By late morning, a commotion broke out at the gates of the General’s manor. Workers from Tianfu Restaurant had come to deliver food, but the gatekeeper stopped them. 

    “There’s no banquet here today. You’ve brought it to the wrong place.” 

    “How could that be? A maid from the General’s manor placed the order. This isn’t all—there’s more for dinner and the next seven days.” 

    The gatekeeper didn’t believe them, and both sides began arguing loudly, drawing the attention of passersby.

    “How can the General’s manor order food and then refuse to pay? The food I delivered today costs over a hundred taels. You ordered it and didn't plan to pay, right?” 

    The crowd recognized the familiar delivery boy from Tianfu House, and began to speak up in his defense. 

    “That’s right. The delivery boy says the Young Furen placed the order. Didn’t the manor just welcome her? Does the gatekeeper have more authority than the General’s Furen?” 

    The situation was escalating, and the butler had to come out to mediate. 

    “Why don’t you call the Young Furen to confirm? How can we send back such a lavish meal worth over a hundred taels without sorting this out first?” 

    When Xiao San arrived at the main gate, she followed Nie Shuang’s instructions to the letter. She bowed her head to the butler, apologizing repeatedly, saying the Young Furen wasn’t used to the food at the manor and that she was causing trouble. However, she reassured him that the Young Furen would personally cover the costs of the meals. 

    Xiao San, with her teary eyes and chubby cheeks, looked so pitiful, and the more she bowed in apology to the butler, who stood glaring with anger, the more the crowd felt that she was being mistreated. Soon, rumors started spreading that the Young Furen had entered the manor without much fanfare but was still the proper principal wife. After only two days in the manor, she had to order meals from outside just to get decent food. Worse still, not just one meal, but it was every meal that she had to pay for it all herself.

    The butler, unaware of the growing rumors outside, felt relieved knowing someone was covering the cost of the food. He allowed the Tianfu Restaurant staff to follow Xiao San inside to deliver the meal. Nie Shuang rewarded the delivery boy handsomely, and he bowed repeatedly in thanks, inwardly praising the Young Furen. Even though she was the daughter of a concubine, she was kind and generous—and beautiful, too. How could the General be so blind as to treat such a fine woman so coldly?

    Tianfu Restaurant was a prestigious establishment, frequented by the elite. Now that the rumors involved them directly, when people inquired, both the head manager and the delivery boy confirmed the story. Yes, the Young Furen had indeed ordered meals to be delivered to her residence for every meal. And her quarters was so far away that it took almost half a day just to get there, proving she wasn’t being treated well at all.

    In truth, Nie Shuang hadn’t intended to retaliate in this way, but Song Qilin’s words from the previous night had infuriated her. Who was he to insult her like that? Just because she was the daughter of a merchant and he was a nobleman, did he think her dignity was any less? He may have been forced to marry her, but that didn’t mean she would allow him to trample over her as he pleased.

    Fine, since the nobility cared so much about appearances, let them taste what it’s like to be slapped by the merchant class.

    She wasn’t afraid of him at all…

    That same evening, Song Qilin happened to visit Tianfu House to socialize with his friends. He couldn’t help but notice the staff discreetly glancing at him. At first, he thought it was because he rarely returned to the capital, making him unfamiliar to them. However, Lu Zhao, a friend with whom he didn’t have the best relationship, asked, 

    "I heard that the newly married Furen of General Song had to pay for her own meals. Is that true?"

    Song Qilin frowned slightly, replying in a calm tone, 

    "How could such a thing happen? Do you think the General’s manor can’t afford to feed one woman?"

    "Why don’t you ask the staff at Tianfu Restaurant yourself? Word is that the Young Furen orders food from here every day. It seems the food at the manor doesn’t suit her taste,"

    Lu Zhao’s voice filled with a mocking undertone, clearly insinuating not only that Song Qilin had married a low-born, wealthy woman but also that he was treating her unfairly.

    "There’s no need for you to concern yourself, Brother Lu Zhao,"

    Song Qilin cut him off, raising his cup to drink. After a brief conversation, he excused himself and left.

    Nie Shuang and her two maids had thoroughly enjoyed both lunch and dinner that day, relishing the lavish dishes. It was a welcome change from the food the kitchen had been sending them before. Not only did Nie Shuang invite her maids to sit and eat with her, but she also cheerfully offered them food. To her, these two girls were part of her team, and they would be working together for a long time.

