The sun shone in through the window. The red candle on the table had burned out, leaving only a little bit of red fire oil, like a blooming flower.
A hand reached out from behind the curtain.
He Yan rubbed his eyes and sat up with his hands on his waist.
This was a muddle-headed night … and also … a night of fighting for the Red Cliffs. If she wanted to recall … forget it, it was better not to recall.
She only thought that the phrase "do whatever you want" was used on her in the end. Did she get any rewards? No. From the looks of it, the biggest winner was clearly Xiao Jue.
He Yan turned her head to look at her side, but it was empty. There was no one there. She was stunned for a moment, then looked outside. She was afraid that it was already too late. After bathing last night, she was so tired that she fell asleep immediately. Looking at the sun now, she estimated that it was not early.
Just as she was thinking, the door opened and someone walked in. He Yan raised his head and saw Xiao Jue walk in. Bai Guo followed behind with a food basket in her hands. She entered the room and placed the bowls and plates in the basket on the table one by one.
"You're awake?" Xiao Jue saw that she had sat up and walked over to ask.
He Yan coughed and nodded.
"After washing up, we can eat." He paused and asked hesitantly, "Are you okay?"
He Yan's face turned red and subconsciously looked at Bai Guo. Bai Guo had already put down the food and ran away. She looked at the person in front of her. This person looked like he had taken Yin to nourish Yang. After a night, he looked refreshed and did not have any discomfort. She gritted her teeth and said, "Very good. Military Governor Xiao's martial arts are very good and there are few opponents. I have learned a lot."
Xiao Jue's mouth curved and said slowly, "General He is not bad. Last night, you said that you will fight 800 rounds in the future …"
He Yan, "?"
What kind of words were these? When did she say that?
He Yan hurriedly covered his mouth, "Wait! Don't talk nonsense. "
"General He." He leaned closer, a smile hidden in his dark eyes. "It's only been one night. Are you going back on your word?"
He Yan lifted the blanket, put on his shoes, and ran away. He mumbled, "… I'm going to wash up! Where's Qing Mei? Qing Mei — — "
Qing Mei was called in. After He Yan rinsed her mouth and washed her face, Qing Mei came to help her comb her hair. As she combed her hair, she said, "Miss … Oh, I should call you Young Madam now. Young Madam, Young Master is really good to you."
He Yan replied absent-mindedly, "Oh."
"I woke up early this morning," Qing Mei said. "I went to the kitchen and instructed the servants to prepare a meal for you. This servant originally wanted to wake you up, but Young Master didn't allow it. He said that you should sleep a little longer."
He Yan nodded. When he looked up, he saw that Qing Mei was grinning from ear to ear. Puzzled, he asked, "Why are you so happy?"
"Second Young Master is good to Young Madam. Of course, this servant is happy." Qing Mei looked as if she had picked up money. "This servant will tell Master and Young Master later that they can rest assured!"
He Yan, "…"
After she washed up, she changed into a begonia-red dress with narrow sleeves. Qing Mei combed her hair neatly. When she combed her hair into a bun, it didn't make her look old. Instead, it made her look cleaner and fresher.
He Yan tied the snake-patterned black jade pendant that Xiao Jue had given to her around her waist. Then, she walked into the small hall.
The table was already filled with the food that Bai Guo had brought over. When the two of them were eating, they didn't like others to wait on them. Thus, Qing Mei left. He Yan sat at the table and gave Xiao Jue a pair of chopsticks. He sighed and said, "Xiao Jue, your family's breakfast is a little too sumptuous."
It was all her favorite food, even though she wasn't a picky eater.
Xiao Jue's mouth twitched. "You're bought over with just one meal?"
"Then you don't understand." He Yan said with conviction. "Us ordinary people don't care about pretentiousness. When you get married, what you wear and what you eat is very important."
He laughed. "You're easy to feed."
He Yan grabbed a plum blossom bun and smiled at her as he ate. Suddenly, he thought of something and his expression changed. "Oh no, aren't we supposed to serve tea to Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law this morning?"
Originally, it was the bride's turn to serve tea to her parents-in-law. However, Xiao Zhongwu and his wife were no longer alive. Logically, they should serve tea to Xiao Jing and Bai Rongwei.
