Chapter 637 The Word "Love" is Hard to Write [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]
"Embroiderer?"
Ouyang Rong suddenly turned around and exclaimed softly.
"Whoosh—!"
At that moment, another firework shot into the sky in the direction of the celebration restaurant on the opposite bank of Xingzi Lake.
"Crack—!"
The night was like a black canvas, from which a dazzling spark bloomed.
The colorful lights of the fireworks briefly illuminated the quiet courtyard.
Ouyang Rong saw the embroiderer's thin and frail figure standing by the pillar at the entrance of the main room, one hand holding onto the pillar and the other reaching forward.
A small face, blindfolded with a sky-blue satin ribbon, was turned toward the direction from which Ouyang Rong's voice had come.
"Ah ah."
She immediately went down the corridor, groping forward with both hands, her steps clumsy yet joyful.
"It's past midnight, why aren't you asleep yet?"
Ouyang Rong gave a slight reprimand, trying to keep his voice low so as not to disturb the Fang sisters, and immediately went forward to greet her.
His expression was somewhat helpless.
I originally intended to come quietly, leave the candied fruit, and then leave.
That would be a good thing if we woke them all up; that would be awkward.
Moreover, Ouyang Rong didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he always felt that the embroiderer was sometimes quiet and inconspicuous, like a nobody.
By the way, do you Yue women always walk so quietly...? Did you cultivate some special Qi refining technique from Yunmeng Sword Marsh?
The embroiderer was quiet and reserved. When she slept, her breathing was barely audible, and when she walked, her footsteps seemed to be stepping on cotton balls, leaving no trace.
So insignificant, with no presence whatsoever.
Fortunately, she now loves wearing that icy white jade hairpin, and the sound the pendant makes indirectly marks her.
Thinking of this, Ouyang Rong couldn't help but wonder if the embroiderer hadn't returned for a long time, and if the arrogant female rulers of Yunmeng Sword Marsh had forgotten about her and forgotten that their Sword Marsh had such a Yue woman.
Hilarious, what kind of physical invisibility is this...
Coming to his senses, Ouyang Rong saw the embroiderer raising both hands, groping forward, and running towards him without a care in the world, her little mouth wide open, making happy sounds: "Eeya ya..."
"Be careful, don't fall," he said worriedly.
Zhao Qingxiu was surrounded by darkness. Despite being a delicate person who was usually careful in everything she did, she seemed completely at ease when she saw Ouyang Rong. She was no longer afraid of tripping or falling because of her small feet, or encountering any other danger or injury. All she wanted to do was touch him.
Ouyang Rong quickly caught his adopted daughter-in-law.
With her outstretched hand, Zhao Qingxiu grasped Ouyang Rong's thick arm, and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Embroiderer, did I wake you up? I have a business dinner to attend this evening and can't come over for dinner. Didn't I tell Thirteen Sister? Why are you still saving food for me..."
As Ouyang Rong instinctively held her in his arms, Zhao Qingxiu smiled faintly, tilting her small face up in his warm embrace.
Her two small hands traced his waist, stomach, and chest upwards, until they reached his face.
She seemed very interested in Tanlang's clothes, his breathing, his scent, and his steady, strong heartbeat, and wanted to remember them.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the west wing where the Fang sisters were sleeping. There was no sound coming from there, so they must have fallen asleep.
Indeed, the two women's sleep quality was significantly better than that of the embroiderer, who slept lightly and had many dreams.
Especially Lady Fang, she ate, drank, and slept as usual. The last time Ouyang Rong saw her taking a nap, she was sitting on a stone bench, arms crossed, head down, and eyes closed, almost falling asleep in three seconds. She even let out a soft snore, which made her sister Fang Juxiu blush with embarrassment...
Before Ouyang Rong could feel guilty for disturbing the embroiderer, he suddenly felt his hand being grabbed by the embroiderer's two small hands.
She withdrew her hand from Ouyang Rong's body and lowered her head to carefully write words in his palm:
[Did Danlang drink ○?]
Ouyang Rong frowned, noticing the embroiderer drawing a strange circle between the characters "drink" and "finished" with one of her fingers.
