Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Second Marriage

"Can we please call each other husband and wife? Otherwise, we're alone, and it would tarnish your reputation."

"Don't worry, I won't overstep my bounds in the slightest before you agree to marry me."

Chu Xian hadn't expected Chen Qingyan to be so direct in demanding a legitimate status. She was stunned for a moment before slowly nodding, "Master Chen, if you don't mind, from now on, my child and I will take your surname, Chen."

Chen Qingyan is a gentleman. If he has bad intentions, there is no need to remind her deliberately. He can just take advantage of her when she is not prepared.

She was at her wit's end and urgently needed a suitable identity to hide. Chen Qingyan was the best straw she could grasp at the moment, and she had no other choice.

As dusk fell, the ox cart stopped at a simple village nestled in the mountains and beside the water.

The villagers sitting under the big locust tree at the entrance of the village all came over with joy in their eyes and asked Chen Qingyan about his well-being.

"Master Chen is back! Come on everyone, Master Chen is back!"

Chu Xian followed Chen Qingyan gracefully and was surrounded by villagers as they came to an elegant courtyard by the lake.

"Master Chen, are you leaving now that you're back? While you were away, each of our families took turns cleaning your yard, tending your peach orchard and your fields. We just planted the rice we planted for you this year yesterday."

"Look, the lotus pond in front of the yard has been fertilized, and twenty kilograms of fish fry have been planted."

"The two mu of land behind the house is already planted with seasonal fruits and vegetables, and there's a patch of corn on the terraced fields over there."

An old man with white hair held Chen Qingyan's sleeve tightly, as if he was worried that Chen Qingyan would run away if he let go of his sleeve.

"Li Zheng Yuan, my wife and children and I will be settling down here from now on. Don't worry."

Chen Qingyan was neither humble nor arrogant, and gave the village head a reassurance.

Village head?

It turned out that the old man was the village chief. In the Qing Dynasty and previous dynasties, the village chief was called Li Yin, also known as Li Li, Li Zheng, Li Jun, and Li Zhang. The term "village chief" only came into being after the Republic of China.

"Oh, it's only been two years since we last met, and Mr. Chen has already married and had children. It's really a cause for celebration." The smile on the old village head's face was a little forced.

Suddenly, a sob was heard. Chu Xian looked up at the beautiful girl behind the village head. The girl was about fifteen or sixteen years old. She lowered her head and rubbed her eyes, as if she was crying.

"Oh, Master Chen got married and had children, and Sister Hongmian was so sad that she started crying."

"I didn't." The girl turned and ran away.

Chu Xian looked at Chen Qingyan awkwardly, but saw that he was looking at her with burning eyes.

"She is Yuan Hongmian, the granddaughter of the village head. I have nothing to do with her." Chen Qingyan responded frankly.

"Sister Hongmian is sad, husband, why don't you go and comfort her?" Chu Xian joked.

"It has nothing to do with me." Chen Qingyan didn't respond.

The two of them arrived at the courtyard one after the other.

There are only two rooms in the small blue brick courtyard. One is filled with tables and chairs and is used for teaching, and the remaining bright east room is used for sleeping.

Chu Xian was a guest, so she didn't have the courage to kick the host Chen Qingyan out of the main house to sleep.

After dinner, Chu Xian sat in front of the double-happiness red curtain, feeling restless as she watched the enthusiastic village women make the brand new red mattress.

Hui'er was hungry, and her chest was swollen and painful. She was about to undress to feed the child, but before she could close the door, she heard Chen Qingyan's footsteps.

She was so frightened that she quickly buttoned her clothes.

Chen Qingyan moved a plain screen into the house and placed it in the corner.

"Madam, please take a look behind the screen and see if it's too narrow. If not, I'll find a smaller one."

Chu Xian understood Chen Qingyan's hint and hurriedly went behind the screen.

Chen Qingyan restrained himself and retreated to the door, but the noise coming from behind the screen was too loud, and his handsome face turned slightly red.

Chu Xian also knew that Hui'er was making quite a noise. It was okay for now, but Hui'er still needed to be breastfed at night, and she had to lie on her side on the bed to breastfeed, which was even more embarrassing.

Embarrassing as it was, she would rather be embarrassed if she took Huier out of the warm bed and took him behind the screen to breastfeed late at night, causing the child to catch a cold.

After the little prince had eaten and drunk his fill, Chu Xian gave him a bath, played with the rattle for a while, and after coaxing him to sleep, she got up yawning and prepared to wash the clothes that the mother and son had taken off.

If Chen Qingyan had dirty clothes, she would wash them as well.

When she looked up, she saw the yard full of clean clothes. Chen Qingyan calmly spread out her bellyband, hung it on a bamboo pole, and was about to wring out Huier's diaper.

