Chapter 119 A deep purple figure appeared on the city wall...
That night, Luo Fu slept very soundly until dawn when she was awakened by the first family on the street setting off firecrackers.
She instinctively tried to hide under the covers to block out the crackling sounds, but an arm wrapped around her and the person whispered in her ear, "Happy New Year's Day, congratulations on spending another year with my wife."
Luo Fu's eyes were still closed, but the corners of her mouth turned up. Xiao Yu was smart enough not to mention that the couple had grown another year older.
"You get up first, I want to sleep a little longer."
Luo Fu pushed away the person who was trying to press down on her, saying that the couple had no relatives here, so they didn't have to get up early to deal with all sorts of New Year's greetings.
Xiao Yu whispered a reminder to her: "There are several adults living in the official residence with their families. The children all like to pay New Year's visits to their elders and receive lucky money."
Xiao Yu was simply frugal, not stingy; he would always give the appropriate gifts, especially for the children.
Yesterday, Luo Fu and her party arrived at the official residence. The news must have spread to every courtyard. If the children did not see the Chief Secretary's wife when they came, and then went back and told the adults what they thought, what would they say?
Luo Fu didn't want to become the subject of gossip, so she had Xiao Yu help her get dressed.
After getting dressed, the couple pulled the covers up and made love again. This kind of thing has its own charm, whether slow or fast. As Luo Fu lay on the pillow, feeling Xiao Yu's long-lost wildness, for a few moments, she genuinely considered staying in Jicheng a little longer. However, after she finished dressing and walked around the three main rooms, finding them deserted and quiet, Luo Fu's lustful impulses vanished.
The snow outside hasn't stopped, it's just lightened a bit.
Breakfast was simple: two large bowls of dumplings and glutinous rice balls that I had made the night before, plus four cold dishes.
The glutinous rice balls were specially prepared by Qingchuan, who had asked the kitchen helper to make them. Every time he went out with Third Master, he would often hear Third Master reminisce about Madam, and Qingchuan remembered that Madam's hometown ate glutinous rice balls on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Just as the couple finished eating, children came running over to wish Xiao Yu a Happy New Year. Some children were stunned to see Luo Fu, the exceptionally beautiful wife of the Chief Secretary, while others blushed with embarrassment. Luo Fu gave the sweet-talking children an extra handful of melon seeds and candy.
Xiao Yu thought of her own children: "With neither of us here, Man'er should be alright now that he's grown up, but I wonder if Tuan'er will cry."
Luo Fu: "Don't worry, she's the youngest in the family now, and everyone from her grandparents to her cousins dotes on her. She's probably enjoying all the New Year's money she's received right now."
Despite his usual pickiness towards Xiao Yu, his father-in-law was incredibly kind to Hong Ge'er and Cheng Jie'er. Whenever the two siblings clung to him, he would take them with him wherever he went. Of course, this was also because the siblings were in the period when his father-in-law had some free time after retiring from his official post. When Ying Jie'er and the other three were still children, his father-in-law, who was over fifty, preferred to go out and socialize on his own.
Xiao Yu glanced at the wardrobe, where he found the New Year's money and birthday gifts he had prepared for his brother and sister, but unfortunately, they had to be handed over by his wife.
There wasn't much to see in the official residence, so Luo Fu asked Xiao Yu to take her for a walk in the city. Since she had come all the way to the North, Luo Fu wanted to broaden her horizons.
Xiao Yu then changed into the new New Year's robe that his wife had brought him, and then put on a cloak. With the hoods covering their faces, the couple didn't even need to use an umbrella.
These past few days, shops of all sizes have been closed, but the streets are filled with people visiting each other to exchange New Year's greetings, and children are running around playing happily.
Passing by a house with its door wide open, Luo Fu curiously peeked inside and saw a ring of orange-yellow corn hanging under the eaves, some of which were covered with a layer of snow.
