Chapter 38 I Offended You
On the other side, the wheels rolled away from the palace. The atmosphere in the car was a little awkward and ambiguous at first, but later it gradually returned to normal. When the temperature on his face cooled down, Xiao Ji said softly, "I'm sorry."
The sound was so indistinct amidst the clatter of horse hooves and wheels that Qing Wu almost didn't hear it. Seeing her stunned, Xiao Ji had no choice but to repeat himself, "I just offended you. Don't be angry."
This time he was looking at her as he spoke. The carriage curtains fluttered in the wind, and in the light and shadow, his face looked more mature and handsome than usual, as if he had completely shed his youthful innocence. But when he turned his head completely, Qingwu felt that this was not the case.
The boy's face was full of seriousness, his lips of moderate thickness were slightly pursed, and only his eyelashes revealed his inner uneasiness.
Realizing that he was really apologizing to her for his previous behavior, Qing Wu looked at the young man in front of her with a hint of curiosity in her eyes. She looked at him for two breaths as if she was looking at something rare, and couldn't help laughing out loud.
Xiao Ji just looked at the girl covering her lips and laughing, her beautiful phoenix eyes completely curved into a line. He couldn't help but feel awkward, his eyes unable to leave the smiling face while he was thinking about what he had said wrongly.
Even after Qing Wu's laughter died down, Xiao Ji was still stunned, his peach blossom eyes filled with confusion. Seeing that he really didn't understand, Qing Wu couldn't help but shake his head and sighed, "What is Liu Lang's relationship with me? Can it be considered an offense?"
Xiao Ji suddenly realized that the girl in front of him was his concubine, his only woman. How could it be considered an offense for him to touch his own woman?
The moment he woke up, he also turned his face away. Besides being embarrassed, Xiao Ji felt a deep sense of shame in his heart. He had just involuntarily mistaken her for her twin sister, the second lady of the Xi family!
But whether it was the word "Liu Lang" or her bright and lively smile, it was exactly the same as the Xi family's second wife in his memory. What did his own concubine look like when she smiled? Xiao Ji thought about it carefully, but he couldn't remember it clearly. It was probably a slight smile with pursed lips, not showing teeth, the standard etiquette of a noble lady.
Looking at the girl in front of him who was still smiling, Xiao Ji could no longer suppress his curiosity and asked, "Do you look a lot like your sister?"
He suddenly asked this question, and Qingwu subconsciously thought of the little girl Qingmian. He was about to answer "not like that" but suddenly realized that she was now "Xi Qingtong", and the sister he was talking about should be himself. But when he thought of Xi Qingtong, the smile on Qingwu's face faded.
Xiao Ji watched the girl in front of her become less interested. She paused before replying, "Similar, how can twin sisters not look alike?"
In fact, what he wanted to ask was her personality, but when he saw her expression fade, Xiao Ji swallowed his words for some reason.
Thinking of how Xi Qingtong colluded with her mother to force her to do such an absurd thing, Qingwu couldn't suppress the resentment in her heart. Even though she felt that this was a blessing now, who could completely accept being forced by family affection?
She suddenly lost interest and naturally didn't want to tease Xiao Ji anymore. Qing Wu no longer looked at Xiao Ji, but looked at the car window beside her. When the curtain fluttered, the voices of street vendors came from outside.
When Qingwu heard Granny Wang's unique shout, her heart sank slightly. She opened the curtain and looked out the window. Sure enough, the plaque of Zhuangyuan Building came into view.
The bustling streets of yesterday were still vivid in her mind. She thought of Shanshan, the green peony, and Song Yunhe. She was lost in melancholy, unaware that the young man beside her was staring at her intently.
Xiao Ji didn't know why he was like this. His legs were still hurting from time to time, and the resentment and unwillingness caused by many events were like a raging fire burning in his heart. But when he saw that face, these complicated emotions were involuntarily suppressed by another feeling.
He didn't know why she suddenly became unhappy. After a long pause, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you reluctant to leave this place? You can come back often."
