Chapter 82 "A-Zhuo, can I call you that..."
“My father gave me the courtesy name ‘Yu Cheng’,” Baili Xunzhou said, taking out paper and brush and writing the two characters “Yu Cheng” on the Xuan paper with sharp strokes.
He spoke more solemnly, “My father said he wished me a clear mind, that I would act in accordance with the law and discipline, and that my writing would be upright and incorruptible.”
“But my father and mother still call me by my childhood name on ordinary days. Not many people actually know my courtesy name.” He turned his head to look at Feng Mian and saw that she was intently studying the words he had written on the paper. Her long eyelashes fluttered gently, casting a small shadow under her eyes, like butterfly wings or fallen flowers.
"Then why is your nickname 'A-Zhuo'?" Feng Mian looked up, her expression one of pure curiosity.
“Jade that is not carved cannot become a useful object.” He answered softly, his eyes reflecting the candlelight and her figure. “My father saw me as a piece of unpolished jade, who would remain steadfast in his resolve despite trials and tribulations.”
"Hmm..." Feng Mian rested her chin on her hands and murmured unconsciously, "Azhuo... is indeed a good name."
Hearing his childhood name uttered by Feng Mian, Baili Xunzhou felt as if something had gently bumped into his heart, followed by a wave of tingling numbness.
He saw her lift her eyelids to look at him, her eyes gentle, a smile playing on her lips, asking with a hint of intimacy, "A-Zhuo, may I call you that?"
The voice, like a feather, gently brushed against Baili Xunzhou's heart, and he smiled slightly, nodding silently. His mind raced; this was a perfect opportunity to build rapport. A special, intimate nickname, like an invisible thread, could subtly draw their hearts closer.
Too many people already know her nickname; he wants one that's unique...
A warmth rose in his heart, and with a mixture of tentative anticipation and expectation, he softly asked, "From now on, may I call you 'Mianmian'?"
Feng Mian raised her eyebrows in surprise, then smiled, her bright eyes crinkling into crescents. "Okay."
Divination really works! Baili Xunzhou felt lightheaded and about to fly away, but then he heard Feng Mian say, "Although we will eventually divorce, we can still be good friends."
With a thud, Baili Xun's boat was slammed back to the ground. He finally understood what it meant to reap what you sow.
The next morning, Baili Xunzhou took the initiative to go to the Princess's residence to find Chu Jingqi. The road ahead was long, and he needed allies to help him.
As soon as he stepped into the guest courtyard where Chu Jingqi was staying, he was so shocked by the scene before him that he stopped in his tracks.
The early morning sun wasn't scorching, but it shone brightly down. Chu Jingqi was lying casually on a bamboo rocking chair, his face covered with a layer of pale green mud-like substance, revealing only his eyes, nostrils, and mouth. Even in broad daylight, he looked extremely eerie.
"You..." Baili Xunzhou's lips twitched slightly, "Are you planning to become a shaman and perform Nuo opera, or are you planning to dress up as a mountain demon to scare people?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Jingqi lazily opened his eyes, his speech slightly muffled by something smeared on his face: "Tsk, Xiao Baili, what do you know? I'm just 'listening to the divination text and exerting my strength'!"
"Tell me, what anger are you trying to provoke by painting yourself like this?"
Chu Jingqi pointed to the green mud on his face, "This is a beauty formula that I specially commissioned to make. I'm working hard to maintain my appearance! Don't you think women are picky about men's looks? How could I, a rough man, be worthy of someone like the Holy Maiden Mi Tu?"
Baili Xunzhou frowned. "Nonsense. A real man should focus on taking responsibility and making achievements, not on his appearance." Even so, Gu Chunwen's gentle and refined face involuntarily flashed through his mind, along with Feng Mian's praise of Gu Chunwen for "having a warm and gentle appearance like spring."
