Chapter 313 "Senior Brother Helps Dry It..."
Inside the kitchen.
The conversation was going on for a while, and the atmosphere was still warm and pleasant.
But then the conversation suddenly fell silent.
Xie Lingjiang recoiled as if she had touched a hot iron, her delicate body trembling as she withdrew her hand.
Like a little white rabbit, she was so frightened by the big bad wolf that she dared not move at all. She stood there dumbly, supporting herself on the table with both hands, leaning slightly forward, and lying on the stove.
Xie Lingjiang turned her back to Ouyang Rong.
As Ouyang Rong pressed close to her, he felt the soft, delicate body of the woman in his arms gradually heat up, and couldn't help but glance at her fair neck and profile.
This small-sized monk's robe is indeed too thin and tight.
This was the first thought that popped into his mind at that moment.
The stunningly beautiful young woman kneading the dough lay prone on the stove, her head bowed, like a docile, snow-white lamb, obedient even when bullied.
It subtly makes one want to bully her even more.
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but glance at the blood-red earlobes so close to his face.
The junior sister seemed lost in thought, burying her head in the sand like an ostrich, remaining silent and failing to break the stalemate between the two of them.
However, from the faint, unpleasant "hmm" sounds that occasionally escaped from the lips of the woman in his arms as he made his unintentional, slight movements, one could roughly guess that she was also paying close attention to his movements behind her.
The atmosphere around the two, who had just confessed their love and held hands tonight, fell into a brief silence.
Until Ouyang Rong's voice broke the silence:
"Uh, look at my memory, I brought the skirt knife, but I thought I forgot, hahaha."
The young woman in the monk's robes in front of the stove slumped slightly.
She responded with a soft, nasal sound, almost like a moan.
Immediately, she felt a sudden emptiness behind her, as the slender body behind her, resembling a giant furnace, separated from her hips and back.
Aside from the disappearance of the searing, grating sensation, Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.
It felt as if the fullness of being filled had been suddenly emptied, leaving only the cold air that slipped in, seeping into the clothes, chilly and empty, constantly reminding one of the abundance and possession of the previous moment.
"The dough's almost ready, I'm going to the kitchen to wash my hands." He ran off without looking back, his back slightly bent.
"You go back..."
Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but turn around, and before she could finish speaking her heartfelt words, she saw that the kitchen was empty, just like her heart at that moment.
Ouyang Rong had already walked out the door and gone outside.
Xie Lingjiang, feeling a mix of anxiety, joy, and annoyance, murmured the words she hadn't finished saying: "...Come back, you blockhead."
She looked down at the dough, then at the back of his hand that he had kneaded until it was red, and immediately lost all interest in kneading it anymore.
At that moment, Xie Lingjiang vaguely heard that he seemed to have gone to the dormitory area.
A moment later, Ouyang Rong returned after "washing his hands" and strode into the kitchen.
"I'm done washing," he said calmly.
Xie Lingjiang felt a little more relaxed. She turned her head and saw her senior brother returning, with a skirt knife hanging at his waist.
She pursed her lips.
Just now, Ouyang Rong quickly left and went out the door. When Xie Lingjiang turned around, she didn't see clearly whether he was carrying a skirt knife.
Or rather... is that the same hot, branding knife on the skirt the same one we're talking about now?
But he washed the flour off his hands quite clean, and quite quickly.
Xie Lingjiang glanced at it, then quietly looked away.
"Now that the dough is ready, let's cook the noodles," Ouyang Rong said calmly.
"good."
With work to do, the two immediately put aside their distractions and busied themselves in the temple's shabby kitchen.
About half an hour later.
A large bowl of steaming longevity noodles was served by Ouyang Rong on the wooden table in the dormitory.
It was placed in front of Xie Lingjiang.
"Okay, I'll do as you say, I didn't add cilantro."
"Cilantro?" Xie Lingjiang tilted her head.
Ouyang Rong changed to a name she could understand: "Hu Sui".
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
Xie Lingjiang happily pulled out a pair of chopsticks, rubbed them in her hands, and prepared to eat.
Suddenly, a large hand covered the bowl of noodles.
Xie Lingjiang was taken aback, looked up, and saw Ouyang Rong smiling with narrowed eyes.
