Chapter 986 Aqing's Question
The atmosphere was quiet for a while by the bed in the inner room.
Aqing was still folding the quilt, maintaining a bent-over posture with her back to Ouyang Rong, her buttocks slightly raised.
Even as she was being questioned, she continued making the bed and folding the blankets.
The first thing Ouyang Rong did upon hearing A Qing's words was not to reply, but to turn his head and look at Miao Si on the girl's shoulder.
Clearly, Aqing was asking about the stack of scriptures that Huang Xuan had given him.
When Aqing was at Donglin Temple, she attended the temple's school for novice monks. Although she didn't know many characters, she could still clearly distinguish between the handwriting of men and women.
The little ink spirit on his shoulder looked around curiously, giving Ouyang Rong a knowing look that said, "Don't ask this fairy."
Ouyang Rong was unsure how much of his talkative nature had revealed.
“I went down the mountain a few days ago and ran into some old friends from Xunyang. They were helping me deliver a message. Among them was a young woman whom my junior sister and I had saved before. These scriptures were given to her by my junior sister before. I happened to meet her this time, and she was having some trouble understanding something while reading, so I asked for the scriptures and helped her with the annotations…”
Ouyang Rong remained calm and spoke softly, recounting the events truthfully.
"Oh, I see..."
Aqing would occasionally turn around to glance at her brother's calm and composed face as she made the bed and listened attentively.
At one point, she smiled faintly and interrupted him:
"Brother, could it be Ah Qing's sister-in-law?"
Ouyang Rong paused for a moment, then his expression turned somewhat helpless:
"She's the same age as you, what are you thinking?"
Aqing leaned back gracefully, dodging a flick of the wrist from Ouyang Rong.
She pouted slightly and said:
"I'm just afraid of calling the wrong person. Who knows if my brother will bring back another young woman? It's not like it's the first time."
Ouyang Rong: ...
This young lady probably hasn't forgotten when Ouyang Rong returned to Sanhui Courtyard for dinner and mentioned the embroiderer to Liu's mother and her.
He sighed and shook his head.
A short while later, the bed was made and Aqing turned around. The inner room was already stuffy, and after Aqing had done her work, Ouyang Rong noticed that there were fine beads of sweat on her forehead.
Aqing, seemingly unaware that she was sweating, tilted her head back and looked at Ouyang Rong with a curious expression, asking:
"Brother, is this younger sister so eager to learn? She remembers what you told her so well."
Ouyang Rong didn't think much of it and sighed softly:
"Yes, with such self-discipline and perseverance, Xiaoxuan is very suited for studying. It's a pity that, for some reason, even her junior sister's kind words of persuasion were useless; she insisted on choosing the Sanqing Sect and returning to Maoshan with Master Lu to cultivate Taoism..."
He shook his head:
"Even now, my junior sister still feels regretful about this matter and often brings it up with me..."
Aqing nodded:
"I think there's another point besides that: my brother and Sister Xie are definitely very important people to her. There are some things, some kindnesses, that she can't forget, just like how my brother helped my family before..."
Upon hearing Aqing mention the matter of gratitude, Ouyang Rong seemed to recall something, uncrossed his arms, lowered his eyes slightly, and became somewhat subdued.
"Is my brother alright?"
Aqing asked with concern.
Ouyang Rong shook his head, came to his senses, and smiled slightly:
"It's alright, let's not talk about it anymore."
He looked at Aqing's upturned face again, her fair forehead covered with fine beads of sweat, though the girl may not have noticed.
Ouyang Rong, who has some obsessive-compulsive tendencies, couldn't stand it anymore and prepared to reach out and wipe her clean.
In the next instant, Aqing, who had been slow to react, raised her little hand and casually wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. Her little face was calm and composed.
Ouyang Rong then gave up and pressed down his hand that was about to be raised.
The brother and sister almost collided because their movements were almost overlapping.
Aqing wiped her sweat and changed the subject:
“Brother, Master said I have a constitution that makes me sweat easily, and I'm afraid of heat but even more afraid of cold. It's probably because my body was too weak when I was a child…”
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, and after a moment said:
"Sometimes at night, you'll break out in a cold sweat while you sleep."
Aqing asked with a smile, "How did you know, brother? You're sleeping at night, and you're still concerned about me? But aren't you always reading at night?"
Ouyang Rong said helplessly, "Whenever I pass by, I always have to take a look. Aqing doesn't sleep very peacefully. Sometimes she's clearly having nightmares. Her eyebrows are all furrowed, and she's sweating a lot."
Aqing quieted down, lowered her head slightly, and said:
"Brother is actually very thoughtful, not as he seems..."
Ouyang Rong was curious:
"So what?"
