Chapter 277 Sixteen-year-old You, Without Me
The study door was closed, and the afterglow of the sun shone into the room through the window lattice, casting a layer of light on the documents on the desk.
Xiao Yuan stroked her head, lowered his eyes and saw that she was staring at something with her eyes open, so he hugged her and sat her on his lap.
"What are you thinking about?"
Shen Anan was at a loss for a moment, then frowned and said, "I heard that the talisman for praying for marriage in Xiangjue Temple is very effective. I was wondering when we are free, we should go and pray."
Xiao Yuan paused, and his eyes quickly darkened.
"What's wrong? You don't want to go?"
"No." He stroked her hair gently, smiled and held her in his arms, "We will go tomorrow and ask for all the marriage charms from Xiangjue Temple."
Shen Anan curled her lips, "Don't worry, wait until you finish your government affairs."
Xiao Yuan pushed aside the documents on the desk and hugged her to sit on it. "Government affairs are not important. The marriage talisman is more important. I also have the opportunity to burn some incense for my mother."
Shen Anan reached out, hugged his waist, and pressed her cheek against his chest.
Xiao Yuan stroked her back again and again, as if he was coaxing a child.
"Xiao Yuan, did I also love to stick to you like this before?" she suddenly asked.
When the two were together, they rarely mentioned this topic, but Shen Anan knew that he had discovered her abnormality, but he just never said it.
"No, the previous lady was a little hedgehog, and her temper was not much different from that of a donkey."
Shen Anan frowned and looked up at him. Xiao Yuan smiled faintly, "But your husband loves you. After marrying you, I love and care for you, and you have slowly become what you are now."
She looked at his smile and chuckled softly as well.
"An An, don't be afraid. New things happen to us every day. We can also experience those things we have forgotten again. As long as we are together, nothing else matters."
"I'm not afraid." Shen Anan said, "I'm just worried that I might forget something particularly important and cause you trouble."
The situation is tense now, but her memory is only fragmentary, so she doesn't know where to start if she wants to help, and she is afraid of making things worse.
"It's okay. I'm here to support you. I can handle any trouble for you, Madam."
He caressed her face and bent down to cover her red lips.
The official documents on the desk were pushed together and fell to the ground with a crash.
The afterglow reflected on the woman's porcelain-white skin, emitting a crystal luster, and Xiao Yuan's eyes became deeper.
"etc."
His shoulder was suddenly pushed away, and Shen Anan stood up with a frown, "Xiao Yuan."
"Um?"
"I, I feel a little uncomfortable. I want to go back to Wutong Garden first. Is that okay?"
Xiao Yuan paused, nodded slowly, turned over and got off the desk, and dragged her up, "I'll take you there."
"No need, I can go back by myself."
After saying this, she straightened her dress and left the study.
"Qingfeng," Xiao Yuan ordered loudly, "Go to Wutong Garden and guard it. Report immediately if anything happens."
He wanted to be with her all the time.
But she seemed to be busy with something that she had been hiding from him these days, and he didn't dare to ask, for fear that she would be sad.
He picked up the document that had fallen on the ground, but finally bent over and half-knelt on the ground, without moving for a long time. His face was hidden in the shadow under the desk, and his expression could not be seen.
There were just drops of water falling on the floor.
A quarter of an hour later, he picked up the last notebook, his face as calm as water.
He has An An, the Fourth Prince's Mansion, the Shen family, and countless lives hanging on his shoulders. He is the cornerstone of the situation and cannot relax for even a moment.
In the evening, Qingfeng opened the door and came in, his face pale, "Master, the princess wrote a letter in the evening and asked someone to send it to Jiangnan."
Xiao Yuan paused with the tip of his pen, and the ink immediately spread all over the place.
His finger bones turned white from holding the pen with so much effort. After a long while, he finally raised his hand to take the letter.
Seeing the name of the recipient above, Xiao Yuan stared at it for a long time without moving.
I don’t know whether to be thankful or sad, several inexplicable emotions intertwined together.
"The princess ordered that person to send it to Jiangnan as soon as possible. She is waiting for Madam Shen's reply."
Xiao Yuan said nothing and placed the letter in the bottom drawer of the desk.
Qingfeng suddenly realized that his master might have thought that the letter from the princess was addressed to the scholar from Jiangnan, and that was why he was reluctant to read it.
He had followed Xiao Yuan for several years, so he naturally knew the scholar's fear of his master.
And Xiao Yuan really thought so.
He thought she pushed him away and rejected him because she was thinking about that scholar and forgot everything about him.
If that were the case, he was afraid he would go crazy with jealousy.
"Tell that person not to reveal his true identity in front of the princess. If asked, just say he has been sent to Jiangnan."
"yes."
＊
When Shen Anan wrote that letter, it was Mo Xiang who personally served her with the pen and ink, but she didn't dare to show it at the time, and only started to cry in suppression after she left the house.
A handkerchief was stuffed into his hand from the side.
She looked up and saw Qing'an's wooden face, which had never changed. She lowered her head and wiped her tears. "Why are you here when you are not serving in the study?"
Qing'an leaned against the pillar with his arms folded. "When the master is reviewing documents, he usually doesn't allow anyone to get close to him."
He stared at Mo Xiang's tearful face, remained silent for a moment, and said, "What's wrong with you? Did someone bully you?"
You shouldn’t!
The princess consort is the boss of the entire Four Princes' Mansion. Who would dare to mess with her?
