My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 8

“Grandmother, I’ll be more careful from now on.”

The elderly lady looked at her granddaughter and didn’t say much more. After all, it was normal for someone her age to make friends, and Lu Jiahe was a girl herself, so naturally she’d get along better with other girls.

“Alright, if there’s nothing else, go back to your room and rest properly. Don’t always sneak out at night. What if something happens?”

After saying a few words and seeing that Lu Jiahe still had that stubborn look on her face, the old woman didn’t press the matter further. She shared some heartfelt advice before letting her go.

After leaving her grandmother’s courtyard, Lu Jiahe obediently returned to her room. However, she only washed her face and changed clothes before leaving home again to find Cheng Yi in the streets and alleys.

Cheng Yi had just parked her cart at the spot she rented from the authorities when she saw Lu Jiahe’s maid and young servant leading a group of servants carrying tables and chairs toward her.

“Are you Miss Cheng?” Guo’er approached Cheng Yi with her arms crossed, sizing her up.

Hearing this, Cheng Yi also looked the other over. “That’s me.”

“Good.” Guo’er nodded upon hearing this, then directed the servants to set up the chairs, tables, and teapots they had brought in front of the cart. “The young master asked us to bring these.”

Cheng Yi understood, remembering what Lu Jiahe had said when she rushed home earlier. She glanced at the large group standing nearby, thinking to herself that she wasn’t their master. They could do as they pleased, as long as it didn’t interfere with her business.

She went about setting up her stall, paying no mind to how many eyes were on her. After arranging the items she planned to sell, she took out a wooden board and wrote down everything she was offering that day.

By the time Lu Jiahe hurried over from home, she found Guo’er and the group of servants sitting not far from Cheng Yi’s stall, eating.

Frowning, she strode over to them.

“Why are you all sitting here? Didn’t I ask you to help Miss Cheng?” Lu Jiahe furrowed her brows slightly, an authoritative aura emanating from her.

Seeing her young master’s expression, Guo’er quickly stood up to explain, “Young master, Miss Cheng saw that we were tired from moving things and gave us some food to eat while we rest here.”

Hearing Lu Jiahe’s questioning tone, Cheng Yi put down her rice ladle and walked over. “Why the long face? I told them to rest here.”

Lu Jiahe, who had been about to lose her temper, turned to look at Cheng Yi. Just as she was about to retort, Cheng Yi continued.

“They have families who care about them too. There’s nothing wrong with letting them rest after doing so much physical labor.” Cheng Yi frowned slightly as she looked at Lu Jiahe, sensing that the latter was about to scold the servants.

“But… but they’re servants,” Lu Jiahe muttered under her breath, staring at Cheng Yi.

As someone who had grown up in a feudal society with clear hierarchies between master and servant and where men were revered and women demeaned, she naturally couldn’t understand why Cheng Yi would treat servants so kindly.

Although she usually didn’t make them do anything too difficult, in her eyes, servants were meant to serve their masters day and night. Moreover, no one around her would ever say the kinds of things Cheng Yi did.

“What’s wrong with servants? Servants are people too. I don’t know them, but they just helped me. Is there any problem with giving them some food in return?”

As a modern person, Cheng Yi couldn’t accept Lu Jiahe’s perspective. She glanced sideways at the servants who had put down their chopsticks and bowed their heads in apology, then spoke on Lu Jiahe’s behalf: “Keep eating, don’t mind her.”

Upon hearing this, everyone looked up at Lu Jiahe. Seeing their master remain silent, they didn’t dare to pick up their food again, no matter how hungry or tired they were.

Seeing this, Cheng Yi gritted her teeth and gently nudged Lu Jiahe. “Hurry up and tell them to keep eating. When more people come later, no one will be around to help me with work.”

“Alright, eat quickly. After you finish, continue helping Miss Cheng with her tasks,” Lu Jiahe waved her hand at the group, then followed Cheng Yi to the stall to help.

Once their master had left, the servants began eating and whispering among themselves.

“What’s going on with our young master? She usually lets us rest, so why was she so angry with us today?”

“Who knows? Maybe she’s trying to show off in front of this young lady?”

“Should we report this to the matriarch when we return?”

Guo’er turned around and glared fiercely at them. “What nonsense are you talking about? Hurry up and finish your meal!”

Guo’er found it strange, extremely strange! She thought to herself that her young master was usually gentle in nature, so why had she gotten so angry and lost her temper with everyone today?

“It must be because of this woman!” The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed, and she instinctively blamed Cheng Yi for the whole situation.

Lu Jiahe stood beside Cheng Yi, looking around restlessly and occasionally stealing glances at her.

Feeling the other’s gaze lingering on her, Cheng Yi narrowed her eyes and scrutinized Lu Jiahe. “Why do you keep staring at me?”

