Chapter 113 The War "You...you...you're lewd in broad daylight!"...

In April, spring is in full bloom, orioles fly and grasses grow tall.

While the people of the capital were still enjoying the warm spring breeze and going on outings to the countryside, war reports from the northern deserts had already been rushed to the inner palace.

Upon learning of the war, Wang was so anxious that she could neither eat nor sleep. She worried about her eldest son's family, as well as her second son. Day and night, she burned incense and chanted scriptures before the Buddha, praying only for the Buddha to bless her children and grandchildren with safety and for the war to end soon.

That day, Madam Wang summoned Cui Ying to her side, held her hand, her eyes filled with exhaustion, and forced a smile, saying, "My dear, it's only a few days until Qilang's birthday. That child is aloof by nature. If others don't care, he himself will never mention it, and will just treat it as an ordinary day."

Madam Wang sighed, "Grandmother is truly powerless to arrange these things now. You are his close relative, so please remember to do so for Grandmother. When the day comes, don't be formal, just have a simple celebration for him. Don't let the day be too lonely."

Cui Ying grasped Wang Shi's hand in return, the pink peony at her temples bright and beautiful, her almond eyes sparkling. She nodded vigorously and said, "Grandmother, don't worry, even if you don't mention it, your granddaughter-in-law remembers it and will make sure he has a lively and joyous birthday celebration."

Cui Ying wasn't lying; Xiao Qiyu was only two months older than her, so it was hard for her not to remember.

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang smiled with relief and gently patted Cui Ying's hand: "Good child, with you by Qilang's side, Grandmother can rest assured."

After returning from the Bodhi Hall, Cui Ying stayed in the Qiyun Pavilion, starting to plan how to celebrate Xiao Qiyu's birthday.

Prepare a nice meal? No, that's too tacky.

Should we prepare a gift for him? No, that won't work either; this guy doesn't lack anything at all.

Sigh, how am I supposed to get through this?

Cui Ying lay on the couch, staring listlessly at the fish playing with lotus leaves pattern on the ceiling.

As she stared at the desk, a sudden inspiration struck her. She sprang to her feet, jumped out of bed, and ran to her desk.

She quickly spread out the Xuan paper, arranged the various colors of paint, took out the finest rabbit hair brush, frowned slightly in thought, then dipped the tip of the brush in the crimson paint and began to draw, her expression extremely focused.

A dragonfly flitted past the door and landed on the pond's surface. A paulownia flower drifted down in the wind and floated on the water like a small boat moored.

Xiao Qiyu stood outside the door, his brocade robes soaked with sweat and steaming. He watched Cui Ying writing furiously at his desk, looking unusually serious. His long, curled eyelashes fluttered gently, much like butterfly wings.

He couldn't help but slow his pace and quietly enter the room.

At his desk, Cui Ying was biting the tip of his pen, pondering where to place the next stroke, when he felt a wave of heat hit him, and the sunlight in front of him was suddenly completely suppressed.

She looked up and met Xiao Qiyu's curious expression. His phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the painting she was working on.

"Why do you walk so quietly!" Cui Ying suddenly covered the drawing paper with her arm, her eyes wide open, glaring at him fiercely. "Don't look!"

Xiao Qiyu was taken aback by her guarded demeanor, then turned his face away and said with feigned disdain, "Who cares to look at it? She's probably drawing some crickets or crickets again."

He went behind the screen to take a shower, then changed into a clean and neat riding outfit. He casually picked up a riding belt, moved his slender fingers, and tied it around his waist, looking like he was about to go out again.

Seeing this, Cui Ying couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going again?"

"Go to the Ministry of War's training ground to practice archery and horsemanship in preparation for the imperial examination," Xiao Qiyu replied while adjusting his cuffs.

Cui Ying then suddenly realized that the day of the military examination was approaching.

She became curious, blinked, and asked, "What kind of things are tested in the imperial examination?"

