Wei Shao returned very late. After coming out of the bathhouse, he said nothing and went straight to bed.
Xiao Qiao extinguished the lights shortly after and climbed into bed with him.
He seemed to fall asleep quickly.
Xiao Qiao gradually felt her breasts swelling. She slowly turned over.
Fei Fei’s routine was very regular. Usually, she would sleep at dusk after eating her fill. She would typically wake up once at the end of the hai hour for a diaper change and another feeding before sleeping soundly until dawn.
Xiao Qiao listened intently for any sounds from the adjacent room.
Moments later, she indeed heard a faint cry from Fei Fei.
Wei Shao suddenly sat up, startling Xiao Qiao.
“What’s wrong with her?” he asked in the darkness.
“She’s awake…” Xiao Qiao replied.
Wei Shao immediately got out of bed, lit the lamp, and hurried out.
Xiao Qiao put on a robe and followed him.
The wet nurse had just changed Fei Fei’s diaper and was about to feed her to lull her back to sleep.
Since Fei Fei’s birth, Xiao Qiao has always taken care of her.
Fei Fei loved the unique sweet, honey-like milk fragrance that emanated from her mother.
Though both wet nurses were clean, healthy young women, Fei Fei had never gotten used to them. Last month, when separated from her mother, she initially didn’t eat or sleep well for several days. Only after waiting in vain did she reluctantly begin to accept them.
These past few days, as soon as Xiao Qiao returned, Fei Fei immediately became attached again to the sweet scent unique to her mother. Having just woken up and unable to smell it, she became uneasy, spitting out the nipple placed in her mouth and starting to cry.
As the wet nurse was trying to soothe her, the door suddenly opened. Seeing the male lord burst in, she hurriedly covered her chest.
Wei Shao’s eyes fell on the continuously crying Fei Fei. He strode over, reaching out to hold her, but then seemed to hesitate. Instinctively, he turned his head to look at Xiao Qiao, who had followed him in.
Xiao Qiao went over, took her daughter in her arms, and gently pressed her cheek to Fei Fei’s forehead, saying softly, “Fei Fei, be good. Don’t cry. Mother is here.”
Fei Fei gradually stopped crying, sniffling lightly with tears still on her cheeks. Her tiny hands clutched tightly at her mother’s clothes.
The wet nurse, feeling somewhat uneasy, said quietly, “It’s my fault for disturbing the lady…”
“It’s alright,” Xiao Qiao said. “I’ll take care of her myself.” She called for a maid to bring a thin quilt, covered Fei Fei with it, and carried her out.
Wei Shao had been watching in a daze. Suddenly coming to his senses and seeing that Xiao Qiao had already left, he quickly turned to follow her.
Xiao Qiao returned to their room. Seeing Wei Shao enter and stand motionless by the door after closing it, she smiled and said, “Would you like to hold her?”
She brought Fei Fei to him.
Fei Fei, having just woken up and cried for her mother, was now lying in her soft, fragrant embrace. At this moment, she was in high spirits, gnawing on her hand while staring with her large, grape-like eyes at this person who had suddenly appeared.
Hm? This person looked somewhat different from those she usually saw around her—
Wei Shao gazed at his daughter, slowly reaching out to take her into his arms.
His shoulders were slightly stiff.
“Gently support her neck with your arm here, she’ll be more comfortable. Use your other hand to hold her like this—” Xiao Qiao leaned in closer, softly instructing him on how to hold Fei Fei.
Wei Shao held the soft, pink little person in his arms, looking down at her bright eyes that seemed to be examining him. He was extremely careful, fearing that one wrong move might hurt her.
The two were very close, with only Fei Fei between them. Suddenly, he caught a whiff of an indescribable sweet scent. It seemed familiar, like the milk fragrance from Fei Fei, yet not quite the same…
Faint yet pervasive, it went straight to his core with each breath, causing him to momentarily lose his breath.
He instinctively looked up, glancing at her.
She wasn’t looking at him, her gaze fixed on Fei Fei in his arms. Her cheeks were as fair as the new moon, her eyes gentle as water. A section of her jade-like neck was visible above her collar, and below that…
Wei Shao had noticed earlier that after giving birth, her figure had become more curvaceous, her chest fuller, as if a single squeeze would make it leak…
Fei Fei stared at the face of this strange, motionless person holding her for a moment, then lost interest.
She turned her face towards his chest.
It was hard and unyielding, not the soft, fragrant feeling she was used to from her mother.
She didn’t like it.
Her little mouth turned down, and she let out a loud cry.
Wei Shao was startled, finally coming back to his senses. He hurriedly patted her to soothe her.
Fei Fei’s cries grew even louder.
Wei Shao immediately became flustered.
He was already feeling hot all over, and now his forehead was breaking out in sweat.
“Let me take her,” Xiao Qiao said.
She took Fei Fei back, holding her and gently patting her back a few times.
Fei Fei quickly stopped crying, her little face nuzzling against her mother with a mix of grievance and urgency as she tried to burrow into her embrace.
“She’s hungry. I’ll feed her,” Xiao Qiao said.
She turned slightly, partly avoiding his direct gaze, and undid her clothes to nurse.
In her mother’s arms, Fei Fei gradually calmed down, closing her eyes and latching on, suckling vigorously.
