Teasing (revision)

The half-closed lattice window swayed slightly, letting in a very light night breeze. Qingmo then quietly went forward and closed the window.

Dou Yanxun poured himself a drink. The lychee green wine, which had been brewing for a long time, was fragrant and refreshing, and had a sweet and mellow taste that was intoxicating.

He tapped the white jade cup in his hand lightly with his fingertips, looking quite relaxed. "Was this wine specially brewed for me by my wife?"

It turned out that Qingmo had said something witty while smiling at Lin Xu as she poured the wine. At the time, Dou Yanxun was just looking down at the oven, but he didn't realize he had overheard it all.

"Not long after you left, several baskets of lychees were delivered from the estate I brought as part of my dowry. Although they are not as crystal clear and lustrous as those produced in Nanling, they are still pleasant to use for making wine."

However, she was bedridden at the time and had no strength to do anything. She simply instructed the cooks in the kitchen to wash each lychee, peel them, and make wine. The servants naturally handled the task well.

Upon hearing this, Dou Yanxun raised his hand and drank the remaining half cup of lychee green tea in one gulp.

A few moments later, a young maid brought over several exquisite and translucent cups of fresh fruits, all of which he had brought back from his trip.

A hint of weariness crept into Dou Yanxun's eyes. He watched as Lin Xu drank a bowl of Yunnan ham and bamboo shoot soup, then ate some honeydew melon and jujubes before finally putting down his chopsticks with satisfaction.

The two washed their hands and wiped their mouths, and before they knew it, the bright moon was already hanging high in the branches outside the window, and the night was deep.

After a quick bath, Dou Yanxun lay on the soft couch wearing only a moon-white undergarment, resting his chin on his hand as he watched Lin Xu soak his hands in hot water infused with rose petals.

Steam rose from the basin of water, softening her delicate profile. It was an expression his wife rarely showed on ordinary days.

She seemed to be in a rare good mood, soaking her hands while rambling on about the funny things that happened at home when he wasn't around.

"...I heard a few days ago that Fifth Miss fell ill, and Aunt Guo also fell ill for a few days. The weather is unpredictable in early spring, so she must take good care of herself..."

After the awkwardness and suspicion they had experienced in the past, Lin Xu now appears to be acting normally, as if they were always close and had never had any disagreements.

Thinking this way, even the way he looked at her unconsciously carried a touch of warmth and cherishment.

"...Husband, the other day I suddenly noticed that something seemed to be missing from the shelf in the study. Could someone have put it somewhere?"

Dou Yanxun's face was slightly flushed. After a few cups of wine, even though he had a high alcohol tolerance, the cool and pungent lychee green color made everything in front of him blurry.

What is it?

"It wasn't anything big, just a small jade gourd with a rather unique shape."

She followed the steam to the person lying on the couch. He was drunk, but his expression remained unchanged, as if he had no recollection of the object she was talking about.

Lin Xu then continued:

"This jade gourd was a gift from my sister-in-law last time. All the other wood carvings and other items are still here, but this one is missing. I can't remember when it disappeared."

Dou Yanxun raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice hoarse and tinged with a sense of dazed weariness.

"It's just an inconspicuous jade gourd. I accidentally knocked it over and broke it that day, so I had the maid keep it."

He moved his arm away, as if he had lost all strength, and lay down on the couch. He looked back at her and said, "If you like it, Madam, I will buy it for you again."

"It's alright."

Lin Xu took a handkerchief and wiped her hands clean.

She never wore nail polish, and her freshly washed fingers were as white and slender as green onions. She lowered her head and lowered the cuffs of her sleeves, revealing a section of her fair wrist hidden beneath the empty sleeves.

It is the most gentle and beautiful, the most alluring.

Dou Yanxun snapped out of his daze, feeling his Adam's apple bob. He turned away, averting his gaze, and slowly closed his eyes as she walked softly towards him.

Both of them had taken a quick bath and were covered in a faint fragrance. Dou Yanxun always slept on the outer side so that it would be convenient for him to get up and go to work in the morning. But now, because he had already been lying on the bed, he was right in the middle, which made Lin Xu a little embarrassed.

She leaned down, her cascading hair falling onto his neck and chest, and Dou Yanxun could smell a faint, delicate fragrance—

Even though she bathed in a soup made from the tender buds of newly sprouted peach, mulberry, and plum branches in spring, mixed with the finest nardostachys and tonka bean, she seemed to acquire a unique fragrance—

Yes, the rich fragrance of roses still lingered on her fingertips.

Seeing that Dou Yanxun was lost in thought and seemed not to have heard her whisper, Lin Xu reached out and shook his shoulder, "Husband, could you move a little..."

