Huo Rang tucked the envelope into his pocket and then hurriedly returned to the courtyard.
As soon as he entered the door, his wife Zhou Miaoyin came out to greet him with a big smile. "Husband, you're back? Were you tired from work today?"
Huo gave him a slightly perfunctory smile, "It's alright, but I'll have to get busy later."
Zhou Miaoyin didn't think much of it. "Okay, let's change our clothes and have our meal first. The sooner we finish our work, the sooner we can rest."
Huo Rang regretted it a little—he shouldn't have said he'd be busy later; he should have said he was busy now! How could he possibly be in the mood for food right now?
But since the words had already been spoken, it was difficult to take them back, so they could only go to the dining hall for a meal.
During the meal,
Zhou Miaoyin spoke softly and gently, constantly serving her husband food.
While eating, Huo Rang also sized up his wife—she came from a prestigious family, and although she was somewhat willful, she was not a bad person at heart, and her features were also quite regular.
Well, it's just about being proper.
Her eyebrows were very light, her eyes were small, her eyelashes were sparse, and her nose and mouth were also small, making her face appear slightly round.
He has a lucky appearance, which his mother likes very much, and he doesn't dislike it either, but to say that he's obsessed with it is still a bit of self-deception.
If Zhou Miaoyin were as well-educated and reasonable as Jiang Yinjin, he might respect her more. But when Zhou Miaoyin is rational, she's fine, but once she gets angry, she'll really argue with him, and the arguments will go on and on.
Therefore, since their marriage, his feelings for her have always been lukewarm; one could say they have maintained a respectful but distant relationship.
In recent days, Zhou has probably been pressured by his mother, who makes excessive demands every night, which has made him somewhat afraid.
Thinking of this, Huo Rang quickly ate a few bites of food. "Alright, I've eaten. I'll go get back to work."
Zhou Miaoyin was stunned. "But...but I haven't finished eating yet, are you just going to leave like this, my husband?"
Huo Rang asked in confusion, "No, when I came back just now, you told me that I had things to do after dinner, so I thought we should finish eating quickly. You didn't eat, you kept putting food on my plate and chatting with me, and after I finished eating, you complained that I didn't wait for you?"
Zhou Miaoyin's eyes widened instantly. "As a wife, isn't it right for me to serve you food and chat with you? Isn't that a wife's duty? What, do you like coming home to find your wife ignoring you?"
Huo Rang sighed, “That’s not what I meant. What I meant was: if I have time, we can chat and eat slowly. But I’m in a hurry, and you keep putting food on my plate without eating yourself. After I finish eating, I have to wait for you to eat. Isn’t it a waste of time for us to wait like this? Why can’t we eat at the same time? When we eat, the maids will serve the food.”
Zhou Miaoyin raised her voice, "So, you'd rather have the maid serve you food than let me?"
"..." The surrounding maids trembled—the second young master and the second young mistress were arguing again, and they didn't know if they would be implicated. The second young mistress really knew how to take her anger out on them; they could only hope that the second young master would be kind and stop arguing with her.
Huo Rang was so angry he almost vomited blood. "How about this, I won't wait for you today, I'll wait for you tomorrow, okay?"
Zhou Miaoyin pouted, her eyes reddening, "Does my husband find me troublesome?"
Huo Rang chuckled, "It would be even better if they could be more sensible."
"My husband is at work during the day, and I've been waiting at home all day. I miss you so much, and all I want is to talk to you a little more. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Huo Rang sighed helplessly, “There’s nothing wrong with it, but… all military officers are like this. At least I’m still serving in the capital. If it were like the Marquis of Anning, who could only come back twice a month…”
Zhou Miaoyin, her eyes red-rimmed, looked at him sadly, "So, you want to serve outside the capital like Marquis Anning? You'd rather not go home than see me?"
"..." Huo Rang fell silent, unsure of what to say.
Because he knew that every extra word he uttered would lead to a accusation being leveled against him, and in a few days Zhou would surely come to his mother crying and complaining, and his mother would then have to scold him.
He was exhausted after a long day of work and really didn't want to be lectured at night.
Finally, Huo Rang sighed, "How about this, I'll wait for you today, but starting tomorrow, let the maids serve the dishes, and we can eat together, okay? Let's not keep waiting."
Zhou Miaoyin was about to argue, but then she noticed the impatience in her husband's eyes and realized that she had gone too far today.
She had just made a fuss because she felt she was losing face; she was afraid of losing face in front of her husband, which would make him dislike her even more.
Finally, Zhou Miaoyin pursed her lips and said, "What I said just now was out of anger. Husband, please go and do your work. You don't need to stay with me."
Huo Rang breathed a sigh of relief, offered a few words of reassurance, and then hurriedly left.
Without turning his head, he went into his study. A servant followed him in to light a lamp.
After Huo Rang dismissed the servants, he closed the doors and windows and remained quiet in the study for a while before carefully taking the envelope out of his pocket.
Inside the envelope was a light green handkerchief.
He couldn't be mistaken; the handkerchief was definitely hers because he had noticed a black symbol on the corner of it when she was holding it in the garden.
He ran his fingers over the black symbol in the corner of the handkerchief, then shyly brought the handkerchief to his nose and carefully sniffed it.
The handkerchief had a faint fragrance, but it was unclear whether it was her own scent.
The two spent little time together in the garden, but that brief moment was unforgettable for him.
How could there be such a beautiful woman in the world?
Moreover, the woman has two different appearances. In public, she is respectful and submissive, but in private, she is lively, clever, and fierce. Her eyes are clear and charming. Who wouldn't like such a woman?
Unfortunately, such a woman ended up in the hands of that effeminate Bai Qingzhou.
What a waste!
But... why did she give him the handkerchief? Did she give it to him herself, or was it someone else? She clearly rejected him in the garden that day!
...
At the same time, on the other side.
The Marquis of Anning's residence, Mingyue Courtyard.
After being forced to play mahjong for several days in a row, Chen Mianmian finally had time to write.
Since learning calligraphy, she has found it addictive and has progressed from regular script to other styles, writing with great enthusiasm.
Then Hanrong came in carrying clothes—normally, outer garments would be washed and ironed and placed in the storage room next door, while only some underwear and small items would be brought into the room.
As Hanrong walked, she muttered, "That's weird. They were just washing when I asked them to, so how come one is missing?"
Before Chenmian could finish speaking, he casually asked, "What's missing?"
Hanrong replied, "It's Aunt's handkerchief. I suspect it's been lost somewhere. I'll look for it again tomorrow when it's light. The clothes are all washed and dried in the yard, so they shouldn't be missing."
Shen Mianmian chuckled, "It's just a handkerchief, it's gone, so what? Which handkerchief is it?"
"It's the light green one."
The pen, which had been slumbering, suddenly stopped—on the water-green line?
Aqua green?
Seeing that her aunt had stopped writing, Hanrong quickly comforted her, "Don't worry, Aunt, your handkerchiefs won't be lost, because each one has your embroidered mark on it. I've never seen anyone else use this mark except you."
Chen Mianmian put the pen down on the table, her brows furrowed. "Bring me the other handkerchiefs."
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