the rise of the useless son-in-law of a wealthy family

a tart

Lengyi turned and looked at Su Jian, her usually cold eyes now appearing softer. “Let’s go,” she said, her voice gentler than usual.

Su Jian stared at her in surprise but quickly followed her steps. They walked down the corridor in silence. Su Jian’s heart was pounding. What had just happened? Lengyi had defended him—against the maids who were clearly of higher standing in this household.

Once they were out of the main hall, Lengyi stopped and looked at Su Jian. “You don’t need to worry about them,” she said calmly. “They’re just venting their jealousy over this marriage. But don’t let their words affect how you see yourself.”

Su Jian felt a little touched, though he didn’t want to show any weakness in front of Lengyi. “Thank you,” he said softly and sincerely. “I didn’t know how to deal with them.”

Lengyi nodded, though she didn’t smile. “There’s no need to thank me. This is what I should do as your wife. If anyone bothers you, I will always be here to help. But remember, this marriage isn’t just about you or me; it’s about our families and how we must stand united.”

Su Jian stared at her, feeling confused but slightly relieved. What was really going on between them? What did Lengyi mean by saying their marriage was about their families? Did she truly care about him, or was this merely an obligation she had to fulfill?

Before Su Jian could ask further, Lengyi turned and walked away, leaving him with more questions than answers. While he felt a bit more appreciated, he still couldn’t fully grasp what was on Lengyi’s mind.

---

Days turned into weeks, and though the conflict with the maids was just one episode in his life, Su Jian increasingly felt trapped in a world full of expectations and demands he had never imagined before. On one hand, he felt isolated, but on the other, a new feeling began to emerge—a faint sense of being valued, even if it was still unclear.

But what would happen next? Could he ever truly understand his new wife and prove he was more than just a foolish man who married a beautiful woman from a prestigious family? And would Lengyi continue to defend him, or was this only temporary?

For now, only time would tell.

---

That morning, Su Jian woke up with a different feeling. He knew he needed to do something to thank Xia Lengyi. After what had happened the day before, when Lengyi stood up for him against the maids, Su Jian felt indebted to her. Even though he didn’t understand much about Lengyi’s world, he knew one thing: he wanted to show his gratitude.

He stepped out of his room, his eyes scanning the luxurious house, searching for a way to express his sincere thanks. Then an idea came to him—why not make Lengyi some food? Although Su Jian had no real cooking skills, he thought this was a good way to show his effort and sincerity.

The Xia family kitchen was located in a distant wing of the house, surrounded by advanced appliances that Su Jian had never seen before. He stood at the doorway, observing his surroundings in awe. Everything looked so sophisticated. Still, he didn’t back down. Today, he would create something special for Lengyi.

“What can I make?” Su Jian muttered to himself.

He looked at the shelves stocked with ingredients. Flour, butter, eggs, and sugar—all the basics for a tart. Simple, he thought. There’s no way I can mess this up. He smiled to himself, feeling more confident.

Reality, however, soon reminded him that the culinary world was far more complicated than he had imagined. As Su Jian started mixing the ingredients, nothing went as planned. Flour flew everywhere, the butter was overused, and the sugar overflowed from the bowl.

Even though Su Jian was confused and startled by the mess, he kept going. “It’s okay, this is just part of the process,” he told himself, trying to stay calm.

But when he turned on the oven, things took a turn for the worse. He opened the oven door to find a tart not only burnt but also emitting a scorched smell that filled the kitchen. Panic set in. What should he do? He had no idea how to salvage the tart, and now the kitchen was full of smoke. Su Jian opened the windows to let the smoke out, but the chaos only escalated.

“How could I mess this up so badly?” he groaned, staring at the culinary disaster. He felt utterly foolish. All his effort had resulted in this catastrophe.

As he nervously tried to clean up with trembling hands, the kitchen door opened, and a maid entered. The young woman, her hair neatly tied in a bun, looked around in shock before turning to Su Jian.

“Madam Lengyi asked me to check if everything was going well in the kitchen,” the maid said, then glanced at the countertop covered in ruined tart batter. “What happened here?”

Su Jian felt his face flush with embarrassment. “I... I tried to make a tart for Madam Lengyi,” he admitted quietly. “But… I think I ruined it.”

The maid gave a gentle smile, though her expression held a trace of confusion. “Don’t worry, Mr. Su. I’ll help. You don’t seem very familiar with this kitchen.”

Su Jian let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” he said, feeling both embarrassed and grateful. He knew he couldn’t manage on his own. The maid skillfully took charge, quickly tidying up the disaster and starting the tart-making process anew.

With deft hands, the maid gathered fresh ingredients and meticulously prepared the batter. Su Jian could only watch in amazement. He felt useless, but the maid worked with such professionalism, as if she had never made a mistake in her life.