Chapter 042: First Intimate Contact

Qin Xue had imagined many scenarios of him coming to her house in glory after passing the exam.

I just didn't expect this situation to happen.

In late autumn in Yangzhou, the weather was already very cold and the wind was a bit strong. Not far away, the man who had not been seen for nearly two months was now facing the sunset with his back to her, looking at her with a smile on his face, and asking bold and passionate questions.

No matter how much Qin Xue was used to his straightforwardness, she could not get used to his blunt words that were full of love. Her face, which had been chilled by the wind, gradually warmed up because of his words. She did not dare to look at him anymore because she had been staring at his eyes.

Not wanting to answer his question directly, she changed her words, "You're finally back."

I miss you so much.

Everyone thought she was busy every day and had no time to think about him.

Only she knows.

Every night, when everyone was asleep and she'd stopped everything and tucked into bed, she'd wonder if he was still studying by candlelight! When the weather turned cold, she'd wonder if his clothes were thick enough, if he'd be cold. When the results came out, she'd wonder if he'd gotten in as he'd hoped, and if he'd been caught trying to marry someone off the list.

Now seeing him standing not far away, looking at her with a smile, asking herself if she missed him, Qin Xue's heart, which had been kept away from him by being busy for a while, finally had a place to rest.

Thinking of this, a smile slowly spread across Qin Xue's face, and she gave him a thumbs up. "You've achieved your wish by winning the high school championship. You're awesome."

Resisting the urge to go forward and hug her in his arms, Liu Zhiyan looked at her face, which turned red little by little, and then gradually bloomed into a smile. The heart that missed her and was anxious to see her was finally soothed.

When he was twenty-five, he always went wherever he wanted and never had the experience of worrying about anyone.

This time, on the day I left, I began to miss the girl who lived not far away.

I miss her every word and action, her playfulness and laughter, and her focused look when she's serious...

Think about everything related to her.

For the first time, he realized how difficult it was to bear lovesickness.

So, after hearing her congratulations, he responded, "When we get married at the end of the month, you can come with me to the capital. We won't have to be separated like this time for next year's palace examination."

It seemed she wasn't the only one who had a hard time during their separation. This realization made Qin Xue's mood so happy that she burst into laughter. "Do you know when our wedding is?"

"I asked as soon as I got back." He said as he slowly walked towards Qin Xue, and then stopped a step away from her. "I finally understand what it means when you haven't seen me for a day, it feels like a long time."

"Anyway, from now on, I don't want to be separated from you anymore."

Once upon a time, if someone had told him that one day he would be so clingy to a woman, he would have sneered at him.

But this time he discovered that the things he had disdained to do before were simply because he had not met this little girl yet.

Now that he has met her, he just wants to see her every day and be with her every day.

Just now, when he hurried out, his grandmother and his mother both said, "I never thought that one day, I would see him so anxious to see someone." If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would have thought it was ridiculous.

He replied to them at the time: I didn’t expect it myself.

This time, Qin Xue did not avoid him. Instead, she met his eyes and responded to him with certainty, "Okay, from now on, we will never separate again."

"So, actually, you miss me just as much as I miss you, right?" Liu Zhiyan prefers being straightforward rather than being subtle and indirect.

He is straightforward.

I hope Qin Xue is as straightforward as he is.

Knowing she couldn't dodge it this time, Qin Xue quickly scanned all around, making sure no one was around and no one would hear what she said. She stopped being coy and said, "Yes, I miss you too, very much."

"I think I have to keep myself busy every day, otherwise my mind will be full of you."

Hearing that she missed him as much as he missed her, Liu Zhiyan reached out and hugged her in his arms.

This was the first time the two had such close contact.

The little guy in my arms is soft all over and it is very comfortable to hold him.

Not only is she comfortable to hold, but she also smells really good.

Liu Zhiyan, who originally just wanted to hug for a while and then let go, didn't want to let go after hugging her.

He lowered his head and rubbed it against her neck, then said tenderly, "It would be nice if you could hold me like this forever and never let go."

Liu Zhiyan was very tall, and Qin Xue was held in his arms, her whole body was wrapped up.

It was the first time she was hugged like this by a member of the opposite sex. She was completely stiff and didn't know where to put her hands and feet.

