Chapter 38: Don't be all lovey-dovey in the study.

The mistress has eaten all kinds of pastries.

The pastries on Li Yue'er's table were already commonplace for the mistress, and she was even tired of some of them but hadn't had time to ask the servants to replace them with new ones.

Li Yue'er could think of these things on her own without needing anyone to remind her.

She simply wanted to see the mistress of the house, so she found an excuse to deliver food so that she could go there openly and legitimately.

Although she didn't say it explicitly, Fujiwara was not a spoilsport.

Li Yue'er said she was going to deliver pastries to the mistress, and Teng Huang immediately brought her a food box and put the pastries that the mistress had taken a bite of that day into the food box. "This one is sure to be right."

Even if the mistress doesn't particularly like this dish, it's definitely the one that she hasn't touched on the other dishes on the table.

Time was too tight, and Garcinia didn't have time to have the small kitchen prepare new pastries to suit the mistress's taste.

The two walked outside.

Garcinia said that the weather during the Minor Snow solar term is the most troublesome. Using an umbrella is making a mountain out of a molehill, but if you don't use an umbrella, snowflakes will fall on your shoulders and hair.

Just as she was hesitating about whether to take the umbrella, Li Yue'er had already made the decision for her, "Let's hurry up, so that the doctor won't have to wait too long when he comes."

Even if Doctor Fu were to come, he would leave at the earliest around 9:00 AM. In snowy weather, carriages travel slowly, so he wouldn't arrive until mid-9:00 AM at the earliest.

Since Li Yue'er started attending classes regularly with Su Rou, even if she wakes up late, she still gets up around 7:00 AM.

By calculation, she had about half an hour left to dawdle.

The path from Songlan Hall in the backyard to the study in the middle courtyard of Songxin Courtyard wasn't very long, but Li Yue'er still felt that the path was very long.

When she arrived, she could see from afar that the study door was tightly closed.

Li Yue'er was not very familiar with the rules in the mistress's study, so she looked to Teng Huang for guidance.

“There should be a charcoal brazier burning inside. The door is closed to prevent the heat from escaping.” Teng Huang handed the food box to Li Yue’er, then jogged up the steps and knocked on the door.

The study was filled with books and account books. It was dry and flammable, so open flames were usually kept out of reach. The mistress even had a large pot of lotus flowers kept in the study, not only for elegance and beauty, but also to prevent any potential fires.

The weather wasn't usually too cold, and the three mistresses each had a hand warmer on their laps while doing the accounts.

It must be because it snowed lightly yesterday and the temperature dropped sharply today, so the mistress had the maids light a charcoal brazier in the study.

Although the door was closed, both windows on either side of the door were left slightly ajar for ventilation.

The door was opened from the inside by Dansha. Seeing Tenghuang, she frowned in confusion and asked in a low voice, "Is Miss Yue'er not feeling well?"

When the mistress went to fetch Doctor Fu yesterday, Dansha accompanied her. Today, Tenghuang is keeping Yue'er company in case something happens to Yue'er.

Upon seeing Teng Huang arrive, Dan Sha, in her haste, forgot the time and assumed that Doctor Fu had already examined Yue'er's pulse, which turned out to be unfavorable.

Teng Huang immediately glared at Dan Sha, "Pah, pah, pah! Doctor Fu hasn't arrived yet. It was Miss Yue'er who thought that the mistress hadn't eaten much breakfast, so she specially made time to bring her some pastries."

Dansha breathed a sigh of relief, then looked up past Teng Huang and saw Li Yue'er carrying a food box as she slowly walked up the steps.

It's her fault; she was only looking at the gamboge.

If she had noticed that Miss Yue'er was following behind her, she certainly wouldn't have made such a bad guess.

Feeling guilty, Dansha first curtsied to Li Yue'er before turning around and going inside to the desk. She then whispered to the mistress, "Miss Yue'er has brought you some pastries."

She made things very clear, because the mistress had already frowned and looked up at her when she heard the words "Miss Moon".

Upon learning that Li Yue'er had come to deliver pastries, Qu Rong looked blank for a moment, a mixture of confusion, bewilderment, and curiosity.

She nodded demurely, "Let her in."

Seeing Teng Huang peeking his head through the crack in the door to come in, Qu Rong said, "...You two get out."

Gamboge, "..."

She had finally managed to light the charcoal brazier, and she was hoping to go inside and warm herself by the fire, perhaps even getting a close look at the Moon Maiden feeding the mistress pastries.

