Chapter 41 The Heroine is Confused
The days slipped by unnoticed amidst Li Minghua's increasingly habitual, silent indulgence and Tang Xiaoning's increasingly bold and cunning probing.
This sweetness and harmony were felt by even the rough-and-ready old women sweeping the corridors and the young maids helping in the kitchen.
Between the young lady and Miss Li, there seemed to be an invisible, soft barrier, making it difficult for others to penetrate.
Whenever Xiao Cui brought in tea and snacks, she would always see the two of them either whispering to each other with their heads close together, or the young lady would be smiling and stuffing snacks into Miss Li's hands.
Although Miss Li remained expressionless, she would silently accept the gifts. Occasionally, when the young lady's fingertips "accidentally" brushed against the back of Miss Li's hand, Xiao Cui could keenly catch the slight curling of Miss Li's fingers and the fleeting blush behind her ear.
That evening, the kitchen specially prepared the young lady's favorite dish: braised pork knuckle with rock sugar.
The braised pork knuckle was stewed until it was tender and falling off the bone, its glossy red skin coated with a rich sauce, and its aroma filled the entire dining room.
Tang Xiaoning ate with a beaming smile, in high spirits, and even asked Xiao Cui to bring over some plum wine brewed at home.
The wine was clear, with a sweet and sour taste that was easy to swallow, but its aftereffects were not to be underestimated.
After a few drinks, Tang Xiaoning's fair cheeks were flushed as if painted with the most vibrant peach blossoms of spring, with two delicate blushes fluttering on her cheeks.
Her bright almond-shaped eyes were also veiled with a misty haze, and she looked at people with an unconsciously dreamy and charming look. She couldn't stop talking and kept chattering.
"Minghua... Minghua, let me tell you something..." She was holding a glass that still had a little bit of plum wine left.
She slumped to the side, almost leaning on Li Minghua's arm.
Her voice was so soft and sweet it seemed like it could be drawn out of silk, with a distinct nasal tone: "Today... I secretly hid in the warm room... and read a new storybook..."
She lowered her voice mysteriously, her warm breath mixed with the sweet scent of plum wine, brushing lightly past Li Minghua's ear.
Li Minghua frowned slightly as he watched her swaying and seemingly about to collapse.
She reached out and, with a steady yet undeniable motion, took the wine glass from Tang Xiaoning's hand. At the same time, she placed a cup of warm tea, which had been prepared beforehand, into Tang Xiaoning's hand, and said in a low voice, "Drink less, or you'll have a terrible headache tomorrow."
Tang Xiaoning didn't struggle. She drowsily drank a large gulp of warm tea from Li Minghua's hand, scalding it so much she stuck out her tongue. Then, as if she had found someone to confide in, she continued to lean against her and chatter on:
"That storybook... it's about two female knights-errant! Just like... just like us!"
Her eyes suddenly lit up, gleaming with an unusual excitement tinged with intoxication:
"They roamed the world together, upholding justice and chivalry, always ready to help those in need... They were so impressive! And then...and then..."
She paused for a long time, her delicate eyebrows furrowed in distress, the scene she was trying to recall seemingly stuck at a crucial point.
Li Minghua subtly adjusted his posture, using his arms to gently support her limp body, preventing the young lady from actually falling under the table. He patiently followed her lead and asked, "What happened next?"
Her gaze fell on her face, which appeared particularly vivid due to her intoxication and intense thinking.
"Later..." Tang Xiaoning slammed her hand on the table, but the force was so weak that it made her stagger and almost knock over the teacup that Li Minghua had just put down.
Her voice carried a strange indignation, as if she had witnessed a great injustice:
"Later, one of them rescued an exceptionally beautiful girl in distress!"
That girl... after she woke up, she insisted on repaying him with her body!
He insisted on following her for the rest of his life to repay her kindness!
She was sulking, and her cheeks turned even redder.
Li Minghua: "..."
Li Minghua's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the teacup. This scenario... why does it sound so familiar?
"And then?" She maintained her steady tone, continuing to guide the drunkard's desire to confide.
"And then?" Tang Xiaoning let out a burp with a sweet plum scent, her hazy eyes instantly filled with deep grievance, like a kitten whose dried fish had been stolen.
"Then...the other female warrior...became unhappy!"
She felt incredibly sad, as if a damp wad of cotton was stuck inside her, making her feel suffocated...
But she was tongue-tied and didn't know how to say it, so...
He went off to drink alone, feeling down!
As she spoke, as if to prove something, she stretched out her soft finger and poked Li Minghua's firm chest with a hint of accusation.
"Like...like me right now...drunk..." The warm touch from her fingertips and her aggrieved tone made Li Minghua's heart tighten inexplicably, as if that finger had directly pierced a hidden corner deep within his heart.
Li Minghua did not dodge; instead, she reached out and firmly enveloped the woman's unruly fingers.
The fingertips, slightly warm with the scent of alcohol, and the softness unique to a young girl.
Looking at Tang Xiaoning's alluringly flushed cheeks and her eyes, moistened by intoxication, she felt her throat go dry.
"And then what?" Her voice unconsciously softened, as if she were coaxing a child about to reveal a secret, even carrying an expectation she herself was unaware of.
"And...then?" Tang Xiaoning tilted her head, trying hard to focus her gaze and see Li Minghua's calm face so close to her.
As she watched, she suddenly started giggling, a bright yet slightly silly smile, her eyes curving into beautiful crescent moons.
"And then... that drunken female knight-errant... couldn't resist running off to find another female knight-errant!"
She stumbled over, and then...and then she...and grabbed the person's hand and said...say..."
Her voice grew softer and softer, like a murmur, and her words became increasingly indistinct.
