Chapter 38 "Why do I like him?"...

By the time they returned to the warm pavilion, everyone had almost finished eating.

Meng Xu and Cui Xintang were drinking and talking in the warm pavilion, while Meng Zheng was still standing in front of the fire, fiddling with something.

Meng Yuanxiao curiously stepped forward and her eyes lit up when she saw what was roasting on the fire.

Meng Zheng shooed her away, saying, "There's too much smoke here, go away."

"Alright!" With the roasted sparrow he had been longing for, Meng Yuanxiao immediately obeyed and ran to a secluded spot, eagerly waiting for his second brother to come over.

Meng Zheng quickly came over, with two plump sparrows skewered on a stick in his hand.

Meng Yuanxiao beamed with joy, took the sparrow from his second brother's hand, and was about to put it to his mouth.

Meng Zheng slapped her hand away, "Are you stupid?"

The roasted sparrow was still hot, fresh from the fire. Meng Yuanxiao looked a little embarrassed, her almond-shaped eyes fixed on the sparrow. "Second brother, where did you find such a plump sparrow?"

It was much fatter than the sparrows she ate in Huai Shu Village.

Meng Zheng crossed his arms and leaned against the bare tree trunk behind him, casually saying, "I know you're greedy, so your second brother caught a sparrow and raised it for a few days until it was fattened up before giving it to you to eat."

Meng Yuanxiao's eyes crinkled into a smile. She knew it! Her second brother doted on her and knew she wanted to eat sparrows; he should have caught some for her long ago.

Feeling comforted, she blew on the roasted sparrow in her hand and casually said, "I knew it, my second brother still loves me the most."

Meng Zheng glanced at her with a half-smile, "Your second brother dotes on you, but you don't care about your second brother at all."

"..." Meng Yuanxiao couldn't help but feel guilty again. She coughed lightly, not daring to look at her second brother again, and only lowered her head to carefully take a bite of the sparrow meat in her hand.

The sparrow meat was coated with honey and roasted until the skin was crispy, while the meat itself was tender and juicy, much tastier than the venison from before.

After taking small bites to finish one sparrow, Meng Yuanxiao stared longingly at the remaining one, feeling a little reluctant to eat it.

While she was eating sparrows, Meng Zheng leaned against a tree trunk with his arms crossed, head down, seemingly lost in thought.

After she finished eating one, Meng Zheng looked up and asked her, "Was the venison delicious?"

The question was naturally about the Fengzhou-style grilled venison he made.

Meng Yuanxiao, feeling obliged to praise him since he had eaten his food, said, "It's delicious, better than anyone else's, but Second Brother's roasted sparrows are still the best!"

After she finished speaking, she noticed that her second brother was still staring at her. Meng Yuanxiao was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly understood something.

She pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and whispered, "Sister-in-law likes to eat too. She didn't eat any of the other roasted meats, but she ate a lot of the venison that you roasted, Second Brother."

Upon hearing this, Meng Zheng didn't speak, but gave a vague sneer and stopped staring at her.

Meng Yuanxiao stared at his second brother for a moment, then couldn't help but say, "Second brother, you've changed."

"..." Meng Zheng turned his head and glanced at her, "Can't you shut your mouth with food?"

Meng Yuanxiao said seriously, "Second brother, you've become somewhat unlike the Second Brother you used to be; you've become more like the Eldest Brother."

Meng Zheng raised his hand to hit her on the head, but Meng Yuanxiao had anticipated this and ducked away.

Meng Zheng scoffed, "Then why don't you ask Meng Xu to catch and roast sparrows for you? I roasted sparrows for you, and you still had to avoid Meng Xu and hide here to eat them."

Meng Yuanxiao, who was a little further away from her second brother, playfully stuck out her tongue at him when she heard this.

She finished the sparrow meat in her hand in a few bites, thought for a moment, and then, imitating the men, stood on tiptoe and patted her second brother on the shoulder, saying, "Second brother, you'd better take care of yourself."

