Chapter 74 Chapter 74 "Sanlang, don't scare her."...
The ivory chopsticks made a soft sound when they touched the porcelain cup.
Sheng Puzhu poked the rouge goose breast at the bottom of the bowl with the tip of his chopsticks, his eyes flicked to the side, then suddenly paused and quickly looked away.
He was looking at her with a scorching gaze.
Even the old lady couldn't tell anything was wrong across the table full of delicacies.
"Sanlang, are today's dishes not to your liking?"
"Won't."
Xie Zhiyan still had a gentle smile on his face, but his eyes were deep and unfathomable under the candlelight.
"Since you don't know how, then use more and don't just stare at what's in Puzhu's bowl." The old lady picked up the chopsticks and smiled as she personally picked up a piece of rouge goose breast for him.
Xie Zhiyan withdrew his gaze and ate slowly.
Just when Sheng Puzhu breathed a sigh of relief, he suddenly raised his eyes and looked straight at her rosy lips, then slowly moved his eyes upwards after a few breaths.
Their eyes met, and he asked, "Madam, do you like this goose breast?"
Sheng Puzhu's heartbeat suddenly quickened, and something seemed to be shaking in her eyes, so heavy that she could hardly catch it.
"No, no."
The old lady, who never showed favoritism, smiled and gave her another helping of food: "Puzhu has been ill recently and has lost a lot of weight. You should eat more."
"Okay, thank you grandma." Sheng Puzhu lowered his head and ate the food seriously. He turned sideways unnoticeably and avoided the burning gaze by pretending to talk to the old lady.
But Xie Zhiyan had no intention of letting her go.
Under the round table, he stretched out his long legs suddenly, and his knee brushed against her leg lightly, as if it was an accident.
Sheng Puzhu's body stiffened slightly, and he moved quietly, consciously moving to the edge of the chair farther away from him.
After taking two sips of soup, Xie Zhiyan picked up a vegetarian meatball with three fresh ingredients with chopsticks. The dishes on the table moved slightly, and his knee rubbed against her leg again.
Very light friction, touch and go.
But the places he touched felt like being scalded by boiling water. The heat condensed on the skin of the legs through the clothes, making it seem like a raging fire.
Sheng Puzhu didn't dare to look down, and subconsciously raised his leg. His soft palm was covered by his sleeve, but before he could reach down, it was suddenly grasped firmly by a bigger and wider hand.
"Madam, please don't be distracted while eating." Xie Zhiyan's eyes were calm, and there was no abnormality in his voice.
But Sheng Puzhu was so frightened that she gasped and her wrist suddenly shook, and she almost couldn't hold the chopsticks.
The culprit, with malice, pressed hard on her soft palm, with a half-smile.
Sheng Puzhu felt a burning sensation in his gaze and managed to calm herself down.
"Sanlang, don't scare her."
"Puzhu doesn't eat much, give her another piece of dessert." The old lady looked back and forth between the two of them and pointed at Xie Zhiyan with an ambiguous tone.
"Yes." Xie Zhiyan gave her another piece of dessert, but his shoulder was almost touching hers, so close that the cool air blowing in her face almost covered her.
A small piece of osmanthus sugar steamed chestnut cake was gently placed on the white porcelain plate in front of me.
Sheng Puzhu looked at the rouge goose breast at the bottom of the bowl. It had cooled down completely without her knowing when, and tiny droplets of oil had formed on it.
It lost its flavor and didn't look as good as before. She was always picky about food.
Sheng Puzhu couldn't help but frown, but it would be impolite for her not to finish her meal in front of her elders.
Unexpectedly, the next moment.
"It hurts your stomach if it's cold."
Xie Zhiyan suddenly raised his hand, and in front of the old lady's astonished gaze, he directly took the remaining piece of rouge goose breast from Sheng Puzhu's bowl and ate it without changing his expression.
Her fingertips were still holding the chopsticks, and a strand of hair was scattered by her ear, trembling slightly with her breathing.
"You..." Sheng Puzhu met his ambiguous deep eyes, and the crimson color spread from the tips of her ears to her neck.
Xie Zhiyan raised his chin slightly, put down his ivory chopsticks, and slowly wiped his hands with a handkerchief.
"Rouge goose breast is greasy when it gets cold. I'll help Madam."
