Wei Shao was slightly taken aback. His hand slowly withdrew from her body.
The light within the curtains was dim, but he could still see that her body was curled up, giving him a different feeling than usual.
“Are you feeling unwell?” he finally asked.
“No,” she replied.
After a moment, he asked again, “Are you… still angry with me?”
“How could I be? As I said earlier, it’s just that my monthly cycle has arrived, so I cannot serve my husband tonight,” Xiao Qiao answered, her voice calm.
Wei Shao opened his mouth but ultimately closed it without speaking.
The room fell silent. Wei Shao, however, couldn’t fall asleep, just like those nights when he had fled to Fanyang.
To be honest, his mood was quite low at the moment. He almost felt it would have been better to stay in Fanyang rather than return home. Out of sight, out of mind.
He knew she had been angry with him that night. So when he later tried to make amends by being intimate with her, she refused. Although her tone had been gentle at the time, a refusal was still a refusal, and he could certainly sense it.
He found it hard to accept her treating him this way, yet he didn’t know how to respond. So the next day, he left early while she was still asleep. After finishing his work at the office, when it was time to return home, he hesitated and finally made a last-minute decision to go to Fanyang for a few days.
After all, before he was married, he often traveled here and there, and his grandmother and the others were used to it.
So he left for three days.
Those three days passed rather slowly. Finally, they were over. He figured that no matter how angry she had been, her anger should have subsided by now.
Most importantly, he hadn’t done anything to her at the time. He had just lost control of his temper for a moment and vented his anger at her.
He was her husband! In such a situation, for a husband to be as tolerant towards his wife as he had been should be considered quite reasonable.
So he returned today.
What he didn’t expect was that she would still behave the same way! She seemed to attend to him meticulously, without any faults, but from the moment he entered the door, he immediately sensed her coldness towards him. Especially when she contradicted him in front of Qiao Ci.
In all his years, Wei Shao had never encountered anyone who spoke to him like that!
Wei Shao felt very displeased about this and was quite confused. But thinking back, he had indeed been quite harsh with her that day. She was just a woman, after all, so he decided not to dwell on it too much.
Unexpectedly, she still didn’t appreciate his gesture.
She had touched something he had forbidden her to touch. When he discovered it, he had merely scolded her a bit. Three days had passed, and today when he returned home, he had even swallowed his pride to make amends with her again!
As Wei Shao lay in bed, the frustration in his heart grew heavier and heavier. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he slowly sat up, lifted the curtain, got out of bed, put on a robe, and went outside.
He needed to get some fresh air. Otherwise, lying there unable to sleep while the woman beside him seemed to have fallen asleep would suffocate him.
…
Three days ago, the master and mistress disagreed on that box, and Chun Niang was terrified at the time. Early the next morning, the master left, only returning tonight after three days. Unfortunately, as soon as the master returned, the mistress seemed to have another argument with him over the young master’s matter.
Chun Niang felt even more uneasy. Not knowing how the two were getting along tonight, she couldn’t sleep either. After tossing and turning, she finally got up to relieve herself. On her way back, she vaguely saw a figure pacing in the courtyard. At first, she was startled, but upon closer look, she recognized it as the master’s silhouette. Her heart immediately began to race, fearing that the mistress and he had quarreled, causing the master to leave the room in the middle of the night. She hurriedly approached and called out, “My Lord.”
Wei Shao had been standing with his hands behind his back, lost in thought as he gazed at the half-moon in the sky. He turned his head when he heard Chun Niang.
Suppressing her anxiety, Chun Niang cautiously asked in a soft voice, “Why is my Lord not resting in his chambers at such a late hour?”
Wei Shao exhaled a long breath and replied flatly, “It was stuffy in the room. I came out for some fresh air.”
Seeing his displeased expression, Chun Niang didn’t dare ask anything more. She bowed slightly and turned to leave. After a few steps, she heard Wei Shao say from behind, “I have something to ask you.”
Chun Niang quickly stopped and turned around. She saw the master walk a few steps towards her, then stop, remaining silent.
“Whatever my Lord wishes to ask, this servant will answer truthfully,” Chun Niang said.
Wei Shao nodded and finally asked, “Was she feeling unwell today? I asked her earlier, but she wouldn’t tell me.”
Chun Niang’s heart, which had been in suspense, finally settled upon hearing the master’s question. She quickly replied, “The mistress started her monthly cycle today and is indeed feeling unwell. If she has offended my Lord in any way, I beg for your understanding.”
Wei Shao remained silent.
Seeing that he didn’t seem to be angry, Chun Niang thought that since he had opened up, she might as well take this opportunity to say a few more words. She took a step forward and continued in a low voice, “My Lord may not know, but our mistress has always been delicate. Back in Dongjun, whenever her monthly cycle came, she would often be in such pain that she couldn’t get out of bed, clutching her stomach.
