Her Imperfection for Wifehood - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Wei Zhengqing had no objection to his daughter bringing tea to An Jing and An Xi. However, the tea could not be sent for nothing, and his daughter certainly could not be offered up for free.

“When you go to the An house the day after tomorrow, besides the tea, help me bring a letter to Boss Jing.”

“Yes, Father.”

After Wei Zhengqing and his wife returned to their room, Wei Yinxia figured An Jing would have arrived home. She pulled out the handkerchief on which An Jing had written her number from under her pillow and dialed the phone.

It was An Jing who answered, having just entered the house a short while ago: “Hello, who is this?”

An Jing’s voice made Wei Yinxia’s heart skip a beat. She called out softly: “Ah Jing, it’s me.”

“Yinyin?” An Jing was overjoyed and spoke incoherently: “Are you, are you calling for me? You’re not looking for An Xi, are you? What do you need to say? Are you asking if I got home safely? Or…”

Wei Yinxia chuckled lightly: “Boss Jing is so flustered. Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at by Young Master Xi and Wanyun? Who else would I call if not you?”

“It’s the first time receiving a call from my beloved. Am I not allowed to be nervous?”

The corners of Wei Yinxia’s mouth couldn’t stop turning up: “I told Father I’ll go to your house the day after tomorrow to deliver the tea.”

As soon as she finished, she hung up the phone.

An Jing held the receiver, checked it, and confirmed the call was ended. She smiled and shook her head.

The day after tomorrow.

It was going to be another good day.

An Xi leaned out from the third floor and called down: “Sis, the day after tomorrow is Sunday. Ruyue’s birthday is Monday. I want to throw a surprise birthday party for her here a day early…”

Birthday?

When was Yinyin’s birthday? She hadn’t even asked yet.

The day after tomorrow…

An Xi liked Ruyue, just as she liked Yinyin. Putting herself in his shoes, she nodded: “You can. Let Uncle Li, Aunt Zhang, and Wanyun help you set it up. Don’t be cheap about it.”

“Second Miss Wei is Ruyue’s friend. I will invite her,” An Xi said conscientiously, withdrawing his head. “Last time, I promise.”

An Jing thought about it, but didn’t tell him that Wei Yinxia would be coming to their house even without his invitation.

The sun rose and the moon set. An Jing felt that every day without Wei Yinxia was slower than usual, but business could not be neglected.

The An family mansion was huge. An Xi set up birthday decorations on the front lawn and inside the house.

After lunch, he personally drove to pick up Ruyue and her brother.

Meanwhile, Wei Yinxia arrived at the An house early, wanting to spend as much time as possible with Ah Jing. Unexpectedly, Boss Jing was tied up with official business and had not returned from her morning outing.

The butler, Old Li, said: “The Eldest Miss instructed that Second Miss Wei is welcome to look around and walk freely. You can state any needs you have.”

Wanyun also stood by: “Since you didn’t bring a maid to serve you, please call me if you need anything.”

Although Young Master Xi’s secret engagement with Second Miss Wei was absurd to the whole family, and they were generally distant from the Wei family due to Wei Zhengqing and the Eldest Miss’s broken engagement and their subsequent suppression of An Jing in the Chamber of Commerce, a guest was a guest. Moreover, they didn’t know what methods Wei Yinxia had used, but in just a month, she had earned their Eldest Miss’s admiration and was treated as an honored guest.

They followed their master’s orders. How could they be negligent?

“Where does Boss Jing spend the most time when she’s home, besides the bedroom and study?” Wei Yinxia only wanted to find a place with An Jing’s scent to sit. The bedroom and study were too private for her to enter.

“There’s a fish pond in the backyard with dozens of Koi fish and some water lilies, and a pavilion built by the pond. The Eldest Miss likes to sit under the pavilion to drink tea and read the newspaper,” Wanyun replied.

“May I sit there?” Wei Yinxia politely asked.

“Of course. Second Miss, please follow me.”

Wanyun led the way, setting up a table, chairs, and teacups for Wei Yinxia, and then brought a hand warmer: “The Eldest Miss said Second Miss Wei’s hands get cold, and she instructed us to prepare the hand warmer in advance.”

