Xie Yuancheng comforted me for a long time before I started to check every place. The houses they lived in had been demolished and replaced with other things.
I took a walk around the small courtyard where Su Ling and the others were staying. Fortunately, there were no problems. Su Ling and Xi Zhi followed behind me, and I almost bumped into them because I was walking too fast.
"Su Ling~" I squatted down and talked to them: "From now on, you have to take good care of Xi Zhi. Don't come near people who smell bad, okay?"
Su Ling nodded very seriously, her little hands waving occasionally. She probably didn't understand anything, but I was very happy. She was much more lively and cheerful than before, and even more talkative than Yan'er.
"Mother~" Su Ling hugged my leg, and Xi Zhi followed suit. I told them to let go quickly, as the weather was nice today and I wanted to take them out.
When Xie Yuancheng saw me bringing them over, he knew we were going out and immediately objected.
"Ying'er, there are still many things to do in the manor, all you do is play!"
"How would I know how to play? You don't give me anything to do. I'll just take the kids out for a walk."
Xi Zhi and Su Ling both chimed in, and Xie Yuancheng, unusually, covered his ears. He told the nannies to take the little ones to sit on the swings, and I wanted to go too, so he pulled me into the house.
"Ying'er, if I'm not home, are you planning to take the children traveling around?"
"This plan is not out of the question. As I said, Su Ling and Xi Zhi are still young, they are at the age where they should be playing. Traditional Chinese medicine says that you should maintain a happy and cheerful mood, that way you will stay young."
"You're already very young. You should learn more things while you're still young."
"Really?" I looked into Xie Yuancheng's eyes to make sure he was telling the truth. "Yuancheng, I want to learn from the teacher, but I don't know who disagrees with me."
"Just follow me and learn. What the teacher knows, I can also do. He explains things in a very profound way, which your little brain definitely won't understand."
"You're the one who doesn't understand!" I went to sit at the table, poured myself a cup of tea, and drank it. He really can make me angry with just a few words.
"Ying'er~" Xie Yuancheng came over again, "I'll teach you first today, so you won't run around like a little kid."
"What do you want me to teach? If you don't teach well, I won't accept you as my little teacher."
"No~ But my teaching is very expensive, you have to pay the tuition first~" Xie Yuancheng reached out his hand to me. This little rascal, your money is all mine, and you still dare to ask me for tuition.
"How much do you want? I've opened the Marquis's register for you. Everything you want is written in there. Take whatever you want."
"Ying'er said this." Xie Yuancheng mischievously picked me up, and when I tried to pat him, he restrained my hand. This cunning person only knows how to torment people.
When I woke up in the afternoon, he was nowhere to be found. I felt dizzy when I got out of bed, so I continued to rest in bed.
“Madam~” It was Bizhu’s voice. I was leaning against the headboard when I saw her come in.
“Bizhu, last time they said you went to pick up Anxiang, I should have guessed what was going on.”
“Madam is rather simple-minded; it’s better that she doesn’t know about these things.” Bizhu brought me some warm water, and after washing my hands and face, I asked her what Anxiang had brought back.
"My sister is with Wan'er. They're taking care of a baby right now, and they'll have to wait until the child is a little older before they come. But the weather's nice right now, so they're getting ready to go out."
"So you're saying you'll be here soon?"
"Yes, but they're in Jinglin, not far away. The city is so lively now. Once Madam is feeling better, we can take the young master and young lady out for a walk."
As soon as I heard that I wasn't feeling well, I wanted to punch Xie Yuancheng. What nonsense did he go out and spout? I'm still feeling weak, so I'll just let this matter go and not pursue it further. It's just a shame that Xie Yuancheng has put in so much effort.
"Ying'er~" Xie Yuancheng came back again, carrying a book in his hand. I turned away and ignored him.
"Ying'er~ You said you wanted to learn from me, it's not like I'm forcing you." He smiled and showed me the book in his hand.
The book looked quite thick, and it had the words "The Phoenix and the Luan Cry in Harmony" written on it, along with some beautiful drawings. I opened it to take a look, and it really was drawn by him.
He was quite eloquent. When Xie Yuancheng leaned closer, I went to examine his lap and asked, "When was this drawn? Was it really like this back then?"
He drew it on clear paper, which felt as smooth as silk. I touched the person on it who looked exactly like me and was overjoyed.
"Ying'er is just a child. She can get this happy just from reading a book." Xie Yuancheng looked at me, propping his hands up. He's such a rascal. His picture book was ruined, and his hands were shaking so badly, but he was still pretending to be generous to me.
“My little Chengcheng~” I snuggled into his arms and looked at him. “You’re just pretending with me. Your hands are so long, how can you draw these things?”
He reached out and turned the page for me. The next page showed the things he arranged for his wedding, a drawing of his wedding dress, and pictures of his busy past. Looking at the content, it felt like I was reliving the moment I married him.
"If you had been happier back then, you could have seen it with your own eyes," Xie Yuancheng whispered in my ear. He was still bothered by it.
"Isn't it customary to climb mountains during the Double Ninth Festival? Let me recreate it for you."
"I've already thought it through. Waiting for you would probably take three years, which would be too late." Xie Yuancheng hugged me against the pillow, then reached past me to show me the contents at the back.
"Don't look down on me. I'm smart too, otherwise I wouldn't have met you."
"Yes, Ying'er is very capricious about everything, she can even do without me, it's really heartbreaking."
"You can't talk about this anymore. I didn't do it on purpose. I was really thinking of you back then."
Xie Yuancheng stopped talking this time. He continued to flip through the book for me. I really loved the contents, so I held onto the book and refused to give it back to him.
"Ying'er, this one is for your older sister. Ours hasn't been reprinted yet. You can hold it and sleep with it when it's ready."
Xie Yuancheng came over and tried to take it away, but I held onto it and refused to give it to him. I told him to give the repaired copy to Li Ruowei, and that I could only hold onto this one.
"Ying'er, ours is slightly different, so give it to me." Xie Yuancheng moved his long arm, and the book in my arms disappeared.
"What's different? I want to see it again. You're not allowed to take it." I tried to grab it, but Xie Yuancheng stretched out his hand and wouldn't give it to me. In the end, I still couldn't get it.
After he took it back, I kept talking about it to him every day. It wasn't until half a month later that I got the new copy. Restoring this thing is not easy. First, the paper is too hard to find, and then you have to make a rubbing. The steps of mixing colors and adding some coloring are very tedious.
I looked through it as soon as I got it; the only difference was in the details—it had some added drawings inside. It wouldn't matter if we saw it after we're married, but it's best not to let it get out.
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