A bathtub kiss: "Then do you want to be the general's wife?"...
On this sunny day, several women who were on good terms with each other came together to the riverbank to wash clothes. Children could be seen playing barefoot on the large rocks by the river, their trousers rolled up.
After Zi Jin came to the inn to tell her about this, Qin Weixi quickly put the pile of dirty clothes that had accumulated over the past few days into a small wooden basin, picked it up, and headed to the riverbank. As she approached the private room, she paused for a moment, recalling Lu Yu's drunken and dissolute behavior that day.
Her almond-shaped eyes darted around, and she quickly knocked on the door of the adjacent room. But with a gentle touch of her finger, the door opened by itself.
The window in the room was open, and Chu Yening was sitting at a small table under the window frame, seemingly lost in thought, occasionally fiddling with the small sachet at her waist. Upon seeing her approach, Chu Yening quickly stood up, and noticing the wooden basin she was carrying, he understood: "Going to the river?"
Qin Weixi nodded and glanced at the bed, but saw no clothes lying there. Chu Yening glanced at them and said, "Want to sleep here?"
Qin Weixi's breath hitched. Then she heard him say, "Oh, no. You want to switch rooms with Fourth Brother?"
She blinked, then freed one hand and beckoned to him: "Bring me your clothes. Fourth Brother, don't you know that if you're going to put on an act, you have to go all the way?"
Lu Yu, who was on the riverbank, brought her youngest daughter with her this time. The women were still chatting together. When they saw Aunt He coming from behind, she was the first to greet her and said with a smile, "Seventh Sister, are you here to wash clothes? The pastries you sent a few days ago were delicious. I didn't know you could make food."
Qin Weixi nodded, and looking at Lu Yu on the riverbank without looking up, she smiled and said to Aunt He, "Seventh Sister, try making this for your husband at home."
When Aunt He heard her mention the noble young man she had seen a few days ago, she looked behind her and asked in surprise, "Didn't your husband come with you today, Seventh Sister?"
As Qin Weixi spoke, he walked towards the river: "He caught a cold a few days ago, and Seventh Sister was afraid he would catch a chill."
Aunt He's smile deepened upon hearing this, and wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes: "That's right! You really have a soft spot for people!"
Looking at the ceaselessly flowing river in front of her, Qin Weixi really wanted to wash her clothes. In the Luo mansion, before she could even wash and change her clothes, Pu Niang would take them all away in the blink of an eye. But now, in Chongqing, a thousand miles away from the capital, Pu Niang was rushing to wash them for her.
She needs to learn to protect herself and to be self-sufficient. Things she couldn't learn when she was young, she now needs to learn.
But the moment she put down the wooden basin and touched the icy cold river water with her hands, she suddenly felt a chill. She suddenly remembered the scene of pulling Ah Xia and jumping into the river, the snow in her hometown, the smiling faces of her mother, father and brothers, and the bone-chilling river water.
Qin Weixi's heart suddenly pounded like thunder, and his face turned ashen in an instant. He immediately dropped the wooden bucket in his hand, stood up, and tried to back away, but he had already stepped into the river. He was quickly tripped by the hard rocks in the river and lost his balance.
In a daze, I heard someone calling "Seventh Sister!"
Hidden in the shadows, Zi Jin walked quickly without hesitation, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tall figure leaping up from not far away.
Zi Jin remained where he was.
Chu Yening stretched out his arm and quickly pulled her into his embrace, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I know, don't be afraid, I'm here."
Aunt He was chatting with other women in the distance when she noticed the strange sight. It was too late. She saw that the silk shoes on the woman's feet were soaked by the river, and the wooden basin full of clothes was drifting further and further away with the rushing river. She said, "Seventh Sister, your clothes have all drifted away."
Chu Yening glanced at him wistfully and said, "Always look forward, don't look back. If you lose it, you lose it. I'll buy you a new one when we get back."
After saying that, he picked her up by the waist and placed her on a large rock on the riverbank.
