Chapter 33: Xiao Yunqi will certainly not pursue a woman

Xue Zhiying subconsciously asked, "Why did you pick me up?"

"Do you want to walk back by yourself?"

"But, cousin, can't you arrange a carriage for me?"

Xiao Yunqi gradually frowned, and after a moment of silence, he said uncertainly, "You don't want me to come pick you up."

It is clearly doubtful, but it is a statement.

Xue Zhiying also frowned. "My cousin is very busy with official duties, so he doesn't need to come all the way to pick me up. If something unexpected happens and he can't spare time, I'll be causing him more trouble."

“…”

She kept saying it several times in a row. How could Xiao Yunqi not know that she was talking about the last time?

His expression darkened slightly as he spoke calmly, "Not this time. There are no other carriages available today. I'll come pick you up at 9:00 PM."

Hearing his tone, Xue Zhiying knew that the matter had been decided and there was no turning back.

However, it made no difference to Xue Zhiying whether she returned home with Xiao Yunqi or took another carriage.

As long as Xiao Yunqi really does what he says, he won't let her wait in vain this time.

Xue Zhiying responded, "Okay, then I'll wait for my cousin at the embroidery workshop."

As soon as he finished speaking, the carriage stopped and arrived at the embroidery workshop.

Xiao Yunqi still looked expressionless, nodded slightly, and let her get out of the car.

Xue Zhiying reached for her bag, paused, and suddenly asked, "Cousin, do you still stand by what you said before leaving this morning?"

Xiao Yunqi looked at her.

Before he could speak, she quickly reminded him, "Ask me if there's anything I want."

After that atmosphere, Xiao Yunqi had long forgotten about it.

Hearing her mention it again, he raised his eyebrows subtly.

"what would you like?"

Xiao Yunqi did not deny it at all. If they were in the quiet atmosphere of the house this morning, he might not be able to stand her mentioning it.

If she wanted a status, he would nod if he looked into her eyes.

But he could feel that what Xue Zhiying was about to say had nothing to do with that.

Who would say such a thing in this atmosphere?

The hem of her dress was caught and tugged slightly. This was always the prelude to her acting coquettish.

Then, Xue Zhiying whispered, "Can you give me fifty taels of silver?"

“…”

Xiao Yunqi's carriage drove away.

Xue Zhiying held the bundle and hid her purse, and watched him leave with a clear conscience.

Until the carriage disappeared around the corner.

Xue Zhiying raised the corner of her lips, turned around without hesitation and walked towards the embroidery workshop.

Yunniang saw the Xiao family's carriage from a distance, and guessed that after so many days, it must be the poor little child who was living in the Xiao family.

She watched Xue Zhiying get off the carriage, and then watched her stand blankly at the intersection to see her off.

Looking back, she looked at her bright smiling face with interest.

"It's rare to see you smile so brightly. Who brought you here today?"

Xue Zhiying's smile widened when she saw Yunniang waiting for her in front of the embroidery workshop.

But whether it was the original smile or the smile now, it had nothing to do with who sent her here today.

She suppressed her smile, but still raised the corners of her lips slightly: "Don't make fun of me, Yunniang. I always come to the embroidery workshop happily. I am from the Xiao Mansion, and I was sent here on my way out."

The second half of the sentence sounded perfunctory, as if it was about an unimportant person.

Yunniang didn't ask any more questions and reached out to take the bag for her: "Come in and talk."

"Thank you, Yunniang. I can do it myself."

Yunniang did not insist and led Xue Zhiying to the private room upstairs.

It was not until Xue Zhiying opened the bundle in the private room that Yunniang couldn't help showing a look of surprise.

"Have you done so many embroidery pieces in just this month?"

Xue Zhiying nodded as she took out the pieces from her bag one by one. "Well, I don't have much else to do at home on weekdays, so I just settled down to embroider. I've accumulated so many without realizing it."

When she gradually got a familiar touch of bright red, her fingers paused and her expression showed a bit of discomfort.

The scene of Xiao Yunqi holding this small piece of clothing in his palm just now also appeared in his mind.

At that time, my mind was blank and I couldn't understand the deep meaning in his eyes. Now when I think about it, I seem to see the dark turmoil in those eyes.

"Zhiying?"

"Oh, oh, Yunniang, what did you just say?"

