Chapter 63 Dog Training (Part Two)
Hearing him say that, Shanhe had no choice but to stop what she was doing, and said to him with her lips pursed, "Then I'll go and get a cool towel and apply it to your face."
"It's none of your business." Liang Ye suddenly remembered that He Niang was outside, so he called out, "He Niang! Come in!"
A moment later, He Niang approached with her head bowed, her hands clasped in front of her abdomen, and said respectfully, "What are your orders, sir?"
Liang Ye instructed, "Go and soak a cool towel and bring it over."
"A cool towel?" He Niang looked up and saw several finger marks on Liang Ye's right cheek. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly lowered her head and said, "This servant will go right away." With that, she hurriedly went out.
When He Niang returned, Liang Ye was holding Shan He's hand, gently coaxing her with sweet words. He Niang lowered her head even further and stood aside, whispering, "Master, let me apply some ointment for you."
Liang Ye directly handed Shanhe a cool towel and said, "No need, you should go back to your room and rest early. In the future, go back to your room as soon as you finish your work." He smiled, "If you stay out so late at night and get caught by Granny Wei, she'll definitely accuse you of shirking your duties."
He Niang paused for a moment before slowly saying, "Alright, I understand."
Liang Ye nodded: "Go then."
He Niang then lifted her foot and left.
"Shanshan, come here." He looked at the handkerchief in Shanhe's palm. Shanhe had been sitting silently to the side, but now that she heard him say this, she could only hold the handkerchief and gently press it against his face, lowering her eyes and saying, "Everyone says He Niang looks like me."
She raised her beautiful eyes and stared straight into his eyes: "The names are similar too."
Their eyes met, and Liang Ye felt a surge of irritation. He had kept He Niang in the first place and even changed the character "He" in her name because she resembled Shan He. Now that Xue Shan He was by his side, He Niang's existence was meaningless. However, since she was of lowly birth and had not committed any wrongdoing, he had no need to drive her away, much less send her back to a place like Pingkang Lane.
Liang Ye pursed his lips and said, "If you don't like her, I'll teach her to avoid you more in the future."
Shanhe focused her gaze on Liang Ye's face and asked softly, "Does the master like her?"
Liang Ye smiled faintly: "She's just a servant girl."
“I am also a servant.”
“Shanshan, you are different from them,” he said earnestly.
“But He Niang and I are most alike.”
Liang Ye frowned slightly, raised his hand to grasp Shan He's hand, and was about to speak when Shan He interrupted him: "Master, whether you take a wife or a concubine is none of my business. Even if you take He Niang as your concubine tomorrow, it's none of my business."
Liang Ye said, "You're overthinking it again. She's only fourteen years old. How could we possibly take her in?"
"What if she were my age?"
Liang Ye was silent for a moment before speaking in a calm voice, "Shanshan, if you weren't by my side, she might really have become my concubine, or even a mistress. I kept her in the room not because of her, but because of you. At that time, I thought we were not meant to be, so I kept her only as a token of your affection. But now that you're here, she has no need to exist anymore. However, I won't send her away. She comes from Pingkangfang and has never done anything wrong. It would be too heartless to send her away. That's not the way of a wealthy family."
“Sir, you misunderstood me. What I just said was that even if you take her in, it has nothing to do with me,” Shanhe said, pursing her lips. “What I meant was that if you love me, you should at least respect me first; if you love me, you should love me as a whole. The reason I feel tormented by your side is because you keep saying you love me, but I can’t feel that love in your actions. Now that I think about it, I think I know why I always feel tormented. You keeping He Niang by your side means that I am replaceable, but in my heart, you are irreplaceable.”
His pupils constricted sharply: "Shanshan..."
Shanhe placed the cool towel on the low table, then reached out and cupped Liang Ye's face in her hands, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed: "Aye, I've given you everything. My only family is in your hands, I've given you my body, and perhaps before long, my heart will be entirely yours..." Shanhe spoke slower and slower, her voice growing softer and softer.
Liang Ye felt his heart pounding like a drum, wishing it could leap out of his chest immediately. The girl he had secretly longed for for two years, the girl he had gone to great lengths to win over, was now holding his face in her hands, her eyes filled with him, earnestly confessing her love to him! The spot touched by Shan He gradually grew hot, and Liang Ye bit his lower lip, but his lips also quickly turned red.