Especially when he rubbed her lightly, it made her feel as if her heart was being scratched by a feather, itchy and numb.

This was a feeling she had never experienced before, she didn't know what it was, but she liked it.

So, she slowly hugged him back with her hands, not knowing where to put them, and then softly responded to his words, "Then hold me for a while longer."

Her return hug and her response made Liu Zhiyan's heart shrink suddenly, and the action of hugging her also shrank.

What was originally just a loose hug turned into a tight hug.

As he moved, the area three inches below his belly button also changed.

The two of them were so close together that he was afraid of scaring the other person. Just as he was about to let go, he heard the other person's voice full of doubt, "Why are you hiding a stick on you?"

Boom~~

Something exploded in Liu Zhiyan's mind, but fortunately he had a strong mental state and calmed down in time.

He didn't suddenly push the person away from his arms, but let go of the person slowly and calmly, and even found a perfect excuse for his abnormal body shape, "On the way back, I was afraid of encountering bad guys, so I carried a stick with me, just in case."

"I see."

Seeing that Qin Xue didn't doubt his words, Liu Zhiyan breathed a sigh of relief. However, he was also afraid that she would bring up the issue again, so he decisively changed the subject. "I heard from your sister Ye that you've been so serious about your studies lately that you've forgotten to eat and sleep. Not only has your Latin proficiency improved by leaps and bounds, but your historical knowledge has also greatly improved."

Qin Xue told Liu Zhiyan about Ye Qinghan's plan to present her translation to His Majesty, and about Ye Qinghan taking her on a diplomatic mission after the New Year. "Let's not talk about what we're handing to His Majesty, there absolutely can't be any mistakes. Even if we go on diplomatic missions to foreign countries to demonstrate our strength, I can't be completely ignorant of our history."

"So no matter how you look at it, I should pick up history."

If we were to ask who was the person who could most intuitively feel the changes in the little girl in front of him, it would be Liu Zhiyan.

When I first met this girl, all she said was plain talk and she couldn't convey any profound truths.

But over the past six months, she has transformed little by little, from a person who knew nothing to a person who knows how to think and grow continuously.

He always thought that his talent was high enough, but he found that the girl in front of him seemed to be more talented than him.

To be more precise, it should be the girl in front of him who has a purer heart than his.

She thought foreign languages ​​were good, so she completely changed her bad habits and devoted herself to learning foreign languages.

She felt that to engage in diplomacy, she needed to understand Zhaoguo's history, so she began to study history in addition to learning foreign languages.

Such a pure person can do whatever he wants.

Thinking back to when he was attracted to her, it was her purity. Now it seems that he really didn't make a mistake. "Your idea is correct, but I hope you remember: don't be too hard on yourself at any time. Let's do things within our capabilities."

He once thought about doing something big.

Later, as he grew older, he realized that if he was too outstanding, his family would become a thorn in the side of the one sitting on the throne.

Thus, he made himself a 'stain' on the Liu family.

As time went by, he felt that this kind of free life without having to work hard was quite good.

Although he has taken the imperial examination and will work hard to get a good ranking, he has no intention of doing practical politics.

He just wanted to be a minor official who could legitimately follow the girl when she went on a diplomatic mission.

He himself did not have much ambition for a political career, nor did he want the girl to work too hard.

"If I don't keep myself so busy during this period, I will always think of you, and then I will think about you endlessly." Otherwise, she would not let herself be so obsessed with sleep and forget to eat.

Qin Xue's sudden and honest words were much more shocking than her previous hesitant answer about whether she missed him or not. "I said that people like us who are so in love should be able to understand each other, and sure enough..."

"Tell me the truth, have you been wanted by many girls this time?"

In the past, he completely ignored women, and no one wanted to bother themselves by getting close to him.

Now the news of their engagement must have spread around the capital.

There must be many people who are attracted to him personally or to the Liu family's influence.

There must be someone who wants to test him.

"Yes, and quite a few." After the news of his engagement spread, everyone knew that he was no longer against women, and there were indeed quite a few people who came after him. "Don't worry, I didn't give anyone the chance to get close to me."

