Live with warmth
Jiang Yanhui, who was in the military camp, was able to lead the troops in drills every morning for two consecutive months. However, when she was in the Prince's mansion, she did not have any of the behavior and habits that a soldier should have. It was as if no matter what she experienced, it would not leave a mark on her.
Morning is the laziest time of day for Jiang Yanhui. Her light long robe hangs loosely on her body, and two round jade beads hang from the blue braided rope belt, occasionally making a crisp sound as she walks.
When resting in the mansion, Jiang Yanhui usually wore her hair loose, feeling unrestrained, simple, and relaxed. Still sleepy, she lazily lay on the soft couch, her gaze following Ah Chou as she moved back and forth.
If waking up in the morning is Jiang Yanhui's most leisurely time, then for A Chou it is a challenge of racing against time.
If they hadn't shared a bed the night before, it would be easy for Ah Chou to get up, but if they had, Ah Chou would naturally end up sleeping in the same bed as Jiang Yan Hui, which would be a huge problem. Getting out of bed with your sweetheart requires far more mental struggle than getting out of a makeshift bed on the floor.
Often, because they longed for warmth, they would rush to Uncle Ban's house to wait for him to help Jiang Yan return to her washing up and then bring her breakfast.
Ah Chou did her hair very casually, just tied it up, washed her face with cold water and that was it. Then she just wandered around Jiang Yan Hui.
"Wipe the water off your face."
Jiang Yan looked back at A Chou, who had run up to her and stopped in front of her. Her gaze shifted from the comb in his hand to his chin, which was dripping with water. Before A Chou could carelessly wipe his face with his sleeve, she grabbed a handkerchief and threw it into his arms.
Holding the handkerchief that still carried the unique fragrance of Jiang Yan Hui in her hand, A Chou's heart began to race. Suppressing her excitement, she raised her arm and hastily wiped her face before carefully putting the clean handkerchief into her bosom.
Jiang Yanhui shifted her gaze away from his chest, and thought, "Never mind, I'm too lazy to talk about it."
Since Ah Chou was awarded the right to comb Jiang Yan Hui's hair two days ago, combing her hair has become the thing he looks forward to most every morning. He can forget anything but taking the comb.
Jiang Yanhui turned her back to him, her long hair hanging down. A Chou carefully picked up a strand of her hair and gently combed it from top to bottom.
Perhaps due to her natural beauty, Jiang Yanhui's hair was jet black and smooth, with an excellent feel to the touch. Strands of hair brushed against her palm, causing an unbearable itch.
Today, Aunt Pan was the one who came to serve the meal. The servants following behind her were more cautious than usual, quickly setting out the breakfast and then respectfully retreating outside.
Aunt Pan clasped her hands together against her lower abdomen, her eyes half-closed to avoid her master, and said, "Your Majesty, please have your meal first."
Jiang Yan refocused her attention on Ah Chou. "No rush, is everything done?"
Aunt Pan said, "Everyone on the list has been arrested, but as you wished, one of them was released to report back."
Jiang Yan smiled silently, "It seems I'll be receiving an 'invitation' from Urentuya soon."
The person combing her hair behind her paused, as if a sharp needle had pricked her temple. The fleeting pain was quickly masked by Ah Chou, who frowned slightly, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
The lavish breakfast was intended for Jiang Yanhui, but it ended up in Ah Chou's stomach anyway. In just a few days, Ah Chou's cheeks not only regained their plumpness, but her complexion also became rosy and radiant.
After serving Jiang Yanhui breakfast, there wasn't much else for A Chou to do. She sat down at her desk and started reading the books Jiang Yanhui had given her. She had already learned most of the articles in them.
He skillfully spread out the Xuan paper, ground the ink for himself, and continued writing from where he had practiced last time.
Unlike the layout of the study, the desk in the main room was in the outer room. The screen was moved aside and there was a beaded curtain in between, so Ah Chou could only see the outline of Jiang Yan on the soft couch in the inner room.