"If Xue Shanhe's heart has ten parts, Liang Ye will fill it all in the blink of an eye. And what about Liang Ye's heart?" His dark pupils reflected his increasingly trembling eyes.
"If Liang Ye had ten parts of his heart, how much would he be willing to give to Xue Shanhe?"
Liang Ye could no longer resist. He pulled Shan He close and kissed her. His love was overwhelming, but remembering her words, her tears, her grievances and torment, he forced himself to slow down and soften.
Their lips rubbed together.
Shanhe put her arm around his shoulder, and when he was about to kiss her, Shanhe pushed him away: "You just said that I had to be willing. Besides, I'm still injured."
Liang Ye could only stammer, "Fine..." He then added, "This couch is too narrow. Let's go back to the bed. Anyway, I've agreed to your request. If you don't want to, I won't touch you."
Shanhe glanced at the canopy bed with its brocade curtains hanging low, and frowned slightly: "I...I don't want to go. I keep thinking about the pain from last night. Master, please allow me a couple of days to recover." She lowered her eyes, her heart pounding with anxiety. She knew she was secretly testing Liang Ye's bottom line, but she was afraid that if he found out, all her efforts would be ruined.
Hearing her say that, Liang Ye had no choice but to give up. He got up and blew out the lamp on Shan He's side before returning alone to his canopy bed, picking up a book and leaning against his pillow to read. Yet, his heart was restless. Shan He's heartfelt words from tonight still echoed in his ears, especially her question: if his heart had ten parts, how many would he be willing to give to her? Liang Ye had never considered this question before. If it were the old him, he would have divided his heart into ten pieces, taking a few for himself, a few for his future, and the rest for A Shao and the Liang family. He had never thought about how much weight a woman would hold in his heart. But Shan He's question tonight forced him to think deeply.
Does Shanhe truly hold no weight in his heart?
Absolutely not.
Thinking this, his heart softened again and again. Liang Ye turned his face and looked in the dim candlelight. The person on the soft couch was already fast asleep. The narrow couch used by the night watch maid allowed one of her hands to dangle off the couch, and the moonlight cast the shadow of her slender hand onto the ground.
A thought suddenly popped into Liang Ye's mind: How could he let Shan Shan really sleep there? She wasn't a night watch maid.
Liang Ye threw back the covers and rose, bathed in half moonlight and half candlelight, slowly walking to the soft couch. She slept peacefully, her dark eyelashes casting a fan-shaped shadow on her cheek, her pink lips slightly parted, revealing a glimpse of her pearly white teeth. He suddenly felt a strong urge to defile her in her sleep. Would she wake up? Would she accept him? Would she murmur his name? Would she contract and absorb him at the same frequency as when she was awake?
His heart started racing again, his blood rushing and converging, causing his member to gradually rise.
But it simply wouldn't work. He had already promised her, and besides, she was injured. In order to ensure he could have Shanhe for a long and smooth future, he had no choice but to suppress his desire tonight.
Liang Ye picked up Shanhe and headed straight for the study.
He placed a daybed in the inner room of his study, which was more spacious than the soft couch and could comfortably accommodate two people.
Perhaps because she had exhausted too much energy during the day, Shanhe did not wake up even when he was being held like this. Only when the cool night breeze blew did she unconsciously shrink into his arms.
Liang Ye inwardly complained that the gust of wind was too short-lived.
The Luohan bed was not used on ordinary days, only covered with an ivory mat, which was uncomfortable to sleep on. Liang Ye gently put Shanhe down and settled her in before going to the courtyard and calling out, "Someone! Someone! Bring a bed and bedding over!" Then he went back.
Cai Xiang and Cai Ping came out, dressed in their robes, followed by He Niang and Miao Er. Just as Cai Xiang was about to go to the storeroom, He Niang said softly, "Sister Cai Xiang, go back and rest first. I usually take care of these things; I'll go and get them."
Caiping smiled and said, "You're quite clever today." With that, she took Caixiang's hand and went back to the house, saying as they walked, "Why do you worry so much about such a small thing? Go to sleep early, and we can serve you again tomorrow morning."
Liang Ye sat on the edge of the bed, his suppressed desires surging up again.
“A light spring robe conceals the rosy clouds, dimples on her lips are like flowers blooming…” he murmured, then laughed self-deprecatingly, mocking himself for using his poetic talent on such lewd and erotic words.
