"I shouldn't have lost my temper in front of you yesterday and said those words."

Inside the house, Zhao Rong spoke softly.

"What happened yesterday is over, why bring it up again?" she said.

"Some things need to be made clear." The tone was firm.

Concubine Zhao Ling pursed her red lips, touched his serious face and said, "Qian'er and I also want to apologize."

"What's there to apologize for?"

"We are also at fault, and we were at fault first." Concubine Zhao Ling bit her lip and lowered her eyes, muttering, "Mr. Zhu is my husband's teacher. He traveled thousands of miles to help me in times of crisis, but Qian'er and I rejected and doubted him, and we were jealous of him in front of others. This is what jealous women do, and it's wrong. My husband is angry for a reason."

Xiao Qian'er also nodded, lowering her eyebrows obediently, "And what's even more wrong is that we didn't listen to our husband. The world is big, but our husband is the most important... We are ignorant and have lost face for the Zhao family, making outsiders... Well, Mr. Zhu is not an outsider, but it still makes people laugh. This is not good."

Zhao Rong shook his head and wanted to speak.

Two slender fingers gently stuck to his lips, and the autumn-eyed woman nodded in agreement virtuously and generously, and continued: "Compared with my concubine Qian'er's behavior yesterday, Mr. Zhu is much more generous and broad-minded. Not only did he not take yesterday's incident to heart, he also smiled and spoke for me and Qian'er to mediate the conflict..."

She leaned forward and looked Zhao Rong in the eye, her gaze calm and she said, "The more I thought about this last night, the more ashamed I felt."

Zhao Rong grabbed the two girls' wrists and said, "No, listen to me. This is my husband's fault. At least... I am the one who is primarily responsible. Listen to me. You respect and love me. As the head of the family, I am responsible for the moral education and family tradition. Even if you are rude, it is the limitation of your own growth environment. I have not fulfilled my obligation to educate you as a husband, especially... I did not set an example for you to be convinced, which led to your suspicion and jealousy..."

Zhao Lingfei and Xiao Qian'er quickly blocked his lips with their slender fingers, and said angrily: "Why are you blaming yourself again like yesterday and taking all the responsibility on yourself? I've already said that in our hearts, you are not an immoral, dishonest, or rude person. You are a man who stands tall and upright. You are not allowed to blame yourself. If you are an immoral, dishonest, and rude person, then what are we who have chosen to entrust ourselves to you? We are the ones who are heartbroken and terrified by your self-blame."

Zhao Rong pretended to complain, "You told me not to blame myself, but what about you yesterday? One of you foolishly took the responsibility on yourself and asked me to beat her, and the other one was even more excessive, even asking me to refine my soul and search the lake... Don't you think I would feel uncomfortable and upset when you said such disrespectful and hurtful words to me?"

Concubine Zhao Ling lowered her head, and used her free right hand to move several dishes on the table to make them closer to Zhao Rong and Xiao Qian'er.

"You were the one who said that first. Qian'er was scared at that time, and the young lady should have been too." Little Qian'er stuck out the tip of her pink tongue.

Zhao Rong glared at her lovingly, "You can't say that either."

Concubine Zhao Ling raised her head and smiled, touched his face, patted Qian'er's hand, and said gently: "Okay, let's make a deal, no one can say such words that belittle themselves and hurt each other in the future."

Little Qian'er muttered, "Well, actually what I said at that time was not all angry words. Qian'er is a girl, and I always feel...well, if Brother Rong'er and Miss are in a bad mood, or have something bothering them, they can beat Qian'er when they get home. As long as you can be happy and relieve your boredom, I think it is worth it. It's not contemptuous or not. Qian'er is willing... and feels... feels it is natural... Miss, why are you knocking on my head?"

Concubine Zhao Ling glared at the little girl who was enjoying herself as a maid, "The young lady is unhappy, so I can't knock you down..." She raised her chin slightly and said angrily, "I told you to say it."

Zhao Rong couldn't help laughing, it felt like "eating, sleeping and playing"?

He smiled and touched Xiao Qian'er's forehead where she was eating chestnuts, and asked with concern, "Does it hurt?"

"Hehe, it doesn't hurt anymore after Brother Rong'er touched it." Xiao Qian'er felt sweet after receiving his comfort.

However, the next second, Zhao Rong's words made her face bitter, "Then after dinner, go to ** and lie down obediently. I will punish you according to the family rules. Ahem, I haven't spanked your little butt for a long time. I feel a little itchy. I'm bored now."

