Chapter 31 Indulging Your Arrogance "So you're feeling wronged?"
Back in Fushun Hutong, Xie Qingci paused for a moment as she stepped into the courtyard.
Liang Jingzhuo followed beside her, carrying a bag from the convenience store, his expression indifferent, glancing at her sideways.
She glanced at him slightly, then said, "I...I'll go put the milk in the fridge." With that, she took the shopping bag from his hand and turned to leave.
Before Liang Jingzhuo could react, the person who had just walked a few steps away turned back, lowered his head, and slapped two more boxes from the shopping bag into his hand with a "thud." In the dim light, his cheeks were flushed, and then he turned and walked away again.
He glanced down at what he was holding, pursed his lips and paused for a long while before finally walking towards the main house.
Xie Qingci went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and placed the milk in the crisper drawer. The cool white light from the refrigerator shone on her face, accompanied by gusts of cold air, cooling her skin.
She checked the remaining ingredients in the refrigerator in the kitchen. She had only bought a small amount today. She had cooked noodles for Liang Jingzhuo in the afternoon, so the amount of ingredients she had stored had decreased drastically.
I should have stopped at a supermarket on my way back; there's one near Fushun Hutong.
I glanced at my phone and realized it was already past the supermarket's opening hours, so I'd have to go tomorrow.
After rummaging around in the kitchen for a while, Xie Qingci turned off the light and went out.
As the autumn night in Jingzhao grew increasingly chilly, she looked up as she walked along the covered walkway beside the apricot trees.
The moon is very round tonight, hanging on the treetops and casting a silvery glow over the courtyard where only a few lights are lit.
She suddenly remembered the fireworks she had seen on Hong Kong Island that day.
After a while, she smiled slightly, lowered her head, and continued walking forward.
When she reached the master bedroom door, she paused again, clenched her fist slightly, and then pushed the door open and went inside.
Liang Jingzhuo had just finished showering and was standing by the island counter drinking water in his pajamas. When he saw her come in, he turned his head to look at her.
There was only one lamp on in the room, placed in the corner. It was a cloud-shaped floor lamp that she had just replaced a few days ago. It had a barometer function, and when it was turned on, the internal environment would simulate the weather for the next day.
The sound of water falling can be heard now; it will rain tomorrow.
Liang Jingzhuo stood tall beside the lamp, holding a water glass, his figure almost level with the lamp.
When choosing the size of the light, Xie Qingci thought for a moment and chose 1.9 meters. The shopkeeper said that everyday home life does not necessarily require such a height, but she replied that it was okay and she wanted this size.
She had planned the placement in advance; if the height was insufficient, the lighting area would be limited, which might not be ideal for Liang Jingzhuo.
The current situation precisely confirms the correctness of her decision.
She took two steps forward and stepped inside.
"Is there anything here that you're not satisfied with?" Her gaze fell on the furnishings in the room, and she realized that she hadn't asked him what he thought today.
The white noise of rain falling in his ears came frequently. Liang Jingzhuo turned his head to look and nodded. "It's fine."
The renovation work here was initially handled by a home improvement team, and his only requirement for the style was "simple and comfortable".
He lives alone, so he can't be bothered with trivial details.
“It’s very cozy,” he added.
Xie Qingci nodded, "That's good."
After saying that, she glanced at the bathroom in the corner, and a strange sense of tension washed over her again. She said, "I'm going to take a shower."
Liang Jingzhuo should be fine.
The shower process wasn't long overall, but I spent some time agonizing over the body care steps.
After autumn arrives, the weather becomes dry, and Hsieh Ching-Tzu has a habit of adding body lotion to her skincare routine.
She hesitated for a long time about whether or not to apply body lotion today.
If you need to take another shower later, you don't need to apply anything now; otherwise, you will.
She stood there for a while in the misty steam, and finally decided to apply it anyway.
When Liang Jingzhuo came out of the bathroom, he was standing by the window of the master bedroom, looking at a row of plump succulents on the windowsill.
The small flowerpots, in various shapes and eye-catching colors, were not noticed by him when he returned this morning. He didn't take a closer look and naturally didn't notice these extra little items in the room.
These were all bought by Xie Qingci.
I picked it up casually when I went to the flower and bird market that day to buy large potted plants to decorate the empty space downstairs.
The shop owner saw that she bought a lot and gave her an overall discount.
Succulents love sunlight and only need to be watered once a month. Even if you don't visit often, as long as they get enough sunlight, they'll be fine.
They are much easier to care for than his delicate and difficult-to-grow orchids.
Are you moving out?
When she bought it, she couldn't find a suitable corner in her home to place it, as it needed to be in a place with plenty of sunlight but also protected from freezing temperatures and rain.
She had planned to ask him again in the next couple of days if he wanted to use the empty space in the backyard as a greenhouse. If so, she would have someone come and set it up. But before she could ask, he came back early.
Liang Jingzhuo shifted his gaze from the group of plants he had never seen before, but which were quite lovely, and replied, "No need, they're very cute."
He recalled the way she had just blown sugar figurines; it was somewhat similar.
A smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.
Xie Qingci didn't know what he was laughing at. "What are you laughing at?"
Liang Jingzhuo withdrew his gaze, suppressed his smile, and replied, "It's nothing."
Turning my gaze back, I realized she was wearing the nightgown she hadn't worn since the Victoria Harbour fireworks night.
Her fair shoulders and back, washed in hot water, had a faint pinkish tinge, and her throat, which had just drunk water, suddenly felt a little thirsty again.
Xie Qingci stood still, her legs feeling like lead, when her cell phone suddenly rang.
