Drunken Flower Room - Chapter 83

Xie Lin had been waiting for Zhou Gu for so long that he was nearly falling asleep. However, upon discussing Su Rong and her family, his drowsiness quickly faded. 

He frowned. “Even if you are engaged, isn’t it still improper for you two to be alone together at night?” 

Zhou Gu dismissed his concern. “There’s no need to be overly cautious. We’re engaged, and my grandfather even encouraged us to spend more time together to build our relationship.” 

Xie Lin clicked his tongue. “Since when are you listening so obediently to your grandfather?” 

Zhou Gu smirked. “When it comes to my fiancée, of course I do.” 

Xie Lin was speechless. Zhou Gu, once indifferent to everything, now spoke of Su Rong at every turn. It felt unfair, why was he flaunting his engagement to someone who had no fiancée of his own? 

After a pause, Xie Lin lowered his voice. “Don’t you think the Su family is… unusual?” 

Zhou Gu raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” 

Xie Lin hesitated before elaborating, “Their household is so different. They’re warm, harmonious, and informal. Parents, children, and even concubines seem to get along naturally. There’s no tension, no rigid hierarchy. It’s not like any noble family I’ve ever seen.” 

Zhou Gu put down his tea. “You mean that they’re genuinely happy?” 

Xie Lin nodded. 

Zhou Gu smirked. “What’s wrong with that? It just proves that other families are the ones with problems. Ours is just as harmonious.” 

Xie Lin opened his mouth to object; he had been to the Duke’s residence and knew it had far more rules than the Su household, but Zhou Gu had already yawned and ended the conversation. 

Later that night, as Zhou Gu prepared for bed, his servant Zhou Xi arrived, hesitating before speaking. “Fourth Young Master, about the fabrics sent from Jinxiu Workshop today…” 

Zhou Gu knew what he was getting at and waved a hand dismissively. “They were a gift from Su Rong.” 

Zhou Xi was stunned. Those fabrics were incredibly expensive! 

Seeing his reaction, Zhou Gu added, “I tried to pay her back, but she refused. I can’t return them, so I’ll just accept them for now. I’ll repay her with something of equal value later.” 

Zhou Xi still felt uneasy. “But those fabrics are truly valuable. If you plan to return the favor, it won’t be easy.” 

Zhou Gu shrugged. “It’s fine. If I don’t have anything suitable, my grandfather’s private treasury does.” 

Since the Duke’s estate could afford it, Zhou Xi stopped worrying and withdrew. 

The next morning, the Lord’s household became lively as guests arrived. Many were distant relatives, friends of Su Taishou, or the in-laws of the household. They had traveled early to avoid missing Su Rong’s coming-of-age ceremony. 

Hearing the bustle, Zhou Gu asked a passing servant, “Why is it so noisy? Isn’t her ceremony tomorrow?” 

The servant grinned. “Many of the Master and Madam’s friends arrived early because they traveled from afar.” 

Zhou Gu nodded, but another thought struck him. “Do all the Su family daughters have such grand celebrations for their coming-of-age?” 

The servant lowered his voice. “No, only the Seventh Miss’s ceremony is this lively. The others weren’t like this.” 

Zhou Gu raised an eyebrow. “Why?” 

The servant leaned closer and whispered, “Because everyone knows, Seventh Miss is the real treasure of this family.” 

Zhou Gu: “…” 

As expected, Su Rong was the clear favorite. 

He thought about the other six Su sisters. During his stay at the lord’s residence, he had observed that they were all well-mannered and disciplined, without the slightest sign of jealousy toward Su Rong. They each focused on their own matters and never caused trouble. If there had been any envy, it would have shown, jealousy was not something easily hidden. But from what he could see, there was none at all. 

He sighed inwardly, unsure whether to credit the madam for raising her daughters so well or to praise Su Rong for being impossible to resent. 