He Niang brought in a brand-new set of bedding, and Liang Ye picked up Shan He again, letting He Niang spread out the blankets and tidy the bed. After the bed was tidied up, he put Shan He back down and covered her lower abdomen with a thin quilt.
He Niang looked at his profile and said in a very low voice, "Master, would you like me to soak a cool towel for you? The nanny said that the results will be announced tomorrow, and the master and mistress will all be coming. It might not look good if there are marks on your face."
Liang Ye nodded, then remembered that the matter with the Ouyang family was not yet settled, and the purse containing the secret letter was still left in the bathhouse. He said, "I'm going to the bathhouse too, you can come with me."
The two walked together. Liang Ye sat in the rosewood chair where Shan He had just been sitting, unfolded the secret letter and read it carefully from beginning to end, his brows furrowing more and more with each reading. He Niang wrung out a towel and gently applied it to Liang Ye's wound, softly asking, "Master, does it hurt?"
Liang Ye was taken aback; the tone was exactly the same as Shan He's. His gaze shifted from the secret letter to He Niang's face.
The candlelight flickered, casting shadows on her face. Her dark eyes reflected the candlelight, and also on him. Seeing Liang Ye turn his face away, He Niang smiled, a gentle and pretty smile, her breath sweet as orchids: "If it hurts, I'll be gentler."
This is also very similar to Xue Shanhe.
Previously, He Niang only resembled Xue Shanhe in appearance, but their every frown, smile, anger, and gesture was different. But now, He Niang's behavior and mannerisms are even more like Xue Shanhe's than Xue Shanhe's.
"Sir, the towel isn't cold anymore, I'll go chill it again." He Niang lowered her head and backed away, walking to the carved vermilion lacquered washbasin stand, and put the white towel into the water.
Liang Ye's gaze followed her intently. He saw He Niang with her head bowed and eyes lowered, turning half her face to show him. Her face was like jade, her earlobes full, adorned with droplet-like earrings that clung to her neck, making her skin appear even whiter than snow. Liang Ye remembered that Shan He's most sensitive spot was these rounded earlobes.
Liang Ye rested his elbows on the armrests, propped his chin up with his fingers, and looked at He Niang with amusement. He wasn't usually one to indulge in romance, but at this point, he couldn't help but see through He Niang's thoughts.
He laughed: "He Niang, your earrings are quite unique."
He Niang replied gently, "It was left to me by my sister back then."
"Oh, what a pity." His eyes were full of laughter. "Tomorrow, I'll have Caixiang open the storeroom, and you can choose one yourself. If you serve me well tonight, I'll reward you."
He Niang had already wrung out a towel and walked over. Upon hearing this, her eyes lit up, and she couldn't hide her joy and excitement.
She's still just a little girl, he thought to himself.
She pressed the cool towel against him, now even closer to Liang Ye, their bodies almost touching, their breaths mingling.
Liang Ye grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, and exhaled a breath of hot air onto He Niang's face: "Little He Niang, you're fourteen years old, aren't you?"
“She’s fifteen now, and her coming-of-age ceremony was held on a boat.” He Niang actually wanted to say that it was the day after her sister died.
A fifteen-year-old girl, having passed her coming-of-age ceremony, is considered an adult. Liang Ye understood her unspoken meaning.
He glanced at the night through the window, then took the handkerchief from He Niang's hand: "It's getting late, you should go back and rest."
He Niang did not answer, but slowly squatted down, knelt between his knees, raised her beautiful face, and looked at him tenderly.
Liang Ye sat with his legs spread apart, looking down at He Niang and squinting. He really did look like Xue Shanhe, the Xue Shanhe who had just become a wife in Mizhou, with a bit of a young girl's naiveté.
Further down, the fervent desire that had been stirred by Shanhe earlier had already softened by half. He Niang also looked over.
"Only fifteen, how does she know all this?" Liang Ye frowned slightly, then remembered that she was from Pingkangfang. That's strange.
He Niang's clear, melodious voice rang out: "Master, let me serve you." She raised her hand and reached out in that direction.
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Author's note: I'll be taking a break tomorrow and will update every other day. Don't wait for me.
The older brother is pure, Shan Shan will never be moved by him, and He Niang's feelings are revealed later.
The next plot point is quite important, so I'll take a break tomorrow and think carefully about how to write it.
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