Chu Jingqi seemed to see through his thoughts, chuckled, and said in a deep voice, "Oh? Then tell me, isn't that Lord Gu handsome? Isn't Young Master Fu dashing? Isn't young Master Lu youthful? There are many talented and good-looking men in the world. If you are the only one who doesn't take care of yourself and looks old at such a young age, who would be more favored when you stand next to them?"
Bai Lixunzhou: "..."
“I’m younger than them, so I’ll definitely age more slowly!” He felt a little embarrassed after refuting them, and shut his mouth in annoyance.
"Your youth alone isn't enough, you need to take care of yourself! How many more years can you stay young!" Chu Jingqi perked up, suddenly sitting up from the rocking chair, picking up a white porcelain jar and bringing it close to Baili Xunzhou. "Come, come, I also have a jar of top-quality mung bean and pearl powder here. It's great for clearing heat and moisturizing the skin! Since you're my brother-in-law, I'll share this good fortune with you!"
"No need! Take it away!" Baili Xunzhou resisted, backing away repeatedly, looking as if he would rather die than submit.
Outside the guest courtyard, Mo Song led Feng Mian through the flowers and willows.
"The young marquis was still thinking about the princess yesterday. He'll definitely be happy to see her!"
"Then don't tell anyone later, let me scare him a little."
Upon reaching the courtyard gate, the two tacitly shut their mouths and entered the courtyard without uttering a word. They were stunned to see two people lying in a row on rocking chairs with their faces covered in thick green mud. They almost thought they had gone to the wrong place.
Baili Xunzhou lay stiffly on the chair with his eyes closed. Chu Jingqi, with his eyes closed, fanned him and instructed him with practiced ease, "Just lie there like that, it'll be over in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. How does it feel? Doesn't your face feel cool and moisturized?"
Baili Xunzhou, afraid of shattering the powder on her face, opened her mouth slightly and said, "Don't talk to me."
Feng Mian covered her lips, tiptoed to Baili Xunzhou's side, bent down, and carefully examined Baili Xunzhou's green face, which was full of "unwillingness" but was lying obediently. The green film on his face was not applied evenly, and there was a little powder stuck on his forehead.
Feng Mian reached out, her two fair, jade-like fingertips gently wiping away the powder on his forehead. Baili Xunzhou frowned slightly, turned his head to the side to avoid her hand, and said impatiently, "Chu Jingqi, don't touch me."
Chu Jingqi looked completely bewildered: "When did I touch you?"
Who was that person just now?
Baili Xunzhou suddenly opened his eyes and met Feng Mian's smiling eyes, which were close at hand. He was so startled that he almost fell off the recliner. Fortunately, he was good at martial arts and had a stable lower body. With a push of his waist and abdomen, he stood up.
"Mianmian, how...when did you get here?"
Mianmian? Who is that?
Chu Jingqi opened one eye, wanting to laugh but afraid that the already hardened green membrane on his face would burst open, so he simply raised his hand and beckoned, "Little cousin, when did you arrive? Why didn't you let someone tell me!"
Feng Mian waved to him and said with a smile, "I just arrived, I just wanted to give you a surprise. What are you all doing here...?"
"Getting beauty treatments, that's what my mother does all the time..."
"Well, I found it interesting, so I gave it a try." Baili Xunzhou stood stiffly in place, trying to appear calm and composed. Fortunately, his face was covered with a layer of green mud, so the flush on his face was not visible.
"You haven't applied the powder evenly on your face." Feng Mian suddenly stepped forward and stretched out two fingers again to smooth the powder on her forehead.
Cool fingertips touched Baili Xunzhou's warm forehead, the movement as light as a feather brushing against him.
Baili Xunzhou raised his hand and grasped her wrist, the slightly protruding wrist bone pressing against his palm.
"You've gotten your hands all dirty." Baili Xunzhou glanced at the green mud on Feng Mian's fingertips, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and carefully wiped her fingers.
The fingers and palms lying in his hand were slender and white, as if carved from cold jade, which made his movements unconsciously become even gentler.
