28 Chapter Twenty-Eight
His wife…was indeed very different from what he had imagined.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Upon hearing the noise, Liu Qingqing snapped out of her reverie, her eyes lit up, and she immediately got up and went outside, reaching out to open the window.
I thought I would see Xie Lang, but all I saw was a dark night, the moonlit river, and countless stars.
Liu Qingqing's eyes widened in disappointment. Just as she was about to turn around, a rustling sound came from her. Looking down, she saw a snow-white pigeon hop onto the windowsill and coo twice at her.
When she met its round, beady eyes, her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.
The note in the mailbox contained only four words: "No return, do not wait."
Upon seeing the familiar handwriting, knowing that he was reporting that he was safe, Liu Qingqing's restless heart calmed down.
Xie Lang had said there would be carrier pigeons, so she prepared some grains in advance and hurried to get them to feed the pigeons. As soon as she moved, the pigeons took two steps back, and Liu Qingqing dared not move too much, for fear of scaring them away.
She gently placed the grains down, and the white dove tilted its head and stared at her for a moment without moving.
Just then, a cooing sound came from the roof. The white pigeon paused for a moment, then relaxed its guard and lowered its head to eat.
Liu Qingqing looked up and called softly, "Xie Liu?"
Another gurgling sound followed, confirming that it was indeed Xie Liu.
We'll find some time later to have Xie Liu teach her; the pigeon can't stay afraid of her forever.
The white dove ate obediently, and she covered the note to her chest, suddenly feeling that there was hope for the future.
After the grains were finished, the white dove paced back and forth on the windowsill twice without leaving. Belatedly, Liu Qingqing quickly grabbed paper and pen, wrote a note, rolled it up, and slipped it into the mailbox. Sure enough, a reply was received, and the white dove fluttered its wings and flew into the night.
Only when the white doves were no longer visible or audible did Liu Qingqing close the window. She carefully placed the note he had written in her dressing case and then sat in front of her dressing table, lost in thought.
She found that the storybooks and picture books she had read in the past were quite useful.
Since Xie Lang isn't coming back tonight, she'll take a good look at him again.
So Liu Qingqing lit a candle and hid in bed to read it again.
Perhaps due to fatigue from last night, my eyelids grew heavy as I watched, and I drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
The next morning, a cool breeze blew by, and she sneezed, suddenly waking up with a start. Her hand was still gently clutching the book. At first, her heart tightened, and she hurriedly looked around. When she saw that she was the only one in the room, she breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt a little disappointed.
He indeed did not return home that night.
But it's fine, otherwise it would be disgraceful if he saw her peeking at these things.
After washing and dressing in the morning, Liu Qingqing went to pay her respects to her grandmother.
A few days ago, she pretended to be sick to hide her injury from Xie Lang. Now that she is "well" and the two babies have returned to the Wei residence, she naturally has to go and see her grandmother and keep her company so that she won't be lonely.
Unexpectedly, before even stepping into Shian Garden, she heard a baby's pitiful voice begging for mercy, so she hurried inside. Sure enough, it was the two little babies whining to their grandmother for some iced fruit.
Upon seeing Liu Qingqing enter, the old lady greeted her as if she had seen a savior, saying, "Qingqing, you've finally arrived! It's good that you've come. Didn't you just say you wanted to play with your aunt? Now that your aunt is here, come and go out for a stroll with your aunt. I'll give you some money."
This was the first time Liu Qingqing had heard the old lady say so much. Before she could react, she was stuffed with a bulging money bag.
"Hurry up, hurry up, those two little devils arrived yesterday at noon. Without their mother to keep them in check, they're completely out of control and are giving me a headache."
The old lady begged for mercy, "Go and show them around."
And just like that, Liu Qingqing suddenly received a mission.
The two babies behaved perfectly in front of her, walking obediently without being naughty at all, with her holding one in each hand.
He wasn't naughty last time, so why is he acting like this all of a sudden today?
Liu Qingqing then asked, and the two children answered readily.