“……”Xiao Qian’er shrank her head and felt like crying.

Why did Brother Rong'er and Miss fight without saying anything... They just shot themselves in the foot.

She pursed her lips, lowered her head and snorted, looking at the bowl in her hand with dissatisfaction, and buried her head in eating.

She struck out hard against white rice.

Zhao Rong laughed and reached out to tease her again.

Xiao Qian'er meowed and showed her little fangs to bite him...

Concubine Zhao Ling tilted her head slightly, smiled sweetly, and squinted her eyes at the pair of funny people who were playing around.

It feels like... a return to the past.

So many years have passed in the blink of an eye, it went so fast, but fortunately, the three of them are still together and have no regrets.

The autumn-eyed woman quietly and gracefully put food into the bowls of her husband and the maid, occasionally joining in, smiling and nodding to agree with her husband, and together they "bullied" Xiao Qian'er...

After a while, Concubine Zhao Ling looked at the somewhat empty plates and turned to look at the night outside.

She put down her chopsticks, suddenly stood up, took away a few empty plates and ran to the kitchen. After a while, she returned with a few new dishes and brought the dishes to the table.

These dishes include five-spice roast chicken, braised fish, spicy rabbit legs...all new dishes that Zhao Rong has rarely eaten.

Thanks to Concubine Zhao Ling's busy work, the dinner table was full again.

Zhao Rong looked at the food, then looked at his wife who had sat down next to him again. He wanted to say that since there were three people dining together and Uncle Xiaobai was not here, there was no need for so many dishes.

But after thinking about it, he still didn't speak to discourage their enthusiasm, so he just smiled and praised, "My Qingjun's cooking skills are getting better and better."

Zhao Ling smiled softly, thought for a moment, and said playfully, "With such a big family, we have to take into account everyone's appetite and taste. Of course, we need to learn more about cooking..."

Zhao Rong laughed and nodded.

Xiao Qian'er glanced at the young lady, then lowered her head and continued to eat.

Well, she was lucky enough to get to try the new dishes these young ladies had learned to make tonight. Not bad, not bad... she muttered to herself.

Zhao Rong didn't think any more about it. He smiled, lowered his head, and concentrated on eating his meal.

He didn't eat much of the food on the table. His appetite had been light recently, and only a certain little fox demon and girls like Xiao Qian'er liked to eat big fish and meat.

But at this moment, he ate even the white rice in the bowl with relish, and it tasted especially delicious in his mouth. Concubine Zhao Ling smiled as she watched him eat, occasionally reaching out to help him straighten his collar or hair crown, and then actively serving him rice. He did not refuse and his appetite was greatly whetted.

So I ate extra a lot tonight, and soon, I had finished four bowls of rice.

At this time, he put down the empty and clean bowl.

Align the chopsticks.

Some people with obsessive-compulsive disorder gently place it one-third of the way along the edge of the bowl.

Concubine Zhao Ling reached out again.

"No need Qingjun, I'm full, you can eat too."

Concubine Zhao Ling smiled and shook her head: "I'm not very hungry now, I'll eat later."

Zhao Rong thought she was a little strange, but he had more important things to do at the moment, so he nodded and sat quietly.

The atmosphere at the dinner table also became quieter.

The man lowered his head and straightened his sleeves.

He supported his knees with his hands, arms stretched out, and his upper body tilted slightly towards the two women.

He sat upright and said suddenly:

"Qingjun, Qian'er."

"Hmm?" Zhao Lingfei turned back curiously.

"What's wrong, Brother Rong'er?" Xiao Qian'er blinked and looked up.

"Actually, regarding Mr. Zhu's incident yesterday... it seems that there was no misunderstanding." He looked directly at the two girls, his gaze unwavering, "Your worries and suspicions... are not unnecessary."

"You just said she..."

After a pause, he continued, “Well, maybe your mind is very broad.

but,

It seems that it may be that... I feel guilty."

The atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly became quiet.

The words fell.

Zhao Rong pursed his lips.

Stay still, keep your eyes fixed, and be prepared for any reaction from them.

The atmosphere remains quiet.

Xiao Qian'er was the first to react. She frowned and looked at him in surprise. Then, as if realizing something, she immediately turned to look at Zhao Lingfei.

The woman with autumn eyes was just smiling as she picked up some food for Xiao Qian'er, but now the action of her hand picking up the food stopped and stopped in mid-air.

