Chapter 30: Wouldn't it be warmer if we slept together when we caught a cold? ...
Pei Huaijin's hand was between the table and her face.
She rested her head on his palm, rubbed it contentedly, and soon fell asleep.
Pei Huaijin tried to pull his hand back several times, but every time he moved slightly, she would hold on tighter, burying her little face deeper into his palm.
But how can I sleep when I haven’t finished reading the account book?
He thought so in his heart, but when he saw the wrinkled little face, the words that came out of his mouth turned into: "Wake up, go back to your room and sleep."
The sleeping person could not hear anything, only his shallow breathing responded to him.
He maintained this posture for a long time, so long that his shoulders and arms began to feel sore, and her breathing became long and deep, and she was obviously asleep.
It's fine if you don't want to look at the account book, but you can't always sleep with your head resting on his hand.
Pei Huaijin stood up, walked around the desk to her side, picked her up horizontally, and walked out of the study.
Qing Jian, who was guarding outside the door, was surprised to see him come out: It's not even half an hour, how come he slept like this?
The sleeping person nestled obediently in his arms, allowing him to carry her all the way back to the bedroom. Dan Ruo wanted to follow in to serve her, but she didn't dare to act without the master's order. Seeing that Pei Huaijin didn't say anything, she had to wait at the door.
Pei Huaijin put her on the bed, took off her shoes and footwear, and then went to check the injury on her feet.
The wound is healing well and he should be able to walk again in three to five days.
"Have you changed the medicine today?" he asked Danruo at the door.
"Replying to my lord, not yet."
"Come in and change her dressing."
Only then did Dan Ruo dare to come in.
Pei Huaijin didn't stay in the bedroom for long as he still had some unfinished business in the study. When he returned to the study, he saw the account book on the desk that had barely been flipped through since it was opened. He turned around and instructed Qing Jian, "Tomorrow, keep an eye on her and make sure she finishes both books."
Qing Jian curled his lips and said, "My dear, I don't think the young lady can finish reading it."
It was also true that this was her first time reading accounts, so it would probably be difficult for her to get into it at first: "It's okay to finish one book."
Qing Jian still shook his head: "Let alone a book, I'm afraid I can't finish reading even one page."
Pei Huaijin frowned slightly: "How do you say it?"
Qing Jian stared at Shen Youran's account book for the entire afternoon. According to his observation, although she had flipped through half of the book, he was sure that the young lady had not read a single word.
"When the young lady looked at the account book, her eyes were fixed..."
"What's the meaning?"
"She was in a daze as soon as she looked at the account book..." She was in a daze for a while, turned the page, was in a daze again, turned the page again, and so on and so forth. It turned out that the account book was for him to see.
"Got it." Pei Huaijin closed the account book on the table.
It seems that it is not possible to let her study on her own. We should hire a female teacher for her as soon as possible.
*
Three days later, the teacher Pei Huaijin had invited for Pei Huaian arrived at the mansion first. The teacher was strict and stern, and his lectures were very boring. Pei Huaian was so angry that he ran away three times in two days, and was caught each time by Shen Yunshu who was waiting for him.
On his fourth attempt to escape, he finally ran out of his yard.
The injury on his foot had almost healed, and he ran faster than that day in the mountains and forests. He was about to run out of the mansion, but the servant at the door had already received Shen Yunshu's instructions. When he saw him running, he rushed up and stopped him.
However, although the servants dared to stop him, they did not dare to hurt him.
Amidst the shoving and pushing, he still managed to leave the house.
But at this moment, a carriage slowly stopped at the gate of Pei Mansion.
At that time, Shen Yunshu also led people to chase him out, walked up to him and called out: "Qilang, come back with me."
"No, I can't read even a single word of those books..." Seeing that he was about to be caught and taken back to study again, Pei Huaian struggled hard and finally shook off the servant who was holding him around the waist.
At the same time, Shen Yunshu was inevitably affected.
She was tripped by a fallen servant, lost her balance, and stumbled backwards...
Just when she thought she was inevitably going to fall, a big hand came across, supported her lower back, and helped her stand steady.
She turned her head and looked, and met a pair of deep black eyes.
"Are you okay?" The other party withdrew his hand at the right time.
"It's okay, thank you for your help." Shen Yunshu stepped back a few steps and bowed slightly to the other party. Pei Huaian had already run away with his sleeves waving.