After saying that, she quickly slipped away before her second brother could hit her.

As soon as Meng Yuanxiao returned to the warm pavilion, Cui Xintang put down her wine cup, said something to Meng Xu and the others, and then stood up and walked towards her.

After he came over, he stared at Meng Yuanxiao for a moment, and when he noticed a little bit of honey on the corner of her lips, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "You ate some again?"

Meng Yuanxiao's eyes curved into a smile.

Cui Xintang raised her hand, just about to wipe the honey from her lips, when Meng Yuanxiao, still somewhat unsatisfied, subconsciously licked the honey from the corner of her lips with the tip of her tongue.

When Cui Xintang's fingertips touched the corner of her lips, Meng Yuanxiao's tongue licked his fingertips precisely.

The warm, soft, and moist tongue swept across her fingertips, causing Cui Xintang to freeze for a moment, her phoenix eyes dimming slightly.

Meng Yuanxiao blinked, and suddenly realized something.

After thinking for a moment, she stared at him with her big, round, watery eyes, deliberately sticking out her tongue and slowly licking her lips.

Cui Xintang's Adam's apple bobbed.

If someone else had teased him like that, he would have felt disgusted. But Yuanyuan had a beautiful, innocent face, and she looked at him innocently, yet she did the boldest thing.

If he could remain unmoved, he probably wouldn't be a man.

Cui Xintang withdrew his hand, his fingertips twirling at his sides, and said in a low voice with a half-smile, "Doesn't it need a lesson?"

“Yes!” Meng Yuanxiao smiled triumphantly, looking at him boldly.

Cui Xintang: "..."

If they weren't outside, he would have loved to give her a good beating right then and there.

Fortunately, the winter clothes are thick enough and loose enough to cover up some of the damage.

Cui Xintang stood there for a while before saying, "Let's go."

Meng Yuanxiao glanced at the mess on the ground, and Cui Xintang chuckled, "What, do you really want to stay and clean up? Or is it that Yuanyuan can't bear to part with anyone?"

Meng Yuanxiao: "..."

After saying goodbye to the others, the two left first. They had come on foot, but on the way back, Meng Yuanxiao started to act spoiled, saying, "Brother Tang, my legs are sore."

"Then what should we do?" Cui Xintang asked knowingly.

Meng Yuanxiao: "Carry me on your back."

There was no one to be seen outside the manor on a winter's day, and sure enough, Cui Xintang squatted down and carried her on his back.

Meng Yuanxiao put her arms around his neck and asked in his ear, "Brother Tang, what did you and my elder brother talk about today?"

Cui Xintang paused, then mumbled, "It's a matter for the yamen (government office)."

Meng Yuanxiao didn't want to ask too many questions about what happened in the government office. She was thinking about what her sister-in-law had said earlier, and hesitated whether to tell her brother Tang, when she heard him say, "Yuanyuan, don't get involved in Meng Xu and his wife's affairs."

Meng Yuanxiao: "...Oh."

After eating barbecue, Meng Yuanxiao was covered in the smell of smoke and fire, which he couldn't stand any longer.

There was a hot spring in the estate, and a separate hot spring pool had been built in her courtyard. Upon returning to the courtyard, Meng Yuanxiao immediately summoned a maid and said she wanted to take a bath.

The maid said, "Miss, before you left, the young master gave instructions that the hot spring has been prepared. You can go there now."

The hot spring was built indoors, not too big and not too small, just right for two people. Meng Yuanxiao wanted to bathe, and naturally Cui Xintang wanted to bathe as well.

The couple had been married for more than six months, but this was the first time they had bathed together.

Entering the bathhouse and walking behind the screen, the hot spring was filled with steam, and a charcoal brazier was lit, making it seem like a completely different world from the outside.

Whether it was from the heat or something else, Meng Yuanxiao's face turned red first.