"No, no, I can do it myself." Chu Xian's face flushed.

She always felt uncomfortable when her underwear was touched by a strange man. Her cheeks were burning and she wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.

"Xian'er, since you call me husband, there's no need to be so formal."

He was left speechless by Chen Qingyan's words, and even felt annoyed that he had shot himself in the foot.

"Let's wait until Hui'er grows up. You take care of the child first."

"Then...then I will be responsible for cooking and cleaning. My cooking skills are pretty good." Chu Xian said hesitantly.

"No need. I'm not bad at cooking, but I was busy with schoolwork at the academy and didn't have the energy to cook. Once Hui'er turns three and starts primary school, you'll be the one to cook."

"Then what should I do? I always feel uneasy if you don't let me do anything." Chu Xian doesn't like to owe favors to others. If Chen Qingyan doesn't let her do anything, she will feel guilty.

"I've negotiated a deal with the village head. I'll teach the eleven children in the village how to read and write, and he'll arrange for people to take care of the fields and orchards. You don't have to worry about rice, flour, grain, oil, fish, or meat; they'll be delivered to you."

"Tomorrow, Madam Zheng will send over chickens and ducks. In your free time, you can feed them and collect the eggs."

"Remember to put away your clothes when it rains, and just take care of yourself and your children."

"If you feel bored, you can go to the village entrance to chat. If you have urgent matters on weekdays, you can come to the west room to find me. I teach in the west room."

"We take a break on the fifteenth of every month and during festivals. If you want to go to the town market, I'll take you there."

"No, no, no, I'm not going anywhere."

Chu Xian wished she could hide in the mountains and forests for three to five years without showing up.

"Okay, then I'll accompany you to go for an outing in the mountains."

"No, no, no, my husband, if you want to go anywhere, you can go. You don't have to accommodate me." Chu Xian was flattered.

In the past, she always fantasized about living in seclusion in the mountains with her beloved, staying away from worldly affairs and staying together forever. She didn't expect that now her wish has come true, but the price is the loss of her love forever.

Chen Qingyan smiled without saying anything. The closer he got to her, the more he realized that she was a special woman, and the more his heart beat faster.

In the past, he scoffed at the descriptions of love that lasted a thousand years at first sight in the books. But it was not until that day when the snow had just cleared and he saw her for the first time that he realized that the ancients were not lying to him.

Just one glance, and he couldn't take his eyes off her again in his life. When he heard that she had lost her husband, he was so excited that he deliberately approached her and planned to get closer to her step by step.

He thought that they would never have the chance to meet again in this life. That night, he swore in the dark kitchen that if she could come back, he would never let go of her hand for the rest of his life.

When I raised my eyes, the person I had been thinking about appeared in front of me.

Even if her husband is still alive, what does it matter? She is now his wife.

He has a lifetime to wait for her to accept him.

"I'll sleep on the outside of the bed, and Hui'er will sleep in the middle. He has to get up at night to change his diaper."

"Okay, I'll go to the west room to prepare for tomorrow's class. You can rest first."

Chu Xian was secretly delighted, as this just saved her from embarrassment. After watching Chen Qingyan go to the west room, she turned around and went back to the east room to sleep.

I was so nervous that I couldn't sleep for several days. As soon as I touched the pillow, I felt sleepy instantly.

Half asleep and half awake, Hui'er's soft humming was heard. Chu Xian closed her eyes, opened her clothes, took the little guy into her arms and fed him.

The gurgling sound was extremely irritating in the middle of the night. After the little guy finished eating on one side, Chu Xian subconsciously carried the little guy to the other side and continued eating.

The cold moonlight cast its shadow into the room. Chen Qingyan held his breath and raised his hands awkwardly to shield his eyes.

But my mind was uncontrollably filled with the graceful outline under the moonlight.

After Xiao Hui had eaten and drunk enough, Chu Xian slowly sat up and prepared to change the little guy's diaper. Later she realized that there was someone else on the bed. All her sleepiness disappeared in an instant and her eyes widened with fear.

Seeing Chen Qingyan covering his eyes with his arms, she bit her lip awkwardly. The moonlight was dim, and she didn't know whether he was awake or asleep just now, or whether he saw anything.

She felt guilty and didn't dare to say anything. Maybe Chen Qingyan didn't see it at all. If she asked without knowing the whole story, it would be even more embarrassing.

Both of them kept it a secret and did not expose the awkwardness.

In the second half of the night, Xiao Huier made a fuss again. Chu Xian covered her shoulders with the small blanket she had prepared in advance, and then hid at the end of the bed with the little guy in her arms.

