Chapter 1016 A Daughter's Thoughts
Sunset at dusk, in a secluded courtyard.
Beside the well in the courtyard, a pretty young woman dressed in a snow-white Wu-style dress was tiptoeing, holding a handkerchief, gently wiping the face of a stunned, dazed young man.
The two were standing quite close together. From the angle outside the courtyard gate, the pretty young woman looked as if she were leaning against the dull young man. If a passerby were to walk by, they would probably think so.
At this moment, Aqing twirled a handkerchief between her fingers and wiped her brother's dull face for a while. She frowned slightly, as if she felt that the handkerchief was rough. Instead, she took out a light blue handkerchief from her sleeve, wet it, wrung it out, and wiped him again.
Ouyang Rong was also surprised by A Qing's actions. He was stunned for a moment until the handkerchief touched his skin, at which point he shuddered.
Despite the somewhat intimate posture, Aqing in front of him didn't sense anything amiss. Instead, she playfully scolded Ouyang Rong for shrinking back.
"Brother, don't move."
She stepped forward and carefully wiped the water droplets off his face.
Ouyang Rong stood frozen in place, somewhat helpless.
He twitched his nose slightly, catching a faint fragrance similar to osmanthus. It was somewhat familiar, and he couldn't tell if it was Aqing's body scent, the scent of the handkerchief, or both, as they were inherently similar.
"Brother, your beard has grown quite long."
"Um."
"It's time to shave."
"I was just about to wash my face, and I went inside to shave."
"oh……"
The two stood there for a while. The young woman, who was almost leaning into the young man's arms, finished wiping herself and met his gaze. As if belatedly realizing that the distance was a bit too close, A Qing's face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head to avoid Ouyang Rong's gaze.
But after a short while, the pretty young woman raised her head again, her expression returning to normal, as if nothing had happened.
She put away her handkerchief, stood in front of Ouyang Rong, tilted her head, and smiled charmingly:
“Brother, this is perfect. Let me shave you. I haven’t shaved you much before. It used to be Sister Xie and Sister Ye who did it for you.”
Ouyang Rong hesitated slightly, perhaps feeling that being too sentimental was inappropriate, but after a moment, he nodded:
"Alright."
Immediately, the brother and sister, chatting and laughing, went into the house to shave.
In this era, shaving does not mean shaving off all the beard, but rather trimming it neatly.
Influenced by Confucianism, people in this era believed that shaving one's beard was unfilial and that only trimming was acceptable.
For traditional Confucian scholars, hair is considered an essential part of one's appearance. Besides them, non-Confucian men also held the idea that "our bodies, hair, and skin are given to us by our parents and should not be damaged."
Moreover, people in this era believe that, except for shaving one's head and beard to become a monk, one should not easily shave one's beard. There is even a punishment for shaving one's beard. This shows how much importance is attached to beard hair. There is no idea of shaving it all off for a clean feeling. The real norm is to trim and maintain it.
Fifteen minutes later, inside the house.
“Brother hasn’t said yet why you suddenly thought of sending a message to call me back. You’ve never used that message channel before.”
Ouyang Rong remained silent, only tilting his head back and leaning against a chair that he had dragged to the center of the room.
Beside him, a bronze scroll floated in the air, its bronze shaft occasionally flashing with a clear blue light. It was spinning around him and the chair, as if curiously observing them.
It's the little guy's creation, out for a drive to relax.
[Craftsmanship] It is somewhat "impatient" because it was originally supposed to help Ouyang Rong trim his beard, but the master's sister suddenly returned and took its place.
Aqing had no idea that she was being verbally abused by a sword in a cauldron; she just thought it was the little guy being naughty.
At this moment, a pretty young woman dressed in a snow-white Wu-style dress held a sharp knife in her hand and curiously circled the chair where Ouyang Rong was leaning back. She looked down and carefully examined her brother's thick and lush beard, gently stroking it with her slender hand for a while before starting to cut and slowly trim it.
The man's beard was naturally stiff, but Ouyang Rong had just washed his face, which softened it considerably, making it easier for Aqing to trim it now.
Aqing didn't seem to have trimmed men's beards much. Her brother Ashan had passed away early, and now the only man she was close to was Ouyang Rong. Before, the two were separated in Xunyang and Longcheng. Ouyang Rong was surrounded by women like Xie Lingjiang and Ye Weilai, so she had no time for such trivial and intimate daily matters as trimming beards...
