By the time she returned to Hongyuan, it was already dark. Exhausted, Tian Yu went back to the East Courtyard. From Qiuju and Lvliu, she learned that Tangyuan and Zhao Moyan had been waiting for her for a long time. Tangyuan was already asleep at Zhao Moyan's place, and the food on the table was cold. Qiuju offered to reheat it, but Tian Yu refused. Tian Yu didn't want to eat; she just wanted to lie down and rest. After a quick wash and changing her clothes, she asked them to fetch her a basin of hot water so she could soak her feet. Tian Yu lay weakly on the bed, closing her eyes, waiting for them to bring the water. In a daze, she sensed someone entering, but she didn't want to move. The next second, someone took off her shoes. Tian Yu forced herself to sit up and said weakly, "I can do it myself!"
Upon seeing that the person in front of her was Zhao Moyan, Tian Yu immediately sobered up and subconsciously tried to pull her foot back, but Zhao Moyan held on and didn't let go. He continued to take off Tian Yu's socks, put them in the hot water, and then lifted the other foot to continue the same steps. Tian Yu lowered her head, feeling both ashamed and annoyed, but looking at Zhao Moyan's serious expression, she didn't know how to refuse. She whispered, "I can do it myself, don't bother me!"
Zhao Moyan acted as if he hadn’t heard and continued to wash Tian Yu’s feet. Tian Yu felt so embarrassed that her toes were about to knot together. In her memory, this was the first time someone had ever washed her feet, and it was her ex-husband in name only!
Finally, after washing her, Zhao Moyan dried Tian Yu off and put her on the bed. Green Willow and Autumn Chrysanthemum came in, took away the water, and brought in a bowl of porridge. Zhao Moyan gestured for them to put it down, and the two of them put it down and left, closing the door behind them.
Hearing the door close, Tian Yu's heart skipped a beat. She gave Zhao Moyan an awkward smile and quickly lowered her head. Zhao Moyan brought over some rice porridge and said, "Eat the porridge."
"I'm not hungry!" Tian Yu said, looking at the porridge being fed to her.
"Open your mouth!"
Seeing Zhao Moyan's expressionless face, unable to guess what he was thinking, Tian Yu chose to open her mouth and eat. After Zhao Moyan finished feeding her a bowl of porridge, he wiped the corner of Tian Yu's mouth before getting up to leave. Tian Yu thought he was leaving and breathed a sigh of relief, but Zhao Moyan only took the bowl out and handed it to Qiu Ju, and then told them to go to the front yard to watch over Tangyuan, saying that no one was needed here anymore.
Hearing his words and the sound of the door closing again, Tian Yu's heart trembled once more. Watching Zhao Moyan approach, Tian Yu unconsciously moved further into the bed.
Seeing Zhao Moyan calmly take off his coat and lie down on the bed, Tian Yu stared at him with wide eyes in fright. Zhao Moyan closed his eyes and said, "Sleep! If you don't want me to send people to follow you, lie down and go to sleep now."
Upon hearing his words, Tian Yu quickly lay down, then thought for a moment and asked softly, "Are you angry that I came back so late?"
"No!"
"What about glutinous rice balls?"
"No!"
"I'm sorry, I forgot the time for a moment and made you wait for a long time, didn't I?"
"Good to know, but don't let it happen again."
"I promise there will never be a next time."
"What if there is?"
"I will punish myself by copying the words you taught me a hundred times," Tian Yu vowed, counting on her fingers.
"Okay! Don't try to renege on your promise later."
When Tian Yu woke up in the morning, Zhao Moyan had already left. After having breakfast, Tian Yu spent some time with Tangyuan before going out again.