Feng Mian looked at the handkerchief and asked, "Is this handkerchief... mine?"
Baili Xunzhou: "...Yes, I forgot to return it to you after I washed it."
He glanced at the handkerchief in his hand, which was now covered in green mud, and calmly rolled it up and put it away. "It's dirty again. I'll wash it and give it to you again."
Feng Mian lowered her eyes, a smile playing in them.
"It's just a handkerchief, little cousin, you can just give it to him!" Ignored, Chu Jingqi sprang up from the recliner, her face covered in half-dried green mud, and walked to the basin in the corner of the yard to wash her face.
Seeing how smoothly Baili Xunzhou wiped the boat, he felt embarrassed to tell them that there was water in the yard.
Chu Jingqi rubbed his face haphazardly a few times, then suddenly remembered something, raised his head, and squinted at the courtyard gate.
"How strange!" he exclaimed, shaking the water droplets off his hands. "Did the sun rise in the west today? Why isn't that Young Master Fu following you around like a leech anymore?"
As he spoke, he frantically winked at Baili Xunzhou, who was sitting beside him, his eyebrows practically flying up. The meaning couldn't be clearer: Hurry! Take this opportunity to express your dissatisfaction as a husband! Assert your dominance!
Then Baili Xunzhou, that "good-for-nothing," curled his lips into a smile and gave Feng Mian a look that was as soft as melting spring water. "Aren't you busy today?"
Could it be that he deliberately left his uncle behind to come find him?
Feng Mian put his hands behind his back, his gaze shifting between him and Chu Jingqi, and said with a smile, "I've come to see Ninth Brother."
As she spoke, she looked at Chu Jingqi and said, "Ninth Brother, if you're going to write to Mi Tu, please urge him to send me the seeds I need."
Chu Jingqi was struggling to clean the green mud off his face when he heard this, and a question mark appeared on his face: "Why don't you talk to her yourself?"
"That would be too formal and might put too much pressure on her. It's better if you do it. Alright, I'm done here. Lord Gu and the others are waiting for me."
After saying that, Feng Mian turned and left with light steps.
Actually, she didn't need to come in person if she only sent a message, but when she heard that Baili Xunzhou had come to find Chu Jingqi, she was worried that Chu Jingqi would trick her into doing something strange again, so she made a special trip. Now she can leave with peace of mind.
The boat, having traveled a hundred miles, hung its head in despair.
Watching Feng Mian's figure disappear outside the courtyard gate, Chu Jingqi was heartbroken. He rushed to Baili Xunzhou, hands on his hips, looking utterly disappointed: "Little Baili! Can't you show a little bit of the demeanor of an 'official wife'?!"
Baili Xunzhou's head ached from his shout. He rubbed his temples, then turned away speechlessly to wash his face, his hands covered in green mud, interrupting his long-winded "Fu Ciyan threat theory".
"Stop yelling..." You've got the wrong person, Ninth Brother.
Baili Xunzhou had no choice but to tell Chu Jingqi about his current nominal marital relationship with Feng Mian, including the matter of divorce that Feng Mian had mentioned several times before.
Chu Jingqi was so shocked he almost jumped up, as if he had heard something unbelievable. He stammered and asked, "So what do you want to do now?"
Baili Xunzhou wiped the green mud off his face with a damp cloth, revealing a fair and beautiful face with sharp, raised eyebrows. "Naturally, I should first find a suitable time to clearly tell her my feelings. Whether she accepts it or not is not important for now. The most important thing right now is to make sure she doesn't think I still want to divorce her."
"Otherwise, no matter what I do, she probably won't misunderstand."
After hearing this, Chu Jingqi let out a long sigh, raised his hand and patted Baili Xunzhou's shoulder heavily, his tone full of sympathy and a hint of schadenfreude: "After all this time, it turns out you dug your own hole, and now you have to fill it back up shovel by shovel!"
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