Chapter 659 The Embroideress's Hobbies and Rewards [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]
"Strange, why have I been drinking bamboo shoot and duck soup every day for the past few days?"
Fang Shengnan was curious.
Fang Juxiu, sitting across the table, glared at her. Fang Shengnan then lowered her head, muttering to herself:
"I'm really tired of drinking it. Isn't this supposed to nourish the blood and kidneys? I'm not weak, and drinking too much of it will just make me feel hot and bothered..."
"We should be grateful to have something to drink, why all the fuss?"
Fang raised his sleeve and scolded.
Ouyang Rong, who was sitting next to Zhao Qingxiu, paused for a moment.
I glanced at the bamboo shoot and duck soup.
He then glanced at the embroiderer beside him, who was holding a bowl in both hands and sipping soup.
As evening fell, the setting sun shone on the embroiderer's fair profile, making her small face, which was covered by a ribbon, look delicate and charming.
The last batch of fresh bamboo shoots was divided into three portions by Ouyang Rong, with the last portion brought to the quiet courtyard.
Actually, Ouyang Rong was also feeling a bit hot from drinking.
Because of Rongzhen's request, he has been dealing with Tang frequently these days.
He had tasted both the soup made by Princess Wei Mei and the soup he had Ye Weilai make.
But none of them are as potent as the duck and bamboo shoot soup that the embroiderer stewed.
After drinking half a bowl, my body felt warm.
Ouyang Rong poked at the soup bowl with a porcelain spoon and discovered something amiss.
It contains dregs of medicinal herbs such as goji berries.
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow.
It turns out this wasn't just ordinary duck and bamboo shoot soup; the embroiderer had added extra ingredients, so it should fall into the category of medicinal cuisine, right?
Strange, who is this stuff meant to supplement?
He seemed to be thinking of something, but then stopped himself from speaking.
Actually, when Ouyang Rong first heard about bamboo shoot soup for replenishing blood, the first person he thought of was Xiu Niang. He wanted to get some for Xiu Niang, who was thin and seemed anemic.
But the embroiderer seemed to have a different idea from him.
"Why has Young Master Ouyang been coming less often lately? Has your official business at Xingzifang been finished?"
Fang suddenly asked, raising his sleeve.
Ouyang Rong refocused his attention and answered casually:
"Pretty much, I've been busy with other things lately."
"That Madam Pei, wasn't Young Master Ouyang with her?"
"What's the meaning?"
Ouyang Rong didn't react for a moment?
"fine."
Fang raised his sleeve and shook his head slightly.
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment, then said seriously:
"As for the remaining matters concerning the renovation of the old house in Xingzifang, I have handed them over to Madam Pei. She has the experience, so there is no need for me to continue to oversee it."
"Um."
Fang raised his sleeves and nodded, then shook his head.
Some things are debatable.
"Um, what does Madam Fang want to say?"
Ouyang Rong asked curiously.
Fang Juxiu ate quietly without lifting her eyelids. After a while, she bit her chopsticks and said softly:
"Actually, it's better to have less contact."
"What's the meaning?"
"I've heard that merchants are all driven by profit and can be quite cunning and treacherous. Brother Ouyang, you're so young yet already an official in the prefecture; you have a bright future ahead of you. You should be careful..."
Ouyang Rong chuckled:
"Thank you for the reminder, Madam Fang."
Seeing that he readily agreed, Fang Juxiu didn't say anything more and shook her head almost imperceptibly.
After a while, she glanced at the expression on the face of the young lady next to her.
Zhao Qingxiu's face was calm as she shoveled rice into her mouth, seemingly unconcerned about what had been said.
Fang raised his sleeve and sighed softly.
Fang Shengnan was unaware of the unspoken implications at the dinner table. While Ouyang Rong and Fang Juxiu were chatting, she ate most of the dishes and accidentally let out a burp, quickly covering her mouth.
Ouyang Rong and Fang Juxiu were stunned for a moment, but both couldn't help but chuckle.
