Chapter 595 My heart is not a rock that cannot be turned, my heart is not a mat that cannot be rolled up [Seeking monthly votes!]
Outside the small window, the wind swept through the empty courtyard, and the pear tree swayed.
White pear blossoms dotted the cleaned stone table after lunch.
Inside the small window, in front of a woman's sleeping bed.
Two figures, one tall and one short, embraced for a long time.
The dream-awakened girl in his arms had tears staining her rouge-covered face.
Ouyang Rong gently rested his chin on her head.
Did you have a nightmare?
Ouyang Rong asked gently.
The little head with its loose black hair in his arms shook.
The swaying caused Ouyang Rong's chin, which was resting on it, to lift slightly.
He looked up at the canopy above him and said softly:
"That means... I miss my family."
Ouyang Rong felt the little head buried in his chest shake again.
"Then... are you unhappy? Are you unhappy living here? Did I accidentally bully you or offend you in some way...?"
Zhao Qingxiu, who was in his arms, shook her head, so his expression was not visible.
"Then why? It can't be that you woke up and found me gone...and the room was empty, right? And the sound of the jade pendant is gone too?"
Ouyang Rong said in a low voice.
Zhao Qingxiu suddenly raised her head.
Ouyang Rong looked down.
Her upturned face was flushed, as if it had been washed, and her hair was disheveled.
The most striking feature was its eyes; two large eyes, like two small light bulbs, were red and swollen.
Her red-rimmed eyes turned into two puddles on the ground after the rain, where some of the remaining tears gathered and reflected the passersby.
It also reflected Ouyang Rong's face in front of him.
She could almost see him.
"What exactly happened?"
Ouyang Rong asked cautiously.
At the same time, he extended a flat palm to her hand, indicating that she should write.
Zhao Qingxiu acted as if she hadn't heard him speak.
She looked up at him with her little face upturned, her mouth wide open in vain, crying hoarsely, her chest heaving with exhaustion.
She had cried all her tears and started hiccuping uncontrollably.
Each time she hiccuped, her already incredibly thin body would twitch.
Ouyang Rong's heart was in his throat, fearing that she might hurt herself from hiccups.
Looking at the embroiderer who was blind, mute, and as thin as a bamboo pole.
Ouyang Rong couldn't resist any longer. Forgetting all about the proper distance between men and women, he once again pulled that adorable little body into his arms.
Immediately, Ouyang Rong, who had taken the initiative to hug her, felt the embroiderer's arms, which had been hanging down at her sides, tighten around his back.
They embraced again.
This time, Ouyang Rong didn't say anything more, nor did he ask "a hundred thousand whys." The two of them just quietly hugged each other.
Ouyang Rong listened silently to the sobs between her lips and teeth, feeling the spasms in her slender body with each hiccup.
I could also feel the intense heat emanating from her small body. For some reason, although the embroiderer was thin, her whole body was very hot, like a small furnace on a summer day...
Ouyang Rong had just realized that sometimes there are many things that don't need to be asked "why".
Especially between lovers, all the "whys" can be replaced with "I do".
I'm willing, so why do you care...
Time ticked by.
After spending a long time with the mute embroiderer, Ouyang Rong began to feel that "silence" could also be enjoyed.
Instead of becoming embarrassed.
Especially when two people are together without speaking, just quietly listening to each other in silence, you know she's listening, and she knows you're listening too.
They trust each other from the bottom of their hearts and don't feel that not speaking is rude or offensive.
This is a tacit understanding between two hearts.
After an unknown amount of time, when Ouyang Rong came to his senses from Zhao Qingxiu's shoulder, he found that the soft sobbing sounds from her had disappeared.
However, every now and then, it would still hiccup, as if it was hard to stop for a while.
However, her small body no longer convulsed violently as it had before, causing heartache; her condition had calmed down.
At this moment, Ouyang Rong felt the little crybaby in his arms making a new movement.
A finger tapped his back lightly.
"What's wrong."
