Chapter 100 He'd only reluctantly agree to coax her when she was willing to...

In the evening, Jiang Ce urged Xue Chan to try out the new brushes, ink, paper, inkstone, and paints he had bought.

Xue Chan tried it seriously, while Jiang Ce looked smug.

"How is it? It works well, right? I spent a long time looking for it."

Xue Chan nodded: "Thanks."

Jiang Ce's face fell immediately: "You're just going to be this indifferent? Not even a reward?"

Helpless, Xue Chan put down her pen and pecked him on the cheek.

"Alright."

Jiang Ce simply hugged her and kissed her hard twice.

Xue Chan pushed her away, annoyed, "It's so hot! You're really annoying."

"Xue Chan! I knew it, you're disgusted with me. We've only been married for six months, and you're already starting to dislike me. How am I supposed to live this miserable life?!"

Xue Chan's ears hurt from his noise, so she put down her pen again.

The few people enjoying the cool air outside the window exchanged smiles upon hearing the familiar howl.

Xue Chan closed her eyes and tried to hold back. But Jiang Ce kept babbling on and on, and she just couldn't take it anymore.

"If you're bored, go feed Xituan, Niannian, Lümei, and Lanyu. If you're still not satisfied after that, go run around outside for a bit, and come back when you're not bored anymore!"

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Ce suddenly jumped up, pointing at her with a pained expression.

"Xue Chan! You heartless, ungrateful, and cruel woman!"

Xue Chan: "..."

Seeing that she didn't respond, Jiang Ce simply flung his sleeves and stormed out the door.

However, he deliberately slowed his pace, and Xue Chan simply looked at him indifferently. For a moment, he seemed like a spineless coward.

Jiang Ce straightened his back and said, "I'm not coming back tonight!"

Xue Chan lowered her head: "Whatever."

Receiving such a response made Jiang Ce even angrier, and he left the hospital without looking back.

Yun Sheng, Chu Tao, and the others exchanged bewildered glances, then quietly slipped into the room to ask Xue Chan, "What's wrong with my lord?"

Xue Chan said, "He's just stressed, don't worry about it."

Yun Sheng blinked but didn't say anything.

Jiang Ce, who had stormed out of the courtyard, crossed the small stone bridge, but suddenly felt lost, unsure of where to go.

He turned around and could still see a few stars-like lights in the courtyard in the distance.

Or maybe we should just forget about it.

Jiang Ce turned around and gave another heavy "humph".

What a joke!

He just left, but since he didn't know where to go, he wandered around aimlessly.

In short, I can't go back. If I go back so soon, wouldn't everything be meaningless?

And Xue Chan would definitely laugh at him.

Jiang Ce wandered around aimlessly by himself, and when he got to the east, he found himself in the courtyard where You Yu lived.

"Speaking of which, it's been so long since I've seen Youyu. I kind of miss the days when we lived together."

He stood at the door for a while, then climbed over the wall and into the yard.

He had barely landed when two people turned to look at him from in front of the stone table at the base of the wall.

Jiang Ji held a wine glass in one hand and You Yu's sleeve in the other, his eyes blurry with drunkenness.

Yu sat there blankly as Jiang Ji held her, as if she had been dead for days.

Seeing Jiang Ce jump in, he felt even more like dying.

Jiang Ji patted the stone bench next to him: "Second Brother, come, drink with Third Brother."

Jiang Ce sat down and poured himself a glass of wine.

Yu asked him, "What are you doing here?"

Jiang Ce pursed his lips, said nothing, and gulped down a mouthful of wine.

Jiang Ji, his body slightly swaying, smiled while resting his chin on his hand: "You weren't kicked out by your sister-in-law, were you?"

"Tsk!" Jiang Ce jerked his body away, and Jiang Ji, who was using the momentum, almost fell over, but You Yu grabbed his collar and pulled him back.

Jiang Ji, unwilling to give up, leaned closer and shook Jiang Cedi's arm again, looking rather cheeky.

"If you don't speak, it means I'm right."

Jiang Ce said calmly, "You didn't come here just to enjoy the moon and drink with Youyu, did you?"

