Chapter 27: Climbing the Wall "I haven't seen you for sixteen days. I miss you so much. ...
There was silence in the carriage for a moment.
Xue Zhiying looked at him straight, and saw a strange expression on his face for a moment.
The meaning is unclear and hard to understand.
Then he put the wooden box back into her hands.
"I'm not here tonight, so clean it yourself."
Xue Zhiying blinked, took a moment to react, and then murmured, "Okay then."
Just about to get off the carriage.
Xiao Yunqi suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist, pushing her down.
"cousin?"
Xiao Yunqi was silent for a moment, then let go of his hand: "Go down."
Xue Zhiying: “……?”
What's the meaning.
He is so weird.
Xue Zhiying looked back at him with a puzzled look.
But Xiao Yunqi looked completely guiltless, so she couldn't figure out what was going on.
Go down to the carriage.
Mu Yan stepped forward and said, "Miss, I'll take you there."
Xue Zhiying waved her hand: "No need, I can go back by myself."
Mu Yan didn't insist anymore and just watched her leave.
Xue Zhiying walked quickly on the bluestone path.
Chuntao must have been very worried after he didn't come back all night.
This time, she didn't even have the chance to tell her in advance.
When she thought of this, she couldn't help but quicken her pace.
Not long after she walked, someone suddenly blocked her way.
"ah!"
The man screamed and was hit hard by Xue Zhiying.
Xue Zhiying also staggered and took a few steps back. She looked up and saw Xiao Yuanxiang grinning.
"I'm sorry, I..."
"Don't you feel anything? Am I the only one in pain?"
Xiao Yuanxiang frowned and rubbed his chest.
“…”
Xiao Yuanxiang paused and lowered his voice again: "Okay, I was blocking you on purpose, you didn't bump into me."
"Why are you blocking me?"
Xiao Yuanxiang stopped talking.
She raised her eyes and quickly glanced at Xue Zhiying, then immediately lowered them.
Xue Zhiying waited for a moment in confusion, but when she still didn't answer, she whispered, "Then I'll leave first."
"Hey, I'm with you!"
As Xiao Yuanxiang spoke, he followed her steps. This time, he did not follow behind, nor did he rush to the front. He just walked beside Xue Zhiying.
Xue Zhiying lowered her head and said nothing, just walking forward.
But the two of them were of similar height, so whatever strides she could take, Xiao Yuanxiang could naturally take as well. For a while, they couldn't open the distance between them at all, and walked side by side for a long time.
We arrived at the fork in the road leading to Jingshuiyuan.
Xiao Yuanxiang's eyes rolled around. This time she hadn't been able to come up with a good speech along the way.
But Xue Zhiying took the initiative to speak: "Xiao Yuanxiang, do you want to go to Jingshuiyuan with me?"
"……ah?"
Xiao Yuanxiang was stunned and fell two steps behind.
She quickly caught up and said reluctantly, "Yes, I want to go sit down."
"Okay, just tell me next time. Does it still hurt where you bumped into me?"
"It hurts so much, who told you I'll come again next time!"
Xue Zhiying was puzzled.
Xiao Yuanxiang always puzzled her.
She thought so.
They walked all the way back to Jingshui Courtyard and just appeared from the corner of the path. Chuntao, who was looking around in front of the courtyard gate, immediately saw them and ran over hurriedly.
"Girl, girl, you are finally back! Woo woo ...
As Xue Zhiying had expected at the beginning, Chuntao, who was completely unaware of the situation, was frightened and started crying when she saw her.
But when she invited Xiao Yuanxiang just now, she forgot about this matter for a moment. If Chuntao cried and shouted, wouldn't it let people know that she did not return home last night?
Xue Zhiying panicked and looked towards Xiao Yuanxiang.
Chun Tao ran over and cried, "Second Miss, why are you here again? Didn't you just leave? Wuuwuwuwu..."
Xiao Yuanxiang: "..."
The atmosphere suddenly fell into a strange awkwardness.
Only Chuntao was making a sound because she was finally seeing Xue Zhiying and was puzzled by Xiao Yuanxiang's return.
Xiao Yuanxiang followed Xue Zhiying into Jingshuiyuan with his head down.