Breastfeeding was extremely difficult, and she had to change her sweat towel several times a night. She had no idea that when the baby was feeding on one side, milk would also overflow from the other side, soaking her clothes.

Later, the midwife taught her to use a thick sweat towel, which saved her the embarrassment of having to get up and change clothes in the middle of the night.

Sweat towels that may be soaked with milk also need to be changed and washed frequently, otherwise the house will be filled with the smell of milk.

Chu Xian hid the sweat towel in the basket under the window, preparing to wash it early tomorrow morning. After changing the diaper, she yawned and fell asleep holding Hui'er.

Early the next morning, Chu Xian was awakened by the sound of roosters crowing one after another. When she turned around, she found that her pillow was empty. Chen Qingyan had actually gotten up earlier than her.

At this time, Xiao Hui was also crying out of hunger.

After feeding the little guy and coaxing him to sleep, Chu Xian grabbed the wet towel and went to the window. She was shocked to find that the bamboo basket was empty and her face turned red immediately.

I hurriedly opened the door and saw three or four clean towels hanging on a bamboo pole, still dripping with water.

Chen Qingyan sat by the well and gently scrubbed the diapers.

"Let me do it." Chu Xian awkwardly moved closer to him and snatched the diaper.

"I'll do it! I promised Hui'er that I would be the one to go before he goes to school, and I won't break my promise."

His hands were empty, and the sweat towel was snatched away by Chen Qingyan and pressed into the wooden basin.

At this moment, Hui'er suddenly burst into tears. Chu Xian didn't bother to continue being polite and hurriedly got up and went into the house to take care of Hui'er.

After coaxing the little guy, Chen Qingyan came in with a large bowl.

In the large bowl lay two oily fried eggs and a few pieces of braised pork ribs.

"you.."

"I've already had breakfast, and the students will be here in a quarter of an hour. After breakfast, just place your bowl on the kitchen stove. You don't have to make lunch; the village head will arrange for someone to bring it to you. If you want to eat something, just let me know a day in advance."

"I'm fine with anything. I'm not picky about food except spicy food."

Chu Xian picked up the large bowl and ate heartily while Hui'er was sleeping soundly.

The two chatted for a while, and Chen Qingyan snatched the empty bowl from her hand and walked away.

By the time Chu Xian reacted, he was already squatting by the well washing dishes.

After a cup of tea, the sound of reading aloud came from the west room.

Chu Xian was holding Hui'er while walking in the sun at the entrance of the village. The villagers who came towards her were all very friendly to her and called her Madam Chen one by one.

Chu Xian felt guilty and quickly went to the lotus pond behind the house to hide.

After much hesitation, he decided to go back and make some tea to moisten the students' throats, so that he would not seem so idle.

Seeing honeysuckle and wild chrysanthemums by the roadside, she took a bamboo basket and picked a lot of them. She then went to the bamboo forest to pick a basket of fresh bamboo leaves and boiled them into a double flower drink.

It’s a pity that honey is so expensive. It would taste better if some honey was added.

When the Double Flower Drink was ready, the sound of reading stopped. Chu Xian stood in front of the kitchen and called out to the west room, "Husband, I made some Double Flower Drink. Let the children come to the kitchen and get it."

Chen Qingyan walked out of the west room, his eyes full of smiles: "Thank you, Madam."

“Thank you, Master’s wife!”

"Thank you, Master's wife."

The children came to the kitchen in an orderly manner to drink tea.

Chu Xian turned around and took Chen Qingyan's porcelain cup, poured him a cup of tea, and personally brought it to him.

"It's a pity that there's no honey at home, so the taste is a bit bland."

"It's better to have something lighter." Chen Qingyan raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.

The two chatted for a while, Chen Qingyan continued teaching, and Chu Xian carried the drowsy Hui'er back to bed.

By the time Hui'er had eaten and drunk his fill and fell asleep, it was almost lunchtime and the children began to leave the yard and go home one after another.

A young girl called softly from outside the door, "Brother Qingyan, it's my turn to have food delivered today. We have river shrimp and leeks, braised pork, braised stream fish with sauce, as well as stir-fried cabbage and tofu soup."

Chu Xian quickly retracted the steps she had taken and hid in the house, not daring to make a sound.

She did not forget the vicious look that Hongmian gave her. At this moment, she even did not dare to eat the food that Hongmian brought her, for fear of being poisoned.

"Thank you, Miss Hongmian." Chen Qingyan politely took the food box, walked to the kitchen, and poured the food into his own bowls and plates.

Seeing Brother Qingyan personally coming to the well, Yuan Hongmian immediately looked at the closed east room with anger: "It's already noon, why is she still sleeping? She doesn't even come to help you wash the dishes. How can you let a man wash dishes?"