It would have been fine if he didn't ask. Once he asked, Mo Xiang's tears flowed even more fiercely, "I, I'm afraid that one day, the prince's wife will forget me as well."
She cried sadly and desperately. Qing'an hesitated for a moment, then walked over and stood in front of her. Mo Xiang was crying heartbreakingly, but was afraid that Shen An'an would hear it, so he buried his head in his waist and sobbed in suppressed pain.
Qing'an was not good at coaxing people. He wanted to raise his hand to pat her on the back, but he looked at his rough palm and then at Moxiang's frail body. He retracted his hand in silence and let her cry.
"Mo Xiang," Shen An'an's voice came from the inner room. Mo Xiang quickly wiped away her tears, pushed Qing'an away, turned around and went back to the house.
"I'm here." Under the glass cup, a smile appeared on her face.
Qingan, "..."
He pursed his lips and lowered his eyes, brushing off the small spot on his waist that was wet from crying.
When Xiao Yuan came back, Shen Anan had already fallen asleep, leaving only a dim candlelight in the room.
She was lying at the innermost side, her whole body pressed against the wall, her arms wrapped around herself, looking lonely and pitiful.
"The princess missed the old lady and cried for a while before going to bed. I wanted to go to the study to report to you, but the princess would not let me, fearing that it would delay your official duties."
Xiao Yuan responded softly, walked up the stairs, pulled the person who was leaning against the wall back and held him in his arms.
"Don't tell her about Madam Shen."
Mo Xiang bowed and agreed, but her eyes couldn't help but turn red, "Sir, the princess' memory is declining day by day. Will she forget everyone one day?"
Mo Xiang's words made Xiao Yuan's heart tremble and hurt. "It's okay. Everyone is by her side. Even if she forgets the past, there are still new memories happening."
What was he afraid of? As long as she was alive and well and stayed by his side, he would be happy no matter what she looked like.
His demands have never been high.
＊
The next morning.
Shen Anan twisted her body in a half-awake state.
Hearing the movement in the room, she blinked her eyelashes but did not open her eyes. She said in a muffled voice, "Mo Xiang, do you have candy for breakfast?"
"Yes." Xiao Yuan fastened his waist belt, bent down and stroked her head, "What else do you want to eat? I'll ask the kitchen to make it."
"Tanghulu, sweet cakes..."
As she was speaking, she suddenly opened her eyes and stared blankly at the handsome man in front of her.
Xiao Yuan was deeply hurt by the blankness and emptiness in her eyes, but he still kept a gentle smile on his face and leaned over to kiss her forehead.
"I'll let Mo Xiang help you get up, and I'll also let someone know in the kitchen."
Shen Anan looked at his leaving back, half-supported herself on the soft pillow, and was stunned for a long time without moving.
Outside the door, Mo Xiang burst into tears after hearing Xiao Yuan's instructions, "Sir, there is no need to let Qing An go. The candies that the princess mentioned are made by an old woman who runs a stall on Cheng'an Street in Jiangnan. No one else can make that taste. That was... the girl's favorite food when she was sixteen."
"Later, the old lady was afraid that the princess would damage her teeth, so she booked the entire shop. She didn't let the princess eat for three days, and only let her eat candy. The princess was completely disgusted with it."
That year, let alone eating candy, the girl felt nauseous just by mentioning the word "candy". But now she suddenly remembered it. Could it be that her memory has declined to such an extent?
Sixteen years old. Xiao Yuan remembered the look she had given him just now, and his heart was gripped with grief.
"Qing'an, send someone to Jiangnan, no matter how much money, to invite that old woman to the capital."
"Yes." Qing'an frowned, glanced at Mo Xiang, who was in tears, and left.
Mo Xiang wanted to rush into the house, but Xiao Yuan stopped her, "Wipe your tears and don't cry in front of her."
"Yes." Mo Xiang quickly tidied up his appearance and walked in with his head lowered.
"Princess, are you awake?" She quickly stepped forward, lifted the gauze curtain, and helped Shen Anan change clothes and wash.
Xiao Yuan sat in the outer room. Mo Ran brought up the breakfast. His eyes fell on Shen Anan, who had her hair tied up, and he never looked away for a moment.
When she stood up and walked over, he smiled calmly, "I have to go out later, and the kitchen won't have time to make anything else. You can use some for now. I've asked someone to go to the street to buy candied haws."
"Okay." Shen Anan lowered her eyes and stirred the porridge in front of her, gentle and peaceful.
Xiao Yuan really wanted to ask her if she still remembered him and how much she remembered, but he was afraid that she would feel lonely and sad.
After breakfast, before leaving, Shen Anan returned to the inner room alone. Xiao Yuan stood behind the screen and saw her lying on the couch, seemingly flipping through something.
He didn't go in, but just waited quietly. He knew that Shen Anan didn't want him to go over or ask, so he just pretended not to know.
When she came out, Xiao Yuan could clearly feel that her eyes had become much brighter, and her smile exuded a sense of intimacy, "Let's go."
She took his arm and walked out.
"lady."
"Hmm?" Shen Anan raised her eyes in confusion, and Xiao Yuan smiled gently, "It's okay, I just wanted to call you."
She glared at him with amusement.
It was a smile Xiao Yuan had never seen before, bright, delicate, and shy, like a young girl experiencing love for the first time, a bud about to bloom, revealing its delicate stamen.
So, now her memory stops at the age of sixteen, what about him? She never asked a single question from beginning to end: Do you remember? Or do you remember?
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