"Me..." Jiang Ji stared at the lantern on the table, his mind drifting into a daze.

"..." Yu snapped her fingers, and Jiang Ji was instantly jolted awake.

He gripped his wine glass and said angrily, "All she does all day is look at those accounts and use that abacus. She doesn't care when my hands are blistered, she just goes through the motions and then practically sleeps with the abacus in her arms!"

Jiang Ce shook that hand violently twice.

Yu Yu neither drank nor spoke; she simply gazed at the moon, wondering when she would die.

He stared at it for a while, then lowered his head again, thinking that he might as well dig a hole and bury himself.

It's relatively fast.

Jiang Ce downed another glass of wine: "Ah Jun has been pregnant for four months, and you're still fussing over these things."

If he didn't mention it, Jiang Ji was fine. But as soon as he did, he slammed the cup down on the stone table with a "bang".

"That brat!"

Jiang Ji snorted angrily, then suddenly became lazy and said with a smirk, "When he can study, I'm going to hire ten or eight teachers for him."

Jiang Ce shook his head and poured a glass of wine for both of them.

They drank cup after cup until they were completely drunk, muttering to themselves as they lay on the stone table.

Yu put down the wine pot and exhaled.

"They're all finally drunk."

Finally, some peace and quiet.

Jiang Ji was alright; he could walk on his own, so You Yu half-supported and half-pushed him back.

As for what happens after it's sent back, that's no longer his responsibility.

After seeing Jiang Ji off, Youyu returned.

Jiang Ce sat upright at the stone table, his eyes shining.

"Youyu, let's continue drinking."

Yu rolled her eyes and knocked him unconscious with a single palm strike: "Go drink it in your dreams."

He carried Jiang Ce on his back all the way back to the hospital. But Jiang Ce was already heavy, and after drinking and passing out, he was even heavier. When they passed the small stone bridge, he wished he could just throw him into the water.

"Beep beep beep"

Yu knocked on the courtyard gate again, then fanned Jiang Ce awake.

"Go home and go to sleep!"

Jiang Ce stood up in a daze as the courtyard gate was opened.

When Chu Tao opened the door, she saw a drunken Jiang Ce standing at the door, smiling at her: "Is she asleep?"

Chu Tao shook her head: "No, please come in quickly, my lord."

Jiang Ce dashed to the door and kicked it open.

"Haha! Xue Chan, you didn't expect me to come back, did you?"

Xue Chan looked up from a pile of manuscripts and drawings and saw him standing there with his hands on his hips, pointing at her, looking like a drunkard.

She let out a long breath.

Xue Chan took a deep breath, got up, and pulled him back into the chair to wipe her face.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Ce started to go crazy, wandering around the house.

"I won't let you have your way!"

Xue Chan threw the towel into the basin: "If you want to sleep, then sleep; if you don't, then get out!"

Jiang Ce put his hands on his hips and shouted angrily, "Fine, I won't sleep then! I don't care!"

After saying that, he went out again.

On a summer night, the sounds of frogs and weavers blend together.

Yu suddenly opened his eyes, turned his head, and was immediately terrified.

Jiang Ce was sitting cross-legged on the bed, bending over to look at him.

"Didn't you go back? What are you doing here?"

Jiang Ce blinked, and after a long pause, said, "Sleep."

Yu looked at the top of the canopy and said, "Just kill me."

Jiang Ce said seriously, "I came here to sleep, not to kill you."

As he spoke, he reached out and pinched Youyu's cheek, laughing, "You're Sanlang, the third brother..."

"Thump!"

Yu reached out and pushed Jiang Ce, who was lying on top of him, away, then hugged his knees and huddled in the corner of the bed.

After some time, he started to feel sleepy.

Jiang Ce sat up again with a rustling sound, then got out of bed and put on his shoes.

Where are you going again?

"This bed isn't comfortable, I can't sleep, I don't like it, I want to go back."

Yu immediately helped him out, quickly rinsed him with water, changed his clothes, and then took them back with her.

Only after seeing Jiang Ce climb over the wall and go back did they rush back and block up all the doors and windows.

