Chapter 64 064 "I often have dreams like this in Loujiang."...
After washing again, Luo Fu rested her head on Xiao Yu's arm and fell asleep with her arms around his waist.
She was already quite tired from running the horse race in the morning, and after accompanying Xiao Yu on three crazy races in a row, Luo Fu fell into a deep sleep almost as soon as she lay down.
She didn't know how long she had slept, but Luo Fu vaguely realized that Xiao Yu was kissing her again. Before she was fully awake and even thought it was just the kind of dream she had occasionally had over the past two years, Xiao Yu moved her and the pillow a little closer to the head of the bed, clearly telling her that he had really come back.
Why is it like this?
This was true before I left Beijing, and it's true again now that I've returned, as if if I don't cherish the opportunity, I'll never have another meal.
Luo Fu didn't even want to open her eyes. She bit her lip, turned her head to one side, and scratched his stone-like arm with one hand.
Luo Fu was unaware that, in Xiao Yu's eyes, her long hair was loose and disheveled, covering the entire pillow; her cheeks were flushed with a rosy blush, a light pink that spread to behind her ears and down her neck. She stubbornly kept her lips tightly closed, yet she still managed to utter intermittent nasal sounds. Her body moved with him, and even the pain from her fingernails scratching his arm gave Xiao Yu a unique sense of satisfaction.
If Xiao Yu before the midday break was like a wild beast that had been starving for too long, then Xiao Yu now was like a wild beast that had satisfied its hunger but still wanted to taste the delicious food in front of it. Because it was not in a hurry, it chewed slowly and carefully.
“I often have this kind of dream in Loujiang. Has your wife ever dreamed of me?”
Brushing aside the strands of hair by the lady's ear, Xiao Yu leaned closer and asked.
Luo Fu didn't want him to be smug, so she pretended to be indifferent: "I dreamt about it. I dreamt that you were going to be a county magistrate there for the rest of your life and never come back. I went back to my parents' home, and the matchmaker brought news of several talented young men. I thought they were all good, and I was even worried about who to choose."
Xiao Yu smiled and said calmly, "I've had similar dreams before, but in my dream, my wife had already chosen a good husband and was dressed in her wedding gown, ready to get married. I was unwilling to accept this, so I sneaked in during the chaos. My wife refused to go with me, so in a fit of anger, I ended up having sex with her in someone else's bed. And just like now, my wife refused to look at me..."
Luo Fu was so annoyed that she covered his mouth.
.
Xiao Yu, mindful that his father, elder brother, and nephews who were studying and learning martial arts elsewhere were about to return, did not linger in battle.
The couple tidied up in the front and middle courtyards respectively. When they met again after changing their clothes, Luo Fu was sitting on the couch in the east side room with rosy cheeks, holding a bowl of cool tea in her hands. Xiao Yu was dressed in a blue brocade robe, his clothes were neat and his eyes were clear and upright, and he looked very dignified.
Luo Fu glanced at him and said sarcastically to the teacup, "Second Brother can't actually be a treacherous minister, because people will be wary of him as soon as they see him. If he does something bad, it will be discovered. You are the real treacherous minister, the kind of person who, even if you do something bad, people will be deceived by your appearance and demeanor and instead question and expose you as a good person."
Xiao Yu squeezed himself onto the narrow edge of the couch next to his wife and said in a serious tone, "You're absolutely right, Madam. According to historical records, many infamous treacherous officials were actually handsome. They used their good looks to gain the emperor's trust, and then revealed their true colors after they had power. But don't worry, Madam, I have always aspired to be a virtuous minister and will never go astray."
Luo Fu held the teacup steadily and kicked him with her foot.
Xiao Yu immediately moved to the other end and took one of his wife's feet in his hand. After two years apart, if he weren't afraid of being laughed at by his parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law, Xiao Yu would have preferred to stay with his wife all the time. He didn't necessarily have to do *that* kind of thing; just watching and keeping her company would have been enough.
