Jealousy
As the evening wore on, Cui Zhiyun deliberately went into the bathroom with clean clothes before leaving. This infuriated Taishi Zheng, who was sitting on the porch. She crossed her arms in surprise, her legs shaking uncontrollably.
Zheng just stared at the bathroom door, lost in thought.
Aunt Wu passed by her and glanced back at the people in the corridor. She wanted to leave, but turned back out of curiosity. "Madam, what's wrong with you? Are you cold? Do you want me to light a charcoal brazier for you to warm you up?"
Zheng shook her head, but her legs still trembled.
Her embarrassment was written all over her face.
Zheng glanced at Aunt Wu casually and asked, "Aunt Wu, you said it's neither early nor late now, so why is Erlang taking a bath now?"
Aunt Wu was puzzled. She glanced at the bathroom door. "What else can he do? I heard that Madam and Erlang were planning to go out tonight. Since he's going with you, shouldn't Erlang clean up properly? How could he embarrass you? Besides, it's perfectly normal for him to do this. You don't know, Erlang has loved cleanliness since he was a child. I've seen him wash three times a day. He only washed once today, so it's nothing unusual."
Tai Shi Zheng didn't listen. He always felt that there was something fishy going on with Cui Zhijun.
Who was he meeting? He refused to say, leaving Zheng feeling antsy and anxious, scratching her head. Adding to that what happened this afternoon, Zheng's suspicions were reinforced. She dropped her arms and couldn't help but complain, "Wash, wash, wash, you're not even afraid of getting your skin ripped off. I might as well just stay in the bathroom!"
Zheng's complaint only made Aunt Wu even more puzzled. She thought it was a good thing that her husband was clean, so how could he have offended this person? However, soon after Cui Zhijun came out of the bathroom, all her doubts suddenly surfaced.
"Madam, you are going out. Would you like to wash up and change your clothes?" Cui Zhijun came to Tai Shi Zheng and spoke in a normal tone.
But it seemed he had merely cleaned his face, washed it casually. Yet the faint sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance emanating from him made Taishi Zheng, who had stood up and lingered beside Cui Zhijun for a while, feel dissatisfied.
Zheng pouted and looked at the person in front of her, joking with dissatisfaction: "My dear, you smell so good today - I think we must be seeing a lady. But I won't change, I'm fine like this! I can't steal your limelight! Aunt Wu, don't you think so?"
Aunt Wu smiled but said nothing when she heard this.
Cui Zhijun was surprised: "How did you know it was a woman?"
What? I guessed it right.
Cui Zhijun, you really don't hide anything at all——
Zheng's smile froze at his words. She snorted, turned around, and closed the door without looking back. Cui Zhijun looked up, confused. He was an honest man, but he never looked down on people. He asked Aunt Wu, "What's wrong with her? Is there any fragrance..."
Cui Zhijun lifted the collar of his shirt and put it to his nose to sniff. "Why don't I smell it? Do you smell it?"
"aroma?"
Aunt Wu pretended to sniff around and frowned, "Yes, there is a smell, but it's not a fragrance."
"It's not a fragrance? What is it?" Cui Zhijun was puzzled. Aunt Wu straightened up. "Vinegar, it's the smell of vinegar. No, I have to look for it carefully. Maybe someone's vinegar jar has fallen over and they are so stupid that they don't know it. This smell is overwhelming! If you don't pick it up quickly, it will make everyone sour-"
Aunt Wu raised her hand and waved it vigorously in front of Cui Zhijun, but Cui Zhijun stepped back in confusion, "Is there... is there?"
"Yes, why not?"
Aunt Wu looked at Cui Zhijun's stupid face. She didn't understand what he was saying, even though it was almost hitting his face. She made a few excuses and hurried away. "My dear, just smell it here. I think the smell will still be there once you open the door. I'll go look outside the courtyard, look around..."
Aunt Wu is gone.
Cui Zhijun stood in front of the empty corridor, watching the two people leave. He subconsciously put his nose out to sniff. But apart from the dampness of rain and snow, there was no other smell in the air.
Cui Zhijun was stunned for a long while, and finally thought to himself: "Clearly... there is no smell of jealousy..."
-
Later, it was time to set off.
Cui Zhijun reached out and knocked on the door of the east room.
