teasing
"Then I'll have to trouble you, madam."
Then, Liu Xu saw his wife pick up a broom and sweep the small space in the room into a vast expanse, with yellow clouds rolling like swimming dragons. Xie Lingxi swallowed the dust, coughed a few times, and her face turned red.
To her shame, she was not good at sweeping and cleaning the courtyard. At home, she usually only tidied the books in the pavilion and wiped the painted screens in her spare time. Now, her efforts had backfired. She said shyly:
“Ah Xu.”
The latter was initially stunned, but after a while, he burst into laughter, his hearty laughter audible even across a stream, "Hahaha—"
Xie Lingxi's clothes were covered in dust, and she looked disheveled. Her face showed both helplessness and anger. She grabbed Liu Xu's arm and pretended to pull hard.
"Ah Xu!"
This person actually made fun of her!
Even though her tidying style was a bit rough, it didn't detract from the overall elegance of the numerous gold and jade artifacts.
She glared at Liu Xu reproachfully, tilting her head back halfway because the young man was much taller than her, her phoenix eyes fixed on the person in front of her who had finally managed to stop laughing.
Suddenly, she saw Liu Chengzhi reach out and wipe her face.
"?"
What are you going to do?
Liu Xu finally regained some of his usual calm and composed demeanor. He reached out and carefully wiped away the dust that had covered Xie Lingxi's face like a smeared cat with his fingertips, leaving his fingertips warm.
Xie Lingxi felt her face flush red from being rubbed, and her eyebrows furrowed again. She said seriously, "You're teasing me."
These words were somewhat thoughtless, yet they could serve as a form of marital intimacy.
Liu Xu smiled and said, "Yes, that's right."
"Little raccoon slave."
...
Xie Lingxi once saw a fat cat with tortoiseshell patterns on its belly and back in her father's study. It was fast asleep and looked quite pleasant.
According to my father, the cat sneaked into the kitchen one morning to steal fish, meat, and vegetables. It stayed there and refused to leave, so it was taken in and became a domestic cat.
The cat's name was "Thank God". Whenever Xie Lingxi called its name, she would cover her face with her hands, too ashamed to be seen by anyone, for fear that others would overhear.
This led to some more laughs.
For example, one day, Xie Heng returned home from school and had just finished enjoying the pleasure of reciting poetry and boating when his father urged him to find the cat that was throwing a tantrum and refusing to see anyone because it had eaten one less dried fish.
Back then, my father's beard wasn't as long as it is now; he was quite handsome and dashing, with a charming and spirited appearance, but he spoke in a way that didn't sound like a human being—
"Xie Heng, go find your brother!"
younger brother?
Xie Heng was completely confused.
Xie Lingxi pretended not to see her brother's pleading look and was doing her hair and makeup in front of the bronze mirror, saying softly, "Thank God."
The mother brought over a bowl of hibiscus cake, placed it on the table, and said solemnly and devoutly, "Thank God."
Xie Heng understood.
He understands more than just that.
As dusk settled that day, the lazy glow of the western sunset bathed the entire city of Chang'an, casting Xie Heng's tall figure onto the bluestone pavement, adding to his air of loneliness.
The street guards stood silently, propping themselves up with their long spears, listening to the inexplicable shamanistic chanting from the mouth of the renowned young master Xie, famous throughout Chang'an.
"Thank God!"
"Thank God!"
"..."
Therefore, Xie Lingxi solemnly said, "Brother doesn't like cats, and that's why."
Liu Xu: "..."
Why is your surname Xie?
Xie Lingxi had already changed into a light purple ruqun with a dark floral pattern and washed her face. She looked as ethereal as a white moon piercing through the clouds. She wagged her index finger at Liu Xu and asked, "Don't you have such a custom here?"
"If a cat takes its owner's surname, it will be reincarnated into the family in the future, and will be reborn as a human to enjoy a lifetime of happiness."
"Um……"
Liu Xu nodded, "Yes, but very few people believe it."
“Then this,” he paused for a rare moment, composed himself, and continued, “‘Thank God,’ is it still in your house?”
