Chapter 283 Drawing a Turtle

When the topic of marriage came up, Qingling remained silent.

If Qingling were still young and naive, when she fell in love with a man, she would be full of anticipation, asking him when their horoscopes would match, when the betrothal ceremony would take place, and which auspicious day they would choose. Her straightforward personality might have led to her being ridiculed for lacking the reserve expected of a young woman.

But after that marriage, a shadow fell over Qingling's heart.

She had also been in love with Zhan Xingzhuo, only to realize later that it was all a deception.

When Yao Qingling and Lin Shiyuan met, they were both at their most vulnerable. They went through trials and tribulations before cooperating and becoming each other's support. Their relationship, from its inception to its growth, was fair and equal compared to her relationship with Zhan Xingzhuo. They gave the same amount and received the same amount.

She no longer looked up to men or relied on them.

Even so, past wounds are wounds, and they don't heal so quickly. The lingering pain will affect her and make her hesitate.

She didn't know if the man in front of her would change, and they didn't fully understand each other.

Qingling can like another man, but it's hard for her to entrust herself to him again.

Qingling quietly slurped up a noodle, licked the oil off her lips, and smiled as she said, "I plan to renovate the Marquis's mansion, especially the main courtyard. Zhao'er will inherit the mansion and won't be able to live with me in the Mulan Courtyard anymore, but he's still young, and I can't let him live alone. I can live in the main courtyard too."

"Also, after the Lantern Festival, my third uncle's family will be returning to Yingzhou. However, I plan to find a way to transfer them back to the capital. With fewer Yao family members, it's better for the Marquis's residence to be more lively."

"However, the renovation of the Marquis's residence will take a considerable amount of time. The main courtyard will be started first, while the Cangbo Courtyard and Liluo Courtyard can be done later. I need to calculate the time and the money; I wonder how much it will cost..."

Qingling kept rambling on and on, then suddenly said, "Now that my uncle and the old lady have passed away, I'm starting renovations on the Marquis's mansion. Won't people say I'm unfilial?"

She frowned, feeling annoyed again.

That's how the world works. Even if someone isn't a good person, they'll still be criticized for trying to reform and innovate because of blood ties.

Those who dislike her will surely hurl insults at her relentlessly.

Although Qingling was aware of this, she never considered changing her mind once she made a decision.

She simply wanted to get the Marquis's mansion back on track.

Yes, we must get rid of the old and start anew, driving out all the corruption, bad reputation, and stagnation in the Marquis's mansion, bringing forth a bright and sunny future for the Marquis's mansion. Those who should be swept into the garbage heap should not be the dark clouds blocking the new atmosphere of the Marquis's mansion.

"...You agree, right?"

Qingling opened her bright eyes and asked Lin Shiyuan earnestly, seeking his approval.

Lin Shiyuan simply watched her quietly.

He asked for a marriage decree, but she said she wanted to renovate the Marquis's mansion.

The implication is clear: she is the mistress of the Marquis's mansion and does not wish to go to his place.

Lin Shiyuan was unhappy.

He picked up his glass, took a sip of wine, and looked past her, his gaze landing on the wall behind her.

Yao Qingling looked at him, feeling somewhat guilty and sad.

She didn't want it to be like this, but she couldn't share his fervent anticipation of marriage.

After a moment of silence, Lin Shiyuan came to terms with it.

Yao Qingling is different from him.

He is a man, and his expectations for many things are more about his own satisfaction.

Yao Qingling has her own burdens; she has many more worries than he does.

She's been divorced for less than a year, and asking her to get married again is something she can't get over.

She was also afraid that after he had his own child, he would neglect Zhao'er.

These two points alone are enough to silence her.

Lin Shiyuan gave a faint smile, as if responding to his own disappointment, then replied to Yao Qingling with a serious expression: "Yao Ying and his wife are not your parents, they are just your relatives. You have no obligation to do anything for them. They usurped everything that was rightfully yours, and now you have taken it back. This is a great joy. The Marquis's mansion has a new master, and it is only right to get rid of the old and establish the new."

"However, we need to ask someone about the start date and how to decorate. There's no rush. Zhao'er is still young, and major construction in the mansion might frighten him. Perhaps we should move out for a while first?"

"As for your third uncle's matter, we can ask Imperial Censor Cao to put in a good word for him. It shouldn't be difficult for him to find a small job in the capital."

Lin Shiyuan was not in a position to do anything for the Yao family, but Imperial Censor Cao had a relationship with Yao Qingling and was eloquent enough to silence any gossip.

Mainly, Lin Shiyuan didn't want Zhan Xingzhuo to have the opportunity to do this to please her.

Yao Qingling was unaware of Lin Shiyuan's ulterior motives, but his analysis seemed reasonable, so she nodded and said, "You're right."

She breathed a sigh of relief because of his words.

The two of them avoided talking about marriage and chatted for a long time.

Yao Qingling slept for too long at noon, so she was full of energy at night. This conversation actually put Lin Shiyuan to sleep.

He lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), and Yao Qingling gently took off his shoes and brought out a quilt from the cabinet to cover him.

He took up his pen and ink and began to envision what the new Marquis's residence should look like.

After sketching a few lines, I wondered what if the feng shui master thought the new layout was bad?

We should ask someone from the Ministry of Works to take a look. Last time, that Manager Yuan was very insightful; his warehouse design was very practical.

Yao Qingling was lost in thought when she glanced at the sleeping man.

The man in the candlelight had a refined face with softer features, lacking the cold and imposing aura he possessed when sober.

But his sleeping posture is so upright, isn't that uncomfortable?

Qingling rested her chin on her hand, holding a calligraphy brush in her other hand, tapping the end of the brush lightly on the table.

Observing men's sleeping positions became something that interested her.

...

When Lin Shiyuan woke up in the morning, Yao Qingling was in her canopy bed, the curtains drawn, so she couldn't see her.

The man calmly threw off the covers and got up.

My eyes were drawn to a painting on the low table.

In the painting, the man is lying flat on his back with his hands on his stomach. At first glance, apart from the fact that the painting is not very good, there is nothing wrong with it.

Lin Shiyuan glanced at the woman behind the curtain, then returned his gaze to the painting.

Two small characters were written in the bottom right corner.

“One?” The man murmured the word, frowning slightly. After thinking it over, he smiled helplessly and shook his head.

But he rolled up the painting and tucked it into his sleeve.

Since it was the New Year, there was no need to rush to court, so Lin Shiyuan didn't have to leave in a hurry.

But with his little darling Lin Qiao at home, he couldn't stay here all the time.

Before leaving, the man glanced at the pen on the table, his eyes flickering slightly.

Holding the pen, I walked toward the canopy bed...

After finishing, the man looked at the woman's face in the dim light, smiled, and left.

In the early morning, Lou Yue, with a swollen forehead, brought in water to help Qing Ling wash up. She was startled when she saw Qing Ling's face and almost dropped the basin: "Miss, your face!"

Qingling touched her face, looking puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong with my face?"

"Miss, see for yourself." Lou Yue suppressed a laugh and held the bronze mirror in front of Qing Ling.

The woman in the mirror had a large turtle painted on her snow-white face. A turtle tail was even drawn on her chin, but she had no head.

Qingling: "..."

Lin Shiyuan, that despicable person, doesn't say anything openly, but uses this method to mock her!

Qingling gritted her teeth. She had even covered him with a blanket; he should have just been freezing. What a heartless bastard.