Ah Chou's heart fluttered; he had fallen in love with her.
There are five or six pools of flowing water in the palace, and the craftsmen would carve out appropriate depths according to the needs of different scenes.
Although the pool closest to the gate wasn't the deepest, given Ah Chou's swimming ability—he could drown even in a hot spring—he might slip and fall in, unable to get up, and thrashing around like a little duck.
Aunt Pan rarely interacted with Ah Chou and was somewhat unsure about Ah Chou's character, but the rule that servants were not allowed to enter the landscaping area was a rule of the manor.
Aunt Pan observed Jiang Yanhui's expression and asked hesitantly, "What is Ah Chou doing?"
Jiang Yanhui stared intently at the person hanging on the rock. He had taken off his shoes and socks and rolled up his trousers to go into the water. His skin was so white it reflected the sunlight, and his big eyes were timidly looking at them.
"Send someone to keep an eye on things as I just said."
Aunt Pan understood that Wang Zun meant he didn't want others to interfere, so she responded and tactfully withdrew.
A few steps further on was the pebble path leading to the pond, but Jiang Yanhui used one hand to support herself on the railing of the veranda and leaped over the bushes, taking three steps in two to lift Ah Chou, who was hanging on a rock, up in one swift motion.
Jiang Yan glanced at Ah Chou, who was barefoot and uneasy on the ground, kicked Ah Chou's neatly arranged shoes and socks, and coldly ordered, "Put them on."
Ah Chou squatted down and rearranged the shoes that Jiang Yan had kicked askew. She pursed her lips, stubbornly continued to hold onto the stone, and once again cautiously tested the water depth with her feet.
Lotus flowers are planted in the shimmering pond, blooming in full season, while schools of fish swim in the shadows beneath the lotus leaves.
What should have been a beautiful scene was instead a distraction for Jiang Yanhui, who was preoccupied with glaring at the disobedient A Chou.
Ah Chou, who was lifted up again, got angry and glared back at Jiang Yan Hui. Unfortunately, his red eyes had no intimidating power and instead made Jiang Yan Hui feel confused.
"If you go down and drown, no one will save you." Jiang Yan grabbed Ah Chou, who was about to squat down again. Her skin was burning from the sun, and her tone was impatient. "What do you want? Lotus flowers, lotus leaves, or fish? I'll have someone pick them for you later. You stay away from the water!"
Being thwarted time and again, coupled with the pent-up feelings for Jiang Yanhui, almost brought Ah Chou to the brink of collapse, where she wanted to burst into tears and release the grievances she had been holding in for so long.
He lowered his head defensively, sniffed his sore nose, and pointed to his empty waist.
Jiang Yan raised one eyebrow slightly. "The wooden sign fell into the pool?"
Ah Chou nodded, and no one knew how long he had been dawdling, but his little face was flushed from the sun.
"The pools in the mansion are all connected by flowing water. Your flimsy wooden plaque has probably been carried away by the current and is probably nowhere to be found."
Jiang Yanhui reached out to pull A Chou to stand in the shade, but A Chou either misunderstood or something he said provoked him, and pushed Jiang Yanhui away and was about to jump into the pond. Fortunately, Jiang Yanhui was quick-witted and grabbed the back of his collar, pulling A Chou back.
Jiang Yanhui roared angrily, "I think you really don't care about your life!"
A hoarse cry exploded in my ears, like the hissing of a blower with a hole in it.
Jiang Yan looked at Ah Chou, who was breaking down in tears, in shock. This was the first time she had ever heard Ah Chou cry; it was unpleasant and jarring.
"I'll have the servants find it for you later, just follow the direction of the water flow. Don't cry yet." Jiang Yan Hui picked up Ah Chou again, who was about to jump into the pool. The strong sun made her feel hot all over, and Ah Chou's awful crying made her head ache.
She asked, "Is the wooden sign important?"
I don't know how Ah Chou could make such an unpleasant sound from his throat, it was hoarse and dull, like it had been rubbed with sandpaper.
Ah Chou nodded, choking back tears. It was very important; it was his only link to his forgotten past.
"Wait."
Jiang Yan kicked off her boots, rolled up her pants to her thighs, and slid down, holding onto the landscape stone. The water level was just right up to her mid-thighs.
Standing on the shore, Ah Chou, who witnessed everything, stared blankly at Jiang Yan Hui, his tearful, dazed expression particularly comical.
Jiang Yanhui didn't have time to laugh at him. She bent down and groped in the mud at the bottom of the pool, so as not to delay and get swept away by the current as she had said.
