Chapter 40: Things are getting better, but I feel a little bittersweet.

A week later, in the teahouse.

"Yaoyao." Cheng Mingzhu called out to Jiang Zhiyao as she approached.

"Hmm?" Jiang Zhiyao was listening to the storyteller in the teahouse when she heard Cheng Mingzhu call out, so she turned to look at her.

Ji Wanqing also changed into casual clothes and left the palace today. She came to the teahouse with Jiang Zhiyao and the others. When she heard Cheng Mingzhu speaking, she turned her head.

Cheng Mingzhu hesitated for a moment before asking, "Yaoyao, are you alright?"

Jiang Zhiyao was a little puzzled: "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"Have you heard about Yan Zhenxi's affairs?" Cheng Mingzhu asked when she saw Jiang Zhiyao's puzzled expression. "I heard that he's now feared by everyone. He's raided the homes of several high-ranking officials. His interrogation methods are said to be terrifying. People who have been interrogated with him haven't been able to sleep for several nights afterward. Even the most stubborn people would vomit after being interrogated by him for less than an hour."

"Many people say he has changed. He used to be a gentle and refined young nobleman, but now he has become a cold and unsmiling demon."

“It is said that…” Cheng Mingzhu paused for a moment before continuing, “because his blindness during that period caused a drastic change in his personality…”

"Yaoyao," Cheng Mingzhu asked worriedly, "he didn't do anything to you, did he?"

At first, she was somewhat skeptical. Although she disliked Yan Zhenxi, she didn't think it had come to that. But after hearing her father say that even he felt Yan Zhenxi was different from before and looked much more formidable, Cheng Mingzhu was worried that he would bully Jiang Zhiyao.

Jiang Zhiyao shook her head, puzzled, "No, Yan Zhenxi is still the same as before, with a very good personality. Why would anyone say such things about him?"

“I did hear him tell me that those officials whose homes were raided were either corrupt officials who had embezzled public funds, or officials who had committed crimes that had been suppressed.”

Hearing this, Ji Wanqing nodded and said, "Yes, those ministers all deserved what they got."

Jiang Zhiyao didn't take Cheng Mingzhu's words to heart: "Maybe those people are just talking nonsense. Mingzhu, don't worry about me. If anything really happens to me, I will definitely tell you."

"That's good." Cheng Mingzhu was relieved to see that Jiang Zhiyao didn't seem to be in any trouble.

During dinner time, Jiang Zhiyao returned to her residence, and Yan Zhenxi also happened to return from the palace.

"Ah Yao." Yan Zhenxi called out with a smile when he heard Jiang Zhiyao return.

Jiang Zhiyao sat down and told Yan Zhenxi about the interesting things she encountered when she went out of the manor today and the storytelling she heard.

As they talked, they ate the pastries on the table, which Yan Zhenxi had brought back from the palace because he thought Jiang Zhiyao would like them.

"By the way, Ayao." After Jiang Zhiyao finished speaking and began to eat, Yan Zhenxi said to her with a smile, "My eyes have gotten a little better."

Although he ruined one or two rag dolls, Yan Zhenxi was gradually getting the hang of it. He believed that it wouldn't be long before he could make a beautiful one to give to Jiang Zhiyao.

"That's great!" Jiang Zhiyao quickly put down her chopsticks, waved her hand in front of Yan Zhenxi's eyes, and asked with delight, "How much can you see now?"

Yan Zhenxi reached out and accurately grasped Jiang Zhiyao's hand, holding it firmly without letting go, and said gently, "I can only see a little bit of the outline, it's still very dark and blurry."

“It’s alright.” Jiang Zhiyao held Yan Zhenxi’s hands in hers. “It’s already good enough that you can see even a little bit.”

"Mm." Yan Zhenxi's lips curled up slightly at Jiang Zhiyao's comforting words and concerned gaze.

"Is there really nothing you need my help with?" Jiang Zhiyao asked earnestly.

