Chapter 99 Red Cherries "Eat cherries!"
In June, pomegranate flowers bloom everywhere, and cherry trees begin to form.
Jiang Ce returned in the evening, and he saw the courtyard when he came over the small stone bridge.
The two banana trees in the yard have grown taller this year, already over the yard wall, their large banana leaves hanging leisurely down the wall.
The roses have all withered, leaving only fallen petals on the ground.
Jiang Ce walked briskly into the courtyard with his hands behind his back.
Chu Tao and Ying Yue were busy, one weaving tassels and the other grooming Xi Tuan. Yun Sheng was on the veranda, scolding Lan Yu while feeding it.
There was a desk in the courtyard, with paper and pens still lying around.
Jiang Ce approached and picked up the few small pictures of flowers and birds to look at them.
When the others saw him arrive, they immediately tried to speak.
"Shh," Jiang Ce raised his hand to silence them, waving for them to leave for the time being.
One by one, the group quietly withdrew, leaving only Jiang Ce in the courtyard for the time being.
He strolled leisurely to the foot of the banana tree.
The tall banana trees cast a large patch of green shade, and there was a long bamboo couch where someone lay down for a nap.
He bent down and looked closer, but Xue Chan was fast asleep and hadn't woken up.
Xi Tuan beside her was also lying sprawled out, her body on the bamboo couch, her head drooping over the edge, snoring with her mouth open.
"Tsk"
Jiang Ce couldn't help but reach out and nudge its head, but it was fast asleep and he couldn't wake it up no matter what he did.
The big ones are too frightening to be startled, the small ones are too sleepy to wake up.
Jiang Ce put all the things he brought back on the recliner, pulled over a small bamboo stool, and snuggled up next to Xue Chan.
When he finished his shift, he went to Mingyue Bridge to buy cold noodles, honey wine, and smoked duck. While the shopkeeper was packing the food, he saw that the pomegranates on the riverbank were in full bloom, so he casually asked the owner for a handful of newly opened pomegranate blossoms.
I originally intended to give it to Xue Chan, but she fell asleep.
Jiang Ce didn't want to wake her, so he found an empty gourd first.
Xue Chan was asleep there, so he sat beside her, plucking off the excess branches and leaves, trimming and pruning them, and arranging a vase of flowers.
After he finished cleaning up, feeling a bit bored, he rested his chin on his hand and watched her sleep.
When the weather gets hot, Xue Chan tends to become lazy. She suffers from the summer heat and is reluctant to move around. Unless it's necessary or she's invited by the Prince of Shouchun and others, Xue Chan basically stays in the courtyard.
Even when she's at home, she'll sit if she can, and lie down if she can, rather than be crooked.
At that moment, Xue Chan was still lying lazily on her side.
Because I rarely go out, I'm too lazy to dress up.
She wore a cherry-red strapless top and a lotus-green skirt, with only a thin shawl draped over her chest. Because she wasn't wearing an outer garment, her fair arms were exposed.
Her glossy black hair was simply styled into a small bun, adorned with a small gold hairpin, a very simple and understated look.
Jiang Ce glanced at her, raised an eyebrow and smiled, then plucked a small, bright red pomegranate flower and pinned it in her hair.
After finishing the hairpin, he looked at it from left to right and felt that his craftsmanship was perfect.
Beside the bamboo couch was a small table, on which sat a glass of chilled bright red cherries and a pot of iced wine.
She can get it as long as she raises her hand, even if she's lying down.
"It seems you've had a good time while I was away."
Jiang Ce smiled, his eyes crinkling slightly. But the next moment, his face fell.
"He just doesn't miss me. He sent me something only once every three days, without even saying a word!"
He was immediately displeased, took a peacock feather from the Douxi Troupe, and lightly brushed it across Xue Chan's face.
It swept across the face, shoulders, waist, and legs, stopping at the soles of the feet and scratching them.
To everyone's surprise, Xue Chan only frowned, turned over, and subconsciously kicked Jiang Ce.
If he hadn't jumped so fast, he would have actually kicked himself.
Jiang Ce became increasingly unhappy and secretly pinched the flesh on her arm.
He pinched it a couple of times, found it felt nice, and pinched it a couple more times. Feeling playful, he hadn't had enough of pinching the arm, so he set his sights on Xue Chan's face.
Over the past six months, they've provided a lot of food and drink, which has helped to improve Xue Chan's health, making her once narrow oval face much rounder.
"Quietly..."
Jiang Ce immediately grabbed her cheeks with both hands. As he pinched, he began to gently knead them like he was kneading rice balls, until Xue Chan's face turned red.
"Are you crazy?!"
Xue Chan slapped his hand away, sat up abruptly, and glared at him.
Jiang Ce leaned closer with a cheeky grin: "I wanted to talk to you and play with you, but you were sleeping soundly. I can't exactly wake you up, can I?"
"..." Xue Chan said irritably, throwing the fan in her hand into his arms. "I'm awake now!"
Jiang Ce simply picked up a round fan and fanned her, smiling rather obsequiously: "I'll make amends to you by fanning you, so you can continue sleeping."
Xue Chan lay back down, but even with her eyes closed, she could feel Jiang Ce staring intently at her.
She simply turned over and turned her back.
A short while later, Jiang Ce leaned in and rested his chin on her waist.
His fingers traced patterns on his arm as he said, "Didn't Sister Maedan give you a pair of armlets? Why don't I see you wearing them?"
Xue Chan said lazily, "That thing is quite heavy; my hands hurt after wearing it for a long time."
Jiang Ce didn't say anything, he just quietly fanned him.
He was getting tired of sitting for a while, so he simply sat down on the recliner and lay down next to Xue Chan.
