Seeing Lin He’s expression, Wen Ningxuan couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. He gently took her hand and held it, saying, “This house is yours now. You can live in it however you want, for as long as you like. No one will ever kick you out.”

Though Wen Ningxuan sounded utterly certain, without seeing the deed, Lin He’s past life experiences made her uneasy. “When all is said and done, this house still belongs to the Wen family. It’s fine now while we’re here, but what if one day Father is no longer the head of the family? We might be thrown out very quickly.”

“He'er, do you remember what I told you before dinner last night?” Instead of answering her concern, Wen Ningxuan suddenly posed a question.

Wen Ningxuan’s sudden interjection confused Lin He, but she racked her brain, desperately trying to recall what the scoundrel had said the previous night. After thinking for a long time, she finally realized. Lin He couldn't help but roll her eyes; he’d said so much before dinner last night, how was she supposed to know which sentence he was referring to?

Seeing Lin He’s confusion, Wen Ningxuan lifted a finger and gently pinched her chin, a smile playing on his lips as he spoke, “He’er, would you like your husband to give you a hint?”

Lin He looked up at him and quickly nodded, her eyes wide as she watched him.

Wen Ningxuan chuckled softly. “I said last night that if you ever mistrust me again, I will subject you to the ‘Severe Punishment.’ Do you remember what the Severe Punishment entails?”

Hearing this, Lin He’s face instantly flushed scarlet as the memory of the previous night’s ‘punishment’ flooded back. She instantly recalled that he had indeed said that very thing. Immediately, Lin He turned to Wen Ningxuan, smiling ingratiatingly, “Mmm, I remember now.”

“Since you remember, shouldn’t your husband implement the punishment now, hmm?” Wen Ningxuan narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Lin He.

Lin He knew this man was likely to follow through on his words. She quickly reached up and affectionately looped her arms around his neck, placating him with a smile, “Mmm, my husband is the most generous person; he surely won’t hold this against me for one or two times, right?”

Wen Ningxuan had only intended to tease her and hadn't truly planned on doing anything drastic. Seeing her attempt to flatter and appease him now, he couldn't help but let out a light laugh. “Mmm, then my dear wife must remember: if there’s a next time, your husband will show no mercy.”

Hearing this, Lin He nodded subserviently.

Wen Ningxuan was amused by her demeanor and said, smiling, “He’er, don't worry. This house is under my name, not the Wen family’s. When we first married, we happened upon this place once, and I thought you might like this sort of house, so I bought it from Father.”

“However, since this property was originally Wen family land, I didn’t specifically make that clear in the main house yesterday. All the other members of the Wen family assume it belongs to them, which is why no one stopped me when I said we were moving here yesterday. Otherwise, you’d still be living in one of the remote little courtyards of the Wen estate.”

Speaking of that, Lin He recalled what had happened that morning in the main house. After a moment of hesitation, she finally brought it up. “Ningxuan, what exactly is the Cui Zhu Xuan courtyard in the Wen family? Why did Madam Wen object so strongly to us moving in? And why did Grandmother disapprove, yet Father insisted so vehemently?”

For some reason, Lin He felt that the reason Wen Ningxuan was displeased this morning wasn’t just concern for her, but also due to this matter of the courtyard. He hadn't brought it up earlier, but now she remembered to ask.

Hearing Lin He’s question, the smile on Wen Ningxuan’s face vanished, replaced by a look of mockery tinged with a faint trace of sorrow.

After a long pause, Wen Ningxuan spoke, “The Cui Zhu Courtyard was built when Grandfather was alive. It is the finest courtyard in the Wen family. Grandfather and Grandmother lived there for a time. Later, when Grandfather grew old and handed over the reins of the family to Father, Grandfather moved out. After that, Father moved in. But for some unknown reason, Father never brought Mother to live there. He only visited occasionally to review the accounts, and sometimes he stayed the night—but only alone.”

“Although it was never explicitly stated, a silent rule seemed to form: only the head of the family can reside there. Can you imagine, why would Mother allow me to live in such a place? Of course, I anticipated Mother’s reaction, but Grandmother’s attitude yesterday struck me as quite strange. He'er, you know how doting Grandmother usually is toward Elder Brother.”

Oh, so that was the reason. That explained why Madam Wen was so opposed, why Old Master Wen was so insistent, and why Wen Ningxuan was so unwilling to move in.

But that being the case, the Old Madam's attitude yesterday was indeed a bit odd. If that were the established rule, the Old Madam should have been just as insistent in her opposition. Yet, why did she only offer a token objection before ultimately agreeing?

Lin He found it difficult to believe that the Old Madam had suddenly changed her mind and agreed to let Wen Ningxuan become the head of the Wen family, as Lin He was acutely aware of the Old Madam’s long-standing insistence on passing that position to Wen Ningchen.

Then what was her true objective yesterday? Lin He truly couldn't fathom the Old Madam. Did she not actually wish for Wen Ningchen to inherit the position as much as she outwardly presented? If not, then what was she trying to achieve?

Thinking this over, Lin He asked, “Husband, is your discomfort today entirely because of this matter? Do you think Grandmother…” Since Ningxuan had always shown considerable respect toward the Old Madam, Lin He was reluctant to use harsh words when speaking of her, so she left her sentence unfinished.

“Yes, He'er is right. I suddenly feel my Grandmother is a stranger. I have this feeling that everything she’s shown us for so long has been an act. But then again, I feel Grandmother wouldn’t do such a thing. She has no reason to, right? Father is her biological son, and we are her grandsons. She is old now, and she can’t take these worldly things with her; they must be left to her descendants, correct?” Wen Ningxuan looked at Lin He with palpable hope.

Although Lin He shared his thoughts internally, she couldn't voice them now. She offered Wen Ningxuan a radiant smile and said lightly, “Mmm, you are right. But since we have moved out now, let’s not overthink some things. It’s rare that we get to have our time alone together; we should be happy living our own lives, right?”

As if influenced by Lin He’s good cheer, Wen Ningxuan put aside his inner distress, smiled, and nodded. Then, quite suddenly, he asked again, “He’er, what is this ‘time alone together’ you just mentioned?”