Chapter 66: Couple's Day and Night Talk
Outside the window, the sound of raindrops fell on the banana leaves, and the water droplets fell silently, soaking the courtyard of Pei Mansion.
Lu Suizhu was sitting under the window in the inner room, folding a few pieces of clothes for changing. The little yellow dog was curled up lazily at her feet, its tail sweeping the ground from time to time, making a slight rustling sound.
Now, after her tireless instructions, the servants in the mansion finally understood that they should not just stand by and watch at a critical moment. If the master shows signs of "making mistakes", they must dissuade him or report it in time.
In the rain, Pei Zhiji walked through the hanging flower gate. He had just returned from court. The hem of his purple official robe was stained with dark rain marks. He held an oil umbrella in his hand, which he had prepared this morning. He stepped into the yard as usual.
However, the expected warm and cheerful voice of "Master Pei is back!" did not rang out. The sudden silence made Pei Zhiji frown. He asked in a deep voice to the servant in the corridor who was busy covering several pots of precious orchids with oilcloth, "Where is the madam?"
The servant was frightened by the sudden cold tone and replied tremblingly: "Madam...Madam seems to be...packing things in the house."
"Pack your things?"
The raindrops from the umbrella edge dripped faster. Pei Zhiji walked to the door and pushed it open very gently.
Lu Suizhu had her back to him, concentrating on putting a folded undershirt into a half-open blue cloth bundle, and was unaware of the footsteps approaching from behind, which were lighter than usual but carried a more dangerous tone.
The untied bundle and the carriage that Fang Dian had ordered the servants to prepare vaguely visible on the corridor outside the door caught Pei Zhiji's eyes. Fear and anger rushed over him like a broken dam. He could no longer suppress it. His Adam's apple rolled with difficulty, and his voice was as cold as ice: "Where are you going?"
Even though she didn't see anyone, the chilling voice sent a slight shiver down Lu Suizhu's spine. She turned around, somewhat perplexed, and casually replied, "Of course, we're going back to Fanxi?"
Return to Fanxi?
Pei Zhiji's voice was tense. "It was my fault that day... But even if my attitude was bad and my words were inappropriate, you shouldn't have left without saying a word. If you insist on doing so..." He paused, and the threatening sentence "Don't blame me for forcing you" was interrupted by Lu Suizhu before he could finish his words.
She finally sensed the vehemence in his words, put down the clothes in her hands, took a few steps forward, stood on tiptoe, and touched his forehead with her backhand. "You don't have a fever, so why are you going crazy in the middle of the day? My second uncle is sick, and I went back to Fanxi with my parents to visit him. I clearly told you yesterday, what are you thinking about?"
Visiting his seriously ill uncle? Yesterday, he was completely absorbed in a difficult official business, and it seemed... seemed... that he had mentioned that.
Based on Lu Suizhu's understanding of him from the five or six years they had been together, she knew that he was definitely really angry. The more powerful her husband was, the more deeply rooted the tough and domineering nature of his was. She was too lazy to explain any more, and in a fit of anger, she stuffed everything on hand into her bag and pretended to pick up the bag and walk out.
"Aren't we leaving tomorrow?" he demanded, his hand tightly gripping her wrist, clearly trying to stop her.
Lu Suizhu instinctively wanted to break free, but she keenly noticed that the hand holding her was trembling slightly, and the slight anger in her heart was instantly pierced.
She sighed, pulled him back to sit on the couch, and decided to be patient and talk things out with him.
"Pei Shou," she called his name, her tone calm but with scrutiny, "If I really insist on leaving today, will you still, like last time, ignore me and lock me up in that warm room?"
Recalling the last time, Pei Zhiji lowered his head and said nothing more.
Lu Suizhu looked at him like this, feeling helpless and distressed. "We're husband and wife, why don't you even have this little bit of trust in me? Last time, I was just playing the zither when that newly-minted third-place finisher casually complimented me on my melodious music. How could that be considered a huge mistake? Is it worth making such a fuss?"
"You praised his good looks." Pei Zhiji pointed out the key point objectively, and the resentment in his tone was clearly discernible.
