Zhou Yuxiu's matter had been weighing on Shi Lan's mind. Every time she saw her, Shi Lan felt a sense of unease, and this also made her less friendly towards Mo Yun.
Having experienced the warmth between husband and wife and felt her wife's gentleness and consideration, Mo Yun suddenly tasted the bitterness of being treated coldly.
At mealtimes, no one thoughtfully serves him food anymore. Before falling asleep, his wife turns her back to him with a cold, indifferent expression. If he hadn't shamelessly clung to her every time, he probably wouldn't have even had the chance to hook his arm around his wife's body through the blanket.
After enduring this hardship for seven or eight days, Mo Yun finally saw his savior, Ming Weiliang, who had once been his deputy and had now been promoted to the fifth rank.
Mo Yun brought Ming Weiliang to his home. Shi Lan knew that he was his comrade-in-arms. Even if she was still angry with Mo Yun, she could not let him lose face. Therefore, she personally cooked a refreshing and simple four-dish soup.
Ming Weiliang and Mo Yun ate their meal inside, and soon after, they went out together. Shi Lan was just bringing out tea when she saw the two figures disappear by the door.
Shi Lan turned her head, puzzled, and asked, "Where are they going?"
Aunt Wang peeked out and saw that her husband was still there, so she said, "Perhaps that person urgently needs your help, sir."
Shi Lan shook her head and said, "There's no need to rush. We can have some tea first and then go."
Aunt Wang smiled, reheated the leftovers, and said, "Madam, it's getting late, you should eat too."
Shi Lan responded but did not sit down. Instead, she helped Aunt Wang clear the house before grabbing a bite to eat in the kitchen.
In the evening, Mo Yun and the other person did not return. Shi Lan stood at the door and looked back several times. Not wanting Aunt Wang and the others to go hungry, she left some food for them to eat first.
Just before the lights were about to be turned off, Mo Yun returned with the dew from the night. As soon as she entered, she asked if there was anything to eat.
Shi Lan heated up the food she had saved and took it out. Mo Yun wolfed down his food, wiped his mouth, and said, "Yu Xiu's matter is settled. Let Granny Liu go to the Yuan family to mediate tomorrow."
Shi Lan brought him some tea to aid digestion, then turned to tidy up the dishes. She was taken aback when she heard this, "What happened?"
Mo Yun chuckled and kept everyone in suspense. Shi Lan gave him a reproachful look, knowing it must be related to the people who came today.
Mo Yun felt a surge of excitement. It had been so many days, and his wife had finally given him a wink.
After tidying up his things, Shi Lan, in a good mood, brought him a basin of warm water to help him wash up.
After he finished wiping his face, she quickly and attentively spread out the bedding. Once he sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), she leaned over and said, "Tell me about it quickly."
Looking at her upturned, fair face and bright, dark eyes, Mo Yun found her incredibly adorable. He reached out and patted her head, saying, "There's nothing to say. Anyway, the Yuan family has agreed."
Shi Lan pouted and glared at him, "Are you going to tell me or not?"
Mo Yun chuckled, but refused to speak.
Shi Lan turned her head and said, "Fine, don't tell me then. I don't care to know anyway." With that, she blew out the oil lamp with a "poof" and tumbled into the quilt.
Mo Yun shook his head helplessly, thinking to himself that he really had a big temper.
His hand automatically pulled Shi Lan into a gentle embrace, and he said, "Actually, it's nothing. I just took Wei Liang over and said a few words to his mother."
A warm breath washed over her, and Shi Lan's face began to burn. But she didn't want Mo Yun to notice, so she stiffened her body, pretending to be serious, but still muttered breathlessly, "She agreed after just a few words? I don't believe it's that simple."
Mo Yun curled the corners of her lips; of course, it wasn't that simple.
Ming Weiliang told her that his maternal grandfather was a scholar of the court with countless students, and Yuxiu was his brother's sister, which meant she was his sister. If she really couldn't get what she wanted, he would follow the principle of helping his relatives regardless of right or wrong and talk to the examiner about the candidate.
At first, Yuan's mother refused to believe it, thinking he was talking nonsense. But when she saw the high-ranking official, who was called the county magistrate, and a group of yamen runners following behind him, all treating him with utmost respect, she was stunned on the spot.
When it came to her son's future, Yuan's mother had no hesitation and immediately agreed to the marriage.
Gently patting the silent Shi Lan, Mo Yun rested his head against her temple, inhaling her faint fragrance, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Shi Lan remained stiff until his breathing became long and even before slowly moving away from him and crawling towards her own blanket.
Unexpectedly, even though Mo Yun was asleep, his hands still had their own consciousness. He reached out and pulled her back, holding her tightly against his chest. He gently nuzzled her shoulder, buried his head in her neck, and remained still.
She could hear his soft, gentle breathing. Shi Lan remained motionless for a long time, and the prolonged stillness caused a tingling, numb sensation to run through her legs and hips.
Shi Lan rubbed her head vigorously a couple of times to relieve the soreness and numbness, then slowly pulled away his arms that were wrapped around her slender waist, and crawled back into bed at a speed comparable to that of a tortoise.
Shi Lan leaned back into bed, let out a soft sigh, and comfortably closed her eyes.
As dawn gradually enveloped the earth, Shi Lan, preoccupied with something on her mind, slept unusually early today. As soon as the light shone through the window, Shi Lan opened her eyes.
Shi Lan glanced at Mo Yun, who was sleeping soundly with his eyebrows relaxed and his lips slightly pouting, and smiled slightly. He really did look like a child.
Shi Lan got up quietly and went to the kitchen to boil water, cook porridge, knead dough, and make pancakes.
By the time it was fully light, she had already prepared breakfast. When Aunt Wang got up and saw Shi Lan, she was taken aback and said, "Madam."
Shi Lan smiled at her and said, "It's nothing, I just couldn't sleep, so I got up to find something to do."
Aunt Wang looked around and saw two plates of golden-brown, oily pancakes on the stove. Each one was only about half the size of a palm, and there were roughly twenty of them.
Aunt Wang mentally calculated the time and stared in astonishment.
The lady must have gotten up at the crack of dawn.
Shi Lan cleaned up the mess and then went to get the pickled vegetables she had prepared before.
Aunt Wang was not about to let her do the work, so she quickly took over and said, "You've been busy all morning, go and rest, I can do this little bit."
Farmers don't have such formalities. In the morning, they usually only have two or three kinds of pickled vegetables as side dishes. Shi Lan didn't want to argue with Aunt Wang over such a small task, so she simply took the water back to the house.
Mo Yun's biological clock had been fixed in the army long ago. When Shi Lan entered the room, he was already dressed and had folded the bedding.
Shi Lan brought over the water and waited for him to finish washing up. While straightening his collar, she said, "I'm going to see Aunt Liu later. Do you have any instructions for the Yuan family?"
Mo Yun was craning his neck, enjoying Shi Lan's service, when he heard this, he said, "Although the Yuan family agreed this time, they are still somewhat unwilling. Our family should give her more dowry money so that Yu Xiu will have more confidence and Yuan Lang will have travel expenses if he goes to take the imperial examination in the future."
Shi Lan responded and asked, "How much would be appropriate?"
Mo Yun pondered for a moment and said, "Give me fifty taels."
Shi Lan paused for a moment, then quickly continued, "Okay, I understand."
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