Going home
The summer heat and the incessant chirping of cicadas kept everyone awake. Xie Chengnan's afternoon nap was interrupted, and he woke up yawning. He grabbed a handful of his messy hair, didn't bother to comb it, and walked into the yard.
Since the two servants from the Qiu family moved in, Xie Chengnan didn't know anything else, but their relationship with Cang Xie had developed far too well.
The household was short-staffed, and Cang Xie's work was rather varied, so normally if Qiu Qing had any heavy tasks that were inconvenient for her, Xie Chengnan would just turn a blind eye and let it go. But why was even her personal maidservant constantly pestering him now?
"Cough cough." Xie Chengnan coughed heavily twice.
"Young...Lord Marquis." Cang Xie stood up helplessly.
Xueya had her back to him and was having Cang Xie tell her interesting stories about practicing martial arts when she was a child.
Hearing his voice, she turned around and asked, "Young Master, are you sick? Are you alright?"
"I'm not sick."
"Why did you suddenly develop a cough when you weren't sick? It's been hot lately, so remember to drink plenty of water, young master. Or, when Miss comes back, we can have her take a look at you?"
Xie Chengnan glanced at Cang Xie, who blinked, puzzled. "Lord Marquis?"
"It's nothing." He'd actually thought the two's relationship had developed beyond colleagues, but he was so mistaken. That Cang guy was a blockhead, and Xueya wasn't exactly oblivious either. How could anything possibly happen between two people like that?
"You just said your young lady went out?"
"I didn't say that just now," Xueya said, looking completely bewildered.
Cang Xie lowered his head to remind her, "The Marquis is asking where Miss Qiu went."
"Oh, Miss said she went to find a master, but didn't say where."
"She became an apprentice? She went alone?" Xie Chengnan frowned slightly, wondering what Qiu Qingye was up to this time.
"Yes, sir, you're worried about Miss, aren't you? It's alright, the place isn't far, she said she'll be back before sunset."
What a load of rubbish! He was just worried that with her unpopular personality, she might get into another argument, and instead of becoming a disciple, she might get beaten up.
Xie Chengnan walked past the two of them expressionlessly: "You're overthinking it."
He had already walked far away, but he heard Xueya whisper to Cangxie behind him, "Let me tell you, the young master is definitely worried about the young lady, but he's too embarrassed to let us know."
Cang Xie exclaimed "Oh!" as if he had just realized something.
Xie Chengnan rubbed his temples, wondering why he suddenly had such a headache. He took two steps back and asked, "Cang Xie, have you bought the groceries for dinner tonight?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, the purchase is complete."
"I want to eat pork hock, go buy one."
"Don't you never eat pork hock? You say that part is too ugly and doesn't match your handsome appearance..."
"Stop talking nonsense, I want to eat today."
"Alright, I'll go buy it now." Cang Xie didn't understand why Xie Chengnan acted on a whim, but he was still his master, so he could only obey his orders.
Xueya watched Xie Chengnan's insincere words with a knowing look on her face.
Xie Chengnan turned around and saw the expression on her face, naturally turning his attention to her: "Are you very free?"
"No, I'm not free."
"It would be best if you weren't idle. Although you came as part of the Qiu family's dowry, once you entered the gates of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion, you were under my, Xie Chengnan's, jurisdiction."
Upon hearing this, Xueya immediately bowed deeply: "Please give your orders, Master."
She moved so quickly that no one could find fault with her.
Xie Chengnan had nothing to say and walked away with his hands behind his back.
Xueya wiped the sweat from her forehead and muttered after the person had walked away, "I already said I was worried about Miss, but she wouldn't admit it. She's probably just angry because she's embarrassed."
When Lin Yi returned to the Xie residence, the sun had already set.
The Xie family usually ate dinner around 3 PM. Lin Yiben figured there would be no food left by then, so he decided to go to the kitchen and grab something to eat.
But as they passed by the main hall, they saw that the lights were still on inside.
Under the warm yellow light, four people sat around a round table, and the steam rising from the food could be faintly seen, along with the aroma of the food wafting into their noses.
Lin Yi suddenly felt a burning sensation in his eyes.
It's really strange. During the day, she spoke inappropriately, almost harmed someone, got into an argument, and even witnessed a life-or-death emergency, yet she didn't feel like crying. Why is she acting so aggrieved now that she's back at the Xie residence?
As the young marquis, Xie Chengnan was required to sit in the main seat facing the main entrance during meals, so he was the first person to see her.
He didn't speak, but just looked at Lin Yi for a while.
Then Xueya, who was guarding the dishes, followed his gaze and spotted her. "Miss! Come on, dinner's ready! There's lots of delicious food today!"
"You're here." Lin Yi lifted her skirt and strode over, leaving all those inexplicable emotions behind.
Lin Yi sat down next to Xie Chengnan. On his other side, Xie Chengfeng was looking down, pouting as he counted the two chopsticks he was tightly holding.
Xie Chengnan pried his hands off: "Eat."
"Hmph!" He glared at his younger brother, who was in charge of the household, then looked at Lin Yi, and then grabbed a piece of chopped pork hock and threw it into Xie Chengnan's bowl.
A few drops of sauce splashed onto Xie Chengnan's face, which he wiped away with a gloomy expression.
Lin Yi found it amusing, wondering how he had offended Xie Chengfeng while he was away.