It’s been better these past six months, but she still experiences back pain and abdominal discomfort every time. She should have been resting in bed. Today, when the mistress learned about the young master’s situation, she rushed over herself. When she returned, this servant saw that she was exhausted and was about to rest, but then Madam sent for her. Hearing that Madam was experiencing chest pains, the mistress didn’t dare delay and went over immediately…”
Chun Niang paused.
Wei Shao, seeing her stop, frowned slightly. “Why did you stop? Continue.”
Chun Niang glanced at him and said softly, “What follows… this servant shouldn’t say.”
Wei Shao snorted, “Speak!”
Chun Niang complied, stammering, “This servant accompanied the mistress to Madam’s chambers. On the way, the mistress needed me to support her arm. When we arrived before Madam, Madam… seemed displeased with the mistress, so the mistress knelt for a long time before being allowed to rise. This servant saw that the mistress struggled to get up, and wanted to help her, but feared it might cause trouble for the mistress, so I didn’t dare… Later, when we left, I accompanied the mistress back to her room. Seeing how exhausted she was, I felt very sorry for her and urged her to rest early. But since my Lord hadn’t returned to the room yet, the mistress refused to rest first and insisted on sitting there waiting for my Lord…”
Before Chun Niang could finish, the figure before her suddenly moved. She saw Wei Shao stride past her, hurrying towards the main chamber. She quickly followed. She saw him take two or three steps up the stairs, push open the door, and enter.
Chun Niang slowly exhaled a long breath.
…
Although Xiao Qiao was physically exhausted, her lower back and abdomen ached, and with Wei Shao lying beside her, she couldn’t fall asleep. She was just closing her eyes. After Wei Shao left, she slept alone for a while, gradually steadying her breathing. As she finally calmed down, drowsiness began to overtake her. Just as she was dozing off, she felt a bright light flickering in front of her eyelids. Finally awakened, she hazily opened her eyes to see that Wei Shao had returned, climbed onto the bed, holding a candle stand, seemingly examining her. She closed her eyes again, raising an arm to shield them, her voice tinged with a slight complaint as she mumbled, “What are you doing…”
Wei Shao removed the hand covering her eyes and continued to study her closed eyes for a moment. Suddenly, he blew out the candle with a “puff.” After some rustling sounds, Xiao Qiao felt him lie down again, his arm reaching over to encircle her waist, moving to her stomach, his palm resting there, gently massaging.
With all this commotion, Xiao Qiao’s earlier drowsiness had long since disappeared.
She was already feeling unwell, and now, seeing that he still wouldn’t leave her alone, she began to feel irritated again. She grabbed his wrist, about to refuse, when she heard Wei Shao say softly near her ear, “You’re not feeling well. Why didn’t you tell me when I returned? You even forced yourself to serve me dinner? I don’t need you to serve me.”
Xiao Qiao was taken aback.
After speaking, Wei Shao fell silent. Only his palm continued to gently massage her lower abdomen.
“Does it hurt a lot?” he asked softly near her ear after a moment. His tone was unexpectedly gentle.
Xiao Qiao squirmed a bit uncomfortably, “…I’m much better now. You should sleep.”
Wei Shao pulled her closer into his embrace, making her completely lean against him.
“In the future, if you’re not feeling well anywhere, don’t hide it from me. If you don’t tell me, how am I supposed to know?”
His tone in the darkness seemed to carry a hint of displeasure.
Xiao Qiao bit her lip and softly responded with an “Mm.”
…
Wei Yan woke from a nightmare of being chased by hungry wolves, his heart still pounding violently in his chest. He suddenly opened his eyes to find that the window outside was faintly white – dawn had broken – and he had collapsed drunk on the floor in front of the bed in his room, sleeping face-up like this all night.
His head was somewhat swollen with pain. He raised his hand to rub his temples. The events of last night flooded back into his mind, scene by scene.
He remembered that yesterday evening, he had taken Qiao Ci to Luozhong Fang. They had barely sat down when Lady Qiao arrived and called Qiao Ci away. He went out to apologize to her, but she was very angry, scolded him, and left. After he returned, he drank alone in the courtyard, and in his drunken haze, he came back to the room…
He suddenly sat up and saw that the beautiful woman he had drawn on the opposite wall last night was still there. Her eyes were bright and her smile was charming.
He hadn’t touched a brush for many years. But last night, when he painted her, half-drunk and half-awake, his blood boiling and surging, he had completed it in one go.
Wei Yan remembered everything. His bloodshot eyes stared at the woman on the wall with billowing skirts and a lifelike face, his heart beating even more violently.
