Chapter 40 Licking hands with Li.

Qin Song's disappearance for most of the night is likely to cause concern among many people, and Li Yu has official duties to attend to and must return to the yamen before dawn.

After Qin Song got dressed, the three of them went downstairs together.

The innkeeper was dozing off at the counter when he heard footsteps. He rubbed his eyes and looked over. When he saw Qin Song's face, he strode over.

"So it's Miss Qin? Oh my, I didn't see your face when I came. I didn't expect it to be Miss Qin!"

The boss got excited, but couldn't understand what he was trying to say.

Li Yu subconsciously grabbed Qin Song's arm and pulled her closer to him.

If possible, he didn't want her to be recognized.

Even if he desperately wanted to announce to the world that the two of them were alone in a room and doing intimate things, she was a woman, and even if they were married, such behavior would still be met with great criticism.

He was about to explain that the other party had admitted their mistake, but Qin Song beat him to it.

She nodded and smiled: "I wish you great success in your business. I have to take my leave now."

Qin Song didn't want to waste any time, because she was still wearing Li Yu's undergarment to deal with her period.

She turned to leave, but the shop owner suddenly called out to her, "Please wait a moment, both of you."

As soon as the shopkeeper finished speaking, he quickly turned around and went back to the counter, squatting down to search.

A moment later, he presented a mahogany box with a smile, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Qin. We will remember it forever. These little things are just a small token of our appreciation. Please accept them."

Qin Song and Li Yu exchanged a glance. They wanted to refuse directly, but the boss was too earnest, and they were afraid they would have to go back and forth for a long time.

Not knowing what was inside, Li Yu cautiously raised his hand to open the box.

The metal clasp was pried open, and the lid of the box slowly lifted.

Qin Song opened his eyes wide and peered inside, but as soon as the lid was slightly ajar, Li Yu snapped it shut again.

Qin Song looked bewildered. When he looked up, he saw Li Yu looking embarrassed, her earlobes flushed red and extremely unnatural.

He withdrew his hand, frowning slightly: "What thing—"

"Thank you for your kindness, boss, I'll accept it." Li Yu was about to refuse when Qin Song stopped him, smiling as he took the box.

Li Yu made a loose fist with one hand, covered his mouth with a fake cough, and lowered his eyes to ask quietly, "Do you know what's inside?"

“You’ve already told me.” Qin Song smiled as she looked at Li Yu, then deliberately leaned close to his ear and whispered, “I’m looking forward to it.”

Li Yu's earlobes turned even redder.

Although Yunzhou is located in a remote area, the local customs are open, and sexual relations between men and women are not a taboo matter. Giving each other small gifts is not unusual.

On the way back to the yamen, Qin Song kept holding the small wooden box. To avoid suspicion, Li Yu got out of the car before they reached the yamen.

As dawn broke, Qin Song returned to his room, where Chen Xing was already waiting at the door.

Upon seeing Qin Song, Chen Xing immediately greeted her, "Miss Qin, you're finally back! Are you alright?"

Qin Song handed her the wooden box in his hand: "I'm fine, put this away."

Shen Xing took the box without paying attention to it, and helped Qin Song into the room: "Miss, Lord Qin sent someone to summon you half an incense stick ago, and Miss Tao also came to see you last night. They both seemed to have something urgent to discuss. Sister Chunhe is not here, so I will take care of you to wash and change first."

Chunhe was the maid who took over Yunqian's care for Qin Song. Because she knew some medical knowledge, Qin Song sent her to the clinic.

I knew her father would look for her, but why was A-Yao so anxious to find her?

Shen Xing said, "Miss Tao was in a hurry to go to the Northern Defense Camp, but she didn't say anything specific about what it was about."

In the Northern Defense Camp, Qin Song suddenly remembered Tao Qingyang and Xue Ci. What exactly were they plotting with that northern barbarian?

The frequent mentions of Tao Qingyang are likely related to the Northern Defense Battalion.

After washing up, I went to Qin Daoji's room. The person in the room had dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept all night.

Upon seeing Qin Song, Qin Daoji's expression turned sour: "Were you with Lu Youchuan last night?"

Qin Song paused for a moment as he poured her tea. "Mm."

Thank goodness I didn't know Li Yu.

Qin Daoji seemed to have always turned a blind eye to her behavior, neither being overly critical nor indulging her arbitrarily.

For example, right now, although he has a sullen face, he doesn't intend to lash out at her.

He didn't take the tea she offered, and closed the file he had been reading all night. "Lu Youchuan, don't even think about it. Your mission is not to get married. Master Shen is almost fully recovered, so don't neglect your studies."