"What does drawing circles mean?" he asked curiously.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingxiu lowered her head slightly, and Ouyang Rong felt the grip of her small hand on his hand tighten a little.
I don't know how to write that character.
Ouyang Rong: ...
"You mean 'bar'?" he asked tentatively.
Ouyang Rong clenched his fist and put it to his lips, preparing to tilt his head back as if to drink, but then realized the embroiderer couldn't see him. Instead, he pinched the tip of her nose, suppressing a laugh, and asked softly:
"Did the embroiderer smell the wine?"
"Mmm!"
Zhao Qingxiu's eyes lit up, and she burst into laughter.
Ouyang Rong wanted to pull off the ribbon covering her eyes so he could see her beautiful smile more closely, but he held back.
What are you watching so late at night? Don't start eating again...
"I'll teach you."
Ouyang Rong suddenly said.
Before Zhao Qingxiu could react, he grabbed her small hand and began writing on her palm.
The character "酒" (jiǔ, meaning wine/alcohol).
He wrote it three times, then stopped and held out his palm to her.
Zhao Qingxiu tilted her head and slowly wrote words in his palm, stroke by stroke.
【酒酒酒】
He wrote three characters in quick succession, with a smooth and fluid motion.
Ouyang Rong nodded seriously, his face stern.
“If you don’t know a word in the future, you can ask me. You’re not allowed to draw circles every day. I used to think you were just drawing circles because you were unhappy and didn’t want to talk.”
"Hey."
Zhao Qingxiu happily wrapped her arms around Ouyang Rong's waist, pressing her cheek against his chest, as if to comfort him and tell him not to be angry.
Ouyang Rong was slightly taken aback, and then reached out and put his arm around her slender waist.
The atmosphere between the two gradually quieted down.
Before the atmosphere could become ambiguous, Zhao Qingxiu seemed to remember something, gently pushed Ouyang Rong away, and busily tidied up the cold food on the table.
"How many times has the embroiderer reheated the dishes?" Ouyang Rong couldn't help but ask.
Zhao Qingxiu had her back to him, shook her head, and kept moving her hands and feet.
“Actually, I’m not that hungry…” Ouyang Rong paused here, glancing again at the embroiderer’s back as she swayed her head slightly.
"Longling—Longling—" Even the icy white jade hairpin pendant in her high temples kept ringing.
She seemed to enjoy doing his laundry, cooking for him, and repeatedly reheating the dishes, doing it with great pleasure and without getting tired of it.
Seeing this, Ouyang Rong couldn't bear to disturb her enjoyment.
Then I'll just have to suffer in silence.
Ouyang touched his stomach, looking quite disappointed.
I was careless tonight. From now on, I absolutely, positively must not eat anything before coming to the Embroidery Girl's Courtyard.
Because he never knew what delicious food the embroiderer had prepared for him.
Ouyang Rong sat down at the table, rubbed his face, and silently waited for the virtuous embroiderer to finish clearing away the food on the table.
"They are some candied fruits."
He suddenly spoke.
Seeing the embroiderer's hand touch the bundle of candied fruit, and her head tilting slightly with curiosity on her face, he smiled and said:
“When I was patrolling the streets with my colleagues at night, an old lady from a family gave me one. The embroiderer can put one in her mouth to taste it; it’s sour at first and then sweet.”
"Mmm."
Ouyang Rong took the package of candied fruit into his bosom, took out one piece, held it between two fingers, and brought it to the embroiderer's lips.
They started feeding the animals in reverse.
Zhao Qingxiu bit down on the candied fruit with her pearly teeth, lowered her head shyly, and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear with her little finger.
Ouyang Rong smiled and didn't disturb her tidying up the table any further.
The two spoke and moved quietly throughout, occasionally glancing towards the west wing where the Fang sisters slept.
A short while later, Zhao Qingxiu took all the bowls of food into the kitchen.
"A late-night snack is probably inevitable," Ouyang Rong thought to himself.
Furthermore, if you accidentally wake the embroiderer, you should at least coax her back to sleep before leaving.