The older brother said, "Mother told us to keep our great-grandmother occupied."
The younger sister nodded in agreement: "We'll be good."
Recalling her last meeting with Xie Wanyan, Liu Qingqing's ears turned red. She cleared her throat and feigned ignorance, asking, "Where is your father?"
Brother: "Father returned yesterday and personally brought us here."
Liu Qingqing: "..."
She seemed to understand.
The older brother tilted his head in confusion: "Why is Aunt asking about Father?"
This little guy is quite perceptive.
Liu Qingqing quickly changed the subject: "I was thinking of inviting your mother to go shopping at the market together later."
The older brother shook his head: "When Father was at home, Mother couldn't come out."
Liu Qingqing: "..."
I dared not ask any more questions, for fear of hearing something I shouldn't have.
However, he secretly wondered why this commander was so different from the rumored cold and ruthless person; he was actually so...clingy?
The servants in the Marquis's mansion are efficient; this is indeed the style of a grand mansion.
When Liu Qingqing had led the two babies halfway there, a servant came to report that the carriage was ready.
On the way out of the mansion, I passed by the courtyard of Second Master Xie Pan.
Long bamboo stalks stretched over the courtyard wall, their leaves rustling and flapping against each other in the wind.
Liu Qingqing suddenly stopped and gestured to the two babies, "Don't make a sound."
The baby remained quiet and obedient.
After listening intently for a while, Liu Qingqing seemed to be deep in thought.
He strained his ears but heard nothing more, so he glanced at the tightly closed courtyard gate and led them out again.
After walking a few steps, the older brother suddenly asked, "Why did Auntie suddenly stop?"
Liu Qingqing was stumped by the question, her breath hitched, but she could not answer and could only shake her head gently.
She couldn't say it, but she thought she had just heard Aunt Jia's voice.
Aunt Jia is her mother-in-law. On second thought, although Aunt Jia is still relatively young, both Aunt Jia and Xie Wanyan married and had children early. Aunt Jia is only in her late thirties, but she is already their grandmother.
Do you still remember your grandmother?
Upon hearing this, both the brother and sister shook their heads.
Their grandmother passed away before they were old enough to remember things, and their mother never told them about it.
I only occasionally heard my mother and father talk about it.
The older brother obediently held his aunt's hand, but suddenly turned back as they were about to turn the corner.
She took the brother and sister to the market, where they ate snacks and pastries, bought sugar figurines and silk flowers, and even went to see a play. Although it was supposed to be accompanying them, it fulfilled a childhood dream. When she was little, she always envied her father and brothers taking her out to play, wondering what it was like to go out and play.
If she were with other people, she would have to be dignified and elegant, and she wouldn't dare to stare at the sugar figurines. But now, she could take advantage of the two little ones to examine them closely.
At this moment, Liu Qingqing's mood was as good as the floating clouds in the sky. She bought three more candied hawthorns, one for each of them.
"I've actually benefited from your help," he quipped in a low voice.
The brother and sister looked up at her, their voices filled with childish confusion, "Auntie?"
Her younger sister had sugar crumbs all over her face. Liu Qingqing shook her head and took out a handkerchief to wipe her face clean.
As the sun began to set, the city gate was about to close.
The coachman whispered a reminder: "Madam, it's time to return to the manor."
The capital city has been in chaos lately at night.
Liu Qingqing nodded.
As she stepped into the carriage and was about to lower the curtain, she glanced back, feeling as if someone was watching her. But when she turned around, the passersby were hurrying by, and there was no one suspicious.
When they returned to the manor, it was still daylight.
After escorting the brother and sister back to the old lady, Liu Qingqing returned to Jialan Garden. As she entered the courtyard, she looked up and saw the setting sun dyeing half the sky red.
Granny Li greeted her anxiously: "Miss is finally back."
If it weren't for the fact that she didn't trust others to handle the chores in the small kitchen, she would never have allowed her young mistress to go out alone. Although there were servants from the Marquis's mansion accompanying her, it wasn't as good as her not having them.