Oh, that's alright, she didn't really plan to get married anyway.

As for her mission, Qin Song had a vague understanding of it, but she felt it was a huge gamble, though she was willing to take the risk.

She then massaged Qin Daoji's back and asked, "Father, what do you think of Prefect Xue?"

Qin Daoji calmly uttered eight words in his judgment: "Diligent and conscientious, quite talented."

Well, any normal official could do that.

Qin Song didn't mince words and said directly, "Last night, my daughter stumbled upon Prefect Xue secretly meeting with the northern barbarians in Yunzhou City, and he mentioned General Tao's name several times. I'm afraid their intentions are not good."

Qin Daoji frowned, then strained, "Inside Yunzhou City?"

Qin Song nodded. "There are probably still secrets in this city."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xue Ci's voice came from outside the door, "Lord Qin, the clinic is overcrowded. I need to go and manage the situation. Do you have any further instructions?"

Yunzhou is currently in dire need of manpower. Qin Daoji has injured his leg and has difficulty traveling. As the local official, Xue Ci should take on the task of accompanying Qin Daoji.

Qin Daoji pondered for a moment, then said, "Wait a moment, I will go with you."

As the footsteps outside faded away, Qin Song's heart tightened. "Father, this person is dangerous. I'll go with you."

"He can't make decisions within Yunzhou City yet, but I'll keep an eye on the Northern Defense Camp as well." Qin Daoji, despite his illness, got up. "You should stay here; there are some occasions where it's inconvenient for you to go out."

Qin Daoji forbade Qin Song from approaching the clinic, so she had no choice but to stay obediently.

The disease struck fiercely, and most of the people in the yamen went to the clinic. Qin Daoji and Li Yu were so busy that they barely had time to breathe. It had become the norm for people in the yamen to leave early and return late.

Qin Songyue was already very tired during the letter, and having not slept well for two consecutive nights, she slept in a daze until the afternoon after breakfast.

In the evening, the officials and their staff remained on duty at the clinic. Qin Song read for a while, then drifted off to sleep.

When Qin Songyue woke up the next day, her discomfort had subsided considerably, but she noticed that Li Yu's scent lingered in the room.

"Did your young master come last night?" Qin Song asked Chen Xing, who was fetching water to serve him.

Chen Xing kept her head down, pretending to be busy: "Ah? This servant didn't hear any noise last night."

Chen Xingjiang and Jiang Yue did indeed sleep very well, but their expressions clearly indicated they were lying.

Li Yu is their young master, so they naturally wouldn't gossip about him sneaking into her room.

Qin Song did not press the matter further.

With the year-end approaching, the war in the north remained deadlocked, and the situation in the city was far from optimistic.

Qin Song regained his spirits, but became even more worried.

Beset by internal and external troubles, the people in the city were filled with fear and anxiety. They had no heart for farming or working, and all undertakings were in ruins. Even the firewood for the government offices was becoming increasingly scarce.

Thus, Qin Daoji had an additional task in his purview: to organize the people of Yunzhou to speed up spring plowing.

Farmers naturally didn't want to abandon their small plots of land, but those in the city who originally made a living by running businesses lost their source of income and became refugees waiting for relief food to survive, living day by day.

This situation was not a solution. After discussion among the officials, it was decided to conscript soldiers, which would provide manpower for the border defense battalion.

The people in the government offices were extremely busy.

Qin Song hadn't gone out due to feeling unwell. Three days later, her period was almost over, and she was no longer excessively sleepy.

At night, she could clearly feel someone deliberately breathing softly and carefully covering her stomach.

Warm hands pressed against the lower abdomen, gently massaging.

Two days ago, she seemed to vaguely sense someone by her bedside, but she was drowsy and slept more and more soundly.

Now it's different. The gentle, light pressure caressing his lower abdomen sends shivers down Qin Song's spine.

The familiar scent filled his nostrils. Qin Song wanted to open his eyes, but was afraid of disturbing the other person.

After a moment of silence, Qin Song's hair, which was spread out on the pillow, was stirred, and a soft kiss fell on the strands of hair.

As the other person lowered their head, their fluffy hair brushed against Qin Song's cheek, tickling her so much that her eyelashes trembled.

But she kept her eyes tightly closed, pretending to be fast asleep.

This secret anticipation, like a cat playing with a mouse, as she quietly waited for his move, was irresistible to her.

What will he do next?

Go a step further, kiss her cheek, her forehead?