"After arriving in the capital, I locked myself up in my house, not leaving until the day of the imperial examination. After the nine-day exam, I went home and fell asleep. I also declined to attend the Luming Banquet after the results were announced. As soon as I received the good news, I picked up my long-packed bag and rushed back to Yangzhou Prefecture."

Liu Zhiyan explained clearly what happened in the capital.

He was indeed willing to get engaged and approach women, but that was only for the girl in front of him. He still didn't want to have anything to do with other girls. "I let go of the words of a lifelong couple, but I guess many people don't want to believe it."

Liu Zhiyan never promised Qin Xue that they would be together for the rest of their lives.

Qin Xue didn't ask either.

But which girl doesn't look forward to this unique feeling?

Normally, she wouldn't have been able to ask, but now that he mentioned it, she followed his lead and asked, "Are you really going to spend the rest of your life with me?"

"Right now, I do think so." As for the future, he thought it would be better not to make too many promises. "Who knows, maybe you won't want to be with me forever. So, let's just live well in the present and talk about the future later."

That night, Qin Laicai asked the kitchen to prepare a very sumptuous meal.

There are braised pork that symbolizes good luck, braised carp that symbolizes leaping over the dragon gate, braised pork elbow that symbolizes a name inscribed with red ink, whole chicken and whole duck that symbolize perfection, as well as bamboo shoots and cakes that symbolize continuous success and advancement.

In short, all dishes, regardless of northern or southern cuisine, have beautiful meanings.

At the dinner table, Qin Laicai, the quasi-Mount Tai, was even more senior than Liu Zhiyan, the high school student involved.

I kept asking him to drink, and finally I got drunk myself.

Just like that, he kept holding Liu Zhiyan's hand and kept saying, "He has to find time to go and see if the grass on the Qin family's grave is smoking. Otherwise, how could the Qin family produce a son-in-law who is the top scorer in the high school entrance examination?"

Because this was a family dinner with only the three of them, Qin Xue, who was accompanying them, did not stop her father from beginning to end.

Seeing him burping and talking nonsense, Qin Xue felt a little regretful that she didn't stop him from drinking.

However, thinking that when the news of Qin's son-in-law winning the imperial examination is spread, there will definitely be many people inviting her father to the banquet, it is a good thing to let him completely get over the excitement at home.

So, she replied to her father, "Okay, let's go to the cemetery tomorrow."

"Let Minxing come along." Qin Laicai took another sip of wine. "We need to let the ancestors of the Qin family see what our son-in-law who won the first place in the imperial examination looks like. That way, when they want to bless someone, they'll know who they are blessing."

"Even though Dad didn't mention it, I still wanted to bring it up." Liu Zhiyan was quite knowledgeable about this matter. "I said I'd become a son-in-law to the Qin family, not just casually saying it so that I could marry Xiaoxue'er smoothly. I really mean it."

Now the rumor in the capital is that his so-called unmarried marriage with the Qin family is just a fig leaf for him to be someone else's son-in-law.

He had spread this rumor on purpose, so naturally he wanted to make it true.

Of course, not to mention the other ancestors of the Qin family, he also respects Qin Laicai, the old Taishan, from the bottom of his heart.

So, he is happy to do what makes him happy.

"Dad knew you were a good kid." The Qin family and the Liu family had very different family backgrounds, and Liu Zhiyan was extremely outstanding. In fact, Qin Laicai was a little unsure about the marriage between the two families. Now that he heard him say this, he felt a little relieved.

"I will always be a good child to daddy." Liu Zhiyan said sincerely.

His biological father had a kind heart, but he was concerned about the common people and was always busy. He had many children, so the fatherly love he had was very little.

On the contrary, it was Qin Laicai, the old man, who had given him the fatherly love he had never experienced since his childhood since his marriage with Qin Xue was decided.

Therefore, although he has not truly become his own Old Taishan, Liu Zhiyan has already regarded him as the real Old Taishan.

He didn’t think he longed for fatherly and motherly love before, but after receiving Qin Laicai’s love and care, he found that he actually longed for it.

This was what Qin Laicai wanted to hear. He loved it. "Okay, okay, Dad will always love you as much as he loves Xue'er."

