Cheng Lang didn’t notice her at first.
He chatted cheerfully with his sisters-in-law, his gentle voice making them laugh. Luo Yining quietly sipped her tea.
He was quite skilled at charming women.
It wasn’t until someone called out “Third Madam” to Yining that she turned her head to listen.
When Cheng Lang saw her among the group, his smile faded. He had heard she was back but hadn’t seen her yet.
The emotion was strange. The Luo and Cheng families lived in the same alley, so close. He knew that from sunset to sunrise, she was only a short distance away. Yet he couldn’t see her or sense her presence. Unexpectedly, she was here today.
Cheng Lang regained his composure and nodded slightly to Luo Yining as a greeting.
Xie Yun returned from checking on the soup and saw Cheng Lang. She quickly stepped forward and took his arm, a smile playing on her lips. “You’re back so early today!”
“Court ended early,” Cheng Lang replied with a smile. “Didn’t you say yesterday you were making some soup for me? Is it ready?”
As he spoke, he didn’t look at Luo Yining at all.
Xie Yun remembered that Luo Yining and Cheng Lang had once been engaged. She wondered if Luo Yining still had feelings for him, which displeased her.
“It’s ready,” Xie Yun said, pulling his hand. “Come taste it. I had the maid cool it down for you.”
Cheng Lang agreed and bid farewell to the group.
“Fourth Sister-in-law is only like this in front of Fourth Brother. Usually, she’s indifferent to everyone else,” the eldest Madam Cheng said after they left. “But Fourth Brother treats her well in return. He doesn’t even have a single concubine.”
“They say that the most romantic men are the most devoted when they meet the woman they truly love,” she continued thoughtfully. “I suppose that’s the case with Fourth Brother. It’s quite rare.”
The eldest Madam Cheng was usually not very polite to Xie Yun, so it was unusual for her to praise the couple.
Luo Yixiu, cracking melon seeds, turned to see Luo Yining lost in thought. She nudged her, “What are you thinking about?”
Luo Yining snapped back to reality and shook her head. “Nothing.”
It was merely the passage of time and the changes it brought. How could she not notice Cheng Lang’s unfamiliarity and avoidance?
Luo Yining stood up and quietly called Zhenzhu over to whisper something.
A while later, as the women moved to the front hall to admire plum blossoms, Luo Yining walked towards the central hall. Cheng Lang was waiting for her under the eaves, his brow slightly furrowed. “What did you want to see me about?”
Luo Yining took out Lu Jiaxue’s prayer beads from her sleeve and examined them carefully. The small golden Buddha inscriptions were deeply carved.
These were Lu Jiaxue’s protective prayer beads, which he had left with her during her difficult childbirth. They had indeed kept her safe, but afterward, he had encountered trouble. Now that he was back, she couldn’t keep them any longer. She wanted to return them to protect his safety. She rolled them in her hand and then gave them to Cheng Lang.
“Please return these to him. I can’t send them from the Luo household,” Luo Yining explained, well aware of her situation.
Cheng Lang recognized Lu Jiaxue’s prayer beads immediately. He hesitated before taking them. Then he asked, “Is there anything else?”
Luo Yining shook her head. “That’s all.” She turned to leave.
Cheng Lang suddenly spoke softly behind her: “Do you know… how terrifying and cold-hearted you are?”
Luo Yining whirled around a faint smile on her lips. “Cold-hearted? What do you mean?”
Cheng Lang fell silent.
“What should I say to you, or what should I say to Lu Jiaxue?” She seemed to find it amusing. “Since it’s impossible, why should I be gentle? If you think I’m terrifying and cold, so be it… I don’t care anymore.”
No matter what she did, it was wrong, so why bother caring?
Cheng Lang watched her leave, his hand trembling slightly. Facing her, he could barely control himself.
He quietly returned to his study and opened a box he had kept hidden for a long time. From it, he took out several scrolls.
The paper had yellowed. The woman in the paintings leaned casually against a small table. Her freshly washed black hair cascaded down, seemingly carrying the sweet scent of osmanthus. There were other poses too: standing, scolding a child, frowning in anger. They were lifelike, though he hadn’t opened them for many years. The unfamiliar yet delicate face was still young as if frozen in yesterday’s twilight.