When Ah Chou was practicing calligraphy in the study, he could see Jiang Yan Hui whenever he looked up. He couldn't help but stare at her, and this multitasking caused him to take twice as long to complete the task.
Now that I can't see it, I feel empty and my mind starts wandering.
Ah Chou was thinking about the conversation between Jiang Yan Hui and Aunt Pan. It seemed they were planning to force someone to meet, and the name was... Urentuya.
I touched my chest; it ached dully.
As the sun rose in the east and set in the west, night fell over Lingzhou. Looking out the dark window, A Chou felt inexplicably panicked.
Tick-tock, tick-tock—
Raindrops pounded on the eaves, the pattering sound growing louder and louder, a flash of white light streaked across the sky, accompanied by a deafening rumble of thunder.
Ah Chou, who was plagued by nightmares, was suddenly awakened by the thunder. He opened his eyes, but everything was blurry. It took him a while to regain his vision by the dim candlelight.
In my dream, it was also a sweltering, stormy night with the grating sound of cold weapons rubbing against each other and screams of terror and despair, the details of which were indistinct as if separated by a membrane.
He seemed to be running desperately to avoid something, the cold, damp air constantly filling his lungs, like an old, worm-eaten tool, stumbling and creaking as it worked, all for the single thought echoing in his mind—to survive.
Summer nights with torrential rain should be hot and humid, but a strange yet familiar dream startled Ah Chou, making his hands and feet cold and his stomach feel nauseous. He desperately wanted to grasp onto something to avoid falling into the abyss of emotions.
"Ugly."
A call, neither too loud nor too soft, a familiar voice, pulled Ah Chou, who was about to drown, out of the water.
Suddenly awake, Ah Chou's eyes widened, and he gripped the mat beneath him tightly, his heavy breathing echoing in the quiet room.
Sensing something was wrong, Jiang Yan sat up. Seeing Ah Chou's panicked and disheveled appearance, her tone softened considerably as she asked, "Did you have a nightmare?"
Nightmare is too mild a description.
Ah Chou touched his forehead, his hands were covered in sweat, moved his numb limbs and sat up, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air, and smiled at Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan replied, "His smile is uglier than his crying."
Looking at Ah Chou's vanished smile and drooping head, Jiang Yan felt a surge of irritation and reached out to pull Ah Chou up to sit on the edge of the bed.
"It was just a nightmare, why are you so scared?"
Despite his complaints, he pulled Ah Chou close and placed her on his shoulder, gently and rhythmically patting her back, just like his father used to do when she was little, to lull her to sleep.
His restless heart calmed down at this moment. The terrifying scenes in his dream were dispelled by the pats on his back. Ah Chou blinked his wet eyes and gradually relaxed, relying entirely on Jiang Yan Hui, who gave him a sense of security that saved his life.
At this moment, there is no passionate, easily ignited lust, but the gentle warmth flowing through the air seems to offer a more solace to the soul on this damp, rainy night.
Jiang Yan looked down and saw Ah Chou's big, clear eyes blinking at her, showing no trace of the fear she had felt upon waking.
She breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help pushing him away with disgust. "You're all sweaty, go wipe yourself off."
Ah Chou knew that Jiang Yan Hui was a clean freak and had to do a quick wash before going to sleep after each encounter. Naturally, Ah Chou, who wanted to stay in bed, also had to clean himself up. Being able to touch him was already an unexpected delight.
Ah Chou stood up on his own, grinning sheepishly. The sweat on his body had already dried; he would just need to wipe his face with the cold water prepared in the outer room later.
“If you’re still scared, you can sleep in the bed tonight.” Jiang Yan looked away, tapped her fingers on her bent knee, and pursed her lips awkwardly.
Even in the dim light, Ah Chou's bright, sparkling eyes were still visible.
He thought he couldn't just wash his face; he had to get some hot water and thoroughly clean himself, and maybe even apply some moisturizer before snuggling into bed, feeling all warm and fresh.
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