Finally, he collapsed onto the bed.

It was late at night when Xue Chan groggily opened her eyes and saw someone climbing up.

“Didn’t you say with absolute certainty, ‘I’m not coming back to sleep!’” she mimicked Jiang Ce’s tone, expressionless, “You were so confident, weren’t you?”

Jiang Ce nimbly got into bed and nudged her inside.

"This is my house too, why can't I come back?"

She gazed at him.

Jiang Ce said calmly, "I've already washed and changed my clothes."

Xue Chan then turned over, and Jiang Ce lay down beside her.

He decided to never speak to her again.

However, as soon as the idea came out, Jiang Ce crumpled it up and threw it away like a piece of paper.

"Then let's not talk to her for three days."

He would reluctantly forgive her whenever she was willing to coax him.

Otherwise, if he were so easily coaxed back, it would make him seem cheap, and Xue Chan would take him for granted.

The next morning, when Xue Chan woke up, Jiang Ce was already gone.

Jiang Ce left home and returned home on time every day, but he never spoke to Xue Chan.

Not talking won't do; you'll suffocate.

Therefore, he greatly reduced the amount of time he spent talking to Xue Chan.

One day passed, two days passed, three days passed.

Xue Chan acted as if nothing was wrong, busy with her daily routine.

Writing, drawing, meeting friends, and traveling.

On the fourth night, Jiang Ce slammed his chopsticks on the table and said, "I'm going to Shen Zhe's house tonight!"

"Go if you want."

Jiang Ce choked on his breath.

"I'm not coming back!"

Xue Chan simply said, "Then I won't leave the door open for you."

After saying that, she continued drinking her soup.

Jiang Ce stood up, crossed his arms, bent down, and whispered fiercely in her ear, "You can sleep alone!"

She hadn't even put her hand down to drink the soup when he was already gone.

Xue Chan looked puzzled, wondering where his anger came from.

She looked somewhat bewildered and asked Yun Sheng Chu Tao, "What did you do to offend him?"

Several people shook their heads.

Xue Chan thought for a moment and then said firmly, "Then it must be someone outside who provoked him."

After she finished eating, she and Yun Sheng began packing things for Xue Chenghuai to take on his journey. By the time they finished packing, it was already very late, and Jiang Ce still hadn't returned.

Xue Chan lay on the bed and thought for a while.

Since his little tiff with Jiang Ce last time, he's learned to restrain himself and hasn't been clingy or annoying her while she's doing things.

The problem is solved, the matter is over, and everything has been fine these past few days without any arguments.

She thought about the events of the past few days carefully, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that there was nothing wrong, so she went to sleep with peace of mind.

The next morning, Xue Chan went out early.

Xue Chenghuai was leaving the capital to return to Yuchuan, and she had to see him off.

When she arrived at the Cheng residence, Xue Chenghuai was already preparing to depart; the carriage and horses were already prepared, and the luggage was all packed.

The Cheng family members all saw him off at the door.

As she got out of the car, she overheard Xue Chenghuai and Cheng Ying saying, "Don't bother seeing me off, I can manage on my own."

While Cheng Ying was still struggling with him, Xue Chan jumped out of the car.

"father!"

The two let go of each other's hands.

Xue Chenghuai smiled and said, "What are you doing here so early in the morning? And why did you run so fast?"

Xue Chan said, "I'll see you off."

Xue Chenghuai: "What do you mean by 'giving me a gift'? I'm a grown man, I don't need you to give me a gift."

Cheng Ying bluntly exposed his lie, saying calmly, "Come on, you get up before dawn to wait, isn't it just to wait for Qiao Niang to come?"

Xue Chan smiled.

Xue Chenghuai remained silent, feeling quite embarrassed.

He repeated his parting words again and again, and finally got into the car.

Just as the driver was about to crack the whip, Xue Chenghuai suddenly lifted the carriage curtain and waved to Cheng Huaizhu on the stone steps.

"Huaizhu"

Cheng Qingpei nudged her.