After saying that, she came forward eagerly to help wash the dishes.

Chen Qingyan didn't take it seriously and replied nonchalantly, "I didn't marry her to serve me, to wash clothes and cook. If I wanted to find someone to wash clothes and cook, I could just buy a slave. My wife is not a slave to serve me."

Hong Mian stood there in a daze, unable to help but grit her teeth, feeling so jealous that her eyes were boiling with anger.

No man in the village had ever said such sweet words of love to a girl. Even her father and grandfather had never been so considerate to her grandmother and mother.

In their eyes, women are born to work like slaves for men, doing laundry, cooking, bearing children, and being grateful to men.

"What woman doesn't do laundry and cooking? If she loves you, she wouldn't let you do these trivial things." Hong Mian retorted dryly.

"I'd love to."

I'd love to...

These three words were so powerful that they left people speechless.

Inside the house, Chu Xian hugged Hui'er nervously, with mixed feelings in her heart. She suddenly felt that she was despicable and shameful, and had used Chen Qingyan's affection for her to trick him into giving her shelter.

But gratitude cannot replace feelings. She knows very well that she only has gratitude towards Chen Qingyan, and there is absolutely no intention of love between men and women.

Chu Xian felt guilty and held back her tears, not knowing how to face Chen Qingyan for a moment.

Yuan Hongmian stood by the well, her eyes full of shock, until her brother Qingyan handed her the clean food box, and she barely came to her senses.

His eyes were always fixed on the closed door, full of tender love.

Suppressing her sadness, Yuan Hongmian took the food box and left, looking back every few steps.

After the outsiders left, Chen Qingyan walked to the closed door and knocked gently: "Madam, have lunch."

Chu Xian wiped away her tears and slowly opened the door.

I sat down at the table. In front of me was a large bowl filled with several pieces of braised pork with alternating fat and lean meat.

Looking at Chen Qingyan's bowl again, there were only two big pieces of fat meat. Chu Xian felt really sorry and hurriedly picked up the two largest pieces of braised pork and put them into Chen Qingyan's big bowl.

He was picking out fish bones with his head down, and while he didn't look up at her, Chu Xian hurriedly lowered her head to pick at the food in the bowl.

Suddenly, two pieces of braised pork appeared in the bowl, followed by a few pieces of fish.

The fish had been carefully deboned. It turned out that he was deboning it for her.

"The braised pork is too fatty, I can't eat it." Chu Xian picked up a piece of braised pork and was about to put it back into his bowl, but he pushed it back into the bowl.

"Nonsense, you obviously like braised pork. I saw that you can eat a whole plate of it." Chen Qingyan put the shelled river shrimp into her bowl.

"No way..." Chu Xian covered her face in embarrassment. She and Wan Ning liked to sit at the door to eat and chat from time to time.

Several times when Chen Qingyan passed by at mealtime, he would always see her holding a large bowl and bragging and joking with Wan Ning.

"Tomorrow is the Spring Equinox. The village will go to worship the Dragon King. We will take a day off. I will go into the mountains. Dinner will be prepared when I return."

"I'll prepare lunch before I go into the mountains. When it's time for lunch, you can just heat it up and eat it."

"I cook by myself. Aunt Tian sent me half a duck in pickled sauce today, which will be just right for lunch tomorrow." Chu Xian took advantage of Chen Qingyan opening his mouth and quickly stuffed a piece of braised pork into his mouth.

"Woo..." Chen Qingyan covered his mouth helplessly and moved the bamboo stool away to avoid being attacked by her again.

The next morning, when Chu Xian got up, Chen Qingyan was no longer by her pillow. She didn't know when he left, as she was completely unaware.

After getting up and washing up, he went to the kitchen. As soon as he opened the wooden lid, Chu Xian's eyes were full of smiles. He had really prepared breakfast and lunch.

As dinner approached, Chu Xian took some braised duck with white radish from the vegetable garden, and stir-fried some bean sprouts and scrambled eggs with leeks, waiting for Chen Qingyan to come back and have dinner together.

As the drizzle fell and the sky darkened, there was still no sign of Chen Qingyan.

Chu Xian held Hui'er in her arms, holding an umbrella and anxiously looking out the mountain road in front of the courtyard gate.

I don’t know how much time passed until it was pitch dark and Hui’er was crying non-stop.

Chu Xian was about to light the lamp when Chen Qingyan's voice came from behind her: "Madam, are you waiting for me?"

"Of course I'm waiting for you to come home. Who else could I be waiting for?" Chu Xian was full of resentment. He didn't come back for dinner and didn't even tell her in advance, which made her worried that he would be attacked by wild beasts in the mountains.

