Chapter 28 Chapter 28 The Long Night
The wispy spring fragrance swirled in the gauze tent and the aroma spread.
Du Lingjing said softly, "Let's keep this incense tonight."
She explained it to him more clearly.
But he just stood there motionless.
Du Lingjing didn't know what he meant. Was it inappropriate, the wrong timing, or did he just not want to?
She couldn't figure it out, and didn't expect him to suddenly speak, his voice lower and hoarse than usual, but he said.
"I'm going to go out for a walk."
As soon as he finished speaking, the man turned around and walked out of the room very quickly.
Before Du Lingjing could say anything, the only lights left in the room were the incense she and the nanny had lit, and the room became silent.
"... ..."
Du Lingjing couldn't figure out what the current situation was.
She could only sit down in confusion. She couldn't study the ancient book, and the message contained in the book had also been found. She could only flip through a few pages of the book, but the words were like passing clouds, and not a single word entered her heart.
I don't know whether it was two quarters of an hour or three quarters of an hour later, but Yingbi and Xiangyi, the two maids serving in the main courtyard, came quickly to the door with the box in hand.
Du Lingjing looked over and saw a brand new set of clothes and a complete set of jewelry. She was puzzled and heard the two people talking.
"Madam, this is what the Marquis just ordered."
It was already late, the night enveloped the entire mansion, and the lights were lit under the eaves. Why did he suddenly give this order?
She had no choice but to put on her clothes.
It was a lilac-colored cross-collared jacket embroidered with pavilions and towers, and a lavender skirt with twelve panels.
Du Lingjing hadn't worn such gorgeous clothes for many years. The last time she remembered wearing such clothes was seven or eight years ago, when her father was still alive.
Yingbi helped her change into new clothes, Xiangyi re-combed her hair and decorated her bun with a brand new set of pearl head ornaments.
She vaguely understood.
Sure enough, when the two of them had tidied everything for her, the chief steward of the clan came in person, bowed to her and smiled.
"My Lord, please invite Madam to the Sushi Pavilion in the back garden for a banquet."
Also attended the banquet...
Du Lingjing wanted to laugh, but felt embarrassed in front of the chief steward, so she nodded, got up and walked out.
There were some fine raindrops in the wind. Yingbi held a lamp in front of her, and Xiangyi held an umbrella for her.
However, after walking through the flowers and trees in the garden and climbing the stairs to the Shushi Pavilion, the highest point in the mansion, he saw that the table was already full of banquets, but the other person had not arrived yet.
She could only sit and wait for him for a while.
The servants lit up lights in every corner of the hexagonal pavilion, and hung a circle of curtains with long hanging leaves around the outside of the pavilion. The rain was blocked outside, and only the wind slipped in from the hem and spun around.
The scenery of the Marquis' Mansion was quiet and pleasant. Du Lingjing looked at it leisurely for a while. When her eyes passed under the rockery, she saw a clump of green bamboo planted there. In this late autumn season, only the bamboo was still green.
Bamboo Forest...
Her thoughts paused.
But the next moment, familiar footsteps came from the other side of the rockery, accompanied by the sound of rustling wind.
Chongping personally held a lamp in front to light the way. Du Lingjing turned her head and saw that the man had changed into a soft blue brocade robe with a Ruyi pattern, black boots on his feet, a black stone pendant on his narrow waist, and a black jade crown on his hair.
His handsome eyebrows looked even thicker under the light, and he arrived late.
Du Lingjing: "..."
She felt like laughing again, it was just dinner.
But the man had already taken the lamp from Chongping. Chongping stepped back, and only he and she were left in the tall Shushi Pavilion, with the gentle wind and rain outside the eaves.
"Madam, please."
Du Ling sat down quietly, and he also sat down.
As if he was hosting a serious banquet, he served her the dishes and poured her a glass of wine. The wind blew the long silk scarf hanging from the curtains in the pavilion. He toasted her with a glass and, in accordance with the rule of not talking while eating or sleeping, he ate quietly with her.
Such a serious posture made Du Lingjing surprised.
After the meal, the night became a little darker. The people below took the plates away and brought cloaks for the two men.
But the drizzle outside the pavilion was getting finer and denser.