Once inside the screen, she dismissed all the maids, then pointed her finger at Cui Xintang, gesturing for him to turn around, "Brother Tang, turn around."

Cui Xintang: "..."

He gave her a meaningful look, and then turned away.

Meng Yuanxiao quickly took off her clothes and carefully stepped into the hot spring. Enveloped in the warm water, she sighed comfortably and said, "All done!"

She forbade Cui Xintang to look when she took off her clothes, but when Cui Xintang took off his clothes, she stared at him without blinking.

When he was down to his underwear, Meng Yuanxiao swallowed hard, his almond-shaped eyes widening involuntarily.

When the person took off their clothes and came in, Meng Yuanxiao's face turned bright red, like a ripe apple.

She was distracted here, but unexpectedly Cui Xintang came in and sat down at the other end of the hot spring.

Meng Yuanxiao: "..."

After waiting for a while, seeing that the person had no intention of doing so, and even closed their eyes to comfortably pretend to sleep, she felt both angry and annoyed, and couldn't help but feel that the matter was pointless.

Unable to eat them herself, and not wanting him to think she was too eager, she stubbornly picked up a peeled grape from the edge of the pond and popped it into her mouth.

Fresh grapes are a rare treat in winter. They were a gift from the Princess when Cui Xintang entered the palace yesterday. There was only one bunch, and Cui Xintang brought the whole bunch with her. She didn't give any to anyone else, but only instructed her maid to peel them and put them in a glass cup for Meng Yuanxiao to eat.

The grapes bestowed upon him by the palace were large, juicy, and sweet. Meng Yuanxiao stuffed them into his mouth one after another, and ate half of them in no time.

As he ate, his eyes couldn't help but dart towards Cui Xintang again.

She glanced at him a few times and saw that he was still pretending to sleep. She became bolder and looked down his chest and abdomen. After a moment's thought, she stretched out her foot and gently poked him with her toes.

It was so chubby and soft that I couldn't resist poking it again.

Sometimes she wanted to play, but Cui Xintang wouldn't indulge her. However, when he was asleep, he couldn't let her have her way.

He poked him a few times, glanced at him a few times, then poked him a few more times. Just as he was having a great time, his foot was suddenly grabbed by a large hand.

Meng Yuanxiao froze, then saw Cui Xintang open her eyes and look at her with a half-smile.

Meng Yuanxiao: "..."

"Is it delicious?" Cui Xintang glanced at the grapes in the glass cup beside him and asked.

Meng Yuanxiao blushed, her eyes darting around, and stammered, "It's delicious..."

As she spoke, she shrank back, trying to pull her foot out of his palm, but he held it even tighter.

Meng Yuanxiao became increasingly embarrassed. To cover up his awkwardness, he could only pretend to pick up another crystal grape and put it in his mouth.

Her small face was flushed, and her full, moist lips were stained with grape juice, which caught Cui Xintang's eye.

In the misty air, his phoenix eyes were deep and dark, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he gently squeezed her delicate, soft feet. "Have you finished eating?"

"...I'm done eating." Meng Yuanxiao swallowed.

Cui Xintang emerged from the hot spring, casually wrapped himself in a bathrobe, and then scooped the person out of the pool.

“Now that Yuanyuan has finished eating, it’s time for her husband to eat.”

Although Meng Yuanxiao was bold and loved to show off, the sky was now bright and the sun was hanging low outside. If she really wanted to do something bad, she suddenly became a little timid.

Cui Xintang pressed her against the window, buried his head in her neck, and gently bit her lustrous earlobe.

"It's alright, Meng Xu and the others won't be back so soon."

After saying that, he chuckled softly, "Even if I come back, I won't be able to take care of you."

This was teasing her older brother and sister-in-law. Meng Yuanxiao got annoyed and snorted a few times, but Cui Xintang silenced her with a kiss.

Even though it was daytime and she was by the window, Meng Yuanxiao still felt nervous subconsciously, even though she knew that her brother Tang had told her that there would be no one outside.