Dou Yanxun quickly grabbed her hand and wouldn't let go. Instead, he intertwined his fingertips with hers, their palms pressed together tightly. His hand was much larger than hers, but it was nowhere near as warm as hers; instead, it felt cool.

"here."

He raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the empty space below his arm.

Lin Xu's right hand was held tightly in his palm, making it difficult for him to move freely. He could see the light and shadow on the celadon candlestick on the bedside table reflected in those peach blossom eyes.

The candlelight flickered, and her heart swayed uncontrollably under his shimmering gaze. Lying in his arms, Lin Xu felt awkward just thinking about him, but the person on the bed, gazing at her calmly, seemed to have an unyielding attitude.

Lin Xu then reached out and placed her hand on his waist, and lay down beside him.

The scent was naturally pleasant, a fresh fragrance after a bath, the delicate sweetness of tonka bean, and the ever-present pine and cypress scent that Dou Yanxun always carried—all blended together to create an unexpectedly pleasant aroma.

The long, strong arm behind her neck held her tightly in its embrace. Lin Xu suddenly frowned as if she remembered something, scrutinizing his expression.

"Is this the arm you were wounded by the sword back then?"

She had always had an excellent memory, and naturally, she couldn't forget that day at Shaojing Garden when he burst into her private room, covered in blood. He had suffered multiple sword wounds, the most severe being on his right arm. The wound was jagged, and even after it scabbed over, the scars remained gruesome—

In particular, he once used the tip of a knife to pick off the still-healing scars one by one, creating the spots of scarlet color in the center of the bed.

Thinking of this, Lin Xu panicked a little. Not wanting to hurt his old injury, she tried to sit up, but his stronger left arm reached out to her and pressed her back to her original position.

"It's alright, I'll be fine soon."

Dou Yanxun squinted, seemingly calm and collected just a moment ago at the worry that filled her eyes, but the next moment, her eyes were filled with displeasure at her impending departure.

"That's true. It's not easy for my husband to recover from his injury. The wound from that day was already quite deep. If I had accidentally aggravated it..."

Lin Xu still tried to sit up. No wonder he seemed to let out a very soft groan when she lay down and rested her head on his arm.

Dou Yanxun is usually a carefree and indifferent person. Even when he is injured, he doesn't say much. He was so badly injured at Shaojing Garden that day, and he bled almost half of his body. He probably won't recover easily.

Yet he moved about freely every day, wielding his pen and umbrella, tidying his case, all as if nothing had happened. There was no trace of his serious injury; it was as if the wound had long since healed.

After thinking it over, Lin Xu decided to see for himself, so he carefully tried to roll up his sleeve.

Dou Yanxun didn't struggle, only looking weary, lazily resting his chin on his other hand. He let her toss and turn his arm; the sleeves were wide, but they could be rolled up, revealing only his forearm at most. But Lin Xu remembered that when she bandaged him, the sword wound was on his upper arm.

Seeing Lin Xu looking at a loss, Dou Yanxun yawned casually. He slowly sat up, reached for the buttons on his shirt, and a few ambiguous smiles appeared on his lips.

"My lady, are you perhaps trying to take this opportunity to remove my clothes...?"

Lin Xu, who had initially been worried about his injuries, suddenly changed her expression. She felt her cheeks burning hot in an instant, and even the tips of her ears seemed to be steaming. She herself was clearly trying to do good, so why was she suddenly feeling guilty?

Lin Xu looked away, her lips pursed with a mixture of resentment and helplessness. How could she forget that he had always been so unserious, always a carefree and indulgent playboy, and never cared about what he said?

Yet, she still worried about him!

She couldn't help but glare at Dou Yanxun. But she saw his eyes, which seemed to be rippling with spring water, curving into slits like little crescent moons, as he leaned against the headboard, laughing carefree.

.

As night deepened, the pitch-black night sky resembled an overturned inkwell, and raindrops began to fall intermittently.

The rain pattered on the eaves, accumulating into thin columns of water that cascaded down, spreading out as ripples across the ground.

Feng Daizhu moved her legs carefully. Now eight months pregnant, she often felt numb and uncomfortable after resting for a while. But she couldn't turn over because of her high, protruding belly, so she could only move slowly, little by little.

Tonight, it was the maid Ru'er's turn to keep watch. She saw that small, thin body curled up on the floor next to the bed, her head nodding slightly, clearly dozing off.

Feng Daizhu glanced back at the empty bed beside her and listened to the incessant patter of rain outside the window, and inexplicably felt annoyed.

Another night passed, and she couldn't sleep at all.