At this moment, Ouyang Rong sensed that A Qing's movements as she trimmed her beard were somewhat clumsy and unfamiliar. He slightly opened his closed eyes and looked at the girl in front of him, whose face was serious and focused.
In my heart, I just felt that Aqing was inexplicably cute.
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but chuckle.
The corner of her lips was pulled up in the process.
The young woman's slightly flustered scolding voice immediately reached his ears:
"Brother, don't... don't move, don't move your mouth..."
Ouyang Rong immediately pursed his lips and softly responded:
"oh oh."
Aqing's movements were generally gentle. After experiencing it for a while, Ouyang Rong closed his eyes again and let her operate as she pleased.
During this time, the faint scent of gardenias lingered around his nose. He sniffed for a moment, somewhat lost in thought. As if to avoid being in a daze, he spoke softly:
"I plan to go down the mountain tomorrow."
Aqing paused slightly as he bent down to trim his beard.
Ouyang Rong vaguely felt her gaze fall on his eyes.
He opened his eyes directly, met Aqing's gaze for a moment, and said:
"I was originally going to leave tonight, and I was planning to have dinner with you. I was going to head over first, but I just got word that the time there has been postponed, so I'll have to stay until midnight."
After a moment of silence, Aqing finally replied, "Oh."
Ouyang Rong seemed to sense the young woman's low spirits and asked with a smile:
"What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
No, no.
"Still saying no?" Ouyang Rong teased, "You were a bit too rough when shaving your brother."
No way.
"Whether you're happy or not, do you think I don't know?"
After Ouyang Rong finished speaking, he subconsciously wanted to raise his hand to touch her little head, but he was stopped by her reclining posture and had to give up.
Ah Qing composed herself and asked, looking down, "So, brother, are you going down the mountain again to see the people from Xunyang?"
Ouyang Rong nodded upon hearing this:
"Yes, that's right, we agreed to meet once a month."
Aqing turned her gaze away and asked softly:
"Is the owner of that stack of scriptures on the table also among them? Brother, I must go and see her."
Ouyang Rong was somewhat puzzled as to why A Qing suddenly asked about this, but he still nodded truthfully in response:
"Yes, Xiaoxuan is here too."
Aqing murmured, "Xiaoxuan..."
Ouyang Rong continued earnestly, "I've gone through those scriptures and made some annotations, so I'll give them to her. Xiao Xuan is responsible for escorting the Fang sisters back and forth, which is also very hard work. This time, thanks to her, I feel more at ease."
After a pause, Ouyang Rong glanced at the silent A Qing, realizing she had misunderstood something, and offered words of comfort:
"Don't worry, next time there's a chance, I'll take you down the mountain and introduce you two. Xiao Xuan is about your age, and I treat her like a younger sister. I've watched her grow up. But she went to the Shangqing Sect on Maoshan Mountain to cultivate Taoism a long time ago, so we haven't seen each other for several years. Unlike you, A Qing, you live nearby, so I can keep an eye on you and visit you in Longcheng often..."
His tone was somewhat wistful and wistful.
For some reason, whether it was a certain sentence, a certain word, or she sensed someone's emotions, Aqing became a little more alert.
The young woman shaving her brother glanced sideways, her gaze lingering on the young man's face as if observing something. After a moment, she spoke first:
"I understand, brother. Be careful when you go down there. Don't rush things. Focus on your important business first. There will be plenty of opportunities later..."
After a pause, Aqing continued:
"Now that you hear what you've said, I'd also like to get to know this Miss Xuan... By the way, brother, have you mentioned me to her?"
Hearing A Qing's tone, Ouyang Rong opened his eyes and looked at the little girl's expression. He noticed she seemed quite concerned about the matter and nodded, saying:
"I said a few words."
Aqing tilted her head, "Then we should get to know each other better in the future."
Ouyang Rong was about to change the subject, but A Qing seemed to have thought of something, and her tone became somewhat lower as she continued to ask:
"So, brother, you were planning to call me back before you left, just for a quick meeting to give me some instructions, and you're only staying one more night with Aqing because the food service and storeroom are delayed?"
Ouyang Rong was stunned, wondering why she was so concerned about this, and why it was so convoluted and confusing.
Young girls sometimes think like that, and the things they care about are strange and hard for outsiders to understand.