Jiang Zhiyao had previously wanted to see if she could help Yan Zhenxi prepare the medicine, but Yan Zhenxi said that acupuncture and medicine were done together and that the treatment would be conducted in the palace, so she had to give up.

"Would you like a massage later?" After thinking it over, this was the only thing Jiang Zhiyao could think of.

"Yes," Yan Zhenxi agreed without hesitation.

Lying on Jiang Zhiyao's lap, feeling Jiang Zhiyao's fingers gently massaging her acupoints, Yan Zhenxi felt very relaxed.

Worried that Jiang Zhiyao's hands would get tired, Yan Zhenxi said after massaging for a while, "It's much better now."

After saying that, he wrapped his arms around Jiang Zhiyao's waist and buried his head in Jiang Zhiyao's soft belly.

Jiang Zhiyao stopped what she was doing and chuckled twice: "It's a little itchy."

"Is it really effective to massage for such a short time?" Jiang Zhiyao felt that Yan Zhenxi was only massaged for a short while each time.

She looked at Yan Zhenxi lying on her lap, then her fingers gently stroked Yan Zhenxi's hair.

"It's useful," came Yan Zhenxi's confident voice. "Very useful."

Nothing makes him feel more relaxed and happy than being close to Ayao.

After lying quietly for a while, Yan Zhenxi sat up and prepared to take a bath. Jiang Zhiyao reached out to take his hand, wanting to ask him what time he would leave the mansion tomorrow morning.

I want to have breakfast with him.

Lately, every time she wakes up, the space next to her is empty. Jiang Zhiyao misses the days when she could see Yan Zhenxi as soon as she woke up.

The moment her hand touched Yan Zhenxi's hand, Yan Zhenxi took a small step forward, seemingly just unintentionally avoiding Jiang Zhiyao's attempt to take her hand.

"What's wrong?" Yan Zhenxi turned her head and asked softly.

Jiang Zhiyao curled her fingers, withdrew her outstretched hand, lowered her eyes, and slowly shook her head, her tone normal: "It's nothing, go take a shower."

"Okay." Yan Zhenxi, unsuspecting, walked away.

Fortunately, A Yao didn't notice. Yan Zhenxi touched the fingertips of the hand that had just been grabbed.

There are some needle marks on it, which are still quite noticeable to the touch. If Ayao finds them, it will be hard to explain.

For some reason, Yan Zhenxi keeps pricking himself when using needles. Although he has been better these past few days, he still gets pricked by accident. There are still needle marks left on his hands from before, so Yan Zhenxi has been very careful lately to make sure that Jiang Zhiyao doesn't see or touch his pricked hands.

When Yan Zhenxi returned from her bath, Jiang Zhiyao was no longer in the dormitory; she had probably gone to take a bath as well.

He quickly walked to the bedside, sat down, and picked up the rag doll inside.

Yan Zhenxi examined the rag doll carefully, turning it over and over as if trying to memorize its shape. After looking at the general shape, he then observed the stitches.

After taking a bath, Jiang Zhiyao returned to her dormitory. As she walked past the screen, she looked up and paused for a moment.

She must have heard her return. Yan Zhenxi seemed to be hurriedly putting something away, though she only saw Yan Zhenxi's hand retract at the end.

Jiang Zhiyao blinked a few times, said nothing, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Does Ayao want to sleep now?" Yan Zhenxi asked softly as usual.

"Mmm." Jiang Zhiyao nodded, but remained seated on the bed without moving. After a while, she got up, walked to the bedside, and extinguished the candle.

Jiang Zhiyao lay down, covered herself with the blanket, stared at the bright moon outside the window, and slowly said, "I'm going to sleep."

"good."

Feeling a pang of sadness, Jiang Zhiyao sniffed and turned to the inside of the bed.

After a long while, upon hearing Jiang Zhiyao's steady breathing, Yan Zhenxi gently moved over and hugged her from behind.