Today, Xiao Yu was like a pot of charcoal, black on the surface but still red-hot inside, ready to reignite with a mere breath. Luo Fu was terrified of him, so she quickly finished her cold tea in a few gulps and let Xiao Yu help her put on her shoes. Then, Luo Fu hurriedly took him away.
The setting sun was bright and gentle, and the breeze that blew gently was a bit cooler than at noon, which just took away the lingering heat from Luo Fu's face.
Luo Fu deliberately inquired about some serious matters from Xiao Yu: "Pang Xin has replaced you as the magistrate of Loujiang. Do the local people all respect him?"
Xiao Yu: "Over time, the people's respect for him may even surpass that for me, because Pang Xin can do everything I can do, and he can also do things I cannot, such as personally leading militia to intercept and kill Yunnan soldiers."
Xiao Yu learned martial arts for self-defense. He has never killed anyone and does not want to kill anyone. If he were to go to the battlefield, he would probably only serve as a strategist to devise tactics.
Luo Fu had seen him boast about himself many times in his letters home, so when she suddenly heard him being humble, she felt very uncomfortable and didn't like it. She subconsciously said, "Without your support, how would Pang Xin know how to govern the people? Neither the common people nor the barbarians obey him. How could he possibly stop the Yunnan army all by himself?"
Xiao Yu smiled, grasped his wife's hand and said, "Yes, if you think I am the most capable, then I am the most capable magistrate of Loujiang County."
Luo Fu: "..."
She shook off the shameless man's hand and jogged forward a short distance.
Upon arriving at Wanhetang, Luo Fu saw her two sisters-in-law chatting with her mother-in-law, accompanied by Ying'er. As if hiding her ears, Luo Fu first revealed a secret that Xiao Yu had been concealing: "Mother, I just noticed a scar on the back of Third Master's hand. When I asked him, I learned that he almost fell off the mountain the year before last!"
As soon as the young couple appeared in front of the main room, Deng noticed her daughter-in-law's rosy cheeks. As an experienced woman, who wouldn't understand?
Before Deng could think of a way to ease her daughter-in-law's embarrassment, she first heard about her youngest son's harrowing experience. Her maternal instincts immediately surged, and she rushed to her youngest son, taking his hand and examining it carefully.
Xiao Yu exchanged a helpless glance with his wife and focused on comforting his mother first.
Luo Fu sat down to the side, called Ying Jie'er to her side and doted on her, deliberately avoiding looking at her two sisters-in-law.
Yang Yanzhen and Li Huaiyun considerately went to listen to their mother-in-law and brother-in-law talking.
The first to return were the three children. The eldest son, who was already ten years old, had the deepest memory of his third uncle. When he heard Steward Zhao announce the good news at the gate of the Marquis's mansion, the eldest son, along with his younger brother Sanlang who was going to study at the Imperial Academy, cheered and ran towards Wanhe Hall, and was the first to jump on Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu was standing, and he was about to lift his nephew up and hold him like he did with Yingjie. However, after spending the afternoon with his wife, his arms, which were strong enough to lift his wife over and over, could no longer support his nephew, who was as strong as a calf!
"What's this?"
Xiao Yu frowned slightly, and with a look of disgust, he naturally released Da Lang's armpits, then pointed to a patch of dirt on Da Lang's right shoulder and asked.
Dalang turned his head and looked around, then after a moment of thought, he remembered: "During lunch, two classmates were playing around and a piece of meat fell out..."
Xiao Yu immediately stepped back two paces.
Just as Sanlang was about to rush over and hug his third uncle, this scene triggered his past memories, and he stopped in his tracks.
Yang Yanzhen: "...You two go and pack your things first, then come see your third uncle later."
Luo Fu said on behalf of the children, "No need. We don't need Uncle San who nitpicks as soon as he comes back. Da Lang, San Lang, come here. Auntie San has some osmanthus cake that you like."
At this moment, Erlang returned from half a day of literature lessons and half a day of martial arts lessons at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. Although the wet nurse had wiped the sweat off his face and the dust off his body, his hair was still unwashed, and he had the typical smell of sweat after a day of playing wildly with boys his age.