Liu Zhiyan didn't feel that it was shameful for a 25-year-old man to long for love. "This is what my father said. If you favor Xiaoxue'er in the future, I won't agree."

"Of course not." Qin Laicai was only slightly drunk, his mind was just a little slow, but he was sober. "The better I treat you, the more you feel my kindness, the better you will be to Xiaoxue'er."

"Old ginger is indeed more experienced." Liu Zhiyan agreed with his words, and then, in a low voice so that Qin Xue wouldn't hear, he asked Qin Laicai to support him. "To be honest, I'm a little worried that in a few years, Xiaoxue will look down on me for being old. After all, I'm so much older than her. If that day comes, Dad must stand by me.

"She dares." Liu Zhiyan's words were a deadly blow, and Qin Laicai was immediately lifted up by him. "If she dares to despise you, Dad will definitely teach her a lesson."

"I knew that Dad is the best." After getting his consent, Liu Zhiyan looked like he had found a backer and was no longer worried about being abandoned.

Looking at the loving father-in-law and son-in-law, Qin Xue's eyes almost rolled up to the sky.

People who didn't know would think that the two were father and son, and that she, the daughter, was an outsider. "Do you want me to pack up my things and make room for you two so that you can be good father and son?!

Hearing his daughter's voice, Qin Laicai jumped up subconsciously, "Why are you here too?"

Facing her father's guilty gaze, Qin Xue suddenly had an idea in her mind, "Since you don't want me to be here, I'll go pack my things and go find Sister Ye."

"No, you can't go to see Lord Ye." Qin Laicai quickly grabbed the man who was pretending to leave, "Dad treats Minxing well because he is your future husband. Dad knows he is a good boy. The better Dad treats him, the better he will treat you."

"It's because of you that Dad and him have a relationship. Dad understands it very well."

"I know." Qin Xue answered very straightforwardly, "I just haven't seen Sister Ye for a few days, and I miss her a little bit."

It was originally just a spur-of-the-moment idea, but the more I thought about it, the better it felt. "It's rare for Dad to have a drinking buddy who can drink with you. If I were at home, you'd be worried about me, so I definitely wouldn't be able to drink to your heart's content. I'll go find Sister Ye. You two are the only ones at home, so you can drink as much as you want without having to think about anything."

After saying that, Qin Xue stood up and walked out. "I'll go pack my things and then go to Liu's house. You guys continue."

Seeing her figure without turning back, the father-in-law and son-in-law looked at each other. Qin Laicai, who was a little slow to react, said, "Isn't this bad?"

"It's really not good." He came to see her specially, but she ran to Liu's house. What's going on?

However, even if she didn't go to the Liu family, he would have to go back to the Liu family soon, and there would be no more opportunities for them to spend time together.

Thinking back to what Qin Xue had said just now, in the past, when there were only the two of them at home, Qin Laicai had never been able to drink to his heart's content.

He thought it would be a good idea to do as Qin Xue said. "Since she misses her sister Ye, why not let her go find her sister Ye? Let's continue drinking?"

Although Qin Laicai wasn't completely drunk, his brain wasn't working as fast as usual. Plus, he hadn't drunk enough, so he thought this was a good idea. "Then I'll go find the housekeeper and ask him to arrange some more people to take Xue'er to the Liu family."

"Just sit down, Dad. I'll make the arrangements." He had been stationed at the Qin family for some time and was familiar with the housekeeper Qin, so it would be no problem for him to give orders.

So, after Liu Zhiyan arranged for Qin Xue to go to the Liu family's house and saw her off, he returned to Qin Laicai's study and continued drinking with him...

On the other hand, Qin Xue has never gone out at night since she started studying foreign languages ​​seriously.

After a few months, looking at the twinkling night lights outside again, I felt as if I were in another world.

In the past, if someone had told her that she could stay at home for several months, she would definitely not have believed it.

At that time, she felt that she was born to love going out, and it would be better for her not to live than to be forced to stay at home.

Now when I think back on the past six months, I can count the number of times I’ve gone out on my five fingers.

She found that it was not that difficult for people to change once they found new goals to pursue.

She also found that since she rarely went out, her habit of wearing the wrong shoes and kicking the door sill seemed to have improved.