He had drawn them all by hand, based on his childhood memories.
Sometimes he was grateful for his photographic memory. Otherwise, how could he remember her features so clearly, slowly recreating them over the years as he grew up? This way, he had preserved her original appearance vividly, making it clearer and clearer.
Xie Yun stepped over the threshold, seemingly curious about what he was looking at. She had never seen such an expression on his face before – tender and nostalgic. It was different from how he looked at anyone else. Sometimes Xie Yun even felt that he kept a certain distance from her.
“What are you looking at?” Xie Yun asked with a smile.
“Just some treasured calligraphy and paintings,” Cheng Lang said casually, rolling up the scrolls. “Why didn’t anyone announce your arrival? They’re becoming quite lax.”
“It’s already noon. I told them to eat first before coming. I’m here to call you for lunch,” Xie Yun said, placing a lacquered tray of pastries on the table.
“Alright, let’s go,” Cheng Lang said, locking the box and pushing it into a drawer.
Xie Yun glanced at the drawer again, her curiosity piqued.
Chen Shi and the others stayed for lunch, but Luo Yining returned to the Luo household first. Luo Shenyuan had also returned, and the atmosphere in the room was tense. His expression was gloomy.
Qiu Niang took Bao’er to the inner room to change clothes. Luo Yining put down the rose-scented sugar candies she had brought back from the Cheng household. The eldest Madam Cheng had given a box to everyone when they left, as they were hard to buy outside. She had just tried one, finding it sweet with a lingering rose fragrance. Seeing his bad mood, she sat down, opened the paper box, took out candy, and offered it to him.
“Have some candy,” she said with a smile, holding out a pale red, crystal-clear candy.
Luo Shenyuan put down his book. Though he didn’t like sweets, he leaned forward and took it from her fingers. However, he didn’t let her go, grasping her wrist and asking, “You went to the Cheng family?”
“You know and still ask,” Luo Yining replied. “My elder sister was a guest, and she wanted to go, so of course I accompanied her. Did you see Yu’er today? He’s already half-grown.”
Luo Shenyuan slowly released her hand, not answering her question. “Did you see anyone else?”
“I saw Xie Yun. She seems to be doing well and appears to have forgotten about you. You’ve lost a confidante,” Luo Yining continued.
Luo Shenyuan raised an eyebrow. “A confidante?”
“Yes, your confidante. Before I returned, you had a private connection with Miss Ge. Wasn’t she your new confidante?” Luo Yining pressed.
Luo Shenyuan laughed. What kind of relationship did he have with Ge Miaoyun? When he was discussing matters with Ge Hongnian at the Ge household, his granddaughter would occasionally come in to pour tea or bring snacks, her bright eyes fixed on him. Of course, he understood her intentions, but with Yining not by his side, he didn’t even have the energy to reciprocate.
He pulled her onto his lap and said, “Come to think of it, she did like me. Lord Ge even wanted to play matchmaker.”
Luo Yining knew he was joking, but seeing his half-smiling, calm expression still made her uneasy. He was surely surrounded by beautiful women… there were many now, and there would be more in the future.
“Do you like her?” she asked, straddling Luo Shenyuan.
Luo Shenyuan calmly wrapped his arms around her waist, still sitting composed in the armchair. “She’s alright.”
Luo Yining leaned forward, gently pecking his dry, soft lips. His chin had a faint blue stubble. She kissed her way up, noticing that Luo Shenyuan was still watching her, observing her every move. Suddenly, she felt it was pointless. She was trying to seduce him, but he remained unmoved. His expression hadn’t changed at all.
But when Luo Yining tried to leave, Luo Shenyuan held her in place and asked, “Why stop now?”
“It’s time for lunch,” Luo Yining said, adjusting her clothes. “I’m hungry. I want to eat.”
Luo Shenyuan smiled again and sighed, “Luo Yining!”