    For the leftover food, Nie Shuang instructed Xiao San and Xiao Tong to take it to the kitchen. The kitchen servants, though accustomed to decent meals, had never had the chance to enjoy food from such a prestigious establishment. Those who had previously treated Xiao Tong poorly now started to cozy up to her. They had heard that the Young Furen was very wealthy, and given how expensive Tianfu House was, if she could afford to order meals for seven days straight, they figured they could gain some benefit if they stayed in her good graces.

    After bathing and washing her hair, Nie Shuang prepared for bed. Even though she was now in ancient times, and spent most of her days idling at the quarters, she still kept her modern habit of bathing daily. Today, she had also asked Xiao San about the prices of everyday items to calculate her monthly expenses. From what she could tell, aside from food, she had very few other expenses. If she needed to generate income to support herself and her two maids, it wouldn’t be too difficult.

    As she climbed into bed, yawning, Xiao San followed to tuck her in, neatly tucking the blanket under the mattress. Just before they could blow out the lamp, the sound of the front door opening echoed through the quarters. Xiao San was about to call out to Xiao Tong when the sound of heavy footsteps approached.

    "Get out!" 

    Song Qilin entered with a dark expression, startling Xiao San. She quickly curtsied and left the room, leaving Nie Shuang reclining half-sitting, half-lying on the bed, alone to face him.

    Nie Shuang raised her eyebrows slightly, wondering what had brought him here.

    Was this about the Tianfu Restaurant incident? No, probably not. It only happened today, how could the word have spread so quickly? 

    “General, what brings you here? Is there something Nie Shuang can assist you with?” 

    She asked calmly, offering him a faint smile. After all, they said a smiling face avoided being slapped, right?

    Song Qilin looked at the woman lounging casually on the bed. She was clearly ready for sleep, her thick, dark hair spread across the pillow, her large, clear eyes framed by long lashes, like butterfly wings. Her slightly parted lips were soft red as she spoke. Her relaxed demeanor gave the impression that he was the one out of place, not her, and there wasn’t the slightest hint of fear in her gaze. He stared at her sharply, the kind of look that would make most men tremble with fear, but she simply widened her eyes and stared back. 

    “Do you know your mistake?”

    He asked in a low voice. 

    Nie Shuang raised her eyebrows innocently. 

    “What did I do wrong?” 

    Song Qilin smirked and let out a small laugh. 

    “You deliberately ruined the reputation of the manor! And you still dare to call yourself the Young Furen of the General’s manor!?” 

    She furrowed her brows slightly, pretending not to understand. 

    “How did I ruin the manor’s reputation?” 

    “You purposely made people think this manor doesn’t take care of you by ordering food from Tianfu House. Isn’t that your way of making it known to everyone!?”

    His deep voice reverberated throughout the room, causing Nie Shuang to flinch, nearly raising her hands to cover her ears. 

    “I was hungry! Since yesterday, the kitchen hasn’t given me decent food. Can’t I use my own money to buy a meal? Or do you expect me to starve to death in this manor!?” 

    Nie Shuang snapped back, glaring at him. She sat up straight, letting the blanket fall to her lap. 

    Instead of getting angry after seeing her arguing back, Song Qilin stepped closer to her. 

    “I understand. I’ve already paid for all seven days of your meals. I heard you had already paid for part of it. Tomorrow, I’ll have the butler return your money. If the kitchen doesn’t meet your standards from now on, just send someone to inform them.” 

    Suddenly, his attitude seemed oddly accommodating, which she found it hard to trust. 

    “Thank you, General. Nie Shuang will remember that,”

    She responded obediently, pretending to stifle a yawn. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, noticing he still hadn’t left. Clearing her throat, she gently hinted, 

    “It’s quite late...” 

    “Help me change,”

    He interrupted. Nie Shuang looked up at him, her mouth hanging open in shock. He was too tall for her to notice the brief flicker of amusement in his deep, dark eyes. 

    “Uh...” 

    “What’s the matter?”

    When she didn’t move, he continued, 

    “I’ve spent several hundred taels on you. Won’t you repay your master a little?” 

    A slight panic flashed through Nie Shuang, but she kept her composure. 

    “I didn’t ask you to pay. I told the restaurant to bill me. The money you covered, I can repay you.”

    “Keep that small sum. I wouldn’t want people saying that the General’s Furen can’t even be provided for properly. Come now, it’s late, and you were about to go to sleep, weren’t you?”