Yunniang lowered her head to look into her bag and saw the little dress.

Although small clothes are worn close to the body, it is not surprising to see such items in an embroidery workshop that specializes in embroidery.

The clothes worn by the noble ladies in the capital were all designed by embroiderers and carefully embroidered.

Xue Zhiying had never sold her embroidered clothes to the embroidery workshop before. A wealthy family would not want a piece of underwear that had been touched by a lowly person of unknown origin.

This time, she also practiced embroidery by herself, and after she finished embroidering it, she gave it to Yunniang for guidance.

Yunniang laughed at her: "Why are you so shy? Take it out and let me see it."

Xue Zhiying blushed slightly, but she couldn't say it, not because she was embarrassed to show it to Yunniang.

She took out the small clothes and continued to pick up other embroidery items.

Yunniang took the small garment and examined the embroidery carefully, then repeated what she had just said: "I said, the lady was very satisfied with your last order and has placed several new orders with you. If you're willing, I'll take this over to you."

Xue Zhiying's eyes lit up: "Really!"

Yunniang nodded. "You brought quite a few embroidery pieces this time, and the materials are good. I told you before that I wanted you to familiarize yourself with the dignitaries in the capital by taking custom orders. You can use these embroidery pieces as samples to show to customers. If a customer likes your embroidery, they might ask you to order it. Then, with more orders in the future, you won't have to worry about your income."

After hearing this, Xue Zhiying was not as happy as before.

After a moment's silence, she said, "Yunniang, I still want to exchange all the embroidery this time for silver. As for your suggestion of trying to find other customers, I think I... may not be able to take on this responsibility."

Upon hearing this, Yunniang raised her head from a pile of embroidery.

She looked at her quietly for a long time before saying, "Zhiying, is there anything I can help you with?"

Xue Zhiying was stunned, her eyes trembling.

A deep and complex look appeared in Yunniang's eyes, as if she was drifting to her distant past.

Neither of them spoke for a while, and some things didn't need to be said too clearly.

Xue Zhiying felt a little sad, but also filled with the tenderness that Yunniang brought her.

She lowered her eyes to calm her emotions, her heart filled with longing for the life she would eventually have.

She could not accept Yunniang's suggestion to use expensive embroidery for display and risk the uncertain possibility of having a chance to be noticed by the distinguished guest.

She didn't have that much time. She had already planned to leave, leave the Xiao family, and naturally leave the capital.

What she needs most right now is to save some money as soon as possible.

The only time Xue Zhiying traveled a long distance was when she came from her hometown to the capital. She was still young at that time, and was escorted by her family and accompanied by people sent by the Xiao family.

She had never traveled far alone, so it was difficult for her to estimate how much money she would need to survive on her own.

It was a natural thing to say that more was better, but she couldn't hesitate any longer.

There was less than six months left until her eighteenth birthday, and she planned to leave before then.

She still had a lot of things to prepare before leaving, most of which required money, so she could only find a way to make money as quickly as possible.

In the future, she will have the skills to rely on, and she should not starve to death wherever she goes. Only by taking the step of leaving first can she have many possibilities in the future.

Xue Zhiying took out a purse from her waist, which contained the small change in silver and copper coins she had saved, as well as the sixty taels of silver she had asked from Xiao Yunqi.

"Yunniang, I want to buy another batch of fabric from you."

…

at the same time.

On the path leading out of Dali Temple, the scorching summer sun was blocked outside the road by the shade of the trees, leaving only faint light and shadows that cast hazy shadows on the ground through the gaps between the treetops.

Xiao Yunqi stood straight and walked steadily, with several followers following behind him.

Suddenly, the sound of quickening footsteps came from the other side of the path.

Mu Yan took a half step forward and whispered to Xiao Yunqi, "Master, it's Prince Xie."

Today, the two of them worked together in the Dali Temple, but Xie Heng was handling another case and finished it later than Xiao Yunqi, so he was able to leave just now.

Judging from his pace and direction, he was chasing Xiao Yunqi.

Xiao Yunqi stopped and waited for a while.

Xie Heng quickly caught up: "Wen Yu."

Xiao Yunqi nodded, and the two walked side by side.

"I heard that the case of Prince Lin'an has involved a lot of people. You have to go to Mozhou."

