Chapter 114 But Sometimes I Miss Her
Qiao Ruoying paused and stroked her hair, "Okay, Li'er, are you going to move out?"
"No, I don't want to move. You and my cousin are in the Duke's Mansion. I don't want to live alone. I can stay there for a day or two on my day off. You can come with me then."
"good."
Shi Jianli hugged her waist and said, "In ten days it will be the anniversary of my mother's death. Aunt, please accompany me to my grandfather's former residence to burn candles and incense."
Six years ago, a flood struck Duzhou, followed by a mudslide. My father, working to relocate the people, was buried in the mud. My mother, who had caught a cold during the heavy rains before the floods, contracted an acute illness after the floods and passed away in October.
In just three months, she lost both her parents.
Shi Jianli can still remember how her mother grabbed her hand before leaving, and said with red eyes that she didn't want to leave her alone in this world.
The mother wanted to live, wanted to stay with her, watch her grow up, and see her get married, but she could not resist the disease.
Later, she asked her uncle who went to Duzhou to deal with the new prefect to bring her parents' ashes and spirit tablets back to Beijing and send them to her grandparents' former residence to accompany the two elders who had passed away a few years earlier.
Every year on the anniversary of the death or when there is some important event, Shi Jianli would go to burn three incense sticks.
"Okay, ask your cousin to go with you." There was some sadness in Qiao Ruoying's eyes. How great it would be if her sister and brother-in-law were still alive.
"Um."
Qiao Ruoying stayed with Shi Jianli for a while, then she heard that Ming Zhao had returned. She stood up and said, "Since Zhao has returned, let him accompany you. I'll go pick out a servant for you myself. I don't feel comfortable leaving him to anyone else."
"Second Aunt." Mingzhao asked Qiao Ruoying.
"Um."
Mingzhao sat down next to Shijianli and asked, "What are you worried about?"
"Ask my aunt to help me pick out servants for the Princess's Mansion."
"Yaoyao, are you going to move out?"
Shi Jianli glanced at him and said, "Don't move for now. You and your aunt are asking the same question."
Mingzhao even used his fingertips to push away the hair that was stuck to her cheek. "Because this concerns whether I can see my fiancée more often."
If he moved there, he would have to go back to the mansion to change clothes after returning from duty before going to the princess's mansion to find her.
She held his fingers and looked at him: "The Duke's Mansion is pretty good, with my aunt, cousin, and sister Lin."
"And you."
The Duke's wife was also very nice. Even though she was not her child, but just her daughter-in-law who had not yet married into the family, she would subconsciously protect her in her arms when she was in danger.
Mingzhao even smiled, "Yaoyao thinks so highly of me."
He still understood the principle of first come first served. Mingzhao didn't dare to think that his weight in her heart would be greater than that of the people who had taken care of her and accompanied her in the past few years, but as long as she had a place for him in her heart, it was enough.
Shi Jianli's eyes flickered slightly, and she pinched his fingers, "Are you tired of being on duty?"
His smile widened. "I'm not tired. I'll be back to see you after my shift."
Shi Jianli blinked, her eyes lingering on the smile on the corner of his lips.
Every day he went to court, trained soldiers, went home to accompany his fiancée, and flirted with her. A few days later, when Mingzhao was off duty and stepped into Tangliyuan, he saw that Shi Jianli seemed to be in a bad mood.
"Yaoyao, are you unhappy today?" Mingzhao was still sitting next to her, rubbing her head.
Tianyu entered the yard and handed the food box to Lanxing after seeing her. Then he went out and stood by the gate.
Shi Jianli turned to look at him and pursed her lips slightly, "Cousin Jingyao, tomorrow is my mother's death anniversary. Please accompany me to burn some incense for her."
Mingzhao was still stunned, "Okay."
"I'm not unhappy, I just miss her a lot sometimes." I thought about how much her mother loved her and how reluctant she was to let her go before she left.
"Yaoyao has her aunt by her side now, and I will be with her in the future," Mingzhao comforted her.
"Yeah." Shi Jianli leaned sideways on his shoulder, "Lean on me."
Mingzhao lowered his eyes and rubbed her cheek with his fingers, "Does the wound still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt much, just a little itchy."
"It should be new flesh growing. Remember to ask Lanxing and Xianyue to apply scar cream on you in a couple of days."
"Oh." Shi Jianli raised her head slightly, saw herself in his eyes, and rubbed her head gently against his neck.
Mingzhao's heart softened, and he subconsciously raised his hand to hold her shoulders. After a pause, he held her hand and asked, "When do you usually go to burn incense for your mother?"
"I'll go after breakfast. I'll wait for you to get off duty tomorrow."
"I'll just ask for leave. There's nothing important in the army. Now when I go to court, I listen to the debates of the civil officials. I can even memorize all their arguments." Mingzhao was still looking at the slender white fingers he was holding. With a slight turn of his wrist, he was able to easily interlock his fingers with hers.
"If you want to wait for your cousin, you should wait until you get off work." Shi Jianli looked at her hands.
"Okay, where is your mother's spirit tablet?"
"My grandfather's former residence. After offering incense to my mother, I plan to send it to the princess's residence."
Mingzhao also waved to Lanxing and said, "I asked the kitchen to make two kinds of pastries that you like."
Lanxing put down the food box, brought out the pastries, and handed over a clean wet towel.
Mingzhao wiped his hands with a handkerchief, picked up a piece of milk cake and handed it to her lips.
Lan Xing looked away and went to do his own work.
Shi Jianli glanced at him, then lowered her eyes and bit his hand twice, her teeth accidentally knocking against his fingertips.
Mingzhao shrank his fingers slightly.
She sat up straight, picked up the warm water on the table and took a sip.
Mingzhao smiled silently and put the last bite to her lips. She glared at him and finished eating with red ears.
"What kind of person is Yaoyao's mother?"
Shi Jianli lowered her head and took a sip of water. "She is very gentle, loves to laugh, is very beautiful, likes reading and making clothes, and is always cheerful. I always like to lie in her arms and act like a spoiled child."
There are two Qiao sisters in the capital, both of them unparalleled in beauty. The elder Qiao marries the third-place winner of the imperial examination, while the younger Qiao enters the mansion of a noble. This is the nursery rhyme she heard in an alleyway when she returned to the capital with her parents to celebrate her grandfather's fiftieth birthday.
"At that time, I always had a lot of beautiful clothes to wear. Every piece was tailor-made for me by my mother. The clothes she made always made me stand out among the women of the state government."
"My father is busy with his official duties in Duzhou, and my mother doesn't bother him. She has her own things to do. She owns many shops and is an excellent accountant."
"I can open so many shops now, thanks to my mother. She cultivated my taste in making clothes."
Shi Jianli said, looking up at Ming Zhaohuan, "She and my father have a very good relationship. When my father comes home, the first thing he does is look for my mother. Then he casually hands me the food or gadgets I like. If he doesn't see me, he'll send someone to find me."
It seemed like he was doing the same now, coming back from the military camp, dressed in dusty clothes to find her.
"Back then, I didn't like staying at home. When the people my parents sent to look for me found me, I was either at a street corner, in a field or in a forest, or at a party with some little sisters."
Mingzhao could imagine how happy she was at that time just by listening to the smile and nostalgia in her words.
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