She thought that her previous problems were probably because she had nothing to do all day, was impatient and had no center of gravity, which was why she often made mistakes even when walking and putting on shoes.

Now she calms down and focuses on everything she does more than before.

Anything in the world can be solved by focusing.

Therefore, she rarely makes the same low-level mistakes as before.

It is said that growth comes at a price. She is very glad that her growth only requires her to change her lifestyle, not other prices that she cannot afford.

As the carriage passed the vast Wang family mansion, she thought of Ruan Ruyi, who once liked to compete with her, but now became a member of this mansion. Not only did she have to serve a man older than her father, but she also had to compete with other women for his favor.

Thinking about the last time when Cheng Jingshuang and her sister came to the Qin family, they mentioned that Ruan Ruyi was pregnant. She couldn't serve the head of the Wang family, so she stayed in her own yard to keep fit. Qin Xue felt that things had changed a lot since then.

However, she and Ruan Ruyi had never gotten along, and after the carriage passed the Wang family, Qin Xue put her momentary feelings behind her.

All the way to Liu's house, she didn't think about any profound questions. She appreciated whatever she saw, and if she didn't see anything, she would empty her mind.

Soon the carriage arrived at Ximen Street. Qin Xue realized that the Liu family would be just around the corner, so she gathered her thoughts and the carriage stopped.

When the Liu family's doorman heard that Qin Xue had come, he quickly sent someone to the backyard to report the matter, and then opened the gate to let the carriage in.

The Liu family's courtyard is large. When Qin Xue's carriage arrived at the Chuihua Gate, Ye Qinghan, who had heard that she was coming to rush out, also arrived at the Chuihua Gate.

Seeing her get off the carriage, Ye Qinghan walked to the front of the carriage and reached out to help her. "Xiaoxue'er, why are you here at this time?"

"My father was happy because Minxing won the first place in the imperial examination, so he took him out for a drink. In order to let them have a good time, and I haven't seen Sister Ye for a long time, I missed her, so I thought of exchanging identities with Minxing tonight. He will be my father's son, and I will be your daughter." Qin Xue did not hide it and directly stated the reason for her visit.

"That's great. One for one, no one loses out." As he said that, he pulled the person towards the backyard.

"I also think it's worth trading my dad for Sister Ye." Qin Xue and Ye Qinghan had the same idea. "So I thought, if they haven't had enough tonight, let them continue. That way, I can spend more time with Sister Ye legitimately."

"As long as they don't object, I'd love it." Thinking of his son rushing off to see his young wife's son, only to be dragged along by his father-in-law and kept drinking, Ye Qinghan found it amusing. "Sharing the same yard with me tonight, okay?"

The house is very big and each child has his or her own yard.

Qin Xue and her youngest son are not married yet, so it is not appropriate for her to be in charge of the youngest son's yard, nor is it appropriate for her to live in the yards of other children.

"Of course I do."

The next morning, Qin Laicai sent a message to Qin Xue, telling her to stay at the Liu family's house for a few days. Liu Zhiyan would take care of the ancestral tomb visit and the subsequent family social events, so she could have some peace and quiet.

Qin Xue hated attending her father's social events the most, but she was her father's only child, so even if she didn't like it, she had to show up on some occasions.

Now her father told her that she would not have to attend any social events to celebrate Liu Zhiyan's victory in the high school entrance examination. Qin Xue was more than happy to do so, so there was no reason for her to refuse.

As for the Liu family, they naturally welcomed her.

After all, she was sweet-mouthed and funny. When she was around, both Fang and Ye Qinghan smiled more often than usual, especially the older Fang.

So, for the next few days, she stayed safely in the Liu family.

When it was time for her to study at the Liu family, she still studied hard.

I eat three meals a day with Fang and Ye Qinghan.

Fang came from a farming family and didn't care much about rules; Ye Qinghan had a modern soul and cared even less about rules than Fang; Qin Xue had been unrestrained since childhood and did whatever she wanted.

When three unruly women get together at a table, they have endless things to talk about.

Therefore, each meal of the trio would take more than half an hour. Since the meal took longer, they naturally ate more.