Du Lingjing stood up and looked over. Not far away, the corner tower of the imperial city was visible, and the bright lights illuminated the fine night rain.
He whispered, "Does tonight feel like the day my wife got married?"
Du Lingjing was in a daze for a moment. More than a month had passed since she got married.
She nodded, and the man took the cloak and wrapped her up.
"You and I will have countless nights like this."
Du Lingjing looked over and heard the sound of night watches coming from the streets outside the courtyard. He suddenly picked her up.
"Don't get wet in the rain."
He lowered his head and spoke to her, asked Chongping to hold an umbrella, and held her in his arms, leaving the Shuseki Pavilion where the drizzle was falling, and headed back.
Servants continued to appear along the way to light the way ahead, and then they lowered their heads and retreated as he strode past with her in his arms.
Until they reached the main house in the main courtyard of the marquis's mansion, Lian Chongping closed the door and stepped away.
The incense of the cassia tree that the nanny had lit in the inner room in the evening was so strong that it almost stuck to the gauze curtains.
Du Lingjing just took two deep breaths and felt her body getting slightly hot.
He laid her on the couch, took off the cloak that was wrapped around her, and placed his hand against her forehead. This time he did not rush to kiss her, but gently rubbed his nose against hers.
His movements were very gentle, and Du Lingjing's heartbeat quickened a little when his nose rubbed against her. Then he kissed her lips like a butterfly and lingered for a few breaths.
There was no direct advance, nor any siege of cities, it was just like a small boat docked in the clear waves.
Du Lingjing's ears felt slightly hot, and he noticed it. He chuckled, picked her up again, lifted the layers of gauze, and walked to the bed.
The night rain outside the window was getting heavier, falling on the eaves, then condensing into raindrops that rolled down.
The incense in the room was burning to its full intensity.
He turned off all the lights in the room, leaving only one light by the bed. Then he looked back and lowered his head to untie his belt.
The small flame of the low lamp beside the bed made his figure look quite tall.
At this moment, he took off his brocade robe and casually put them on the rosewood hanger. He sat on the bed with his back to the bed and took off his boots. His shoulders, covered only with a single layer of clothes, were as undulating and broad as a series of mountains.
He took off his boots and untied his shirt and threw it aside. His broad shoulders and narrow waist were covered with old scars from years gone by, but his thin body was thin with lines of muscle going down, finally disappearing into the edge of his trouser waist.
The scent of the nanny in the air made Du Lingjing feel even hotter.
She withdrew her gaze, looked at herself, and untied her belt.
Just when he had untied half of it, his hand was grabbed by someone.
He had already retreated, and now he lowered his head to her and said, "I'll do it."
Du Lingjing blinked and found that he looked familiar.
These days, he always took care of her clothes and always fell asleep with her in his arms late at night.
At first, she was so tense that she could hardly relax, but it happened every night until today, when his hands became more skilled and she no longer felt tense, so she let him take off her shirt from her shoulders.
But once her middle dress was taken off, the dim and swaying light from the small lamp beside the bed was only dimly reflected on the small pocket on her chest.
The little pocket was red and soft, her skin was fair, and something was rising and falling to support the small dress.
The man took a deep breath.
The banana tree outside the window, which was transplanted from the south of the Yangtze River, is taken care of by someone every day. Even in the cold autumn like the capital, the banana tree still has green branches and leaves stretching out.
The raindrops fell from the eaves onto the broad banana leaves.
He picked her up and laid her flat on the quilt.
Her heartbeat was like the sound of raindrops hitting the banana leaves. As the rain grew heavier, its beat became faster and faster.
His eyes swept up in front of her and fell on her face. She couldn't help but turn her head slightly to avoid his gaze, and he took the opportunity to lower his head and gently touch her ear.
A tingling and trembling feeling spread from under his lips, and the next moment he raised his hand and grasped her knee.
His palms were as broad as his shoulders, and his palms were pressed tightly against her entire knee.
Outside the window, the night rain was dripping, and something seemed to suddenly fall down, and there was a rustling sound outside the window.
The noise startled Du Lingjing, and she subconsciously tensed her body.
It was like this the last two times.
He felt it too.