Seeing that Teng Huang was dawdling, Dan Sha let Li Yue'er in, then grabbed Teng Huang's forearm and expressionlessly shut the door out, leaving her and herself outside.

Gambo raised his arm and opened his mouth to bite the cinnabar hand.

Dan Sha quickly withdrew his hand and turned to give her a faint smile.

Gamboge, "..."

I'm so annoyed.

Unable to get in, she could only stand close to the door, hoping to overhear something she should or shouldn't hear.

Before she could even stand properly, Dansha's hands covered her ears.

The mistress clearly didn't want the two of them to hear or see anything by asking them to come out.

Gamboge: "...You're so annoying."

Cinnabar pretended not to hear.

Qu Rong paid no attention to what the two maids outside the door were doing. She only looked up at Li Yue'er and the food box in her hand, and asked with interest, knowing the answer already, "Did you make this yourself?"

Li Yue'er forced a smile, "No."

It's already on the table.

The mistress chuckled softly, "I knew it."

Li Yue'er, "..."

Then why did you ask?

Li Yue'er took a deep breath, and when she turned her gaze to the thick stacks of account books on the mistress's desk, her initial frustration turned into heartache and guilt.

Yesterday's events delayed me all afternoon; otherwise, the mistress wouldn't be so busy today.

Li Yue'er said softly, "My cooking skills are not good, and I'm afraid the food I make won't be to the liking of the mistress."

She was even more afraid that the food she cooked, combined with her mistress's sharp tongue, would poison her.

Qu Rong tossed a page of the ledger between her fingers for a long time without moving it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Li Yue'er standing next to her, opening a food box and taking out pastries.

With just one glance, Qu Rong looked away.

She didn't like this dish.

Li Yue'er noticed it too, but she only brought over this plate, saying, "Didn't you take a bite this morning?"

The mistress said, "Well, because it tasted so bad it ruined my appetite, I only ate this one bite."

That's really unfortunate.

Li Yue'er originally intended to curry favor with the mistress, but it just so happened that she brought a plate of pastries that the mistress didn't like.

Li Yue'er asked softly, "Then what do you like?"

She slowly turned around, one hand gripping the edge of the desk behind her, the other hand resting on the armrest of the armchair beneath her.

The mistress remained motionless, knowing her intentions yet still not dodging.

Li Yue'er bent down, her eyes lowered, her nose almost touching the tip of her mistress's nose. Her eyelashes fluttered down like butterfly wings, her eyes looking at the mistress's slightly pursed thin lips, seemingly close yet distant, and she asked softly, "What about this?"

She tilted her head and kissed the mistress's lips.

Li Yue'er had rinsed her mouth after the meal, and her breath was bland and tasteless. The mistress, on the other hand, had clearly just drunk tea, and her lips and teeth still carried the fragrance of tea.

Li Yue'er knew a little about tea, after all, when her maternal grandfather brewed tea when she was a child, she would always drink a sip or two along with him.

Li Yue'er curled her tongue around, swallowing as she tried to discern what kind of tea her mistress was drinking.

The kiss deepened.

The mistress reached out and wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her into her embrace. Li Yue'er then shifted from sitting on the desk to sitting sideways on the mistress's lap.

She wrapped her arms around her mistress's shoulders, buried her face in her mistress's shoulder, and breathed heavily, letting her mistress kiss the corners of her eyes and use her fingers to loosen her tightly pressed collar.

Li Yue'er was still wearing pink clothes today, looking like a blooming pink peony in the light snow. Placed in a courtyard full of red plum blossoms, she might be pretty but not eye-catching enough.

But in this study filled with the somber colors of books and a somber atmosphere, her bright spot outshone the pot of white lotuses, making her the most vibrant and captivating.

The mistress's dress was light blue, with dark blue vines embroidered on the sleeves today, and her undergarment had narrow, silver-white sleeves.

White seeped into the pink dress, leaving only blue hues piled up at the hem, like the leaves of a pink rose.

Five slender leaves gently cradle the heavy, pinkish-white flower buds. Outside, it's already snowy and icy, but inside the study, it feels like early spring.

There was already a charcoal brazier burning inside, and after the two hugged for a while, the mistress was almost sweating.

When the mistress helped Li Yue'er straighten her bodice and close her clothes, her lips were slightly pursed, and her breath was hot and burning.