The metabolic functions of the two elderly people were not as good as that of the young Qin Xue. In just a few days, the two elders felt that they had more fat on their waists.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, who usually attach great importance to diet, realized this problem and acted decisively. They immediately shortened their meal time and controlled their mouths. They were no longer willing to chat about all sorts of things and eat without knowing the limit while eating.

But every time they saw Qin Xue eating a lot, they felt uncomfortable.

So, when Qin Xue was about to return to the Qin family, the two elders did not try to keep her and simply let her go home.

In their words, "Go back quickly, go back. If we stay any longer, we two old guys will be starved to death even if we are not too fat to be seen in public."

Qin Xue, who had originally wanted to say that she would come to see them next time, felt embarrassed by their polite farewell and said, "Next time I come, I will try to eat less."

"Go away, little girl, being able to eat is a blessing, so eat less." Compared to girls with no flesh on their bodies, Fang prefers girls with some flesh on their bodies. "Grandmother is old, and the doctor said she can't eat too much, otherwise it will be bad for her health. That's why she has to control the amount of food she eats."

"When I was your age, I wanted to eat all the time." Of course, at that time, our family was not well off, so there was no chance for her to eat all the time. Later, when our family was better off, we could eat whatever we wanted, and that feeling was so happy.

"Your grandmother is right. It's a blessing for a little girl to be able to eat. She doesn't need to go on a diet like us." Ye Qinghan also agreed with Fang's words. "I told you to go back quickly because it's your and Minxing's wedding day in a few days, and it's time to get ready at home."

"After you get married, you can stay at home as long as you want."

Mid-September has passed, and in ten days it will be the wedding day of the two young people. There are many things to do at home.

Young girls are always a little shy when talking about marriage, and Qin Xue is no exception. She blushed and whispered to Ye Qinghan, "Sister Ye, there's no need to explain. I know."

Seeing that this lovely little girl would be taken advantage of by his own piglet in a few days, Ye Qinghan touched her hair lovingly and said, "Go back and try on the wedding dress first to see if there is anything that doesn't fit. You can make some changes during these few days."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Qin Xue said as she boarded her carriage and said goodbye to Fang and Ye Qinghan. "Grandma, Sister Ye, you two can go in."

"Let's go in right away." Ye Qinghan waved to the driver, letting him go. He then put his arm around Fang's arm and turned around to walk back.

Qin Xue returned to the Qin family, and Liu Zhiyan was still there.

Qin Laicai had been taking him out to social events these days, drinking a lot. Even after showering and changing clothes every night, he still smelled of alcohol. Seeing Qin Xue return to the Qin family, he deliberately approached her and asked, "Do you smell anything on me?"

The tall figure suddenly approached, causing Qin Xue to take a step back, and a scent of sandalwood filled her nose.

She didn't know why Liu Zhiyan asked this, but she still responded to him seriously, "Don't you always use sandalwood to fumigate your clothes? Of course it smells like sandalwood."

His father used rosin, and she mainly used fruit scent. When her father prepared the yard for him, he also prepared sandalwood for him so that the clothes he placed there could also be scented with the scent he was used to.

Knowing that she wasn't used to his proximity, Liu Zhiyan didn't move closer to her. "Apart from sandalwood, is there any other smell?"

Qin Xue sniffed and indeed smelled a faint scent of soapberry again, "And the scent of the soapberry you use to shave."

Liu Zhiyan didn't grow a beard and had to shave every day. He used soapberry as a lubricant when shaving.

"Don't you smell alcohol?"

Qin Xue shook her head. "You don't like drinking. How can you smell like alcohol so early in the morning?"

"I've been surrounded by a group of drinking people every day these days. I feel like my whole body is soaked in the smell of alcohol." Liu Zhiyan said with disgust.

Her father loved drinking, and so did the uncles and aunts who were close to him. Qin Xue could only imagine what life Liu Zhiyan had been going through these days. Thinking that he had to bear these responsibilities for her, which shouldn't have been his responsibility, Qin Xue felt bad. "You better stay out of this kind of thing in the future. Dad has a way to make it work."

"Don't worry, I will never force myself to do anything I don't want to do." Reading the apology in her eyes, Liu Zhiyan said so.

He has never been a person who compromises.

