Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Wife
Jiang Hexue didn't know what Shen Qingchen was stubborn about.
Although this seven-colored thread is ingeniously woven, it must be crudely made compared to the accessories next to the two people.
But she didn't bother to argue, so she nodded in agreement, took one, and fastened it around her wrist. Seeing that he was still twisting the other, she urged him, "Put it on! It's worth a hundred copper coins."
Shen Qingchen circled it a few times, then put down the seven-colored thread and looked at her with lowered eyelashes.
"You don't know how to wear it? That's fine." Jiang Hexue couldn't help laughing.
"Now that I've bought it, it would be a pity not to wear it." Shen Qingchen handed the seven-colored thread to her.
"I want to wear two myself? No." Jiang Hexue pretended not to understand what he meant.
Shen Qingchen was silent for a moment, then followed her wishes and said bluntly, "Can you help me?"
Jiang Hexue then smiled and took the seven-colored thread from his hand and lifted his sleeve.
His wrists were bare, without any accessories.
She wrapped the seven-colored thread around his wrist, then turned it to the inside of his wrist and tied it carefully.
His body temperature was higher than hers. On the inside of his cold white wrist, the blue veins were obvious, like patterns inlaid in white jade, warm and moist.
The simple seven-colored thread looks even more out of place on such a beautiful wrist.
"I'll give you a New Year's gift when we get back home," Jiang Hexue said.
His eyes seemed to light up, moist and clear, and he replied obediently, "Okay."
"Zhaohua," Jiang Hexue couldn't help but stand on tiptoe to touch the top of his head. "You're so cute."
His hair also felt great, smooth and flowing in his palm.
Shen Qingchen just grabbed her hand and held it tightly.
"Royal uncle grandfather, royal uncle grandmother!" Suddenly, Yunli's crisp and sweet voice sounded.
"Ling Zhao?!" Jiang Hexue saw that there was no one behind her and immediately leaned over to hold her hand. "Where are your parents?"
"We got separated." Yun Li held her sleeve pitifully.
"We'll take you to find it." Jiang Hexue was about to give the order, but she pulled her finger. "No need. Can Lingzhao follow the Imperial Uncle and the Imperial Aunt? We'll just walk around for a while and then go back home."
"Stop making trouble." Shen Qingchen scolded.
Jiang Hexue understood and shook her head in amusement: "It's fine as long as they agree."
Yun Li proudly made a face at Shen Qingchen and said, "I want a hug from my Imperial Uncle Grandmother!"
She was five or six years old, and it was difficult for Jiang Hexue to hold her. Before she could refuse, she saw Shen Qingchen embrace her with one arm and hold her in his arms.
"Don't tire her out." He said to Yunli.
Yun Li smiled and tried to remove Chen Qingchen's mask: "The emperor's uncle is wearing a bunny, how childish!"
"Hush," Jiang Hexue warned her. "Your great-uncle and I wear masks to avoid being alone. If Lingzhao behaves like this, it will be boring to greet him every three steps."
Yun Li nodded: "Then how should Ling Zhao call you?"
"Call me sister." Jiang Hexue teased her. "I'm only thirteen years older than you."
"What about my great-uncle?" Yun Li asked, blinking. "Brother-in-law?"
"Uncle." Jiang Hexue smiled slyly. "He's fifteen or sixteen years older than you."
"But you are husband and wife." Yun Li was puzzled.
"That's fine." Jiang Hexue waved her hand nonchalantly. "That's what makes it fun."
“Call me brother-in-law.” Shen Qingchen didn’t think it was funny.
Yun Li looked at Jiang Hexue, then at Shen Qingchen, and always felt that he had no say: "Uncle."
"Go by yourself." Shen Qingchen put her down.
"Brother-in-law!" Yun Li decisively betrayed Jiang Hexue. "Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, brother-in-law! Brother-in-law and sister are made for each other, a love that is as deep as a pair of peacocks, a match made in heaven..."
