Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Don’t touch me randomly in the future. There are some places that you can touch casually...
"Madam, you didn't see it. The Third Miss didn't treat the uncle as her brother-in-law. If we had been a little later, she might have done something outrageous."
Two servants standing in the corridor with their arms crossed reported what they had just seen, not daring to hide it.
Nanny Jiang was left behind by the Marquis's wife for questioning, with only Yu Ming and Yu Xiang serving by her side.
Nan Xu played with her newly made nail polish without even looking up. "What's your uncle's reaction?"
Without waiting for the servant to reply, Nan Qi, who was chewing fruit on the other side, said hurriedly, "Don't worry, second sister, your brother-in-law didn't even look at your third sister."
The servant outside nodded in agreement hurriedly.
Nan Xu smiled and lightly tapped Nan Qi's forehead. "You clever girl, this is something only we know about, don't tell anyone else."
Nanqi is the daughter of the Marquis of Yong'an and another concubine, but the concubine passed away early. The Marquis' wife took pity on her for losing her mother at a young age, so she raised her on her knees for a few years. When she grew up a little, she was separated into a courtyard with Nanxu. When she heard that Nanxu was going to stay in the mansion for one night, she came to find Nanxu without waiting for dinner. On the way, she happened to meet Yuming and the servant who were going to visit Duan Wenpei, and saw what happened just now.
Nan Qi was still young, and after nodding, she asked doubtfully, "Isn't Second Sister angry?"
After a few days away, the furnishings in Xiefang Courtyard remained the same. Nan Xu leaned back on the soft couch contentedly, feeling quite comfortable. "Why are you angry? Your third sister is very thoughtful. Am I going to imitate her? Uncle is a smart man. He can naturally distinguish right from wrong and won't be deceived by villains."
The familiar smell in Xiefangyuan makes people particularly nostalgic. After a tiring day, Nan Xu squinted his eyes and looked tired.
As the sun set, the shadows of the trees on the corridor became mottled, and no one noticed the large dark shadow cast in the corner.
Nanqi is lively and seeing that Nanxu's mood was not affected, she started playing.
She was either looking for Yuxiang to make flower ropes, or pestering Yuming to order tea, and then she would run to the kitchen to ask the cook to learn how to make fashionable snacks. She failed to make the snacks and almost burned down the small kitchen.
When she came in with a cat-like face, everyone blinked and was silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Nan Xu covered her stomach, which hurt from laughing, and scolded the little girls, "Why don't you fetch some water for the fourth girl to wash her face?"
The maids suppressed their laughter and swiftly helped Nanqi clean up.
When everything was almost cleaned up, the maids asked in the corridor if it was time to set the table.
Seeing that it was getting late, Nan Xu nodded and asked Nan Qi to stay for dinner. The two sisters sat down and chatted and laughed, and they didn't even remember that someone was missing.
Nan Qi is young and doesn't understand much; Nan Xu is already a wife, so it would be hard to believe if she said she had forgotten her husband.
While handing her the towel, Yu Ming whispered, "Madam, the uncle hasn't come back yet. Do you want to wait?"
Nan Xu was wiping her hands, and her smile disappeared when she heard this. She almost forgot about this person.
Looking at the familiar people and things, I almost thought I was in the boudoir. How could I still think of Duan Wenpei?
"Send someone to check it out. Maybe Father invited him to dinner."
She said it perfunctorily, knowing that the possibility was almost non-existent but still putting on an act.
Yu Ming did not dare to delay and hurriedly sent someone to the front yard. Just as she turned around to continue serving, the bead curtain outside rustled softly. The maid who had just left came in with a happy face and reported, "Master is back."
Before he finished speaking, Duan Wenpei had already stepped into the room.
Against the light, Nan Xu met those deep dark eyes head-on.
He didn't say anything, but she just felt a little uncomfortable.
"Uncle, I'm sending someone to look for you." She withdrew her gaze, stood up to greet him, and smiled a little reluctantly.
The person at the door also walked over and passed by her without pausing. "This is what my mother-in-law asked me to give you. I've eaten it. You guys can eat it."
Only then did Nan Xu see clearly that he was holding a food box in his hand. The style was familiar and was specially provided by Jiahuitang.
Did you eat this at A Niang's place?
Nan Xu wanted to ask, but Duan Wenpei didn't give her a chance. He put down the food box and went to the next room without looking back. After a while, he heard the sound of asking for water.
I think he is washing up.
It was the first time that Nanqi had come into close contact with her brother-in-law. She found him very fascinating. She finished half a bowl of rice and drank half a bowl of pigeon soup. She tactfully said goodbye to Nan Xu and returned to her own yard.
Looking at her hurried back, Nan Xu felt a little amused and helpless.
