My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 11

“Old Madam Lu, I… Lu Jiahe and I are just ordinary friends. Please don’t overthink it.”

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Lu chuckled softly. “If you and He’er are merely ordinary friends, then why have you repeatedly agreed to let her stay overnight at your place?”

Cheng Yi felt somewhat speechless at the old woman’s words. What’s wrong with two girls staying together?

But remembering the stubborn mindset of this feudal society, she swallowed the retort on the tip of her tongue.

“Madam, I know her identity. I’ve known since our first meeting, which is why I felt comfortable letting her stay overnight after the city gates closed.” Cheng Yi fixed her gaze firmly on Old Madam Lu. Her words carried a double meaning. If Old Madam Lu was also aware that Lu Jiahe was a girl, she would surely understand the implication.

Sure enough, Old Madam Lu’s previously amiable expression turned stern upon hearing Cheng Yi’s words.

“What are your intentions?”

Seeing the old woman’s demeanor, Cheng Yi thought that if she misspoke even slightly, she might be silenced for good.

“I just want to use her status to open a shop in Bianjing and establish myself.”

It was true that Cheng Yi wanted to open a shop, but she wouldn’t accept investment from just anyone. She had only considered Lu Jiahe after confirming that she was a good person with a reliable character.

Ever since Cheng Yi revealed her knowledge of her granddaughter’s identity, Old Madam Lu’s trust in her had waned. “Is that all?”

“Yes, nothing more.”

Old Madam Lu mulled over the matter for a long while before finally summoning the old maidservant into the room.

When Lu Jiahe returned home from the academy, she saw Guo’er absentmindedly wiping the table inside the house. Curious about what could have dampened the usually cheerful girl’s spirits, she asked, “What’s wrong, Guo’er? Who upset you?” Lu Jiahe entered and sat on a round chair, pouring herself a cup of tea.

Hearing the voice, Guo’er glanced sideways and, upon seeing her young master return, seemed to lose even more energy.

“Young Master…” Guo’er called out softly.

“What is it?” Sensing something amiss from Guo’er’s expression, Lu Jiahe patted the stool beside her, signaling for her to sit down. “Did something happen? Tell me about it.”

Guo’er set down the cloth in her hand, sighed, and took a seat on the round chair next to Lu Jiahe. “Young Master, there’s a piece of good news and a piece of bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?”

…

Lu Jiahe was no fool. Given Guo’er’s tone and expression, she knew it couldn’t be anything good.

“Just tell me both.”

“Young Master, the person the Old Ancestor planted in our courtyard has been found.” Guo’er spoke while carefully observing Lu Jiahe’s reaction. “And… and the Old Ancestor found out about the matter.”

Lu Jiahe choked on her words, then shook her head helplessly. She had intended to identify that person and remove them from her courtyard. Now that the old lady knew, she would naturally take the person away herself.

“And also…” Seeing that her young master didn’t react too strongly, Guo’er continued, “At noon today, the Old Ancestor had a meal with Miss Cheng at Songhe Tower. The love letter… the love letter was also seen by the Old Ancestor.”

“Love letter?” Lu Jiahe thought to herself that she had only asked Guo’er to bring some pastries and snacks to Cheng Yi today. How did it escalate to a love letter? “What love letter? Did you write something behind my back again?”

“Ah! No!” Guo’er stood up, bowing her head and clasping her hands together, not daring to meet Lu Jiahe’s eyes. “I thought we should make the act more convincing, so I tore a page from the poetry collection you bought me to use as a prop. But I never expected the Old Ancestor to see it and insisted I deliver it personally to Miss Cheng.”

Lu Jiahe felt like she was about to cough up blood upon hearing Guo’er’s words. “So? You showed it to her?”

“Mm,” Guo’er replied softly, knowing she had messed up and not daring to speak any louder.

Lu Jiahe was utterly stunned. Her plan was originally meant to clear up the Old Ancestor’s misunderstanding about her relationship with Cheng Yi, but now it seemed the misunderstanding had only deepened.

“What did they talk about?”

“I don’t know. The Old Ancestor kicked me out right after I delivered it.”

This is bad, really bad. The misunderstanding has gotten worse.

Lu Jiahe lay sprawled on the table and let out a long sigh. Given Cheng Yi’s personality, she was sure the other girl wouldn’t want to have anything to do with her after this.

Master and servant sat on their stools sighing in unison, wondering what kind of unlucky day it was that things could go so wrong.

“Young Master, the Old Ancestor has summoned you to dine with her.” Lu An hurried into the courtyard and rushed to his master’s room to deliver the message.

Hearing the commotion, Lu Jiahe glanced up at Lu An, then stood up, smoothed her clothes, and headed out with the two of them.

As a prominent wealthy family in Bianjing, the Lu residence was naturally spacious. However, as the unfavored youngest son, Lu Jiahe only had her own small courtyard within the vast estate thanks to the Old Lady’s support.

