Chapter 70: Plum Blossom Drunk I want to stay with you.
Cui Yiluo had a feeling something was wrong and wanted to test the waters again, but Mrs. Jiang was unwilling to keep her.
But even after returning to Jixuezhai, she still hadn't figured it out. Old Madam Jiang wouldn't bring up something that didn't exist for no reason, unless Jiang Yunjin had said it himself.
Why would he say that? Cui Yiluo carefully searched her memories, but there was no trace of Jiang Yunjin. She couldn't recall a time before she arrived in Shengjing when she'd met him. He was a child of destiny, born and raised in Shengjing, while she had been raised in Ningzhou. It was impossible for them to have had any connection.
Unless, he has been to Ningzhou.
Cui Yiluo suddenly remembered that when she had just arrived in Shengjing and was still trying to seduce him, she had accidentally mentioned Ningzhou once, and he rarely spoke.
But if he had really been to Ningzhou and met her, with his appearance and demeanor, there was no way she would forget him.
When Cui Yiluo was recalling it carefully again, Lilan came in.
"Girl, the third girl is here."
Jiang Zhaoyue arrived at the right time, and Cui Yiluo hurriedly asked someone to invite Jiang Zhaoyue to the flower hall.
"I heard from my grandmother that you went to Qingzhou. How come you came back so soon?"
Before Cui Yiluo could answer, Jiang Zhaoyue teased, "Did Big Brother invite you back? I was told that Big Brother treats you differently, so why would he marry someone else?"
When Jiang Zhaoyue mentioned it before, Cui Yiluo thought it was impossible. Jiang Yunjin only had the Jiang family and the government in his heart, so how could he have any romantic feelings for her?
Cui Yiluo failed to refute, and her smile was tinged with helplessness.
"But cousin, has my husband ever left Shengjing before?"
The topic changed suddenly. Jiang Zhaoyue was stunned for a moment, and then his expression became a little strange, as if he remembered something.
"Why do you ask that suddenly?"
Cui Yiluo's expression remained normal. "I'm a little curious."
Jiang Zhaoyue smiled and said meaningfully, "Being curious about someone's past means that he has changed in your heart. It seems that you and big brother are very much in love, cousin."
Cui Yiluo glanced at her helplessly, feeling a little anxious, and asked again whether Jiang Yunjin had ever left Shengjing.
Jiang Zhaoyue's expression grew even more strange, and he hesitated to speak. However, facing his cousin's beautiful, pleading eyes, he finally gave in and said, "Big brother has been strictly disciplined by his uncle and aunt since he was a child. He almost never left the house with his classmates, let alone traveled."
Cui Yiluo's eyes darkened slightly when she heard this. She had known for a while that Jiang Yunjin was under strict discipline by his parents, but hearing it again now, the image of him toiling away in his study all day was particularly striking.
Even last time when she lured him to watch a play in order to prevent him from knowing that the Cui family was coming to Shengjing, he said that it was his first time to watch a play.
Most young men would travel for a while before entering officialdom. Even Cui Jun had traveled. Jiang Yunjin came from a noble family and had outstanding talent and learning since childhood. He should have traveled all over the mountains and rivers and seen the mountains and rivers, but except for official business, he had never left Shengjing.
Thinking of this, Cui Yiluo felt a little depressed.
"But..." Jiang Zhaoyue changed the subject. "When my eldest brother was fifteen, he left the mansion for a while, but I don't know where he went, or whether he was in Shengjing. I was still young at the time and didn't know the details. Besides, this matter is related to my eldest brother's parents. Cousin, that's all I can say."
Has Jiang Yunjin ever left the mansion?
When he was fifteen years old, Cui Yiluo was only eleven or twelve. She had never heard of any young man from Shengjing in Ningzhou, let alone meeting him. Moreover, Ningzhou was just a small city that was not very rich, and it was far away from Shengjing. Even if Jiang Yunjin left Shengjing, it was unlikely that he would choose this place.
After Jiang Zhaoyue finished talking to her, she was somewhat certain that she had indeed never met him.