"Well, not only Mozhou, perhaps we should investigate the surrounding areas as well."

Xie Heng nodded: "Okay."

He reached out to the attendant behind him and took out a neatly folded piece of paper. He handed it to Xiao Yunqi and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you to do a small favor for me."

Xiao Yunqi paused, his expression calm, but his eyes showed the seriousness of discussing official business.

Xie Heng seemed to have not expected that he would stop to look at a piece of paper. He staggered slightly, and as soon as he met his gaze, he realized something.

He opened his mouth to explain, but Xiao Yunqi had already unfolded the paper.

Looking closely, I saw a design for a bracelet on the paper.

Xiao Yunqi raised his eyes.

Xie Heng then explained, "There's a famous craftsman in Mozhou with superb craftsmanship. Since you're going to Mozhou this time, I'd like to ask you to find him to make a bracelet for me."

"What do you want a woman's bracelet for?"

"Of course it's a gift." Xie Heng raised his lips and smiled, then corrected himself, "It should be said that it's a pursuit."

Xiao Yunqi frowned slightly, then looked down at the drawing, his lips tightened without saying a word.

Xie Heng continued, "I told you last time that I fell in love with that girl at first sight, and now I'm pursuing her. I heard that she had a pair of earrings made by this famous craftsman a few years ago, and she was very impressed by his skills. I think it would be a good idea to please her. With your help, I can bring a gift to her when you return."

Xie Heng's words made Xiao Yunqi frown even tighter.

His expression looked a little strange, but more of confusion.

After a while, he lowered his head to look at the blueprint again, then raised his eyes and said, "Pursuing someone is like giving them a gift?"

"Of course." Xie Heng said as a matter of course, "Especially when giving it to a woman. It's not a festival, a birthday, or any special occasion. I just want to put my heart into the gift, give it to her, and see her happy and like it. That means I've won her heart. This is pursuing someone."

After saying this, he saw that Xiao Yunqi still had that ambiguous expression on his face, so he smiled and said, "Your expression really embarrasses me, but you don't pursue women, and you've never given anyone gifts. I don't blame you for not understanding."

Of course Xiao Yunqi would not pursue a woman.

But it's not that he hasn't given gifts before.

He suddenly remembered the day in the carriage when the girl opened the wooden box containing the medicine bottle and asked in a low voice with joy in her eyes if it was a gift.

Seeing that it was not a gift, she was slightly disappointed, and he noticed this. So when she went out this time, she happened to see a white jade bottle of ointment that had once made her eyes shine. Because the bottle Xiao Mingyuan sent her had a strong and unpleasant smell, he threw it away. This time, she bought a bottle with a light scent and brought it back to the Xiao Mansion.

It just happened, just happened casually.

He didn't even consider it a gift.

But when Xie Heng said this, it strangely coincided with the intention that had arisen in his mind at that time.

It's not a festival, a birthday, or any special occasion. I just thought that when she receives it, she might be so proud that she will wag her tail and smile.

Is this considered pursuit?

Is this considered pleasing?

Xiao Yunqi sneered, casually handed the paper to Mu Yan, and said sarcastically: "You should think carefully about what it means to pursue a woman."

Xie Heng didn't care about the advice of Xiao Yunqi, who was cold and indifferent when it came to matters between men and women.

He smiled warmly and said perfunctorily, "Of course there's more to it than that. You don't have to worry about the rest. I'll just ask for this one thing. Thank you in advance."

*

Xue Zhiying trusted Yunniang and did not hide the fact that he wanted to leave from her.

Of course, this cannot be concealed at all.

After all, she bought the fabric from Yunniang and negotiated the selling price of the embroidery. From her attitude that she needed money more urgently than before, one could guess something.

After Xue Zhiying told Yunniang about her plan, Yunniang gave her a small gift.

"Yunniang, what is this?"

Yunniang raised her chin and said, "Open it and you'll know."

Xue Zhiying slowly opened the brown paper in her hand.

It turned out to be a map.

Yunniang took a half step forward and pointed her finger at the map: "This is the capital."

"Last time you said you were going to Huining Temple, which is in this direction."

"Go further. I remember you mentioned your hometown. It should be... here."

Yunniang casually pointed to the cities marked on the map, and wrote down all the place names that Xue Zhiying had heard of and had never heard of.

