Chapter 139 Soft
When Xie Qi returned to the Xie family, it was already nightfall, but Qianxiang Courtyard was pitch black, with not a single lantern hung up.
He was puzzled and went inside.
Upon seeing him return, Luo, who was sitting outside enjoying the cool air, finally got up.
"The young master is back? This servant will light a lamp for you."
Ling'er hung up the lantern, and the room was lit up.
Xie Qi leaned into the room and asked in a low voice, "Has Yuanzhu gone to bed?"
Madam Luo said, "Miss has gone out to a banquet..."
"Attending a banquet? Whose banquet? When did you leave? When will you return?"
Xie Qi frowned slightly: "I'll go find her."
Madam Luo quickly stopped the person: "The wife of Lord Jiang of the Textile and Dyeing Bureau is a close friend of Miss's mother. She invited Miss to the mansion for a chat during the day, but Miss did not inform you because you were not there."
As she spoke, Luo slowly walked to Chen Yuanzhu's dressing table and wiped and swept here and there.
Xie Qi asked, "A close friend of my mother? Do you usually keep in touch? What is the purpose of inviting her to the residence?"
"Lord Jiang of the Textile and Dyeing Bureau?"
"How come I don't remember there being a Lord Jiang in the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau? Is the invitation to Yuanzhu related to the sample cloth competition with the Prince's Mansion?"
"She went to the appointment alone? Didn't anyone from her family accompany her?"
"..."
Xie Qi asked a string of questions, and Luo Shi wiped the hairpins and ornaments on Chen Yuanzhu's dressing table two or three times.
She moved the wooden box containing the dyeing patterns from front to back, and then from back to front, but Xie Qi never paid any attention to it.
Seeing that the other party was indeed not interested in the dyeing manual, Madam Luo casually covered the things up and said sincerely, "Madam Jiang watched Miss grow up, so there will be no danger in going to the Jiang family. However, if the young master wants to pick her up, he can leave now and pick up Miss."
She gave Xie Qi the Jiang family's address, and Xie Qi took it and turned to leave.
Seeing this, Ling'er smiled and said, "Young Master doesn't have any ulterior motives towards the dyeing manual. I suppose he doesn't care about the Xie family's weaving workshop and the five thousand taels of silver."
Mrs. Luo nodded: "That's good."
"But Mianhe..."
Ling'er said, "I saw her running around all night, but Wei Hu stopped her every time."
Madam Luo said, "Wei Hu must have received orders from the son-in-law, so we don't need to worry about him for now. But if Mianhe gets past Wei Hu, then you can let her in."
"I understand."
The master and servant tidied up the "dyeing manual" on the dressing table, put it back in its proper place, and went back to sitting by the door to enjoy the cool air.
As soon as Shen Yuanzhu left the Jiang family, she saw Xie Qi standing outside the gate, listlessly playing with a "nothing to do" card in his hand.
Seeing her come out, Xie Qi stepped forward.
"Husband?"
As Shen Yuanzhu descended the stone steps, she saw Xie Qi and smiled brightly.
"Why did you come, my husband? Were you worried because I wasn't home?"
Xie Qi nodded, his cheeks slightly flushed: "When I returned to Qianxiang Courtyard, I found you weren't there, so I asked Mama Luo. She said you came to the Jiang residence as a guest. I was worried that you might be scared since it was so dark, so I came to pick you up."
Carefully holding Shen Yuanzhu close, Xie Qi asked, "Why did the Jiang family seek you out? Was it for the sample cloth? Did they make things difficult for you?"
Shen Yuanzhu couldn't easily interfere with Zhou He's plan to have Jiang Zao marry into the Xie family.
She has already made her relationship with Xie San Niang and Hua Nan Zhi public. If she goes through her, even if Jiang Zao successfully marries Xie Jing Yuan, it will likely cause Xie San Niang to dislike her in the future.
But Xie Qi...
Shen Yuanzhu's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she suddenly gave a mischievous smile.
She took Xie Qi's arm, feigning difficulty: "It's not about those things, it's about Sister Jiang..."
Chen Yuanzhu tugged at Xie Qi's sleeve, gesturing for him to bend down.
