Chapter 74: In the Mist But you will never leave me in this life. ...
New Year's Eve vigil, we did keep vigil on this night, but in a different way.
In the warm candlelight, the brocade curtains are closed, blocking out the spring scenery.
It was clearly a serious night watch, and Jiang Yunjin had no such intention, but why did it turn out like this in the end?
The embroidered lotus curtain above her head swayed, and Cui Yiluo's consciousness swayed with it, but she was very clearly aware that it was her own initiative.
She had simply been trying to distract him, perhaps because she couldn't bear to see him with his eyes downcast. She simply wanted to comfort him. After all, he had done her a favor, and while she might have been unscrupulous, she wasn't ungrateful.
He said she was the most special person to him, but what about him to her? Amidst the turmoil, Cui Yiluo couldn't understand. But she realized that after the shock of knowing the person in the cave was him, she didn't resist. Instead, she felt relieved, relieved that it was Jiang Yunjin.
When Cui Yiluo realized this thought, her heart skipped a beat.
Did she trust him a little too much? And beneath that trust, there was a hidden layer of dependence, and even other emotions.
It's over. She thought, she seemed to really like him a little.
"What are you thinking about?" He whispered beside my ear, "Your heart is beating fast."
His warm, slender fingers were brushing against her heart.
Cui Yiluo realized what she was thinking about and her heart was beating faster. She couldn't help but feel ashamed and angry, and her snow-white face turned even redder.
Even if she had some feelings for him, she would not admit it.
Just when she was in a state of confusion and passion, his fingers did not leave her heart, his dark eyes piercing her, "Right now, do you have me in your heart?"
Cui Yiluo didn't understand why he was so sensitive and felt uneasy. His fingers were still brushing against her chest, and he could feel her heartbeat closely.
She immediately pulled his wrist away and said emphatically, "No, not at all!"
Jiang Yunjin was not annoyed. He just smoothed her hair that was wet and stuck to her cheeks, his eyes deep, "But you will never leave me in this life."
After he said this, Cui Yiluo really didn't know how to refute. After all, when he stopped the car that day, her behavior of going back home with him from Qingchi Lane showed everything: she didn't want to divorce him.
He continued, "Sooner or later, you will have me in your heart."
Cui Yiluo hardly dared to look him in the eye due to his strong and confident attitude. She felt so guilty that she didn't want to continue, fearing that he would notice her arousal.
She pushed his shoulders, but he took advantage of the situation and held her tighter in his arms, burying his head forcefully in the crook of her neck, pulling her in with neither lightness nor strength to become more in tune with him.
She heard his voice muffled, "A Luo, I'm very happy tonight, thank you very much."
Cui Yiluo's heart felt aching, and it was beating even harder, almost bursting out of her chest. She was so shocked that she couldn't speak. She subconsciously hugged him tightly, as if she was afraid of being swept away by the waves. He trembled slightly, and hugged her even tighter.
Until the end, she didn't say a complete sentence. On the eve of dawn, when the night was at its darkest, Jiang Yunjin carried her out of the bathroom.
She was already extremely tired and felt sleepy as soon as she touched the quilt, but she was still worried about something and insisted on waiting for Jiang Yunjin to come out of the shower.
He had to keep watch tonight, so he did not change into his pajamas. Instead, he changed into a light green round-necked brocade robe, which made him look more noble and elegant, and his face looked like a jade crown.
When Cui Yiluo saw the robe he was wearing, she felt much less sleepy.
"you……"
Jiang Yunjin said calmly: "Don't you like it?"
When Cui Yiluo was selecting fabrics for his new year, she made him several pieces according to the specifications. But after choosing the snow-white and moon-white colors, she also selected some lighter colors. She actually guessed he wouldn't wear them. After all, she had chosen other fabrics for him before, but he had never worn them.
Although she suspected he wouldn't wear it, she still chose the color for some reason. But now he actually wore the other color robe she chose... It was like a piece of cold jade, suddenly embellished with color.
Cui Yiluo's heart also felt like it was filled with something.
I do like it, she thought.
He sat down on the edge of the couch, "Why don't you sleep?"
Keeping watch was just a rule. There were only two of them in the room, so he could just do it by himself.
He sat on the edge of the couch like a towering mountain, bringing with him countless comforts. Cui Yiluo relaxed unconsciously, and the sleepiness that had just disappeared came back with it.
She called his name, and he hummed softly. Half-conscious, she looked at him vaguely and finished what was on her mind: "Jiang Yunjin, stop dwelling on those rules. Your parents' death wasn't your fault, and even if you punish yourself by following the rules, it won't help. So, stop dwelling on the past."
The figure sitting upright beside the couch did not move for a long time, as if frozen.
Cui Yiluo continued, her voice a little slurred by sleepiness, "How about replacing the screen wall in the courtyard tomorrow? I prefer patterns of flowers and birds."
From the first time she saw the screen wall, she had felt a pang of dislike for it. Even after their marriage, she had been looking for an opportunity to replace it. After tonight, the feeling of disgust had become even deeper. Standing before the courtyard gate, the screen wall seemed to be a reminder of his past, bound by rituals and customs.
The man still didn't answer. That screen wall was where he'd used it as a child, when he'd been punished to face the wall and reflect on his mistakes because his academic performance didn't meet his father's expectations. It was covered with words of a gentleman, and he'd recite them silently while tracing the words carved into the rosewood with his hand.
His father said that only when the fingertips bleed can one remember it in his heart.
Later, he was no longer punished to reflect on his mistakes facing the wall, but he did not replace the screen wall. Every day when he entered and left the courtyard, he could see the tall screen wall standing in front of the courtyard gate, as if reminding him of the tragic consequences of not following the rules.