As dinner was drawing to a close, Zhao Qingxiu suddenly stood up, reached forward with both hands, and picked up the soup bowls that the Fang sisters had finished drinking.
She went to the kitchen, and soon filled two bowls with duck and bamboo shoot soup each, before returning to the table.
There's a little left in the pot, just enough for two bowls. You two, Xiu Niang and Nan Niang, have some.
Fang Juxiu and Fang Shengnan were already full, but Zhao Qingxiu rarely made any requests, after all, it was the soup served by His Highness Yue Chuzi himself.
The two women had no choice but to continue drinking.
Ouyang Rong breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, the embroiderer wasn't feeding him.
After dinner.
As usual, Zhao Qingxiu took on the task of washing the dishes all by herself.
Ouyang Rong instinctively wanted to follow.
Bang!
With a soft click, the kitchen door closed.
Ouyang Rong looked slightly embarrassed.
Fang Shengnan, who was practicing sword dancing in the courtyard behind them, cast a strange glance at Ouyang Rong. However, when Ouyang Rong turned around and walked over, she quickly composed herself and continued practicing her sword dance, though her movements became slightly messy.
Ouyang Rong ignored her and went to open the zither case he carried with him.
"Is this the zither that Brother Ouyang often carries?"
Fang Shengnan was halfway through her sword dance when she leaned over and curiously examined the zither case that Ouyang Rong was opening.
"Almost, Brother Huaimin."
"oh?"
Ouyang Rong tested the sound of the zither.
Tomorrow he was going to see that senior, and Ouyang Rong couldn't really bring the [Craftsmanship] with him, so he went to the quiet courtyard and borrowed a fine zither from Yuan Huaimin.
Fang Shengnan listened curiously for a while, then yawned, feeling bored, but her body was experiencing a post-meal heat.
She pulled her sister along, ready to go for a walk.
Fang raised his sleeve and shook his head:
"I'm tired, I'd better go back to my room and rest. Shengnan, if you want to play, go ahead."
"Oh, then I'll go too."
Fang Shengnan nodded and followed closely behind, muttering to herself:
"I also feel a bit sleepy. It's strange, I used to not feel sleepy after a full meal. Could it be this thing causing this..."
The Fang sisters got up and returned to the west wing.
At first, in the brightly lit west wing, the faint sound of two women talking could still be heard.
After a short while, the sound disappeared, and the faint sound of a heroic female warrior snoring away could be heard.
Ouyang Rong didn't pay much attention to these things; he was still diligently practicing his music and tuning his strings in the courtyard.
Fifteen minutes later, the setting sun disappeared on the distant horizon.
Night fell on the earth.
Ouyang Rong came to his senses. The courtyard was completely silent. Seeing that it was getting late, he got up to pack his zither case and prepared to leave.
"Ah...ah..."
A sudden noise came from behind, attracting Ouyang Rong's attention.
He looked back.
A slender, graceful figure appeared at the entrance to the main room.
It was the embroiderer; she had finished washing the dishes and gone back to her room sometime earlier.
At this moment, she was holding a stack of clean scholar's robes in both hands, standing at the door, her eyes covered and her face "looking" in his direction.
I don't know how long I stood there silently, waiting for him.
Ouyang Rong apologized:
"Sorry, I got too engrossed in it just now. Well, it's getting late, and I have things to do tomorrow. You should rest, embroiderer..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Qingxiu stepped forward and stuffed a set of clean clothes into his arms.
"What's going on...?"
"Ah ah."
Zhao Qingxiu pointed to the sweat on his neck and then pointed towards the bathroom.
Ouyang Rong asked in surprise, "Let me take a shower before I leave?"
"Um."
Zhao Qingxiu slightly bent her neck and bowed her head in response.
She suddenly turned around and went to the kitchen, seemingly to get some water to boil.
Seeing the rising steam from the stove, and the embroiderer's busy, endearing figure.
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, put down the zither case, picked up his clean scholar's robe, and went to the bathroom...
Two incense sticks later.
Inside the steamy bathroom.
Ouyang Rong lay on his back in the bathtub.
A hot towel was covering his face.