Standing in front of Hongyuan Gate that night, Tian Yu felt like crying. What should she do? It seemed even later than yesterday. Would Zhao Moyan eat her alive, or even kill her? He must be furious! After thinking for a long time, Tian Yu finally mustered up the courage to walk up the steps. As soon as she entered the gate, she bumped into Zhao Moyan. Zhao Moyan had been waiting for Tian Yu inside. When he saw her return, he turned to leave, but seeing that she hadn't come in, he turned back to look. He saw Tian Yu standing in front of the gate, looking frustrated. He was initially angry, but seeing her expression, his anger subsided considerably. He stood inside waiting for her to come in on her own. But Tian Yu didn't dare to lift her head and rushed in headfirst, like a prisoner being led to the execution ground.
Tian Yu looked at Zhao Moyan, who had been bumped into by her, and stammered for a long time, not knowing how to explain. Zhao Moyan didn't waste any words, picked up Tian Yu and walked straight to the east courtyard. Tian Yu wanted to get down, and was about to speak when she saw Zhao Moyan's icy face. She swallowed her saliva and swallowed back what she was going to say, burying her head in his arms and not daring to look at the expressions of the servants.
Under Zhao Moyan's care, Tian Yu ate and took a bath. Now she sat in front of the bronze mirror, while Zhao Moyan dried her hair. Since returning, Zhao Moyan hadn't said or asked anything, only using a commanding tone to instruct Tian Yu. For example, just now, when Tian Yu finished bathing and was about to dry her hair herself, Zhao Moyan came over, took the towel from her hand, and commanded, "Sit down!"
“I can wipe it myself,” Tian Yu tried to explain.
"Sit down!" Zhao Moyan said, emphasizing his words.
Seeing Zhao Moyan's expression, Tian Yu knew that she was in the wrong first, and dared not argue, so she had to compromise again, obediently sit down, and let Zhao Moyan serve her.
"I'm going to write something." After finally finishing tidying up, Tian Yu stood up and said.
"One hundred times!"
"Okay! I'll go right now." Tian Yu kept her word. Although she didn't want to write, she sat down at the table and started writing so that she wouldn't have to stay with Zhao Moyan like this anymore.
Zhao Moyan didn't stop her. He picked up a book and sat down beside Tian Yu. Tian Yu copied the text very diligently, but couldn't resist the drowsiness. Before long, she was nodding off like a pestle, and after struggling to stay awake for a long time, she finally fell asleep and collapsed into Zhao Moyan's arms. Zhao Moyan had already seen that she was so sleepy but still trying to stay awake. He put down the book, came to her side, and caught the slumped Tian Yu. Looking at the sleeping person in his arms, Zhao Moyan's eyes softened. He picked up Tian Yu and put her back on the bed. He lay down himself, pulled Tian Yu into his arms, kissed her cheek, closed his eyes, and fell asleep contentedly.
When Tian Yu woke up the next day, Zhao Moyan had left early again. Tian Yu looked at the empty bed beside her, knowing that they had slept together again last night. She sighed, not knowing what to do. How long could she endure this? She didn't understand what Zhao Moyan was thinking. Why was he so gentle with her the later she came back? It always made her feel inexplicably guilty, as if she had cheated on him, even though they were already divorced.
Tian Yu scratched her hair in frustration, patted the blanket, and muttered that she was so annoyed. Zhao Moyan was driving her crazy, and she felt increasingly guilty, as if she were a bad person who had bullied him.
After a quick bite to eat, Tian Yu tidied up and went to check on Tang Yuan, who was already learning from her teacher. Tian Yu felt a little guilty towards Tang Yuan, as she had been busy traveling lately and hadn't had time to spend with Tang Yuan and Xiao Ju properly. But then she thought about how it would be over soon, and how they could go back to Lao Zhao Village to continue farming and making a living.
Back in her room, Tian Yu was still thinking about how to find out about Chen Chong's whereabouts and the court's plans. Looking in the direction of Zhao Moyan's study, Tian Yu knew that what she wanted should be there, but as soon as she thought about it, she immediately shook her head and told herself that she couldn't do that, she couldn't have such a thought.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