Sometimes Jiang Yanhui couldn't even figure out what was going on in his head. Riding a horse back to Lingzhou was tiring enough, and then he had to go out in the midday sun, wading through mud, to look for some wooden sign.
Ah Chou figured out the depth of the pond and pretended to come down to search together. Jiang Yan pointed back, and Ah Chou obediently stayed on the bank.
She said with disdain, "Don't come down, or you'll slip and I'll have to save you. It's too much trouble."
Jiang Yanhui was interrupted by Ah Chou while she was pondering something. She was too lazy to investigate her strange behavior any further and comforted herself by knowing that at least she wouldn't have to hear Ah Chou's unpleasant crying anymore.
Ah Chou stopped crying and instead squatted on the shore with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her big, wet eyes stared longingly at Jiang Yan, her focused gaze seeming to bore a hole into her.
Jiang Yan searched in the pond, while A Chou waited nearby. The sun gradually sank, but no one noticed.
Suddenly, she bumped into something under her foot. Jiang Yan reached down and touched it, raising her eyebrows.
"Ah Chou, what if we can't find it?" Jiang Yan asked back.
Ah Chou immediately tensed up, her eyes trembling with extreme helplessness.
With a light whistle, Jiang Yanhui flicked a knot in the rope, and a simple wooden plaque engraved with mysterious characters hung in mid-air. "What a pity, I actually found it."
Under the orange sunset, Jiang Yan smiled smugly, her hair damp with sweat from the scorching sun, a few unruly strands clinging to her face and neck. She was a stark contrast to her usual aloof and pampered self.
Ah Chou could clearly hear the intense heartbeat emanating from his chest, as if a firework was impatiently exploding before his eyes, dazzling and mesmerizing him. He stared intently at Jiang Yan Hui, unwilling to look away even for a moment.
With her legs and arms covered in mud, Jiang Yanhui suddenly had a major outburst of germaphobia. She sat on the shore, staring blankly, torn between taking a bath and changing clothes first, or taking the opportunity to make demands of Ah Chou.
Just as she was struggling with her decision, something soft pressed against her cheek.
Jiang Yan Hui, her mind blank, looked back in surprise at A Chou, who had taken the initiative to kiss her. A Chou's rosy cheeks and red, tearful eyes looked pitiful. Jiang Yan Hui was so grateful that she couldn't make any request.
The usually decisive King of Jiangbei became unusually clumsy, shoving the wooden plaque back into Ah Chou's hand, turning his gaze away and giving a completely intimidating warning: "Don't lose it again, or no one will look for it for you next time."
Ah Chou blinked her wet eyes, her gaze lingering on Jiang Yan Hui's reddened ear tips, and tilted her head.
Suddenly, Jiang Yanhui turned around as if she had noticed something, and said fiercely, "What are you standing there for? Go prepare your bathing things. Can't you see I'm filthy?"
Despite being scolded, Ah Chou showed no fear. She pouted and leaned over to give Jiang Yan Hui a hard kiss on the cheek before getting up and cheerfully going to prepare things.
Jiang Yan awkwardly rubbed her cheeks, which still felt soft, and muttered, "No manners."
When it's hot, I don't go to the hot spring pool. It's much more convenient to prepare bathing supplies in the bathhouse. All the necessary items are in the cabinets in the bathhouse. I just need to boil water and have it delivered.
The mud on her legs was simply rinsed off at the edge of the pool, but Jiang Yanhui felt it was far from enough. She couldn't bear it any longer once inside the bathhouse, immediately taking off her sweat-soaked clothes, feeling as if she were surrounded by the smell of earth and sweat.
Jiang Yanhui turned around as if sensing something, and met A Chou, who was holding a tray and staring at her with eyes as wide as copper bells. A Chou belatedly realized what was happening and avoided her gaze, her face turning red.
He really didn't mean to watch Jiang Yanhui take off his clothes. But looking at Jiang Yanhui's back always reminded him of the scene in the pond that afternoon when he was looking for something for him. His heart would beat faster and faster, and the overflowing love was about to overwhelm him. He felt that he should do something.
The difference in social status, and whether Jiang Yan Hui is truly sincere towards her, are all unimportant to A Chou now.
He only knew that he had fallen hopelessly in love with the woman in front of him, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not remove her from his heart. He was deeply trapped in the woman's grasp and enjoyed it immensely.
The shy, beautiful woman always aroused Jiang Yanhui's mischievous sense of amusement. She strolled up to A Chou, her slender fingers tracing his delicate chin, and said ambiguously, "Look if you want to. What haven't we seen between us?"