Xue Zhiying was comforting Chuntao in the yard, and her eyes occasionally drifted towards Xiao Yuanxiang.
Her cheeks were slightly red, and it was obvious that she felt embarrassed and angry because Chuntao had exposed her, but she just stood there and had no intention of leaving.
Xue Zhiying coaxed Chuntao and patted her head: "Chuntao, go prepare a pot of hot tea."
"Okay, young lady, I'll go right away."
Xue Zhiying walked towards Xiao Yuanxiang: "Do you want to come in and sit down?"
Xiao Yuanxiang didn't say anything and went into the house first.
After entering the house, the atmosphere seemed to become even more depressing.
Because Xiao Yuanxiang was silent and obviously depressed.
Xue Zhiying sat with her quietly for a while until Chuntao brought the tea.
She took the initiative to speak: "Xiao Yuanxiang, do you know something?"
Xiao Yuanxiang's hand, which was about to reach for the teacup, stopped, his face suddenly turned even redder, but then his eyes darkened again.
She was ashamed to admit that she was a little worried about Xue Zhiying because she had heard some news that she didn't know whether it was true or not.
After struggling for a long time, she finally came to Jingshuiyuan, but there was no sign of Xue Zhiying, and the maids in the yard were also very anxious.
The news, whose truth or falsity was unknown, was mostly confirmed. She left Jingshuiyuan and met Xue Zhiying at the same place as before. There was no sign of anything unusual on the surface, so she became even more worried and followed her all the way.
When asked this question, she didn't know how to start.
After a long while, she whispered, "I don't know everything, but I won't ask too many questions. You probably don't want to recall those things. I just want to make sure you are safe."
"I'm... fine."
Xue Zhiying was a little stunned, her eyes suddenly felt sour for no reason, and then gradually became warm.
Even she herself doesn't know why.
Xiao Yuanxiang panicked upon seeing this, and subconsciously reached out to grab her, saying anxiously, "Xue Zhiying, don't cry. I've already told you I won't ask. I'm glad you're okay. Let's not talk about this sad thing anymore."
Xue Zhiying lowered her eyes and saw Xiao Yuanxiang's hands touching hers.
Xiao Yuanxiang's hands were very soft, as delicate as the fingers of a girl who had been raised in the boudoir and had never touched the spring water. Although she moved quickly, her strength was not great, and she was able to break free easily.
But she kind of likes this temperature.
Xue Zhiying thought, she was really a very greedy person.
Just like when Xiao Yunqi gave her ten taels of silver, she wanted fifty taels.
Xiao Yuanxiang held her hand, and she thought...
"Xiao Yuanxiang, can I hug you?"
Xiao Yuanxiang was stunned, and the redness on his face that had finally begun to fade away suddenly surged up again.
She stammered, "S-Sure, I can just hold you... for a moment."
The tail end of her voice spread across the soft body with a sweet fragrance that came towards her.
She heard a faint sob coming from her heart.
…
Xue Zhiying cried until her eyes and nose were red, but she didn't feel embarrassed.
Xiao Yuanxiang's clothes were soaked by her, but he was not angry at all.
After a long hug, the two of them just sat at the table, seemingly peacefully yet awkwardly.
Unexpectedly, it was Xiao Yuanxiang who spoke first to break the silence.
"Hey, if we do this, are we considered friends anymore?"
Xue Zhiying stared at her with wide eyes.
The pair of almond-shaped eyes that had been crying were still watery, filled with surprise and joy, and a hint of uncertainty.
friend.
She never made any friends.
So she didn't know if this counted.
Xiao Yuanxiang's heart trembled when he was looked at by those eyes, and he immediately became emotional: "What kind of look is that? Isn't it!"
She became fierce again.
Xue Zhiying asked: "Will you bully me in the future?"
"Who is bullying who?" Xiao Yuanxiang also widened his eyes and pulled the remaining part of his clothes to show her.
But she soon lost her momentum and her voice faded away: "I, I, it's impossible for me to apologize to you, but... I did misunderstand you before."
“…”
"Hey, say something!"
Xue Zhiying: "If we're friends, can you not call me hello?"
"Then you want me to call you whatever you want, even your name is fine."
"Can we be more intimate?"
"Xue Zhiying, don't push your luck!"