Luo Fu called Xiao Yu to look too, and said nostalgically, "In our town, some families would hang a circle of preserved ducks and salted fish, and would even have children keep watch to prevent stray cats from stealing them."
Xiao Yu: "I still remember the beautiful scenery of Huangqiao Village. If you are willing, Madam, when we get old, we can go back to Guangling to enjoy our old age."
Luo Fu asked curiously, "I can go back anytime, but what about you? How old is considered old? I've seen several high-ranking officials resign because they were too ill to continue their duties. Even then, the emperor sometimes wouldn't allow it. Of course, those high-ranking officials considered it an honor to be able to stay in their posts to recuperate."
Xiao Yu pondered for a moment and said, "If everything goes smoothly, sixty will do. Fifty will still be enough for me to serve the court, sixty is just right."
Luo Fu: "If you're healthy, sixty isn't old at all. Marquis Pingnan was over sixty when he went on a northern expedition."
Xiao Yu: "It is precisely because I still have the strength at sixty that I want to spend more time with my wife, either in our hometown to enjoy our later years or to travel to famous mountains and rivers. If I wait until I am over seventy or when I am unable to work due to illness, then I will become a burden to my wife at home."
Luo Fu found this to be quite reasonable. She was young now and naturally preferred the prosperity and glory of the capital. But when she became an old lady and lost interest in the wealth and fame of the capital, she would rather invite Xiao Yu to go sightseeing than repeat the same days in the Marquis's mansion like her mother-in-law.
"Forget it, don't think that far ahead. Take a good look at the snow scene in the city, and when you get back, paint me a picture of the northern city scenery, like the one with the auspicious snow that promises a good harvest, just like the ones you painted when you were in Loujiang. I really like them. We can keep them together and look at them often when we're old. It will be worth it for all the places you've been."
Xiao Yu had been quite free these past few days, and since his wife liked his paintings, he naturally wanted to oblige.
"I'll paint another portrait of Madam in the snow," Xiao Yu said in a low voice.
Luo Fu quietly squeezed his hand.
Painting is a meticulous task; the higher the requirements for the finished product, the more time it takes. To prevent Xiao Yu from thinking about finishing the painting quickly so he could spend more time with her, Luo Fu, who usually disliked pretentious pursuits, deliberately stayed by Xiao Yu's side constantly. She would grind paint for him, pour him a bowl of hot tea, and eagerly inquire about his painting techniques. At night, she would gaze at him with eyes full of admiration, coaxing Xiao Yu into not wanting to be perfunctory with the snow scene painting, lest he disappoint his wife if he didn't paint it well. As for his wife's portrait, Xiao Yu had no intention of being sloppy.
It took two whole days, and on the evening of the third day of the Lunar New Year, the painting "Auspicious Snow for a Bountiful Year" was finally completed.
Luo Fu looked at it again and again, and finally pointed to a blank space next to her that was suitable for writing a poem, saying, "It would be even better if there was a poem there."
That's easy to explain. On New Year's Eve, after his wife fell asleep, Xiao Yu, who was holding his long-lost wife, couldn't sleep for a long time. At that time, he thought of a few lines of poetry to express the joy of reunion. In addition, when he accompanied his wife to Jicheng on New Year's Day, his wife's bright eyes and white teeth in the snow also inspired his poetic inspiration.
In one go, Xiao Yu recited two poems to his wife.
Luo Fu liked them both very much and asked him to write them on a piece of paper. Then she hugged Xiao Yu from behind and said affectionately, "These two poems are obviously written for me. I can appreciate them in private, but if I write them on this painting, it won't be good to let Man'er and Tuan'er see them when I get home. Let's change to a poem that prays for a good harvest for the people and for peace and prosperity throughout the world next year."
Xiao Yu's title of top scholar in the imperial examination was not solely due to his direct criticism of the late emperor; his literary talent was also first-rate among his fellow graduates.
