Chapter 85

◎This is a day for Xie Huaijin and Ciying.◎

In the courtyard, Xie Huaijin looked at Ci Ying for a long time.

The blocked chest cavity was filled with something like soaked cotton, which was piled up in his chest and pressed on his heart, and turned into the young man's eyes that could not be taken away when he looked at Ci Ying.

At dusk, in the sunset glow, Xie Huaijin's expression became even more silent when he heard the words "I love you very much". An emotion similar to grievance but completely different from grievance invaded the young man. In the storm, he chuckled.

There were no tears in his eyes, only Ciying's figure.

Ci Ying was wearing a goose yellow long skirt today, which matched the evening scenery very well. Seeing that he didn't speak, she made mouth shapes, probably saying something like "Xie Huaijin Xie Huaijin".

The hug came naturally. After the hug, Ci Ying began to laugh. Her warm breath touched Xie Huaijin's neck, making it feel itchy. Xie Huaijin also started to laugh.

"We are from the same courtyard," said Ciying.

In fact, it had been said once, but Ciying said it again.

She held Xie Huaijin's hand and said, "Husband and wife should live in the same yard."

This is complete nonsense. Most of the masters and mistresses of wealthy families would not live in the same courtyard, and the Xie family is no exception.

"Okay." Xie Huaijin looked at Ci Ying gently.

The atmosphere was good, and Ci Ying didn't want to bring up the matter of the pornographic painting, so she kept it to herself. She touched her stomach, and Xie Huaijin saw her. The young man said gently, "Are you hungry?"

Some, so Ci Ying nodded: "I'll go have the food served. Any later would be inappropriate."

There were not many slaves in the Yan Mansion. Like before, most of them were soldiers who were disabled on the battlefield, some with broken arms and some with broken legs.

When Yan Ji was in power, the army was unable to make ends meet, and the government was even tighter.

After Ciying came, the situation improved. At first, Ciying paid out of his own pocket. Later, after observing the situation in the mansion, he found jobs that could be done by disabled people. Most of them were paid by piece, and Ciying would pay some more so that the soldiers in the mansion could get more money.

Only when she arrived at Ciying Courtyard did she have a maid to serve her specially.

Ci Ying ordered dinner and hurriedly asked Xie Huaijin to sit down.

The people in the yard knew that this man was the son-in-law, and they were all very respectful to him.

Before Xie Huaijin came, Ciying had given them special instructions. Ciying was usually kind and tolerant to them, and she didn't give them many special instructions. But when she did, it was important, and the maids knew what was important.

Ci Ying treated them so well on a daily basis. With such a master and the promise that they could leave the mansion when they reached a certain age, no one wanted to cause any trouble. Even when they talked privately, they said that it was better to live in the mansion with such an easy-going master than to leave the mansion and get married in the future and waste their lives.

After Xie Huaijin sat down, Ci Ying wanted to squat down to check Xie Huaijin's injuries, but as soon as she made a move, Xie Huaijin held her body and prevented her from squatting down.

Ci Ying glanced at Xie Huaijin, and seeing that the young man insisted, she did not continue squatting.

"What?" she said softly. She didn't believe he couldn't see that she just wanted to massage his legs.

The young man shook his head, meaning "not very good".

They were too familiar with each other, and Ci Ying immediately understood what Xie Huaijin meant. She pouted but couldn't help laughing: "What's the big deal?"

The servants around were still busy, and Ci Ying looked at Xie Huaijin with a smile again.

She couldn't say this wasn't love.

But she still felt it was nothing.

She didn't care about possible rumors in the mansion.

After finishing the meal, Ci Ying asked everyone to leave. She helped Xie Huaijin to the inner room, squatted down to check the young man's legs, and asked softly, "You walked for so long today and stood for a long time. Does it hurt?"

Xie Huaijin shook his head, and Ci Ying rubbed and massaged gently. When they reached a certain point, the leg under her hand trembled slightly.

"You're lying again." Ci Ying was still smiling. She pressed both of the young man's legs seriously. When she raised her eyes, she saw the young man looking at her.

Ci Ying came back after washing her hands and covered the young man's legs with a warm towel.

The two looked at each other. Ci Ying squeezed Xie Huaijin's hand and asked with a smile, "Could it be that there's a big mess in Chang'an, and you have to go back, and I can't..."

The hand that was being played with by Ci Ying felt itchy. He tried to hold it back, but couldn't. Xie Huaijin raised his other hand and covered Ci Ying's lips.

The warm breath was exhaled on his palm. Seeing that he couldn't bear it, Ci Ying burst into laughter. Xie Huaijin reached out and hugged him, saying softly: "No, this won't happen again."

No, they will never be separated again.

Ci Ying clearly had no intention of letting the young man go, and she kept saying, "What if, what if?"

Her wicked smile was so open and frank that it was obvious that she did it on purpose.

Xie Huaijin repeated patiently, "No, this will never happen again."

He has done everything that Xie Huaijin should and could do.

He has a clear conscience towards both the Xie family and the world.

A gentleman always seeks to be open and honest. Xie Huaijin did not think of himself as a gentleman, but still served several years in prison for the sake of openness. He allowed himself to be trapped and did not forget it even at the end of his life.

He owes no one anything except Ciying.

He only owed it to his lover.

If Ci Ying knew what he was thinking, she probably wouldn't feel that Xie Huaijin owed her anything.

If I had to name someone that Xie Huaijin owed someone, Ci Ying only felt that Xie Huaijin owed Xie Huaijin.