Xue Zhiying was silent for a moment, then compromised and said, "Okay, then just call me by my name."
"Yuanxiang, from now on we are friends."
The summer afternoon sun was exceptionally bright, pouring in through the window, casting shadows on the clean and tidy floor inside the house and illuminating the girl's rosy cheeks.
Xiao Yuanxiang said in a barely audible voice, "Has anyone ever told you that you're cheesy?"
"No."
Xue Zhiying couldn't help but reach out and hook Xiao Yuanxiang's fingers under the table.
It was the same soft touch as when he held her just now, warming her heart along the touching fingertips.
Xiao Yuanxiang's fingers stiffened, but he didn't pull them away: "So what if you're acting like a spoiled child?"
“No.”
"Well now you have it. You are so cheesy and spoiled."
*
The sky was clear for several days in a row, and Xue Zhiying's heart also cleared up.
The happiest thing was that she actually had a friend.
What kind of happiness is that.
It was Xiao Yuanxiang who would stay with her in her courtyard for most of the day, sometimes getting angry, sometimes being awkward and silent, but they would also chat about many other things.
It was also she who was invited to the courtyard of the third house and entered Xiao Yuanxiang's boudoir for the first time. She took her on a tour and gave her gifts.
Xue Zhiying waved her hand to refuse, but she got angry and yelled at her again, but she ended up looking more aggrieved.
In the end, she took away a plain hairpin and planned to embroider a handkerchief for her as a return gift.
Even Chuntao often talked about Xiao Yuanxiang in front of her, saying that the second young lady had brought her delicious cakes again today.
However, there are times when Xue Zhiying feels depressed.
She had finally made a big step forward in leaving the Xiao family, but she made a good friend, which made her reluctant to part.
She asked Xiao Yuanxiang: "Yuanxiang, if I go far away in the future, will you miss me?"
The question was abrupt, but Xiao Yuanxiang still thought about it seriously, and then answered as a matter of course: "Why would I miss you? I can just go see you directly."
"Really? How are you going to get there?"
"Just... take a carriage. Is it far?"
"I don't know, but it should be very far."
"That's difficult. My father might not allow me to go too far."
The two girls pondered over the topic that was suddenly brought up for a long time, and then they remembered that the current problem was that they couldn't even leave the Xiao Mansion, let alone go far away.
"Xue Zhiying, stop daydreaming and think about how to ask Grandmother for permission to leave the house."
Half a month has passed since that day.
The second branch of the family was in a state of chaos due to some unknown trouble, and the court was also implicated in many dirty affairs due to the imprisonment of Prince Lin'an.
But these have little to do with Xue Zhiying, a young girl who lives in seclusion.
During this period, she used the fabric she got back from Yunniang to embroider a lot of pieces. Because the material was good, a rough calculation showed that she could sell it for more silver than she had in the previous six months.
In addition, the ten taels of silver she asked for from Xiao Yunqi were never used because she never left the house.
So she was eager to leave the house.
However, it is not easy to leave the house, and Xiao Yunqi has been out for many days and has not been seen.
Xue Zhiying thought for a moment and retreated, "Forget it, let's wait a little longer. There's been a lot of chaos going on in the mansion lately. If I go to bother the old lady at this time, I'm sure she won't be allowed to leave."
"Who knows when this mess will end? If you do nothing, what will you expect?"
Xue Zhiying lowered his eyes and said nothing.
This cannot be told to Xiao Yuanxiang, so naturally I have to wait until Xiao Yunqi comes back.
Although she felt a little guilty, she had almost completely forgotten about him recently, and only thought of him when she needed his help like now.
But that's the truth. If I don't need anything from him, it seems that I really don't need to think about him.
But now, once I think of him, my thoughts become a little scattered.
I wonder if when he held her back before she got off the carriage that day, he meant to say that he would be away not only for that night but for the next period of time as well.
Or maybe not. Why would he take the initiative to report his itinerary to her for no reason? She could only blame herself for forgetting to ask.
This made her a little worried. She wondered if the success she had just achieved would regress in the next half month. She couldn't have to start seducing him all over again when she saw him next time.
It doesn't seem like that. How can we treat a relationship that has already happened as if it never happened? That shouldn't be the case.