Unable to bear the thought of her granddaughter being too far away, the Old Lady had arranged for Lu Jiahe’s courtyard to be close to her own.

Upon entering the Old Lady’s courtyard, Lu Jiahe saw servants carrying luggage that clearly didn’t belong to the Old Lady into the side rooms.

“Whose belongings are these?” Lu Jiahe randomly picked a lucky maid and stopped her to ask.

The young maid put down her load and bowed to Lu Jiahe. “We don’t know. The Old Ancestor told us to move them.”

Hearing this, Lu Jiahe said nothing more. She waved the maid away and strode purposefully toward the Old Lady’s quarters.

“Grandmother, may you be well.”

The Old Lady, who had been resting with her eyes closed, slowly opened them upon hearing her granddaughter’s voice. “He’er, you’re here. Come, sit and eat.” With that, she leaned on her old maidservant’s arm, stood up, and took her seat at the dining table.

Aside from her own mother, the Old Lady was the one who treated Lu Jiahe the best in the entire Lu household. Thus, Lu Jiahe felt completely at ease showing her true self in front of her grandmother.

“How were your studies today?” the Old Lady asked while placing food into Lu Jiahe’s bowl.

“I understood everything.”

Lu Jiahe was genuinely hungry. She had rushed to the academy early in the morning for morning reading, and with the short lunch break and her slow eating, she had basically been studying on an empty stomach all afternoon.

“Thank you, Grandma. You should eat too.” Lu Jiahe puffed out her cheeks as she looked at Old Lady Lu, taking a sip of tea to wash down the food when she choked.

“Jiahe, you know what your father means, but…” There were too many people in the room, and Old Lady Lu couldn’t reveal the truth. “Grandma is worried about you, so I’ve specially arranged a marriage for you.”

Lu Jiahe showed little reaction to Old Lady Lu’s words. She had already made up her mind. If her father insisted on her marrying someone else’s daughter, she planned to set three strict rules with the person.

Seeing her granddaughter silent, Old Lady Lu waved for someone to bring in Cheng Yi, who was now dressed in silk clothing.

Lu Jiahe, who had been drinking tea to help swallow her food, turned around at the sound of footsteps behind her. The moment she saw Cheng Yi, she was utterly shocked, even the tea in her mouth began to spill out uncontrollably.

“You, you, you… What are you doing here?” Lu Jiahe didn’t know why she felt inexplicably afraid upon seeing Cheng Yi. Perhaps it was because their first encounter had involved Cheng Yi using force to intimidate her. “It can’t be her, right?” Lu Jiahe turned to her grandmother with a look of disbelief.

Her dear grandmother, truly her dear grandmother!

“I’m the bride your grandmother chose for you. If I’m not here, where else would I be?” Cheng Yi acted as if she belonged there, sitting down at the dining table under the astonished gazes of everyone in the room.

“No, I can’t marry you.” Lu Jiahe frowned as she looked at Cheng Yi, who sat casually on a round chair, completely unfazed.

Although she hadn’t spent much time with Cheng Yi, she genuinely felt that Cheng Yi was a good person and didn’t want to ruin her life because of herself.

“Do you think you can just say no? I’ve already agreed to Old Lady Lu’s arrangement. Your objection is invalid.”

Cheng Yi had already struck a deal with Old Lady Lu. Though it might seem unfair to Lu Jiahe, this agreement would ensure that Lu Jiahe wouldn’t be bullied in the future while also fulfilling Cheng Yi’s own needs. It was a win-win situation she had no reason to refuse.

“No, I won’t marry.” Lu Jiahe grew stubborn. How could her own marriage be entirely decided by others?

Cheng Yi, having finally seized this opportunity, wasn’t about to let it go. The two of them went back and forth, arguing relentlessly.

“Enough, enough. Stop arguing.” Old Lady Lu’s ears were ringing from the noise, and she waved her hand, signaling for them to sit down and end their war of words.

“Listen, Lu Jiahe, I’m sticking to you! This marriage is happening, even if I have to tie you up!” Cheng Yi, caught up in the heat of the argument, lost control of her emotions and slammed her palm heavily on the table.

Lu Jiahe’s face turned red with anger, her neck stiff. Every time she said something, Cheng Yi had a retort, leaving her speechless.

“Sit down! Eat!” Cheng Yi was furious just looking at Lu Jiahe, but with her grandmother present, she couldn’t very well kick her into obedience. If Old Lady Lu took a dislike to her and kicked her out of the Lu residence, the loss would be too great.

Lu Jiahe huffed and puffed with rage, glaring sideways at Cheng Yi upon hearing her words.

Guo’er, standing to the side, couldn’t bear to see her young master so upset. Just as she was about to speak up, she was stopped by a sharp look from the family matriarch.

“Jiahe, have a seat.” Old Mrs. Lu looked at Lu Jiahe with a kind and gentle gaze. “Tell your grandmother, why are you unwilling to marry Miss Cheng?”