Li Huaiyun reminded Erlang to bow to his third uncle before Xiao Yu could, but not to get too close.
Xiao Yu: "..."
Amidst their casual conversation, Xiao Rong and Xiao Lin returned to the mansion at the same time. Upon learning that Xiao Yu had arrived home earlier, both father and son quickened their pace. When they reached the Wanhe Hall, Xiao Rong deliberately slowed down, leaving Xiao Lin no choice but to accompany his father.
Xiao Yu greeted her father in the courtyard and knelt before him three times, just as she would when she paid respects to her mother, to express her filial impiety, but this time her eyes did not well up with tears.
Xiao Rong's eyes welled up with tears when he saw his youngest son's tanned face. Damn it, his third son had always been a clean person since he was a child. Even when he was forced to practice martial arts, he would choose to stay in the shade of a tree to minimize sweating. As a result, he was demoted to the southwestern border for two whole years and suffered countless hardships there!
With a pain in his heart, Xiao Rong's tone was harsh, and he said coldly, "Unfilial, unfilial! You said the same thing when you came back from Songshan last time. What's the use of just talking? You only tell me the truth. Have you learned your lesson this time? Will you dare to continue to bring trouble to yourself and your family in the future?"
Xiao Yu remained kneeling without moving or speaking. He understood his father's meaning; he could not guarantee anything, nor did he deign to try to fool his father with words.
Mrs. Deng rushed over, helping her youngest son up while glaring at her husband: "You're already putting on airs like a strict father as soon as the third son gets back. I'll let you off the hook for the sake of our family reunion today, but if you dare to spoil our mood again, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Xiao Lin also spoke up for him, and Xiao Rong then flicked his sleeves and went to sit in the main room.
As soon as he left, Xiao Lin excitedly hugged his younger brother, patted his back and massaged his shoulders. Xiao Lin said in surprise, "Well done! You've really built up your physique after this trip. How about we have a spar sometime?"
Xiao Yu had no interest in this.
After entering the main room, Xiao Lin asked his younger brother about Pang Xin's recent situation and was very happy for Pang Xin, his sworn brother.
As everyone chatted and waited, nearly 45 minutes later, Xiao Hu rushed in from outside like lightning, embracing his third brother with a hundred times more enthusiasm than Xiao Lin, so strong that Xiao Yu couldn't push him away even when he tried.
The eldest son secretly sniffed his father, then ran away and said unhappily, "Third Uncle is biased. Father is covered in sweat, much smellier than my oily clothes. Third Uncle only wants to hug Father, not me!"
Deng was amused, as if watching a play: "Take a close look at your third uncle's face. Does he look like someone who would want your father to hold him?"
Before the eldest brother could even look, Xiao Hu stepped back and looked at his third brother. Seeing that his third brother was indeed frowning, Xiao Hu punched him on the shoulder: "Do you think I want to hug you? You heartless bastard!"
Xiao Yu glanced at his elder brother's still red eyes and didn't retort.
It was almost time, so Madam Deng sent a maid to the kitchen to serve the meal.
The family banquet at the Marquis's residence tonight was very lavish, but there were no particularly unusual dishes. As Erlang was eating, he suddenly raised his head and asked, "Third Uncle, Third Aunt said that you ate a kind of tender black goat in Loujiang, and that you would bring a few back. Did you bring them?"
Both Dalang and Sanlang looked expectantly at their third uncle.
Xiao Yu smiled and said, "I brought them. Qingchuan and Chaosheng will watch over them. They travel slowly and it will be a few more days before they can enter the capital."
Sanlang, who was craving black goat, asked curiously, "Why are they walking slowly, but Uncle San walks so fast?"
Xiao Yu could cover it up, but everyone present was his family, and he couldn't find an excuse that could fool all the adults. So Xiao Yu glanced at his wife discreetly.
Luo Fu: "..."
After guarding for almost an hour, I still couldn't escape the teasing looks from my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law!
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Author's Note: Here it is! 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~
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