Cheng Huaizhu walked to the car and asked, "Uncle, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Xue Chenghuai shook his head and said in a personal voice, "Besides what I told you that day, I have nothing else to tell you. Now that I'm leaving, I'm entrusting things to you."

Cheng Huaizhu nodded emphatically, her expression serious: "Don't worry, I remember everything."

"That's good, thank you very much."

She smiled and shook her head: "There's no need to thank me."

Xue Chenghuai didn't say anything more, and bid a final farewell to the Cheng family through the carriage curtain.

The coachman cracked his whip, the wheels began to turn, and the carriage carrying him gradually moved further and further away.

Xue Chan saw him off, and by the time they left the capital, it was past noon.

Xue Chenghuai stopped the carriage and said with a smile, "Qiaoniang, let's go back."

Xue Chan thought for a moment and said seriously, "Father, can't you really stay in the capital?"

Xue Chenghuai smiled and said, "I have been away from Yuchuan for a long time, it is time for me to go back."

“But…” she pursed her lips and frowned. “You’re all alone in Yuchuan…”

"What nonsense are you talking about, child? Who said I'm the only one in Yuchuan?" Xue Chenghuai gently flicked her forehead, just like when she was a child, his voice soft and gentle. "Isn't your mother in Yuchuan too?"

Xue Chan lowered her eyes and sighed softly.

Xue Chenghuai added, “I’ve been out for a long time, I should go back and keep your mother company. Besides, I still have students and friends. Master Muyang from Banzhong Mountain often comes down the mountain to visit your father, so I won’t be all alone.”

Xue Chan's smile was forced.

Xue Chenghuai patted her on the shoulder and bent down to give her some instructions.

"I'm fine, but you need to take good care of yourself."

Xue Chan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself."

Xue Chenghuai didn't say anything, just sighed, and then said to her seriously, "If anything happens, you must write to me. Don't just report good news and hide the bad, understand?"

Xue Chan's eyes reddened: "Okay."

"Alright! If we delay any longer, I'll miss the next post station. You should go back too." Xue Chenghuai didn't wait for Xue Chan to speak, turned his back, and stepped onto the bench to get into the carriage.

He didn't lift the curtain; after urging the driver, only a distant, choked sob could be heard.

"It's windy, let's go home!"

Xue Chan stood in the wind, gazing at the car that had become a black dot, and lowered her head, tears streaming down her face.

Yun Sheng took a cloak out of the car and tied it on her.

Xue Chan took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears and said, "Let's go back."

Yun Sheng and Chu Tao helped her into the car.

Xue Chan stepped onto the stool and climbed into the carriage. But she only saw a slight sway before she fell backward.

Yun Sheng quickly caught her and asked, "What's wrong, young lady?"

Xue Chan shook her head, now more sober, and stood up straight with a comforting smile.

"It's nothing, it's just that the sun was a bit too bright and it dazzled me."

Yun Sheng stared at her slightly pale face, feeling doubtful. He thought that he should ask a doctor to take a look when he got back.

It's already autumn, but the lingering heat of late summer is still biting.

The carriage swayed and jolted, making Xue Chan feel nauseous.

She was in so much pain that her face was completely pale, and she was covered in sweat. She leaned weakly against Yun Sheng, breathing heavily.

They turned back into the city, and by the time they returned to the Marquis of Wu'an's residence, it was already afternoon.

Yun Sheng carefully helped Xue Chan down from the carriage.

She helped Xue Chan into the sedan chair that led into the house and instructed Chu Tao, "I see that the young lady is not in good condition. We need to send someone to fetch a doctor to take a look. You take care of her when you get back."

Chu Tao nodded: "Okay, go ahead."

When they reached the courtyard gate, Chu Tao helped Xue Chan down, her hand resting on Xue Chan's wrist was icy cold.

Chu Tao was startled and hurriedly went to look at Xue Chan.

She was completely pale, her face as white as paper, and she gave a weak smile: "I'm fine, it's just a bit too hot. Can you help me inside to lie down for a while and have some water?"

Chu Tao, along with several maids, helped her into the house.

Just as she was about to step through the door, Xue Chan's vision went black, and she collapsed completely.