A large person suddenly squeezed into a not-so-wide bamboo chair, making it instantly crowded. That wouldn't have been bad, but Jiang Ce was unbearably hot, and Xue Chan felt as if a giant furnace was pressed against her back.
"Ouch, it's so crowded!" She jabbed herself backward with her elbow, and Jiang Ce reached out and grabbed her.
"Where are you going to hit?" He moved even closer, whispering in Xue Chan's ear, "Don't regret it if you break it."
Xue Chan ignored him completely and kept moving to the side. She flipped over and almost fell, but Jiang Ce caught her again.
The two people weren't seriously injured, but they were practically stuck together and couldn't be pulled apart.
Jiang Ce wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his face against her bare shoulders and back.
"......"
"It's so crowded!" Xue Chan took two deep breaths and struggled to hit him.
However, Jiang Ce raised his hand and grabbed her wrist, then twisted and pinned her down, causing Xue Chan to sink into his arms.
He squeezed in, pushing Xue Chan outwards, and Xi Tuan couldn't help but cry out as she was pressed down.
Xue Chan said irritably, "You've squeezed the wedding party out!"
"Hmph," Jiang Ce raised his hand, scooped up Xi Tuan and gently tossed it onto the shelf. "It's been with you for so long, now it's time to make room for me!"
Xi Tuan stood on the shelf and barked twice more in dissatisfaction.
It jumped down, landed on Jiang Ce's face, kicked him hard, and disappeared amidst its howls.
Xue Chan gave a cold laugh: "Serves you right!"
She turned her back and lay down, ignoring him.
Jiang Ce nuzzled her neck with his head, his voice muffled: "I haven't been back for five days. You don't miss me, you don't write to me, you don't send me anything. Now you won't even let me touch you."
He found an outlet for his frustrations and started rambling on and on.
"Look at Chief Liang's wife. Chief Liang doesn't come home, and she brings him food and drink. She's so thoughtful and considerate. You're being tormented by His Majesty and by official duties, and you still push me away. You're such a heartless woman. We're still newlyweds, and I'm like an old widower."
Xue Chan pushed his head away: "Who are you cursing?"
Jiang Ce looked up at the sky and down at the ground: "No, I didn't say anything."
After struggling for a while, Xue Chan found a gap and kicked him off the recliner.
"Ouch!"
Jiang Ce plopped down on the ground, still clutching his chest and wiping away tears: "You heartless woman, you even kicked me!"
Xue Chan looked up at the sky, rubbed her forehead, and let out a long sigh.
She stood up, bowed her head, raised it again, and walked away indifferently.
Jiang Ce grabbed her skirt, and Xue Chan tried to pull it off, saying, "You're about to tear my skirt off."
He didn't care at all: "It's okay, I can just change my clothes if they get dirty."
Xue Chan was furious, wishing she could kick him out of the capital: "Have you no shame?"
Jiang Ce simply sat down on the ground and brazenly hugged her leg: "Face? What's that?"
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pull her leg out; instead, she was drenched in sweat. So she stood there, exhaled, and gave in, saying, "Fine, it's my fault. I apologize, okay?"
“No!” He grabbed me with both hands and feet, retorting, “No, no, you insulted me and hit me, you can’t just apologize, you have to make it up to me.”
Xue Chan was genuinely annoyed by his persistent pestering, but whenever she resisted, Jiang Ce would only become more aggressive.
"Okay, get up first, we can talk things over."
"Tell me, how are you going to make it up to me?"
Jiang Ce jumped up suddenly, put his hands behind his back, and brought his face close with a smile: "Come on."
Xue Chan thought for a moment, then walked closer and gave him a light slap in return.
Then, he turned and left.
You believe me just because I say so?
Jiang Ce seemed used to it, patting the dust off his clothes and following closely behind her.
Xue Chan simply ignored him and stepped onto the stone steps leading up to the corridor.
Jiang Ce kept talking behind her, oblivious to her surroundings.
"Shall we have someone make you two new outfits?"
"Why make more clothes when you've just made summer clothes?"
"It looks good, I like it."
"......"
"Besides, with your resistance, I don't think your clothes will last more than two days in my hands."
Do you know how to write the eight characters for "broad daylight debauchery" and "extreme extravagance"?
"I don't know, I can't read. You can teach me tonight." He grinned and pointed to the already setting sun. "Besides, the sun is almost setting."
Xue Chan couldn't help but give Jiang Ce a push, sending him several steps away.
"Ugh, you've made me all sweaty. I'm going to take a shower, you can go cool off somewhere else."
Jiang Ce smiled again and took a few big strides to be right next to her again.
"Let's shower together."
Xue Chan frowned and said irritably, "Who wants to shower with you?"
Jiang Ce grinned and said, "Me, me."
Xue Chan: "The bathtub is only that big, and you take up more than half of it."
"I'm going to wash with you. Who told you to be so heartless just now, kicking me like that? Look, you've dirtied my perfectly good clothes."
"You have to deal with the mess you made yourself." He lifted his dusty robe to show Xue Chan, and didn't forget to poke the pomegranate flower that was in full bloom on her head.
The two dragged each other into the bathroom, and Jiang Ce came out like a whirlwind, taking away the iced wine and grapes and cherries from the small table.
The courtyard was filled with the sounds of voices, neither too loud nor too soft.
"Why can't even grapes shut your mouth?"
"I don't like grapes."
"I want to eat cherries, let's eat cherries!"
"Can't you be a little ashamed? It's not even dark yet."
"What's the big deal? Either you close your eyes, or I close mine. Is that going to get in the way?"
"...So annoying."
"whee"
The water splashed and gurgled for a while, mixed with Xue Chan's cursing and Jiang Ce's laughter.
Although Xue Chan kept scolding him, he still ate the cherries with satisfaction.
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