honeymoon
A gentle breeze wafted in at dawn, filling the room with the fresh scent of bamboo leaves.
The dragon and phoenix candles inside had burned out, and the wax layered on top of each other solidified on the candlestick.
Xu Lanxin woke up to Xiao Xi's calls. Cen Yan was no longer beside her, only the scent of agarwood wafted in her nose.
"Girl, we need to hurry, the bride still needs to serve tea."
Xiao Xi urged her on, pulled her up, and after she got dressed, led her to the dressing table.
She waited for Xiaoxi to finish speaking before opening her eyes, only to see Cen Yan in the mirror.
He had been waiting for this all along.
Today he wore a red round-necked robe, unlike yesterday's elaborate attire; the style was simple, and his black hair was tied up with a white jade crown.
He just stared straight at her, making her shyly look away.
He got up and walked towards her, extending a hand in invitation.
Lan Xin turned to look at him, smiled at him, and placed her hand in his palm.
The two arrived at the main courtyard, where Cen Yan's parents were already sitting in the central hall waiting for them.
The two elders were already beaming with joy when they saw them.
Lan Xin followed Cen Yan in offering tea, then addressed him as her father-in-law and mother-in-law, before presenting a gift.
Feeling an unfriendly gaze fixed on her, Lanxin stood up and looked to her side.
A pretty young woman with delicate features probably never expected Lan Xin to look over. Before she could even conceal her jealous and resentful gaze, she had almost torn the handkerchief in her hand to shreds.
A rotten peach blossom.
I visited some aunts and uncles; some looked kind, some were disdainful, and some only smiled superficially.
And as is common sense, there are always one or two people who like to stir up trouble.
"Now that you've married into the Cen family, I'll offer a few words of advice on behalf of your mother-in-law,"
The third family member drank the tea, maintaining an air of superiority, their eyes showing disdain, but their expression remained impassive.
"From today onwards, you must be filial to your elder brother and sister-in-law, and take good care of Zijin's daily life. Don't bring your old ways into the Cen residence."
Lan Xin was about to speak when Cen Yan helped her up and pulled her behind him.
"Third Aunt, what do you mean by this? Do you enjoy listening to unverified gossip and then spout nonsense in front of others?"
"Is it something you, as an elder, should do to make unfounded accusations against my bride?"
The third aunt was speechless after Cen Yan's barrage of retorts, her face turning a deep purplish-red with anger.
"Alright, Yan'er, take your new bride to pay her respects to your grandmother."
Cen Yan bowed and took Lan Xin's hand as they went out the door.
"Sister-in-law, you're quite the remarkable daughter-in-law! You've only been married into the family, and you've already..."
Lanxin was too far away to hear what she said next.
Who is that woman in the yellow dress?
Cen Yan turned his head and looked over, his face full of questions: "Who?"
"The one standing behind your third aunt, her eyes look like she wants to devour you, can't you see it?"
Cen Yan lowered his head and leaned closer, smiling: "Are you jealous?"
"You're jealous, your whole family is jealous, say it or not."
After Lan Xin finished speaking, she turned to leave, but he pulled her and she fell into his arms.
His chin was lifted up so that he could look into her eyes.
"That's a distant relative of my third aunt's, who often stays at our house for a while,"
After saying that, he lightly pecked her lips and continued:
"However, my third aunt mentioned to my mother that she wanted to arrange a marriage, but my mother did not agree."
Lan Xin slapped his hand away and said indignantly, "What, does the master think it's a pity? Then you can go."
He tightened his grip on her waist and flicked her forehead: "With you, you little jealous pot, how could I dare? Let's go, don't keep Grandma waiting."
Lan Xin was being pulled along by him, and even when she tried to pull back, he could only take that little bit of effort as a bit of fun.
The Plum Blossom Residence where Madam Cen lives has many plum trees, but it's not the season yet. I imagine it must be extremely beautiful during plum blossom season.
The old lady was also a lover of flowers, and many flowers and plants were planted on both sides of the corridor, with various flowers blooming and emitting a mixed fragrance.
An old woman was already waiting at the entrance of the main house. When she saw the two of them from afar, she went up to greet them.
Upon entering the room, a rich sandalwood fragrance filled the air, and smoke curled from a three-legged incense burner.
"She's here! Come here quickly, Zijin's wife, let me take a look at her."
Madam Cen waved warmly, and Lan Xin walked up to her generously, cupping her face in her wrinkled hands.
The old man looked at it carefully, his eyes filled with satisfaction and joy.
“She’s a good-looking woman. Zijin has good taste. Now she has finally found a home, and she can rest easy in that place.”
Tears streamed down the old lady's face, her eyes filled with relief.
She was a little confused by what he said and didn't understand it at first, but instinctively she picked up a handkerchief to wipe the old lady's eyes.
"Grandmother, don't cry. Your granddaughter-in-law will take good care of Zijin and make sure he grows up healthy and chubby."
Madam Cen laughed heartily and said "good" several times.
Then, he instructed the old nanny beside him, "Go and bring me the box I prepared."
Inside the box was a pair of jade pendants, made of the finest mutton-fat jade, fastened together, with exquisitely carved intertwined floral patterns.
"This was left by Zijin's mother, and I'm entrusting it to you today."
The old lady spoke in strange ways, leaving Lanxin full of questions.
Madam Cen looked somewhat uneasy and flustered: "Zijin, take your wife back. I'm a little tired."