He vaguely remembered that later last night, he seemed to have gone out and ordered that no one was to enter this room.
But even so, he couldn’t let her remain on this wall.
He had committed such a beastly act towards his brother’s wife. If someone were to see it…
Wei Yan felt as if he had been pricked by a needle. Cold sweat immediately broke out, his heart nearly leaping out of his throat. He sprang up from the ground, drew the sword he had thrown on the floor, quickly went to the wall, and was about to scrape it off. With the sword tip pointing at the figure on the wall, he froze.
He really couldn’t bear to mar her flower-like face with the tip of his sword.
As he hesitated, he suddenly heard footsteps outside. Zhu Quan, the attendant who had followed him for many years, said from beyond the door, “My Lord, Dai Commandery sent a report this morning. Please review it.”
Wei Yan’s gaze flickered slightly. He responded with a “Wait a moment,” quickly sheathed his sword, and rushed to move several chests and cabinets that were originally leaning against the west wall, stacking them one by one until they covered the beauty on the wall. Then he closed the window. After looking around to ensure nothing was amiss, he went out and opened the door.
“My Lord, the report is here,” Zhu Quan handed over a message pouch.
He was nearly forty years old, cautious by nature, and had watched Wei Yan grow up. Wei Yan trusted him very much.
Wei Yan took it.
…
When Xiao Qiao fell asleep this time, she didn’t wake up until the next morning. Wei Shao hadn’t gotten up either. They were still in the same position as last night, with him holding her and her curled up in his embrace. They almost opened their eyes at the same time. Because as soon as she moved slightly, he woke up too.
When their eyes met, both seemed a bit embarrassed.
Xiao Qiao lowered her eyes and rolled out of his embrace. Wei Shao coughed dryly and jumped out of bed into the bathroom.
Xiao Qiao had noticed that he had pitched a tent down below. Of course, she pretended not to see. They both got up and got ready separately. Then they went together to the north room to see Madam Xu.
Wei Shao was tall with long legs, and he was used to taking big strides when walking. In the past, when Xiao Qiao walked with him, she was always left far behind.
This morning, however, he went against his habit and kept pace beside her. When they finally entered Madam Xu’s room together, they were surprised to see Wei Yan there too, kneeling beside Madam Xu, accompanying her for breakfast.
Seeing Wei Shao and Xiao Qiao arrive together, Madam Xu was very pleased and asked them to sit down and have breakfast too.
When they left earlier, they hadn’t eaten breakfast because they got up a bit late. Now that they were here, Wei Shao naturally wouldn’t stand in the ceremony with his grandmother. He went over and sat opposite Wei Yan. Glancing at Wei Yan and noticing the remnants of bloodshot eyes, he casually smiled and said, “Elder Brother, did you not sleep well last night?”
Madam Xu looked at Wei Yan and said in a loving but slightly reproachful tone, “Everything about you is good, except for your love of drinking. From now on, you’re not allowed to drink to excess anymore. It harms your health.”
Wei Yan said, “Grandmother’s teachings are correct. Your grandson will keep them in mind. I won’t dare to do it again.”
“You’d better really remember!” Madam Xu raised her eyes and saw Xiao Qiao declining to join. She beckoned her to sit opposite her while calling for someone to add bowls and chopsticks. She smiled and said, “We don’t stand on ceremony here, we’re all family.”
Xiao Qiao had no choice but to thank Madam Xu, climb onto the platform, smooth her skirt, and kneel. Wei Yan was to her right.
She still felt some resentment towards Wei Yan for taking her brother to Luozhong Fang last night, but now that she was seated, she naturally couldn’t show it in front of Madam Xu. Seeing him look over, she called him “Uncle” with a normal expression.
Wei Yan nodded slightly, not daring to look at her anymore, and averted his gaze.
They finished breakfast quietly. After rinsing their mouths and the food table was cleared away, Wei Yan bowed to Madam Xu and said, “Grandson came early this morning to bid farewell to Grandmother. Last time, I came to Yuyang for my Grandmother’s birthday and stayed for several months. Before I left, a few matters were pending in Dai Commandery. I thought I might as well take advantage of these two free days to go back and handle them. I’ll set out today, so I came early to say goodbye to Grandmother.”
Madam Xu nodded, “If you have matters to attend to, by all means, go back. I’m fine, you don’t need to worry about me.”
Wei Shao said, “Elder Brother, why are you going back at this time? In a few days, it will be the Deer Hunt Assembly. We can’t be without Elder Brother.”
Wei Yan smiled and said, “After the matters in Daijun, I will return as quickly as possible. I can’t miss the Lu Li Gathering!”
“That sounds great!” Wei Shao nodded. “When do you plan to set off? I’ll see you out of the city.”