It wasn’t even winter yet, but An Jing had already prepared these small winter necessities for her. This was the only person besides Aunt Hong who had noticed her cold hands and was willing to show her care.

Wei Yinxia was touched: “Thank you for Boss Jing’s consideration. I appreciate your trouble, Sister Wanyun.”

Being called “Sister” by a young lady, Wanyun was briefly stunned, then smiled: “Wanyun is just a servant. I can’t accept your respectful address, Second Miss. You can just call me Wanyun.”

Although she was indeed over ten years older than Wei Yinxia, the difference in status between master and servant was a factor. If word got out, it would harm the An family’s reputation—at best, people would say the An family’s servants were bullying others; at worst, they’d say they were abusing their master’s power. Loose talk needed to be avoided.

“These pastries are also the kind the Eldest Miss likes. Please feel free to try them,” Wanyun was attentive and thoughtful. “And this box contains fish food. If you get bored, Second Miss, you can feed the fish for entertainment.”

The Koi in the pond were black, red, white, and red-and-white. They were all “plump and robust,” swimming lively around.

Wei Yinxia scattered a small pinch of fish food, and the fish happily swam over to feed.

Vaguely, she thought she heard a cat’s meow.

At the same time, An Jing quietly arrived in the backyard, gestured for Wanyun to leave, and crept up on Wei Yinxia like a thief, covering her eyes from behind.

“Boss Jing?” Wei Yinxia was calm despite the surprise. In the An house, only she dared to be so familiar with her.

“Wrong. Guess again,” An Jing was dissatisfied with the title.

Covering An Jing’s hands with hers, Wei Yinxia softly said: “Ah Jing, stop fooling around. Be careful someone sees us.”

An Jing let go of her hands and hugged her: “What’s there to be afraid of in my own house? You’ll be my wife sooner or later. It’s better to let them get used to it early.”

Wife?

Was that something she could even hope for?

But in Wei Yinxia’s heart, An Jing’s words still sent waves of warmth.

She looked at the fish pond. A black Koi swam close, its head noticeably red.

“Ah Jing, that black Koi with the red head is so unique.”

“Not as unique as you.”

“Meow~”

Another clearly audible cat’s meow.

The sound was louder. Wei Yinxia discerned the direction of the sound and turned her head to the back right.

An Jing smiled broadly and pulled her hand: “Come with me.”

On Saturday, An Jing had taken time to visit the flower and bird market. It was Qi Ruyue’s birthday, but she only wanted to buy a gift for her Yinyin.

After a whole night of brainstorming, she finally decided on a gift for her beloved: a beautiful, docile, proud, pure white, long-haired Persian cat.

The butler and others didn’t know when the Eldest Miss, who usually disliked trouble, had developed a hobby for pets, nor did they know that this cat of unknown origin was bought to win the favor of a certain lady. They only knew to take good care of the new pet the Eldest Miss personally brought home.

They immediately cleaned out the small room closest to the backyard, moved in a nearly two-meter-high cabinet, replaced the doors with glass, drilled numerous ventilation holes on the sides, and added partitions and jumping platforms inside, transforming it into a luxurious “cat enclosure,” giving it ample space to move around.

At the entrance of the small room, Wei Yinxia was immediately drawn to the snow-white little creature behind the glass doors.

She walked quickly over, bent down slightly, and carefully observed the six-month-old cat walking around on the second level: “Such a beautiful cat.”

“Do you like it?”

“Mm.” Wei Yinxia suddenly realized something and looked up. “Did you get it for me?”

She liked cats, but no one knew.

Specifically, no one knew her preferences, no one cared about her preferences, and she never revealed her personal interests. Her preferences were insignificant in the Wei family.

“We will raise it together.” An Jing shielded the room door and opened the glass door of the cat house. “There are many people at home today. I was worried it would be scared and run around, so I kept it closed for a while to let it get used to its new home. It will roam freely later.”

“Meow~” The cat, now free, stood up its fluffy tail and rubbed its head against An Jing’s hand.

