Chapter 18
When Song Junwu arrived, he saw the figure sitting on the small table in the main room. She was holding a teacup and looking straight ahead. As if she had received some kind of command, she mechanically brought the cup to her lips. Only when she heard a sound did she turn her head to look at him.
Her eyes were slightly moist, which stunned Song Junwu. Qingyun was different from usual. She was wearing a white cloud-colored narrow-sleeved jacket that reached her knees. Her hair was styled in a topknot and adorned with gold and silver hairpins. Her face was as green as cinnabar, and her delicate girlish face was truly eye-catching.
As he approached, he saw the two people sitting opposite him. However, they were seated in high positions and treated the person in front of them with a playful attitude. Ye Linping smiled when he saw Song Junwu arrive and pointed at Qingyun, asking, "Does the Commander recognize the woman in front of him?"
Song Junwu sat imposingly to the side, and upon hearing this, he carefully examined Qingyun's flushed face before asking, "Why are you teasing her?"
Song Chaoyun sat leaning against the side with a book in her hand, looking completely unconcerned. Hearing this, she smiled and said, "It's this rascal who said he wanted to teach her manners. Let him be."
Song Junwu snorted coldly, glanced at Qingyun, and told her to leave. Ye Linping, who had just become interested, stopped her, saying, "Qingyun and I haven't had enough fun yet, what are you doing?"
Song Junwu didn't mince words, "She has important things to do, so what if I tell her to leave?" After her figure completely disappeared from sight, he turned around and said unhurriedly, "Are you two deliberately trying to embarrass people? It's already come to this, we've already seen the joke, why bother?"
Ye Linping also put away his smiling face, gently shaking the folding fan in his hand, as if he had lost the fun he was just now, and said lightly, "She really doesn't remember me."
Song Junwu reminded him, "Don't forget, it was you who reported the Qing family. Not remembering you might not be a bad thing."
Song Chaoyun, who had been silent, interjected, "Who doesn't know what's on his mind?" Then she looked at Ye Linping and said, "You're really disgusting."
All three people present understood the meaning of these words. The half of his face was covered by a fan, but his eyes revealed a pair of very shrewd eyes. Just one look from them made one feel uncomfortable. Upon hearing this, Ye Linping closed the fan and said with a smile, "What you want, you should find a way to get."
He gazed ahead, seemingly still savoring the moment, or perhaps lost in his own world, murmuring to himself, "She's still as beautiful as ever..."
Upon hearing this, Song Chaoyun glanced at him, her gaze unexpectedly shifting downwards as if she had seen something. She quickly exclaimed "Disgusting!" and, losing all interest in her book, threw it aside and jumped off the kang table, saying to Song Junwu, "This is a real beast!"
Song Junwu nodded in agreement, "He's a real beast."
After saying that, he didn't want to stay any longer and decided to leave together. However, as soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, he suddenly felt a pressure and realized something was wrong. He drew his dagger and stabbed at the person who came at him. It was Qingyun. In an instant, the dagger was turned and flung to the side, hitting the stone wall with a bang.
Looking at Qingyun again, she had changed back into her previous clothes. Although she wasn't as stunning as she had been in her previous outfit, Song Junwu couldn't take his eyes off her.
He suppressed the pounding in his heart, his face expressionless, and asked, "What are you doing out here all of a sudden?"
Qingyun put her hands on her hips, stretched out one hand and demanded, saying matter-of-factly, "Meat."
Song Junwu was taken aback by the question, "What meat?"
Qingyun scoffed, "How come they all got mutton, but I got nothing! Now that I'm awake, you can distribute what you're entitled to and give what you're owed."
Song Junwu picked up the dagger from the corner of the wall, wiped it clean, and put it back in his pocket. After listening to her, an idea flashed through his mind, and he readily agreed, "Don't pick a day yet, how about today? I have a good cook in my courtyard. How about I make you some roasted mutton?"
Qingyun applauded, saying that even though her family was poor and their salt was coarse, Song Junwu's cooking skills and seasonings must be a hundred times better than hers. With that, the two of them entered Song Junwu's small courtyard together.
After instructing the small kitchen, Song Junwu sat down. He noticed the coral bracelet on the other person's hand and then observed Qingyun's expression before asking, "Why did you change your clothes so quickly?"
He picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Isn't this quite suitable for you?"
Speaking of this, Qingyun didn't know what those two were up to. Anyway, they made her wear that outfit just to amuse her. It's not like they couldn't tell. But since she got a free bath, it wasn't a loss. "It's too much trouble and it gets in the way of work."
Qingyun's attention was entirely on the pastries on the table. She used to think that these kinds of things were hard to swallow, but she didn't know if it was because the ancient methods were different from the modern ones, or because the types of pastries were different. She just felt that every single one of them melted in her mouth and didn't taste cloying at all.
She observed Song Junwu's gaze, then naturally picked up a pastry and began to eat it. Song Junwu noticed her little action, smiled knowingly, but did not expose her.
The moment it entered my mouth, the fragrance of flowers filled the air, and the sweetness gradually spread to my taste buds. Qingyun exclaimed, "This chef is an expert! He's amazing!" The next dish was a savory pastry. The umami of mushrooms filled my mouth, and the salted meat was oily and flavorful. Qingyun was surprised, "These are shiitake mushrooms?!"