"Still calling him Senior Brother?"
"Then... what should we call it?" She wrinkled her little nose.
Ouyang Rong nodded: "Can't think of anything? Then let's call him Young Master Ouyang."
"Dream on!"
Xie Lingjiang immediately straightened up and gave him a cute little eye roll.
Ouyang Rong smiled without saying a word and withdrew his hand.
Xie Lingjiang, whose stomach had already been rumbling, changed the subject and immediately started eating, shoveling noodles into her mouth.
Ouyang Rong, a master of spicy food, added a little bit of dogwood, and the spiciness blended into the lard.
Having followed Ouyang Rong for so long, Xie Lingjiang has gradually come to enjoy spicy food. Although she can't eat too much, this bowl of longevity noodles is just the right amount of spicy, and it goes straight to her stomach.
It's true that someone has gotten their hands on her stomach.
In the candlelight, the young girl in monk's robes at the table finished half a bowl of noodles. Her pink lips, which had been washed clean of rouge by the rain, became red, plump, and swollen.
"Hiss~"
Oil stains and scallions clung to the corners of her red lips, which she forgot to wipe away. She gasped for breath from the spiciness, but couldn't put down the bowl.
Xie Lingjiang ate with increasing gusto.
Looks like I've been starving tonight.
Ouyang Rong, sitting across the table, rested his chin on his hand, smiling as he looked at her, remaining silent.
Xie Lingjiang, who was engrossed in eating her noodles, felt a little embarrassed by his gaze and glanced up at him.
Why aren't you eating?
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "I'm not hungry."
"real?"
"Authenticity guaranteed".
Xie Lingjiang looked at him, then suddenly reached out and grabbed the back of his hand that was on the table. As if feeling the warm temperature, she exhaled and let go.
"Alright, if you're hungry, say so right away, don't hide it from me." Xie Lingjiang said sternly, "Even if it's just a cold, you're not allowed to secretly endure it."
Ouyang Rong looked helpless: "I'm not that weak."
Xie Lingjiang raised her eyebrows slightly and said in a feignedly fierce tone, "That's hard to say. Someone did it before, and it almost scared people to death back then."
"Okay, okay."
Ouyang Rong looked at his junior sister, whose lips were stained with scallion oil and who was nagging on and off, and chuckled as he agreed.
He raised his chin in a gesture:
"Eat quickly, it's getting cold. No matter how much noodles you eat, they can't shut you up."
"Hmph."
Xie Lingjiang squinted defiantly, then picked up the noodle bowl, which was even bigger than her pretty face, and continued slurping her noodles.
Ouyang Rong seemed to be enjoying this quiet moment, his face serene. He would occasionally turn his head to look at the rain outside the door, which was gradually subsiding, and then look back at his junior sister being fed.
After a short while, Xie Lingjiang finished most of the bowl of noodles and felt her stomach and abdomen slowly warm up. Along with the warmth, her delicate body under the thin monk's robe also warmed up.
She subconsciously raised her hand to unbutton one of her collar buttons, instantly revealing her slender collarbone, like a delicate work of art.
Ouyang Rong glanced at her, walked to the stove, and when he returned, he brought back a white fox fur shawl, which he personally draped over her shoulders.
"Don't unbutton it. You'll feel warm after a full meal, but you'll catch a cold later. If the collar is tight, wear this for now."
Xie Lingjiang lowered her head and remained quiet for a while, then glared at him and said in a soft, sweet voice, "So you know how important it is? Who took the bigger piece of clothing?"
"Huh, what do you mean?" Ouyang Rong put on an innocent expression: "What do you mean, big or small?"
Xie Lingjiang was immediately furious. She snorted coldly and continued to eat her noodles, ignoring the bad guy.
Ouyang Rong blinked, sat back down, rested his chin on his hand, and quietly watched her.
One person is eating noodles, while the other is lost in thought.
The orange candlelight on the table cast long shadows of the two people.
The drizzle outside the door fell obliquely on the threshold, dripping and pattering like a lullaby, bringing a sense of peace to the people inside.
The aroma of noodles slowly filled the room.
"Tan, Tanlang..."