When Granny Li looked her up and down and saw that her young mistress had returned unharmed, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the wrinkles on her face smoothed out.
She hurriedly reported the good news to Liu Qingqing: "It's good that Miss is back! The kitchen has just been lit, so we can cook dinner ourselves tonight!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Qingqing's eyes lit up, and she couldn't hide her joy.
Granny Li: "What would you like to eat, Miss? This old servant will make it for you!"
Liu Qingqing thought about it seriously for a moment: "I want to eat your noodles. Please make me a bowl of noodles."
Granny Li was taken aback, then quickly raised her voice in agreement, but wiped her eyes as she turned to go around the corner.
That damned little Ying, and that bastard surnamed Liu!
Miss Liu has grown up in the Liu family and has never eaten a steaming hot birthday noodle dish! Every time she goes to the kitchen to get one, what she gets is just cold soup and bloated noodles, which are inedible.
Moreover, Xiao Ying was extremely wicked and always made the kitchen make noodles.
It's like swill, there's no point in eating it!
With that thought, I put a lot of effort into kneading the dough.
They mistook this dough for that adulterous couple, and they wished they would die a horrible death!
Now that they're in charge, Xie Lang can let them go out shopping on their own and have whatever they want to eat!
As I was leaning against the veranda waiting, I heard a series of hurried yet steady footsteps.
Liu Qingqing looked up and saw a figure.
It's Xie Wu.
Liu Qingqing knew that he would not be able to go home today.
However, Xie Wu returned in person to deliver the letter, and in addition to the souvenir, he also brought a box of batteries.
Xie Wu came and went in a hurry, but before leaving, he took a few more glances at Liu Qingqing.
Liu Qingqing found it strange and stopped him to ask, "What are you looking at?"
Xie Wu hurriedly bowed and apologized, then explained, "My lord instructed me to check on your complexion."
Liu Qingqing: "How is the master?"
Xie Wu: "The lord is well, but he is too busy with official duties to get away."
Xie Wu glanced at the pastries and continued, "These pastries were a gift from the Regent today. He remembered that you like them, so he sent me on horseback to deliver them as quickly as possible. He still needs my attention, so I must return now. Does Madam have any instructions?"
Liu Qingqing had no idea what Xie Lang needed while busy with official duties. Xie Wu, with his sharp eyes, noticed and said, "The yamen has everything. Sir, you are doing well. Madam, please rest assured."
Although Xie Wu said that, Liu Qingqing suddenly felt flustered for some reason.
"Wait a moment."
He turned around, went back to his room, took out the old purse that had been lying at the bottom of the trunk, and handed it to Xie Wu.
Xie Wu recognized the purse and, in shock, looked up at her abruptly, not taking it for a moment.
Liu Qingqing handed it forward again: "Send this to the master for his protection."
Xie Wu hesitated, unsure of what to do; accepting the gift was one thing, not accepting it was another.
Liu Qingqing: "Take it. Didn't you say that the master needs your service? Hurry back."
He paused slightly, then said, "Tell the master to take good care of himself. I will wait for him to return at the manor."
Not long after Xie Wu left, the delicious mutton soup noodles were ready.
The mutton soup was savory and translucent, and the noodles were chewy and springy. Even though it was summer, Liu Qingqing finished a whole bowl of noodles in one go and felt completely refreshed.
Sweating profusely, with no one around, Liu Qingqing simply did whatever made her comfortable, showing no trace of her virtuous and gentle demeanor.
A gentle summer evening breeze blew as Liu Qingqing took a handkerchief to wipe her sweat, then rested her chin on her hand and gazed at the night sky.
She thought that Xie Wu should give Xie Lang a portion of the noodles she had just eaten, but then she realized that noodles taste best when they're fresh out of the pot; they won't taste good if they've been soaking for too long.
The noodle soup was slightly salty, and drinking water didn't help. Liu Qingqing opened the exquisite pastry box, picked up a walnut pastry, and put it in her mouth. For some reason, as the walnut pastry melted on her tongue, she thought of her mother.