A heavy drowsiness washed over her like a tide, and her little head bobbed uncontrollably.
Finally, unable to hold on any longer, she leaned softly and defenselessly against Li Minghua's firm and warm shoulder.
His breathing quickly became even and long, carrying a sweet aroma of wine.
She fell asleep...
The unspoken "I'll say..." was like a cunning hook, carrying endless room for imagination, and scratched Li Minghua's heart with unparalleled precision the moment the words fell.
Li Minghua's body instantly stiffened like a stone sculpture.
The weight on her shoulder was heavy, carrying the girl's complete trust and reliance.
Warm breath gently brushed against the side of her neck, bringing waves of tingling, numbing sensation.
The scent lingering around her nose was a blend of the mellow aroma of plum wine and her unique sweet fragrance, domineeringly invading all her senses.
She lowered her head slightly and could see the unguarded sleeping face of the person in her arms.
The blush on her fair cheeks had not yet completely faded, and her slightly parted lips, like newly blooming pink petals, gleamed alluringly in the candlelight.
That unspoken sentence, like a pebble, made a soft thud, and ripples of unfamiliar emotion spread uncontrollably, disrupting all the established calm and order.
Drunk... said it out loud...
What would she say?
Li Minghua discovered that, for the first time, his thoughts had completely slipped out of his control.
She tried to calmly deduce what the "drunken female warrior" might say, just as she would dissect a set of exquisite sword moves.
Was it an angry accusation? A wronged denunciation? Or... some more intense emotion that she dared not think about?
However, all the deductions seemed to have been thrown into a warm, hazy fog, blurry and unclear, leaving only a strange burning and pounding feeling in my heart.
A mixture of confusion, secret anticipation, and a hint of panic bordering on helplessness entangled her usually unwavering resolve.
She sat there motionless, like a guardian statue, until she heard even, long breaths on her shoulder, confirming that Tang Xiaoning had fallen into a deep sleep.
She then adjusted her posture very slowly and carefully, putting one arm around Tang Xiaoning's shoulder and back, and slipping the other arm under her knees to gently lift the warm and soft "treasure" in her arms horizontally.
The movements were so gentle, as if afraid of disturbing the sweetest dream.
Seeing this, Xiao Cui, who was standing to the side, quickly stepped forward to help support Tang Xiaoning's drooping arm, but was stopped by a very slight look from Li Minghua.
She held Tang Xiaoning firmly in her arms and walked steadily into the inner room.
Li Minghua carefully placed the person in his arms on the bed covered with soft brocade quilts and gently tucked her in.
She didn't leave immediately, but stood by the bed, quietly gazing at the moonlight shining through the window curtains onto Tang Xiaoning's peaceful sleeping face.
His gaze lingered for a moment before finally settling on the sword hanging on the sandalwood shelf beside the bed.
Below the hilt, the bluish-gold tassel still hung crookedly in the cold moonlight, the outline of the abstract "little swallow" blurred.
Li Minghua involuntarily reached out and lightly touched the largest glass bead with his fingertips, clearly feeling the rough texture of the silk threads.
In an instant, Tang Xiaoning appeared in the warm pavilion, facing the sewing basket as if facing a formidable enemy, frowning as she "fought" with the silk thread.
I recalled the tiny needle marks on her fingertips, and the pitiful yet hopeful look in her eyes as she drank alone, talking about "another female knight-errant"...
An intense, almost overwhelming emotion instantly gripped her heart—an impulse to protect this unique feeling, to prevent anyone or anything from disturbing or defiling it.
She silently withdrew her finger, took one last deep look at the sleeping face, turned around, and gently closed the door.
Li Minghua did not go straight back to her room; instead, she walked through the quiet corridor and into the courtyard.
They stopped under the old locust tree, its branches and leaves lush and green, where they often sat together to cool off and chat.
The moonlight, like a ribbon, poured down in a cool, clear light, casting long, thin shadows of the trees.
The night was cool and still, carrying the chill unique to autumn nights.
Li Minghua sat down on the cold stone bench.
She didn't need any alcohol; the scalding agitation and confusion stirring in her heart at that moment were far more likely to rob her of her proud clarity than the strongest liquor.
"Drunk...said it out loud..." She unconsciously repeated the key words from Tang Xiaoning's drunken words in a low voice. For the first time, a clear trace of confusion was reflected in her eyes, which were as cold as stars.
What did the female knight-errant in that storybook say in the end?
That unspoken, unfinished sentence echoed repeatedly in her heart, stirring up countless secret speculations.
And she... if... if she also...
Li Minghua shook her head violently, her movements carrying a rare hint of agitation, as if trying to dispel those inappropriate, even "absurd," thoughts from her mind.
She was a bodyguard, a martial arts consultant hired by the Tang family at great expense. Her duty was simply to protect Tang Xiaoning.
People of the martial world, living a life of chivalry and vengeance, should not be trapped by such pointless fantasies.
But... how do you explain the heavy weight of the word "exclusive," the unique crooked mark on the sword at your waist, and the wild, unstoppable throbbing and strange longing in your heart right now?
Like silent vines, they entwined her proud rationality, dragging her into a sweet yet confusing quagmire she had never been to before.
That night, Li, who was usually as strong-willed as iron and could fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, experienced for the first time the feeling of tossing and turning in bed.
Her thoughts, like a wild horse, surged and collided repeatedly between duty and excitement, leaving her no peace.
Inside the warm quilt of the inner room, Tang Xiaoning, fast asleep, unconsciously turned over, hugging the soft corner of the quilt tightly, her lips slightly upturned, holding a pure and satisfied smile.
It's as if, deep within a sweet dream, I have already arrived at that most perfect and regret-free "later".
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