"Yunniang..."

Yunniang arched her eyebrows and said, "I think you might be able to use it."

Of course it is useful.

Xue Zhiying looked at the winding road recorded on the map in her hand.

With this map, she will know how many turns she needs to take and how many mountains she needs to climb before she can reach where she really wants to go.

This map looks quite old.

Xue Zhiying had an unfounded guess that perhaps Yunniang had also used it.

But she didn't ask any more questions, put away the map and gently hugged Yunniang.

After finishing all the work in the embroidery workshop, it was almost the hour of Si.

Only then did Xue Zhiying slow down from her busy schedule and began to worry that Xiao Yunqi would break his promise again.

But before she could worry too much, she just stood in front of the embroidery workshop and saw a familiar carriage coming from afar.

Instead, she was stunned for a moment, and then stood quietly waiting.

The carriage arrived in front of the embroidery workshop. Mu Yan, who was sitting in the front, jumped out of the carriage and bowed to her, "Cousin."

There was no movement in the carriage, not even the curtain was lifted.

But seeing Mu Yan's expression, she knew that this time he was not the only one who came back to pick her up. Everything went as usual without any accidents.

Xue Zhiying also nodded at him: "Thank you for your trouble."

Xue Zhiying stepped onto the carriage and drew aside the curtain, and indeed she saw the man with extraordinary bearing sitting in the middle.

Xiao Yunqi's eyes were waiting there. As soon as she appeared, his eyes fell directly on her face.

Then he moved down and saw the pair of beautiful lips slightly parted, and called him softly, "Cousin."

Looking around, she walked in with empty hands, hunched over.

Without the bag from the morning, she naturally sat next to Xiao Yunqi.

Her knees were pressed against him, and the hem of her clothes was touching his.

The unique fragrance belonging to her rushed into Xiao Yunqi's nose, making him think of the so-called gift again.

He never hated the smell of Xue Zhiying. On the contrary, he should admit that he liked it. Later, he even became addicted to the feeling of smelling that fragrance.

Just like now.

His arm moved slightly, falling behind her, and as the carriage swayed slightly, he pulled her towards him.

Her fragrance grew stronger in front of him, audible even through her breath, but he still took a deep breath.

Because of this, when he opened Xiao Mingyuan's brocade box with a strong smell, the thought of the pungent smell covering up the smell on her body made him so annoyed that he immediately withdrew the idea of ​​giving the ointment to her to dispose of herself.

Later, he chose a perfume in the same jade bottle but with a lighter scent for her.

So much so that now he couldn't be sure whether she had used the bottle of ointment.

"Cousin, what are you looking at?"

Xiao Yunqi came back to his senses from his thoughts and shifted his gaze slightly to her side: "See where your little clothes are."

Xue Zhiying paused for breath and almost choked.

She regretted taking the initiative to talk to him, and her voice faded away: "That is not my little dress, I just embroidered it."

Xiao Yunqi looked displeased: "You sold it to someone else?"

As he finished speaking, he felt the body in his arms become stiff.

He held her waist with one hand and squeezed it gently, and her body softened again. Xue Zhiying had no choice but to continue answering him: "I didn't sell it, I just left it with Yunniang."

"What's the point of leaving the small clothes I touched with the boss?"

Xue Zhiying blushed when she heard this.

"Because I want Yunniang to teach me embroidery. I'll bring it back later."

"when?"

Xue Zhiying: “…”

I don't know where Xiao Yunqi got the leisure time today. He asked and answered questions, and even continued what she had just said.

After all, he rarely spoke in the carriage before, and the silence would last the entire journey after he said a few words.

"Just...next time when my cousin takes me out of the house."

Actually not.

Because Xue Zhiying bought a lot of fabrics at the embroidery workshop today, she couldn't bring them to Xiao Yunqi, nor could she take them back to the Xiao Mansion.

So, she actually brought the embroidery that she wanted to ask Yunniang for advice on needlework, along with the batch of fabrics, which Yunniang later delivered to the Xiao Mansion for her.

However, she had to do this in secret, and when Xiao Yunqi returned from this long journey, he would definitely have forgotten about it, so she just said it casually to get by.

But after she finished speaking, Xiao Yunqi nodded seriously, as if he really remembered to bring her to pick up this little dress.