The other women also gathered around and showed concern for Qin Weixi.
"I sprained my ankle. I have some medicine to use. I'll go get it for Seventh Sister right away."
Chu Yening had already knelt on one knee, taking off her wet silk shoes with one hand, and then holding her ankle, looking at the ankle that was red and swollen from the sprain. He said, "It's nothing, no need to trouble you all."
At that moment, Lu Yu also came over and stared intently at the beautiful couple in front of him.
This distinguished young nobleman was quiet and reserved from the first day they met, but he was all smiles and beaming like a flower when he was with his new bride. Seeing his insistence, a woman left the warm clothes she had brought on the shore for her to wear.
For a moment, only the two of them remained on the riverbank.
Chu Yening continued to gently massage her ankle. Qin Weixi quickly forgot the fright she had just experienced. Because she was sitting on a high rock, her other foot was dangling in the air and it was difficult for her to land. She subconsciously stretched out the foot that he was holding in his hands.
Then she moved slightly: "It hurts—"
"Be gentle."
Upon hearing this, Chu Yening's hands suddenly paused, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly. For some reason, the stack of storybooks that the idiot had presented to him in the study that day flashed through his mind for a fleeting moment.
After a moment, he turned around and looked at the women behind him who were still washing clothes, but whose laughter was growing weaker and weaker. Upon closer inspection, he saw that they were all tilting their heads towards the rocks on the riverbank.
Chu Yening turned around and looked at the girl whose attention was now completely focused on him. He said in a low voice, "Madam, do you know that you are setting your fourth brother on fire?"
"What?" Qin Weixi's gaze shifted from his palm to his face, and he suddenly saw that his eyes were burning with passion.
Suddenly, a figure flashed before her eyes. Chu Yening picked her up again and whispered, "I'll tell you all about it when we get home." As he spoke, he also picked up her wet shoes.
Qin Weixi had already wrapped an arm around her neck, not forgetting to look back. She saw several people on the riverbank exchanging glances and laughing heartily with her. Lu Yu stood on the shore, watching intently in the direction the two of them had left.
Inside the inn, Chu Yening applied ointment and gently massaged her for a long time with great patience. Seeing that she had improved, he went to find the innkeeper. Because he hadn't changed out of his wet boots and damp clothes from wading into the river, and worried that she might have caught a chill from the riverbank, he asked the innkeeper to prepare two buckets of hot water for them to bathe. Tao Qingyun, having nothing to do, was dozing in the next room, snoring loudly.
Qin Weixi had just stepped out of the bathtub and changed into a new set of clothes in one of the three connected rooms. He was about to find a towel to dry his wet hair when he suddenly felt a dry mouth. He went to the small table under the window to find a teapot, but it was empty of water.
Just then, there was a gentle knock on the tightly closed door, and soon someone said, "Is Luo Qiniang here?"
Qin Weixi raised an eyebrow, then suddenly smiled slyly, clearly surprised.
She opened the tightly closed door and saw Lu Yu looking around from time to time. She noticed that Lu Yu's black hair was wet and hanging down her shoulders. She then quickly glanced at the partition room and asked suspiciously, "Luo Qiniang, don't you and your husband sleep together?"
Qin Weixi was taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly replied, "He's afraid of passing on his illness to me."
Lu Yu nodded absentmindedly, as if he understood.
Qin Weixi looked at her and smiled slightly, "What brings you here, Madam Yu?"
A rare smile suddenly appeared on Lu Yu's face, but it was also somewhat stiff: "Thank you. My daughter loved the pastries you sent the other day."
As she spoke, she saw Luo Qiniang in front of her, who was only fiddling with her wet hair and keeping her eyes down without saying a word. She was about to speak again when she suddenly heard the sound of running water coming from the next room. She also saw that Luo Qiniang in front of her had changed into a new set of clothes, and she understood even more.