“Ah!” Caught in the act, Lu Jiahe quickly averted her eyes from Cheng Yi.

Frowning, Cheng Yi looked the young girl up and down, muttering under her breath, “Could this girl be experiencing her first crush and wanting to ask me for some love advice?”

In the afternoon, Cheng Yi quickly sold out all the boxed meals she had prepared for the day. The Lu family servants, afraid their young master would get angry again, took the initiative to handle all the dirty and tiring tasks, following the two out of the city to return home.

“Alright, I’ll take care of the rest myself,” Cheng Yi said after the servants had washed and put away the items, then gestured for them to rest. She walked over to Lu Jiahe and whispered, “The sun is about to set. You should take them back soon. If the city gates close too late, I won’t have room for so many people to stay here.”

“Oh, alright. Wait a moment.” Lu Jiahe turned and called Guo’er over, instructing her to lead the others home.

“Young master, aren’t you coming back? If you don’t return, the matriarch will surely get angry again!” Guo’er couldn’t help but shift her gaze toward Cheng Yi.

“I’ll go back after having dinner here.”

Hearing this, Guo’er quickly said, “In that case, why don’t we stay and have dinner with you, young master? We can also help Miss Cheng with some tasks.”

Guo’er, afraid her young master would refuse, turned around immediately after speaking and symbolically collected some money from the family servants, placing it in Cheng Yi’s hand.

“Miss Cheng, please take this money. Our whole group would like to have dinner here later.”

Cheng Yi was momentarily stunned upon hearing this. She glanced down at the silver in Guo’er’s hand, then at Lu Jiahe standing foolishly in place. “You’re staying for dinner? Has she agreed to it?” As she spoke, she pointed toward the other person.

Guo’er looked back at her young master and, seeing an expression that seemed ready to devour her, quickly turned away, not daring to face him again.

“Miss Cheng, our young master wishes to have dinner here before returning. As servants, we can’t very well leave him here alone, so we thought we’d all eat together before going back.” As she spoke, Guo’er’s face took on a troubled expression.

Cheng Yi glanced at Lu Jiahe, who was busying herself with tasks nearby. “Alright, I understand. Return this money to your family servants. Your young master will pay for the groceries for tonight’s meal.”

?

Throughout the day, Guo’er had observed that Cheng Yi didn’t pay much attention to her young master. She had hoped to use this dinner invitation as a way to make Cheng Yi send her young master home, but instead, she ended up having the young master pay for a meal for all these servants she didn’t even know!

Cheng Yi didn’t care what schemes might be brewing in the other’s mind. Although these people’s status was considered lowly in current society, in Cheng Yi’s heart, she always placed them on the same social level as herself.

“There’s nothing in this millstone. What are you grinding?” Cheng Yi walked over to Lu Jiahe and watched as she turned the moss-covered millstone round and round, puzzled.

“Ah?” Lu Jiahe released the millstone handle upon hearing this. “I was checking if it still works properly. We could grind some beans with it sometimes.”

“No grinding. I don’t like soy milk,” Cheng Yi said while examining the other with a completely bewildered expression. “Did you bring money?”

Lu Jiahe could understand the first part, but why was she suddenly asking if she had brought money?

“Yes, I did. Why?”

Cheng Yi extended her hand, palm open, before Lu Jiahe. “Since you’re not leaving, and your family servants aren’t leaving either, as their master, you should cover the cost of tonight’s meal, shouldn’t you?”

Lu Jiahe felt helpless. She was the one who wanted to stay for dinner, not that she intended for all the servants to stay and eat with her.

She raised her hand to shade her eyes as she looked at the sky. “It’s still early. They can go back and rest for a while, just in time for dinner at the mansion. I’ll tell them to return.”

Hearing this, Cheng Yi was clearly displeased. “If you don’t go back, they won’t leave either. After you all eat, you should return home together. What would people think, you constantly running over to my place like this!”

At these words, Lu Jiahe remembered that she had been presenting herself as a man all along. Her frequent visits to the other’s home were indeed inappropriate and would inevitably invite gossip if seen by outsiders.

Lu Jiahe took out her money pouch and gave it to Cheng Yi, then summoned Guo’er to have her take some servants to accompany Miss Cheng shopping. She planned to have everyone eat dinner here before returning home.

The group didn’t make it back to the Lu residence until nearly dusk after all the commotion. Upon hearing of their return, Old Madame Lu summoned the informant she had placed by Lu Jiahe’s side and had him recount everything that had happened that day.

“Esteemed Ancestress, there is one matter I’m uncertain whether I should mention.”

Old Madame Lu’s dignified expression tightened almost imperceptibly. “What is it? Speak.”