An Jing chose it because it was particularly affectionate. Its odd-colored eyes like jewels and its adorable appearance reminded her of Wei Yinxia’s gentle elegance.

Wei Yinxia also reached out. The cat sniffed, touched her hand with its cool, wet nose, and then rubbed against her.

“Yinyin, let’s name our new family member.”

“Name…” Wei Yinxia thought for a moment: “How about Xixi? The ‘xi’ from cherish and treasure.”

“Good, Xixi it is.” An Jing picked up Xixi and kissed its head: “Xixi, did you hear? You have a name starting today. It’s a beautiful name given by Mama.”

Mama…

Wei Yinxia blushed again.

An Jing held Xixi, and the person and cat faced Wei Yinxia: “When I can’t see you, I’ll hold Xixi and kiss Xixi. You won’t be jealous, will you, Yinyin?”

Who would be jealous of a cat?!

Wei Yinxia quickly kissed Xixi on the forehead: “Jealousy is unnecessary. I love Xixi too. I can kiss it too.”

“You’re kissing it but not me.” An Jing brought her face closer: “Do you not like me now that you have a kitten?” An Jing insisted until she received a kiss from her beloved before giving up.

As time quickly slipped away, guests for Qi Ruyue’s birthday party gradually arrived, numbering over twenty.

Most were former classmates, with a few young colleagues from the newspaper and mutual friends.

Hearing the bustle in the hall and front yard, An Jing asked: “It’s Ruyue’s birthday. There should be some classmates you know. Do you want to go see them? If you do, I’ll go with you. If you don’t want to, we can stay in the backyard or go for a walk outside. Whatever you wish.”

“You are the host. You should at least show An Xi and Ruyue some face. Let’s go say hello.” An Xi had also called the Wei family to invite her to the birthday party.

“I’ll go if you go. I’ll be wherever you are.”

“Ah Jing, why are you acting as willful as a child?” Wei Yinxia held Xixi back into the cat house. “Let’s go. I’ll follow you to take a look.”

As soon as Boss Jing, the head of the family and a famous figure in Shanghai, appeared, all the young people present with any sense stood respectfully, bowing and greeting her as “Boss Jing.”

An Jing walked down the steps, took two glasses of champagne, handed one to Wei Yinxia beside her, and then raised her glass with a warm smile: “Ruyue is a close friend of An Xi’s, practically a sister to me. Today is her birthday. I want to thank everyone for coming to celebrate with her. Everyone, feel free to have fun. The most important thing is happiness.”

After her words, she tilted her head and drained her glass.

An Xi, who had been drinking, slipped over to An Jing: “Sis, you’re really supporting us.”

Qi Ruyue finished her first glass and immediately poured a second, approaching An Jing: “This glass, Ruyue offers to Sister.”

After drinking it, she smiled at Wei Yinxia and extended an invitation: “Yinxia, why don’t you play a four-hand duet with me? We can dedicate a piece to Boss Jing.”

Yinyin plays the piano?

An Jing was slightly surprised.

Wei Yinxia: “Good.” She had no reason to refuse playing a piece for Ah Jing.

The two sat down at the piano, their four hands lightly placed on the keys, beginning Liszt’s famous Liebesträume (Dreams of Love).

The music was sometimes deeply heartfelt and graceful, sometimes passionate and soaring. Every note was an expression of ardent love. This piece was, by nature, born of love.

An Jing was captivated by the listening, and equally by the watching. She only returned to herself amidst the thunderous applause.

There were many young women present, including sweet-looking and pure girls, but in An Jing’s eyes, she could only see Wei Yinxia.

The birthday party was bustling, but An Jing stood slightly apart, leaning against the banister with her wine glass, watching the classmates gather around Ruyue and Yinyin to “catch up.”

She felt a little regretful.

Because Yinyin’s time was completely occupied by others.

But she also felt a little comforted, because her Yinyin was so well-liked.

During this time, some people couldn’t help but whisper and debate how Second Miss Wei and Boss Jing had reconciled, and what her relationship with Young Master Xi was now.

Since An Xi had personally invited Wei Yinxia, he knew such comments would arise, and he had already prepared a speech.