Xie Lingxi was also at a loss. "No, it's old. It might be dead, or it might still be stealing food from other people's kitchens."
At this moment, the stream was babbling, the sun was setting, and a wisp of wind blew from the mountaintop, tangling the dark hair of the two people standing by the stream.
Liu Xu also squatted down with Xie Lingxi, carefully lifting the hems of their clothes that were hanging on the ground to prevent them from getting muddy. The intertwined sleeves embraced the ink-wash mountain stream, resonating with the bright sun and gentle breeze.
Liu's parents had not yet returned home. The two were finally tired and were about to go back to their house for a cup of tea when a living creature pounced from behind, opening its blood-red mouth and revealing its ferocious fangs.
Xie Lingxi dodged to the side, unable to see clearly, and exclaimed in surprise, "A snake?!"
Majestic and imposing!
Liu Xu, however, reacted quickly, catching the "thing" that was about to fall into the stream. He lifted it by the scruff of its neck with one hand, his eyes brightening slightly: "Thank goodness."
It was a tricolor hawksbill turtle.
But it's clearly not a cause for celebration.
It was much smaller than Xie Tianxiedi, probably because it had been exposed to the elements and had to eat irregularly. Natural disasters and man-made calamities had made life difficult for the cat.
Xie Lingxi smiled and took the calico cat. "Does it have an owner?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a commotion of footsteps sounded from behind, and a child shouted at the top of his lungs—
"Father! Mother! Look, that man is a thief, he stole my cat!"
Xie Lingxi turned her head away.
A simply dressed couple walked briskly towards us, carrying bundles on their backs, mud flying up from their feet.
The little boy ran over, his face puffed out, his brows furrowed with anger, and stood on tiptoe to snatch the cat. When Xie Lingxi refused, he kicked her.
"You brat, what proof do you have that this is your cat?"
Xie Lingxi initially dismissed it as childish behavior and didn't take it too seriously. However, she was caught off guard and kicked, which stained her newly changed dress with mud from the soles of her shoes.
Her expression suddenly turned cold, unlike her previous gentle smile.
"Whose child are you?"
To everyone's surprise, the child completely ignored her words and disregarded the cold expression on his face. His eyes were filled with malice, and kicking her wasn't enough to vent his anger. Taking advantage of Xie Lingxi's inattention, he circled around behind her and shoved her hard.
No sooner said than done, Liu Xu quickly wrapped his arm around Xie Lingxi's waist, pulling her to bend down and dodge. The child lost his support and fell towards the stream, but managed to steady himself at the last moment and grab onto the ground.
"you--"
Liu Xu's face was ashen, his jawline taut and cold. He was about to speak when the child's parents finally arrived, and both sides were taken aback.
"Big brother?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Lingxi, who was still in shock, was now filled with a myriad of thoughts, which were clearly visible in his words.
She suddenly felt a little dizzy, as if she had been exposed to the wind and caught a chill.
Liu Minfang was just over thirty, but his temples were already streaked with white. Seeing the situation before him, he gave an awkward laugh, at a loss for words: "Little brother, it's been a long time."
He knew that the young man before him was no longer the younger brother at home who needed constant care. As the years flowed by, Liu Xu grew increasingly tall and handsome, like a newly sprouted willow or a pine tree bathed in snow, to the point that he was almost unrecognizable.
"you……"
Liu Min glanced cautiously at the woman Liu Xu was protecting, her hand still in mid-air. "Is this your sister-in-law?"
Liu Xu softened his expression: "Yes."
"It's my wife."
As the two exchanged pleasantries, the child, having received attention from his mother, moved between them, grabbed Liu Min's sleeve, and became arrogant:
"Father! Why are you talking to them so much!"
He then punched Liu Xu hard, yelling, "You bad guy! You stole my cat and tried to push me into the river!"
"Why!"
Liu Min was afraid that this ignorant child would offend his younger brother, so she quickly pulled him back, saying, "Shenlang, this is your uncle."
Liu Shen ignored him, hands on his hips, pointing at his father: "What uncle? The one Mom was talking about, the one who rose to power through women... His wife is as strong as an ox, has a temper bigger than a tiger, and is old and ugly..."