While he was busy at his official post, Emperor Xianping suddenly summoned him to compose a poem. Xiao Yu was certainly not interested, but he was free at the moment, and it was his wife's request. Recalling the people's lives he had witnessed in Jizhou over the past seven or eight months, Xiao Yu pondered for a moment and picked up his pen to write a poem.
When Xiao Yu sent the painting to the most famous mounter in Jicheng for mounting, he also painted another portrait of his wife. In the painting, Luo Fu, wearing a pomegranate red cloak, stood in the snow-covered courtyard. This was the wife that Xiao Yu saw first when he lifted the curtain on New Year's Eve. Then, on this painting, Xiao Yu inscribed a love poem for his wife.
Both paintings were framed by the eighth day of the first lunar month.
Luo Fu stayed three nights longer than originally planned. On the eighth night, Xiao Yu relentlessly pursued her again and again, and in the morning he even clung to her like a spoiled child, refusing to let go.
Luo Fu: "Alright, alright, even if you don't achieve anything this year to return to Beijing, I'll still come to see you during the Spring Festival."
It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it. The thought of being separated from his wife for a whole year before he could see her again made Xiao Yu even more reluctant to let her go.
Luo Fu thought for a moment and said, "How about July? I'll bring Tuan'er to see you in July and stay until next spring when it gets warmer. That way, we can avoid the two most uncomfortable times of the year when traveling, the hottest and coldest days."
Xiao Yu finally sat up and, while dressing his wife, said firmly, "Tuan'er is too young and is prone to getting sick from the change in environment. Madam, you don't need to go through all that trouble."
He simply couldn't bear to part with his wife; he didn't intend to force her to soften her heart and agree to come and stay with him.
He had figured it out, but Luo Fu felt sad. When everything was ready and Xiao Yu was about to help her into the carriage, it was Luo Fu who couldn't bear to let go of his hand.
Xiao Yu wiped away his wife's tears with his left hand, hugged her for a while, and finally forced her into the carriage.
When Ping An boarded the car, he saw the lady leaning against the car floor with her eyes closed, silent rain streaming down her fair cheeks.
Ping An was on the verge of tears. He went over to take a handkerchief and wipe away the lady's tears, whispering, "Let me lift the curtain so that you can take a few more glances, Madam?"
Luo Fu shook her head.
She recalled the year Xiao Yu was first demoted and set off for Loujiang, when he rode away without looking back.
Luo Fu was the one who stayed behind to see him off on his journey; today, she is the one who gets into the carriage and leaves on her own initiative.
Neither position was comfortable, but the couple had no choice in the matter.
The carriage slowly turned out of the alley where the official residence was located, and then slowly drove out of the city gate of Jicheng. By this time, Luo Fu's tears had dried, and her tangled heart had regained its calm. She lifted the curtain, closed her eyes to adjust to the cold wind blowing in her face, and only after the wind passed did Luo Fu turn around and look back at Jicheng.
The snow from the first day of the Lunar New Year had not yet melted, and the area outside the city was covered in white. The sky above Jicheng appeared as blue as if it had been washed clean. The wind swept away all the dust, allowing Luo Fu to clearly see the row of guards on duty on the city wall.
Luo Fu stared for a long time, and just as she was about to look away, a deep purple figure appeared on the city wall.
In the entire city of Ji, only three people are qualified to wear such a purple robe, but only Xiao Yu can wear it with such elegance and refinement.
Her vision blurred again. Luo Fu wiped her face and continued watching the scene until the purple-robed figure on the city wall grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared completely.
When they passed through a relatively prosperous county town again, Luo Fu sent her guards to purchase a set of brushes, paper, and paints. From then on, whenever she stayed at the post station at night, Luo Fu would use the rudimentary painting skills she had learned from Xiao Yu to repeatedly paint the scene she saw when leaving the town.
After wasting countless sheets of paper, Luo Fu finally completed a painting titled "Sending Off My Wife After Snowfall" when she returned to the capital on the sixth day of the second lunar month, a painting that she was quite satisfied with.
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Author's note: Here it is! 100 little red envelopes, see you tonight~
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