Fortunately, the night is still long, and the matter at Chengtian Temple is not urgent for now. We can go over it at dawn, after all, the last time was at dawn...
Ouyang Rong glanced in the direction of the kitchen and could vaguely see firewood burning.
He sighed.
It's the middle of the night, and they're adding a late-night snack for no reason. What a waste!
Therefore, it's not necessarily a good thing for a child bride to be a cook; she has to be pregnant first.
He stood up without making a sound and started walking around the yard to digest his food.
Before Ouyang Rong could figure out how to handle this meal, Zhao Qingxiu came out of the kitchen with a bowl in her hand and placed it in front of him.
"This is……"
Ouyang Rong was stunned. He took the bowl, sipped it, and said, "Hangover soup?"
"Um."
Zhao Qingxiu nodded, reached out and touched his stomach, and while Ouyang Rong was surprised, her fingers landed on the back of his hand.
Are you full, young master?
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips and nodded: "A little... I guess."
Zhao Qingxiu didn't look up and continued writing.
Why doesn't the young master speak up?
"Actually, I'm not very full. I ate dinner early, so it's okay to eat a little now."
Ouyang Rong coughed.
Zhao Qingxiu suddenly turned around, went back into the kitchen, and continued to start the fire.
Ouyang Rong: ...
He immediately looked distressed, tilted his head back and drank the hangover soup in one gulp, then slapped his own mouth in frustration.
At this moment, Zhao Qingxiu returned and wrote on his palm again:
[I've boiled some water, young master, go take a bath.]
Ouyang Rong was slightly taken aback: "You didn't cook, were you boiling water for me to take a bath?"
"Mm." Zhao Qingxiu nodded gently.
Ouyang Rong fell silent.
The embroiderer always managed to find something he might need most.
Whether it's hangover soup or hot water.
It seems like she can conjure up all sorts of things whenever she's home.
"ah?"
While Ouyang Rong was lost in thought, Zhao Qingxiu opened her mouth and tilted her head, seemingly wondering why her beloved was not moving.
"Okay, I'm going to take a shower."
Ouyang Rong looked up and smiled brightly.
Zhao Qingxiu happily ran to the main room to get him his clothes.
Ouyang Rong followed behind with a smile.
He left behind several sets of clothes sewn by embroiderers.
Upon entering the main room, Ouyang Rong saw a long cloth bag on the table. The bag appeared to have been opened and then casually covered up again, revealing only the outline of a long, hard object inside.
Ouyang Rong recognized it; it was the sword that Xiu Niang used as a companion to the Yue women. She usually hid it, and he pretended not to see it.
I don't know why, but I took it out again tonight.
Zhao Qingxiu was unaware that Ouyang Rong's gaze was fixed on that direction, and tirelessly buried her head in rummaging through the wardrobe.
Ouyang Rong didn't even glance at the sword before the embroiderer, who had brought out new clothes, pushed him towards the bathroom.
Not long after.
The bathroom door closed.
Ouyang Rong went inside alone, carrying clean clothes.
He placed the clean clothes on the stool and, without saying a word, took off the shirt that reeked of alcohol.
He was shirtless and casually tossed his dirty clothes into the basket beside him when he suddenly caught a glimpse of some women's clothing in the basket, the fabric of which was faintly visible and thin...
Ouyang Rong looked back at her, and instead of throwing the dirty clothes in, she put them aside, intending to take them out herself after washing them.
Just as he was about to take a normal shower.
Suddenly I remembered something.
Ouyang Rong changed his mind, walked to the bamboo basket, hesitated for a moment, and then buried his head to rummage through the bundle of undergarments.
Judging from its color, he knew it belonged to the embroiderer and definitely not to the Fang sisters.
Sigh, don't ask him why he knows it so clearly and skillfully.
Found it.
Finally, Ouyang Rong's eyes lit up. He pulled out a sky-blue satin ribbon from the pile of clothes. It was the ribbon that the embroiderer had changed out of while taking a bath.
He silently put away the ribbon, intending to take it with him later. As for the other things, he didn't touch them.