"Okay, don't think about it."
Xue Zhiying was startled, thinking that Xiao Yuanxiang had heard her wild thoughts, and her eyes trembled guiltily.
Fortunately, Xiao Yuanxiang didn't notice. She was puffing out her chest and patting her chest, saying, "Just listen to me on this matter. No need to wait, we can get out right away!"
"What can you do?"
"I'll tell you tomorrow. Go to bed early tonight. We'll be waiting for you in front of the gate of Qingqiong Hall at 3:00 AM tomorrow. Don't be late."
After hearing this, Xue Zhiying vaguely guessed something.
She was a little unsure and tried to ask, but Nanny Wang came over to check on her housekeeping. Xiao Yuanxiang took the opportunity to leave, intending to rest early.
That night, Xue Zhiying told Chuntao about this, and Chuntao was so happy that she unexpectedly decided to go on an autumn outing.
She told her, "Summer isn't over yet, silly girl."
Chun Tao didn't care. She was very excited: "I will go to bed now, otherwise I will be late tomorrow. Miss, you must wake me up."
Xue Zhiying laughed: "Okay, I will definitely call you."
Yin hour.
Even though the sun rises early in the summer, it is still dark at this hour.
Xue Zhiying, with the sleepy Chuntao, saw two figures in front of the courtyard gate from afar.
Xiao Yuanxiang and her personal maid looked around furtively. When they saw Xue Zhiying, they waved to her.
Xue Zhiying walked quickly.
Xiao Yuanxiang: "Let's go."
If four people act together, the target will be larger, so they will work in pairs.
Xiao Yuanxiang took Xue Zhiying's arm and whispered to her, "You don't know, but the inspections at the mansion are the most lax at this time, so we just need to take advantage of this opportunity to go to the east side of the wall. There's a place we can climb over there. It was broken not long ago and hasn't been repaired yet. We can climb out from there."
"We climb over the wall and get out?!"
"Shh, keep your voice down."
Xue Zhiying knew that the patrols were lax at this time, so she took this opportunity to do something sneaky.
But she only dared to go around to the stable and stuff a few small stones into the wheels of the carriage. She never dared to take advantage of this opportunity to escape from the house.
Xue Zhiying was about to back out: "Yuanxiang, if this is discovered, there will be severe punishment. Otherwise, forget it and wait a little longer..."
"I've already told you that you won't be able to wait until the chaos in the mansion is over. If you really wait, you won't know whether it will be autumn or winter. Aren't you thinking of selling those embroidery pieces? Listen to me, you won't be discovered at this hour."
That’s…true.
Xue Zhiying was led by Xiao Yuanxiang all the way to the broken wall she mentioned.
"Zhiying, have you ever climbed over the wall?"
"No."
"Me neither!" Xiao Yuanxiang looked obviously excited.
"Yuanxiang, you actually just did this for fun, right?"
"But this is also to help you. Wait, I'll go first, and then I'll catch you outside."
Xue Zhiying pinched her fingers nervously. Seeing that it had come to this, she could only nod in agreement.
In the future, she will have to escape from the Xiao Mansion completely, so she should do more bold things like this in advance to build up her courage.
Xue Zhiying watched Xiao Yuanxiang gradually climb up the wall while trying to convince herself in her heart.
It was not until she saw Xiao Yuanxiang climb over the wall and heard the sound of him landing that she stopped thinking and knew it was her turn.
She approached the wall and whispered, "Yuanxiang, I'll start climbing."
No one answered.
Xue Zhiying also pursed her lips and stopped talking.
She had never done anything like this before, and she felt nervous and unfamiliar.
After climbing halfway up, she felt a little scared and couldn't help but call out again: "Yuanxiang, are you waiting for me down there?"
Still silent.
"Yuanxiang?"
There seemed to be a slight sound coming from across the wall.
Then Xiao Yuanxiang finally responded: "I... am here."
It sounds a bit strange.
Xue Zhiying was so nervous that she couldn't think too much.
When she reached the highest point, she didn't dare look down and turned over very slowly.
But where would she find a place to stay?
It was a dark and windy night, and Xue Zhiying was stuck at the highest point, unable to go up or down, and was so anxious that he was sweating.