Although she had lost her status, she still had money and was not unable to return to the capital. She was still willing to follow me like this. How could Xiao Ji treat her unfairly?
Even though...even though he thought more about her sister.
Xiao Ji didn't dare to think too deeply about this matter. Once he thought about it too deeply, he felt that he was nothing. So when Qing Wu turned to look at him, he saw his eyes were wandering. Thinking that he was worried that she would miss home, Qing Wu forced a smile and shook her head.
Seeing that she didn't want to say more, Xiao Ji looked at the gold hairpin on her bun and said nothing more.
Parting always brings sadness.
Half an hour passed quietly like this, and the carriage had already driven out of the capital. The trees gradually grew lush, and the cool breeze blew the curtains and hit Qingwu's face, making her suddenly sober. Seeing the spring scenery outside, she simply tied up the curtains and let the breeze directly into the carriage.
The dark clouds in the morning had completely dispersed, and the warm sunlight poured into the carriage and fell on the girl's lips. Xiao Ji's gaze involuntarily drifted up again.
I just felt that the place was as white as jade and as red as blood, and it was particularly dazzling.
He didn't know why he remembered that the word "Liu Lang" came from this mouth, and his face began to burn. Then he remembered that he was not referring to the person in front of him, and his face gradually turned cold. He was so hot and cold that he almost got into a dead end when the carriage suddenly stopped.
After a while, Zhao Tong's voice penetrated the carriage curtain: "...Master, Yang Lantai requests an audience."
The word "Yang" instantly made Xiao Ji raise his eyes. He paused for two breaths and said, "Open the door."
Qingwu also collected her thoughts and straightened her posture to prepare to meet the guest. She knew Yang Lantai, who was Xiao Ji's uncle Yang Xuchuan, the current Lantai Lingshi, who was in charge of compiling historical books and was also her father's former subordinate.
The car door slowly opened, and Qingwu saw a middle-aged man in plain clothes standing outside the car frame. He was slightly hunched over, and the moment he looked up, his eyes were fixed on Xiao Ji in the wheelchair like a magnet.
Seeing Xiao Ji's pale face, the veins on his forehead throbbed, and his Adam's apple rolled up and down with difficulty, as if thousands of words were stuck in his chest, but in the end, they only turned into a hoarse call: "Xue Nu."
This nickname, with its strong nasal tone, was like a key, instantly opening the floodgates of Xiao Ji's memory. His fingers holding onto the wheelchair suddenly tightened, his knuckles turning white, and his eyes instantly became hot.
The face of his uncle in front of him gradually overlapped with the face of his mother in his memory, and a sour taste instantly spread in his nasal cavity.
After a long time, Xiao Ji controlled his emotions and whispered, "Uncle shouldn't have come."
The word "uncle" hit Yang Xuchuan like a hammer, hammering down on his heart. A sob choked him, and he fought back tears as he climbed onto the carriage and slowly knelt before Xiao Ji. His wrinkled hands cautiously reached into his arms, pulled out an oil-paper bag, and gently placed it on Xiao Ji's lap.
"This is your favorite meat pie."
The oil paper still retains body temperature and exudes a faint, alluring aroma.
Yang Xuchuan's voice trembled, his hand still hanging on Xiao Ji's knee. After hesitating for a long time, he gently placed it on his left leg as if touching fragile porcelain. He only touched his outer robe lightly and did not dare to move again.
How painful it must be...
Xiao Ji stared at the oil-paper bag on his lap, his vision gradually blurring. From the depths of his memory, the scene of his childhood visits to his uncle's house emerged before his eyes. Back then, he always wanted to eat the meat patties made by the Yang family's cook. He had never expected that his uncle would still remember his childhood hobby.
The two of them sat in silence, their eyes reddening, yet they both tried hard to hold back their tears. After a long moment, Yang Xuchuan closed his eyes, and as if exhausting all his strength, he spoke with difficulty:
"Xue Nu, this time it's the Yang family that's wronged you... Don't blame your grandfather..."
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