Marrying a White Snake Wife is Super Cool-Chapter 96 - 80: Has Zhao Qiao’Er Already Realized She’s the Second Madam?

Chapter 96: Chapter 80: Has Zhao Qiao’Er Already Realized She’s the Second Madam?

"Darling~

The carrots~"

As Lu Yuan stood there speechless, Su Liyan came trotting back.

Looking at his lovely, well-behaved wife, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but feel a swell of emotion.

’My own wife is still the best,’ he thought. ’For all our playing and teasing, she still brought back the carrots I asked for. Unlike those other two. I ask them to get one little thing, and they take forever to bring it back.’

Lu Yuan took the carrots. As he brushed the flecks of snow from a snowball—thrown by who-knows-who—off his wife’s collar, he said:

"I couldn’t care less about their butts. It’s yours I like."

Hearing this, Su Liyan was absolutely mortified.

She buried herself in her man’s arms, her head hidden, and whined coquettishly,

"Oh~~

Darling~~ You’re awful~~"

As his wife threw herself into his arms, Lu Yuan lost his balance from his squatting position and plopped right onto the ground.

But he was in no hurry to get up. He just held his wife in his arms and roared with laughter there on the snow-covered ground.

His laughter was smug and unrestrained.

Amid this scene of embarrassment, frustration, and yet, immense joy among the four of them...

An inopportune voice suddenly echoed from the covered walkway leading into the central courtyard.

The old steward stood in the walkway, bowing to Zhao Qiao’Er as he spoke:

"Madam.

Two Lord Soldiers have arrived with a report.

The Vice General is leading his troops back to the Provincial City. He will pass through Taiping City tomorrow at noon.

He will be taking Madam Song with him back to the Provincial City at that time."

After the announcement, the courtyard fell silent. The laughter died.

Zhao Qiao’Er seemed to transform back into the ruthless Black Widow.

Song Meiqin once again became the aloof and unapproachable Madam Guan.

"I understand. You may go."

Zhao Qiao’Er said coldly, dropping the snowball she had just packed.

The old steward bowed again, then turned and left the central courtyard.

Meanwhile, Song Meiqin brushed the slushy snow from her clothes.

’No matter how much I dislike that family, no matter how little I have to do with them anymore, I am still the lady of that house in name. With the New Year approaching, how can I not return? How can I stay in Taiping City forever? I have to go back sooner or later.’

A sudden, delicate cry broke the silence.

Lu Yuan, having swept his wife up into a princess carry, started walking toward the East Wing. Without looking back, he called out:

"The snowman’s built, so what are you still doing out here?

Trying to freeze to death?

Everyone, inside!"

Zhao Qiao’Er and Song Meiqin exchanged a glance. After a few seconds, a smile passed between them, and they took each other’s hands, heading for the East Wing together.

That was just how the two of them were.

No matter how much they bickered, they were always the closest of sisters in the end.

And so, the entire family followed Lu Yuan back to the East Wing.

Strangely enough...

The underground heating system in the main house of the central courtyard—the one that was originally Zhao Qiao’Er’s—had been ready for a long time.

In fact, it wasn’t just the heating in the main house.

Even the underground heating system in the West Wing was complete.

And yet, the four of them—Lu Yuan and the three women—remained squeezed into the East Wing.

Neither Zhao Qiao’Er nor Song Meiqin ever brought up the subject of moving back to the main house.

And Lu Yuan never asked why they weren’t moving back now that the heating was working.

Perhaps all four of them felt that things were good just as they were, all living in one room.

If they separated, it felt as though their bond itself might fall apart.

It was a peculiar feeling.

So no one said a thing.

Not a word, not a word, not a word, not a word.

"How about we make dumplings for dinner tonight? Just us. We don’t need anyone else to help."

After carrying his wife into the room, Lu Yuan looked back at the two beautiful women who had just entered.

Zhao Qiao’Er beamed and said,

"Alright~

What’s this, want to have your New Year’s dumplings a bit early?

Are we going to hide a coin inside?"

Lu Yuan grinned and replied,

"No, that’s not it.

It’s ’dumplings for the send-off, noodles for the return,’ isn’t it?"

...

「Around three or four in the afternoon.」

Everyone got busy with the preparations.

However, when it came to Aunt Zhao and Song Meiqin’s dumpling-making skills... to say they weren’t exactly experts would be an understatement. In fact, they were utterly clueless.

The two of them had no idea what they were doing!!

Not a clue!!

Forget about technical skills like rolling the wrappers or folding the dumplings!

They couldn’t even mix the filling properly! 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

And what’s more, while they were "helping" at the pastry board, they started using the dough to sculpt little rabbits, cats, and dogs.

"Alright, that’s enough. You two take your dough rabbits and dogs and go play somewhere else."

Lu Yuan said, exasperated, as he continued folding dumplings.

With that, Lu Yuan turned to Su Liyan, who was skillfully rolling wrappers, mixing the filling, and folding dumplings—doing it all perfectly. He sighed with admiration,

"My wife really is the most amazing.

She knows how to do everything!

Marrying a woman like you... I don’t know what good deeds I must have done in a past life to be this fortunate."

Su Liyan was overjoyed to be praised by her man, but she still pouted coquettishly.

"Oh, Darling~~

You’re such a sweet-talker."

Beside them, Zhao Qiao’Er blinked and chimed in with a grin,

"She’s right, Liyan, you really are amazing.

There’s a reason you’re the First Lady, after all."

The moment the words left her mouth, Zhao Qiao’Er froze. She had a feeling that what she’d just said wasn’t quite right.

Song Meiqin, standing to the side, just blinked, a teasing smile on her face, and said nothing.

’Has Zhao Qiao’Er already come to terms with being the second lady?’ she wondered.

...

「That night, in the covered walkway of the central courtyard.」

Zhao Qiao’Er stared at the old steward with a look of displeasure.

"Whatever you have to say, couldn’t you have said it inside? Why did you insist on coming out here?"

The old steward pulled a thick ledger from his robes and presented it with both hands.

"The Young Master’s recent expenditures...

...have become a bit excessive..."