"It's okay. I've already told them that we'll go after eating."
"Eh?" He Yan looked at her. "Isn't this against the rules?"
"What rules?" This person said casually. "Xiao family doesn't have any rules. You can do whatever you want."
He Yan was startled. Not to mention when she was in the "He Family", when she married into the Xu Family, before she went blind, she had to follow the rules every morning and night. Because she was a woman for a short time and then spent many years in the army, there were many rules that she wasn't clear about. She often made a fool of herself. At that time, whenever she thought of the word "rules", she would have a headache.
Now, someone was telling her to do whatever she wanted.
She sneaked a glance at the person opposite her. Xiao Jue noticed her gaze and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Xiao Jue," He Yan said seriously, "In the Shuo Capital, you're the first husband. You're really considerate of everything."
Xiao Jue's lips curled up. She said calmly, "Of course. After all, your husband fell in love with you at first sight during the Lantern Festival. The next day, he came to propose marriage. If you didn't agree to marry him, he would jump into the river and kill himself. "
He Yan, "… Hmm?"
He continued to say casually, "Our General He's skills in commanding troops have reached perfection. She's also very good at controlling her husband."
He Yan thought that it sounded familiar. Only then did he remember that she had casually spouted nonsense to Ling Xiu and the other girls when they were in Jiyang. She didn't expect Xiao Jue to remember it.
At that time, she was talking nonsense. She didn't expect that Xiao Jue would really become her husband. But now, it sounded a little shameless.
He Yan picked up the sweet syrup and pretended to take a sip. She changed the topic, "That … Xiao family really doesn't have rules? You can do whatever you want? "
Xiao Jue glanced at her, "You can't cheat. You can't meet a man at night."
He Yan, "…"
She asked fearlessly, "Then what will happen if I break these two rules?"
Xiao Jue narrowed her eyes and said calmly, "Break her legs and lock her up."
He Yan, "…"
After a while, she said, "Xiao Jue, you're so fierce."
She looked at her with a warning look, "That's right."
After breakfast, He Yan and Xiao Jue went to serve tea.
He Yan had lived in the Xiao Mansion for a while, so he wasn't unfamiliar with Xiao Jing and his wife. After drinking the tea, Bai Rongwei took out a small box and handed it to He Yan. She smiled and said, "This was prepared by me and his brother before Huaijin got married. Today, we can finally give it away."
He Yan smiled and thanked her.
Bai Rongwei looked at the two of them again. The more she looked at them, the happier she felt. After Xiao Jue was betrothed by Emperor Wen Xuan, Bai Rongwei heard a lot of people talking behind her back about how the second son of the Xiao Family married a vulgar martial artist. Bai Rongwei was unhappy when she heard this. Later, when there were invitations, she would say that she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't go. Now that the two of them were walking together, they looked like a pair of jade. Moreover, who said that women should be gentle and polite? She saw that He Yan was lively and Xiao Jue's expression had become more lively these days.
He Yan talked for a while until Xiao Jing told her that it was time to rest. After Bai Rongwei became pregnant, Xiao Jing didn't dare to be careless.
He Yan took the box and Xiao Jue out of the door and walked towards her courtyard. Halfway there, she couldn't help but open the box a little. She looked inside and saw that there were three hairbrushes made of white jade. From big to small, they were exquisite.
"Hairbrushes …" She was startled.
Xiao Jue looked at her sideways. "You don't like them?"
"No." He Yan closed the box and hugged it. "I like them very much."
They were more precious than gold, jade, or precious stones.
Because of the wedding, Emperor Wen Xuan allowed Xiao Jue to stay in the fu for one more day. She didn't have anything to do today. He Yan and Bai Guo had just walked back to the courtyard when they saw Qing Mei and Bai Guo squatting on the ground. In front of them was a small mountain of congratulatory gifts tied with red silk.
"Young Mistress is here?" Bai Guo smiled and stood up. "We are taking out the congratulatory gifts we received yesterday. Young Mistress, do you want to take a look? "
He Yan saw that the congratulatory gifts almost filled half of the courtyard. He couldn't help but ask Xiao Jue, "Didn't they say that you are unapproachable and don't have good relations with people in the capital? How did you get so many congratulatory gifts? How many people came yesterday? "
Xiao Jue didn't say anything. The corners of her lips curled up slightly. She looked proud.