Aqing looked at his seemingly genuine expression and shook her head:
"nothing."
Ouyang Rong seemed to remember something and asked:
"You're said to sweat easily, has Xue Zhongzhu taken you to see any doctor? By the way, is there a medical clinic in Jianze?"
Aqing thought for a moment and said:
"A medical hall? There isn't one, but Lantang has a branch that's in charge of herbs. In addition, Lantang also distributes herbal plasters to each of the Yue Nu branches. We all have to learn some basic medical skills... Especially Qiutang, which prepares the most herbs because they often go out and go deep into Yunmeng Marsh."
Ouyang Rong listened thoughtfully.
After a moment, he let out a long breath:
"By the way, Aqing is on leave today. Could it be that your master has disappeared again and gone somewhere else with the Second Lady?"
He was somewhat looking forward to this, but Ah Qing shook her head:
"No, this time I asked my master for permission. She allowed me to take two days off. My master is still staying at the Queen's Palace and hasn't gone out. It seems that my second uncle is doing the same."
Ouyang Rong frowned slightly.
As if remembering something, Aqing immediately spoke:
"By the way, brother, I couldn't find the calligraphy of my second master that you asked me to look for. I took the opportunity to go to Lantang a few times, but Lantang is very strict. Calligraphy and letters related to my second master are all forbidden items. They must be controlled and destroyed by the Yue women of Lantang and are not allowed to circulate. They are probably afraid that the people of the imperial court will get their hands on them..."
Ah Qing paused here, glancing at her brother's expression.
In a way, my brother is also a member of the imperial court, and she is even helping the imperial court.
However, trusting her brother implicitly, she had no doubt that Ouyang Rong would use the letter from his second uncle for some malicious purpose or evil act.
A certain trust was deeply rooted in A Qing's heart, ever since Ouyang Rong draped that Confucian robe over her at Donglin Temple.
Ah Qing continued speaking, softly saying:
“Brother, since I started cultivating with Master, I’ve learned that some Qi cultivation techniques are quite bizarre and strange. For example, there are evil sorcerers who can use other people’s personal belongings or letters to create spells that can affect them…”
"Perhaps this is also the reason why Lantang is so strict in its management. I heard my master say that our Yue Nu Dao lineage has been restraining sorcerers for thousands of years since the Spring and Autumn Period, and we are irreconcilable enemies with them... My master also said something, what was it again, um... Before the Spring and Autumn Period, we slay dragons; after the Spring and Autumn Period, we slay sorcerers."
Ouyang Rong's brows furrowed even more, and he remained silent for a long time after listening.
"good."
After a moment, he came to his senses and nodded.
Aqing couldn't help but ask:
“Brother, is Ah Qing really useless? She hasn’t been able to get any clues about Sister Embroidery for you.”
Ouyang Rong immediately said:
"No, that's not true. Take your time on your end. As for me, things are starting to look promising, and things might be going well soon. You don't need to feel too much pressure."
Aqing stared at Ouyang Rong's face for a while, until Ouyang Rong's gaze met hers, and the two looked directly at each other. She lowered her eyes, and after a while, asked softly:
"I heard that you've been sending vegetarian meals to Yutang in Qingliang Valley every night recently. Is the clue you found inside?"
"almost."
Ouyang Rong whispered, "It'll be soon..."
He paused, then smiled brightly, gently patted Aqing's thin shoulder, and comforted her:
"Alright, let's not talk about these things anymore. You've finally come back, so get some rest and don't think about anything else."
"Um."
Ouyang Rong turned around, grabbed a stack of clean clothes, and went out to take a shower.
After a trip to Moon Island for a gathering, I was covered in sweat.
Ah Qing followed behind, looking quite charming.
Miaosi stayed in the room, probably going back to the closet to continue eating, like a big rat sneaking into the kitchen at night.
Aqing followed the dull young man step by step, her hands behind her back.
Hearing the girl's curious voice from behind, the latter suddenly brought it up again:
"Brother hasn't told you yet what that young lady's name is. Is it something like Xiao Xuan?"
Ouyang Rong said softly:
"Huang Xuan. My junior sister and I both call her Xiao Xuan, it just got to us."
Aqing nodded:
"Then I'll shout it next time too."
Ouyang Rong casually said:
"She might be a little older than you. Besides, she has her own things to do, and you two might not even see each other."
He noticed that Aqing behind him had stopped talking, so he didn't bring it up again.
The bathroom was located on the west side of the courtyard, next to the kitchen, making it convenient to boil water. Ouyang Rong brought clean clothes and entered the bathroom.
Before going in, he casually took off the bronze mask and handed it, along with the bronze scroll, to Aqing.
Because the bronze mask is designed to maintain a false appearance, it should not be exposed to water, as this could cause it to malfunction.
