younger sister
As I walked into the alley, I heard playful laughter. A girl in a blue dress was surrounded by a group of half-grown children, who were chirping and laughing, staring eagerly at the candied haws in her hand.
Standing quietly with his hands behind his back, Su Zirui watched her with great interest. Her fair face flushed in the sunlight, her eyebrows dancing with joy, making people feel comfortable.
Aruo, who was having fun, turned her head and saw him, and a smile suddenly broke out on her face, as bright as the sun. His pupils trembled slightly, and his eyelashes drooped slightly, hiding the momentary throbbing in his heart.
The two little boys, who were less than ten years old, were so competitive that they hugged Aruo's waist tightly on both sides and surrounded her. Aruo, who was ticklish to begin with, bent over with laughter and surrendered.
Before Yu Desheng could show off his success, he felt a chill on his back. He turned back timidly and met a pair of black eyes that were slightly narrowed and gleaming with cold light. He was so scared that he immediately retracted his hand and hid behind Aruo.
"Lord Su," Aruo raised his hand and smiled, "I saw the imperial edict. I'm so glad you're okay."
"Sister," Yu Desheng nervously pulled her hand, "Is he coming to arrest you again?"
He still remembered that at the beginning of the year, his sister was thrown into jail by this man, and his mother was so worried that she couldn't sleep.
Aruo looked at Su Zirui, who was obviously stunned, jokingly. Seeing him turn his face away guiltily, he leaned over and patted Yu Desheng's hand. "Do you think your sister is always in trouble? He's not here to arrest me. How about I take him home?"
"Why are you taking him home? To protect the house?" Yu Desheng blurted out with his eyes wide open.
Aruo was stunned, then burst into laughter. A living Yama coming to protect the house sounds pretty good.
Su Zirui glanced at him coldly. Yu Desheng, whose courage depended on the situation, quickly let go of Aruo with a smile and ran away with the children.
Bending over leisurely to look at the giggling girl, Su Zirui said lazily, "Catch me? Huh?"
Aruo's face flushed slightly, and her eyebrows curved like a crescent moon. "Lord Su is so kind, isn't it normal for me to want to hide you at home?"
"Nonsense." Su Zirui scolded softly, his tone gentle and smiling. "Are you still living in Huichunfeng?"
Aruo nodded. She hadn't expected that the Chunfengli courtyard wasn't fully occupied because of the tragedy. She had originally wanted to move into Master Wang's former courtyard, which would have been cheaper, but Caixin was afraid, so she gave up.
Su Zirui raised his eyebrows when he heard this. This girl is really... frank.
"By the way, I heard the King of Zhao is getting married. It's said that this King of Zhao is known as one of the Four Princes of the Capital simply because of his beautiful looks. I'd love to see just how beautiful he is, making all the women in the capital envious."
Among the four princes in the capital, only this one she had not seen yet, and only this one was famous for his appearance. Aruo couldn't help but be curious about how beautiful he was to be praised so much that even his identity as a prince could not be avoided.
Just as she finished her words, she was pinched on the waist. She shrank back and begged for mercy, glaring at him. But the man who pinched her was so graceful and elegant, yet his moves were swift and fierce.
"Of course, it's not good for a man to be too handsome. Our Lord Su is still suitable for a family."
Su Zirui laughed angrily, covering her teasing face with his big palm, not bothering to look at her, "You're so smooth-talking."
The two of them strolled along the alley. The autumn sun was just right, shining through the branches and leaves of the locust trees, creating a picturesque scene.
"You mean, the emperor ordered you to draft laws?" Aruo was a little surprised. She was not clear about the division of labor, but this kind of laws and regulations were generally studied and drafted by the Secretariat.
"It's a special permission, after all, we're advocating for precedent based on a case. We're only drafting it, and the details still need to be submitted to the Secretariat for finalization." Su Zirui briefly explained the process. "Originally, the case of a baby wouldn't be enough to move him, but the late Empress Dowager was repeatedly persecuted with shamanic techniques in the past. The worst incident nearly led people to believe the current emperor was possessed by an evil spirit, but it was actually a poisoning scheme. Perhaps these secrets led him to support the inclusion of the punishment in the law."
Although Aruo's eyes were filled with praise, he also had a hidden worry. "Actually, many civilians don't know about this secret technique, and there's no urgent need to legislate this. Don't you think it's not worth it for you to spend so much effort?"