"Miss, the young master won't let us eat because you haven't come back," Xueya whispered, revealing the truth.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yi looked at Xie Chengnan, who seemed to have temporarily lost his hearing, and disdainfully put the pork hock back into Cang Xie's bowl.
"From now on, my return time will be irregular each day, so you don't need to wait for me," Lin Yidao said.
Xie Chengnan paused with his chopsticks, then added a mouthful of shredded potato and put it in his mouth.
"Miss, have you successfully become an apprentice? Will you be going out every day from now on?"
"Um."
The meal was very uncomfortable for Lin Yi, as if the warmth she felt upon returning home was just an illusion.
Xie Chengfeng sulked, shoveling rice all over the place. Xie Chengnan remained silent, his mood unreadable. Cang Xie, seeing the situation turning sour, buried his head in his rice like an ostrich.
Only Xueya chattered on and on with her. However, this girl wasn't completely oblivious to others' feelings. Later, sensing the awkward atmosphere, she shut up.
The meal was finished in silence.
While clearing the table, Xueya leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Miss, the young master might be sick. He's been coughing all afternoon. Why don't you take a look at him tonight?"
"You're sick, should I see you?"
"Yes, Miss, aren't you studying medicine? This is a good opportunity for you to practice your skills, and you can also take this chance to get to know your future husband..."
"What's going on in your little head?" Lin Yi poked her forehead with his finger.
Although she said she wouldn't go, Lin Yi still went to the study before going to bed. Just like Xueya said, since she's studying medicine now, she might as well test the results of her hard work these past few days.
When she entered the room, Xie Chengnan was lying on a soft couch, propping his head up, and flipping through a booklet.
Lin Yi sat down naturally on the round stool next to the bed. "I heard you were sick?"
Xie Chengnan neither admitted nor denied it, but said jokingly, "What, is Doctor Qiu going to examine me?"
Lin Yi made a move to check Xie Chengnan's pulse, and Xie Chengnan put down the booklet and reached out his hand in cooperation.
Lin Yi saw the words "account book" written in traditional Chinese characters on the cover. It turned out he was reconciling accounts.
She held her breath and examined him for a moment, then asked suspiciously, "Are you really sick?"
Xie Chengnan straightened his cuffs, which were wrinkled from taking the pulse. "What did you feel?"
"Five breaths in one breath, strong pulse at the cun position, continuous pulse upon deep palpation. Simply put, it couldn't be better."
"Did you learn this from medical books?" Xie Chengnan chuckled. "That's right, I'm strong and healthy, I never get sick."
"That's perfectly healthy. Since I'm not sick, I'll go back and rest now."
"etc."
Lin Yi stopped at the door, somewhat surprised: "Is there something else?"
Their relationship was originally a partnership, essentially a contractual marriage. Before the bride's return visit, this person was trying to make things difficult for her, but after the visit, their attitude changed drastically. They treated her with complete freedom, letting her do whatever she wanted. In the past few days, aside from the two meals they shared each day, they had barely interacted. More like neighbors under the same roof than husband and wife.
Her kind neighbor gestured with his chin, indicating that she should sit down.
Lin Yi said somewhat impatiently, "Get to the point, I'm not sitting down." She was really tired after a busy afternoon.
"That day you ran into the Crown Prince and Zhan Xian. You said you treated Zhan Xian to wontons, but you didn't mention what you asked the Crown Prince to do."
The mention of the Crown Prince caused Xie Chengnan's gaze to change abruptly. His previous nonchalance transformed into a sharp, icy intensity, his serpentine eyes scanning Lin Yi's face before finally locking onto her gaze.
Lin Yixin felt guilty and dared not meet his gaze.
She knew it; it concerned the Crown Prince, so how could Xie Chengnan not care? Sure enough, several days had passed, and he was already bringing up the matter again to demand an explanation.
"Didn't I tell you last time? I treated Zhan Xian to several bowls of wontons, and when the Crown Prince found out, he pushed me, which is why I got hurt."
"I gave it a push—but yesterday when I went out, I overheard some of the shop assistants next to the Huichun Medical Clinic saying that a few days ago a rich young man riding a horse almost trampled a beautiful young woman to death?"
"That girl wasn't you?"
"It's me."
They admitted it quite readily. Xie Chengnan sneered, "Didn't you two meet at the wonton shop?"
"Last time I only said that I met Zhan Xian at the wonton shop. When did I say that I saw the Crown Prince there? Xie Chengnan, you should have some limits to your imagination."
She didn't seem to have said it; it was Xie Chengnan's own interpretation. But her attitude... was really unpleasant.
"Let's put that aside for now. How could it be such a coincidence that you fell out of Huichun Medical Clinic and landed right on his horse? Was this really not something you planned?"
"...Even if, as you say, it was all my doing, it has nothing to do with you, Young Marquis Xie?"
"It doesn't really matter much, but you shouldn't have forgotten the purpose of our marriage, right? I think I need to know what your purpose was in deliberately getting close to the Crown Prince and even giving him Zhan Xian's token?" Xie Chengnan picked up the account book again and tapped it gently in his hand.
"You sent someone to follow me?" Lin Yi felt a chill run down his spine. There were few people on the street that day, and Lin Yi was certain that no one was nearby. If he had really listened to what his shop assistant said, he wouldn't know so much about the token.
Xie Chengnan found it amusing: "Do you think my household has extra manpower to do such a boring thing?"
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