, you know my nature; I’ve come this far, and I don’t like hiding anything."
Wen Wan had no objections to this.
The accidental encounter outside the cloth shop made her aware that she and Lin Xiaoyue would eventually need to talk, and she had already prepared herself for it.
Seeing Wen Wan remain silent, Lin Xiaoyue continued, "Before I came, I already knew your identity."
If she didn’t know, she wouldn’t have reached out on her own.
"You probably don’t know who I am, right?" Lin Xiaoyue cast her eyes on Wen Wan’s calm face.
With such honesty from the other, Wen Wan didn’t want to hide anything further, "When you visited me at Hongwen Academy, coincidentally, Su Yaoqi was there. You said he was your relative, so I guessed you had a connection with the Su Family, but I never inquired about the exact nature of that connection, so I truly don’t know who you are."
"My husband and the Prime Minister are half-brothers from different mothers." Lin Xiaoyue said, "He is the youngest of the previous generation in the Su Family, ranking seventh."
Upon hearing this, Wen Wan was momentarily stunned.
She had considered that Lin Xiaoyue might be a Young Madam of the Su Family Mansion, on par with Hao Yun and Su Yu, but she hadn’t expected her to be of the senior generation. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥
"Are you surprised?" Lin Xiaoyue noticed her reaction and couldn’t help but laugh, "Actually, I was quite surprised to learn your identity. Before, I just assumed you were the daughter of some household who had changed her name to join Hongwen Academy, never thinking you would be the wife of last year’s third-place scholar in the imperial examination."
These words carried a subtle hint of regret.
Wen Wan quickly connected the dots and asked, "Was your husband implicated in the coal mine case?"
Lin Xiaoyue’s hands, resting on her legs, slightly curled up.
She hadn’t intended to bring this up in front of Wen Wan, only planned to clarify her identity, have some tea, chat about household matters, and consider it a last farewell, regardless of being classmates or friends, to part on good terms.
Unexpectedly, despite her attempts to avoid it, the other party brought up the topic first.
Lin Xiaoyue didn’t answer directly, only saying, "Wen Wan, thank you for staying after class every day to help me organize the key points from the teacher’s lectures. Now that my break has ended, I can’t return to Hongwen Academy, and I’m afraid I’ll disappoint your good intentions."
In Wen Wan’s view, there was nothing to apologize for. She was not quick to grasp new concepts, and reviewing by helping Lin Xiaoyue copy key points was actually beneficial to her. Moreover, she cherished the opportunity to study at Hongwen Academy, being able to learn things she didn’t understand, revisiting them for a different understanding. She didn’t find it hard at all.
"With a child, many things can’t just be done as one pleases." Wen Wan said, "When you said you needed a three-month leave, I thought, after three months, you’d no longer have morning sickness, but then you’d start showing, and the noticeable fatigue during pregnancy made it unlikely you’d manage a full day of classes if you returned. I considered advising you to give up, but seeing your strong-willed nature, I feared mentioning it would upset you, so I kept quiet."
Listening to this, Lin Xiaoyue felt a bit embarrassed, "Even if you had been earnest in persuading me then, I wouldn’t have listened."
Since she was a child, she had a proud and headstrong personality, often scolding servants for doing things not to her liking. Besides, she loved to compare and compete with others.