Xie Lingjiang suddenly put down her bowl and called to him without looking up.
The sound of "Lang" is drawn out, soft and sweet, making one's heart flutter.
After thinking for a moment, Ouyang Rong also changed his address to "Seventeenth Sister".
"Don't call me Seventeenth Sister, it's too formal to call me an elder. You...you can call me by my nickname."
"Wanwan?"
Xie Lingjiang lowered her eyes: "Yes, before, only my mother and father could call me by my nickname. I never allowed anyone else to call me that."
Ouyang Rong was troubled: "Why does using reduplication feel so cheesy?"
"Tanlang, you... alright, alright, then don't call me that anymore. Young Master Ouyang, just call me Miss Xie. Remember to be polite."
Xie Lingjiang picked up her chopsticks again, squinted, and began to struggle with the few remaining noodles in the bowl, poking them one by one until they broke.
Ouyang Rong smiled: "Okay, Wanwan."
Xie Lingjiang reminded him: "A gentleman is cautious when alone, and Young Master Ouyang is cautious in his speech."
Ouyang Rong nodded: "Understood, Wanwan."
Xie Lingjiang picked up the bowl with both hands, lay back, took a small sip of the noodle soup, stood up, took the bowl out, and her expression was not visible.
"I'm ignoring you, I'm going to wash the dishes."
Ouyang Rong blinked and immediately got up to follow.
Xie Lingjiang stepped out the door. A night breeze blew, and she tightened her warm white fox fur shawl around her shoulders. She sensed someone shamelessly following her behind.
Xie Lingjiang tried to curve her red lips down as she walked down the corridor into the kitchen and cleanly and efficiently washed the dishes.
Ouyang Rong also slipped into the kitchen and saw her standing in front of the sink, looking virtuous and pretty as she washed the dishes.
Ouyang Rong looked down to check, tied the skirt knife to his waist, and stepped forward.
He approached Xie's delicate body from behind, reached out and grasped her soft hands, and washed the dishes and chopsticks with her.
Sure enough, Ouyang Rong found that the beauty in his arms showed no signs of struggling, only that her head was lowered even further.
Having just changed into her monk's robes, her hair, soaked from the rain, she cut a long strip of cloth from her skirt to use as a hair tie, binding her jet-black hair into a high ponytail.
Her smooth, dark hair, like willow branches by West Lake, brushed against Ouyang Rong's right cheek and chin, causing a slight itch.
Ouyang Rong sniffed the fragrance of her hair, tilted his head slightly to avoid it, and then caught a glimpse of the scallion oil stains on Xie Lingjiang's lips out of the corner of his eye.
He reached into his robes, paused, and silently withdrew his hand from his pocket, which was about to take out a handkerchief.
Why not use something else to wipe her?
Someone nodded.
Little did Xie Lingjiang know the little schemes her lover was plotting behind her.
Having learned from their previous experience, the two stood close together in front of the stove with much better understanding.
She shifted her hips slightly and adjusted her position a little, cooperating with Ouyang Rong's closeness.
Xie Lingjiang stopped asking him whether he had brought a skirt knife or not, or whether he had brought an extra skirt knife.
But at one moment, for some reason, her face turned even redder, her breath came in soft gasps, her neck arched like a swan's, and her movements as she bent down to wash the dishes became a little awkward.
The two remained close together in silence, enjoying a leisurely time washing the dishes.
Until Xie Lingjiang timidly spoke:
“My love, I once did something really stupid.”
Ouyang Rong closed his eyes: "Hmm? What is it?"
Xie Lingjiang spoke in a low voice, finding it difficult to speak:
"Back at Donglin Temple, Aunt Zhen had expressed interest in getting engaged and took the initiative to discuss it with my father. That very night, my father asked me about my wishes..."
"so what."
Xie Lingjiang mustered her courage and said, "So... refusing the marriage wasn't actually my father's wish; on the contrary, he encouraged it. The reason is... it's because of me..."
She suddenly turned around and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist: "My love, I'm so stupid, so very stupid..."
Ouyang Rong shook his head and interrupted: "It's normal to be unfamiliar with each other when we first meet. I don't believe in love at first sight. Slow and steady wins the race."
