Chapter 34. So quiet.

Lou Xueying glanced around quietly and saw that Li's mother was sitting in front of them, staring intently at the stage, having completely forgotten about the two of them. Meanwhile, Cui Cui and several servants were leaning against the wall, taking the opportunity to rest and watch the play.

As for Cai Ling, she wisely sat down to the side and ate her snacks with her back to them.

No one was watching them.

Lou Xueying picked up a cherry from the fruit plate and offered it to Li Pan's lips.

Li Pan glanced at her, didn't open his mouth, but his eyes clearly said, "He's being overly solicitous for no reason."

Lou Xueying glared at him, withdrew her hand, and put the cherry in her mouth.

Li Pan smiled, picked up a cherry, and offered it to her lips.

Lou Xueying looked at him, and he raised an eyebrow, leaned close to her ear, and whispered amidst the sounds of playing instruments and singing, "Didn't you say I'd serve you today?"

Lou Xueying was surprised that he still remembered this matter, and couldn't help but chuckle.

So Li Pan fed her cherries one by one, and before long he had finished a small plate of them.

He got up and walked out. Lou Xueying didn't know what he was going to do, so she followed him.

Li Pan opened the door to the private room, looked around, and seeing that no one was in the corridor, said, "I'll go downstairs and get the waiter another dish."

Lou Xueying quickly stopped him: "That's enough! We still need to eat later!"

"Alright, forget it then." Li Pan wasn't interested in watching the play; he just wanted to talk to Lou Xueying. He hadn't said much in the private room earlier for fear of disturbing others, but now that they were out, he decided to talk as much as he wanted.

He closed the door, leaned against the wall, and smiled at Lou Xueying, "Do you know what I was thinking just now?"

Lou Xueying could tell from his expression that he was definitely not thinking anything good, so she said, "No."

Li Pan continued speaking to himself, "I've always been puzzled by what 'cherry lips' means. How can a person's mouth be as small as a cherry? That's too exaggerated. Is that even human? Today I suddenly realized that it probably doesn't mean the mouth is small, but rather that the mouth is beautiful and the color is like a cherry."

Lou Xueying: "..."

She felt like she was being praised, but also like she was being teased. But if it was teasing, it was done in a rather cheesy way, leaving her speechless and at a loss for words.

Seeing her silence, Li Pan clicked his tongue and said, "Why don't you react at all? It's rare for me to come up with such a refined way of saying it."

Lou Xueying: "...Is it very elegant?"

Li Pan retorted confidently, "I even used a metaphor, isn't that impolite?"

Lou Xueying said with difficulty, "Why don't you just say it directly next time?"

This wasn't the first time Li Pan had praised her, but he always said it very bluntly, using words like "good-looking" and "pretty." Because his words were too simple and he spoke too naturally, as if he just said whatever came to mind, it often made her, who was used to being praised, feel a little embarrassed.

But his stunt today made her feel like she was being pestered by a greasy, ignorant street urchin who pretended to be profound.

"Boring," Li Pan said sullenly.

Lou Xueying smiled: "Although the praise is rather ordinary, I still thank you for the compliment, Lord Marquis."

Li Pan snorted softly, reached out and ruffled her hair, and that was the end of it.

The two whispered to each other in the corridor for a long time when suddenly the music on the stage stopped; a scene from the play had ended. They went back into the private room, and Li's mother, still savoring the performance, turned to Lou Xueying and smiled, "That play was good, very enjoyable."

Lou Xueying: "Mother, did you understand?"

"More or less," said Li's mother. "Is it about a county magistrate investigating a wrongful case and redressing the grievances of the people?"

Lou Xueying: "That's right, Mother is so smart. She was able to understand Peking Opera on her first try."

Li's mother scratched her head: "Sigh, I only half-listened and half-guessed."

It was getting late, so Lou Xueying decided to find a restaurant to have dinner.

Li's mother said, "Whatever you do, don't go to those places that are too expensive!"

It wasn't that she was afraid of spending money, but rather that expensive things might lead to running into Li Pan's colleagues. Given Li Pan's current appearance, it would be too ridiculous if they recognized him. Besides, she wasn't prepared to face those high-ranking officials directly.

Lou Xueying said softly, "Hmm, no, let's go to a restaurant that the common people often go to."

She wasn't lying; she did indeed take them to a reasonably priced restaurant. The restaurant was mostly full, so the three of them found a corner table and sat down, while Cai Ling and the others sat at the table next to them.

Although Li's mother had walked quite a distance today, she had eaten something at the theater earlier and wasn't very hungry. Therefore, she had time to examine the dishes on the table and asked curiously, "Are these all local dishes from the capital?"

Lou Xueying replied, "There are all kinds of people in the capital, so restaurants also combine the strengths of many schools and cook all kinds of dishes. Mother can try everything, and we can have the chefs in our household cook whichever dish you like."

Li's mother was so happy that her eyes crinkled into wrinkles: "Susu is so much better, she lets me try everything. That brat Shitou, he's out there eating and drinking well, but he never thinks of taking me out to try anything new!"

Li Pan, who was engrossed in his meal, looked up speechlessly: "Why are you blaming me again? Didn't you refuse to go out, saying that the food at your residence was quite delicious?"

Li's mother: "Anyway, I don't think you're up to the task. If you had brought me to a place like this earlier, I wouldn't have been afraid to come!"

Li Pan pursed his lips, too lazy to say anything more, and ordered the waiter to bring a pot of wine.

Lou Xueying: "Does the Marquis want to drink more?"