She asked in surprise, "Luo Qiniang, isn't your husband taking a bath and you serving him?"
Qin Weixi was taken aback upon hearing this, his eyes flickering: "Serve?"
How should we serve?
A hint of suspicion suddenly appeared in Lu Yu's eyes, and Qin Weixi's heart also stirred at that moment.
Just then, a soft voice came from behind the partition: "Madam, please hand over the handkerchief."
Qin Weixi's eyelids twitched suddenly, and then she met Lu Yu's deeply puzzled gaze. She still smiled and said, "Please wait a moment, Madam Yu."
The cubicle doors and windows were tightly closed, and the room was filled with steam, creating a warm atmosphere.
Qin Weixi turned around and looked at the faintly visible figure of Lu Yu behind the door, knowing that she had not left.
Her eyes searched for the handkerchief, but she soon found it hanging on the shoulder of the man who was currently giving her a back covered in scars.
After he was injured that day, she only saw the two vital wounds that Doctor Dong had bandaged for him, as well as his exposed chest and arms, but she did not see his back, which was covered with scars.
Was it left behind on the battlefield? Was it from those ten years of solitary travel in the Northwest? Or from those many years of fighting alongside Uncle Chu?
Her heart was churning, more turbulent than the ceaseless flow of the river she had seen that day. Her heart was pounding so hard that she was suddenly in so much pain that she couldn't speak.
Qin Weixi slowly walked over, then wrapped her arms tightly around his neck from behind, and snuggled up to him head to head.
Chu Yening chuckled softly, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Are you scared?"
She whispered, "I like it."
His eyes were filled with laughter, and he heard the girl who was nestled close to him say in a low voice, "You are the bravest little general in my heart, as steady as Mount Tai when the enemy comes, and invincible on the battlefield."
"Then would you like to be the general's wife?"
Hearing these light and melodious words, Chu Yening's smile deepened.
Suddenly, he pulled one of her arms, which was wrapped around his neck, forward and turned his head to meet her eyes: "Madam, do you know that if you're going to put on an act, you have to go all the way?"
"how?"
Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted into the air, and then with a splash, water from the bathtub splashed everywhere, filling the room with steam.
It turned out that Chu Yening had pulled her into the bathtub.
Outside the door, Lu Yu heard a sudden, strange noise coming from inside the house and hurriedly walked down the steps.
"I...I won't bother you any longer, Luo Qiniang. I'll have prepared some wine and dishes for you at home later!"
Chu Yening's deep, affectionate peach blossom eyes shone brightly, now filled with tenderness, as she slightly raised her chin towards the door: "Look."
Qin Weixi's clothes, which were originally dry, were now completely soaked, but she still kept her posture upright, not daring to move even slightly or look around carelessly.
In her haste, she grabbed the handkerchief hanging from his shoulder and, without thinking, flung it over his bright, star-like eyes, covering them.
"That day, Third Brother said he had a feasible plan. Is this the plan?" There was a hint of displeasure in his voice.
Chu Yening pulled off the handkerchief, still smiling as he looked at the bright-eyed, white-toothed girl in front of him. He recalled what the sharp-tongued third brother had said that day: "You were all lovey-dovey with my sister in front of that Lady Yu, wouldn't she let her guard down? But don't tell A-Ling that I taught her this when we get back to the capital!"
Chu Yening laughed heartily, then suddenly pulled back the girl who had already gotten up and was about to climb out of the bathtub, before bending down and planting a kiss on her.
At that moment, the sharp-tongued third brother, who was snoring loudly, suddenly woke up from his dream. Hearing the noise from the next room, he hurriedly picked up his two boots that had fallen down and ran over, pushing open the tightly closed door.
Tao Qingyun stared in disbelief at the pair of golden boy and jade girl, one standing and one sitting in the bathtub amidst the swirling steam in the room.
One person had a smile in their eyes, while the other had a blush on their face and wide-open almond-shaped eyes.
"My God, what... what are you doing?"
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