Chapter 88 Heart-to-Heart Talk Under the Moon, Wei Lai's Tea Ceremony (Part 2)
"But don't you just keep nagging me every day?"
"Waaah, no...it's different."
He heard the silver-haired girl in his arms crying.
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
Actually, there was no need to ask much; he already vaguely understood most of it.
Ouyang Rong's eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness.
I don't know if it's just my imagination, or if summer is really coming, but the chirping of insects in the grass in the yard suddenly seemed much louder.
It even drowned out his breathing and the sniffling of the girl in his arms.
It became the main theme inside the house.
Ouyang Rong guessed that Wei Lai had probably forgotten to close the window again before getting into bed.
A cold light slanted in from the left window, casting a hazy white glow on their bed.
The moonlight, streaming down from the Moon Palace, cleverly and irregularly sliced the silent bed.
The inner half is pitch black, while the outer half is silvery.
A young man with black hair that fell over his shoulders sat in the darkness, propping himself up on his hands.
The girl with snow-white hair, scattered all over the bed, clung tightly to the young man like an octopus. Her slender, petite back was exposed in the moonlight, and her waist-length hair was dyed silver-white.
Ouyang Rong had a strange perception since childhood: he felt that moonlight was a very cold thing, or at least it looked cold, while darkness was exceptionally warm, especially in the quilt on a winter's day... This was probably related to some accidental experiences in his childhood.
Therefore, I prefer to close the window when I sleep, and if there are curtains, that would be even better.
This silly girl, why does she always forget to close the window? So clumsy...
Ouyang Rong, who was carrying a child, was somewhat distracted.
It's an old problem of his; if he hasn't slept by late at night, his mind tends to wander into all sorts of random thoughts.
After a brief exchange of questions and answers, silence fell over the bed in the inner room.
Ouyang Rong looked down.
He propped himself up and sat up, covered by the blankets. Logically, his chest should have been quite cold.
He was being held tightly in Wei Lai's arms at this moment, and the girl was like a little furnace, so he wasn't cold anymore.
However, her slender back, covered by a thin nightgown, was exposed to the cool moonlight.
Her two round, petite shoulders would occasionally twitch.
I don't know if it was the cold or my tears.
Ouyang Rong subconsciously raised his hand, paused briefly in mid-air, and then continued to reach out.
He wrapped his arms around the girl's slender back and held her firmly in his arms.
The little girl trembled instinctively.
She hugged him even tighter.
If they continued hugging like this, the atmosphere should have gradually become more intimate, but someone has a serious case of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
"ah!"
Wei Lai, who was burying her face in her hands, exclaimed in surprise.
She found her waist suddenly being grabbed by her owner, and then her body turned 360 degrees in the air, as if she was about to be thrown out like a frisbee.
Unable to resist, she timidly raised her blushing face, only to find that she hadn't been pinned down by someone rolling over; rather, her owner had picked her up, rolled her off the bed, and stood up, and then…
He ran to close the window.
"..." Wei Lai.
Ouyang Rong was as agile as a leopard, no, as agile as a kangaroo. Holding a "baby mouse" in his arms, he quickly ran to close the window.
Then he quickly returned to his bed, lay down again, and covered himself with the blankets.
Ouyang Rong breathed a sigh of relief; his obsessive-compulsive disorder was finally relieved.
However, the girl in my arms doesn't weigh much. Before I brought her home, she weighed 60 jin (30 kg) of rice. Now she's gained some weight, maybe 70 jin (35 kg).
Ouyang Rong leaned his upper body against the headboard, with Wei Lai nestled in his arms, though their current posture looked somewhat like she was sitting on his waist.
However, neither of them paid attention to these things at the moment.
The blankets were placed over the two people who were lying on top of each other.
The bed, now devoid of moonlight, is plunged back into warm darkness.
Ouyang Rong noticed a cool, damp sensation on his chest.
He gazed into the darkness and sighed.
"I've had a proper heart-to-heart talk with you since I brought you back, and I don't know if you're getting used to it or if you've been wronged... It's my fault."
A small head buried in the chest shook.
However, Ouyang Rong felt that there was also a suspicion that he was wiping away his tears and snot along the way.
He smirked and reached out to stroke the soft, long white hair.
I'm actually not very good at coaxing girls.
The young man squinted and spoke softly, as if chatting casually:
"I've been meaning to ask you, do you know where your hometown is?"
The little head buried in his chest shook gently as if wiping its nose.
He nodded: "Hmm, that's true, someone as stupid as him would definitely not know."
“…Waaah…” The faint sobs that had been coming from the white-haired man suddenly grew louder.
"Just kidding."
Ouyang Rong rubbed the silly girl's head:
"Actually, when I first saw your hair color, eyes and nose, I suspected that you were of Slavic and Germanic descent. By the way, do you know what Slavic and Germanic people are? Never mind, I guess you don't even have that concept yet."
