Chapter 9: Self-love
Before sunset, smoke from cooking fires gradually rises.
Xie Qiao stood at the end of Chunliu Lane, with the pomegranate tree that was over a hundred years old next to him.
There were some leaves on the trees that had not yet fallen, but now they are covered by the snow.
He had been staying in Chunliu Lane for two months, and this was the first time he took a close look at the lane.
Compared to the wide streets in Kyoto, this alley is a bit narrow and even larger carriages cannot pass through.
If it weren't for chance, he would never have come here in his life and would not have been able to stay here for a long time.
It is even more impossible to develop any extra feelings for this place.
Now he stood at the end of the alley, looking at the girl approaching from afar.
The girl grew up in the alley.
From babbling to toddling, she finally grew into her current slender and graceful figure like jade.
Her shadow can be seen everywhere in this alley.
The setting sun was warm, and a corner of Xie Qiao's heart suddenly softened.
The corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily, and his usually cold eyes were filled with tenderness.
I feel relaxed and happy.
He couldn't remember the last time he felt this way.
...If he hadn't seen the man following him, this emotion would have lasted for a long time.
Xie Qiao's gaze moved from the girl to the man behind her.
The man followed Song Jin, keeping a distance of half a step behind him. He was saying something to Song Jin in a gentle voice.
Song Jin also responded politely, but she tilted her head so she couldn't see the man's eyes.
Xie Qiao saw it clearly.
The love and desire for possession in that person's eyes was a bit too much.
Xie Qiao curled his lips coldly, locking onto that person's perfect smile.
The setting sun stretched the two people apart.
They even overlap occasionally.
It's really dazzling.
Song Jin's stall was not far from Chunliu Lane and it didn't take long to walk there. She led the way, wondering whether she should politely invite the customer to come in and sit down.
But my husband is at home, and he doesn’t seem to like outsiders. Will he be unhappy?
But he never leaves the house, so he shouldn't mind, right?
As she was thinking, Lu Chen, who had been following behind Song Jin, suddenly said, "Ah Jin, I've been out doing business recently. How have you been doing? In addition to destroying your stall, has Master Fan done anything else that's excessive?"
In fact, he wanted to ask her where her husband was now, and why there was still no sign of him when Song Jin's stall broke down?
"I'm fine. Master Fan just came back two days ago. He doesn't have time to bother me."
After turning a corner, Song Jin took Lu Chen into Chunliu Lane.
"That's good."
Lu Chen knew that Mr. Fan had just returned two days ago, and he was worried about whether other people had bullied her.
Lu Chen thought for a moment and said, "I told you before that you should come to my restaurant to make cakes. Think about it again. It's winter now. You might get cold if you set up a stall outside. If you come to my restaurant, I will definitely give you more monthly wages than if you set up a stall."
Lu Chen had proposed this a few months ago, but Song Jin rejected it.
I don’t know if Song Jin will agree after this incident.
Song Jin was walking in front, and as expected, she simply said, "No need, I still have to take care of my husband, it's better to set up a stall to have more freedom! If Shopkeeper Lu is worried that I don't make enough money, just order more cakes and I will research more new things for Shopkeeper Lu!"
Lu Chen didn't force it: "Okay."
We have walked more than half of the short Chunliu Lane.
Song Jin also decided to invite Manager Lu to come in and have a seat.
Shopkeeper Lu helped her a lot today, so she had to take out the tea that had been hidden in the kitchen for a long time to serve the guests.
That's polite.
After making the decision, Song Jin raised his head and said to Lu Chen: "Manager Lu, my house is just ahead, wait till you get there..."
Song Jin said this, his eyes looking forward as he spoke.
Then he paused for a moment.
Her words and eyes paused.
He even blinked his eyes in disbelief.
Who was that person standing at her door, looking into the alley? !
Looks so familiar.
Could it be her husband? !
The moment the girl looked up, Xie Qiao retracted his gaze and turned to Song Jin.
Eyes met.
He could clearly see the dimples on the girl's cheeks.
