Yuan Yunzhong’s calm tone carried an unintended tease, as he waited to see Song Jiyun’s face turn red with embarrassment, her hands and feet in disarray, or perhaps even become angry from the humiliation.
But Song Jiyun’s eyes simply lit up, and she sat down by the bed.
"Okay!" her light two words, however, struck hard against his chest.
His hanging hands clenched into fists as he stared steadily at her.
Song Jiyun seemed oblivious, smiling as she gently patted the bed board and whispered to him, "We each take half."
Her expression and demeanor were, as always, composed and graceful, dignified and proper. The look in her eyes when she gazed at him was, as always, clean and bright, clear and penetrating.
It was as if what she had agreed to was nothing out of the ordinary.
Yuan Yunzhong suddenly felt the room become stuffy and hot, and a sense of restlessness surged within him.
He said in a deep voice, "I’ll meditate!"
"You’ve had a long day too," Song Jiyun said with a light laugh, "how about we take turns resting? We can also keep watch."
As she spoke, her body leaned slightly, and Yuan Yunzhong could even feel the warmth of her body.
He quickly stood up and said, "Forget it! You keep watch, what can you watch? I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep!"
"That works!" she agreed readily, making rustling noises as she took off her shoes and climbed into bed, leaning against the wall and yawning, "If you get tired, just call me!"
And she fell asleep, paying no heed to anything else.
In the darkness, Yuan Yunzhong sat motionless by the bed, listening to her long and gentle breathing.
His gaze flickered as he looked towards Song Jiyun.
She kept the same posture for a long time, clearly getting tired. Her head slowly leaned to the left, touching the wall, then vaguely straightened back up, and after a while, her head slowly leaned to the right again.
But the right side was empty—if she were to fall, she would surely crash to the floor!
Before he had decided whether to help her or not, he found himself leaning forward, reaching out to support Song Jiyun’s head.
Yuan Yunzhong was taken aback, sat beside her, and propped her up properly.
Suddenly, she leaned back again, and just happened to collapse on his shoulder.
Yuan Yunzhong’s breath hitched, and his body suddenly stiffened.
In his mind, he recalled the times when he still lived in the gauze cupboard, her fair and plump shoulders.
He seemed to smell that faint scent of jasmine again.
Turning his head, he saw her face that was so close at hand. The asleep her lacked her usual flamboyance and vividness, gaining a few touches of tranquility and softness. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Her smooth forehead, her straight nose bridge, her long and curled eyelashes, she looked as tranquil as a painting.
Yuan Yunzhong’s lips formed a tight line, unable to resist extending a finger and gently touching her cheek.
It was soft, springy, white—like a glutinous rice dumpling.
As if feeling it in her sleep, she murmured a few syllables, shaking her head as if to shake off his finger and sat up straight, but within a few breaths, she toppled over to the other side again.
Yuan Yunzhong, fearing that she would hit the wall again, quickly reached out to steady her.
She immediately leaned against him again. Not only did she collapse on his shoulder, but she also rubbed against it, sleeping even more sweetly now, her even breathing ambiguously blowing in his ear, tingling deep into his bones...
Yuan Yunzhong lowered his head, gazed at Song Jiyun for a long time, and closed his eyes.
A glimmer of dawn began to appear at the edge of the sky.
Zhao Qi and his wife got out of bed carefully, making as little noise as possible.
Yuan Yunzhong took a glance at Song Jiyun, who was sleeping soundly, and did not move.
Suddenly, the door of the room was pushed open.
With a sharp cry of "Ah!" a young woman’s shrill voice woke Song Jiyun.
Still groggy with sleep, she opened her eyes to see Zhao Qi’s Wife covering a young girl’s mouth, apologizing uncomfortably, "You sleep, you sleep! We’re not so particular around here."
But then she changed her tone and said, "Since you two eloped, you shouldn’t call each other brother and sister. You should call each other husband and wife. It would have saved me the trouble of bringing out two sets of new bedding."
"What?" Even though Song Jiyun and Yuan Yunzhong were people who could remain unflustered with Mount Tai collapsing before them, they both showed a dramatic change in expression at Zhao Qi’s Wife’s words. "Eloped?!"
Zhao Qi’s Wife looked at them sheepishly and said, "If not eloping, why else would you be in the same room? And..."
She blushed, embarrassed.
It was only then that Song Jiyun realized she was sitting sideways as if cradled in Yuan Yunzhong’s embrace.
Involuntarily, she touched her forehead and looked towards Yuan Yunzhong.
Yuan Yunzhong looked back at Zhao Qi’s Wife and the young girl with eyes cold as frost, piercing to the core.
Both involuntarily shuddered.
Zhao Qi’s Wife was even more flustered than Song Jiyun, the person directly involved. Dragging the young girl out, she said, "Since you’re awake, I won’t come over to call you again. I’ll go and fetch you some water to wash your face, and once you’re ready, you can have breakfast."
Song Jiyun helplessly spread her hands and awkwardly coughed lightly, saying to Yuan Yunzhong, "Since we’ve just met by chance, we might never see each other again after we leave this place. Let them say what they will!"
Yuan Yunzhong neither agreed nor disagreed.
Song Jiyun quickly put these matters out of her mind, went to the doorway, and looked around. She then said to Yuan Yunzhong, "It looks like it’s early mao hour. Let’s skip breakfast, just take some steamed buns, and get going!"
She was still worried about the group that had chased them the day before.
Yuan Yunzhong nodded.
Zhao Qi’s Wife brought water for them to wash their faces but did not enter the room. From the doorway, she apologized to Song Jiyun, saying, "The person earlier is my daughter-in-law-to-be. She didn’t know you were staying in this room. My apologies."
Song Jiyun smiled and waved her hand, saying a few courteous words and requesting just a few steamed buns to take on the road, declining breakfast.
"How could that be!" Zhao Qi’s Wife’s head shook like a rattle-drum, "You must have breakfast before leaving, no matter what."
As she spoke, she cast a wary glance at Yuan Yunzhong and pulled Song Jiyun out of the doorway, whispering, "Sister, I think your trip to Jingde Town to visit relatives is just a pretense, and you’re really trying to avoid someone from your family, right? Instead of going to Jingde Town without knowing whether it’s good or bad, why not stay in our village?"
Song Jiyun’s expression darkened slightly.
Zhao Qi’s Wife, in her hearty yet intimate manner, patted her shoulder and said, "Isn’t your husband skilled in painting? We have a job here that needs someone who can paint. In just three to five months, I guarantee you can earn at least fifty taels of silver."
Song Jiyun felt a jolt in her heart, realizing her guess was correct.
This Zhao Family Village had a wild kiln.
Those who had pursued them were probably related to this place as well.
She took a deep breath and said with difficulty, "But we’ve already made arrangements with my aunt."
"That’s no issue at all!" Zhao Qi’s Wife said carelessly with a laugh, "Let our boy send a message to your aunt."
Were they determined to keep them here by force?
Without betraying any emotion, Song Jiyun pondered and said, "I’ll have to discuss it with the young master first."
As she spoke, she saw the young girl assisting an elderly woman into the house, surrounded by several young women.
Before the woman reached them, she could be heard exclaiming loudly, "Zhao Qi’s Home, I heard that a couple who eloped has come, and the gentleman can paint, too? Keep them here, and we’ll organize a wedding for them."
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