Sheng Puzhu's cheeks flushed and her eyelashes were wet. The usually gentle and virtuous young lady forgot to even say thank you today. She lowered her head and didn't dare to look at anyone.
The old lady took a while to come back to her senses, her eyes full of shock. "If Sanlang likes this rouge goose breast, I'll have someone bring a new one."
"Just a light taste." Xie Zhiyan placed his slender knuckles on the edge of the celadon teacup. Upon hearing this, his fingertips paused, and the amber tea soup reflected the dark light in his eyes.
The old lady understood.
It’s not that I like it, but the piece in the Bodhi Pearl bowl tastes better than the others.
"Tsk." The old lady couldn't help but laugh, as if she was angry. She shook her head helplessly and warned, "Puzhu has a soft personality. You are not allowed to bully her."
"My grandson knows what's going on."
Xie Zhiyan's long eyelashes cast a deep shadow in the candlelight, and his unconcealed gaze passed over her fingertips holding the chopsticks, her trembling eyelashes, and the part of her snow-white neck that was exposed because she lowered her head.
Sheng Puzhu felt uncomfortable being stared at by him and could only bite her lip. She could not bear his gaze more than being teased by her elders.
A man like Xie Zhiyan, who was cold and reserved, was not too indifferent in front of his elders in the past, but he was not the type to reveal his emotions easily. Now he stared at her without blinking, with a dark and turbulent look in his eyes.
It wasn't a meal at all, it was clearly intended to serve her as the main dish.
Sheng Puzhu was terrified during this dinner.
When she returned to Yunyu Hall, she collapsed on the armchair as if she had no bones, feeling deeply despair.
"Mammy, I want to take a bath."
Sheng Puzhu dragged out his voice and gave orders weakly with a dazzling little face.
Nanny Du called out to her ancestors and came forward with some digestive tea. "Naidong went to the study to deliver dinner earlier. Qingshi said that the young master will accompany you to Yishou Hall for dinner."
"Why don't you see my husband?"
Sheng Puzhu waved her hand: "I'm worried, Ma'am, please don't mention him."
Madam Du knew her temper, so she could only coax her softly, "My dear master, are you having a conflict with your husband?"
"You were ill a few days ago, and your husband took care of you without taking off his clothes. We all saw it. Your relationship is good right now, so it's not appropriate for you to lose your temper suddenly."
Sheng Puzhu sighed with melancholy. Thinking of his care for her, she shrank back even further into her chair. "I know my husband treats me well."
But the kindness he showed these days was inevitably a bit too much, and she couldn't respond.
Maybe it was because she was used to being independent since she was a child, but whenever she received a favor, she would always find ways to repay it. The more Xie Zhiyan did this, the more confused she became.
Sheng Puzhu said weakly, "No need to keep the lights on. Something has happened in the palace, and my husband has just been summoned into the palace by the Saint."
"Why."
"Then I will help you bathe first and then give you a hot water bottle at night."
Seeing that her brows were still furrowed, Madam Du lowered her voice again and said, "The Wenmofang next to Linlang Pavilion has published a few new volumes of storybooks. Someone sent them over a few days ago. Madam, you can read a few pages before going to bed."
Sheng Puzhu's mood was indeed better. She supported her cheek with one hand and let Madam Du serve her. Her neck, which was so white that it was almost transparent, was drooping and looked pure and flawless under the light, making her look very lovable.
The next morning, Sheng Puzhu slept until noon.
She didn't have to go to the meeting room to manage the household, nor did she have to get up early to pay her respects to her elders. She stretched like a cat.
Seeing that she was in high spirits and her cheeks were rosy, Nanny Du was about to breathe a sigh of relief.
But after breakfast, Sheng Puzhu lazily leaned on the couch, not even reading the storybook, not even tasting the snacks, and she was absent-minded from time to time.
Nanny Du looked at this with a look of anxiety in her eyes. She asked Naidong and Qingke privately, but they also shook their heads in confusion.
"You were fine last night when you were reading the storybook, but why are you so listless after breakfast today?"
"Is it possible that your body hasn't fully recovered yet?"
Jin Li whispered, "The imperial physician came to check my pulse just now and said that my wife is much better now and just needs to rest for a while."
Li Shuang was brave enough to ask: "Why don't I go ask my wife?"
Madam Du thought about it and agreed: "Remember not to talk nonsense. If Madam is willing to talk, you should listen. If Madam is in a bad mood, you must not overstep your bounds."