Cen Yan nodded, bowed, and left with a bewildered Lan Xin.
She hadn't gone far from the door when she was stopped by the head maidservant of Old Madam Cen, who handed her an exquisite wooden box.
She said she had forgotten, but after she left, Lanxin opened the box and found a house deed, a land deed, and some silver inside.
"Zijin, Grandmother gave so much, I... I'm a little scared."
She suddenly went from being poor to being rich, and she felt a little uneasy.
“What is given to you is yours; just take it. You cannot refuse a gift from an elder.”
"Zijin, let's go on our honeymoon!"
Lanxin looked up at him, her eyes sparkling.
"Honeymoon trip?"
"Well, how should I put it, newlywed couples will choose a place they like to travel to for a while."
Cen Yan wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him, and looked at her with deep affection.
"good."
This was a spontaneous trip, and they set off that very afternoon.
Forget about other countries; Cen Yan's honeymoon was short, so they chose to travel to Jiangnan.
The bumpy ride left Xu Lanxin feeling a bit tired, and she really missed modern transportation.
The group passed through Liuzhou County and decided to rest for a day.
With a loud thud, the carriage swayed slightly, and the horse, seemingly startled, raised its front hooves and neighed.
The carriage lurched violently, and Lan Xin was thrown forward by inertia. Before she could even react, she was caught by an iron arm and held tightly in his arms.
"Someone has been hit and killed!"
I don't know which passerby shouted that.
"Qingyun."
Qingyun controlled the carriage steadily. After getting off, he saw a disheveled woman lying on the side of the carriage.
Blood was still flowing from his forehead, but he was still breathing; he had probably passed out.
"Sir, a woman has been injured in a collision."
Lanxin leaned out of the car window to look, then got out of the car with the first-aid kit and gave her a simple bandage.
Still worried, she decided to take her to the clinic, since treating illnesses wasn't her specialty.
The clinic was filled with the aroma of herbs, which smelled much better than modern medicines, which are chemically processed and have a strong, unpleasant odor.
The old doctor removed the bandage, poured in some hemostatic powder, and then smelled it under the woman's nose using a small porcelain bottle.
A hint of mint fragrance wafted from the small porcelain bottle, refreshing and invigorating.
"Hmm," the lady slowly woke up, her eyes somewhat vacant, muttering to herself.
Lanxin leaned down and pressed her face close to hers.
"My child, my child, my child, my child."
The same sentence kept repeating itself. Lan Xin looked up at her, and just as she was about to get up, she was grabbed by that person.
She was so frightened that her heart skipped a beat.
Fortunately, Qingyun reacted quickly and delivered a powerful blow, knocking the person unconscious.
After discussing it with Cen Yan, Xu Lanxin and the others found an inn to rest and wait until the woman had regained consciousness and was sure she was alright before leaving.
Cen Yan then instructed Qingyun to inquire whether anyone recognized the woman.
In a superior room at the Lucky Inn, Lanxin held a teacup, still pondering the woman from earlier.
“Zijin, that woman kept repeating ‘my child, my child,’ could it be that her child is gone?”
Cen Yan walked over with a small porcelain jar, bent down, picked her up, and had her sit on his lap.
This guy is really something, he always likes to hug people's laps.
He rolled up her sleeves, revealing several scratch marks on her wrists, which she didn't even notice.
Cen Yan's expression was not good, and his eyes were like ice, so cold that even she could feel it.
However, he remained silent, took a small piece of wood, scraped off some ointment, and applied it to her.
"Hiss," she hissed, feeling a bit of pain from the irritation of the ointment.
"You feel pain now?"
The scorching heat sprayed onto her wound, causing a tingling sensation, and Xu Lanxin felt a shiver run through her heart.
He applied the medicine while blowing on it for her. He was incredibly gentle.
The smooth lines of his profile, his high nose bridge, his thin lips, and the warm breath he exhaled made her somewhat tempted.
Instead of just thinking about it, Lanxin instinctively reached out her other hand, hooking her index finger under his chin, making him look back.
His gaze shifted from cold to fiery, and his pupils contracted slightly.
Lanxin gradually moved down, her lips just a millimeter away.
The door was opened with a "snap".
"Madam, yours..."
Xu Lanxin was startled awake, the emotion in her eyes faded, and she looked around awkwardly.
"Remember to knock next time," Cen Yan said coldly.
Xiao Xi left apologetically and silently closed the door behind them.
Distracted, Lan Xin had no idea what to do and was just about to get off his lap.
But he pulled her and she nestled against his chest.
"Where do you want to go? Hmm."
His voice was somewhat hoarse, and the hot breath he exhaled on her face made her restless.
He cradled the back of her head with his hand as she moved closer to him.
Just as their feelings were growing stronger and they were about to kiss.
A knocking sound rang out on the door.
After being disturbed repeatedly, the tide of passion subsided, and Cen Yan's face turned ashen.
"roll"
Lan Xin shook him and said, "It's Qingyun."
"Get in here."
Qingyun braced himself, pushed open the door, and looked at the two of them with a look of fear.
"explain."
"Sir, not many people know that woman. A restaurant owner said she's from out of town and has become mentally unstable because her child went missing. She's sometimes lucid and sometimes crazy."
The restaurant owner sometimes took pity on her and gave her some food, but I don't know much else.
Xu Lanxin and Cen Yan exchanged glances.
What should be done with this woman?
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