At this moment, Granny Li finished her work and went to Liu Qingqing's side.
I just shared a lot of noodle soup with Qingju, Zhao Pansheng and a few others in the small kitchen. It was so refreshing and delicious!
Seeing that the young lady's eyes were red and she was staring blankly, she quickly asked, "What's wrong, young lady?"
Liu Qingqing gently shook her head.
She felt her eyes burning.
For some reason, at that moment she suddenly tasted happiness.
Regardless of what happened in the past, let's turn the page on the past.
From this day forward, she wanted to live a good life with Xie Lang.
Since Xie Lang wouldn't be returning tonight, Liu Qingqing naturally turned to studying magic arts again.
Because of Xie Wu's trip, she made no attempt to hide anything and read a storybook by candlelight for half the night. Perhaps it was the nourishment of mutton, or perhaps the author's writing was exceptionally good, but she read until her face turned bright red, and she felt a warm sensation in her lower abdomen.
Even she couldn't bear to watch it anymore, and she covered her face and thrashed about under the covers.
After a while, he emerged again, flipped to the page he had just read, and examined each word with his fingertips.
"It can be like this?"
Liu Qingqing's face flushed red as she murmured softly, "What if someone sees us here by this remote mountain spring..."
I collapsed headfirst, thinking how daring this person was to write.
Others dare to write it, but she doesn't dare to read it!
In a daze, I fell asleep without realizing it.
He was still loosely holding the spine of the book in his hand.
At midnight, the cold moon hung high in the sky.
Qingju, who was guarding the door, shuddered and opened her eyes to see a pitch-black figure in front of her. She almost screamed.
"Don't shout, you'll frighten your young lady."
Qingju trembled, and only when she heard the familiar, deep, magnetic sound like jade striking metal did she focus her gaze and exclaim in surprise, "My lord?"
Xie Lang gestured for her to be quiet, "Take some hot water to the washroom."
The Jialan Garden originally had a washroom, but the washroom in the main house was added later to prevent inconvenience for the bride before the wedding.
Qingju busied herself adding firewood and boiling water, and Zhao Pansheng also joined in the work.
Xie Lang stopped the man: "What did you eat for dinner, Madam?"
Zhao Pansheng lowered his eyes: "Lamb noodles."
Xie Lang: "Is there anything left?"
"There's only some mutton soup left..."
Xie Lang: "Then let's cook some noodles with the mutton soup."
Zhao Pansheng hesitated for a moment, but when Xie Lang's sharp gaze swept over him, he immediately became quick and hurried to the small kitchen.
After Xie Lang had eaten mutton soup noodles and washed away the bloodstains all over his body, he pushed open the door to the main room.
The inner room was filled with his usual scent of moon unicorn.
The red candle has gone out, but the moonlit river remains.
Xie Lang was about to lie down next to her when he realized something was wrong; she was holding... a book?
In the darkness, he couldn't help but smile; he hadn't known that his wife was actually quite studious. It was different from what he had imagined.
I'm tired today, but I'm curious about what masterpiece my wife is reading.
Recalling the words the divine physician had spoken to him during the day, he felt deeply indebted to her and resolved to treat her even better.
He didn't know what was better.
But husband and wife should understand each other.
Thinking of this, he sat down by the bed and turned to the first page by the moonlight.
Suddenly I saw the first line of text.
Xie Lang: ...
He continued reading, his brow furrowing more and more as he looked, until he turned to the page that had just been torn apart.
What is on the shore, where the water ripples and crashes...
What utterly despicable words!
Xie Lang pressed his throbbing brow, put down the book, and absentmindedly flipped through it.
The more he looked, the faster his heart pounded in his chest. He didn't know what he saw, but he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and stare in astonishment.
His wife... was indeed very different from what he had imagined.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound behind her, the fabric moving softly, and a soft moaning voice called out, "Husband?"
Xie Lang froze immediately.
[Author's Note]
Next chapter preview: "If Madam Liu wants to leave, we will naturally set her free."
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