He carefully considered his words, then replied earnestly:
"Farewell advice... there was some, but I've always thought Qing is very sensible and capable. Sometimes, there are things that don't need much explanation; Qing can handle them very well. There's no need for you to call her back for advice. So, the main reason I called Qing back this time is that I want her to do me a favor..."
Upon hearing this, Aqing couldn't help but interrupt, asking again to confirm, "Is it to help?"
"Yes, that's right."
After answering, Ouyang Rong couldn't help but glance at the expression on A Qing's face. He wondered why she seemed so excited and happy. Logically speaking, helping others should be a troublesome matter, so why did she seem so happy...?
Aqing smiled sweetly and said:
"Oh, I see. Then brother, don't be so polite. Just tell me what you need Ah Qing's help with... Hmm, if you hadn't told me, I would have thought you just wanted to call me back for a farewell... And time is so short..."
Actually, Ouyang Rong was a little confused at the moment. What was the difference between asking her to come back for help and calling her back to say goodbye? However, after thinking about it, he realized that with the girl's strange way of thinking, the more he said, the more mistakes he would make, so he simply decided to ask less.
Ouyang Rong shook his head inwardly, but his expression became focused as he spoke again:
“I need Aqing to come over. The excuse for this vacation is to visit my family. If Aqing returns from the Queen's Palace, she can provide proof.”
"I see, so you're helping your brother cover up the lie, so you won't leave any clues..."
Ah Qing looked curious and thoughtful, and said:
"But brother, will anyone really go and verify this? You're just doing menial work and on leave. Will a lot of people be watching you...?"
Ouyang Rong glanced at her and said softly:
"Water dungeon".
Ah Qing seemed to understand instantly, closed her lips, and slowly nodded:
"Understood. It's always better to be safe than sorry. Brother is the most reliable."
Ouyang Rong remained calm.
If it were just a simple vacation, the people at the dining hall certainly wouldn't suspect anything. But Ouyang Rong was worried about the water prison, especially after Yun Xiangyi's sudden question last night before he left, asking if he had gone to see his sister... This was a rather detailed and pointed question, as if she knew something.
Logically speaking, given Yun Xiangyi's personality, she shouldn't care about this kind of thing, but since she asked about it, she must have noticed him, so we have to be careful.
Moreover, it was Chen Jiaxin who spoke on Ouyang Rong's behalf about taking a few days off, and Yun Xiangyi agreed readily without asking any further questions...
Ouyang Rong had a bold guess: that he and A Qing were siblings. In fact, Yun Xiangyi already knew, but Chen Jiaxin was still in the dark. In a sense, Ouyang Rong's excuse of taking leave to see his family was very reasonable in Yun Xiangyi's eyes, which is why she "had no suspicions".
Chen Jiaxin misunderstood, thinking that her master trusted her... In fact, Yun Xiangyi knew more than she did.
Ouyang Rong had suddenly thought of this possibility on the way out of the water prison last night, so after finishing his shift, he immediately used the communication channel left by A Qing to call her back from the Queen's Palace, which served as an excuse for him.
Yun Xiangyi might not go to the Queen's Palace to verify this matter herself, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Just like A Qing said, Ouyang Rong cannot leave any obvious clues.
At that moment, Ouyang Rong, who was enjoying Ah Qing pruning his beard, suddenly asked:
Have you ever seen the Fifth Lady, Yun Xiangyi?
Aqing paused in her grip on the razor, a hint of embarrassment appearing on her face:
"I have seen him, but... however..."
Ouyang Rong asked curiously:
"But what?"
Aqing blushed slightly and said:
"I mistook her for my sixth uncle and called out to him as usual. My fifth uncle didn't remind me and even chatted with me for a few words before we parted ways... I only realized it was her when I found out. I was wondering why my sixth uncle had become so quiet. I thought something big had happened in the hall..."
"No wonder, it turns out she's my fifth martial uncle... And because of this, my master laughed at me for a long time..."
Ouyang Rong realized what was happening and couldn't help but chuckle, saying with a smile:
"Fortunately, I met Yun Xiangyi first, but I haven't met her sister, Liu Nujun."
Aqing suddenly asked:
"So, what you're worried about, brother, is that your fifth uncle in the water dungeon might suspect something about your leave?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "It's not so much a suspicion, but at least we can't leave any loopholes."
"Understood."
Ah Qing said softly, "Brother, actually I've only seen Fifth Uncle once, just a few days ago, because Fifth Uncle is always guarding the water dungeon and doesn't come back to the Queen's Palace very often..."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