Yan Zhenxi was slightly annoyed for a moment when he thought about why Ayao was sleeping with her back to him, but he quickly stopped thinking about it.

Smelling the delicate fragrance of Jiang Zhiyao's hair, Yan Zhenxi squeezed his hand between Jiang Zhiyao's fingers, and their fingers intertwined for a while.

Then he placed the pad of his left index finger against the pad of Jiang Zhiyao's index finger. Yan Zhenxi could feel that Jiang Zhiyao's fingertip was intact, while his own was covered with several needle marks.

"Will the spot where Ayao was stabbed be the same as mine?" Yan Zhenxi suddenly wondered. He hugged Jiang Zhiyao tighter and pressed down slightly with his index finger.

Yan Zhenxi initially created this rag doll as an apology gift that she hoped Jiang Zhiyao would like.

But during the process, Yan Zhenxi discovered that he was also gradually getting to know Jiang Zhiyao and had more shared experiences with her.

He began to experience what Jiang Zhiyao had gone through before: how to choose silk fabrics and needles and threads, how to cut them, how to sew them together, and how to make the stitches as neat as possible.

After being pricked by the needle, Yan Zhenxi even felt a secret joy. The thought that he had the same wound as Jiang Zhiyao for the same reason made him feel a strange ripple.

Sometimes he felt like he was going crazy. He didn't know much about embroidery before, and he had never done it before. As for the views of some scholars that embroidery was something women did and that was not respectable, he did not agree with them, but he didn't think much of it either.

Moreover, Yan Zhenxi has always had precise control over his time, and he would never waste it on things that he considers meaningless and useless for gaining power.

Although his previous principles seemed to have no effect on Jiang Zhiyao.

But he could never have imagined that one day he would willingly and proactively become a rag doll, learning how to sew fabric together with a needle and how to embroider patterns on the fabric, and finding joy in doing so.

As her thoughts drifted, Yan Zhenxi suddenly realized that it was fortunate she had managed to refrain from hugging A Yao before bed today.

If he hugged her, with A-Yao in his arms, Yan Zhenxi felt he would definitely not be able to resist and would tell her everything right now.

He casually showed Ayao his pricked hand, then looked at Ayao's distressed eyes and listened to her gently comforting him.

But he has no decent apology to offer. If he were to reveal everything, he would be powerless to please Jiang Zhiyao, who might be angry or appear calm but sad. He has nothing to offer her.

Yan Zhenxi began to hate it, hating that her hands were too clumsy, taking so long even to make a rag doll.

As for why he hasn't mentioned the eyes yet, Yan Zhenxi actually has another selfish reason: he wants to see A Yao's natural side without any pretense in front of him.

I always felt that she was more relaxed when she was alone with herself, probably because she felt that she couldn't see.

In his presence, Yan Zhenxi saw the real Jiang Zhiyao, a Jiang Zhiyao with clear likes and dislikes, who allowed him to know her likes and dislikes.

He gently kissed her hair, then closed his eyes, letting sleepiness wash over him.

The next morning, Jiang Zhiyao woke up to find, as expected, the space beside her empty, just like it had been for the past few days.

After washing up and getting dressed by herself, Jiang Zhiyao didn't go to the main hall, so she had someone bring her breakfast directly to her bedroom.

When Jiang Zhiyao saw the breakfast, she was slightly taken aback. It was the lotus seed porridge that she had specially ordered last night.

It was something Yan Zhenxi liked to eat, and she had originally planned to have lunch with Yan Zhenxi this morning.

"Did you have lunch at the manor this morning, my lord?" Jiang Zhiyao asked the servant beside her softly.

"No," the attendant replied. "The master left in a hurry and didn't have time to eat."

"I understand." Jiang Zhiyao picked up a spoon, stirred the porridge, scooped up a spoonful, and took a bite.

Strange, this porridge tastes a bit bitter today. Did we forget to remove the lotus seeds?