Even in the advanced society she once lived in, it was generally classified as a feudal superstitious activity, but she vaguely felt that Su Zirui was targeting him.
"No, the laws are only used for popularization and learning when they are not in use, but once something happens..." Su Zirui tilted his head and looked at the girl beside him, "There will always be a time when they will be useful."
Aruo didn't understand why, but what he was doing was indeed meaningful, and she supported it. After giving the thumbs-up, Aruo remembered another rumor, "Master Su, when I was working at the stall this morning, I heard a lot about your deeds... about the counterfeit incident back then, um, I mean..."
She learned from Jing Lan how the Tiger Village was destroyed. She wanted to bring it up but didn't know how to explain it clearly.
"When I was young, I was ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. One day, I was murdered and abducted to the Tiger Stronghold, where I nearly perished." Su Zirui had never imagined he'd be able to speak so openly about his past shame. But now, as he spoke to her, he felt no resentment. "Thanks to a young girl risking her life to save me, and with the help of Lord Jing, I was able to escape. What happened next was just as the rumors said: a bloody massacre..."
He stopped, looked down at her, his eyes bright, and asked in a low voice, "Are you scared?"
Aruo was stunned. Was she afraid? Her memory of that time was a little hazy. She was still young then, and her biggest goal every day was to survive safely. She harbored the darkest thought of her life: to kill Meng Batian and escape the mountain alive. Thinking about it now, the memory was hazy, and there was no fear left.
Intellectually, if they didn't die, she and Yiyuan would have to die in humiliation. It wasn't a question of fear or not.
"If I say I'm not afraid, will you be disappointed?" Whether it was plotting to kill someone or witnessing him slaughtering the village, she was never afraid.
Su Zirui smiled slightly and touched her head, "Very good."
Aruo blinked, then suddenly smiled and leaned closer, her bright eyes reflecting his soft brows. "Master Su, that little girl saved you. How are you going to repay her?"
He looked into those smiling black eyes without giving in, his gaze gradually becoming hot, causing the heartbeat of the person who was originally planning to tease him to suddenly speed up, and he subconsciously wanted to retreat but was reluctant.
"How about I pledge my love to you?"
He stared at her, his face expressionless, but he did not hide the surging emotions in his eyes, as if he wanted to swallow her up.
"Very, very good..." Hearing this, her imagination ran wild and her ears felt hot.
Su Zirui was amused by her and tapped her forehead with his fingertips to bring her mind back to where she was. "Let's go, I'll take you back. I have some questions to ask Doctor Song."
When Miss Chen was injured that day, he asked Aunt Song for help. Now that the incident was resolved, he still had some details he wanted to clarify.
Aruo followed him and glanced sideways. Lord Su was strolling leisurely in the garden. After he put away his smile, his expression was indifferent and distant, which made her competitive spirit surge.
There were still some pedestrians on the road, and they were not very close. Aruo took the opportunity to avoid the oncoming peddler and walked closer. He keenly noticed that the person next to him paused slightly.
He looked straight ahead, seemingly nonchalant but as if watching every inch of the road, his face solemn.
Aruo wanted to sigh when she saw this. No wonder, with such a face and family background, he was not as popular in the capital as Lin Ziyan, that superficial pretty boy.
She was wearing a wide-sleeved skirt today, and when her hands were lowered, the sleeves were almost knee-length, making her look as if she were wearing a thin gauze when she walked. He was wearing a wide-sleeved brocade robe... Quietly, her fingers hooked lightly around his, and just as her fingertips were about to leave, the hot big hand came over and took her slightly cool hand into its palm.
The successful person turned his head to look at him with a bright smile. A hint of red appeared on his ears and his eyebrows raised slightly, which was actually a little cute in her eyes.
The two of them stood on the busy street, their palms facing each other secretly, fingers tightly clasped.
At the entrance of the alley in the spring breeze, two people suddenly stood facing each other.
Aruo saw Caixin's ugly and frustrated expression from afar and looked over curiously, almost not recognizing the person. "Caixin... Hey, General Cheng... Ah, who are you?"
Looking at the burly figure, Aruo thought it was Cheng Sheng, but when the other person turned around, he had a heroic and handsome face.
Cai Xin was speechless and pointed at the man dejectedly, "That's him."