She spoke a long string of words like a little fish blowing bubbles, and her mouth was dry. She wiped the corner of her mouth and looked at Shen Qingchen eagerly: "Brother-in-law, hold me."
Only then did Shen Qingchen stretch out his arms and pick her up again: "You should work harder."
Yunli's face drooped all of a sudden.
"He's boring." Jiang Hexue rubbed her hair soothingly and muttered to Shen Qingchen. "Old-fashioned, let's go."
-
Yunli was clamoring for malt sugar.
I happened to meet an old man who made sugar paintings, so I asked for one.
"What style would you like to order, young lady?" the old man asked with a kind smile.
Yun Li pouted in confusion, "Little rabbit, little fox... Ling Zhao can't pick one."
"What can you do?" Jiang Hexue paid the copper coins and asked.
"I can do a lot!" the old man said with a smile. "Madam, take a look. What kind of style would you like to make for me?"
Madam...did you mistake her and Yunli for mother and daughter?
Jiang Hexue suppressed her smile and said, "How about we just be a family of three?"
"This... the young master is handsome, the lady is stunningly beautiful, and the young lady is as lovely as snow and white. I am not good enough to restore this!"
Jiang Hexue looked at Yun Li's wide-open blue eyes, then tilted her neck to look at Shen Qingchen who was holding her.
The lights and shadows of the lantern festival were scattered, and his face was covered with mottled shadows. His brows were straight, his long black eyelashes were slightly drooping, and his peach blossom eyes were as deep and calm as before. His emotions were vague, but there was a faint ripple of smile.
"My dear husband, what do you think I should draw?" she asked with a smile.
She was actually a little hesitant to make a decision. The little animals in front of the old man's stall were all painted vividly, and each one was cute.
"You decide," Shen Qingchen said, his eyes locked on her, the smile in his eyes widened, and the vague emotion was completely controlled and suppressed by him. "...My wife."
His voice was soft and clear, and it was like a spark falling on Jiang Hexue's ears, burning them in an instant.
"Little parrot, is that okay?" Jiang Hexue turned her head quickly, not daring to look at him again.
The old man responded with a smile, then put the malt sugar into the copper pot and started to boil it.
Jiang Hexue stared at the tiny bubbles in a daze, unable to remain silent.
"The Imperial Aunt is being shy." Yun Li looked at her red ears and whispered in Shen Qingchen's ear.
Shen Qingchen chuckled: “Look at the sugar painting.”
Yunli then turned around obediently and watched the old man draw a pattern of a little parrot with a small copper spoon. He then waited for the syrup to dry, scooped it up with a copper spatula, and handed it to her.
She fed the first bite to Jiang Hexue.
When he turned around to feed Shen Qingchen, his movements stopped.
"Eh—" Yun Li stared at his equally red earlobes in confusion. "Granduncle, why are you so shy?"
-
Yun Li didn't stay there for long before she was taken away by her biological parents, Yun Song, the King of Western Yunnan, and Shen Churong, the Princess of Changning.
As soon as she left, there was an eerie silence between the two of them, and even their clasped hands stiffened unconsciously.
Shen Qingchen was usually taciturn, so Jiang Hexue could only awkwardly make small talk: "That light is so bright."
"It's very bright." He agreed cooperatively.
Jiang Hexue felt even more embarrassed. She wanted to laugh but couldn't. She couldn't tease him, and she didn't dare to call him "husband" anymore. She said in a muffled voice, "Little immortal."
Shen Qingchen said “hmm”.
"Find something to talk about," Jiang Hexue said. "Tell me what you've been doing these past few days. Are there any interesting things..."
"No." Shen Qingchen replied. "I went to work."
She had previously promised to spend time with him during the New Year holidays. Now that she broke her promise, he had nothing to do, so he simply went to the palace to help Emperor Hengshun review memorials.
And his life, apart from her, was like a stagnant pool.
Jiang Hexue felt an inexplicable bitterness in her heart, and she wasn't satisfied with his answer. She looked forward and happened to see a vendor selling pear cakes. She reached out and nodded, "I'm going to buy that."