"I'll go take a look first to see what good things there are." He Yan said and walked to Qing Mei's side. Originally, when he made "He Rufei", the Emperor gave him a lot of gifts. However, he didn't get to enjoy them before they were carried to the He Family's storeroom. After that, he made "Lady He". His family was poor. He hadn't seen the joy of sitting on a mountain of gold in a long time.
Qing Mei was also very excited. It was probably her first time seeing so many good things. She couldn't help but share her discoveries with He Yan.
"Young Mistress, look at this. This flower pot is made of colored glass!"
"This ginseng looks very expensive!"
"And this vase. This is the first time I've seen this kind of vase. Is this precious stone real?"
The little girl chattered non-stop. He Yan followed her and rummaged a few times. Unexpectedly, she found something sent by an acquaintance.
It was a gift from Mu Hongjin and Cui Yue Zhi from Jiyang City. It was a whole set of pearls. Jiyang was close to the water and was rich in pearls. The pearls were plump and bright. As soon as the box was opened, it almost dazzled people's eyes. Cui Yue Zhi was rich and imposing, and Mu Hongjin was overbearing and generous. It was indeed very fitting for them to send such a valuable gift. However, He Yan felt that she probably wouldn't wear this set of pearls in her lifetime. If she wore it outside, it would be like openly putting banknotes on her head. Wouldn't it attract people to snatch it? It was really eye-catching.
She continued rummaging and found a small jar of wine. It was a gift from Jinling City's Hua Youxian and Cai Lian. It was the Bifang wine that they had tasted before. However, this jar of Bifang wine was a vintage wine. It had been stored for seven years. If it wasn't for Xiao Jue and He Yan's great joy, Hua Youxian wouldn't have been willing to take it out.
He Yan put this small jar of Bifang wine beside him. He heard Qing Mei say, "Young Mistress, look at this!"
He Yan turned to look and was stunned for a moment.
This was an extremely long embroidery. The whole embroidery was about half a person's height. It was embroidered with a pair of lotus flowers on a stalk and a pair of mandarin ducks. The embroidery was particularly uniform, and the color was gorgeous and bright. It was definitely not an easy task to embroider such an embroidery. Even if many embroiderers worked day and night, it would take them more than a month to barely complete it.
There was a letter beside the embroidery scroll. He Yan opened the letter. It turned out that this embroidery was sent from the Rundu. The embroiderers who embroidered this pair of mandarin ducks were the women who were captured by He Yan from Li Kuang's subordinates. The Rundu had just fought a war not long ago, and the city was desolate. It was the Rundu's county magistrate, Zhao Shiming, who found silk thread and asked those women to sew this embroidery as a wedding gift for Xiao Jue and He Yan.
It seemed that those women were living a good life.
He Yan was also happy for them. He kept the letter and asked Qing Mei to move the embroidery she had specially picked into his room. Then, he stood up and walked to Xiao Jue's side.
Xiao Jue waited for him to come closer and raised her eyebrows slightly. "Are you satisfied?"
He Yan shook his head.
"What's not satisfied?"
"Military Governor Xiao, everyone gives a wedding gift. Why don't you give me one?" He Yan said deliberately.
She was just joking, but Xiao Jue said calmly, "How do you know that I don't have a wedding gift?"
He Yan was stunned for a moment and asked tentatively, "Don't tell me you really prepared a wedding gift?"
Xiao Jue crossed her arms and looked at him.
He Yan was stunned. "Didn't you already give me a betrothal gift? You even gave me your family heirloom, black jade. If that's not enough, what else do you want to give me? "
Her heart was a little flustered. Could it be that in this lifetime, this title of femme fatale was really going to be worn on her head and couldn't be removed? God, she didn't do anything!
Xiao Jue pursed her lips and walked to the other side. He Yan hurriedly followed. "Xiao Jue, what exactly do you want to give me?"
As they walked, something suddenly blocked their path. He Yan looked down and saw a yellow dog biting the flower bead on her shoe.
"Er Mao?"