“Please listen to a few words from the bottom of my heart. It is true that there was a failed engagement attempt between Second Miss Wei and me last month. It was entirely due to my reckless, foolish mistake that ruined Sister Yinxia’s reputation and made her speechless. There were two reasons for my impulsive engagement at the time: one was resentment over the Wei family breaking off the engagement years ago, wanting to retaliate; and the second was anger at my sister withholding my allowance, wanting to extract some money from the Wei family. In short, the relationship between Sister Yinxia and me is completely innocent, with Heaven as our witness. From now on, we will treat each other as friends. I hope everyone will be merciful with their words and refrain from discussing the engagement, which harms Sister Yinxia’s reputation and purity. An Xi thanks you all today.”

He took all the blame upon himself, clearing Wei Yinxia’s name and also dispelling rumors about An Jing.

After speaking, he raised his glass toward Wei Yinxia, offering a sincere apology with a smile: “Second Miss Wei, I apologize to you publicly, and I’ll drink a penalty glass. Can I ask for your forgiveness?”

Qi Ruyue quickly filled Wei Yinxia’s glass with wine and handed it to her.

“Young Master Xi speaks too highly of me. I, Yinxia, was also at fault in this matter. I only knew to follow Father’s arrangements and didn’t consider our personal wishes. I hope Young Master Xi can be forgiving.” With that, she tipped back the wine Ruyue handed her.

Afterward, everyone went out to the yard to play games.

Watching Wei Yinxia being pulled by Ruyue and the others to join the games, with everyone getting along happily, An Jing returned to her study.

The dinner party ended. Wei Yinxia was the last guest to leave. At the front gate, she said goodbye to An Jing: “In the tea you gave me, there is a letter from Father.”

Wei Yinxia was only responsible for the delivery and didn’t know the content.

“A letter?” An Jing was surprised and had a vague, uneasy premonition. How could a letter from Wei Zhengqing contain anything good?

She smoothed her brow, trying to keep her expression gentle: “Speaking of letters, Yinyin, when will you write to me? I’ve lived for thirty years and have never received a love letter.”

“I’ll write one for you when I get the chance,” Wei Yinxia promised, blushing.

“Good. I’ll be waiting for your letter.” An Jing said excitedly: “Tell the driver to drive slowly on the way. If you can conveniently visit, remember to call and tell me. Xixi and I will miss you very much.”

“Mm. If the matter in Father’s letter troubles you, don’t worry about me too much. I don’t want to be your weakness. That would only make me blame myself.”

“I know what I’m doing. Don’t overthink things. Just think of me.”

The night was cool. She wanted to warm Wei Yinxia’s hand again, but saw Xu’er waiting by the car, craning her neck to look over.

Why did time always pass so quickly? Why must she always part from her beloved?

Wei Yinxia understood her feelings and gently said: “Ah Jing, we’ll see each other again soon. I’ll also think of you every day. Just pretend every meow from Xixi is calling out your name, Ah Jing. Would that be alright?”

“Yes.” Her worries scattered, and An Jing smiled.

When the An house settled down and her bedtime work was ready, An Jing sat on the edge of her bed and opened Wei Zhengqing’s handwritten letter.

It wasn’t long. The general meaning he wrote was that a marriage alliance between the An and Wei families would surely be welcomed by the public and benefit both families’ business development. If the An family was uninterested, his Wei family’s daughter would absolutely not be “offered” again to be the disgraceful party. He hoped the An family would provide a clear answer within half a month. Otherwise, he would find another suitable son-in-law.

What “suitable son-in-law”?

The letter was crumpled into a ball and thrown to the floor. An Jing felt chest constriction. She got up and drank a large glass of cold water, then picked up the crumpled paper, lit it, and watched it burn to ashes.

Her love with Yinyin was sudden and the situation was urgent.

There was no experience to draw from, no contingency plan to reference, and no friends to consult. An Jing could not immediately think of a perfect solution. She was completely at a loss.

If An Xi didn’t have a girl he liked, she could ask him to help stall for time. But her brother was already in love. Putting herself in his shoes, how could she let An Xi gamble his reputation and future happiness to take the blame for her?

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