This time, I will go to social events with Lao Taishan because I think that since I want to become a part of this family, I still want to meet Lao Taishan and his friends. "When I proposed to be the son-in-law of the Qin family, I was mentally prepared for these things, so you don't have to feel guilty about me."

As her relationship with Liu Zhiyan deepened, Qin Xue was no longer the same person she used to be. She readily said, "You said this, I want to write it down and sign it for you, so you won't have the chance to regret it."

"If you dare to regret it, I will definitely make your whole family restless."

Liu Zhiyan liked her domineering attitude. He indulged her and said, "Okay, as long as you write it, I will sign it."

"Wait a minute, I'll write it down for you to sign."

"Okay." Thinking of what Qin Laicai said during breakfast, Liu Zhiyan was quite reluctant to leave. "I will go back to the Liu family later. Dad said that we can't see each other again until the day we get married. I haven't seen you for so many days. What should I do if I miss you?"

"You're such a smooth talker." Qin Xue glared at him, expressing her doubts about his words. "For the past twenty years, you've been going wherever you want, and I don't see you missing anyone."

"That's because I hadn't met you yet." Liu Zhiyan's words were absolutely true. "Before I met you, anywhere could be my home. After I met you, wherever you are, that's my home."

The girl in front of him was like the switch for his wandering heart.

When I am with her, my wandering heart automatically closes.

When I am separated from her, my wandering heart opens up.

Compared to directly liking her and missing her, Qin Xue felt that Liu Zhiyan's words just now were more pleasing to the ear. "I like what you said."

"But after the new year, Sister Ye will take me on a diplomatic mission, and I may not be able to give you a very stable life." She thought that people who have been wandering for a long time should yearn for stability.

"You are my home, not a place that gives me a home, so as long as you are here, no matter where I am, I will have a sense of belonging." Liu Zhiyan explained.

He once thought that he didn't need a home, but now he knows it's not that he didn't need one, but that there was no one who touched his desire for a home.

Now that this person appeared, he realized that he longed for a home just like everyone else.

Qin Xue once thought that the Qin family would be her lifelong home. At that time, she thought that she would spend her whole life eating and drinking in Yangzhou Prefecture, and that if she could no longer eat and drink, her life would be over.

Unexpectedly, Ye Qinghan and the man in front of her completely shattered her previous self-righteousness.

After meeting Ye Qinghan, she began to change her daily life of eating and drinking, and started to learn foreign languages, read foreign books, and be exposed to the impact of completely different cultures. This opened up her limited horizons and allowed her to explore foreign countries that she had never been to before. She even set the goal of being an envoy to other countries.

Only after meeting Liu Zhiyan did she realize that getting married was much more promising than she had imagined.

"Okay, whatever you think is good." After thinking for a moment, Qin Xue added, "You know, I used to have very simple ideas about life after marriage. Now that we are together, it is completely different from what I imagined. I don't know what to do, so if you have any ideas, remember to tell me."

"I heard that when a couple has a conflict, it's best to resolve it on the same day and not leave it overnight, otherwise a small conflict may turn into a big one."

"Yes, I will." Liu Zhiyan nodded. "You too, if you have any questions, just tell me."

"Okay, it's a deal." After the two agreed, Qin Xue said, "I'll go write it now. After I finish, you sign and seal what's due. I'll sign and seal what's due. Neither of us is allowed to go back on our words."

Qin Xue felt that it was only fair for her to do so.

"Go ahead. I'll pack my things and then have lunch with you. Then I'll go back."

Hearing him say this, Qin Xue did not delay and immediately returned to the backyard. She wrote down Liu Zhiyan's promise and the agreement between the two of them, then took the dried notebook to the outer courtyard for Liu Zhiyan to sign and seal it, and she also signed her own promise in front of him.

After putting away her specially made notebook, the father and daughter had a sumptuous lunch with Liu Zhiyan, and Liu Zhiyan reluctantly said goodbye to the father and daughter.

After seeing Liu Zhiyan off, Qin Laicai asked her to plan the young ladies to be invited on the wedding day, and then write the invitations himself.

So, Qin Xue was busy with this matter for the next few days.

When she was done, the people she had passed the invitations to came to her house one after another to add makeup to her…