Wen Tang gently tapped the puppy's moist nose and brushed his fingertips across its soft fur. After a while, a thin layer of sweat appeared on the back of his neck.
She stood up and went into the inner room, scrubbing herself carefully with warm water. Only then did she feel all the stickiness gone and her whole body refreshed.
When she came out, Mrs. Zhou had already skillfully prepared a comfortable nest for the furry ball.
"The weather is dry, remember to put a small ice basin next to its nest." Wen Tang whispered to Mrs. Zhou.
A few unwiped drops of water slid down her smooth cheeks, rolled over her slender white neck, and quietly sank into her collar. Wen Tang wiped it with a cotton cloth, his eyes glancing at the clothes rack beside him. Qin Gong went to rest.
"Lights out."
His usual voice came from inside the tent.
Wen Tang didn't think about it. He signaled the maid waiting outside to come in and extinguish the candle. The room suddenly fell into deep darkness, with only the hazy moonlight shining through the window.
Ice basins were placed at the four corners of the bed.
Qin Gong's black boots were neatly placed in front of the couch. She walked around and saw that Qin Gong was already sleeping on the outside. After saying a few words, he didn't speak again. Seeing that he was asleep, she naturally couldn't ask him to move.
Wen Tang leaned forward, gently supported himself on the edge of the bed with one hand, and held up the hem of his thin and soft pajamas with the other hand. He carefully raised his legs and tried to step over him. Just as he reached the edge of the couch, the person on the couch suddenly turned over. Wen Tang lost his balance and almost fell on him.
It took a lot of effort to move to the inside of the bed.
She turned over and fell asleep.
I slept soundly, not waking up until daybreak. When I woke up, the seat beside me was already empty. Qin Gong had already gotten up and left.
Wen Tang sat up, hugging the thin quilt. Mrs. Zhou had already brought in a maid with warm water to help her wash her face, and also served her a cup of warm tea to wake her up.
"Master left very early today. He left at dawn." Mrs. Zhou whispered as she tied her hair.
"Hmm." Wen Tang didn't ask any more questions. He just replied softly, raised his eyes, and spoke lazily in the morning, "What have you prepared for breakfast today? It's hot, so I want something refreshing and appetizing. Sour bamboo shoots or pickled cucumber strips would be best. White porridge, and a cup of iced osmanthus and sour plum soup."
Mrs. Zhou skillfully inserted a simple and elegant white jade hairpin diagonally into her bun and said, "Everything is ready."
"You'll go pay your respects to the old lady later. You've got to know this. Yesterday, you took the maid from the Fourth Young Lady's courtyard away. She ran to the old lady early in the morning and cried for a long time. Her eyes were swollen. She kept saying that you were deliberately embarrassing her and didn't mention the good things she had done."
"She is sure that the old lady loves her and won't punish her," said Mrs. Zhou.
Wen Tang stroked the white jade hairpin in her hair with his fingertips. "She is the old lady's precious granddaughter. It's just that we need to find a suitable home for her as soon as possible and restrain her temper."
"That's exactly what's going on," Mrs. Zhou said. "The candidate has been chosen: the young master of the Yang family. Although their family background is lower than ours, the Yang family is a respectable and scholarly family. The young master is both talented and virtuous. What's even more rare is that the two brothers of the Yang family have never taken concubines since their marriage. Their mother-in-law is kind and treats both of their wives with kindness."
"The old lady will surely be delighted by such a good and honest family." Mrs. Zhou felt that the Yang family was impeccable. "With Fourth Miss's spoiled personality, she needs a gentle, polite, and tolerant husband, and a good-natured mother-in-law. Only then can she live a smooth life."
--
Mrs. Zhou reported the carefully selected candidate for the young master of the Yang family to the old lady, along with the detailed investigation results.
At that time, Qin Ruoyue was still snuggling beside the old lady and acting coquettishly. Seeing the old lady flipping through the booklet, a look of satisfaction appeared on her face. The anger that she had been suppressing in her heart was like being poured with oil, and it only broke out completely when she returned to her own yard.
"What's she up to?" Qin Ruoyue walked into the room, swung her sleeves, and slumped down in the armchair in anger, her pretty face pale with anger. "It was just that I said a few truths about her at the princess's banquet earlier, and she has been holding a grudge until now. The eldest lady of the mansion is so narrow-minded."