He sighed:
"However, the curves of your face are relatively softer and smoother. I don't know if it's due to malnutrition or some other mixed blood... But in any case, your hometown is indeed very, very far away from the Great Zhou Dynasty. It's a miracle that you were able to come all the way here and let me run into you."
"I...I'm from the barbarian tribe," the girl finally spoke again, her voice timid and softly murmuring.
“They all say barbarians are backward, savage, and ignorant. Master, you are a nobleman with black hair and black eyes, while I am lowly and ugly. To be able to serve you is the greatest blessing I have accumulated in eight lifetimes. Please, Master, don't abandon me, sob sob sob…”
Ouyang Rong shook his head and forcibly straightened the silver-haired girl's head.
He looked down, staring into her red-rimmed eyes, where a few strands of hair clung to them, and said:
"What I want to say is, to hell with the idea of races being noble or base. We are not noble, and you are not inferior, neither now nor a thousand years from now. Those who have been propagating these ideas throughout history, those who started them, will they have no descendants?"
"One of the good things about the Great Zhou Dynasty's 'golden age' is that it is indeed inclusive. The distinction between the Xia and the Yi is only a matter of culture. If you admire the clothing and customs of the Han people, you can learn to integrate. You don't have to feel inferior from the start."
"I love it, I really love the ruqun, shanpei, and brocade shoes that the young ladies wear... They are so beautiful and elegant."
Wei Lai nodded excitedly, but then paused, her face falling:
"But, but they said I don't look good in a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and that my face would scare my master at night..."
In the darkness, Ouyang Rong cradled the tear-streaked face in his hands, wiping the slightly red rims around her eyes with his thumb.
He stared into those eyes, which even seemed to have a hint of blue in the darkness, and stated softly:
“Silly girl, you’re not ugly at all. In your hometown, you might be as beautiful as a fairy in a myth. It’s just a pity that you’ve mistakenly entered a country that will never appreciate your beauty, and it’s also the most unfriendly era to you.”
Wei Lai stared blankly, her small hands clutching his clothes at his waist. She looked up at the gentle young man, then suddenly asked nervously:
"Why does Master like my face and my hair? Is it out of pity for me? Or is it just to comfort me...?"
Ouyang Rong smiled bitterly:
“My perspective is a little different from my aunts’... I guess I’m sick. That’s not to say I can’t appreciate your beauty... Well, the reasons are complicated. I’ve accepted some new things, but I haven’t abandoned the things from my ancestors.”
"Let's not talk about this anymore, Wei Lai. You just need to know that you are indeed very beautiful in my eyes. I... like you quite a bit, or rather, I can't help but like beautiful things."
Wei Lai was stunned, tilting her head slightly and staring intently at the sincere expression on his face.
"Owner."
She suddenly murmured something.
"What?"
Ouyang Rong was carefully brushing the white hair that Wei Lai had scattered on her forehead and was damp with tears behind her ear when he heard this and was slightly taken aback.
"It's nothing," she shook her head.
"oh."
However, the next second, the little white-haired girl kneeling on the young man suddenly straightened her slender waist, rushed forward without regard for anything else, hugged the young man, and lightly pecked his face three times.
My first touch was too fast; I kissed the wrong spot, landing on his nose.
The second stroke is on the right corner of the mouth, where there's a bit of stubble.
The third peck landed on her lip and lingered there, her clumsy little mouth seemingly wanting to explore further inside.
"you……"
Ouyang Rong grabbed the girl's arms with both hands and pushed her away.
He hastily wiped the saliva from his face and lips with his shoulder, and said speechlessly:
Who taught you that trick?
Wei Lai tilted her head, her greyish-blue eyes fixed on him, and she shook her head earnestly.
“Mother said that it’s not wrong to kiss someone you like. Master said he likes me, and I like you too. I just couldn’t help but want to kiss you.”
Ouyang Rong's forehead was covered in black lines.
As expected of a girl from another country, even if she's a shy and silly girl with low self-esteem, she expresses her feelings in such a simple and direct way.
"Stop fooling around."
Ouyang Rong stared into the eyes of the silly, smiling white-haired girl in the darkness, and said in a serious tone:
“I just thought about it, and the environment here is really not friendly to you. You are still young and shouldn’t live with other people’s disdain all the time.”
He paused, still feeling that one's hometown is very important: "If you hadn't opened up to me tonight, I wouldn't have realized this. In the future... I'll see if there's a chance for you to go back to your hometown..."
"I'm not going back!" Wei Lai, who had been smiling foolishly at him, immediately shook her head vigorously.
"Why?" Ouyang Rong frowned.
"Our hometown has no master."
"But the people here naturally don't like you."
"As long as Master is happy, I don't care about anyone else."
Ouyang Rong said cruelly, "But I can't marry you."
Wei Lai looked at him with a puzzled expression:
"Of course, Master cannot marry a servant. Only a noble lady like Miss Xie is barely worthy of Master. I am already content that Master allows me to stay and serve you. How could I be jealous? I will serve Mistress well in the future."