Aqing thoughtfully helped him put the two items away.
Aqing is now an eighth-rank official. With her at home helping with security, Ouyang Rong feels at ease.
Speaking of which, the way the brother and sister get along has become more and more harmonious. In the past, Ouyang Rong would have hesitated for a long time before taking off his mask for her.
Aqing stopped at the bathroom door, then went to the kitchen, seemingly fiddling with something, which Ouyang Rong ignored.
With her guarding the courtyard with her sword, he could take a bath and sleep in peace, which was one of the benefits that Aqing's return from her vacation brought him.
Fifteen minutes later, Ouyang Rong finished his bath, dressed neatly, and then left the bathroom.
The main reason I didn't wash my hair is that washing hair is very troublesome in this day and age. Because hair is very long, it's impossible to wash it every day. People usually wash it every few days, and some people don't even wash their hair once a month.
Ouyang Ronglai walked out the door and saw Aqing sitting on the steps by the courtyard gate, her hands supporting her chin, her sword lying across her knees, seemingly lost in thought.
The commotion caused by Ouyang Rong's appearance brought the girl, who was resting her chin on her hand, back to her senses, and she looked up.
The two exchanged a silent glance.
Aqing got up and went into the steamy bathroom at the back. A moment later, she came out of the bathroom with a few dirty clothes draped over her forearm.
She smiled sweetly:
"Brother, go back to your room and rest. Leave the clothes to me. After I finish hanging them up, I'll tidy up the yard and take a shower."
"good."
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong felt calm and gently patted her head.
Just as I was about to enter the house, the girl behind me suddenly called out:
"Wait, brother."
Ouyang Rong stopped gently:
"Hmm? What is it?"
Ah Qing's gaze shifted slightly behind her back:
"Brother, have you forgotten something...?"
Ouyang Rong asked in confusion, "Forgot? Forgot what?"
Ah Qing whispered:
"Brother, I didn't bring back any clean clothes. What happened to the clothes I left with you last time..."
After a pause, Aqing said shyly, "That morning before I left, I washed a few clothes and hung them on the rack. You promised to take them back properly for me..."
Ouyang Rong immediately realized what was happening and pointed inside the room:
"Yes, it's in the trunk."
Aqing gave a soft "oh" and looked up at Ouyang Rong.
Ouyang Rong led A Qing back to the main house, his expression calm.
Among Aqing's snow-white dress, there were some undergarments that Ouyang Rong couldn't touch. He had asked Madam Li next door to help him fold them up and put them in his trunk.
Ah Qing seemed to understand and did not ask any further questions.
Upon entering the house, the boxes containing clothes were placed next to the wardrobe where Miaosi slept.
The wardrobe door was tightly closed, and the little ink spirit seemed to be sleeping soundly after eating its fill.
Ouyang Rong ignored it, opened the trunk but didn't rummage through it further, instead gesturing to A Qing:
"They're all inside. Ah Qing can get them later. Brother is going to rest."
"Um."
Ouyang Rong left the trunk and went into the inner room.
Aqing did not leave the house, but stayed. She took a few steps forward, went to the trunk, and quietly began to search through it.
Ouyang Rong didn't notice that not far behind him, the slender girl paused her rummaging through clothes by the trunk, her expression seemingly stunned for a moment, before turning her head to look in his direction.
Ouyang Rong casually lowered the beaded curtain of the inner room, and as he yawned, he prepared to undress and get into bed.
The next instant, Ah Qing's voice came from the side of the wardrobe.
"Brother..."
"Um?"
The girl's voice sounded somewhat puzzled:
"W-Why isn't it here..."
Ouyang Rong subconsciously asked, "It's nothing..."
He suddenly realized what he was saying, jumped off the bed, and ran back to the wardrobe.
Ah Qing stood beside the trunk, her face dazed. She held a stack of snow-white Wu-style dresses in her hands, but whispered to him:
"I searched through it several times, but I only found the skirt and nothing else."
She didn't elaborate on what she meant by "not finding any others," but Ouyang Rong immediately understood what A Qing meant.
What else could the clothes she left behind be besides this snow-white Wu dress that was found?
"How could that be?"
Ouyang Rong was somewhat skeptical, shook his head and stepped forward. At this moment, he couldn't care less about any taboos; proving his innocence was the most important thing.
He searched through the items twice, but to no avail. After a while, his searching slowed down and then stopped.
No, there really isn't.
Aqing looked over with her innocent big eyes.
Ouyang Rong froze, staring at the trunk in front of him.
He remembered that Aqing's clothes were definitely put inside, so how could they be missing? And it wasn't just her skirt and outer garment that were missing, but rather the two most private and sensitive undergarments...
(End of this chapter)
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