Ouyang Rong's expression was calm, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
He walked straight to the bathtub without looking to the side.
A short while later, the room was filled with steam.
...
Inside the main room.
Zhao Qingxiu sat quietly and waited.
She kept her head slightly tilted, listening to the sound of water coming from the direction of the bathroom.
After a short while, Zhao Qingxiu stood up, went over and tidied up the long cloth bundle on the table, then put it away again.
Zhao Qingxiu actually didn't sleep tonight.
I wasn't woken up by Tanlang.
She was meditating and cultivating silently when she heard her lover returning.
Since rescuing Ouyang Rong in Longcheng and parting ways, Zhao Qingxiu's cultivation has stagnated for a long time.
The half-eaten tortoise-shell longhorn beetle only regained some of its former speed, making it only slightly stronger than an ordinary Qi cultivator with exceptional talent.
However, compared to the rapid progress he made in cultivation before, it is still not as good.
Today, she examined herself internally and found that she was still at the seventh rank, close to the Great Perfection, but still quite a distance from the sixth rank threshold. It would require a lot of hard work and perseverance. However, Zhao Qingxiu knew that this amount of hard work and perseverance would be like a long, arduous journey for an ordinary Qi cultivator. This was one of the biggest misconceptions among Qi cultivators: that they could achieve it quickly, but when they actually started practicing, they were all silent and ineffective.
It is estimated that no Qi cultivator in the world could have imagined that Yue Chuzi, a figure of mythical proportions, would be stopped by a sixth-grade threshold and remain stuck at the mere seventh-grade level.
Such a dramatic change in circumstances would likely cause the mental fortitude of a top student from an ordinary sect to collapse.
After all, the difference before and after is so great that it's not a complete collapse, but at least it's the difference between the peak of a mountain and the dilapidated middle section.
But Zhao Qingxiu's small face remained calm. She cultivated on time every day, extremely self-disciplined, and did so for ten years without fail. She had a fast way of cultivating and a slow way of cultivating. She was neither happy with fast nor sad with slow, and she showed no signs of being anxious. Just as her master had said before, "Little Seven is the most well-behaved and sensible."
Perhaps seeing their junior sister's quiet, uncomplaining, and gentle yet firm attitude, the senior sisters in the Queen's Palace who were originally worried about her didn't say anything more and silently searched for a solution.
As for the specific reasons why she ended up in this situation, Zhao Qingxiu herself didn't know. When she first returned from Longcheng, she was fine, but later she became slower and slower.
The eldest sister insisted that she had lost her virginity, breaking the profound state of "stillness like a virgin," and that her body could no longer be still.
The second senior sister shook her head and said that it wasn't her body that was restless, but her mind, which was more fatal.
The latter added that it wasn't just her cultivation level that was stagnating, but also her heart; it was stuck in place, waiting for someone...
The two senior sisters each held their own opinion, and Zhao Qingxiu didn't know which one was right.
During the time she returned to Yunmengze to continue her secluded cultivation, she only thought of him "occasionally".
Only...occasionally.
During this time, Zhao Qingxiu secluded herself in a quiet courtyard, accompanying her lover, doing laundry, cooking, and taking care of him.
She felt much calmer.
Just last night, Zhao Qingxiu tried meditating and cultivating, and suddenly discovered that the flow of spiritual energy in her dantian was much faster. Although it was not as fast as it had been before, it was slowly improving.
This subtly confirms what my second senior sister said...
But it doesn't matter who's right.
She has no regrets.
It's true that the character for "wine" is difficult to write, but out of the 36,000 characters in the world, there is only one that is truly difficult to write. But it's not a big problem; Zhao Qingxiu can draw circles, and Tanlang is a scholar, so he will teach her...
After hiding her sword, Zhao Qingxiu suddenly turned around and walked to the table.
Her little hand groped for a half-open bundle, and she picked up a candied fruit from it and put it in her mouth.
Like holding honey, your mouth will be filled with sweetness.
The blindfolded girl smiled broadly, but unfortunately, no one could see her smiling eyes at that moment.
...
——————
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(End of this chapter)
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