Ouyang Rong: "..."
So all that was said was for nothing.
He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Seeing this, Wei Lai seemed to have misunderstood. Her small body trembled violently, and she gripped his sleeve tightly with both hands, pleading desperately:
"Was it because I was too presumptuous when I stole a kiss from you, Master? Does Master no longer want me as his personal maid and doesn't want me anymore?"
"No, no..."
Ouyang Rong quickly comforted her, and the little white-haired girl flew into his arms like a swallow returning to its nest.
Someone patiently hugged and comforted her for a while with kind words, which calmed her down and brought joy back to her tear-streaked face.
But to be honest, girls these days are really easy to please; there's no way to make him lose his mind.
Wei Lai sat on her master's lap, leaned back and straightened her waist. She gathered her silver hair with both hands, tied it into a simple high ponytail with a red string, and pulled it to her left shoulder. Then she took her master's right hand and placed it on her snow-white silver hair. Her big gray-blue eyes rolled up as she obediently looked at him.
The little white-haired girl snuggled into her owner's arms again, clinging to him affectionately. When her long hair was stroked, the comfortable and satisfied look on her face was just like a little white-haired kitten lying on her owner's lap being petted.
On the bed, the two quietly embraced each other.
Ouyang Rong looked somewhat helpless.
Honestly, the girl was completely open and devoted to him.
To say that I wasn't moved would be a lie.
Even the strongest man can be softened by a gentle touch.
After a moment of silence, someone asked softly:
"Did your aunt beat or scold you when I wasn't home during the day?"
Wei Lai paused for a moment, then shook her head slightly:
"No."
"Did those girls bully you?"
Wei Lai lowered her head slightly and whispered:
"No. They... are all very good to me. Master, don't worry about me. Please focus on your official duties."
"real?"
"real."
"People who lie will get a spanking."
"Okay, you lying girl... spanking."
The girl, frail and delicate, readily agreed.
Ouyang Rong was speechless for a moment.
He gently stroked his silver hair with his fingers and asked with a slight furrow of his brow:
"Why are you acting so strangely today? You suddenly crawled into bed just now. You've been sleeping well the past few days. Something must have happened today."
Wei Lai remained silent.
Before their heart-to-heart talk tonight, she might have cried to her master about the bullying she suffered during the day.
From now on, Wei Lai will no longer be mentioned.
She understood her master's intentions, felt at ease, and found the pillar of her life.
From now on, Wei Lai will no longer bother him with these petty squabbles among the young ladies of the inner quarters.
She wants to handle it herself.
“I do have something on my mind.”
Wei Lai gently placed her hands on the man's warm chest, bit her lip, and pushed him away from her embrace.
She looked into his eyes and said timidly:
"I secretly sniffed my master's coat; it has a strange fragrance..."
"So that's what happened." Ouyang Rong seemed to realize something, and chuckled, pursing his lips.
"After having dinner at Yunshui Pavilion in the evening, my colleague insisted on going upstairs for tea. I couldn't refuse, so I was pulled up. The tea master who came in was a woman, and the fragrance must have been picked up by her when we were in the same room."
Wei Lai couldn't help but wonder, "If the master's tea skills are so amazing, why does he need a tea master?"
Ouyang Rong opened his mouth to explain, then paused and pinched her pert little nose:
"Oh, so you little brat are checking up on me too? Why would I lie to you? We were just having tea as usual."
"Of course I know my master wouldn't lie to me..."
Wei Lai gently bit her lip: "However, this tea master is definitely not very proper. He has touched the master's clothes closely, because the inner garment also has a fragrance."
Ouyang Rong was taken aback:
"What kind of nose is that?"
He nodded and admitted, "It was indeed a little inappropriate, a bit clumsy, but I didn't touch her. Instead, I gave her some pointers."
Wei Lai's small face showed a hint of something she wanted to say, but she hesitated.
Ouyang Rong tilted his head slightly, "Don't you believe your master?"
"no."
The white-haired girl shook her head and said softly:
"What I meant to say was... if Master wants to experience the tea ceremony, he can come to me. There's no need to go out and find those prostitutes."
Ouyang Rong chuckled dismissively, saying:
"You just said I'm amazing at tea ceremony, and you still used it to come to you guys..."
But before he could finish speaking, he noticed that the little white-haired girl's expression was a bit off.
She stared at him like a greedy cat, squinting her eyes and whispering:
"No, I mean... the tea ceremony that the tea master knows... I also know it, and..."
Ouyang Rong felt another surge of righteous energy rising beneath him, which was somewhat difficult to suppress.
"And what?"
The little white-haired girl lowered her eyes and spoke softly:
"And if the master is not satisfied, they can also provide guidance..."
Ouyang Rong: "..."
Immediately, the person felt the tentacles of that octopus that had been there in a daze not long ago reaching down.
His righteous spirit is about to leak out.
This chapter is a two-part summary, so the writing was a bit slow. But there will be another chapter early this morning!
(End of this chapter)
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