Li Yue'er gently kissed her mistress's earlobe, pursed her lips twice, and asked deliberately in a low voice, "Did you like today's pastries, mistress?"

Qu Rong, "..."

The mistress remained silent.

A smile appeared in Li Yue'er's eyes.

Even if the mistress didn't say it, she knew the answer, because the mistress had eaten and kneaded the pastry several times.

Li Yue'er was worried that her mistress wouldn't like eating, but just now her mistress's other hand was pressing down on the back of her head, not allowing her to move away at all.

Qu Rong grasped Li Yue'er's forearm with her fingers, gesturing for her to stand up. She looked Li Yue'er up and down several times, still feeling that Li Yue'er's flirtatious look would make people think too much if she went out.

When she came in, Li Yue'er's lips were still pink, so there's no reason why they'd be so red after she left.

Qu Rong raised her hand and gently brushed the wet marks on Li Yue'er's lips with her fingertips. Her knuckles pressed against those soft lips and slid over them, causing even her eyes to change slightly.

Qu Rong withdrew her hand and changed the subject, "I won't go to see Dr. Fu when he examines your pulse. Just tell me the results. If you hide anything, you'll have to sleep on the floor tonight."

Li Yue'er blinked, tilted her head, and asked, "Can't you punish me by making me go back to sleep?"

She wasn't without a room at Songlan Hall; although she only slept there for one night, she still had a place to spend the night.

The mistress gave her a cold look.

Li Yue'er smiled and bent down to hug her mistress, "I knew the mistress liked me to warm the bed."

Warming the bed?

Qu Rong almost sneered. Li Yue'er had absolutely no idea who was warming whose bed between the two of them.

Qu Rong slapped Li Yue'er on the bottom and scolded her sternly, "Don't be all lovey-dovey in the study."

Li Yue'er, "?"

Why didn't the mistress say this earlier when she was pulling down her bodice?

Should she now unbutton her clothes to reveal the red on her fair skin, so that the mistress can think carefully about who was kissing and biting her just now?

The mistress had already avoided her reproachful and resentful gaze. She reached out and pinched the pastry on the plate, took a bite, and her expression was full of "disgusting," but she still silently finished the whole piece.

The mistress calculated the time and reminded Li Yue'er, "Let's go ahead, Doctor Fu will be here soon."

Li Yue'er thought that her mistress didn't like the pastries, so she planned to pick them up and take them back to eat by herself. But her mistress gave her a sidelong glance.

Li Yue'er looked down at her.

The mistress said, "...Keep it; you might want to eat it when you're starving."

Li Yue'er, "..."

Even the pastry chef would burst into tears upon hearing this.

However, she came to deliver pastries, so it would be inappropriate to bring it up when she left.

Li Yue'er lowered her head and checked her clothes, belt, and skirt. Seeing that they were the same as when she came, she smiled and curtsied, "Then this servant will go back."

As soon as she opened the door, Teng Huang came over to look at her.

Li Yue'er nodded to Dansha, indicating that Dansha should go inside while she went out.

Just three steps from the study door, Teng Huang couldn't help but tilt his head to look at her, asking knowingly, "Why are Miss Yue'er's lips so red? Did you eat some 'snacks' in the study?"

Li Yue'er was very honest and refused to make excuses. She answered truthfully, "I didn't eat it. It was the mistress who ate it."

She only kissed the mistress's lips and tasted the Longjing tea; she didn't eat anything else.

As for what snacks the mistress ate, that was her business.

Li Yue'er didn't lie to Teng Huang, but she blurred some facts, deleted some details, and only told the general outline.

Teng Huang's face showed disappointment and regret. Seeing that Li Yue'er was not guilty at all, she knew that Yue'er was not lying. She guessed that the charcoal fire in the study was strong, which made her lips look very red.

Did the mistress really only eat that plate of pastries?

Unwilling to give up, Teng Huang let out a drawn-out "Ah," inwardly complaining that the mistress was too proper, and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "How can the mistress resist such a good atmosphere?"

Li Yue'er, "..."

Li Yue'er keeps her eyes focused on her nose and her mind focused on her heart.

It must be said that Gunghime understood the mistress very well.

The mistress couldn't help herself, but she couldn't elaborate on the fact that the mistress was still breastfeeding at her age.

————————!!————————

Mutual harm segment

Moon: You eat N (raises eyebrows provocatively)

Mistress: Oh, you wet the bed. (Smiling seriously)

Outsider: Children arguing