Jiang Yunjin remained silent for a long time, so long that Cui Yiluo thought he still couldn't let it go. She temporarily gave up the idea and prepared to go to sleep, only to hear him respond softly, and the voice was quickly swallowed up in the darkness.
"good."
-
After New Year’s Eve, we welcome the new year.
That day, Jiang Zhaoyue invited Yang Jingling and Xie Xiyun to her house for a small gathering. They had previously dried some flowers and were filling them into sachets. This was a traditional New Year's ritual, and the sachets were hung in front of the curtains to pray for peace and happiness in the coming year.
There aren't many types of dried flowers on the table, but different combinations and dosages create different scents.
Cui Yiluo prefers sweet and refreshing fragrance, so she added more wintersweet and peony, and the cool and refreshing fragrance lingered around her nose.
Jiang Zhaoyue took it and sniffed it, then said with a mischievous smile, "It's cold yet sweet. Big brother will definitely like it."
Cui Yiluo took it and said, "This is hung in the room. There's incense burning in the room, so he might not be able to smell it."
The incense burning in the Boshan incense burner in the room was a camellia scent tinged with the fragrance of bamboo leaves. She had someone specially mix it and it filled every corner of the bedroom. Even her and Jiang Yunjin's clothes were stained with the same fragrance.
If you hang one or two sachets with different scents in the room, it will not be easy to tell them apart.
Jiang Zhaoyue was surprised when she heard this, "Big Brother will definitely be able to smell it, he has always had a keen sense of smell."
Cui Yiluo was stunned. After spending several months together, she still didn't know that Jiang Yunjin had a keen sense of smell. She subconsciously doubted it for a moment.
Perhaps Jiang Zhaoyue had caught the flicker of suspicion on her face. She looked at Yang Jingling and said, "Jingling, do you still remember the Double Ninth Festival banquet at the palace a few years ago?"
"I remember," Yang Jingling explained slowly to Cui Yiluo, "At the time, the Emperor set a prize. First, you had to smell twenty herbs, then blindfold yourself with a black cloth and identify and name the twenty herbs purely by smell. The Emperor ordered everyone except the Imperial Hospital to attend the banquet, and my father was the judge."
By the time Yang Jingling had finished speaking, Cui Yiluo had roughly grasped what had happened. Xie Xiyun, who was also present at the time, also agreed that it had indeed happened.
"Among all the court officials, only Lord Jiang can identify twenty herbs, which shows how sharp his sense of smell is." Yang Jingling winked at Cui Yiluo and smiled, "In such a short period of time, he has to remember the smells of twenty herbs and then match them with their names. This is definitely not an easy task for someone who is not a doctor."
Xie Xiyun recalled: "At that time, apart from Jiang Linggong, there were only a handful of people who could predict fifteen or sixteen of them."
This clearly shows that Jiang Yunjin not only has an exceptional memory, but also an extremely keen sense of smell. Recalling the Double Ninth Festival banquet, several people were amazed at Jiang Yunjin's outstanding ability.
But Cui Yiluo felt a chill down her spine.
In the evening, Cui Yiluo hung the sachet on the embroidered curtain in the room. She was a little absent-minded in the afternoon, so she was a little slow in stuffing the dried flowers into the sachet. Now her hands were full of the delicate fragrance of the dried flowers.
She was wearing a goose yellow cloak and standing in front of the door, staring at the replaced screen wall at the courtyard gate.
That night she said she wanted to replace the screen wall stained with his blood, and he really did it the next day. His decisiveness surprised Cui Yiluo, but she wanted to see Jiang Yunjin forget the past that had bound him for more than twenty years.
The screen wall in front of her was in the style of a hundred birds playing with flowers. According to the few words Lilan heard from Wen Feng, this screen wall was chosen by Jiang Yunjin himself. As the candlelight flickered that night, she mumbled in a daze that she liked the pattern of flowers and birds.
Cui Yiluo stared at the screen wall with heavy eyes.
The next moment, a tall man's figure appeared behind the screen wall. He was wearing a moon-white brocade robe today, and he was still as noble and unparalleled as before, like the bright moon among the clouds, which made him look even more gentle and pure.
When Jiang Yunjin heard that Cui Yiluo, Jiang Zhaoyue and others had ended their small party, he came out of the study. However, he did not expect that Cui Yiluo would be standing directly in front of the bedroom door waiting for him. A tiny light flashed across his dark eyes, but then he frowned and quickened his pace towards her.
He held her hand directly, and when he felt the coldness in her palm, his brows furrowed even more. Without saying a word, he led her into the room.
It was not until the warmth in the room hit him that Jiang Yunjin's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.
"It's cold outside, aren't you afraid of freezing?"
His tone was a little serious, mixed with worry, as if he was really worried that she would catch a cold if she stood outside for a while.
The room was too warm, and Cui Yiluo's palms gradually became warm. She was almost greedy for this warmth, and it was hard for her to bear to break it.
She bit her lip and suddenly took a step forward to hug him. Her initiative made Jiang Yunjin stiffen for a moment, but he quickly responded and hugged the petite body tightly in his arms with one arm.
His voice, with a hint of a smile, rang out at the beginning: "In the future, you don't have to wait for me at the door. If you want to see me, just send a message directly."
Cui Yiluo denied in a low voice: "I didn't want to see you, but I've been sitting all afternoon and my legs and feet are a little numb, so I just stood outside for a while."
Jiang Yunjin chuckled softly and did not expose her weak and untenable excuse.
He changed the subject: "Did you change to a new sachet?"
Cui Yiluo's body froze instantly.
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The author has something to say: I have started to finish the story and will try to finish it in a week.
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