Not just now.
Xie Qiao looked at the surprise and joy in the girl's eyes when she saw him. It was obvious that she didn't expect him to be at the door.
He didn't even know that he was waiting for her.
Lu Chen naturally saw Xie Qiao as well.
The moment he saw Xie Qiao's face, he was stunned, and then his gentle expression turned serious.
He didn't expect that the person who married Song Jin would be like this.
Lu Chen is a little older, twenty years old this year, which is the age for marriage. The girl he likes is Song Jin.
He originally wanted to meet Song Jin's brother to propose marriage, but he didn't expect that Song Jin got married in just one night!
During this period, Mr. Song Jin has been living in seclusion and no one has seen his appearance, and the same goes for Lu Chen.
Lu Chen thought that Xie Qiao was just a scholar from Kyoto. But with just one glance, Lu Chen knew that the person in front of him was not an ordinary person.
What kind of marriage did the Song family arrange for Song Jin in Kyoto?
Xie Qiao caught a glimpse of the man's slightly changed expression from the corner of his eye.
He looked indifferent: That's all.
Song Jin had no idea about the confrontation between Xie Qiao and Lu Chen.
She was just surprised: Why did my husband come out?
No, no, no, you are not waiting for her, are you?
Thinking of this, the dimples on Song Jin's lips deepened and his pace unconsciously quickened.
The half way to go was quickly completed.
She stood in front of Xie Qiao and raised her head slightly: "Husband, why did you come out?"
Her voice rose slightly and she seemed to be in a very good mood.
Xie Qiao did not answer Song Jin's question, but moved his eyes slightly: "Who is this?"
Song Jin explained briskly: "This is Shopkeeper Lu Chenlu, who has helped me a lot over the years."
"That's it." Xie Qiao nodded to Lu Chen: "Thank you very much."
Lu Chen's complexion had returned to normal. He raised his hand slightly and said, "It's just a piece of cake."
Song Jin continued to say to Xie Qiao: "I need to go into the house to get some things for Shopkeeper Lu, so..."
Song Jin now felt that the situation was a little tricky.
She originally thought that Xie Qiao would not come out of the house, but she did not expect that not only was he not in the house today, but he was also standing at the door.
If I invite Lu Chen in, will Xie Qiao be unhappy?
Song Jin looked at Lu Chen quietly.
Lu Chen was wearing a royal blue brocade robe. The fabric and tailoring were both of the finest quality and it looked very expensive.
In contrast, Xie Qiao was only wearing that old cotton-padded jacket that fitted him well.
But even so, her husband did not feel awkward at all, and was even still calm. His aura was even more powerful than Lu Chen's by three points.
...Her husband must look very handsome in the brocade robe!
Song Jin clenched his fist and decided to buy Xie Qiao a nice set of clothes.
Gotta buy it!
She has to buy it even if it empties her wallet!
"In that case, please ask Shopkeeper Lu to come in and wait for a while," Xie Qiao said, and he stepped aside to let Lu Chen out. "The room is simple, Shopkeeper Lu, please don't mind."
Lu Chen refused: "I'll just wait for Ah Jin here."
Ah Jin?
Xie Qiao frowned slightly.
"Okay, I'm quick. Please wait a moment, Manager Lu!" Song Jin said, and ran into the house holding up her skirt. After a while, she came back with a purse.
She ran fast and was a little out of breath.
He held the money bag in his hand, and with great gratitude, he said to Lu Chen: "Thank you very much for your help today, Shopkeeper Lu. This is the wages and materials for repairing the shop today. Please accept it, Shopkeeper Lu!"
"Ajin, you..." Lu Chen didn't expect Song Jin to come back to get money for him. If he knew this, he might as well not come back with her.
But even if he didn't come back with her, she would definitely find other ways to give him the money.
Lu Chen was helpless and hesitated to reach out to take it.
Xie Qiao stood aside and saw the stalemate between the two.
His expression was slightly restrained——
Lu Chen is a person who is too self-indulgent.