Li Pan: "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll have a little." He picked up the wine pot, poured some into his mother's cup, and said, "Here, have a taste too, so you won't blame me for not letting you try it."

He looked at Lou Xueying: "Would you like some too?"

Lou Xueying shook her head: "I don't need it."

Li Pan poured himself a drink, took a sip, and continued to enjoy his meal.

Li's mother took a sip of wine and commented, "Hmm, it's a bit lighter and sweeter than the wine back home. Ours is spicier."

Lou Xueying asked curiously, "Did Mother drink alcohol in the Northwest?"

“Back then, my family was poor, and it was cold in winter. We couldn’t afford thick blankets, so we would buy some liquor to drink,” said Li’s mother. “It was cheap and plentiful. One sip would warm my heart for a long time, and I wouldn’t feel so cold when I went to work in the fields.”

"Why keep bringing this up?" Li Pan said while eating. "That was all a long time ago. Don't you even think about your daughter-in-law's background? Talking about these things just makes her feel embarrassed."

"Oh dear, I didn't mean that!" Li's mother exclaimed. "I just answered whatever Susu asked. I didn't think so much about it. Susu, please don't overthink it."

Lou Xueying smiled and said, "It's alright, Mother, please speak freely. I had only read about the hardships of the people in books before, but hearing it from your own ears gives me a different understanding. Mother should talk more about these things so that we can know the difficulties of the people in the Northwest and understand how fortunate it is that the Marquis has won a victory and given the people a peaceful life."

Li's mother clicked her tongue in amazement: "Susu really knows how to talk! She's gone around in circles and ended up talking about Shitou again! Shitou, you should learn from Susu. If you had Susu's eloquence, you wouldn't be unable to make friends in the capital!"

Li Pan took a sip of wine: "I won't learn. She just told me to keep my speech simple today."

Li's mother: "...Why would Susu suddenly say these things? It must be because you've been talking nonsense again."

"I was just joking with the Marquis, Mother, don't take it to heart," Lou Xueying said hurriedly. "Eat your food quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Li's mother then glared at her son and picked up her chopsticks to eat.

By the time we finished eating, it was almost dark.

As the group emerged from the restaurant, the lanterns on the eaves shone with a warm yellow light, swaying gently in the evening breeze and casting long shadows at each person's feet.

There was a curfew at night, and the streets were not as noisy as during the day. Most of the shops along the street had closed, with only a few large shops still lit up, but customers inside were gradually coming out.

Some pedestrians hurried past, all in a rush to get home.

Only Lou Xueying and her group strolled leisurely towards the place where they had gotten off the bus during the day.

Li's mother hadn't walked this far in a long time, and she was a little tired, so she was being helped by Cui Cui as she walked ahead.

Lou Xueying and Li Pan followed behind. Lou Xueying deliberately took a half-step ahead of him and stepped on his shadow. Li Pan saw this but did not compete with her. He simply increased his pace without making a sound.

Lou Xueying's legs weren't as long as his, so she had to quicken her pace to keep up with him, until she was slightly out of breath.

Seeing this, Li Pan smiled and stopped walking.

The group finally boarded the carriage and returned to the Marquis's residence without any problems.

Although Li's mother was tired, she was still very happy. She held Lou Xueying's hand at the gate of the courtyard and talked to her for a long time before reluctantly going back into the house.

Li Pan and Lou Xueying also returned to their own rooms.

After a busy day, Lou Xueying was a little tired. After taking a bath, she tidied up and prepared to go to sleep.

No sooner had she finished combing her hair and sat on the bed than she saw Li Pan come out of the bathroom.

Lou Xueying was taken aback: "What's wrong? Did you forget something?"

Li Pan sat down next to her, still steaming hot: "I'm done washing."

Lou Xueying was taken aback: "You're done washing?!"

"What? Don't you believe me?" Li Pan rolled up his sleeves to show her the remaining water stains on his arm. "Do you think I'm like you, able to wash a few ounces of meat in half an hour? This is actually my speed. I deliberately slowed down the other day so as not to scare you."

Lou Xueying was horrified: "Did you wash yourself properly? You don't mean just pouring water over your head and calling that washing yourself, do you?"

Li Pan: "Of course I washed it clean. Would I dare sit on your bed if I didn't wash it clean?" He even breathed on her with a smug look and said proudly, "I rinsed my teeth too."

Lou Xueying took a deep breath.

He was already in such a hurry this morning, and he's even more so at night. I really don't know how long he'll keep going tonight.

"Then, then..." Lou Xueying sighed resignedly, "Then go slowly."

"Shushu." With her permission, Li Pan immediately smiled and kissed her, pressing her down onto the brocade.

Tonight, Li Pan suddenly became very talkative, often rubbing and kissing her while praising her as "beautiful," "sounding," and "smelling good." That was bad enough, but he also used a lot of other inappropriate and explicit words, making Lou Xueying blush all over. She kept hitting him, saying, "Stop talking!"

Li Pan: "You told me to just say it directly."

Lou Xueying retorted angrily, "If I say it again, you're not allowed to touch me anymore!"

"Then I won't say anything more." Li Pan readily agreed and shut up, but the noise he made only grew louder.

He indeed kept her up for most of the night. In the end, she didn't remember when it ended. She only remembered that she was in a daze when he wiped her body and then hugged her.

He whispered in her ear, "How was my service?"

She had no idea what he was talking about, and in her half-awake state, she unconsciously hummed in response.

Li Pan smiled and released her, saying, "Go to sleep."