*
It was late at night when Nanny Jiang came back. She stood under the window and looked inside. The silhouettes of a man and a woman sitting opposite each other were reflected on the window lattice.
She smiled knowingly, gave a few instructions to the night watchman at the door, and returned to her residence humming a little tune.
No one expected Duan Wenpei to come, and thanks to this, she was not blamed by the Marquis's wife. She just needed to take better care of him in the future. The masters were happy, and the servants were naturally proud.
Therefore, after the Marquis's wife sent someone over, she specifically instructed the maids who were cleaning and serving to take away all the extra quilts and pillows in the room so that the couple could have some time to themselves.
In the room, Nan Xu yawned with her hands covering her lips, tears flickering in the corners of her eyes.
"Uncle..."
She called out, looking around but not knowing where to begin.
Duan Wenpei supported his forehead and said calmly, "Go to sleep. I'll watch for a while."
Nan Xu yawned again and couldn't help muttering in her heart. She wanted to sleep, but there were only two pillows and a quilt in the room. She didn't know where the soft couch by the window had been moved to. Duan Wenpei was such a big man, it wouldn't be good for him to lie on the ground all night... She grabbed the quilt with her palm, a little hesitant.
"Uncle...why don't you come to bed tonight..."
She asked tentatively, her eyes a little vague.
Duan Wenpei looked up at her for a moment, then lowered his head and slowly turned the page of his book. "No need, just go to sleep."
Nan Xu quietly looked at his expression, but couldn't tell what he meant. She thought that he didn't agree with sleeping together.
"In that case, then you should rest early."
She was naturally happy to see it happen.
After saying this, she stood up, lowered the curtains on both sides, lightly covering the bed, and then turned over and wrapped herself tightly with the quilt.
Just as I was about to close my eyes, a dazzling halo of light flashed across my eyelids, and a faint scent of soapberry drifted into the tent.
Nan Xu's sleepy consciousness suddenly woke up, and she looked in horror at the man who suddenly changed his mind and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Didn't you say no?"
A gentleman’s word is as good as gold, and breaking one’s promise is the behavior of a villain!
Nan Xu half-sat up angrily, and because she stood up too quickly, her waterfall-like black hair drew a beautiful arc across Duan Wenpei's eyelids.
It doesn't hurt, just a little itchy.
The words on the book were so densely packed that they became blurry. Duan Wenpei simply folded up a corner, closed the book, placed it on the bedside, and leaned over to cut the wick.
"Go to sleep."
Nan Xu, who was still adapting to the darkness: ...
She wanted to pull him up, but she didn't know what reason to find; she wanted to push him down, but she was afraid of angering him.
In the darkness, the quilt on her body was still there, and only the collapsed part of her side told her that she might have to sleep in the same bed with him tonight.
Nan Xu felt a little panicked. They were not a real couple, so why were they sleeping together?
Besides, he just made a promise, how could he go back on his word at the last minute?
She explored and touched the person next to her, wanting to ask him what he wanted, but she couldn't tell the direction in the darkness and touched a warm and soft strip.
She pinched it subconsciously, and a magnetic groan faintly came to her ears. Nan Xu dropped her hand in shock and curled up in the bed like a quail.
The warmth of her palms was still there as she stared blankly at the darkness ahead...
The thing just now seemed to have grown bigger in her hand...
"I won't do anything, don't worry."
Nan Xu nodded under the quilt, feeling that his voice was a little suppressed.
After a while, the person behind him said again: "Don't touch me randomly in the future. There are some places that cannot be touched casually."
Nan Xu nodded subconsciously, and for some reason, several vivid pictures emerged in her mind. Her heart skipped a beat, and the warmth gradually spread from the palm of her hand to her cheeks.
That thing can’t be that thing!
She secretly wiped her palms on the quilt and moved a little further in uncomfortably.
The person behind her seemed to notice her reaction and didn't dare to move.
The darkness became increasingly quiet. Nan Xu waited for a moment and saw that he didn't say anything. She thought he was asleep. After what happened just now, her mind went blank and she couldn't say what she wanted to say.
In fact, the bed is very big, so it’s no big deal to give him half of it.
If I really have to spend the whole night lying on the floor or in an armchair, and the servants from the mansion come in to serve me tomorrow and see me, there will be another disturbance.
Nan Xu comforted herself.
Just consider it as her compensation for thanking him for coming to the Marquis' Mansion today and not letting her lose face.
Thinking of this, Nan Xu felt sleepy again. In her drowsiness, she heard faint voices in her ears. She subconsciously nodded and fell into a deep sleep.
The room was silent, with only the faint male voice repeating itself.
"If your third sister met Li Zhan today, would you be angry?"
*
The next day, Nan Xu slept until noon before getting up lazily with the help of maids and servants.