Shen Yunshu watched Pei Huaian run out of the alley without looking back, looking somewhat helpless.
The man who had just helped her looked about the same age as Pei Huaijin, and was wearing a green official robe, so he should be an official of the eighth rank or above.
Originally thought that the other party just happened to pass by Pei Mansion, but unexpectedly, he was standing next to the carriage. When the curtain was lifted, he helped down a lady wearing a madder blue dress and with a beautiful face.
The lady's every move revealed elegance and composure. After getting off the car, she smiled gently at her and raised her hand to adjust her hair: "Seventh Young Master's Madam, your hairpin is crooked."
The other party actually knew her?
But Shen Yunshu was sure that she had never seen this lady.
"Excuse me, Madam, you are..."
"My surname is Xiao. I'm here at your mansion to teach the eldest young lady, entrusted by Mr. Pei..."
I heard from my third sister before that Pei Huaijin wanted to hire a female teacher for her.
It turned out to be the lady in front of me.
The other person's surname was Xiao. Shen Yunshu had indeed heard that there was an aunt Xiao in the capital who was extremely virtuous. She was literate, good at poetry and embroidery, and had worked as a female official in the palace. After her fiancé died young, she tied her hair into a bun and never remarried.
Unexpectedly, Pei Huaijin could invite her to be the female teacher of his third sister.
When Shen Yunshu was feeling delighted, she heard her introduce the man next to her, who was the one who had just helped her.
"He is my nephew Xiao Ci, currently on duty at the Dali Temple. He dropped me off today..."
Xiao Ci?
Dali Temple Si Zhixiao Ci?
Pei Huaijin entrusted him with the case of Lu Yi's bride kidnapping.
Several days have passed now. I wonder how the case is progressing?
"Xiao Sizhi is young and promising. I've heard my eldest brother mention you..." Shen Yunshu wanted to ask about the bride kidnapping case, but since it was their first meeting, asking directly would be a bit rude, so she had to hold back.
Xiao Ci nodded slightly at him and said, "I'm in a hurry to get to the government office, so please trouble Madam Seventh Young Master to take my aunt in."
"Xiao Sizhi, you're too polite." Shen Yunshu raised her hand and led Madam Xiao into the mansion. "Aunt Xiao, please come in."
"Seventh Young Master's Madam, please..."
Yunzhiyuan.
Shen Youran sat listlessly in the hall, without a smile on his face.
Last night, Pei Huaijin informed her in advance that the female teacher he had invited for her would come to the mansion today, and asked her to get up early and dress up as a sign of respect.
She was so worried about this that she couldn't sleep well all night.
I heard that he hired a very strict teacher for Pei Huaian, so it is foreseeable that the female teacher he hired for himself would definitely not be a kind person.
I didn't even have an appetite for breakfast this morning. I ate a few bites and went back to my room to dress up.
Qinghe, who had been injured while protecting her on the wedding day, has now recovered and returned to serve her. The two maids put in their best efforts to dress her up beautifully.
Shen Youran yawned slowly, staring blankly outside the hall, his eyelids drooping lazily, and just as he was about to close...
"She's here, the female teacher is here." Qinghe, who was guarding the gate, ran over to deliver the message.
Dan Ruo hurriedly helped the drowsy person up: "Young Madam, cheer up."
To show respect for her teacher, Shen Youran wanted to go to the gate of Pei's house to welcome her in person. However, when she arrived at the courtyard, she saw her sister coming in with a dignified and elegant lady.
I haven't seen my sister for two days. Pei Huaian is locked up in Ciyouyuan to study, and my sister has to accompany him and has no time to come to Yunzhiyuan.
"Sister!" When she first saw her sister, she was naturally filled with joy.
But her elder sister gave her a subtle wink: "You Ran, this is the female teacher that big brother hired for you, Aunt Xiao."
Shen Youran bowed to the other party and said, "Youran greets Auntie."
"Madam, there's no need to be so polite," Aunt Xiao raised her arm slightly, her posture calm and dignified, and every move was pleasing to the eye. "Thank you, Master Pei, for your kindness. From now on, I will be your nurse."
The other person's tone was gentle, making people feel like spring breeze, which was very different from the harsh and stern teacher Shen Youran had imagined. However, with just a few words, people felt convinced.
"Yes, aunt, I will study hard with you in the future." Although she didn't know whether she could learn well, at least her attitude was sincere, serious and willing.