She walked into the kitchen angrily, and when she turned around, the umbrella in her hand fell to the ground in shock.

In the dim candlelight, she finally saw Chen Qingyan's face clearly, but saw that his nose and face were bruised, and his eyes were swollen into narrow slits, which looked extremely funny.

She was about to say something comforting when she suddenly smelled a sweet scent, the scent of honey.

At this time, Chen Qingyan opened the lotus leaf bag in his hand, and the beeswax soaked in clear yellow honey appeared in front of him.

Chen Qingyan raised the wooden barrel in his hand and said, "There's still some left. We can take out at least five pounds of honey soon. Feel free to eat it. After you finish, I'll go to the mountains to look for wild honey."

Chu Xian's nose felt sore, and she took the wooden barrel: "Hurry up and have dinner, the food is heating in the pot."

"good."

His eyes were swollen into slits, but he still struggled to keep them open and smiled at her.

Chu Xian couldn't help but grab his sleeve: "Your face is swollen from a bee sting. Let me help you remove the sting."

"It's okay, don't worry, I can do it myself."

Chen Qingyan raised his hand, but she clutched her sleeves tighter, pursed her lips to suppress a smile, and Chen Qingyan nodded heavily: "Then I'll trouble you, Madam."

"Wait for me." Chu Xian stuffed Hui'er into Chen Qingyan's arms, turned around to find an embroidery needle, and took out two new candles.

After lighting the candle, the small kitchen suddenly became as bright as day.

"Don't move. Sit on the bamboo bench and turn sideways toward the candlelight, so that my shadow won't block your view."

"Okay." Chen Qingyan sat down obediently and looked up at her.

Chu Xian carefully picked out the bee stings with an embroidery needle. At first, she would count how many stings there were, but later, there were so many that she couldn't count them, and she felt extremely sad.

She didn't expect that he would remember what she said casually.

By the time she pulled out the last bee sting, her hands were so sore and weak that she couldn't even lift them.

At this moment, Chen Qingyan's head was swollen like a pig, but he was still smiling at her.

Chu Xian's nose felt sore, but she knew she couldn't respond to him, and she couldn't respond to him.

The kitchen was silent, and Huier started crying at the right moment.

Chu Xian put the embroidery needle back into the sewing basket, picked up Hui'er and went back to the house to feed her.

After coaxing Hui'er to sleep, I returned to the kitchen, only to see Chen Qingyan still sitting at the dining table. The food in front of him was still steaming and he hadn't touched it yet.

"Why don't you eat?" Chu Xian was confused.

"Wait for you to eat together."

"How do you know I didn't eat it?" Chu Xian wondered. Chen Qingyan was sometimes so attentive that it made her embarrassed.

"Your stomach growled twice just now. When I heated up the food, I saw that there was a lot of leftovers." Chen Qingyan put the braised duck legs into her large bowl and lowered his head to eat.

"You eat too." Chu Xian picked up the duck wing roots and put them into Chen Qingyan's bowl.

She lowered her head and the duck wing roots returned to her bowl.

She took a deep breath and snatched Chen Qingyan's large bowl, poured all the rice in the bowl into the plate of braised duck, and quickly stirred it evenly.

"Eat quickly!"

Chu Xian lowered her head and continued to pick up food for him, putting most of the eggs in his bowl.

The two stopped talking and lowered their heads to eat dinner. After dinner, Chu Xian took the initiative to wash the dishes. After washing the dishes and returning to the kitchen, she saw Chen Qingyan boiling beeswax.

"Do you want to make candles? I'll pick some marigolds to make red candles, and then I'll get some wicks."

"No need. I don't make red candles. I make lip balm, rouge, moisturizing ointment, and hair oil for you."

"Madam, do you prefer osmanthus-scented hair oil or peach-scented hair oil?"

Chu Xian's eyes were filled with astonishment, and she pursed her lips, at a loss.

"Let's make red candles, with thicker wicks. They'll be brighter when you read at night. I'll also boil some cassia seed oil and soak the wicks to protect your eyes."

"No rush. Next time I make candles, I'll make both osmanthus-scented and peach-scented hair oils. I've also picked some gardenias, which are fragrant. You can use them alternately."

"Then make half into candles and the other half into hair oil and lip balm, otherwise don't do either." Chu Xian was firm.

"Then...I'll listen to my wife." Chen Qingyan had gradually understood her temper and had no choice but to agree.

"I'll make the body balm, and you make the candles."

Chu Xian hadn't used moisturizing cream for a long time. When she was in the capital, she would wipe her whole body with moisturizing cream after bathing every day to maintain her skin.

"I make osmanthus hair oil." Chen Qingyan stubbornly took the osmanthus oil.