Unexpectedly, he had only knocked lightly, his fingertips barely leaving the door. Taishi Zheng was inside, as if waiting for the door to open, and immediately opened it. Cui Zhijun looked up, surprised. What a stinky face!
Could it be that something happened again at the Kuaixue Banquet? But why didn't the person in front of me mention anything?
Cui Zhijun looked at Taishi Zheng with a hint of concern. But Zheng wanted Cui Zhijun to guess what she was thinking, so she could talk to her openly. However, the man before her looked calm and composed, with no sign of abnormality at all.
Cui Zhijun looked at Zheng's sour face and asked softly, "Madam, are you feeling unwell? Why don't we wait until another day?"
"..." Tai Shi Zheng curled her lips. How could this idiot not tell what was good and what was bad?
So annoying.
"I'm fine, no need!"
Taishi Zheng yelled and sullenly walked out the door. She now understood why Song Mingyue had been so jealous and resentful when she saw the third child. The men in their family were just as idiotic as ever! None of them were smart.
Cui Zhijun looked at his wife walking away quickly, confused and puzzled, but still hurried to catch up with her.
And so, the young couple walked silently through the small garden they had to pass through. Tai Shi Zheng was now furious. She would occasionally look back, but always turned her head away when Cui Zhijun was about to speak to her.
This made Cui Zhijun, who was following behind cautiously, dare not provoke him easily.
But this is not a solution...
Cui Zhijun didn't know where he got the courage from, but he suddenly quickened his pace and held Tai Shi Zheng's hand when passing by her.
He held it tightly in his palm in an instant.
Taishi Zheng stared in astonishment at the figure half a foot away. Her arm gradually rose in sync with the movements of the person before her, and her steps became increasingly tighter. Cui Zhijun had actually taken the initiative to hold her hand.
The anger in Zheng's heart was suppressed a little. But she was not the kind of person who would be fooled by such small favors.
Zheng deliberately shook off Cui Zhijun's hand.
Unexpectedly, Cui Zhijun held on very tightly, and their palms seemed to be stuck together tightly.
Zheng blushed. While it was a small favor, it felt sweet. She'd never enjoyed Choi Shik-jun's advances, so she decided to let them go for now. And so, the couple, hand in hand, went from a frantic chase to a leisurely walk against the setting sun.
Cui Zhijun sensed the calmness of the people behind him, so he chose this moment to speak: "I see you're not very happy. Did your mother give you a hard time again at the Kuaixue Feast?"
Is this caring about yourself?
Zheng raised Ben's drooping eyes, shook her head, and said nothing.
Seeing that she didn't answer, Cui Zhijun pulled her closer and said, "If there's anything, tell me. I'm your..." Even with the corny name hanging on his lips, Cui Zhijun still swallowed his words with difficulty. "Anyway, you don't have to carry it alone. The relationships in the Bo Mansion are difficult to deal with. I understand."
Zheng smiled knowingly, her anxiety seemed to be gradually soothed by Cui Zhijun.
She thought that maybe she had really wronged him.
"It's difficult to deal with. Erlang doesn't know that Third Aunt wants to take a concubine for you and Sanlang." Zheng deliberately said this to Cui Zhijun.
Cui Zhijun turned his head in disbelief when he heard this. He spoke with the same righteousness and sternness, "What? Why is Third Aunt saying this? You and I have been married for just over a month and you're already talking to me about taking a concubine. This is really not what an elder should do."
Zheng stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Cui Zhijun say this. "Oh, so you mean if we're married for more than a month, we can talk about taking a concubine? Okay, Cui Zhijun, I knew you had second thoughts. You're not as serious and reliable as you appear."
"I don't want to hold your hand anymore, please let go of me——"
Zheng became anxious.
Cui Zhijun grabbed her hand, which was about to let go, and explained repeatedly, "Madam, you misunderstood. I absolutely do not approve of taking a concubine. Before I married Madam, I had never even thought about getting married, so there is no need to mention taking a concubine. As the saying goes, a couple is a lifetime together. It is not easy to be with Madam in this life. Why should I add to the trouble and make Madam unhappy..."
Cui Zhiyun opened his heart to her, and these words were not just simple promises.
Taishi Zheng was amazed when he looked up.