"Father, instead of standing by my side, you're speaking up for someone like that. You're just trying to curry favor with him because he got some lousy official position. Have you no shame?!"
These words made the faces of the people present turn pale and then red.
The woman made a gesture to pull him away, but subtly pushed him further, and sure enough, Liu Shen was so angry that steam was rising from his head as he shouted, "You corrupt official! Give me back my Xiaobai!"
"..."
Liu Xu nearly ground his teeth to powder.
Since he left home to study when he was young, he had not seen Liu Da for many years. How could his elder brother, who was such a cautious and polite person, have raised such a troublemaker?
Xie Lingxi finally freed herself from his embrace, holding the cat with a half-smile, and asked a trivial question: "This cat, all white and no bigger than a bowl, you call him Little White?"
Liu Shen, showing no regard for family or relatives, asked, "Who are you?"
"His lover?"
Xie Lingxi: "Guess?"
Liu Min dared not let anyone truly guess; he had already been quite offensive, not to mention the woman before him, who was dressed in noble and elegant attire, clearly of extraordinary birth. He wiped the sweat from his brow and changed the subject: "My parents are slow travelers, they'll be there soon, Ah Xu..."
He carefully chose his words, "Wife, why don't we go back inside and have some tea to rest?"
Xie Lingxi met Brother Liu's evasive gaze with a smile that melted like snow: "Of course."
So everyone set off back into the house.
The house has been completely renovated. After Liu Xu cleaned it, even the dust on the beams has been swept away, revealing the mahogany, and swallows immediately built their nests there.
Xie Lingxi settled down, and the tortoiseshell cat, being stroked by her, fell into a deep sleep. She chuckled softly, "Big brother, my surname is Xie, and my given name is Lingxi."
Liu Min understood and nodded.
Then Xie Lingxi said, "Just now, my nephew beat my husband and me. Although it was just a childish act and understandable, I was really frightened. So... shouldn't he apologize to us?"
That's natural.
Liu Min wasn't someone who couldn't distinguish right from wrong. He remembered Liu Shen's foul language earlier, which made his scalp tingle. So he pulled the man out and said sternly, "Hurry up and apologize to your uncle and aunt!"
Liu Shen stubbornly refused.
Madam Liu rolled her eyes and acted as a peacemaker, her voice soft and sweet: "My lord, I think it's just that the children are being mischievous and playful."
"Since we're all family and the misunderstanding has been cleared up, let's all be more easygoing and not hold grudges."
Xie Lingxi could easily see what she meant: she was saying that Xie Lingxi was not a good wife at home, was not easygoing, and was petty and scheming, making her a vicious woman.
She continued laughing, "No."
The tea leaves swirled gently in the white porcelain cup. Liu Xu stared at Madam Liu, lost in thought.
His elder brother got married, which was a good thing, but why was his wife so aggressive, as if she wanted to give Lingxi a hard time?
Sure enough, this child has been completely corrupted.
It's still because I don't read books.
After a moment's thought, Liu Xu grasped Xie Lingxi's hand loosely, intending to reassure her, "Indeed."
“Since it was my nephew who was wrong, and as the Master said, ‘To know one’s mistakes and correct them is to be virtuous,’ Shenlang, you should apologize to my wife and me. That will be enough to show that you have sincerely corrected your mistake.”
“Yes,” Xie Lingxi replied, “we will naturally be magnanimous.”
"As for those baseless slanders, shouldn't my sister-in-law give an explanation about who taught them?"
She was naturally unwilling to suffer a loss, and recalling the laughing rumors that her sister-in-law Zhou had heard, she thought that this was where she might have started her fortune.
Hearing this was quite a shock; not only the mother and son, but even Liu Da lost face.
The child refused to apologize, and although the room seemed harmonious, the air was actually frozen and as cold as ice.
Finally, under the soft moonlight, several figures squeezed through the door from the front of the hall and stood before everyone, their colors a mix of light and shadow.
Liu Xu was the first to stand up. Upon seeing his parents, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, he said emotionally, "Father! Mother!"
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