Xue Zhiying turned her head guiltily and looked out the window.

The sudden warmth against the back of her neck made her shrink for a moment, and then he held her neck from the front.

Xue Zhiying was stunned for a moment before she realized that Xiao Yunqi was sniffing something next to her neck.

The action was casual and there was no hint of flirting.

Is there some strange smell on her?

Xue Zhiying suddenly felt uncomfortable and nervous again, her ears turned red, and she subconsciously wanted to lower her head and smell it herself first.

But there was a large hand on her neck, not squeezing her too hard, but preventing her from lowering her head at all.

Soon, the man moved closer and closer, his thin lips brushing against her skin.

There is temperature, but the touch is almost imperceptible.

Xue Zhiying felt a strong itch and instinctively wanted to hide.

But he was controlled by the big one again.

"Cousin...it's itchy."

She had to speak, and her voice became gentle.

Xiao Yunqi paused for a moment.

He raised his eyes and looked at her from the side and back, only to see her trembling eyelashes and the alluring red spreading around her ears.

His eyes dimmed slightly, and he looked at her twice more, but did not withdraw his hand or move away.

He lowered his head again, and this time his lips kissed the back of her neck, making it unclear whether he was still smelling something or kissing her.

A word suddenly popped up in Xue Zhiying's mind.

It's really inappropriate to describe this man like this.

But the way he's moving now... really is like a dog.

The dog let her go.

No, Xiao Yunqi let her go.

Xue Zhiying's chest rose and fell with uneven breathing, and she looked back at him with rippling eyes.

Xiao Yunqi asked, "Have you opened the brocade box I gave you last time?"

The sudden question took Xue Zhiying a while to react.

Then she thought about the brocade box he asked about, and couldn't believe that he had just wanted to smell the scent of the ointment.

Maybe he didn't smell it, so he finally asked.

“…”

This left me speechless for a moment.

Then Xue Zhiying answered him: "Yes, I opened it."

She took the initiative to ask: "That's a gift from my cousin, right?"

Hearing the word "gift", the man's eyes darkened even more.

He evaded the question and asked again, "Did you use it?"

Xue Zhiying nodded: "Yes, I use it every night."

She raised her hand and rolled up her sleeves. "The back of my neck is exposed in the daytime, so I probably can't smell it by now. The one on my arm..."

Xue Zhiying suddenly stopped talking.

Last night she stayed in Yingfengyuan and slept with Xiao Yunqi.

Of course, I didn't use the ointment. Even if it was on my arms after bathing, it would definitely be...

She was just about to stop.

Xiao Yunqi suddenly raised his hand and held her wrist.

He was clearly able to guess the reason why she stopped talking just now.

But he lowered his head again, put his nose close to it, and made a sniffing sound blatantly.

In the enclosed space of the carriage, the heavy breathing sound evoked an inexplicably ambiguous atmosphere.

Xue Zhiying felt a sudden heat on her back and wanted to retract her arm, but she knew that he might not let go.

She simply moved her fingertips, bent her wrist, and placed her fingers on the back of his hand.

With a slight scratch, she met the man's dark gaze as he looked up at her.

It has a certain ambiguous aggression, which is as tangible as a substance and makes people shrink back.

Xue Zhiying turned her body and shrank into his arms.

"Thank you for the gift, cousin. I like it very much... well."

Xiao Yunqi loosened her wrist and pinched her face again.

"Xue Zhiying."

She was always kneaded by him like this. She couldn't say whether she hated it or liked it, but it had become a habit.

She let him pinch her obediently and responded to him: "Yeah."

There was no further response after the response.

Kneading turns into caressing.

The man's rough fingertips stroked her cheek lightly and gently, almost gently.

After a while, just when Xue Zhiying thought he would stop talking.

Xiao Yunqi suddenly spoke again: "Last time I couldn't take you out of Beijing to Huining Temple, do you want to go somewhere else?"

"Where...?"

He took her chin and lifted her head to face him.

"I'm leaving Beijing tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?"

“…”

There was a moment of silence that Xiao Yunqi had not expected.

He gradually frowned and glanced at the girl's upturned face in front of him.

I watched her go from bewildered to stunned.

Then, refuse: "Can I not think about it?"