Wei Shao only glanced once before averting his gaze. However, he could still hear the gulping sounds of the little one in her arms. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he unconsciously swallowed.
He stood stock-still nearby, suddenly feeling parched, his blood gradually heating up.
Fei Fei slowly fell asleep in her mother’s arms.
Xiao Qiao carried her to the small bed placed beside their large bed, bending down to gently lay her down and tuck her in.
As she straightened up, Wei Shao abruptly turned and started to leave. However, in his haste, he accidentally kicked a nearby incense stool.
The drum-shaped stool was knocked over, rolling forward with a series of noises.
Wei Shao’s heart pounded. He stopped abruptly, holding his breath, and looked back to see Fei Fei stirring slightly in her small bed. After a moment, she settled back to sleep.
He slowly exhaled, finally turning away. His voice slightly strained, he said, “You stay with Fei Fei… I just remembered I have something to do in the study…”
He started to leave again.
“My lord, do you not love me anymore?”
As he reached the screen, a clear and soft voice suddenly came from behind him.
She had come up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and gently pressing her cheek against his broad back, closing her eyes.
Wei Shao’s back stiffened.
The room became unusually quiet.
Even Fei Fei’s peaceful breathing from the small bed seemed audible.
Xiao Qiao held him tightly for a moment, then forcefully turned him around to face her.
He didn’t seem to resist much, allowing her to change his direction.
Yet he still stood rigid as a board, not moving even a finger.
She looked up at him, her beautiful eyes misty and fixed on his face.
“When I returned during the day and saw your horse at the gate, I knew you were back. My heart was filled with joy…”
She paused, then raised her arms to encircle his neck. Standing on tiptoe, she pressed her lips against his dry ones, her tongue gently probing.
“My lord, I love you too…” she murmured, her breath fragrant.
Wei Shao stared at her, his breathing suddenly seeming to lose all control, becoming abruptly heavy. He panted twice, then suddenly grabbed her, holding her head and fiercely biting her lips.
He crushed her delicate lips with his mouth, his iron-like arms holding her body tightly against his chest as if wanting to meld her into his flesh with that force.
Xiao Qiao trembled in his arms, waves of passion surging within her. The milk that Fei Fei hadn’t finished earlier began to leak out, quickly wetting both their clothes.
Wei Shao lifted her and laid her on the bed, pressing down on top of her.
Wet, sticky, sweet…
Xiao Qiao closed her eyes, tilting her head back. Her toes curled tightly, her body trembling uncontrollably.
“My lord—” she suddenly let out a broken and soft moan.
Wei Shao forcibly restrained his desire to immediately ravish her, temporarily stopping and closing his eyes.
The burning frustration and unease that had been pent up in his heart during his return journey to Yuyang suddenly disappeared at this moment.
Her acceptance was so warm.
Even without doing anything else, just this made him feel comfortable all over.
All the pores of his body suddenly dilated at the moment of being accepted by her.
He involuntarily shuddered.
How long had it been since he had experienced such a wonderful feeling with her?
…
Even on that day when he had surrounded Dongjun with his troops and she came to find him, at his angriest moment, facing her, he didn’t dare to say those words that had once rushed to his throat, telling her to go back to the Qiao family.
He was afraid she would leave and never return to his side.
Just now, she said she was happy about his return home, and even said that she loved him too.
Was she deceiving him again to this extent, or was it true?
Hot sweat rolled down his forehead.
He was extremely unwilling to admit it.
But at this moment, he knew clearly in his heart that all his resentment and unwillingness, in front of her, might only end in surrender.
Because he couldn’t let her go anymore.
…
Xiao Qiao slowly opened her beautiful eyes.
“My lord—” she parted her red lips. Her eyelashes trembled, her eyes filled with the flowing waves of spring. Like a small beast that had been subdued, she panted beneath him, her expression bewildered and helpless.
Wei Shao’s eyes darkened. He gritted his teeth and thrust into her forcefully.
Amidst her cry of pleasure, he once again sealed her mouth with his own.
…
When Xiao Qiao woke up, it was not yet dawn. Fei Fei was still sound asleep, but the space beside her was empty.
Wei Shao had gone somewhere.
It was just the middle of the yin hour.
Xiao Qiao slowly sat up in bed, lost in thought for a moment. She got up and dressed, went to check on Fei Fei by the small bed, adjusted her blanket, and quietly left for the study.
The night was still deep, and a dim light shone through the window of the study.
The door wasn’t fully closed. Through the gap, Xiao Qiao saw Wei Shao sitting behind his desk, with that red wooden box she hadn’t seen for a long time in front of him.
The box lid was open, and spread out on the desk was a half-unfolded black battle flag with white trim.
From her angle, she could see what seemed to be a golden tiger face with fangs embroidered in the center of the flag.
It must have been majestic in its day. Now the flag was tattered, one corner stained, showing the dimness of years past.
The stain was old, but still recognizable as a bloodstain.
Wei Shao’s gaze was fixed on this tattered flag.
The candlelight cast his shadow on the wall.
A huge black silhouette, motionless.
He was so absorbed, seemingly deeply immersed in his world, that despite his usual alertness, he hadn’t noticed Xiao Qiao standing outside the door.