She paused for a moment before realizing it was her phone, and hurriedly went to the bedside table to get it.
Ms. Zhou called.
She paused for a moment on the answer button before pressing it, then held the phone to her ear and called out, "Mommy."
Seeing that she took so long to answer the phone, Zhou Mingzhen asked, "Are you asleep, baby?"
She glanced down at the hem of her nightgown and replied, "Not yet, I was just taking a shower."
Zhou Mingzhen readily agreed, then got down to business: "Are you at school? Try to ask Jingzhuo when you have some free time this week, see if he's free next week."
Xie Qingci paused for a moment, then turned to look at the person still standing by the window.
Liang Jingzhuo was puzzled by her gaze and asked her with his eyes what was wrong.
Before Ms. Zhou could even speak, Xie Qingci had already figured out what it was about.
He replied, "Okay, I understand."
Ms. Zhou didn't say anything more and told her to get some rest.
Putting down her phone, Liang Jingzhuo walked over, his long legs dangling in the light and shadow, and asked her, "What's wrong?"
She sat on the edge of the bed, looked up at him, and asked, "Are you free next week?"
He thought for a moment, "Which day?"
Friday.
I don't have much free time.
That day, the Liang family had a new project about to be launched, and there were quite a few things to do.
Seeing him suddenly pause and focus, Xie Qingci guessed that he was busy, so she smiled and said, "It's okay, I was just asking."
Liang Jingzhuo didn't know what it was or how important it was, so he continued to ask, "What is it?"
Xie Qingci lowered her head. "It's my grandmother's birthday. I'm going to Shanghai. I was just wondering if you'd be free to have a meal with me."
Traditionally, on the birthday of a person who has died, family and friends hold a memorial ceremony together.
After saying that, she looked up, her smile still faint. "It's nothing serious, you go back to work."
Liang Jingzhuo didn't speak, but stared at her quietly for a long time before suddenly calling her name: "Xie Qingci".
The person beside the bed was puzzled as to why he suddenly called out to them, and responded with a "hmm?"
Her dark, bright eyes looked like those of a helpless fawn in the dim light.
He continued, "Don't always say it's okay."
Since they met, he's noticed she really likes to say these kinds of words: thank you, it's okay, I'm sorry, I've troubled you...
Regardless of whether it's something the other person should do, she always responds with similar language.
Based on his understanding of her, with her privileged family background and good upbringing, he couldn't understand why she had developed such a personality.
In interpersonal interactions, they always put themselves in a lower position, accommodate others, and try to think from their perspective.
Xie Qingci paused, her expression still puzzled. Her lips, made even redder by the steam, moved slightly, but she ultimately pursed them. "No..."
He looked into her eyes and said earnestly, "We don't use those words."
After he finished speaking, he paused for two seconds, as if he was carefully choosing his words so that his words would not sound serious and disciplinary. "It's not just me, it's not necessary in normal communication either. If you're unhappy, you should say it; if you don't want to, you should say it."
On the day we met, it was raining heavily. She could have changed the date, but she still came alone in the pouring rain.
Xie Qingci took a slight breath. "Sorry, I'm used to it."
After saying that, she laughed at herself and apologized again.
She pursed her lips and thought for a while before continuing, "When I was in middle school, I lived in Shanghai for a long time. My grandmother was in poor health, so... at school, I generally didn't get into conflicts with anyone."
From the first year of junior high to the third year of senior high, she was like this for six years. She had a good relationship with her grandmother and didn't want the old lady to worry about her. Even if she sensed malice or deliberate harassment, she would always take the initiative to apologize.
Liang Jingzhuo's impression of Xie Qingci's maternal grandmother only existed in the words of Old Mrs. Zhuang: a friend of many years, a very good person.
He recalled the painting by Xie Qingci that he had seen at the Xie family manor that day; she was indeed a very kind and gentle elder.
Xie Qingci stopped talking. He saw the blurry image in her eyes and said, "I'll go on Friday. Do you want me to pick you up?"
She shook her head. "No need. I should have gone to Shanghai with my mom and the others two days earlier."
Some preparations for the ceremony need to be made in advance.
Liang Jingzhuo nodded and replied, "Okay."
The atmosphere quieted down again. He looked at the lingering moisture in her eyes and paused for a moment, as if he was considering whether what he wanted to do was reasonable.
He eventually realized that she was his wife, and there was nothing unreasonable about it.
He leaned down slightly and kissed her damp eyelashes.
Two hands gripped her shoulders, and she felt warmth in her eyelids. Xie Qingci straightened her back and closed her eyes.
"And don't shed tears."
...
The kiss traveled down her nose without her noticing, past the tip of her nose, and finally captured her lips.
A familiar fluttering sensation came over me, and I gently and tenderly sucked on his lips, feeling the warmth and moisture on them—the temperature of the water he had just drunk.
The palms holding her shoulders began to burn. Xie Qingci tilted her head slightly to respond to his kiss. The pressure on her neck caused her to lean back. She felt the pressure on her back, and the tense muscles began to ache. Finally, she could not support herself and fell onto the bed behind her.
The kiss on his lips didn't leave; it followed immediately.
It was boiling hot.
During this time, Xie Qingci cried again. Liang Jingzhuo remembered that he had just told her not to cry, and it seemed that he needed to add some extra preconditions, except in certain situations.
In the end, he didn't know if she was crying because of him or because she was thinking of something sad; her cheeks were flushed and tears kept falling.
He stopped, kissed her ear, and whispered with a laugh, "Feeling so wronged?"
Xie Qingci leaned on his shoulder without saying a word, her tears falling onto his back.
...
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