Ouyang Rong's voice was soft.
Then, he felt her begin writing on his back, intermittently.
[The Young Master Speaks Today]
The greatest joy in life is returning to a familiar place where old friends are still there.
"My lord, how fortunate it is that our old friends are still alive."
"I shouldn't have said that, it has caused you grief."
Ouyang Rong said softly.
Zhao Qingxiu buried her face in his shoulder and quieted down.
After a while, Ouyang Rong did not receive the new words she had written, but instead heard the crisp sound of the icy white jade hairpin in his hair.
"Longling—"
Ouyang Rong was slightly taken aback.
Zhao Qingxiu nestled in Tanlang's arms, her little head, buried in his shoulder, lifted slightly, revealing a pair of red-rimmed, somewhat dazed eyes.
It was her. She reached her small hand towards Ouyang Rong's head, hooked her index finger, and gently flicked the pendant of the icy white jade hairpin.
Zhao Qingxiu's originally dull dark eyes faintly lit up, like Kongming lanterns floating in a dark sea of clouds at night.
She likes to hear its sound.
At this moment, Ouyang Rong simply raised his hand, took out the hairpin, and handed it to her.
Zhao Qingxiu took the hairpin and carefully touched it with both hands. Just as Ouyang Rong was about to speak, she touched Ouyang Rong's hair ornament with her small hand and gently inserted the ice-white jade hairpin back into place.
Ouyang Rong's expression froze for a moment.
After doing all this, Zhao Qingxiu tilted her head to the side again, resting her cheek against Ouyang Rong's shoulder, and became quiet again.
It seems... the sound produced by Tanlang's icy white jade hairpin is her favorite melody.
The two were currently in an embrace that was "somewhat inappropriate for their relationship."
No one took the initiative to leave, breaking the inertia of this silence.
The two embraced each other in this strange way in front of the bed.
Zhao Qingxiu suddenly wrote words on Ouyang Rong's back.
"My lord, no man has ever treated me so well."
Ouyang Rong narrowed his eyes and said softly, "I'm different. I've been, well, I mean, a woman."
For a moment, Zhao Qingxiu's body went still.
She's truly blessed to have met such a gentleman and had the opportunity to be kind to him; many people don't even have this chance.
She wrote silently.
Ouyang Rong shook his head and whispered:
"Actually... I've almost forgotten what she looks like. My deepest memory is of a pair of hands quietly doing needlework by the bedside, thin and slender like bamboo poles. She must have been very quiet, just like you, young lady."
"She was my childhood sweetheart from my hometown of Nanlong. I remember telling you about her. What a coincidence, her name was also Xiu Niang. She was mute, just not as blind as you... I wonder how she is now, and where she is."
Zhao Qingxiu's body, which had been quiet, suddenly froze.
She buried her face even deeper, not daring to even sniff... and didn't respond.
Ouyang Rong seemed oblivious to the abnormality in her body.
Immediately afterwards, Zhao Qingxiu, who had been burying her head like an ostrich, heard Tanlang's voice continue, his tone seemingly filled with reminiscence and longing:
"She and my mother are from the same clan, and it was my mother who took her home. She is very much like my mother, virtuous, considerate, hardworking, and the kind of traditional young woman, and she is the same way when it comes to relationships..."
"I remember when I was frail and sickly, bedridden for many years, she stayed by my bedside and took care of me without ever leaving me... Later, some things happened, a messy affair, and my aunts and the others started to have opinions about her, and then... she passed away."
“I don’t know where she went, but I don’t believe she’s the kind of person my aunt described. With her personality, how could she possibly do something to hurt someone? Such a foolish girl would rather hurt herself than hurt me, so I don’t believe her at all…”
Zhao Qingxiu opened her empty mouth wide without making a sound. After a while, she took a deep breath, closed her mouth and eyes, and remained silent.
Zhao Qingxiu heard Tan Lang's deep, magnetic voice again, tinged with melancholy and sadness:
"I don't know how to describe my feelings for her to you..."
