The sun was still scorching after the rain, and the afternoon was very hot; the dampness of the early morning had long since dissipated.
A gentle breeze rustles through the treetops, carrying the leaves with its soft rustling sound, and the breeze that brushes against your face carries the warmth of the air.
"Is my cousin listening to me?"
Xu Yunci snapped out of his daze, his eyes filled with apology. He had been so engrossed in looking at Li Shiyue that he hadn't realized he'd been caught. He shook his head, looking directly into Li Shiyue's eyes with complete composure.
His usually aloof phoenix eyes were now filled with tenderness and love. He spoke frankly, as if he didn't think anything of it.
He nodded, his gaze falling on her earlobe: "What I want to give you, I'll give you openly and honestly. You don't need to feel bothered."
"Your mother won't blame you. Giving you these things isn't because I'm indulging in frivolous pursuits, so don't worry. Do you like the earring?"
When Xu Yunci said the last sentence, there was a hint of caution in his words. He didn't seem like a cold and aloof young master, but rather a young man who just wanted to know the feelings of his beloved.
Li Shiyue felt a warmth in her heart and couldn't help but raise her hand to touch her earlobe; the cool touch felt very real.
"I love so much."
She paused, a hint of worry on her face: "I feel that my aunt has been taking me with her no matter what she does these days. Even when the Wei family wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Duke's mansion, my aunt asked me to go with her to see my maternal grandmother."
"After all, we are engaged, not married. If I interfere, wouldn't that be against the rules? It's not that I'm afraid of what might happen to myself, but I'm worried that it will damage the reputation of the Duke's mansion and cause gossip about the Xu family."
It's not a big deal that she's been given a second chance at life; she's experienced all kinds of hardships. But the Xu family shouldn't be gossiped about because of her.
The worry in her eyes was so obvious that Xu Yunci shook his head, stopped, and looked at her: "No."
Li Shiyue looked at him with a puzzled expression, her lips pursed. She had a guess in her mind, but Xu Yunci's gaze did not leave her. She took a deep breath and said, "Is it because I am going to marry my cousin that my aunt is doing this? Is she trying to personally teach me how to be a matriarch of the Xu family?"
Yes and no.
Xu Yunci looked at her, thought for a moment, and then said, "Your mother is worried that after we get married, you will be at a loss when faced with the matters, so she is thinking of training you in every way from now on."
"And I need to learn from Father. The duties of the matriarch of the Xu family will be very complicated. You will learn a lot from being with Mother."
"What I need to do is learn to be with you. Managing the household, both internally and externally, is not easy. In other words, what you need to learn is also what I have learned. I will face it together with you. After we get married, I will not let you face the affairs of the family alone."
"Besides, after we get married, I will be your son-in-law. Even if I travel all over the capital to find these earrings, they will still have value as long as you like them. Don't think of my kindness to you as a burden or something inappropriate."
His voice was as deep as ever, but it wasn't hard to hear the tenderness hidden in his tone.
Li Shiyue was taken aback; he actually understood what he was thinking. Little did he know that this expression, as seen by Xu Yunci, was quite amusing to the little girl's surprised look.
Unable to suppress the upward curve of her lips, Xu Yunci said nothing more.
Li Shiyue didn't look away; she suddenly understood what Old Madam Xu meant by those words.
"Does my cousin want to know why I accepted his marriage proposal?"
Xu Yunci looked up, but before he could speak, Li Shiyue took a step closer, her cheeks flushed, and did not avoid his gaze.
"Life is short, only a few decades. Don't be confused for a moment, stubbornly insist on what you shouldn't insist on, or easily give up what you shouldn't give up."
“This is what my grandmother told me. I didn’t understand it at first, but now I understand what it means to persist and what it means to give up.”
She raised her head, her almond-shaped eyes filled with seriousness. Seeing the surprise in Xu Yunci's eyes, Li Shiyue smiled and looked directly into those familiar phoenix eyes.
"Xu Lizhe, instead of you guessing my feelings after we get married, I might as well tell you today that Li Yanyan is in love with you."
"Perhaps you fell in love with me sooner, but I still want to tell you that I love you, not because of the marriage arranged by my grandmother and maternal grandmother, nor because I want to escape marrying into the royal family."
"Because you are Xu Lize, I am in love with you and willing to be your bride. But if you change your mind in the future and fall in love with someone else, I will not stay by your side, and I will not want to see you being affectionate with other women."
“I am a very selfish woman, one who does not want to share her husband with others. My life in the Earl’s mansion is not easy. I am not as open and unrestrained as my cousin. I am careful in my actions and sensitive. So, Xu Lizhe, are you willing to marry me as your bride?”
After agreeing to the marriage, Li Shiyue maintained an ambiguous attitude towards Xu Yunci, always making her feel that it was Xu Yunci who was unilaterally expressing his love.
She didn't regret saying those words today. The person in front of her had been helping her from the very beginning. Gradually, in the Xu family, the only person she trusted besides Old Madam Xu was Xu Yunci.
The seriousness in her eyes didn't seem fake. Just like she said, she was sensitive. Even though they were engaged now, she still chose to say these things to see Xu Yunci's attitude.
If Xu Yunci showed even the slightest unwillingness, she would probably find a way to dissolve the engagement with Old Madam Xu that very night.
She was telling him that Xu Li was someone Li Yanyan should have persisted with and shouldn't have given up on. Family matters are faced together, but so are mutual understanding; there's no reason for only one party to make sacrifices.
Xu Yunci lowered his head and chuckled softly. When he looked up again, his eyes were serious as he approached Li Shiyue. His eyes were filled with a smile: "I won't. I asked for my new wife myself. If I don't treat you well, how can I live up to the determination I made when I knelt before my mother? How can I live up to the heart that loves you?"
Only he knew how trembling his hands were behind his back. He thought it was already a great favor that Li Shiyue would agree to his request.
Hearing these words from Li Shiyue, especially "Because you are Xu Lize, I am fond of you and willing to be your bride," could it be interpreted that if it weren't for Xu Lize, Li Yanyan would not have become anyone's bride?
She was willing because of Xu Lizhe, because of him.
As this thought crossed his mind, Xu Yunci clenched his fists, suppressing his excitement. Like a headstrong young man, he didn't know how to describe his feelings except to make a promise.
He wanted to reach out and embrace the woman before him, but then he thought better of it and put his hands down. "Wait a little longer, wait a little longer," he kept repeating to himself.
The young woman was shy, and her cheeks turned bright red as she spoke those words, but her gaze was firm, indicating that she had mustered up a great deal of courage.
Li Shiyue pursed her lips, feeling her cheeks burning, but still looked at Xu Yunci's face and said seriously, "If I don't say anything and only let my cousin guess after he has revealed his feelings, that would be my fault."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com