“It’s divided into two sessions, an outer session and an inner session,” Xiao Qiyu explained patiently, subtly moving closer to her. “The outer session tests archery and horsemanship skills, while the inner session requires memorizing the Seven Military Classics.”

"Recite the martial arts manual from memory?" Cui Ying frowned, looking Xiao Qiyu up and down, his suspicion practically written all over his face. "You can do that?"

If she remembered correctly, Xiao Qiyu spent most of his time practicing martial arts every day; perhaps elaborating on literary matters was not his forte.

Xiao Qiyu: "..."

Xiao Qiyu: "Do you think the military books in my study are just for show?"

"So you mean you can recite it from memory?"

"I can write it from memory backwards."

Upon hearing Xiao Qiyu's words, Cui Ying couldn't help but scrutinize him carefully, imagining that if he were to wear a straight robe and soften his sharp edges, he could still exude a refined and scholarly air with his appearance.

Before he knew it, Cui Ying was somewhat mesmerized, even thinking that Xiao Qiyu, disguised as a scholar, might have a unique charm.

Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, Xiao Qiyu swiftly reached out and gently pulled the painting that she had been pressing down on out of the water.

"Hey, what are you doing!" Cui Ying exclaimed, standing up to snatch it away.

Xiao Qiyu held the painting up high, looking down at it closely. Seeing that it depicted a delicate, fiery red koi, he couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Fish? If you want fish, just have the kitchen make it. Why bother drawing a picture to satisfy your hunger?"

Cui Ying was furious. She stood on tiptoe and stretched out her arm to snatch it, saying, "So all you think about is food, huh? Let me tell you, this is a fish lantern! A fish lantern! It's not for eating!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she had spoken out of turn, hissed in annoyance, and reached out to snatch the painting with even more force.

Because she stood on her tiptoes too high, Cui Ying's body swayed uncontrollably, her body brushing against Xiao Qiyu's chest and waist.

Springtime clothing is thin, especially in one's own residence. Apart from the soft silk open-front covering her body, Cui Ying wore only a small smoky pink bodice. The delicate pink color made the large expanse of skin on her chest appear even more radiant and white, like a freshly steamed pastry, soft and fragrant.

Xiao Qiyu looked at the painting, but his gaze was fixed on the large expanse of skin under Cui Ying's neck. His Adam's apple bobbed, and a hint of lust gradually rose in his eyes.

Cui Ying was completely oblivious to his change, focused solely on snatching the painting. Taking advantage of Xiao Qiyu's momentary daze, she suddenly leaped and grabbed the painting from his hand: "Give it to me!"

With the item returned to its rightful owner, Cui Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to turn around and place the painting on the table, she suddenly felt a tightness in her body and was unable to move.

Xiao Qiyu's hand had already silently circled around her waist, and now he pulled her tightly into his arms.

The boy exuded a clean, warm scent, reminiscent of cedarwood, from his recent bath.

Cui Ying was held tightly in his arms, unable to move her hands and feet. She could only look up at him, her beautiful eyebrows raised: "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" Xiao Qiyu asked in a low voice, his burning gaze lingering on her lips before he suddenly lowered his head and kissed her.

Cui Ying's gaze froze in that moment of astonishment. All her gasps were choked back by the kiss, leaving only muffled groans. A large hand gripped the back of her neck, leaving her no room to turn her head away.

Moreover, it's unclear when he started to restrain himself, but now that he's let loose, the kiss is hot and urgent, with the impatience unique to young people. He immediately and roughly pried open Cui Ying's lips and teeth, his long tongue unable to restrain itself from stirring wildly in her mouth, full of predatory intent.

Cui Ying's body went limp from the kiss. The fresh scent of Xiao Qiyu's body, fresh from his bath, mixed with the warm, youthful energy, enveloped her like an invisible net.

She tried to push him away, but couldn't. Feeling his rapid and powerful heartbeat, she felt even more dizzy.

