"Ying'er." Xie Yuancheng pulled me back, "This matter hasn't been investigated yet, so you shouldn't take a bath tonight."
"I just showered this afternoon. I was just trying to calm my nerves, not to take a bath~"
"That's good. I'll help you change your clothes and burn them so you won't feel unlucky when you think about them later."
"Are we just going to let this water burn like this?" I was really afraid that the house would catch fire. Xie Yuancheng pulled me behind the screen and undid my clothes with a single movement.
"I'll check on the ashes they've burned to in a bit. The people in the manor are really too energetic, always finding things for me to do. Luckily, Ying'er has sharp eyes and always manages to turn bad luck into good."
"You scared me! But we were taking a bath this afternoon and everything was fine!"
"That's because we threw the white silk in after we got up. It seems I overestimated her. She wanted to kill you, and I won't let her get away with it."
"Do you know who it is?" Ignoring the fact that I was still half naked, I grabbed Xie Yuancheng and asked him. He told me to change my clothes first, and I quickly put on some loose clothes and kept asking him questions.
“She’s a person from the martial arts world, someone you don’t know, but she did a good job protecting her master. My sister did mention sending her out of the city back then.”
"So you were hiding a woman behind my back. No wonder you were leaving the manor so often!"
"Ying'er!" Xie Yuancheng grabbed me and pinned me against the wall in mid-air. "Are you going to accuse me of something again? You're the only woman I've ever slept with."
"What about men?" I'm not stupid; I stared intently at him.
“If I were to sleep with a man, I’d be a fake man pretending to be a prince consort.” He put me down, and I pulled his clothes over. “Alright, I’ll tell you everything. Last night we went drinking, and she was there too. She’s Green Maiden’s sister. When you were in the Western Regions, you left a letter and left. She happened to be familiar with the barbarians on the border, so she helped them out.”
"Help? How do you help? By pretending to be me?"
"Not really, I was just pretending to be the Marquis's wife. Her name is too hard to pronounce; I still can't pronounce it correctly."
"Stop talking nonsense. I don't believe you don't know." I pretended to push him aside, but Xie Yuancheng reacted much faster than me, grabbing my waist and pressing against me.
“Listen to this, this is the prelude to anger. If you hadn’t run away, I don’t know how glorious you would have been in front of the Western Region people, with them running after you in a dusty mess.”
My fingers trembled as I touched his chest; it was pounding fiercely. "I... I won't be angry with you anymore. Talk to me again."
"Really?" Xie Yuancheng looked at me with a skeptical expression. I nodded quickly. "I don't believe it. He was just picking on me."
"No, it won't happen." I stood on tiptoe to cup his face. It was the easiest way to coax him. I'm not one to take things too seriously. His legs were about to give way. I held his hands, which were freezing cold.
"Let me warm them up for you, and you can tell me slowly." I held Xie Yuancheng's hands in my arms, staring down and rolling my eyes. When I looked up, I attracted him most under the light.
"Ying'er~ I want you by my side every day~" Xie Yuancheng's hands were covered by me, and he just kept grinning like an idiot.
"Of course I will, just tell me."
Grandma Cao smiled in a particularly eerie way: "It seems we are not destined to be together. However, after so many years, it's time to try someone different."
"Test what?" Jie Dan was still thinking of returning the bamboo block, and then she went back. It seemed that things were not simple.
“We do all the underhanded business, not the open. You’re educated and have sharp eyes, you must be talented in business.”
"I run small businesses, just enough to support my family."
"This bamboo piece is still yours." Granny Cao handed over the bamboo piece: "As for the jade pendant, only people who have severed all ties of love and affection would wear it."
"Even in the dark, I can misjudge people. Those who dress as women to come to the dungeon are either unable to get married or prefer to be alone; you're neither."
"I don't really have any use for this bamboo block."
"I see that the young men who follow you really enjoy going out. Even the Seventh Brother personally helped them out. If it weren't for the fact that you caught my eye last night, you would still be stuck in the dark dungeon today."
Jie Dan picked up the bamboo stick and stood up: "If I want to find out information, is that also allowed?"
"Of course, but you have to do three things for me. Once you've done them, I'll consider whether or not to give you the bamboo."
"Okay, but I won't do anything bad."
"You're just a woman, you can't do anything bad. Go back now, I'll call you again later."
After seeing her leave, Jie Dan took the bamboo block and went out. He hadn't even said where she lived, so how could she find her?
Seeing her come out, Xiao Xuan led the siblings down, and after circling around several times, they finally reached the ground. This place didn't look normal; they decided to go back first.
"Grandpas and Grandmas, are you leaving like this?" The little boy came over from the other side, his eyes wide open.
"We have things to attend to, so we'll take our leave now."
Xiao Xuan led them out, and the boy didn't stop them. Why the rush? He wanted to show them the backyard, a place many people would kill for.
Once they reached a less crowded area, Jie Dan put the bamboo block away: "She said she promised to do three things for me, and then we'd be able to find out about things we need."
"Three things?"
"Yes, let me make this clear first, I won't do anything bad. You always ask me questions, right? Last time I was thinking of seeing if there was anything I could do to help you, and well, this is just pure luck."
"My dear wife, you can't go out recklessly anymore. We don't even know the other party's background."
“You’re just too cautious. Isn’t it said that to achieve great things, one shouldn’t be bothered by trifles?” Jie Dan asked the two of them to come closer together and described what Granny Cao looked like.
Although it's not very clear, I'm sure she's a beautiful woman. A beautiful woman who's willing to sever all ties with love must have been traumatized by something.
Just as Jie Jingang was about to express his thoughts, he saw the storyteller approaching and quickly tugged at their sleeves, saying, "Brother storyteller, we meet again."
“I see you guys loitering around on the street. This isn’t a street that just anyone can come to.”
"We're just passing through; we don't have any ulterior motives."
Jie Dan stopped him, saying it was best not to make enemies while traveling. Xiao Xuan also came over to greet the storyteller, saying it was indeed not a good place to stay and it would be better to leave as soon as possible.
“Where are you going? I’m very familiar with the capital. Since we can’t set up a stall now, it would be good to go out for a walk with you.”
"No need, we're just taking a stroll and checking out the lanterns."
"You're going to see the Western Corridor?" The storyteller flicked his fan. "You should go home early. The capital is very lively tonight, but it's not suitable for ordinary people to watch."
“I’m considered late. Some people get married at fourteen, while most people get married at sixteen.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