He pressed her head down and lowered his own. He sat in a narrow chair with her on his lap. Everything she touched was firm and masculine. Her collar became disheveled again, loosening from her neck down. His heated hands were scorching wherever they touched, then wrapped around her waist.
They pressed tightly together once more. He lifted her, holding her close. His breathing grew heavier, and she trembled slightly, clinging to his waist. The hardness within her became more difficult to ignore, seeming to grow continuously. Making love in broad daylight always had a unique thrill, especially given his stamina, which exhausted her completely.
By lunchtime, Bao’er was so hungry he had eaten nearly half a bowl of milk and egg custard. Whatever his parents had been up to, the little one was particularly energetic after eating. Under Qiu Niang’s watchful eye, he crawled around on the couch like a puppy, refusing to sleep. He now especially enjoyed being played with and could clap his hands. He also tried to put everything he grabbed into his mouth.
Yining noticed it hurt a bit when he bit her. She pried open his little mouth to look and saw he had started teething.
Surprised, she showed Luo Shenyuan: “Third Brother, Bao’er is starting to grow teeth!”
Luo Shenyuan was still eating but glanced over and agreed, “Mm, looks like he’ll be weaned soon.”
Bao’er wasn’t close to his father, and his father wasn’t particularly affectionate with him either, always hoping for him to be weaned soon. Yining looked at Bao’er’s chubby little body and suddenly felt worried for him.
That evening, they ate at Lin Hairu’s place. Her elder sister had come to visit, and they had much to discuss.
Luo Yilie was set to leave for Beizhili the next day. Concubine Qiao, reluctant to part with her daughter, made a rare appearance to accompany her. Luo Yining noticed the protruding bones on Concubine Qiao’s hands. Although just over thirty, she looked worn down to forty.
With her daughter marrying far away and her son not close to her, Concubine Qiao’s remaining days in the Luo household would be a mere struggle for survival. She cried inconsolably; this daughter she had pinned all her hopes on was her only child, as she could no longer rely on her son.
Luo Yilie was also reluctant to leave her mother, but she couldn’t take Concubine Qiao with her, especially since she was only marrying into a merchant family. She could only leave some money for her mother to live on.
After Concubine Qiao left, Lin Hairu sighed, “She’s had it tough…” A lifetime of scheming, yet unable to make waves. Luo Chengzhang had plenty of young, beautiful maids around him.
Luo Yihui was feeding Bao’er crab roe tofu. She showed no sympathy, having hated Concubine Qiao all her life.
She said to Luo Yining, “The marriage your Third Brother arranged is quite cruel.”
He had piled everything Luo Yilie despised in front of her, forcing her to live with it for the rest of her life. Moreover, Suzhou was far from the capital, and she would receive no support from her family. Merchants valued profit over separation, and while she might be doted on now in her youth, who knew what would happen when she grew older?
Luo Shenyuan was known for tormenting his enemies slowly; it was his nature.
Luo Yihui smiled and tapped Yining’s face. “The rest doesn’t matter, as long as he’s good to you!”
That night before bed, Luo Shenyuan pressed himself on her once more. Afterward, Yining fell into a deep sleep.
Luo Shenyuan gazed at her in the darkness. He knew it wasn’t good to be excessive, but he felt restless. He held her wrist, his eyes narrowing slightly. He even disliked her leaving home now, no matter where she went. Although she had said she liked this, if she ever felt truly confined, she would likely be terrified.
So he couldn’t let her notice. He should control himself; clearly, he was being too much.
Luo Shenyuan got up and put on his outer robe. He still had matters to attend to. As he left the room, Lin Yong was waiting with a small glass lamp. Luo Shenyuan walked towards his study, asking Lin Yong, “Has Gu Jingming arrived?”
“He’s waiting for you,” Lin Yong replied. “Also, General Lu just sent someone over.”
Luo Shenyuan looked at him impassively.
Lin Yong continued, “They said it’s someone to serve you. I think it’s a war captive. She’s extremely beautiful… so I left her there, waiting for your instructions. What should we do?”
Lin Yong didn’t dare make decisions about such matters on his own. He had only glanced at the girl’s appearance before having her sent to a side room to wait.