It's almost... melting my heart.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but Xiao Qiyu loosened his grip on Cui Ying slightly when she was on the verge of suffocating.

Before she could even catch her breath, she was lifted up and thrown onto the bed, her back sinking softly into the blankets.

The next moment, a massive shadow loomed over.

The thin spring shirt was easily ripped off, crumpled into a ball, and thrown under the bed.

Her long, black hair was disheveled and covered the girl's snow-white body. When she met those long, narrow, red phoenix eyes, Cui Ying hid in the corner of the bed and shouted in a hurry, "You, you, you...you lewdly prostituted yourself in broad daylight!"

Bright sunlight streamed into the tent, and Xiao Qiyu almost burst out laughing.

In the past, he probably would never have imagined that Cui Ying would one day be forced to utter the Zhou etiquette.

He reached out, grabbed that slender ankle, pulled it in front of him, and stroked the lips that he had kissed until they were red, swollen, and trembling. He lowered his head and whispered, "If you keep dodging, I'll use my mouth."

Cui Ying dared not move, her eyes filled with fear.

Seeing her reddened eyes, Xiao Qiyu couldn't bring himself to do it. He gently bit her lower lip and comforted her, "Don't worry, I'll do it myself this time. You just lie down and don't have to do anything. Just let me watch over you."

A thousand curses flashed through Cui Ying's mind, and she thought to herself, "If I believed you, then I'd be a ghost!"

Half an hour later, the scorching sun gradually slanted westward, and a warm breeze blew by, bringing with it the rich fragrance of spring flowers, which filled the room, mixed with a strong, pungent smell.

After wiping Cui Ying's chest, Xiao Qiyu picked up the painting that had fallen to the ground when he got off the bed. Gazing at the koi fish on it, he finally had the mind to ask, "The Lantern Festival is long over. Why do you suddenly have the leisure to study lantern designs?"

The curtains were hazy and alluring. Cui Ying huddled under the covers, her face buried in the pillow, as if ashamed to face something. Her exposed shoulders were flushed.

"I'm bored, can't I just draw for fun?" Cui Ying said fiercely.

Xiao Qiyu hummed in agreement and didn't ask any more questions. He walked to the desk, put down the painting, pressed it down with the paperweight, and then returned to the bedside. He picked up the sash from the floor and slowly tied it back around his waist.

“I might practice a little later today. If you get sleepy tonight, you can rest. You don’t need to wait for me,” Xiao Qiyu said.

"Who wants to wait for you!" Cui Ying's shoulders were red, and her ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed. Half a tooth mark that hadn't faded could be faintly seen on her earlobe.

Xiao Qiyu, instead of being angry after being insulted, felt particularly refreshed. He ruffled Cui Ying's hair, deliberately said a few more lewd things to embarrass her, and then got up and left.

Hearing the footsteps disappear outside the door, Cui Ying quietly raised her head, revealing a face that was bright red.

She first got off the bed, then rubbed her chest with water seven or eight times. After that, she picked up her clothes, put them on, ran to the window to get some fresh air, and forced herself to calm down for a while before her mind started working again. She then returned to her desk and continued her great work of drawing.

But for some reason, even though the person had already left, she felt a strange surge of emotion welling up inside her, making her inexplicably irritable.

With the paintbrush hesitant to come down, Cui Ying simply threw it down, leaned back in her chair, and covered her face with the painting. The bright red on the paper was magnified infinitely in her eyes, much like the color in Xiao Qiyu's eyes when he was moved.

One learns to prepare a birthday gift for the other.

One person will inform the other before going out.

Cui Ying belatedly realized that she and Xiao Qiyu were almost living like a proper married couple.

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Author's Note: I, Hu Hansan, am back again (exhausted face). I overestimated myself. I'll make up for the 2,800 yuan I owe tomorrow. You know me, although I often set and then break my promises, I usually keep them. Just sighing, so tiring, so tiring. When will I be able to live a life without having to work so hard? Heavens!