Xie Lingjiang looked up at his calm face and murmured:
"But lately I've been thinking about it a lot, even dreaming about it often. If only I hadn't had so many sentimental thoughts back then, and had taken Father's advice, maybe we would all be..."
"What?"
She dreamed, "We'll all be celebrating New Year's Day together over in Wuyi Lane..."
Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "I think things are fine as they are now."
Xie Lingjiang asked cautiously, "Aren't you angry when you're rejected?"
He dipped his finger in water and tapped it on the tip of her upturned nose:
"I'm not angry, I'm actually quite happy, because this is my junior sister, a proud and serious girl who won't give up until she hits a wall..."
"But things seem to have changed a bit now."
Ouyang Rong asked, somewhat puzzled, "Could it be that you've been through something traumatic?"
"There's nothing exciting about it..." She slightly turned her gaze away.
Ouyang Rong shook his head and said seriously:
“But now, we might have to wait a while longer, Wanwan. The situation in Xunyang City is rather strange. Right now, everything is fine, but many people are waiting. If we make one wrong move, it could be utterly disastrous. Could we wait until we leave Xunyang and go to Luoyang…”
"Okay, I know everything, you don't need to worry about explaining."
Xie Lingjiang pressed two slender fingers to his mouth and quickly expressed her true feelings:
"I understand. I'll be good and won't bring up engagement or anything that might interfere with your important matters."
Ouyang Rong remained silent for a moment, then suddenly pointed to her plump, red lips:
"You didn't wipe your mouth."
Xie Lingjiang blushed and raised the back of her hand to wipe her mouth, but Ouyang Rong pressed her hand down. The two stared at each other for a while, then he suddenly leaned forward. Xie Lingjiang's beautiful eyes widened, her face briefly flustered, and she tried to close her eyes, her eyelashes trembling.
"Where is Miss?"
"Please come this way."
Just then, the shouts of Wanqing and Xie's maids came from outside, along with the monk's directions.
Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang separated due to the shock.
"Miss, are you alright? Madam has been looking everywhere for you, worried that you'd gotten caught in the rain..."
Xie Lingjiang wiped her wet hands on her monk's robe, walked to the side, and bent down to straighten her clothes.
Ouyang Rong let out a long breath, turned his head to look at the sky where the rain had stopped, and sighed helplessly.
Xie Lingjiang turned her head and pleaded pitifully, "Please don't be sad. If you're sad, I'm sad too. My heart is breaking."
Ouyang Rong immediately nodded, controlling his emotions: "Okay, see you tomorrow."
Xie Lingjiang glanced outside the door, and before the maid could enter the courtyard, she suddenly threw herself into Ouyang Rong's arms and hugged him tightly without hesitation.
Ouyang Rong was a little stunned by the collision, but when he came to his senses, he immediately wrapped his arms around her slender back.
In the dimly lit kitchen, the two faced each other and embraced tightly.
Even if they can meet tomorrow, the embrace between lovers is so tender and inseparable that it is hard to part.
Xie Lingjiang disregarded everything and wished she could press her entire body into his chest.
Unfortunately, compared to other women in the world, her and her lover's two passionately beating hearts would always be a few inches apart.
With beautiful women in his arms, Ouyang Rong instantly felt an unprecedented sense of fulfillment and happiness.
It used to be something to be admired from afar, but not to be touched; now it's my son's canteen...
She suddenly tiptoed, leaned close to his ear, and whispered something:
"My dear, I'm leaving now, but... but there are still two soaking wet clothes in the room. Could you... could you help me dry them?"
Without waiting for a reply, Xie Lingjiang wiped her lips hard on the fabric of Ouyang Rong's shoulder, her face flushed, and fled like the wind.
Ouyang Rong was stunned. He touched the oil stain on his shoulder with his finger and looked at the young woman in the monk's robe leaving in a dried dress and a white fox fur shawl. He couldn't help but frown in confusion.
By the way, didn't she take the dress and the fitted blouse with her? Is there anything else she hasn't worn that she'd leave for him to dry? Socks? Wait…
In an instant, the expression on the face of the upright gentleman changed slightly.
He's having a hard time dealing with this junior sister.
(End of this chapter)
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