This matter is obviously not over for him.
Lu Suizhu was so angry at his stubbornness that she laughed. She turned her back to him and said, "Okay, okay, I praised his beauty! But Lord Pei shamelessly asked me to remarry, saying that he didn't want to delay me. He even refused to touch me on our wedding night!" She brought up the past without showing any weakness.
Before she finished speaking, she fell into a strong embrace, and a deep voice rang in her ears: "Don't argue with me about this. It makes me feel uncomfortable."
Sure enough, if he showed even a hint of vulnerability, she would immediately become silent.
Lu Suizhu leaned against his chest and said sullenly, "Master Pei's ability to be tough is as good as ever. He clearly cares about me, but he has to act like a fierce monster."
"Call me husband." He buried his head in her neck and asked in a muffled voice.
She deliberately pushed him, but he didn't move.
"Call me husband." He tightened his arms, and his warm breath brushed against her earlobe with unquestionable insistence.
Really worn out by his annoyance, Lu Suizhu's cheeks flushed slightly as she mumbled reluctantly, "...husband."
Pei Zhiji put his face against her hair with satisfaction. The word "husband" was the most reassuring.
As the night deepened, the sound of rain gradually faded. Lu Suizhu sat in front of the diamond-shaped mirror and took off her hairpins and rings. Pei Zhiji stood behind her, gently holding up her smooth and shiny long hair with one hand and wrapping it around his fingers. With the other hand, he held the jade comb and combed her hair carefully, one stroke at a time.
The dim candlelight flickered, casting the two figures on the wall. Pei Zhiji's focused eyes were reflected in the mirror. "Suizhu," he suddenly said, "Let's have a child, a girl as beautiful and intelligent as you."
Lu Suizhu was pouring ointment into her palm, and her movements paused slightly when she heard this.
In recent years, Pei Zhiji has intentionally assigned the heavy government affairs to several trusted old ministers, freeing up a lot of free time for himself. Liu Sanyuan takes care of his body from time to time. Although his physical foundation is not as healthy as that of ordinary people, at least he no longer vomits blood as easily as before, which makes her feel distressed every time she sees it.
"Why do you suddenly want a child?" she asked softly, turning her head to look at him.
Pei Zhiji stopped combing her hair, leaned over and hugged her from behind, his warm cheek pressed against hers, and said half seriously and half jokingly, "I want to tie you down a little bit. I'm afraid one day you'll get tired of me and run off with that 'handsome' third place winner."
Lu Suizhu couldn't help but laugh, and said angrily, "Don't say that when you go out. The famous Master Pei has fallen to the point of using a child to tie his wife down. If this gets out, people will laugh at him."
While chatting and laughing, the two of them had already gone to bed together, with the brocade curtains drawn low, blocking out the faint light and the sound of rain outside the window.
Lu Suizhu turned sideways and stared at the person beside her in the dim light. Five or six years had passed, and that handsome face was still the same, except that there was a bit of maturity and depth between his brows. She couldn't help but move closer and placed a gentle kiss on his slightly closed eyelids.
"Husband." she called.
"Hmm?" Pei Zhiji responded softly without opening his eyes, but just hugged her tighter.
Lu Suizhu's voice was gentle but firm. She touched his cheek with her fingertips and pinched it. "You are the only one who can tie me down. We will always be happy like this, so you don't have to worry all day about me running away."
She paused, her fingertips sliding across his tall nose, and with a mischievous smile, "I'd like to know where you hid that arrogant little Master Pei who used to be so arrogant and looked down on all the women in the world?"
Pei Zhiji let her soft fingers play with his face. She often said these words, but he never believed them.
He grasped her restless hand, his voice tinged with self-mockery. "Perhaps it's because I'm getting older that I've developed a tendency to worry about gains and losses. I hope Madam will forgive me for our past friendship."
Lu Suizhu was amused by his "old-fashioned" appearance and tapped his forehead with her fingertips. "Okay, okay, please forgive us. You must forgive this 29-year-old man."
The rustling sound of water outside the window stopped, and the rain had stopped.
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