"To be honest, although I have met many different kinds of women and experienced a lot of family and romantic relationships, I always feel that she is one of the best to me, or even the best."
"Her kindness seemed to be completely selfless. She never asked me for anything, she would just give me whatever she had, and she would never ask me for anything in return. In fact, she would even avoid me, afraid that I would find out and go to repay her..."
“I don’t know what she was thinking or why she did it. Sometimes I couldn’t understand it at all. Then one day, I suddenly realized that maybe in her eyes, there were no so many whys. She just gave it and that was it.”
Zhao Qingxiu sensed that he seemed to raise his hand to wipe his face; his voice was neither loud nor soft, but rather calm and even, as if he were chatting casually.
"Speaking of which, I sometimes dream about her. Once, I even dreamed that I bit her, really hard, but she still foolishly disappeared with the wound... Hmm, it all vanishes without a trace in the dream. I wish this dream were real, but if it were, and she came and went, the thought of that makes me even more upset."
Zhao Qingxiu was unaware that when Ouyang Rong said this, he kept his head turned away, his gaze lingering on a certain spot on her fair neck... Her eyes reddened again, and before she had finished crying, she felt the urge to cry again. Her shoulders trembled, and her fingers trembled as she wrote.
[Judging from this, she seems to really like you, young master. Don't feel guilty, don't feel guilty. She's willing. If you feel guilty, she... she might feel very heartbroken.]
"Okay, sure."
Zhao Qingxiu seemed to ignore Tanlang's repeated responses and was somewhat lost in thought.
He suddenly spoke up: "Embroidery Girl, I have witnessed many kinds of love."
"Some are free, independent, cheerful, and open; others are passionate, unrestrained, and unconventional."
"There are also couples who fall in love at first sight and become inseparable, but whose relationship fades over time and they separate."
"There are also those who pretend to be something they're not, deceiving themselves, only enjoying the fleeting pleasure, and then growing to hate each other afterwards."
"In the end, all these romantic relationships boil down to one word: 'selfishness.' They decide to stay or leave based on their own happiness, or rather, their own interests. So they come together when they arise and separate when they part. In reality, they are empty inside. They follow reality without any bias."
"But... I have never seen a woman as traditional as her, or even the most foolish woman, who only asks for 'I insist on having it'."
A thin marriage contract in youth; a vow to stay together until old age; a head of long black hair tied up for you; just stand here and wait a lifetime, dedicating your life to only one person...
"My heart is not a stone, it cannot be turned; my heart is not a mat, it cannot be rolled up."
"Embroiderer, I've always prided myself on being a very rational person. At first, I found it quite perplexing, even thinking that this kind of love was as old-fashioned and self-indulgent as a theatrical story, unrealistic. But when such a unique woman actually stood before me, I realized how precious and rare it was."
"She says nothing, but she's willing to do anything. Her actions speak louder than words. My dear embroiderer, tell me, will I ever meet another woman who treats me so well?"
Before she could answer, her eyes red with silent sobs, Ouyang Rong said softly, "There is no one like her in this world."
The atmosphere was silent. Zhao Qingxiu's face was full of excitement. She kept opening and closing her mouth, but in the end, all her words were reduced to a deep bow of her head... She said nothing, but was willing to do anything.
The area in front of the bed remained quiet for an unknown period of time until Ouyang Rong gave a nonchalant smile and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's talk about something happier."
Zhao Qingxiu moved her little hand, preparing to write.
"Uh~" she suddenly hiccuped.
Ouyang Rong was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled.
The girl blushed instantly, pushed away his embrace, and patted her husband's shoulder.
Ouyang Rong, who had separated from her embrace, looked innocent as he straightened his clothes and blinked at her, as if waiting for her next sob.
He saw the embroiderer suddenly turn around, her back to him, and lower her head to pinch her nose, as if she were puffing out her cheeks and trying to hold her breath.
Ouyang Rong was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant and laughed even harder this time: "Haha."