This was truly novel and exciting for her. She clung tightly to Cui Xintang, her slender and soft body slightly tense.

Cui Xintang hissed, nearly blurting it out. "Don't bite so hard."

Before Meng Yuanxiao could relax, footsteps suddenly sounded outside, followed by a knock on the door. Hongshao said from outside, "Reporting to the young master, the second young master of the Lu family has arrived. He is waiting in the corridor and said that your jade pendant was left at the Lu family's estate, and he has brought it to you."

Upon hearing "Young Master Lu," Meng Yuanxiao's almond-shaped eyes widened slightly, and she subconsciously held her breath.

Her body, which had just relaxed a little, became noticeably tense again, which Cui Xintang naturally noticed.

He restrained himself, his phoenix eyes fixed on her face, noticing her nervousness.

He curled his lips into a smile, and instead of stopping, he went even further.

"Really?" he said briefly. "Please thank him for me and tell Young Master Lu that I'm busy and will personally visit the Lu residence to express my gratitude another day."

Meng Yuanxiao: "..."

Hong Shao, standing outside the door, said, "That's what I said, but Young Master Lu said he has nothing to do anyway and wants to wait for you."

“Brother Tang…” Meng Yuanxiao’s heart pounded, and she instinctively wanted to push Cui Xintang away.

Cui Xintang's smile deepened, and he held the person tightly in his arms, saying loudly, "If he wants to wait, then let him wait."

Having said that, Hongshao dared not say another word, and the footsteps outside the door quickly faded away.

Meng Yuanxiao's mind had been blank for a moment, but now he finally came to his senses.

She was both angry and annoyed, her pretty face flushed red as if it were about to bleed. "Brother Tang, did you do this on purpose?"

"Hmm?" Cui Xintang looked at her with a half-smile.

Meng Yuanxiao said angrily, "You deliberately dropped the jade pendant."

Brother Tang has always been a prudent person, how could he casually remove his jade pendant from someone else's house?

Cui Xintang raised his eyebrows. "If Yuanyuan says so, then it is."

Meng Yuanxiao was almost brought to tears by his words, "Brother Tang, how am I supposed to face Lu Erlang in the future?"

"Then I will not see him."

Meng Yuanxiao's eyes suddenly reddened, and she sniffed, saying, "Didn't you tell me not to focus all my attention on you?"

Cui Xintang, however, was quite shameless. He leaned down slightly and kissed her under the eyes, saying brazenly, "Well, you don't need to focus all your attention on me. You can focus it on other things, but you don't need to focus it on other men."

Meng Yuanxiao: "..."

Seeing that he had angered her, Cui Xintang chuckled, gently stroked her smooth back with his large hand, and kissed her lips.

Meng Yuanxiao was originally wearing a thin undergarment, but the bathroom was so hot that Cui Xintang had torn it off and tossed it aside because Cui found it cumbersome.

Her back was pressed against the window frame; her skin was delicate, and a light touch would leave a red mark. So, although she was annoyed with him, she could only cling to him tightly.

Cui Xintang, unhurried, placed his large hand on her back, blocking the window frame for her, and then whispered in her ear, "Why do you like him?"

Meng Yuanxiao bit her lip tightly, tears welling in her long eyelashes, and looked at him angrily.

Cui Xintang chuckled softly, "Hmm?"

Meng Yuanxiao almost burst into tears.

He was so shameless that Meng Yuanxiao was no match for him. In the end, she could only resign herself to her fate and sob softly, "Lu Erlang... looks like Brother Tang..."

Cui Xintang froze for a moment.

As soon as he said those words, Meng Yuanxiao regretted them.

She was as round as a boiled shrimp, her eyes red and she didn't dare to look up at him, but then she heard Cui Xintang chuckle softly in her ear.

He pinched her chin, forcing her to look up, and smiled at her before lowering his head to kiss her lips and tongue.