"The eldest young mistress is naturally beautiful, with jade-like bones and icy skin. She doesn't suit heavy makeup," Aunt Xiao observed her makeup. "Today, let's start with the beauty of women. When you visit your parents in the morning, you should wear plain clothes to show filial piety and be dignified to show respect. Powder should not cover your skin, black rouge should not be too dazzling, and rouge should not overflow your lips. Come on, let's go inside. I'll teach you how to do your makeup again..."
Learn makeup?
No girl could refuse such a thing, so Shen Youran happily agreed: "Okay."
Seeing that her sister and Aunt Xiao were getting along happily, Shen Yunshu felt relieved. After saying goodbye to them, she returned to Ciyouyuan to clean up the mess left behind by Pei Huaian after his escape.
An hour later, Aunt Xiao finished her lesson.
When they first met, she didn't teach anything too difficult. She only taught her the makeup and clothing matching that would save her time in the morning and evening. Shen Youran was still eager to learn more, and after personally sending her out, she came back so happy that she ate half an extra bowl of rice at noon.
She didn't expect that Pei Huaijin would hire such a gentle and kind beautiful aunt to be her nanny. Every time she taught her something, she would praise her first. She was more patient than her elder sister. During this hour, Shen Youran was like a little donkey being stroked by someone, and she was learning very happily.
She studied women's appearance for three consecutive days, and then women's virtues for another three days. Although she did not agree with most of the things about the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, she still studied obediently because Aunt Xiao was beautiful and had a good temper. Even the "Instructions for Women", which she had not been able to memorize before, she memorized it fluently after a little guidance from Aunt Xiao.
Up to this point, everything was going smoothly until Aunt Xiao brought the account book and wanted to teach her how to do the accounting. She immediately became overwhelmed.
"Aunt, do I have to learn this?" She had learned those things about women's virtues, but she had seen this account book before, and it was really complicated, so she really couldn't learn it.
"You'll be in charge of household affairs and managing the family business in the future, and you'll have to look at this." Aunt Xiao saw that she was timid and started to praise her. "You've been learning from me for the past few days, and I can see that you're very smart. This account isn't difficult. I'll give you a little guidance and you'll understand it. Don't be afraid, we'll learn slowly. Today we'll start by learning how to check the land rent accounts..."
Shen Youran's frizzy hair was smoothed down by her, and she held her face and nodded obediently, and began to learn from her seriously.
A maidservant in the yard listened under the window for a while, then quietly left Yunzhi Courtyard while no one was paying attention and went to the courtyard of the second house.
When the Second Madam learned that Pei Huaijin had invited Aunt Xiao to be Shen Youran's nanny, she began to wonder: This Aunt Xiao is quite famous for her virtue in the capital, and even the aristocratic families find it difficult to invite her to teach. I wonder what method Pei Huaijin used to invite her to the mansion?
At first, she had hoped that Shen Youran would be lazy and disobedient, and wouldn't study hard with her. However, the people she had arranged at Yunzhiyuan sent news for several days in a row, saying that Shen Youran had changed her previous laziness and was studying quite seriously with Aunt Xiao. Aunt Xiao also praised her in every way...
This made the second wife even more restless.
If the eldest daughter-in-law of the first house can learn even a little bit of Aunt Xiao's skills, the old lady will hand over the household affairs of the mansion to her.
Although the Second Lady knew that she would have to give up the power of managing the household sooner or later, she hoped that day would come later and later.
Upon learning that Shen Youran had already started learning to read the account books, the Second Madam lost her patience and called her trusted maid, stuffed a packet of cold medicine into her hand, and told her to arrange for someone to secretly sprinkle some into the breakfast sent to Ciyouyuan.
That cold medicine is not poisonous. Men with strong yang will not have any harm from taking it, but women with weak yang will feel uncomfortable after taking it.
The Second Madam didn't want to go too far, she just wanted to delay her for a few days, so that she wouldn't leave so quickly...
As for Shen Youran, it was still a bit difficult for her to learn to count at first, and she was inevitably a little frustrated. Fortunately, Aunt Xiao kept encouraging and praising her, so she gritted her teeth and continued to learn.
The next morning, after breakfast, Pei Huaijin went out as usual. Shen Youran also perked up and waited for Aunt Xiao to come and give her lessons.