Song Junwu was amused by her appearance and nodded in agreement. Qingyun thought to himself, "This really is the Commander's Mansion. In a place where even steamed buns are considered delicacies, to have mushrooms as a supply of fungi is quite impressive. No wonder the difference between the rich and the poor can be seen at a glance."
What's unusual in this era is nothing more than the filling in people's pastries.
Qingyun: "Delicious!"
Her cheeks were bulging, as if she hadn't eaten anything. It was hard to believe that just a few months ago she was a wealthy young lady. Song Junwu thought to himself, Qingyun has indeed changed a lot since coming here, even her personality has changed considerably. Although he had glimpsed her from afar when he returned to the capital before the New Year, she was still poised and elegant, with the scholarly air of a young lady from a noble family.
Now she's become a country girl, unconventional and unorthodox. Could a huge blow really change a person's temperament?
While he was still lost in thought, he heard Qingyun point at him while eating and say, "I'm telling you, you're a good person! You don't talk nonsense, and you don't follow any of those rules with me."
Qingyun was sincere. Besides being handsome, Song Junwu also had very high emotional intelligence. He never put on airs in front of her, nor did he have the arrogance typical of those in positions of power. Being with him was simply comfortable, and she felt that he was down-to-earth. Qingyun didn't know why she felt that way.
If she had said those words to Song Chaoyun, she would probably have gotten a slap in the face again.
Seeing this, Song Junwu simply smiled slightly, rubbed the rim of his cup, and said thoughtfully, "I admire your style and decision-making. Talented people always need to be given some privileges to highlight their special qualities."
Before they knew it, the mutton had been served. There was roasted mutton and stewed mutton. The big bones were placed on a porcelain plate the size of a washbasin, emitting the unique aroma of mutton. It made people's mouths water. Qingyun didn't hold back and tore off a piece and started to eat it.
It tastes better when you eat with your hands. Seeing that Song Junwu hadn't touched her chopsticks, she called out to her a few times, though it was just a polite gesture.
Song Junwu: "Where did you get this bracelet?"
Upon hearing this, Qingyun raised her hand to look at it and casually replied, "It was given to me by someone surnamed Lin." After saying that, she seemed to realize that it was a bit inappropriate, so she smiled and immediately changed her words, "It was given to me by Lord Lin, who said it was a reward for me."
Song Junwu found it extremely interesting. He raised his eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised by the answer, and said indifferently, "Then he really is generous."
Qingyun didn't care about any of that. He was happily munching on the bone stick. The two chatted casually, but Song Junwu realized he couldn't get any information out of him. Instead, he looked at Qingyun, his face getting redder and redder as he ate, his eyes glazed over and he seemed a little lost.
She looked like she was drunk. Song Junwu picked up the cup next to her, brought it to his nose and sniffed it. It was just ordinary tea. He asked in confusion, "What's wrong with you?"
Qingyun let out a burp, realizing she had eaten too many pastries earlier. She waved her hand, indicating it was nothing to worry about, "Hey! I ate... I ate too much, I feel a little dizzy."
"Dizzy from carbon monoxide?" Song Junwu was still pondering the meaning of those words when she saw Qingyun stand up. She grinned and pointed to the rocking chair next to her. "Is it okay if I take a nap?" she said as she walked over. "I feel so dizzy~ I knew it... hiccup, I knew I shouldn't eat too much at once."
In a daze, Qingyun found the rocking chair and lay down. The chair was made of bamboo, and it was cool and comfortable to lie on. She readjusted her body to find the most comfortable position to sleep in, and after all that, she drifted off to sleep peacefully.
Song Junwu was left stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening. He looked at Qingyun, who was lying motionless in the rocking chair, and fell silent. He really didn't know what to do with this person. He ordered his things to be put away, and sent a maid to sit beside Qingyun and fan her. Then he took his riding whip and went out.
He thought he was just having bad luck today, as the dagger had already been flung away twice. Ye Linping smiled and peered into the courtyard, then asked after a while, "What is Qingyun doing in there?"
Song Junwu, with a cold expression, looked down at the man in front of her and replied indifferently, "She's asleep."
Upon hearing this, Ye Linping's smiling eyes turned wary. He subtly tightened his grip on the fan handle, but still pretended to be nonchalant. "When did Brother Song and she become so close?"
She glanced sideways at Song Junwu, her tone laced with sarcasm, "You're so close you're sharing a room and a bed?"
Song Junwu rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache. He bluntly stated that he was not interested in Qingyun, and stared at the other man with a cold gaze, saying in a low voice, "She is still a virgin. Brother Ye, you should be careful with your words and actions, and lest you ruin her reputation."
After saying that, he turned to leave, but then, as if remembering something, he turned back and glanced at Ye Linping. "You shouldn't be so heartless as to go to such lengths, right?" Song Junwu sheathed his dagger and left a piece of advice: "Brother Ye, take care of yourself. You should know that your past actions were not those of a gentleman."
After finishing his sentence, Song Junwu turned and left without looking back, leaving Ye Linping alone behind. However, he was not without precautions and ordered his adjutant to have a few people guard the courtyard.
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