The person who slept on the outside last night had long since disappeared.
Nan Xu touched the place beside her body, it was cold, and she didn't know when she passed away.
Yu Ming was helping her dress with a coat and said with a smile, "My Lord got up at the beginning of the morning, had breakfast, and went to court with my Lord."
Nan Xu was looking at the pearl hairpins in the dressing box and was worried about which one to wear. When she heard this, she remembered that the return ceremony had already passed, and as a close minister of the emperor, Wei Yangbo naturally could not slack off in government affairs.
Her mood couldn't help but improve, and she decisively picked up a light purple wisteria flower bead hairpin and inserted it into her bun. She paired it with a smoky-colored silk dress, looking charming and lovely.
"Let's go and pay our respects to Mother."
I stayed at the Marquis' Mansion for one night yesterday when I returned home. I'm afraid I won't be able to come back often in the future. Although Nan Xu is unhappy, she knows that the rules cannot be broken. Instead of being sad, she might as well take advantage of the time now and spend some more time with her mother.
After leaving Xiefang Courtyard and on the way to Jiahui Hall, Nan Xu met Yin Wu, Li Wan and their group. The three of them were together, chatting and laughing as they went to the Marquis's place.
In Jiahui Hall, Second Aunt Zhou and two aunts were saying goodbye to the Marquis's wife.
Seeing Nan Xu coming, everyone gave her a lot of advice, mostly about living a good life with Duan Wenpei.
Nan Xu agreed with a smile, and she felt more and more that it was a wise move not to force Duan Wenpei to get out of bed and go to sleep last night.
Yin Wu came back laughing and asked the servants to take the prepared things to Zhou and the two aunts. Nan Xu took a glance and saw some dried fruits and several pieces of brightly colored brocade that were usually made in the Marquis' Mansion. There was also a brand new deck of leaf cards for the third aunt.
When it comes to catering to people's preferences, my sister-in-law is always thoughtful.
He was sent to the second gate one after another. Several elders tried to persuade the Marquis' wife to stop sending him off, saying that he was not a rare guest and would come to bother her again in a few days.
The Marquis's wife agreed with a smile, watched them get on the carriage, and then pulled Nan Xu back to the backyard.
On the way, she asked about the monthly allowance from the mansion. When she talked about the second courtyard, the marquis's wife spoke in a bad tone.
Nan Xu thought that A Niang was still angry about what happened yesterday, and couldn't help sighing in her heart. Just as she was about to say a few words of comfort, she was startled by what the Marquis's wife said next.
"If she had only said a few words, would I, as her mother-in-law, have deliberately been against her? It's just that she has evil intentions. Not only did she have a private relationship with Nan Yun, she also deliberately leaked information to Nan Yun, causing her to block your husband in Xiyuan yesterday."
"Mother also knows?"
Didn’t she tell people not to tell anyone?
As for the fact that her second sister-in-law was also involved in this matter, Nan Xu did not expect it.
Madam Hou patted the back of Nan Xu's hand and said with a look of dismay, "When can I hide the affairs of this mansion from you? You! Even when I threw you to the ground, you didn't pay attention to anything! If I said that Nan Yun sent someone to provoke you on the wedding day, you should have beaten those two maids and tied them up and thrown them in front of her. If the Guanyin of Childbirth was tempered with some deadly poison, it would have killed you the moment it was brought to you." She said earnestly, "You can consider family ties, but you can't give them an opportunity to take advantage of you. If they take the initiative to offend you, don't be too lenient. You must know that love is not something you can keep just because you want it."
Nan Xu bit her lip and said softly, "Yes."
"Second sister-in-law and third sister..."
They had arrived at the flower hall. The maids opened the curtains and maids came in one after another carrying tea.
The Marquis's wife lit her teacup, her face filled with cold indifference. "House arrest is too light. Tell the Marquis to lock Nan Yun up in the ancestral hall, close the doors and windows, and have her copy the family rules and regulations in front of the ancestors. She can only be released after ten days. Remember, no one is allowed to visit her except to bring her daily meals."
This punishment might sound insignificant, but it was the most deadly. The ancestral hall was always locked up, never allowing sunlight to enter. The vast rooms were guarded by only two or three servants. Being locked up and forced to copy the family rules and regulations was less satisfying than being whipped a dozen times.
Nan Xu and Yin Wu looked at each other and knew that the Marquis' wife was very angry.
"As for Zhao." She tilted her head back, took a sip of tea, and said to Yin Wu, "She might have too much free time. Didn't you say last time that several farms outside the city have had poor harvests in recent years? Since the second son's wife likes to stir up trouble, leave it to her and let her compete with those farmers."
Yin Wu raised the corner of her lips and replied, "Yes, mother."
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