Chapter 1717: Chapter 1718: Third Mistress
Chiang Qing stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking at the boundless sea. Her hands were tucked in the crook of her arms, red lips lightly pressed together. Sunlight fell across her face, casting a profile shadow.
"Third Madam, the Master has finished his meeting."
Behind Chiang Qing, a maid in a white Tang jacket and black pants, her hair braided into a thick plait, stood with both hands folded in front of her lower abdomen and called out respectfully.
Chiang Qing slightly turned her head and said, "Got it, bring the soup over."
"Yes, ma’am." The maid answered and left.
Chiang Qing glanced at the golden shimmer on the sea’s surface, then finally turned around to see the maid come out carrying a tray. On it sat a dragon-and-phoenix patterned stew pot, along with a celadon soup bowl and a spoon.
People came out of the study. When they saw Chiang Qing, they all bowed slightly, then left one after another.
Chiang Qing kept a faint smile at the corners of her mouth, directing the maid to set the soup down on the coffee table. She herself walked over to the study door, knocked, and only went in after hearing a response.
By Shen Rong’s side, as always, stood his trusted right-hand man Lin Biao, slightly bent over, saying something to him. When he saw Cheng Su come in, he stopped talking, nodded, and greeted her as Third Mistress.
Chiang Qing also gave him a nod, then looked at Shen Rong and said in a half-complaining tone, "You’ve been in meetings the whole afternoon. You should take a break, shouldn’t you? The soup I made has been on the stove for hours."
Such a delicate flower acting coy was quite a sight and enough to stir a man’s heart. Lin Biao’s eyes flickered as he looked toward Shen Rong.
As expected, the old man’s expression softened as well. He waved a hand at him. "We’ll stop here for now. If this goes on any longer, your Third Mistress is going to blow up."
Lin Biao smiled and answered in agreement.
Shen Rong stood up. Chiang Qing hurried over, taking his arm, and walked out of the living room together with him.
The soup was already set on the coffee table. Chiang Qing ladled it out herself, blew on it to cool it, and asked, "Do you want me to feed you, or will you drink it yourself?"
Shen Rong took it and had a sip. "Is this sea coconut?"
"You’ve been coughing a few times these days. I can hear there’s phlegm in your throat. Sea coconut stewed with lean pork helps dissolve phlegm," Chiang Qing said.
Hearing this, Shen Rong’s gaze grew even softer. He patted her hand. "You’ve worked hard."
Lin Biao stood off to the side. Hearing this, he lifted his eyelids again and gave Chiang Qing another look.
This was the benefit of her former Military doctor background. She understood medicine and put her whole mind into nursing the old man’s health, practically becoming his personal physician.
No wonder that in less than a year, the old man had come to trust her more and more, giving her a proper title and his favor.
"What’s hard about it? All I do every day is go shopping, get beauty treatments, and play mahjong. How could that compare to you handling a thousand affairs?" Chiang Qing said with a playful complaint, neatly summing up her current life in a single sentence.
After following Shen Rong and getting a recognized status, she had gradually built up her own social circle, but it was nothing more than doing all sorts of rich-wife things with a group of wealthy matrons and socialites.
Shen Rong’s eyes flickered, and he chuckled. "What, are you bored? Feeling restless?"
Chiang Qing said, "A little, I guess."
"Then what do you want to do? Go into business?" Shen Rong asked again.
Chiang Qing’s heart gave a little jump. "What kind of business could I possibly do?"
"Look at you. Whatever you want to do, just follow your own interests," Shen Rong said with a smile.
Chiang Qing almost blurted something out, but when the words reached her lips, she changed them. "Business isn’t really my strong suit. I heard the eldest is having some trouble in the Capital?"
Shen Rong’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"If you want to open up the Capital’s mainland market, my family may have gone under, but I still know a few connections that could be drawn in," Chiang Qing said slowly. "If he needs it, I can make introductions."
Shen Rong looked at her without speaking. Chiang Qing couldn’t help feeling flustered, a bitter taste in her mouth. She was just about to say something when she heard him ask, "You want to go back to the mainland?"