Some herbs floated on the hot water in the bucket.
Ouyang Rong didn't know what it was for. The embroiderer had poured it in when she poured hot water. It looked like some kind of medicinal bath, prepared for him.
Some time ago, because the embroiderer was worried about his health, she made a pact with him, stipulating that he would be restrained for three days.
Ouyang Rong roughly understood what this meant by supplementing something.
"No wonder it gets hotter the longer you soak..."
He took a deep breath.
However, when the embroiderer came in to pour him hot water, Ouyang Rong held back and did not do anything malicious.
The main reason is that it was still early, and the Fang sisters were still in the courtyard; it wasn't the middle of the night.
If we force things to go wrong, the embroiderer will definitely be unhappy.
In addition, Ouyang Rong cannot stay out overnight and must go back early.
From this perspective, the chances seem slim.
He was originally going to ask about the reward.
However, since the embroiderer didn't mention it, Ouyang Rong thought about it and didn't ask.
Ouyang Rong sighed.
Actually, he felt a bit hot inside after drinking the soup. Fang was right, the soup really did make him restless...
Right now, the only person who can make Ouyang Rong listen to her like this is probably Xiu Niang.
He never denied that he actually felt a sense of guilt towards the embroiderer...
While lost in thought.
A faint creaking sound came from the doorway.
Ouyang Rong initially doubted whether he had misheard.
He waited quietly for a while, and when no more sound came, he covered his face with the towel again.
Just then, a tiny "bang" sound of a door closing came from behind, which Ouyang Rong caught in his ears.
Someone entered.
"who?"
Ouyang Rong was curious, then quickly realized what was going on and tentatively asked:
"Is this the embroiderer? Did you forget to bring some clothes? You can leave them outside, I'll wash them later... um."
Ouyang Rong abruptly stopped speaking.
Through the misty water, a graceful figure emerged from behind the screen covering the bathtub.
But none of this was the key reason why Ouyang Rong was stunned.
The key point is that the embroiderer's figure seemed to have long, black hair draped over her snow-white shoulders, and she was only wearing... two pieces of close-fitting clothing, a matching bellyband and underpants.
She was indeed holding clothes in her hand.
It wasn't Ouyang Rong's; it was the embroiderer's own clothes that she had just taken off.
"you……"
Before he could speak, Zhao Qingxiu had already walked away with her head down, putting her clothes that she had taken off into the basket containing his dirty clothes.
Because she was facing away from Ouyang Rong, he could see her slender, snow-white back, which was only tied with a ribbon. It was even whiter than the misty water vapor in the bathroom, making the surrounding environment seem a bit dim in comparison.
The water vapor clung greedily to this smooth, snowy back, like a layer of frost covering a luminous pearl in winter.
Standing in front of the laundry basket, Zhao Qingxiu had her back to Ouyang Rong. As if remembering something, she suddenly lifted her leg and reached behind her without turning around to pull off the sock on her calf, revealing a delicate foot.
It turned out she wasn't wearing two pieces of underwear, but four.
Includes two light pink foot socks.
Upon seeing this, Ouyang Rong chuckled.
He suddenly remembered one of the embroiderer's little hobbies.
She likes to collect foot socks.
Normally, when Pei Shisan Niang accompanies her shopping, the embroiderer is very frugal and doesn't like to let her spend money. But Pei Shisan Niang insists on treating her and takes her to the coat shop. Once inside, the embroiderer feels embarrassed to leave empty-handed, so she can only buy one or two items that she likes and thinks she can use, preferably cheap ones... So she symbolically buys two pairs of socks and happily takes them back.
At first, when Pei Shisan Niang mentioned this to Ouyang Rong, he didn't pay much attention.
Just a few days ago, Ouyang Rong happened to see two rows of neatly folded, clean socks in the embroiderer's wardrobe. They were colorful, and many were still brand new.
She couldn't fit into it at all.
But the embroiderer, who was always frugal, never thought she had too much and kept adding more. Each time she bought something and washed it, she would carefully place it in the wardrobe, a look of satisfaction and joy on her blindfolded face...