You should be bolder, kiss her lips, and then...

Qin Song waited patiently, but he stopped what he was doing, silently staring at Qin Song's face, stroking her hair, and just massaging her stomach.

Tsk! You idiot! You didn't even make a move at a time like this.

Qin Song was a little disappointed. She held back her disappointment, pretended to turn over, and pressed down on his hand that was covering her lower abdomen.

She deliberately pulled one hand out from under the covers, pretending to move it, but actually intentionally placing it on his wrist as he stroked her hair, gently pressing down on his hand.

Perhaps because she turned over so suddenly, the person next to the bed was breathing noticeably more rapidly, and the hand that was being pressed down by her trembled slightly, but quickly suppressed all movement, as if afraid of waking her.

Qin Song could clearly feel the hand pressing down on her waist getting hotter and hotter, even burning her.

A slight stirring ran through her heart; surely he wouldn't remain unmoved by the storm now?

Sure enough, the hand that had been frozen on her pillow by the bedside slowly moved. He moved slightly and grasped Qin Song's wrist in return.

Warm fingertips, trembling slightly, caressed her slightly protruding wrist bones.

Another long period of staring followed.

Qin Song was only wearing a nightgown, with half of her arms exposed. A slight night breeze blew, making it a little chilly, and that warm hand was still resting on her wrist.

That's it? Kissing hair and holding hands? Xiao Gu—

Qin Song thought to herself, "What am I complaining about?" A gentle kiss suddenly landed on her palm. Unable to see it, the sudden kiss made her scalp tingle instantly.

Fortunately, she held back and didn't move. The person beside the bed seemed to be observing her reaction, giving her a light kiss, then looking up at her for a long time before finally leaning down to kiss her again.

Her lips traced a path down the back of her hand, from her index finger, down to the edge of her nail. Then, a moist, soft touch enveloped her finger, from the tip to the knuckle, before taking the entire finger into her mouth and then withdrawing...

His hot breath sprayed all over her fingertips, and the envelopment of his throat and tongue brought a shivering sensation that made Qin Song feel weak all over. She couldn't help but want to catch her breath.

He turned his shoulder, stirring up a breeze that made her damp fingertips feel cool, but she didn't feel cold at all; instead, her body felt warm.

The soft tip of my tongue, with its warm, moist touch, sucked and swallowed my index finger, then my middle finger, ring finger, little finger, and thumb...

Sometimes the teeth gently nibble, sometimes the lips and tongue lick, sometimes the tongue pushes...

The slight sound of water splashing and the almost panting breaths made this unseen touch incredibly arousing.

A tingling sensation spread across his entire back. Qin Song couldn't describe the feeling; it was like a torment soaring to the heavens, yet also like a refreshing scratch into his heart.

Compared to all the previous intense pleasures, this extreme itching fascinated her even more, and the psychological satisfaction made her soul tremble.

She couldn't help it, but she didn't want to interrupt him.

As he licked her palm, Qin Song subtly curled her fingers, and her breathing became heavier.

Fortunately, his breathing was already heavy, and his heartbeat seemed to pierce through the roof, thumping against Qin Song's eardrums.

Perhaps he was so flustered that he didn't notice Qin Song's reaction.

It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it also felt like the blink of an eye. He stopped what he was doing, gently withdrew his hand from Qin Song's waist, and carefully wiped Qin Song's wet right hand with his wide sleeve.

Qin Song also slowed down and subconsciously closed his legs.

She thought to herself that she would never call him a pedant again.

Qin Song originally wanted to wake up and comfort him, but she suddenly became greedy and wanted to see what other tricks he could play. She closed her eyes tightly and pretended not to know anything.

She began to look forward to his evening visits.

·

The city is facing a growing shortage of manpower, and more staff are needed in various locations.

Qin Song then took over the task of distributing grain and porridge. This task was not difficult, as it had been going on for several days and was already in good order.

Because he was too busy, Qin Song had not seen Li Yu for two days, until the evening of the third day.

The window was finally pushed open.

The tall figure strode lightly closer, sat quietly beside her bed, and stared at her silently.

Qin Song stopped pretending to be asleep and suddenly opened his eyes: "Why is it you?"

The tall, slender young man in red removed his cold mask, his beautiful peach blossom eyes seeming to see right through her: "Oh? There are others?"

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Author's note: Well, Tao is back, and Li will soon be eaten up.

This chapter was a bit rushed; I'll find time to optimize it later, but the general plot will remain the same.

There will be more to the story regarding the gifts from the boss and the scene where they see Li Yu's body.