It is already mid-Yin month, and this should be the last batch of pears.
Before she reached the stall, she saw the plaque of Fructose Zhai at the intersection.
"You've even made it to South Second Street?" Jiang Hexue's eyes lit up. "I heard the candied kumquats at Fruit Sugar House are the best in Kyoto, but it's far from Qianxiangfang, so I haven't tried them yet."
“Buy them all.”
"Fructose Restaurant must be sold out by now. They probably have more stock for the temple fair. Let's go there first." Jiang Hexue was walking towards Fructose Restaurant when the aroma of pear cakes at the intersection filled her nostrils again.
"Last box of pear cakes! Come and take a look! We're closing the stalls now that we're sold out!" the vendors shouted simultaneously. "If it gets any colder, you can't eat it!"
Jiang Hexue took a step forward and then retracted it.
"You go to the Fruit Sugar Shop to buy candied kumquats, and I'll go get the pear cakes." She ordered without hesitation, sending him away. "We'll meet back at this intersection."
"Here." She untied her purse, took out fifteen copper coins and placed them in Shen Qingchen's palm. "Thirty copper coins per pound, fifteen copper coins is enough for you to buy."
Shen Qingchen looked at her hesitantly, and finally took the copper coin: "Okay."
Jiang Hexue broke free from his hand without any reluctance and walked towards the stall selling pear cakes.
She bought the last pear cake as she wished.
The white pear cake is wrapped in oil paper and sprinkled with a layer of crystal clear icing sugar. It smells sweet and makes people's mouths water.
Jiang Hexue walked in the crowd, slowly chewing a piece of pear cake.
It is soft, sweet and fragrant when you put it in your mouth. Perhaps because you think you will not be able to eat it in a few days, this pear cake is particularly delicious.
Jiang Hexue squinted his eyes contentedly. After swallowing the pear cake, he looked around and found that he had reached the edge of the moat.
It’s half a street away from the intersection just now.
But the crowd was so crowded this time that if she went back she would have to go against the flow of people, which would be very inconvenient.
Jiang Hexue thought for a moment and decided to wait for Shen Qingchen here - if he found that she was not at the intersection, he would definitely follow the flow of people to look for her and would not get lost.
After convincing herself in this way, Jiang Hexue ate the pear cake in peace and admired the scenery by the moat.
The moat in the night is like a dark blue dividing line on a scroll painting, with the prosperity of Kyoto on one side and the desolation of the suburbs on the other.
There were not many people on the riverbank, except for a young girl who was sitting on the ground, holding a river lantern and writing or drawing on it with a brush.
Jiang Hexue walked towards her and leaned forward curiously. "During the Lantern Festival in Kyoto, is there a custom of releasing river lanterns?"
"It's not a custom. It's just something I like." The girl, wearing a mask, was surprised when they looked at each other. "Auntie?"
"What a coincidence." Jiang Hexue didn't expect to meet Shen Chuning here, and handed her a piece of pear cake. "It's hot, do you want to try it?"
She nodded, but her hands were full and she couldn't free them after trying a few times.
"I'll feed you." Jiang Hexue picked up a piece and fed it to her mouth.
Chen Chu fixed his eyes with a smile, and took a bite of the pear cake with a smile.
There was a speck of white frosting on the edge of her lips.
Jiang Hexue mentioned this to her and then reached out to wipe it off for her.
Before she could touch the girl's face or wrist, she was suddenly hit by a sharp palm wind.
She took two steps back in pain, and looked up in surprise, only to see a young man in brocade clothes suddenly standing in front of Shen Chuning, staring at her with a serious look.
He also wore a mask that covered most of his face.
The only thing revealed by the mask was a pair of phoenix eyes, with the corners of the eyes raised like hooks, and the pupils were the same midnight purple as hers. She had thick black eyebrows, red lips and fair skin.
There was a silver needle in his hand, shining with cold light.
Jiang Hexue was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously and recklessly rushed towards him.
"younger brother!"
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