The smile on her face lasted for a while, and then completely disappeared.

Then,

He smiled softly again.

Her hand, with her sleeve rolled up and holding the bamboo chopsticks, was extremely white. After hovering in the air for a while, it retracted, then stopped, and then stretched forward again to put the dish into Xiao Qian'er's bowl.

"Eat." She gently tapped Xiao Qian'er's bowl with her chopsticks.

It was as if he didn't hear Zhao Rong's words for a moment.

Xiao Qian'er was stunned.

Zhao Rong looked at Concubine Zhao Ling.

After giving her instructions, Concubine Zhao Ling did not look at Xiao Qian'er, who was worried. She put down her chopsticks gracefully, wiped the corners of her lips with a handkerchief, turned around and asked him, "Husband, what did you just say? Concubine Ling did not hear clearly."

Zhao Rong nodded without hesitation and repeated:

"Zhu Yourong seems to have some feelings for me. She is a noble academy teacher who has reached the Nascent Soul stage. I know it's a bit ridiculous and narcissistic for me to say this, but this is what I have observed now."

"Today at the Imperial Tomb Waterfall, she said goodbye to me and said a lot to me while comforting me before she left. You know, our relationship has always been that of close friends. There are some things that we have an unspoken understanding of and cannot hide from others...

The words she said before she left really enlightened me.

but,

From some of her words, I also discovered her sudden and unconcealed feelings.

There is something called love hidden inside.

This is no longer the kind of close friend we are.”

He stood up straight, facing the two women, and spoke calmly and straightforwardly.

"are you sure?"

She asked.

"I am sure. This is what I observed at the time. It is also the conclusion I reached after thinking about it for a whole day. I was afraid that I had misunderstood her, but it turned out not to be the case. Unless she was acting to deceive me in order to make me stay... But I think this possibility is unlikely. There is no need for her to sacrifice her precious reputation to cause such a misunderstanding."

"But... you still stayed."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Rong couldn't help but take a few more glances at the graceful lady.

"I stayed because of you." His tone was serious.

After he said this, Concubine Zhao Ling, who was sitting upright on the chair, did not ask any more questions for a while.

So Zhao Rong also calmed down.

He looked at her, quietly waiting for something.

Xiao Qian'er next to them hadn't even eaten yet. She twisted the fingers of her two little hands together and looked carefully at Brother Rong'er and Miss Rong'er who were looking at each other calmly.

The man sat upright and the woman sat gracefully.

The quick and calm question and answer between the two just now made Xiao Qian'er's heart beat faster and faster, almost rising to her throat.

Just as the girl was trying to figure out their thoughts and was feeling extremely nervous, someone finally spoke.

"Husband, what about you?" she asked, "Do you like... Zhu Yourong?"

The woman with autumn eyes no longer called her husband "sir".

"I have always considered her as a close friend and never thought of crossing the line. At least... that's what I thought." He shook his head and said sadly, "But after she vaguely expressed her feelings for me, I looked back at our previous interactions with her and I became a little confused and afraid."

"Did you find that you like this lady a little bit in your heart?"

"I can't really say." He still shook his head and sighed, "But I'll have to be more careful when I get along with her in the future. It's better to... have less contact with her, let her calm down, and don't get involved anymore."

He said seriously.

Then,

Another silence.

Concubine Zhao Ling was quiet for a while, then suddenly raised her hands that were held flat in front of her abdomen and placed her bare hands on her husband's face.

She gently held this sincere face and said softly:

"I understand."

Then, no more words.

Zhao Rong was stunned.

He was waiting for his wife's intense reaction. No matter how intense it was, he was mentally prepared to bear it. However, he never expected that what he got were just Qingjun's five light words.

Seeing this, Xiao Qian'er frowned and thought for a while while biting her chopsticks.

Then,

The girl suddenly opened her eyes slightly and blinked quietly...

Concubine Zhao Lingfei did not explain anything about the two's reactions.

She bit her lower lip lightly, stroked her husband's warm face again, then lowered her head, withdrew her hand, and prepared to continue eating.

Zhao Rong suddenly grabbed his wife and said, "Wait for Qingjun."

She turned her head.

"There's something else." He had more to say.

"What is it?"

Zhao Rong looked at Zhao Lingfei, then turned to look at Xiao Qian'er who was looking curious, and suddenly spoke:

"Do you know Su Qingdai?"

“…”

The two girls were startled and looked at each other.

…