Chu Xian couldn't persuade him, so she could only speed up her hands and do more while the little prince was sleeping.

"How about making some more lip balm flower pieces and asking Auntie Hua to take them to the market to sell?"

"Let's do it another day. You should go to bed early. Hui'er should wake up soon." Chen Qingyan lowered his head and ground the ointment carefully.

As soon as the wind came, Hui'er's loud cry was heard. Chu Xian wiped her hands covered with beeswax and hurried back to the house to take care of the child.

After coaxing the child and returning to the kitchen, Chen Qingyan had already packed the prepared rouge and powder into a bamboo tube and sealed it.

Chu Xian was initially worried that the rouge and powder prepared by the man would not look good in color, but when she applied a thin layer of rouge on the back of her hand, her eyes immediately lit up.

He has a good aesthetic.

After they cleaned up the kitchen, Chen Qingyan went to take a shower. Chu Xian lay back on the bed and placed the sleeping Hui'er between them to prevent any awkward contact.

When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, Hui'er woke up hungry. Chu Xian skillfully grabbed the small blanket to cover his body. The gurgling sound of the little guy swallowing was very clear. Chu Xian turned her back awkwardly to avoid him.

He fumbled for the hand towel, and suddenly it was stuffed into his palm.

She silently took the towel and used it to clean her wet collar.

When I turned around, I saw Chen Qingyan had turned his back and avoided me.

She carried the little one to the other side to feed her. Before she could get up, Chen Qingyan had already gotten up to boil some hot water and fetch a clean diaper.

"Thank you." Chu Xian thanked him softly.

Chen Qingyan hummed in a low voice, turned sideways and stopped talking.

The next day, Chen Qingyan's face was swollen beyond recognition, and the whole village knew that Master Chen was stung while looking for honey for his wife.

It took nearly half a month for the redness and swelling on his face to subside.

For a time, Master Chen's reputation for doting on his wife spread, and the young girls and wives in the village often mentioned Master Chen and complained that their men were not considerate.

Mr. Chen has become the standard for women to choose a husband.

It is early autumn in the blink of an eye. Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Xiaohui, who is more than half a year old, has already grown his baby teeth and has recently started to speak. Unexpectedly, the first word the child uttered in his life was "Dad".

When the little guy opened his arms and affectionately called out "Daddy" to Chen Qingyan, the rattle in Chu Xian's hand fell to the ground.

She realized later that she and her children had become accustomed to Chen Qingyan's presence. She didn't even know when she stopped thinking about leaving Chen Qingyan.

It has nothing to do with love, but her and her child's dependence on him is increasing day by day.

Hui'er needs a well-educated and sensible father to teach her. She is an alien in this world and no one can teach Hui'er to adapt to this world.

Hui'er needs Chen Qingyan, and as for her, she believes that as long as she doesn't fall in love, she will be able to grow old with Chen Qingyan.

Chu Xian was filled with emotion and decided to marry him after the Double Ninth Festival.

Before marrying Chen Qingyan, she had to confirm one thing, she had to confirm that the man had left Jiangnan.

"Husband, I want to go to the city tomorrow to see the Mid-Autumn Festival temple fair and buy some fabric for winter clothes. Is Haining County still under martial law? If it is, I won't go."

Chu Xian's heart was in her throat, afraid that Chen Qingyan would say that the city was still under lockdown.

"The lockdown was lifted in May. If you want to go into the city, go early tomorrow morning." Chen Qingyan saw her uneasy expression.

Subconsciously, he guessed that the city lockdown must be related to her.

The identity of that powerful man was more complicated than he had imagined. The man who could suppress the Chen family of Haining and seal off the city for several months was definitely not an ordinary person.

If he is not a first-rank official, then he is...a member of the royal family.

Considering that she did not have bound feet, and that the man killed someone in broad daylight and the county government covered up for him, Chen Qingyan had a rough idea of ​​her identity.

She was the mistress or concubine of a royal noble, but definitely not the legal wife. For unknown reasons, she fled the capital and ended up in Haining.

He never took the initiative to ask about the mystery of her life experience. If she didn't want to speak, what would it matter if he never asked?

Chu Xian was secretly delighted. The lockdown had been lifted in May, which meant that the man had returned to Beijing in June at the latest.

She had been huddled in the mountains and forests for half a year, and finally she was free!

"Then let's take Hui'er with us and go into the city early tomorrow morning." Chu Xian said excitedly.

"Let's go get a few feet of red cloth to make our wedding dress tomorrow, and then we'll choose a good day in December and get married." Chu Xian took the initiative.

With a bang, Chen Qingyan lost his composure and fell to the ground. Chu Xian smiled and reached out to hold his hand that was grabbing at the air.