Perhaps even the embroiderer herself was unaware of this quirk.
Ouyang Rong suppressed a laugh.
At this moment, he saw the embroiderer pause in her action of putting down the dirty clothes, turn her head and glance in the direction of the west wing outside. She picked up his dirty clothes again and pressed her own clothes underneath to cover them up.
Ouyang Rong didn't quite understand this detail.
Zhao Qingxiu walked over gracefully, picked up the towel from Ouyang Rong's face, tilted her head, and gently wiped his face.
Her delicate fingertips occasionally brushed against the skin of his neck.
Ouyang Rong felt a jolt, as if an electric current was passing through his fingertip.
itch.
Zhao Qingxiu wrote on his chest:
You...you move aside.
Ouyang Rong immediately and obediently gave up his seat.
Using a stool as a step, Zhao Qingxiu stepped into the bucket.
She crossed her arms over her chest, lowered her head to adjust for a moment, and then used a towel to wipe Ouyang Rong's body.
Zhao Qingxiu buried her head deeply, not daring to look at him.
She raised her hand and used the towel in her hand to wipe herself, but accidentally wiped his face.
What are you doing?
Ouyang Rong leaned back, wiped his face, and asked in a daze.
Zhao Qingxiu suddenly stood up, regretting her actions and trying to run away.
Ouyang Rong suddenly embraced the pretty young girl who had turned around.
"You're already here, why are you running away? Wait a minute... they're still inside, aren't they asleep?"
They're asleep.
"What if he wakes up?" Ouyang Rong asked in a low voice.
Zhao Qingxiu remained silent.
I don't know if I heard what he said.
After being embraced, her whole body went limp.
The fingers that were trying to write trembled slightly, like willows in the wind.
[Let go, my love! I'm not washing anymore, I'm not washing anymore...]
Despite having prepared for a long time, when she was actually face to face with her beloved, and was being gazed upon with such intense eyes that she could almost cry from embarrassment.
When Zhao Qingxiu came in, she had already removed the blindfold ribbon, and she was only wearing two close-fitting undergarments.
Seeing his wife's flustered appearance with tears welling up in her eyes, Ouyang Rong suddenly blinked:
"Is this the reward the embroiderer prepared? To give me a bath?"
Zhao Qingxiu tried to turn her head away.
Let go of me and take a good shower.
"Then don't run away."
Zhao Qingxiu's eyes were red, and she pursed her lips tightly, remaining silent.
Ouyang Rong also remained still, holding her close.
The two seemed to be locked in a stalemate.
If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move either.
Under Ouyang Rong's gaze, after a long while, Zhao Qingxiu finally nodded almost imperceptibly, reluctantly agreeing.
Ouyang Rong then carefully released his grip.
"Then the embroiderer can continue, I'm not moving."
Zhao Qingxiu was about to lean forward when her lower leg seemed to touch something, startling her so much that she shrank back.
It felt like I'd been pricked by a cactus.
"Smack...!"
She lightly patted his bare arm and pouted.
Ouyang Rong coughed, obediently turned his back, leaned over the edge of the bucket, and put his hands outstretched.
Is this okay?
"Um."
Zhao Qingxiu's voice was barely audible.
Ouyang Rong secretly turned around, taking advantage of her not being able to see.
At that moment, the water in the bucket was up to their chests.
All around was a misty fog, and only now, up close, could he see Zhao Qingxiu's outfit clearly.
Today's set of bellyband and underpants is vermilion, embroidered with two mandarin ducks playing and entwining in the water.
After being wetted, it was placed on her smooth, milk-like skin.
It must be new; he had never seen it before. He wondered if Pei Shisan Niang had advised him to buy it for her.
No wonder Pei Shisan Niang had been suppressing a smile these past two days, and today she even blinked her eyes...
Just as the air temperature was rising.
Ouyang Rong took a moment to glance at the cyan-gold characters on the small wooden fish inside the Merit Pagoda.
Merit: 5,820
He felt that he would lose another significant portion of his earnings today.
...
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(End of this chapter)
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