She called out again: "Yuanxiang, help me, Yuanxiang..."
There was silence under the wall.
"Yuanxiang..."
Finally, she couldn't help but lower her head, and her vision blurred. As if by an illusion, a face that should never appear appeared before her eyes.
Xue Zhiying's eyes widened in shock and his body suddenly lost balance.
"ah--"
An arm came across her waist and caught her, but it also hurt her. The other hand covered her with a big palm and pressed hard on the lower half of her face, suppressing her screams.
In the darkness, a stern face appeared above, looking down at her condescendingly.
Xue Zhiying felt a chill down his spine and thought, it's over.
…
Midway through the Yin hour, the sky turned white and the light became dim.
A group of people walked on the quiet stone path with great momentum.
The man in the lead had a sullen expression, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.
Following behind him were four girls with their arms folded and their heads lowered and shoulders hunched.
Further behind them was a group of followers, looking dusty and exhausted, obviously having just returned from a long journey.
No one spoke along the way, and when they reached a fork in the road, some of the followers retreated.
When he arrived at Yunmozhai again, Xiao Yuanxiang dared to look back.
Only Mu Yan was behind them. When he saw her looking at him, he gave her a soothing and kind smile.
However, this did not comfort her at all.
With a slight sound, Mu Yan considerately closed the door for them and stood guard at the door, with a panic-stricken look as if he had locked the place up and neither of them would be able to escape today.
Xiao Yunqi walked towards the desk, turned around and sat down, looking relaxed.
His eyes slowly swept over and landed on Xue Zhiying.
After not seeing her for many days, he once thought for a moment outside, wondering how uneasy and helpless the girl would be, having no idea where he was, and how she would come back empty-handed every time she went to his house.
But it seemed that she was busy at the moment, so busy that he couldn't guess what bad things she had been doing secretly these days.
She was just timid, cowardly, but disobedient, just like the Xue Zhiying he knew.
The room was so quiet that even breathing seemed inaudible.
Xiao Yuanxiang lowered his head and struggled for a moment with a painful expression. Finally, he could no longer bear the oppression and stepped forward and said anxiously, "Brother, this was all my idea. If you want to punish me, punish me. It has nothing to do with Zhiying."
Xue Zhiying was stunned, then stepped forward and said, "No, it has nothing to do with Yuanxiang. I resorted to this desperate measure because I wanted to leave the house. I was wrong."
"No, it's me..."
"Enough." Xiao Yunqi interrupted in a deep voice.
"Xiao Yuanxiang, go back to the house."
"……What?"
Xiao Yunqi did not repeat it a second time.
Upon hearing this, Xue Zhiying raised her head tentatively.
She met the gaze of the man waiting there.
Once his sight caught her, he held her tightly.
Half a month passed, and the handsome face that was once so close to him appeared before his eyes again, but only a few steps away, and yet it seemed strange and distant.
He looked indifferent, as if everything was back to square one, just as she had imagined before.
Xue Zhiying's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she felt even more uneasy.
"Brother, it really was me. Please don't punish Zhiying. She..."
Mu Yan stepped forward at this time: "Second Miss, please come in, I will take you there."
“But Zhiying…”
Xue Zhiying closed her eyes, then opened them again, glanced sideways at Xiao Yuanxiang with a soothing look, and shook her head slightly.
Xiao Yuanxiang was eventually taken away from the house.
The door closed again, and there were only two people left in the room.
But Xiao Yunqi didn't speak again, and the silent atmosphere made Xue Zhiying feel a little suffocated.
She couldn't help but try and take a step forward.
Just took one step.
"Stand there, don't come over here."
"cousin……"
He had just opened his mouth when he was interrupted again.
"You are not allowed to act like a spoiled child either."
Xue Zhiying curled her lips, her mind in a mess. She tried hard to think of a way to ease the current atmosphere, but she couldn't think of anything.
In the end, she neither stood there obediently nor stopped acting coquettishly.
She moved closer to Xiao Yunqi and gently tugged at his sleeve with her fingers: "I haven't seen you for sixteen days. I missed you so much."
“…”
Xiao Yunqi's gaze gradually dropped, finally landing on the two white fingers clasped on his sleeves.
The corners of his lips moved slightly and he laughed angrily.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