But this time, he didn't stop.
He gently pinched the crook of her knee with his fingertips, kneading and stroking it in circles, neither hurried nor slow.
A little itchy.
He pressed lightly a few more times, and the thin calluses on his fingertips scratched her, causing her to soften inexplicably due to the itchiness.
She relaxed a little, and the rain outside the window slowed down a bit.
It seemed like there was a bird hiding under the banana leaves to avoid the rain. When it saw the rain slow down, it chirped twice.
Du Lingjing inhaled and exhaled slowly, while he walked slowly forward to the side of the sunken valley.
His palms became hotter and hotter, so hot that Du Lingjing felt as if she had entered a sultry summer, just before the rain fell, the heat and humidity were unbearable.
Her breathing became heavier and her back tensed again.
He also breathed more heavily, but was still not in a hurry. He looked into her eyes with his wise eyes and controlled his hands in a very methodical manner.
Du Lingjing blinked rapidly, and a fine mist surged in front of his eyes. The rain that was about to fall in the sultry valley actually dripped down a few drops as he controlled it.
She couldn't help but purse her lips.
And he laughed quietly.
Du Lingjing raised her head to look at him, only to see the man's smile pause. The next moment, a huge, hot rock suddenly fell from the sky, cutting through the sky and reaching the sultry valley floor.
She couldn't help but take a deep breath, and this time he didn't give her any chance to hesitate.
Her back suddenly tensed up, and she felt an indescribable pain and heat, as well as a feeling of being filled up in every inch of her body, all rushing towards her like never before.
She couldn't help but open her mouth.
He seemed to be unable to bear it any longer, his breathing became disordered, and he tilted his head, trying hard to suppress it.
The rain outside the window did not stop after it had just slowed down, but instead became heavier again.
The rain came and went, entwined and entwined. So did he.
It was so full that Du Lingjing felt as if all the pores in her body were stretched open, and she was trembling and sweating all over.
And he knew that he could only hold her in his hands, comfort her, control her, and slowly turn her inward to let her get more used to him.
But she couldn't bear it anymore and subconsciously wanted to escape.
At this point, could he still let her escape?
He simply entered her completely, and at some point he picked her up and held her close to him, making her completely accept it.
"Quanquan..."
She cried softly.
I wonder if the banana trees grown in the south can withstand the cold winds from the north.
That night the north wind howled with all its might, and the banana leaves swayed quietly in the rain.
Later, the rain gradually stopped. Du Lingjing was already feeling very sore, so he held her in his hands and let her lean on his shoulder.
Lu Shenru simply leaned back against the carved bed and let her lie in his arms and take a rest.
He kissed her flushed cheeks gently, looked up at her tired and sore face with her eyes closed, and kissed her more intensely.
The rain outside stopped, but the wind picked up.
The small lamp beside the bed burned out quietly, leaving only a tiny flame, which struggled and shook for a moment before going out.
There is no moon outside the window, no lights in the room, and the room is dim. Suddenly, it feels very much like Mianlou that year.
His thoughts flew to the year when he was seriously injured and was recuperating in the mezzanine of Mian Building.
The mezzanine floor of Mian Building was so dark at that time.
Separated by a thin door, he was recuperating in silence in the dim light, while she was sitting in the sunlight reading quietly, and from time to time she would go deep into the library to look for some old traces left by his grandfather.
For example, in early summer, she accidentally found an old hu flute. She seemed to have learned to play the flute from someone else, but when she tried to blow it, she was out of tune no matter how she tuned it.
Qiu Lin said, "Why does a girl's flute sound like a donkey pulling a cart?"
She put it aside in embarrassment.
But she was unwilling to give up, so she found a book on hudi techniques from somewhere and played it several times according to the instructions. However, she still couldn't get it right and was still out of tune.
He looked at her standing at the window and sighed deeply.
He thought to himself that if he couldn't understand it, he shouldn't force himself.
She really didn't force it anymore.
But at the end of summer, when his injuries were half healed, she unexpectedly found an old letter between her grandfather and his friend near the hu flute.
