Chapter 156: Secret Love
Warm sunlight streamed through the window lattice, illuminating the ground and casting a halo of light. Qin Xiangnuan rested her hands loosely on the chaise longue, enjoying a long-lost moment of tranquility. The scent of Longjing tea lingered between her lips and teeth, causing her to squint in delight. Jiang Lin watched her from the side, his eyes caressing her slightly swollen red lips. "Last night, the two of us..."
"Pfft." Qin Xiangnuan almost choked when she heard his question, and spat out a mouthful of tea. She raised her head in frustration and interrupted him, saying, "Nothing happened!"
This was a case of trying to cover up one's own faults. Jiang Lin felt something was amiss, so he stood up and reached out to touch her face. Qin Xiangnuan immediately slapped his hand away. A crisp sound echoed through the room. With her movement, the handkerchief tucked into her sleeve fell to the ground. Jiang Lin bent down to pick it up, looking at the wild goose embroidered in the lower right corner. It looked like a token of love.
"Who is this?" Jiang Lin folded up his handkerchief and wiped the tea stains off Qin Xiangnuan's collar and fingers. "Do you know what wild geese symbolize?"
Qin Xiangnuan didn't understand what was going on. She simply assumed Ying Niang felt a plain handkerchief wasn't a good idea, so she'd casually embroidered a little something to add some flair. She opened her mouth to reply, but there was a thud at the door. They both turned their heads. Ying Niang awkwardly picked up something that had fallen from the floor, her eyes averted from the handkerchief. "The food is ready, sir. Would you like to eat?"
"Okay. You go first, we'll be there soon."
Qin Xiangnuan looked down at her robe, which was already stained with tea. She needed to change into something dry. Ying Niang nodded, took two steps, and then couldn't help but look back. She saw that Jiang Lin was looking at Qin Xiangnuan with an indescribable affection in his eyes. She raised her hand to her chest and muttered to herself, "No, I must have seen it wrong."
"I didn't expect you to be living so comfortably here. When did you find a caring girl to take care of you?" Jiang Lin turned his back and heard the rustling sound of changing clothes coming from the cabinet, and said jokingly. At a glance, he knew that the girl must be the one who gave Qin Xiangnuan the wild goose handkerchief. Qin Xiangnuan tugged at her robe and said in a scathing tone, "Why? It's allowed for the prince to be surrounded by people when he travels, but if I have someone to take care of me, it's a waste?"
Jiang Lin bent his fingers and tapped the edge of the teacup gently. He turned his head and saw Qin Xiangnuan tugging at her collar in frustration, looking like she couldn't fix it no matter what she did. "Come here."
Qin Xiangnuan didn't move. Jiang Lin stood up, grasped her wrist, and with a slight push, he made her sit on his lap. His cold fingertips brushed against Qin Xiangnuan's neck, causing her to shudder. "You know, you look like a suave playboy right now. If any girl in the capital saw you, they'd probably secretly make a lifelong promise to you," Jiang Lin said, his lips parted, a deliberate reminder. Qin Xiangnuan didn't understand, her attention completely focused on Jiang Lin's hand.
"So what?" she asked.
Jiang Lin shook his head helplessly, "I'm just telling you to be careful when you act. Don't let anyone feel falsely happy, or you'll be unable to repay the debt of love later."
"Sir, just keep these words to yourself. You don't need to interfere in my affairs." Qin Xiangnuan thought of everything that happened last night and mistakenly thought that Jiang Lin was explaining that yesterday's past did not count. Feeling dissatisfied, she stepped hard on Jiang Lin's instep to stand up, ignoring the low cry of pain from behind, and strode towards the dining room in the backyard.
An Feng An Liu heard the noise outside and rushed in. Seeing Jiang Lin rubbing his feet, he asked, "Master, what's wrong?"
"No problem, just a little scratch from the cat." Jiang Lin frowned. Qin Xiangnuan's push was truly powerful. He stood up, propped up by the desk, and limped out the door. An Feng and An Liu tried to step forward to help, but Jiang Lin waved them off. The two followed behind, grumbling bitterly, silently wondering, when will the relationship between the master and the third young lady finally see the light of day? If this entanglement continued, they, the subordinates, would be the only ones to suffer.
In the dining room, when Qin Xiangnuan entered, Ying Niang was setting the table. With a look of surprise in her eyes, she said, "I didn't know what the young master would like, so I made some of my specialties."
Steamed fish, a few colorful and flavorful stir-fries, and even a laboriously prepared stew. The aroma piqued Qin Xiangnuan's appetite, practically gurgling. She pulled aside a stool, sat down, picked up the bowl, and took two large mouthfuls. "It's delicious! Thank you, Ying Niang." Just a few words, but Ying Niang felt incredibly happy.
She stood aside and said softly, "I used to work as a maid in someone else's home, so I was used to doing these things. Later, there was a plague here, and every household stayed indoors, and there was a shortage of food and clothing. The master drove me out and sold me several times." Qin Xiangnuan paused slightly with her hand holding the dishes and chopsticks, looking at Ying Niang's face, afraid that she would cry.
"Don't worry, sir. I'm fine." Ying Niang shook her head with a faint smile on her lips. "But there is also a good thing. They don't want to recruit any more people, so they directly returned my indenture. Although I'm sick, I'm free. From now on, no matter where I go or what I want to do, I can follow my heart. I can also choose who I want to like..." Ying Niang said implicitly, secretly looking up at Qin Xiangnuan. When Jiang Lin walked in, he heard this and his heart skipped a beat.
It was true. He never expected that he was not afraid of Gu Mingqi coming to bother him again, but instead met a gentle woman who competed for Qin Xiangnuan.
"I don't mean to bother you." Jiang Lin walked in, interrupted their conversation, sat down next to Qin Xiangnuan, and deliberately took two pieces of fatty meat from her hand, "You are not in good health, it is best not to eat these things." Qin Xiangnuan frowned in surprise, "Did you take the wrong medicine?" She subconsciously raised her hand and touched Jiang Lin's forehead.
Such an intimate and unabashed gesture made Ying Niang's face turn pale. She stood there, unsure where to look.
"You should sit down and eat with us." Qin Xiangnuan tilted her head, walked around Jiang Lin's tightly blocked figure, and said to Yingniang, "You've been busy for half a day, sit down and eat with us. I saw your condition when I got up this morning, and you're fine. The plague has been cured. Don't worry about anything, just eat together." After that, Qin Xiangnuan signaled Anliu to bring a pair of bowls and chopsticks and put them in front of her.
Ying Niang nodded thoughtfully and sat down, chewing two grains of rice in her mouth, keeping an eye on Qin Xiangnuan and Jiang Lin.
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