"Are you unwilling? Then I won't force you to get married."

"No, I do. I do. I'm just... just too happy. Give me some time, give me some time."

Chen Qingyan staggered to his feet, rushed out of the house, and locked himself in the study in the west room.

Before Chu Xian could chase him out, Chen Qingyan ran back to her and said, "Xian'er, I just checked the almanac. October 30th is an auspicious day this year. Is it okay to set the wedding date on October 30th?"

When she heard October 30th, Chu Xian's smile froze for a moment. October 30th was that person's 20th birthday.

It just so happened that the wedding date was set for October 30th. If that man knew about this in the future, he would be furious and kill her with a knife.

Never mind. I will never have any chance to meet that person again in this life, so why should I avoid mentioning his birthday?

Chu Xian was determined to break the jar and immediately nodded in agreement: "Then we will get married on October 30th."

"Xian'er, thank you for marrying me, thank you, thank you..."

Caught off guard, Chen Qingyan hugged her tightly in his arms.

Chu Xian didn't dare to move and subconsciously wanted to push his arms away. She looked down and saw Hui'er's crisp giggles. She couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth and reveal a relieved smile.

That night, Chu Xian was breastfeeding Hui'er in a daze when she suddenly cried out in pain.

After the little guy grew his baby teeth, he actually started biting people.

"Xian'er, what's wrong?" Chen Qingyan's anxious voice came.

"It hurts so much, Hui'er bit me..." Chu Xian's face turned red.

There was a moment of silence behind him, and Chen Qingyan said in a hoarse voice: "Don't move."

Chu Xian was shivering in pain, her body stiff and not daring to move. She felt a warm and rough palm approaching and gently rubbing Hui'er's lips.

The man's fingertips inevitably touched her skin. Chu Xian's face flushed and she closed her eyes in shame.

The little guy whined and let go, and was carried away by Chen Qingyan.

Chu Xian sat up in pain and wiped her tears. She went behind the screen and took a closer look with a lamp, only to find that Hui'er had bitten her skin.

Just as she was gasping for breath in pain, Chen Qingyan's voice came from behind the screen: "Xian'er, apply hot water quickly."

"It hurts so much. I'll stop breastfeeding when Hui'er turns one."

Chu Xian took the warm handkerchief angrily.

"Tomorrow I'll take ten pounds of millet and polished rice to the village mill to grind into flour. In a few days, I'll let Hui'er eat rice porridge."

"I started giving him egg custard last month, but he didn't like it very much."

Chu Xian was frowning. She was not good at taking care of children and she stumbled along the way. If the women in the village had not taught her, she would not even know that Hui'er needed pepper wood as a teething stick.

"Let's try the minced meat soup tomorrow." Chen Qingyan handed the clean towel behind the screen.

After wiping herself clean, Chu Xian lay back on the bed. Chen Qingyan had already cleaned Hui'er's stinky butt. The little guy crawled into her arms and babbled, obviously not full yet.

Chu Xian undressed nervously. The little fellow bit his food fiercely. Chu Xian tensed up and straightened her body.

Chen Qingyan actually turned around, reached out and gently stroked the little guy's head and wiped the sweat off his face.

Chu Xian looked at Chen Qingyan in surprise, gritted her teeth, and let him go.

After getting married, she would have to fulfill her wife's duties sooner or later. Why should she selfishly take advantage of him and keep him hanging?

Fortunately, Hui'er fell asleep in his arms and Chen Qingyan did not do anything inappropriate. Chu Xian was too sleepy to open her eyes and gradually fell into a deep sleep.

The heavy breathing sounds of mother and son came one after another, but Chen Qingyan was distracted and tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Finally, he took a cold shower in the ear room to suppress his restlessness and finally fell asleep.

He is a normal man. He cannot avoid those intimate scenes in the dark night. How could he remain indifferent?

Tonight, all the suppressed wild desires burst out. He wanted her, and this evil thought became uncontrollable with the intimate touch.

He was even certain that he would lose control and take her before the day of marriage. At that moment just now, she was obedient and did not reject him.

He knew that if he wanted her, she would not refuse him again.

But he understood her personality. If he asked her out before marriage, he would lose the chance to win her heart forever.

He wants her body, but more importantly, he wants her heart.

Chen Qingyan smiled bitterly. Never mind. He had already made it through half a year, so the last two months of waiting wouldn’t make a difference.

The cold moon is silent, and Chen Qingyan is not the only one who can't sleep tonight.

In Yu Garden, Su Peisheng frowned, "Master, the Emperor has sent the seventh oral order of recall today. If you do not return to the capital, your title of Beile will be stripped away in three days and you will be demoted to Beizi."