He Yan had temporarily entrusted Er Mao, who had escaped, to Xiao Jue after investigating the He Residence the night before. He didn't expect that Er Mao, who had only stayed in the Xiao family for a short period of time, had already become rounder. The tuft of hair on its head had been tied into a chirp by someone with a red string, which was particularly festive. It was so different from before that He Yan almost didn't recognize it.
Er Mao saw He Yan looking down at him and barked at her excitedly. Unfortunately, there was no sound. He pounced on the courtyard and rolled around, biting his tail as he turned around.
He Yan was speechless for a moment. This dog really didn't treat him as an outsider. He had gotten used to it so quickly. However, it was clear that he was very satisfied with his life here. He thought that it wouldn't be long before he could be comparable to the pig named "Tangyuan".
"I've found the new house where your father and brother are living." Xiao Jue's voice came from beside him.
He Yan turned around. "Didn't Lin Shuanghe say that it would take a few more days?"
"He's very busy, how could he have time to help you," Xiao Jue said calmly, "I've already asked someone to help move. They should be able to move in in two days."
"Eh? So fast? Where is it? "
"It's one street away from the Xiao family."
He Yan grabbed her sleeve. "Wait, you said one street away from the Xiao family?"
Xiao Jue looked down at her. "You don't like it?"
"It's not that I don't like it, it's just …" He Yan's mind was in a mess.
"It's close to the Xiao family. You can go back anytime in the future. If Dad and Yunsheng want to visit you, it's also very convenient." Xiao Jue frowned. "You don't seem to be satisfied."
He Yan looked at her and did not say anything.
A married girl would be gossiped about if she went back to her mother's house every few days. In her previous life, when she married into the Xu family, from the time she was married until she drowned, she had only returned once to visit her parents. However, she didn't have any reason to go back in her previous life.
He Yan did not expect that Xiao Jue would buy the house directly opposite the Xiao family. If this were to spread, he didn't know what people would say about him. For example, those gossiping idlers might push all the blame onto He Yan. The title of a bride who didn't know the rules and betrayed the orthodoxy would most likely fall on her. However, He Yan wasn't angry at all.
He was even happy.
"If you don't like it …"
"I like it very much!" She said crisply.
"You don't seem to think so." Xiao Jue looked at her suspiciously.
He Yan grabbed his sleeve and held his arm. "Xiao Jue, I'm so touched."
"You've taken care of my father, my brother, and even my dog so well. Could it be that God saw how miserable I was in my previous life and sent you to me in this life?"
Xiao Jue was speechless for a while. Then, she said, "So taking care of your dog will make you feel touched?"
"You can't say that." He Yan looked at Er Mao who was playing in the yard. Her heart was filled with emotions. "But I didn't expect you to be such a nice person."
There were many rumors in the world that could not be trusted. The so-called heartless, cruel, and merciless were all false rumors. In her previous life, she was a careful wife. Others told her that she had to be filial to her daughter, virtuous as a wife, and a mother. She had to be quiet and chaste. She had to be disciplined. She had to be shameless. She had to be gentle. She had to be tolerant. She had to be respectful. She had to be virtuous. She didn't know who was the first person to put these shackles on a woman. But it seemed that these virtues had been passed down for thousands of years. Everyone took it for granted.
Everyone was like this.
But Xiao Jue had broken these shackles from the beginning. She didn't know that being a wife could be like this. She was free and carefree.
Xiao Jue's posture was tall and straight. Hearing this, his other hand pulled down He Yan's hand that was holding his and then covered it with his own palm.
The moment their fingers interlocked, it was as if a small snowflake had landed on his heart. It flew past quickly, leaving behind a slight itch.
"You don't have to be touched," he said calmly. "After all, when you are unhappy, your husband will use his skills to make you happy."
He Yan: "…"
"He can't accept anyone else. He only loves you."
He Yan: "…"
This time, she was sure that Xiao Jue was indeed the number one in the Xianchang Mansion. She had only said it once in Jiyang. She had forgotten it herself. But Xiao Jue still remembered it word for word.
She held Xiao Jue's hand. It was as if she wanted to hold his hand until the end of time. She smiled and replied, "That can't be helped. A strong woman is afraid of a persistent man."
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