Hearing laughter behind her, Zhao Qingxiu blushed deeply, her neck and ears turning bright red. She stopped using her clumsy method, curled up, and buried her head in her hands, as if she would never dare to look up at anyone again in her life.
"Hey, turn around." Ouyang Rong smiled, casually raised his hand, flicked the hairpin in his hair, and called out, "I have something for you."
Upon hearing the sound, Zhao Qingxiu instinctively turned around, but as soon as she did, he pinched her nose.
He pinched her nose and blocked her vision with his palm, so she couldn't see him. Zhao Qingxiu could only hear Tanlang's serious voice: "Hold your breath, or you'll keep hiccuping."
Zhao Qingxiu's face was slightly blank, but she obediently listened.
After a short while, she finally stopped hiccuping. Ouyang Rong glanced at the night outside, but didn't leave. He continued to sit by the couch to keep her company.
Perhaps because she was exhausted from crying, Zhao Qingxiu fell asleep quickly this time.
After what just happened, the relationship between the two has subtly changed.
Especially those two hugs just now, the embroiderer seemed to have tacitly approved of it.
Although nominally the two are still in that kind of relationship... they have now progressed to the point of tacit physical contact.
Neither of them has yet broken the ice regarding their specific relationship.
As night deepened outside, Ouyang Rong did not leave, but silently stayed by the bedside.
"Longling—"
Ouyang Rong turned to look at the candlelight by the bed, his face thoughtful. He would occasionally flick the hairpin pendant, lost in thought.
The jingling sound didn't stop until late into the night...
At dawn, roosters crowed in the distance.
Ouyang Rong woke up; he had taken a nap by the bedside last night.
He rubbed his eyes and saw the peaceful sleeping face of the girl on the couch; she must have been asleep all night.
Ouyang Rong breathed a sigh of relief, got up and carefully stretched without making a sound.
He tidied himself up, and after a while, he turned and went out.
As he passed the dressing table, he glanced at the rouge and powder box.
Ouyang Rong stopped, took out a red token from his pocket, put it in the box lid, and then put it back in the box.
His expression remained calm.
This marriage fortune slip was never opened from beginning to end.
Ouyang Rong strode away.
Outside the door, the sky was white.
...
When Zhao Qingxiu woke up again, it was already morning.
There were sounds of insects chirping outside the window, and the smell of sunshine.
She slept exceptionally well that night.
Neither inside nor outside the house could Tanlang be seen, and Zhao Qingxiu did not cry this time.
She held the quilt in both hands, lost in thought for a while, before lowering her head to tie the sky-blue satin ribbon to blindfold her... It, along with the mandarin duck jade hairpin, the jade bamboo cane, and the clean dress, were all placed on the stool by the bed, within her reach.
"Longling—Longling—"
Zhao Qingxiu, who had spent a long time getting dressed, suddenly heard a familiar, crisp sound.
She walked blankly into the courtyard, came to the stone table, and touched a piece of white jade hairpin that had been left behind.
Zhao Qingxiu stood silently in front of the table, holding a hairpin, her small face showing a complex expression.
She stayed behind in a daze, intending to obtain the old hairpin she had been longing for before quietly leaving.
But now that the icy white jade hairpin was in front of her, Zhao Qingxiu's first thought was not to leave.
She hadn't found the cauldron sword yet, and there was still no response from her "family," so she couldn't leave... She tried to convince herself of this. But at some point, she vaguely realized that her bond with Tanlang seemed to be growing deeper and deeper, making it increasingly difficult to leave him...
Inside the courtyard, a little girl with ribbons blindfolded her, her face showing a mixture of happiness and fear, joy and worry.
For a moment, I felt anxious and uncertain...
In the end, Zhao Qingxiu did not leave.
She sat quietly at the stone table, curled a slender finger, and gently flicked the icy white jade hairpin pendant again and again.
"Longling—Longling—Longling—"
Zhao Qingxiu stared blankly, listening intently for a long time.
...
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(End of this chapter)
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