The long-standing grudges and feelings between her and Xie Huaijin vanished into nothingness the moment they chose to embrace each other again. It didn't mean that they didn't exist, but that they had no meaning other than reminiscing about each other.

Even if they quarreled in the future, according to her and Xie Huaijin's personalities, no one would bring up the past.

Love changes everything.

All those fierce, entangled, desperate and sorrowful things will become the past of their future lives.

Ci Ying hooked her little finger up again, and Xie Huaijin cooperated by hooking his little finger up with Ci Ying's. Both of them moved slowly, bit by bit, as if for fun, and only looked at each other when they "stamped" it at the end.

Ci Ying chuckled and threw herself into Xie Huaijin's arms.

The young man reached out and hugged her. The towel on his legs, which was no longer emitting heat, fell off during their playfulness. When both of them regained consciousness, they were already kissing intimately.

When they regained consciousness, both of them chose to indulge themselves.

The wind outside the window was blowing the dead flowers and trees. People said that the climate and soil of Mobei could not support a delicate tree. Ci Ying didn't believe it. She moved the tree several times, but it died. But it didn't matter. Ci Ying was very patient. She transplanted another one every time a tree died. If another one died, she would transplant another one.

Will I still die?

Then she will move again.

She had to admit that she was no longer the girl who would retreat silently when looking at the moon in the water, the girl who would sit on the wall, look into the distance but glance at the lady's rolling wheelchair.

She already had the greatest patience in the world, just a flower tree.

That's pretty much what growth is like.

Love is her trophy.

Ci Ying kissed him again, happiness filled her heart, and tears silently flowed from the corners of her eyes.

She covered Xie Huaijin's eyes and felt the young man's heartbeat in the hug. She said "I love you" again and again, to Xie Huaijin and to her younger self.

The next day.

Ci Ying and Xie Huaijin planted flowers and trees together. After choosing and selecting, they finally chose a small and thin one.

Ciying’s reason was that there was a high probability that they would all die, so she chose the smaller ones.

Xie Huaijin's reason was that Ciying chose it.

Two people dug the soil, dug a hole, moved the tree, buried the soil, and tamped it down. The steps sounded simple, but neither of them knew how to do it. Knowledge gained from books is always shallow. When they really did it, they made mistakes here and there. In the end, they were afraid that the weather would not kill the sapling, and the shovels in their hands would kill the sapling. They asked the gardener for advice and readjusted the position of the sapling and the planting depth. After several attempts, they spent a whole day on it.

When I finished, it was already dusk.

The sunset is beautiful, and the evening light makes everything look especially gentle.

Ci Ying didn't actually know why it took them a whole day to plant a single tree, but looking at the finished tree, she felt a sense of accomplishment. In the past, she'd just let the guards plant the trees, and she didn't even have to pick them. She didn't have to deal with any of the dead trees. She just had to give the order, and someone else would do it.

Maybe because of this, it’s too easy, so I think it doesn’t matter if it withers and dies.

But now, Ci Ying looked at the sweat on Xie Huaijin's forehead, then at the thin tree. She stroked the tree's branches, the tender green leaves and the still rough bark, and whispered, "Survive."

Xie Huaijin also bowed and imitated Ciying, saying, "Survive."

"Let's give it a name?" Ci Ying suddenly had an idea.

Xie Huaijin: "Little tree?"

Ci Ying was silent for a moment because of Xie Huaijin's naming talent, and suddenly understood why Zhu Yi, Zhu Er, and Zhu Guang were called Zhu Yi, Zhu Er, and Zhu San. She had always wondered if there would be someone named Zhu Si, Zhu Wu, and Zhu Liu. Later, she really asked Xie Huaijin this question. The young man was silent for a moment and said that there was no "Zhu Si, Zhu Wu, and Zhu Liu", but there was "Yu Yi, Yu Er, and Yu San".

Then this tree is called a small tree.

Ci Ying touched the bark again: "Little tree, grow well."

Xie Huaijin took Ci Ying's hand and stopped her from expressing her feelings to a tree.

Ci Ying glanced back, then looked at Xie Huaijin with a smile.

She understood—

I understand why there were so many possible names, but at her request, Xie Huaijin only gave it a perfunctory name, "Little Tree".

Xie Huaijin also followed Ci Ying's gaze and looked at the small tree. It was so thin that no one knew how many years it would take for it to grow into a big tree, nor did he know if it could survive the winter.

Perhaps winter is too long to talk about. I am so thin and small, and it looks like I will be crushed to death by the wind tomorrow.

If something that was carefully named really died, Ci Ying would still be sad even if she had foreseen it.

So let’s call it “Little Tree”, as the tree is as famous as the other.

When it grows up, it will be called "Big Tree".

When they get old, they will be called "old trees".

Ah, so he and Ciying will grow old together. What do people in the world call this?

Xie Huaijin asked the little tree, but the little tree just swayed the few remaining green leaves in the wind and didn't say anything. Seeing that the little tree didn't say anything, Xie Huaijin shook his head helplessly, and then told the little tree compassionately and kindly that this is called growing old together.

This is called——

Xie Huaijin and Ciying will grow old together.

There is no need to steal the winter snow to grow gray hair, nor to use the delusions in dreams to stay together.

When they reached the corridor, they both bent down to wash their hands. As they washed, they held hands, wrapping their hands layer by layer, and then their fingers were interlocked.

It was getting dark.

The moon was half hanging in the sky, the clouds were light, and the outline of the moonlight was faintly visible. On the side, the stars were blinking, one after another.

Spring, summer, autumn, winter.

This is a day for Xie Huaijin and Ciying.

【Author’s words】

Little Tree: Peanuts for me, peanuts for me!