Jiang Yanhui had expected Ah Chou to hang her head even lower, with a blush spreading from her cheeks to her neck, given her personality. Indeed, her exposed skin was an alluring pink, but... when Jiang Yanhui met Ah Chou's bright eyes, she saw shyness and expectation, but no timidity.
Two months ago, she was a listless and dull person who wished she could just close her eyes and meditate in bed. How did she suddenly change her personality and become so enthusiastic and bold that Jiang Yan felt like she was being stared at by a puppy wagging its tail?
"These past two months you've been in the manor..." Jiang Yanhui paused, unable to bring himself to ask Ah Chou's clear and enthusiastic eyes.
Never mind, he doesn't look like he's been bullied.
Jiang Yanhui's bathing vessel was not an ordinary wooden tub, but a circular bathtub carved from a single piece of marble. Bamboo pipes extending from one side of the wall could continuously supply hot water into it, making it a miniature version of a hot spring pool.
White steam quickly filled the bathroom, and the humid, stuffy environment soon made Ah Chou break out in a light sweat. He licked his wet lips, sat down behind Jiang Yan Hui, and massaged Jiang Yan Hui's shoulders, recalling the method Uncle Ban had taught him.
Soft fingers kneaded gently, applying just the right amount of pressure. Ah Chou looked extremely serious, as if he were doing something very important.
Little did she know that every touch of her skin, every inhale and exhale that came with force, was an invisible provocation, and Jiang Yan Hui was aroused by the pinch.
Grasping Ah Chou's hand as she tried to touch her hair, Jiang Yan gritted her teeth and said, "Do you really want it?"
Ah Chou was stunned by Jiang Yan Hui's fierce tone, and then realized what Jiang Yan Hui was referring to. Her whole body turned red at a visible speed.
Jiang Yan thought that after saying that, Ah Chou would definitely shrink into a corner and not move anymore, but instead, Ah Chou, with a shy and pretty face, hesitated for a moment, then quickly stripped herself clean, scooped water from the wooden tub to wash off the sweat, and carefully stepped into the bathtub while holding onto the edge.
The fair, delicate skin shimmered before her eyes, and desire and innocence blended perfectly in Ah Chou. Her expectant, watery eyes made Jiang Yanhui curse under her breath and pull her into his lap.
Jiang Yanhui, who had been abstinent for two months in the military camp, was easily aroused. Similarly, A Chou, who had been missing Jiang Yanhui for two months, was yearning for his charity both in mind and body. Dry wood and raging fire ignited at the slightest touch.
Noticing the intense reaction in his body, Ah Chou shifted uncomfortably. The swaying water splashed against his supple waist, tickling him so much that he went limp.
The two, who had spent the afternoon under the blazing sun, seemed tireless like young boys experiencing passion for the first time. The water in the bath splashed with their vigorous movements, making the listeners feel hot and restless.
I can't remember exactly how long the commotion lasted, but when I got dressed and went outside, it was already dark. The bright moon hung in the distant night sky, and countless stars adorned the boundless darkness. I felt a long-lost sense of peace and contentment.
Hexagonal palace lanterns hang under the eaves of the winding corridor. A Chou, slightly behind, playfully steps on Jiang Yanhui's elongated shadow. Having figured out her thoughts, A Chou is no longer troubled. Beneath her weariness lies an unconcealable sense of relaxation and contentment.
Jiang Yan stopped walking, and A Chou quickly followed suit, standing upright and proper.
"Lingzhou City has been unstable lately. You are not allowed to go anywhere but to stay in the manor, understand?"
After showing tenderness, Jiang Yanhui was always exceptionally gentle. The warm yellow light shone on his smooth, flawless, and handsome face, and just a few glances were enough to make Ah Chou blush and her heart race.
Ah Chou nodded obediently. He had no interest in the outside world and only wanted to stay by Jiang Yan Hui's side until their fate was exhausted and destiny forced him to leave.
Perhaps it was Ah Chou's soft, drooping eyelashes that made him look so well-behaved, or perhaps it was the way he was actively pleasing her in the bath, but Jiang Yan Hui suddenly wanted to touch his cheek.
I thought it was right, so I did it.
His thumb brushed against Ah Chou's delicate cheek, clearly seeing the surprise that flashed in Ah Chou's eyes, followed by uncontrollable joy, and she smiled faintly with her lips pursed.
Jiang Yan recalled that A Chou had fallen in love with her.
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