The servants looked at each other in bewilderment. The Fourth Master had been reluctant to return to the capital. From last month to today, he had been reprimanded several times by His Majesty, and his title had been downgraded from that of a prince. After today, the Fourth Beile would be demoted to the Fourth Beizi.

The eunuch who came with an urgent decree from eight hundred miles away brought the Emperor's ultimatum: if the Fourth Master did not return to Beijing within a month, his title of Beizi would be stripped and he would be demoted to A'ge.

If he does not return to the capital, his yellow belt will be stripped off and he will be demoted to a commoner.

The study was filled with the smell of alcohol, and empty wine jars were scattered everywhere.

Yinzhen's eyes were blurry from drunkenness. He looked up blankly at the waning moon outside the window, remaining silent.

"Su Peisheng, what do you think...if the master is demoted to a commoner, will she...will she return home?"

Su Peisheng choked up, not knowing how to comfort the Fourth Master.

Nanny Chun who was guarding outside the door was also crying silently. The whole Jiangnan region knew that the prince had been stripped of his title. If Fu Jin knew, would she really be so cruel and indifferent?

She guessed that Fu Jin must not know about it yet.

"Su Peisheng, spread the news that the general will be demoted to a commoner and executed by Khan Ama, let the whole of Jiangnan come to see the joke, and let her collect the body."

"Oh, Master, please don't be angry. I beg you to return to the capital as soon as possible. I and others will stay in Jiangnan to continue searching for your wife, okay?"

Su Peisheng was so scared that he crawled on the ground and begged desperately.

"Go! If the news hasn't spread through the streets and alleys before noon tomorrow, all of you will die."

“Hehehehe…”

The servants couldn't help feeling sad when they heard the Fourth Master's sad and cold laughter.

Su Peisheng was extremely anxious and spread the news overnight.

Unexpectedly, the next morning, instead of receiving any news from his wife, the Fourth Master was ordered to leave by the Chen family.

Young Master Chen San is really good at adapting to the situation. After lunch, he asked the Fourth Master to leave Yu Garden.

Su Pei was so angry that he almost burst into a curse. With his head hung, he followed the Fourth Master on horseback to the familiar courtyard.

Every now and then, I would come to this small courtyard to see things and think of the past.

The old man went into the house and sulked, while Su Peisheng sat in front of the door with his hands in his pockets, in a daze, sighing from time to time.

Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the academy next door is deserted. A young teacher is moving books from a box to the door to dry.

Su Peisheng had nothing to do, so he helped the teacher dry the books.

He keenly noticed that the teacher had an unusual expression, as if he was deliberately avoiding him.

"Master, why haven't I seen that other majestic master?" Su Peisheng asked casually.

"Master Chen left Haining half a year ago." The servant boy who was helping to dry the books continued.

"Master Chen, half a year... half a year?" Su Peisheng's eyes suddenly widened.

Half a year ago, Haining County was still under lockdown. How could Master Chen have left Haining County? No way!

"Chen? Chen? What's your teacher's name? Is it Chen Qingyan? Is it Chen Qingyan?"

The book boy was frightened by the man's shrill voice and hid behind the teacher. "Yes, Master Chen's name is Qingyan, and his courtesy name is Bangyan."

"That's right, that's right! Chen Qingyan, where did Chen Qingyan take our wife to? Where did she go?!" Su Pei shouted angrily.

What a good Chen Qingyan, he actually kidnapped the concubine right under his nose.

"Someone come! Seal the academy!"

Su Peisheng slapped the teacher to the ground and said, "If you don't tell us the whereabouts of Chen Qingyan and our wife today, the whole Chen family will be like you."

"What's going on? Why are you bothering a weak scholar?"

Xianrong and Suiqing had never seen the good-tempered Su Peisheng so angry and frustrated, so they hurried forward to dissuade him.

"It's hard to explain in a few words. Wait until I pry open the mouth of this sour scholar!"

Su Peisheng raised his hand, and two blood-dripping figures dragged the teacher and the servant into the academy.

"Beat him! Beat him to death! Make sure he tells you where Chen Qingyan is!"

No wonder they searched Haining County over and over for several months, and even accidentally found several rebels who had been hiding for many years, but they still couldn't find any trace of Fu Jin.

Su Peisheng rolled up his sleeves and was about to torture the man himself, but he saw the imperial physician Ye Tianshi coming hurriedly.

"Something terrible is happening. The Fourth Master is seriously ill with a high fever and is still drinking. Go and persuade him."

"Ouch... I can't drink anymore... I've already vomited blood, why are you still drinking? Are you trying to kill yourself..."

Su Peisheng ran to the Fourth Master to dissuade him.