But she always felt that something was missing.
The days are shorter in winter. By mealtime, it is already dark outside the window. The octagonal palace lantern hanging on the ceiling spins in the wind. The hall is brightly lit, but very quiet. Only the sound of bowls and chopsticks clinking can be heard.
On the dining table, there are a variety of rich dishes, such as Four Happiness Meatballs, Shengping Roasted Meat, and Golden Millet Rice Noodles, which are bright in color and delicious in taste, making people's appetites grow.
Cui Yiluo lowered her eyes, and suddenly she saw slender fingers holding chopsticks, putting an orange-red shrimp into her bowl.
Cui Yiluo subconsciously raised her eyes and met the man's dark and deep eyes. He looked straight at her and didn't seem to feel uncomfortable about taking the initiative to add more food for her.
But it was normal. After all, during those five days in Qingchi Lane, he even held her in his arms and fed her meals.
"What are you thinking about?"
He asked seriously. Cui Yiluo curled her lips and smiled, "Didn't my husband say, 'Don't talk while eating, and don't talk while sleeping'?"
He had never followed the rule of not talking while sleeping, but he had always adhered to the rule of not talking while eating. Eating with him was almost the same as eating alone.
Despite being teased by her, Jiang Yunjin remained calm, as if he no longer took the rules seriously. He was not like before, when he would feel uncomfortable after being teased by her after breaking the rules, and then he would warn her not to mention it again.
"Would you like to come to the study tonight? I've had the place where the bookcase used to be rearranged, with a desk in place, screens to separate it, and a few extra candles. You can look at the account books there; it's more spacious and brighter than in the bedroom."
Ever since the Qingchi Lane incident, his temperament had changed drastically. He was always trying to get her to stay with him, either overtly or covertly, sometimes by force, sometimes by cunning. He sent people to inquire about the matter of her visiting his study at night to look at the account books almost every day.
After all, the bedroom is a place for living. During the day, Cui Yiluo would still look at the account books in the accounting office, but at night, she could only put the account books in the bedroom and often sit on the couch.
The desk on the couch is naturally much narrower than Jiang Yunjin's study.
"My husband has considered everything so thoroughly, how can I refuse?"
Cui Yiluo smiled, and when Jiang Yunjin's expression brightened a little, she changed the subject, "But I don't want to go."
Jiang Yunjin's brows sank instantly, and his eyes dimmed like falling stars.
He said in a deep tone, "You just don't want to stay with me."
Cui Yiluo chuckled softly, as if that rule-abiding, indifferent man had become her. She rested her chin on her hand and looked at him with interest, "It's a pity that my husband's study has too many rules. The bedroom is more comfortable."
Even tea is not allowed in his study, and there are countless other rules like this.
Jiang Yunjin paused for a moment, as if he didn't expect this to be the reason.
After a few breaths, he pursed his lips, his expression as if he had made a great concession, "Whatever you want, I'll have someone bring it to you."
Cui Yiluo's smile deepened, her eyes gleaming in the candlelight. "My husband wants to be with me so much now that he even wants me to be by his side when he's reading official documents? Do you still have any sense of propriety?"
Jiang Yunjin didn't comment, only saying, "The bedroom is dark, which is bad for your eyes."
Cui Yiluo uttered a soft "oh" and said, "Don't worry, my husband. I'll have someone add a few more lamps later. It won't hurt your eyes."
After the words fell, Jiang Yunjin's face became even darker. He stared at her with his dark eyes for a few seconds, his jaw tensed, and he spoke in a muffled voice, "Yes."
Cui Yiluo pretended not to know, "What is it?"
Jiang Yunjin looked somewhat helpless, but still answered her: "I want to stay with you."
Even when he was working in the study, he wanted to be with her, even if there was a screen between them, even if he could only see her figure reflected on the screen by the candlelight.
Cui Yiluo smiled, her eyes becoming more and more proud, and the bright light that flashed in them seemed as if she had won a great victory in a hard fight.