The content learned today was the same as yesterday. Aunt Xiao first reviewed what she had taught her yesterday. When she was about to teach her something new, Shen Youran suddenly felt some discomfort in her lower abdomen and had to interrupt Aunt Xiao's teaching: "Aunt, my stomach feels a little uncomfortable. I want to change clothes..."
"Go ahead."
Shen Youran bowed and left.
She felt a dull pain in her lower abdomen, which she thought was due to urgency, but it didn't get much better after going to the toilet. Not long after she came back and sat down, her lower abdomen started to hurt again.
After going back and forth like this for a few times, the class was not going well. Aunt Xiao put away the account book and said to her, "Did you eat something bad? There will be no class today. You should have a good rest. If you still feel uncomfortable, ask someone to call a doctor to see you..."
Aunt Xiao is not only teaching her, there are also two other noble ladies waiting for her to visit, so it would be inappropriate for her to waste time here.
Shen Youran stroked her swollen and painful lower abdomen, feeling strange in her heart: she had not eaten anything after breakfast today, and her period would not come for another five or six days, so she shouldn't have a stomachache at this time?
However, she really couldn't continue with the class today. Shen Youran sent Aunt Xiao away with an apologetic look on her face, and asked Dan Ruo to make a pot of hot tea. After drinking it, the abdominal pain still did not ease.
"Young Madam, why don't we ask a doctor to take a look?" Dan Ruo said worriedly.
"Let's wait and see, maybe it will be fine after a while."
Sure enough, after noon, the abdominal pain gradually eased, and by the evening the pain was completely gone.
Shen Youran didn't take this matter to heart.
Unexpectedly, the same thing happened the next day. She felt inexplicable pain in her abdomen again, and the pain was even more severe than yesterday, which made it impossible for her to concentrate on the class. Aunt Xiao had to end the class early again and asked someone to invite a doctor to examine her.
After examining her, the doctor said that she was fine, but had just caught a slight cold. He told her to wear more clothes in the morning and evening and not to eat cold food, without even prescribing any medicine for her.
Aunt Xiao's eyes changed when she looked at her.
"I'm glad you're not seriously injured. Why don't you stop the class for now? When you've recovered, send someone to the Xiao family to inform me..." This means she won't come from tomorrow. If she can't attend classes for two consecutive days, she can't make a wasted trip every day.
Although her tone was as gentle as ever, Shen Youran could tell that Aunt Xiao was angry.
"Aunt, I really feel uncomfortable. Maybe my period is coming soon." She really wasn't pretending, nor did she mean to fake abdominal pain to avoid class. The abdominal pain came inexplicably, and the doctor said it was nothing serious. She was puzzled.
"It's okay, you should take good care of yourself first..." Aunt Xiao didn't stay long and left.
Shen Youran stroked her belly, her face full of distress: It was rare that she really wanted to learn something from Aunt Xiao this time, but now Aunt Xiao refused to teach her. When Pei Huaijin knew about this, he would definitely come to blame her...
Pei Huaijin returned when dusk fell.
At that time, Shen Youran's stomach no longer felt uncomfortable. She believed that she did not deliberately anger Aunt Xiao and left. Therefore, when Pei Huaijin asked her why she did not attend class today, she felt aggrieved: "I wanted to study hard, but I really have a stomachache..."
The look in Pei Huaijin's eyes when he looked at her was very similar to the look Aunt Xiao had given her during the day. He clearly didn't believe her words. "Does it still hurt? If it still hurts, I'll ask someone to ask a doctor to take a look at you..."
"I asked a doctor to see me during the day, and he said I just caught a cold..."
"Maybe the doctor is not good at treating this disease. Let's ask another one to take a look..." Then he asked Danruo to go out and ask another doctor to take a look.
However, another doctor came and was unable to diagnose any problem. He only speculated that she might have caught a cold or eaten something unclean, and told her to be more careful in her daily life.
After sending the doctor away, Pei Huaijin sat in front of her and asked her, "Do you have anything to say?"
Shen Youran had so much to suffer and so much injustice that she couldn't speak out. She could only stubbornly defend herself, "I'm not lying. I really had a stomachache during the day. If you don't believe me, forget it..."
Although Pei Huaijin suspected that she was lying, he had no evidence and didn't want to embarrass her. He just said, "Early tomorrow morning, I will go to the Xiao Mansion in person to apologize to Aunt Xiao..."
"Then I'll go with you."
"No need. If you have stomachache again tomorrow..."
