Chapter 77 I Must Sleep with You
Mrs. Yue had a more comfortable New Year this year than in previous years.
In previous years, we would just watch plays at home, go out for banquets, and go up the mountain to burn incense... It was a bit interesting, but not much.
But this year, no matter where she went, she would take Chen Tang with her. She especially liked to keep her in Yujin Hall to listen to operas, accompany all the relatives, and listen to the actors on the stage singing with makeup and paint.
They sat there for most of the day, listening to the moon at its highest point in the sky. Only then did the song end and the audience disperse, and Mrs. Yue let them go home.
As long as Chen Tang was by her side, Qi Huaijing would not be too far away. When he went out during the day, he would first return to Yujin Hall to watch the show with her.
During the New Year, many relatives and friends saw Mrs. Yue and praised her for being blessed, saying that her son and daughter-in-law were always by her side, which was a rare example of filial piety.
Mrs. Yue was complacent and extremely proud.
Qi Huaijing couldn't rest, and Qi Chengzhou was even busier. He had a lot of social engagements on a daily basis, and during the New Year he had banquets outside for days on end, staying up all night long, and had not returned home for many days.
One day, he had some rare free time, so he returned home just after nightfall. He set up a table in the main room of Mingfang Pavilion, invited Qin to sit opposite him, and asked Aunt Chun and several distinguished maids to take turns serving wine. He also called two maids who could play and sing, to play the pipa and sing little songs, and they drank and had fun together.
When they were half drunk, Qi Chengzhou saw a pretty little maidservant beside him. She had a very bright flower on her hairpin and she kept looking towards him. He couldn't help but look at her twice more.
At first, he thought the girl was pretty and looked familiar. After a while, he suddenly remembered that this was Taozhi, the maid he had favored some time ago.
Some time ago, Taozhi was so doted on by Qi Chengzhou that she started to get angry and kept complaining about the second master's forgetfulness because Qi Chengzhou was so busy treating Aunt Xue and forgot to ask Feng Xi to buy medicine for her.
After two days of making a fuss, he was already a little impatient, so he just put the matter behind him and almost forgot about this person completely.
No wonder it looks familiar.
Seeing her resentful eyes, Qi Chengzhou didn't want to relive the old days. Instead, he thought of Aunt Xue who was getting better day by day. He looked around and saw that she was not at the table, so he waved and asked the maid to come over.
"Go to the west wing and tell Master that you should ask Aunt Xue to come over and sit with you."
Qin Jiangyun was bringing fruit to Qi Chengzhou. She had just picked up a grape and hadn't handed it to him yet when she saw that he didn't ask her and directly invited people to the main room to drink, the smile on her face faded a little.
"It's late at night, and you still have people coming. I'm afraid it will be too noisy."
Qi Chengzhou said, "It's only now, how can it be considered late at night! If we were at a banquet outside, this would only be the beginning."
Seeing that Qin was a little unhappy, Aunt Chun also smiled and agreed.
"It's windy outside. Sister Xue is weak and might get hurt if she runs again. Second Master has been listening to the pipa for half a day and may be tired of it. Why don't I get the moon guitar..."
Qi Chengzhou was refuted twice in a row, his smile gradually faded, and he slowly drank the wine in the glass without saying a word.
Upon seeing this, Aunt Chun didn't dare to say anything more and swallowed the rest of her words.
Qin knew the Second Master's temper. If she continued to be stubborn, she might lose face, so she relaxed.
"That's fine. I've been busy for most of the month, and I haven't seen Aunt Xue for a long time. I'd like to invite someone over for a drink."
Qi Chengzhou put down the wine glass in his hand and a smile appeared on his face.
"Thanks to your hard work, the whole family had a great New Year. I know it. Go and ask Auntie to come over. It's a good opportunity to kowtow to Second Madam and thank her for taking care of her during her illness."
Qin smiled and nodded, then crushed the grapes in her hand and threw them aside.
In the west wing, Aunt Xue had let her hair down and was wearing her nightgown. She was combing her hair in front of the dressing mirror. When she heard the maid coming to invite her, she just sat there without moving.
"Go and tell the master that I am not feeling well and have already gone to bed."
Xiaolian, the maid, was adding charcoal to the stove when she heard her aunt say she was not going. She asked the messenger to wait outside the door for a while, then turned back and whispered to her.
"Aunt, today the Second Master is home for a rare occasion and he is very happy. Even the Second Mistress has nodded and asked you to come over. If you don't go, the Master will be angry and we will have to live a hard life without even hot water to drink."
Aunt Xue turned her head away and said nothing.
Because she had a stubborn temper and had been ill for a long time, the maids in the house were also ostracized, so Xiao Lianshi had to find different ways to coax her.
"Aunt, you've been here for two years, don't you know the Second Master's temper? He has a rare good temper towards you, especially since you just had a serious illness..."
Xiaolian sighed.
"Luckily, my aunt is in our house. She has hired so many doctors and taken so many medicines. She managed to get through it. If it were an ordinary couple outside, I'm afraid they wouldn't even have enough money to pay for the medicine..."
When Aunt Xue heard the word "outside", she was silent for a long time, changed her mind, and spoke slowly.
"Well, go ahead and comb my hair for me."
Xiaolian was delighted. She washed her hands in a hurry, re-combed her aunt's hair, changed her jacket and skirt, and helped her to the main room.
At the banquet, Qin Jiangyun saw Aunt Xue coming over. She had just recovered from a serious illness and looked more delicate and graceful than before. He felt unhappy and had a half-smile on his face. When he saw her bowing gracefully, he just nodded slightly without saying much.
Qi Chengzhou was delighted to see her kowtow to the mistress, a rare example of her docility. He ordered her to sit side by side with Aunt Chun and serve wine together.
The sound of stringed instruments filled the air. Qi Chengzhou ordered a few new songs, and took turns drinking with his wives and concubines for a few more times. It was not until late at night that they dispersed.
After the banquet, Aunt Xue held Xiaolian's hand and went back to the west wing. She felt tired, so she took off her hairpins and rings, washed up, and went to bed.
When she was in a light sleep, she suddenly heard the door open. She woke up immediately and knew that it was Qi Chengzhou coming again.
Sure enough, Qi Chengzhou, wearing his outer robe loosely, pushed the door open and walked in, with a bit of drunkenness on his face. Seeing that she had already fallen asleep, he walked over and sat next to her on the bed. Regardless of the fact that the maid had not left yet, he put his arms around her neck and kissed her.
"I just winked at you at the table and told you to wait for me, but you refused to listen and just slept."
Aunt Xue still remembered that fatal slap and was very afraid of him. She quickly supported herself and stepped back, forcing a smile.
"I drank a few more cups and was so drunk that I couldn't see the master's expression. I just heard him say that he wanted to rest in the main room, so I took it as the truth."
Qi Chengzhou smiled, reached his hand into the quilt, and tried to explore her heart.
"Are you really drunk? I don't think so."
Even though Aunt Xue was not drunk, her heart was beating wildly because of his words, and she smiled and stopped his hand.
"My master's hands are so cold. It's cold outside. Since you are resting in the main room, you can come over tomorrow."
Seeing her full eyes and a blush on her face, Qi Chengzhou got drunk and threw off the quilt and got on the bed.
"I won't wait until tomorrow. I must sleep with you tonight."
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