Huh? Aruo took a closer look. Without the obstruction of his beard, this was what Cheng Sheng looked like. His features did look familiar. Perhaps he took after Madam Cheng. Aruo had a fondness for the woman who had comforted her at a critical moment, and as a result, she also found Cheng Sheng more pleasing to the eye than before.
"General Cheng." Su Zirui held her hand tightly, not letting her let go, and casually greeted Cheng Sheng in front of his wide-open eyes.
"Master Su..." Cheng Sheng gave him an unfathomable look.
"Aruo," Cai Xin didn't care what they said. She walked over angrily, not daring to push Su Zirui away. She could only hold Aruo's other arm, "He said he wants to move in!"
"Eh? Why?" Aruo was not unwelcome, just a little surprised.
Cheng Sheng rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sister Caixin, Doctor Song is treating my mother. I thought it would be convenient to live here, and there happened to be a vacant courtyard."
"Who is your sister? You don't know, but that's..." A haunted house. Cai Xin couldn't refute this reason, but it was a little awkward.
"We who are on the march are not afraid of these things." Cheng Sheng said frankly and glanced at Cai Xin secretly.
"General Cheng, you still insist that Caixin is your sister?" Aruo thought he went to Sizhou to comfort Caixin because...
"Of course!" Cheng Sheng said sternly, "We are related by blood, I will never admit my mistake!"
Aruo and Caixin looked at each other speechlessly, too lazy to explain.
Su Zirui glanced at Cheng Sheng, whose delicate eyebrows and eyes, without the beard to hide them, and his lips, which were too upturned for a man, and seemed to be thinking about something.
Suddenly, the gate of the courtyard opened and a figure rushed out quickly, rushing straight towards Su Zirui.
He reacted very quickly and stepped back, revealing the hand he was holding the person, but he did not let go and directly led the person away.
The other person nimbly walked around him and reached out to the girl next to him. Su Zirui's mind raced and he stepped sideways to block, but the other person had already quickly held his face.
"My son, my Rourou..." A mournful voice sounded, and Mrs. Cheng had pushed Aruo away and snuggled into Su Zirui's arms.
With his sword-like brows slightly furrowed, Su Zirui shot a murderous look like a knife at Cheng Sheng, who was covering his face. He forced himself to resist pushing him away.
As far as he could remember, no one except Aruo had ever hugged him so directly. He felt an awkward discomfort that he wouldn't have been able to endure if the other person hadn't been an elder.
"Mother, this isn't my sister. She's right here." Cheng Sheng hurried over to help the person away and pulled Cai Xin over. "Look, how much do I look like her? I can tell she's from the Cheng family."
"Cai Xin, Lord Su, why do I feel like this mother and son are taking advantage of you?" Aruo giggled and hid aside, causing someone to glare at her.
"Son, did you retire from the Northwest because of your eye disease?" Madam Cheng asked with a frown, then pulled Su Zirui and said, "Look, this is your sister. Her face is just like your father's!"
Aruo burst out laughing. She wanted to ask Su Xiang if he knew about this?
"What are you doing at the door? Come in quickly and don't block the way." Old Cai shouted towards the door. He was still waiting for the goods to be shipped.
It took Cheng Sheng a lot of effort, and with Cai Xin's persuasion, to finally get Madam Cheng to let go of Su Zirui, and he obediently let her help him into the yard. Old Cai and his apprentice were busy moving wood outside, while Aunt Song was rummaging through herbs in the yard.
Aruo looked at the scene and suddenly said, "I like the bustling atmosphere of fireworks, but I also like the elegance and tranquility of pavilions and towers. So, Lord Su, you don't need to accommodate me."
Su Zirui has been aloof and cold since childhood. Suddenly, he was in such a lively place. Not only him, but even she felt awkward watching him.
"You can fit in in any environment." Sometimes he found it miraculous that she always found her most comfortable position so quickly in any situation. But he was different. No matter how confident he was, he still had his moments of discomfort. However, these were not unacceptable. He curled his lips into a smile, "But Lord Su is omnipotent, isn't he?"
The hustle and bustle she likes will always become his daily routine.
Aruo laughed, "Except that I can't give birth to a child myself."
Su Zirui touched his nose. He felt a little unfair that he lost to Qin Shuang in this regard.
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