A hand with distinct joints suddenly appeared between the two people.
Xie Qiao took the purse and passed it to Song Jin.
With an attitude that won't tolerate rejection.
Lu Chen's gentleness froze on his face.
The person in front of him always makes him feel depressed.
He has been in business for so many years and has met many people, but he has never met anyone like Xie Qiao.
"Thank you." Lu Chen and Xie Qiao looked at each other and took the purse.
He tried to remain gentle as he looked at Song Jin: "Ajin, I'm leaving first."
Seeing Lu Chen take the purse, Song Jin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She originally thought that she would have to pull it off for a while longer today.
She smiled brightly: "Yes, yes, I won't delay Manager Lu from his work. I can take care of the rest myself!"
Lu Chen nodded, turned around and left in silence.
Song Jin and Xie Qiao stood together, looking at Lu Chen's back. Suddenly, Xie Qiao asked, "Are you going out again?"
"Yeah!" Song Jin said, and then she warned: "My husband, you are not feeling well, don't stand at the door and get into the house quickly."
Only after seeing Xie Qiao nod did Song Jin walk out with peace of mind.
But Xie Qiao stood at the door, looking at the girl's back, and was reluctant to go back.
Yesterday there was Mr. Fan, today there is Lu Chen.
He suddenly remembered that there were some noble families in the capital who kept their daughters in their homes.
Now it seems that maybe it’s not that the people in the mansion are pedantic, but that there are too many people who are concerned about him.
Song Jin moved quickly. There were a lot of miscellaneous items on the stall, and she cleaned up until very late in order to open the stall tomorrow.
She walked alone in Chunliu Lane, looking toward the door expectantly.
Xie Qiao did not wait for her at the door this time, but there was a flickering candlelight in the room.
Song Jin opened the door and saw the candlelight through the window, which made him feel warm inside.
Not only did her husband come out to pick her up, he also left the light on for her.
Woohoo, she is so happy.
After eating something and washing up in the kitchen, Song Jin changed into his pajamas and opened the door of the room.
She originally thought that her husband should be sitting at the table, but she didn't expect that he was wearing a middle-aged shirt, holding a book in his hand, and sitting leisurely beside the bed.
There was a sound of door being pushed open, and Xie Qiao looked up.
The tip of the nose of the girl at the door was a little red from the cold. She was wearing a pink and white nightgown with the jacket she was wearing today over it.
She stood in the doorway, blinking.
"You're back? Have you finished cleaning up the stall?" Xie Qiao asked calmly.
Song Jin was a little dazed when he first entered the door!
After all, seeing a handsome man waiting for you by the bed is quite a shock.
She had only thought about it in her dreams before.
Unexpectedly, she actually waited for it to come true!
happy!
She felt that she was really lucky today. Before she could report to the police, the Fan family collapsed.
When she got home, she saw her husband waiting for her by the bed, and he even left the light on for her!
Song Jin secretly clenched his fists to control himself.
Don't be too reckless!
I can't be too obvious about it. My husband is a serious man. It would be terrible if I scared him away!
In order to control herself, Song Jin did not rush directly to the bed, but sat on the chair with dignity.
But her happiness was still caught by Xie Qiao.
Xie Qiao put down the book and asked: "Are you happy today?"
Song Jin's voice was small but cheerful: "Yeah."
Xie Qiao's face remained expressionless, just like usual, but if you looked closely, you could see that his eyes changed slightly.
His voice became a little colder: "Is it because of Lu Chen?"
Although the room was warm with a stove burning, Song Jin could still sense a cool breeze.
"Ah?" Song Jin didn't quite understand. Why did it involve Shopkeeper Lu?
She explained obediently: "It's not because of Shopkeeper Lu, but because a wicked family got their comeuppance today, so I'm happy."
"Yes. If you are not busy tomorrow, come with me to the street." Xie Qiao's expression became normal. He leisurely turned a page of the book and said casually, "Winter is coming soon. Buying some things can save a lot of trouble."
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