Qin Ruoyue didn't even want to look at Young Master Yang, a mediocre man from a poor family. She was the eldest daughter of the young master, and her appearance was outstanding. Why should she condescend to marry him?
Grandma is actually satisfied?
Could it be that because Wen Tang gave birth to two children, her grandmother's heart was completely devoted to her?
Qin Ruoyue was young and impetuous after all, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt wronged. "She actually wanted to go to Linjiang Tower with me." She sobbed, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Did she want to end my marriage with Zhang Lang right then and there?"
Yinzhu, who was usually the best at pleasing Qin Ruoyue and was very eloquent, was now standing in the corner with her hands hanging down, not saying a word and looking dazed.
Qin Ruoyue lay on the soft couch, her shoulders trembling slightly due to sobbing.
Wen Tang just couldn't stand seeing her doing well and insisted that she was not Zhang Lang.
In the three exchanges of letters, every word was filled with elegant friendship. They met through poetry and had similar interests. His words were gentle and polite, without any inappropriate or frivolous behavior. Even when he asked her to meet him, he openly invited her to participate in the poetry gathering at Linjiang Tower. How open and honest he was.
Qin Ruoyue unfolded Zhang Lang's portrait with longing, her cheeks flushed.
The person in the painting had a cold pale complexion, and a pair of narrow eyes looked over at her, seemingly penetrating the back of the paper and falling directly on her.
Qin Ruoyue's heart skipped a beat.
His appearance...is really great.
"Yinzhu," Qin Ruoyue stroked the small statue, "you personally delivered the sachet and letter to Zhang Lang, right?"
Yinzhu stepped forward, her voice a little weak, "Yes..."
Qin Ruoyue's face turned even redder. She waved her hand with a shy girlish look to let her leave, then looked down at the small statue.
With such appearance and demeanor, he should be her husband.
What's more, they are in love with each other.
——
Here, after Mrs. Zhou informed the old lady of the situation of the young master of the Yang family, she was prepared for a tirade from the fourth lady, Qin Ruoyue. But strangely, this firecracker, who usually ignited at the slightest touch, was surprisingly quiet this time, as if she were attending an ordinary gathering tomorrow.
Could it be that the fourth lady thought that if she met the other party tomorrow, he would immediately come to her house in a grand sedan chair to propose marriage, and the Duke would immediately agree to the marriage?
If the other party is really Zhang Yao, the old lady loves her grandson so much that she might really consider it. But how could the Duke agree to this? Instead of marrying her openly and legally, he would meet her in private. What's the logic of this?
"The fourth young lady has really gone too far this time." Mrs. Zhou sighed as she fanned Wen Tang.
Wen Tang held the chubby little guy in his arms, scratching its soft chin with his fingertips from time to time, making the little guy hum in comfort, with his black eyes half-closed, looking very adorable.
"Look at its auspicious appearance," she said, her lips curling slightly. "How about calling it Yuanbao? It's festive and appropriate for the occasion."
Listening to Mrs. Zhou's sigh, she just shook her head slightly.
Mrs. Zhou observed her expression, lowered her head, and asked, "Master left this morning without even saying goodbye to you. Grandma, do you think there's anything wrong?"
Wen Tang didn't take this matter to heart, but when Mrs. Zhou mentioned it, she raised her eyes.
Mother Zhou could actually see the emotion on his cold face?
"What could he be doing?" "It's just some business at court or some social event outside."
No matter how I asked him, he just replied with a "hmm".
At night,
After Wen Tang finished washing herself and came out, Qin Gongzhao went to bed first like she did yesterday, lying on the outside with a thin quilt covering her waist. After she had someone extinguish the candle, she climbed over him again as she did last night.
As soon as his hand passed over, he turned sideways, his movements faster and more tricky than last night. Wen Tang was really caught off guard this time and fell down, or buried his face in it.
Wen Tang was stunned for a moment, then immediately stood up.
"Yeah." After just a moment, a short word came from Qin Gong.
Then he turned sideways, turned his back, and pulled the thin quilt higher.
His mouth was still burning, and there was a lingering feeling of being pricked. Wen Tang raised his hand stiffly, touched his mouth with his fingertips, and immediately felt disgusted.
I can't keep this mouth tonight.
She had a stern face.