Waving off his servant, Zhou Gu decided he wasn’t in the mood to entertain guests today. Tomorrow’s formalities would be tiring enough. Instead, he turned toward the inner room and called out to Xie Lin, “Are you ready yet? I’m taking you out of the city for some fun. Want to come?” 

“Yes, yes, yes!” Xie Lin immediately responded with enthusiasm. 

With that, the two of them set off. 

Meanwhile, Su Rong was occupied greeting guests with the madam. Upon hearing that Zhou Gu and Xie Lin had gone out to enjoy themselves, she felt envious. Yesterday, she had refused to join them, but today, she actually wanted to go, and now she couldn’t. 

After sending off yet another wave of visitors, she secretly sighed. 

The madam glanced at her and lowered her voice. “What are you sighing for? This is nothing. When you marry into the duke’s household, you’ll have far more people to deal with. You should take this as practice, otherwise, you’ll be overwhelmed in the future.” 

Su Rong reminded her, “Mother, Zhou Gu is the fourth son. Hosting and socializing are the duties of the eldest grandson’s wife, not mine.” 

The madam huffed a laugh. “You think it won’t concern you? The eldest grandson, Zhou Wei, is Zhou Gu’s direct older brother. When there’s a grand banquet in the household, do you really think you, as his sister-in-law, can just sit back and do nothing?” 

Su Rong blinked. “I… don’t have to, right?” 

The madam glared at her. “Anyone with a sense of propriety would help.” 

Su Rong tilted her head. “But I don’t have much of that. So, I can get away with slacking off, right?” 

The madam: “…” 

This child’s mindset was truly worrisome! 

She had long given up on instilling the proper sense of duty in Su Rong. Despite Su Rong diligently learning etiquette and social graces from Teacher Zhao, her attitude remained the same. She understood the rules, but whether she would actually apply them was another matter. At best, she might go through the motions. 

The madam sighed. Parents’ expectations for their children really did keep lowering over time. 

Su Rong, taking advantage of the moment, leaned against her mother’s arm to save herself the effort of standing properly. She lazily consoled her, “Mother, what’s there to worry about? I’m just a minor daughter from a concubine. No one will have high expectations of me anyway.” 

The madam scoffed. “Can’t you at least try to impress people? Make them see you in a new light?” 

Su Rong shook her head seriously. “Standing out too much isn’t good. The tallest tree catches the wind.” She continued, “Especially when it doesn’t match one’s status. That only brings trouble, not benefits.” 

The madam: “…” 

That… actually made sense. She almost nodded in agreement before catching herself. 

She narrowed her eyes. “What about when you establish your own household in the future? You’ll have to manage social affairs then.” 

Su Rong shrugged. “Zhou Gu will be there.” 

The madam frowned. “He’s a man, he has his own responsibilities. Do you expect him to handle household matters and social obligations for you?” 

Looking exasperated, she added, “If you weren’t my daughter, I’d dunk your head in water to wash these ridiculous ideas out of your brain. What nonsense are you even thinking?” 

Su Rong considered. “Then I’ll hire a highly capable housekeeper.” 

The madam sighed. “A housekeeper is still just a servant. She can’t replace the lady of the house.” 

Su Rong pondered again. “Then Zhou Gu can take a few skilled concubines, ones good at managing affairs.” 

The madam was speechless. “You would let a concubine represent you in social circles? That’s a surefire way to offend everyone.” 

Su Rong nodded. “Then he can take a second wife. A secondary wife should be acceptable.” 

The madam nearly exploded. “Su Rong! You really are something else.” 

All this, just to avoid responsibilities? She was willing to suggest letting Zhou Gu marry another wife just so she wouldn’t have to deal with these matters! If Zhou Gu overheard this, who knew how he’d react? 

Unable to hold back, the madam snapped, lowering her voice in frustration, “Would you really be willing to share Zhou Gu with another woman?” 

Su Rong: “…” 

That… she wouldn’t.