After he bowed, she covered her lips and whispered in his ear, "Madam Jiang has taken a liking to Third Uncle and wants me to act as a matchmaker for the Jiang family's younger sister."
The couple had always used the same incense, and their scents had become so mixed that they were indistinguishable from one another.
But at this moment, with Shen Yuanzhu's arm around his shoulder, Xie Qi could still smell a unique, youthful fragrance that belonged only to Shen Yuanzhu.
Perhaps fearing to tarnish the young lady's reputation, she lowered her voice to a very low hue, her breath brushing against Xie Qi's earlobe, causing him to stiffen his back involuntarily.
But Shen Yuanzhu's hands were still around his neck. Unable to resist such soft teasing, Xie Qi put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.
The sudden movement caused warm lips to brush against Xie Qi's burning earlobe.
Shen Yuanzhu opened her eyes and stared at the soft, red earlobe, a wicked smile appearing in her eyes.
She slightly opened her mouth and gently bit Xie Qi's earlobe, in retaliation for his dog-like nibbling and biting at night.
She hadn't expected Xie Qi to react so strongly. Suddenly, his legs went weak, and he almost stumbled and threw the two of them into the dark alley.
"Hmm..."
Shen Yuanzhu exclaimed in surprise, and Xie Qi quickly hugged her tighter, barely managing to steady himself.
His face was as red as if it were stained with blood, turning red all the way to his ears.
Not wanting Shen Yuanzhu to see him in such a disheveled state, Xie Qi held her tightly, wishing he could embed her into his very bones.
Shen Yuanzhu tried to look up, but Xie Qi pressed her head down, mumbling something incoherently.
She couldn't hear what he was saying, but Shen Yuanzhu felt Xie Qi tighten his grip, burying his head in her neck and nuzzling her neck...
Feeling itchy from being rubbed, Shen Yuanzhu stomped hard on Xie Qi's foot.
Xie Qi only released her when she was almost out of breath.
With her foot still on his instep, Shen Yuanzhu secretly tightened her grip, intending to scold him for nearly strangling her to death.
But before he could even speak, darkness enveloped him.
A warm palm covered her eyes, and Shen Yuanzhu opened her mouth: "What..."
Before she could finish speaking, she felt a light, very light touch on her lips.
The man quickly backed away, but soon came closer again and gently bit her lip.
"..."
Startled, Shen Yuanzhu suddenly pursed her lips. Xie Qi removed his hand from her eyes, his fingertips slowly tracing her reddened, moist lips...
He lowered his eyes, the red at the corners of his eyes blending with the tips of his ears, and his words were mumbled indistinctly.
This time, however, Shen Yuanzhu heard what he said clearly.
Xie Qi stammered, "I'm completely innocent...you're doing this..."
Shen Yuanzhu extended a finger and poked Xie Qi in the chest: "What do you mean? Am I not innocent?"
He hurriedly shook his head and grabbed Shen Yuanzhu's hand: "We are both innocent. If you do this, I... from now on, the two of us... will never be able to separate again."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuanzhu said softly, "Husband..."
Xie Qi gave a soft "hmm" through his nose, sounding even softer than she did.
Shen Yuanzhu blinked, her beauty like a bewitching spirit seducing a scholar in the night: "Do you want the 'Shen Family Dyeing Manual'? If you have the dyeing manual, you can get 20% of the Xie family's weaving workshop's shares and 5,000 taels of silver."
Upon hearing this, Xie Qi's watery eyes lost half of their spring-like brilliance, and he said with a hint of grievance, "Why did you bring up such an unlucky thing?"
The idea of ​​exchanging that tiny bit of flesh for his wife and mother's belongings is a pipe dream for the Xie family; they can only dream about it.
Shen Yuanzhu hummed in response, then asked, "Then, don't you want the 'Shen Family Dyeing Manual'? With the dyeing manual, perhaps we can surpass the Xie family."
Xie Qi asked, puzzled, "What would I need a dyeing manual for? I don't own a dye shop, nor do I have any dyeing craftsmen, and besides..."
He reached out and gently traced Shen Yuanzhu's eyebrows and eyes, speaking softly: "To surpass the Xie family, it's impossible to rely solely on the cloth woven and dyed piece by piece."
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