"Since my husband has asked me, of course I won't refuse. Then I want to have golden milk pastry tonight..." Cui Yiluo listed several types of pastries in succession. Seeing that Jiang Yunjin was just listening silently and seemed to be taking notes, she was about to call Wen Feng, who was guarding outside the dining hall, to order someone to prepare it for her.
The octagonal palace lantern on the roof suddenly shook, and the light in the dining room flickered between bright and dim in an instant.
Cui Yiluo's heart skipped a beat and she suddenly straightened her expression.
"I don't need anything, just Junshan Silver Needle will do."
He couldn't possibly attract insects and ants and ruin his collection of books.
Jiang Yunjin was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and seemed to understand her intention, and the dark shadows in his eyes gradually spread.
But he hesitated for a moment before finally admonishing, "Drinking tea at night will make it difficult to fall asleep."
Cui Yiluo responded calmly, "That's fine. There's tea in the bedroom."
Jiang Yunjin looked at her, his expression changed several times in an instant, and finally he nodded in agreement.
-
The sky turned completely dark, with only a few stone lamps in the courtyard illuminating the bluestone road. However, the lights in the study were bright, and the candlelight shone through the thick silk, illuminating the corridor so brightly that people could see things clearly.
Behind the screen, Cui Yiluo was a bit surprised. Jiang Yunjin had been truly attentive. Not only had he provided all the necessary utensils, but he had also paid attention to the placement of the charcoal basin and candles, and the height of the armchair and desk. The screen stood before them, completely separating her from him. Although they shared the same room, it felt like they were separated. He didn't want to disturb her.
Cui Yiluo looked at the embroidered screen with flowers and birds in front of her. His figure sitting at the desk was vague and blurry, but she could still feel his concentration as he read the documents.
She held her chin and looked at him, when she suddenly heard his voice coming from behind the screen.
"What's wrong?"
Cui Yiluo was stunned. Even through the screen, he could so keenly notice that she was looking at him.
She wouldn't admit it, and just said, "I was just looking down at the accounts and my neck got a little tired."
That's why she raised her head and looked forward. She wasn't looking at him intentionally.
A low, almost inaudible chuckle came from behind the screen.
Cui Yiluo didn't know if he saw through her, so she didn't ask any further questions. Instead, she said, "If you feel tired, you can browse the books on the bookcase next to you."
The place where Cui Yiluo was sitting was originally filled with several tall and wide rosewood bookcases, all filled with his treasured books, which were regularly sorted, cleaned, and aired. However, in order to create this semi-open partition, his bookcases had been moved to the side, and they were squeezed in a rather cramped place.
Cui Yiluo glanced at the bookcases crowded next to her and responded.
She was indeed tired of looking through the account books. Jiang Yunjin's bookshelf was densely packed with books, and Cui Yiluo was a little curious about what other books he read besides The Way of a Gentleman.
By the time I reacted, I had already walked to the bookcase.
Each book had a wooden plaque carefully labeled with its title. Cui Yiluo gently stroked one of the plaques. The handwriting on the plaque was flamboyant yet elegant. She recognized it immediately: it was his.
He actually annotated all the books himself.
Cui Yiluo casually glanced at the wooden sign, and a hint of surprise suddenly flashed in her eyes. She pulled out the book.
His fingertips slid across the pages of the book, and the pages unfolded. The three words "Mixian Yin" were written in ink on the paper.
On the left, there was a detailed description of the prescription and its efficacy, which was exactly the same as what she had read before.
On the far right, there is a vertical row of small characters:
"The fragrance is faint and subtle."
It's his handwriting.
Cui Yiluo was shocked.
Suddenly, her waist tightened, and her back felt warm. His long arms pulled her into his arms.
He hugged her from behind, and heard his whisper beside her ear: "What are you looking at?"
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The author has something to say: A Luo's pupils tremble [dog head]
The plot of the fairy tale jumps to chapter 18 [Sunglasses]
Sorry for being late
Thanks to the nutrient solution and mines [heart]
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