"oh."
"Even though Aunt Xiao won't be here these two days, you shouldn't slack off and can study on your own."
Shen Youran muttered, "I can't even learn it even with someone teaching me, and you're asking me to learn it on my own..."
Pei Huaijin did not tell her that he would take a day off tomorrow. He planned to apologize to Aunt Xiao and then secretly return to the mansion to see what caused her stomachache.
At night, Shen Youran brought a thick quilt from the cabinet and asked Danruo to prepare a few hot water bottles for her.
"What's this for?" Pei Huaijin looked at the extra quilt on the bed, and she stuffed the hot water bottle under the quilt.
"Didn't the doctor say that my abdominal pain might be caused by catching a cold?" Shen Youran said while busying herself, "Maybe it's because we're sharing a blanket. I'll try covering myself with one tonight..."
Pei Huaijin stared at the extra quilt: "Wouldn't it be warmer if we slept together?"
"Can that be warmer than a hot water bottle?"
"Yes," he said seriously, "You can just hold me while I sleep."
No way!
Sharing a blanket with him was still acceptable, but sleeping in each other's arms...
Thinking about how he held her in his arms and pressed her under him for most of the night, which caused her back to ache the next day, she didn't want to sleep with him in her arms.
Shen Youran pursed her lips, tidied the quilt, and crawled in. She twisted left and right, wrapping herself tightly like a fat silkworm pupa.
Pei Huaijin did not force it. As usual, he left a small lamp on by the bed and turned off the rest. After the curtains were drawn, the view in front of him became dim.
He was not sleepy yet. He rested his head on his hands and thought about how he should apologize to Aunt Xiao on her behalf when he went to the Xiao Mansion early tomorrow morning. If he could meet Xiao Ci, he would ask him about the progress of the bride kidnapping case and whether it was really related to Lu Yi.
Thinking of the bride kidnapping incident, he couldn't help but think of the wedding day. He was supposed to go to pick up the bride in person, but an oral order was sent to the palace.
Your Majesty was anxious to see him because, during his final three months as Lingzhou's deputy governor, someone in Lingzhou impersonated the former crown prince's orphan and stirred up unrest among the people. The case was easy to investigate, but because it involved the former crown prince, the governor hesitated to make a decision, forcing him to report it secretly to Your Majesty. Your Majesty then dispatched two eunuchs to Lingzhou to identify the person, but both confirmed it was not the crown prince. The impersonator, perhaps out of fear, committed suicide in prison.
His Majesty summoned him to the palace that day and asked him what he had seen the man who pretended to be the former crown prince's orphan and what he looked like.
He reported truthfully, saying that the man bore no resemblance to His Majesty, and that he had already confessed that he was a forger, having been instructed to cause trouble...
After hearing this, His Majesty was silent for a long time before muttering, "If this is truly the orphan of the former Crown Prince, then he must be my grandson..."
He replied respectfully and firmly: "Your Majesty, that person is indeed not."
His Majesty then waved his hand and asked him to go away.
If he had not been delayed by entering the palace, he would have been able to go to pick up the bride as usual. Even if the bride was kidnapped, he might have discovered earlier that the bride had made a mistake.
The more I think, the clearer my mind becomes, while the person next to me is sleeping soundly and quietly.
I heard that heartless people fall asleep quickly...
Pei Huaijin couldn't help but smile. He turned to look at her and saw that she couldn't stand the heat anymore. She pulled her hands out from under the quilt and raised them above her head...
If he counted correctly at that time, she should have stuffed seven hot water bottles into the quilt.
There was an incense burner burning in the room, so it wasn't cold. In addition, the quilt she brought was very thick, and she was so hot that her nose was covered with sweat.
It was not enough to just expose her arms. After a moment, she kicked the quilt away, and most of her body was exposed.
This is not a good idea. Sudden changes in temperature will easily make you sick.
Pei Huaijin kindly pulled the quilt over her and covered her.
After a few breaths, she kicked the quilt away again. She turned over and lay on her side, and was hit by several hot water bottles. She groaned and rolled towards him again.
Pei Huaijin didn't think much about it and subconsciously lifted his quilt.
The sweet and soft young lady rolled into his arms.
The little hands were groping around on his chest, and she seemed to be very satisfied with his "big hot water bottle" with the right temperature. She rested her head on his shoulder, and her arms and legs were across his body, and finally stopped moving.
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