The sky also fell for the two of them. On the dim path, falling snow returned to the quiet world. The young couple looked up, and they were covered in the wind and snow. The journey was long, the world was full of ups and downs. If this life could grow as white as today, then this moment would not be in vain...
There was no letting go of the hand.
Zheng whispered softly, "It's snowing."
Cui Zhijun also answered softly: "Yeah."
This was the first snow they had witnessed together since they met. It was the beginning of a life of countless journeys, the first memory they would look back on... Then, the young couple boarded the carriage, which left tracks on the snow as it slowly moved away, finally arriving at the alley where Tai Shi Zheng had encountered Cui Zhiyun that night.
"Why did you bring me here?" Zheng lowered the curtain, but Cui Zhijun held out his hand and said, "Let's go. You'll know when you get there."
Zheng was a little hesitant, but still chose to accept his invitation.
Got out of the car with him.
Two footprints gently treaded across the snow, slowly extending toward the alley entrance. The coachman gazed at the figures supporting each other in the snowy wind, lowered his gaze, and climbed into the carriage. The dim lantern at the alley entrance swayed in the wind. Zheng looked around and saw that it was an ordinary street, littered with wooden boxes piled haphazardly, and the distant, varying heights of mud walls, all betraying the place's desolation.
Tai Shi Zheng still didn't know the answer.
Cui Zhijun remained silent.
Cui Zhijun didn't stop until he arrived in front of a neat courtyard and took out Tai Shi Zheng's hands, which he had warmed, from his arms.
Zheng stood there obediently, waiting for Cui Zhijun to knock on the old wooden door.
However, just as Cui Zhijun raised his hand, he turned to Taishi Zheng and said, "Madam, I remembered that I left something in the car. The roads are slippery in the snow, so you don't have to go with me. Just wait for me here under the eaves. I'll be back soon."
Zheng nodded, "Then be careful."
Cui Zhijun turned and walked away, his footprints gradually blending with his last steps. Zheng was left alone, breathing heavily, silently waiting for Cui Zhijun's return. Unexpectedly, the gate opened on its own without being knocked.
Zheng looked over, bewildered. The door opened slightly, and a woman dressed in plain clothes, about Cui Zhijun's age, stepped out, holding a baby about six months old. Zheng stared at the person before her, her clear eyes widening.
For a moment, the two looked at each other, and Zheng felt a little embarrassed.
She hurriedly turned around and pointed in the direction Cui Zhijun left, then turned to the person behind her and said, "Hello... hello, um... I am..."
The woman smiled slightly and opened the gate.
"I know, you're hiding from the snow here, right? The snow is really heavy today. Why don't you come with me into the house? I'll pour you a bowl of hot water to warm you up, and then you can leave when the snow subsides."
"No, no." Zheng waved her hand hastily. She thought she should wait for Cui Zhijun to come back. "I'm waiting for someone. Thank you, madam. You don't have to worry about me. It's windy outside. You should carry the child inside."
The woman casually tucked the collar of the doll in her arms and replied to Taishi Zheng, "Madam, are you waiting for someone too?"
Zheng was puzzled when she heard this: "Also?"
"Yes, I'm waiting for the child's father." The woman nodded. "Erlang said he would come tonight. I wonder where he is now? It shouldn't be that far from Imperial College to Fuyuanfang, so he should have arrived long ago. Seeing the snow getting heavier, I was a little worried, so I took the child out to check... I didn't expect to run into my wife by chance. We are destined to be together."
What! ?
The woman spoke lightly.
Zheng, standing beneath the eaves, was instantly petrified. She was blown down by the north wind, slamming headfirst into the wall beside the door. The woman, seeing this, was about to reach out to help the child, but Taishi Zheng raised a hand to stop her. She slowly twisted her stiff neck, fixed her gaze on the child, and asked, "So, this... is Erlang's child?"
"Madam, do you know Erlang?" The woman was confused when she heard that.
The sound of teeth gnashing and gnashing echoed. Zheng stood up straight, her eyes fixed on the vaguely tall figure at the entrance of the alley, and she responded harshly, "I know him, of course I don't know him? I know him so well..."
At that time, the two fell silent.
Zheng cursed in her heart: "Men's words are lies. Cui Zhijun, you are so good! You have more than just someone outside, you have it all. What do you mean by a lifelong couple?"
I really believed your lies -
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