Li Shuang nodded: "I know, my wife loves me, if she wants to talk, I will listen."
There has been no news of Xie Zhiyan since he entered the palace that night.
Apart from accompanying the old lady for dinner every day, Sheng Puzhu would go to the Moon Watching Pavilion during the day to talk with Princess Shoukang.
During this period, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law took time to visit the palace. The empress dowager was still not in good health, so she didn't even invite them to have lunch, but just gave them a lot of rewards.
"Isn't my husband in the palace?" Even though Sheng Puzhu tried hard not to think about Xie Zhiyan, she couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
Princess Shoukang pondered for a moment and said calmly, "He must have returned to Boling. He was afraid your grandmother would be upset, so he said he was going to the palace."
Sheng Puzhu was slightly stunned: "Bo Ling?"
Princess Shoukang nodded and said, "Yes, his grandfather's death anniversary will be some time away. Although it's just a cenotaph buried in Boling, every year at this time, he's either at Yumen Pass or back in Boling."
Sheng Puzhu lowered her eyes and said nothing. At night, she took out the jewelry drawing she had drawn before, studied it carefully, and drew a new version. She also added a gold chain under the reddest gem in the center of the bridal necklace. The front end of the chain was decorated with pearls of different sizes, like stars in the sky.
He put down his pen and rubbed his slightly sore wrist.
"Mammy, I'm leaving the house tomorrow."
Madam Du nodded, then asked worriedly, "What if my husband comes back home?"
"Don't worry, Ma'am. My husband has gone to Boling and I'm afraid he won't be back to Chang'an for a while."
"I will tell my mother tomorrow that I want to stay at Aunt Duanyang's house for a while."
As Madam Du untied the pearls and jade from her bun, she said worriedly, "Madam, what if my husband comes back and you're not at home?"
Sheng Puzhu smiled faintly and stared at his impeccable facial features in the bronze mirror.
She closed her eyes. The person in the mirror had slightly red cheeks and a bit of panic in her eyes that she herself couldn't understand. As long as he was mentioned, she would lose her composure.
This marriage was clearly just a match made in heaven, with the right family background. Although neither of them made it clear, she was just pretending to be in love for others to see.
But ever since she fell ill more than ten days ago, Xie Zhiyan's eyes have become more and more explicit. Not only are they overbearing, but they are also aggressive and aggressive, as if they will lose control at any time.
Just like what happened in my grandmother's Yishou Hall a few days ago, he actually ate the leftovers in her bowl in front of the elders. It was such a natural action that even a loving couple could not do it.
This can't go on any longer.
Sheng Puzhu dipped her fingertips into the cold tea on the table and gently pressed them on her hot earlobe. He acted so well that she could hardly tell whether it was real or fake.
It would be best to avoid him for a while so that she could think carefully about how she should get along with him in the future of this relationship.
Sheng Puzhu shook her head, trying to get rid of the chaotic thoughts in her mind. "It's okay. Linlang Pavilion happens to have a lot of things to do. Staying at Aunt Duanyang's house is a perfect excuse. As long as Mother knows where I've been, it'll be fine."
Nanny Du also knew the importance of Linlang Pavilion. She did not try to persuade her anymore. Instead, she called Naidong to quickly pack the clothes, shoes, socks and various trivial matters that would be worn during this period.
The next day, at dawn, Sheng Puzhu woke up early.
She first went to pay her respects to the old lady, and then went to Princess Shoukang's courtyard.
After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had breakfast together, Sheng Puzhu proposed the idea of staying at Princess Duanyang's mansion for a while.
Princess Shoukang simply smiled and said affably, "You have a good relationship with Duanyang. If you want to go, go ahead. You don't need to tell me specifically."
"Are you ready?"
"If there's anything missing, I'll ask Mammy to prepare it as soon as possible."
Sheng Puzhu took a sip of tea and said softly, "No, mother, I've prepared everything."
"Okay, then go early."
"Just as Zhiyan is returning home, let him take you there."
Reply...reply to what?
Go back home?
Sheng Puzhu was unable to react for a long time before she saw the curtain outside being lifted and Xie Zhiyan striding in. He was tall and his shadow almost covered her.
"My dear?" Sheng Puzhu's throat was hoarse.
Xie Zhiyan looked at her with a smile: "Madam, let's go."
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