He said in his heart that his grandfather once lamented to his friends that he had read many books in his life, but unfortunately he had not traveled much, let alone passed the pass. There is a poem that says "Why should the Qiang flute blame the willows, the spring breeze does not pass the Yumen Pass", he has neither passed the pass nor heard the sound of the Qiang flute.
She was unable to find the friend's name and signature, but she said in the letter that listening to a Qiang flute was the easiest thing, so she asked someone outside the Shanhai Pass to make one for her, and sent it along with the letter to Qingzhou as a gift to her grandfather.
The day she found the letter was just a few days away from her grandfather's death anniversary.
She thought about it and took out the flute again, asking Ruan Gong to find someone to repair it. If it could be repaired, she could play it in front of her grandfather's grave someday.
However, there was no master in Qingzhou who could repair the Hu flute, and Ruan Gong went to look for three people but all returned empty-handed.
She thought that since her grandfather accepted the flute as a gift, given his personality, he would probably also accept a book on how to play the flute. Thinking this way, she searched in the library for a whole night, and she really found it.
But her hands were used to repair books and writing, so how could they repair a flute? Just as she picked up the carving knife, she suddenly cut her finger.
She cut a long bloody wound on her fingertip, and blood gushed out.
He took a deep breath in the compartment and saw that her long eyebrows were tightly furrowed. Her father came at that moment and quickly asked someone to bring medicine to stop her bleeding.
But the bleeding was too deep and ordinary hemostatic drugs could not stop it. He asked Chongping to immediately send some hemostatic drugs from the army. Fortunately, the bleeding stopped after a while.
The task of repairing the flute failed again. She shook her head and sighed as she looked at the flute. In two days it would be the anniversary of her grandfather's death.
That night, he asked Chongping to take the flute to the compartment.
This Hu flute is somewhat different from the flute in the Central Plains, but fortunately he has been playing the flute at the border for many years and has some knowledge of it.
Outsiders didn't know that he was recuperating here, so it was not convenient to make any noise at the moment.
He could only use the clumsy method to quietly test her voice, find the key to the off-tune, and fix it.
Chongping woke up in the morning and was surprised to see him sitting there all night.
"My injury hasn't fully healed yet."
He said it was okay, and handed the flute to him, "Put it back where it was before she comes back."
He was neither sleepy nor tired, but he just wanted to know what her expression would be when she came to the building with her school bag in two quarters of an hour, and suddenly found that the flute that had injured her finger yesterday could be played again overnight.
Still sighing?
He found it amusing just thinking about it, and leaned quietly against the wall, looking at her desk through the tiny gap in the partition, waiting for her to come.
A quarter of an hour later, she came as expected, wearing a lilac dress, and her fingers were wrapped thickly by Qiu Lin like dumplings. She moved awkwardly, saw the hu flute, sighed again, and then walked over.
He fixed his eyes on her, waiting for her to try to blow again.
Unexpectedly, just as she picked up the flute, Ruan Gong suddenly came to report the news. She only heard the noise outside and the joy on Ruan Gong's face, and she couldn't help asking.
"Is the third brother back?"
He had heard her mention the third brother several times this summer. He thought he was her brother from the same family. He went to the mountains to recuperate in the spring because of his poor health, and would send her a letter from time to time.
Ruan Gong repeatedly said that it was the Third Master who had returned, "The Third Master brought some things to visit the Master, and also to see the girl."
He saw that her smile grew even wider, and Qiu Lin also came in from outside and called her.
"Young lady, go and have a look. Why did the Third Master bring so many things from the Jiang family? If you don't know, you might think he is coming to our house to propose marriage."
The Jiang family? Proposal?
He was stunned for a moment, but through the gap he saw that her face turned red after hearing this.
He had never seen her look like this all summer.
Never.
The next moment, she put down the flute she had just repaired, turned around and went downstairs.
"He's been gone for four or five months, and I don't know if he's recovered yet."
With her dress fluttering, she had left Mianlou and ran quickly towards the man who had just returned from the mountains...
Memories fade away in the whistling night wind outside the room.
Mianlou is thousands of miles away, and the old things were buried many years ago.
It doesn't matter anymore.
Lu Shenru turned his head to look at his wife in his arms, wrapped her body in a brocade quilt, and pushed aside her wet long hair.
Let’s forget about the past.
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