The cold wind blew the red ribbon tied to her hair, and after turning around for a long time, Xu Qingwan finally stood in front of the Wei residence gate.
She had just arrived in Shuzhou City that morning.
She went to the Suspension Mirror Agency to submit her transfer documents, and then didn’t even go to her arranged residence, instead running over with her luggage.
Three months had passed, and Little Xu had been looking forward to reuniting with Wei Changtian every day.
But when the two of them were finally separated by only a wall, she hesitated.
“……”
“Master, try some of my tofu, is it good to eat?”
“Ah! Master, I’m letting you eat the tofu in the bowl!”
“Don’t bully Yang Liu Shi, Long Tian Ge, you’re really shameless!”
“It’s okay, Shui’er, Master is happy, that’s all……”
“Uh, uh……”
“……”
Yang Liu Shi’s coquettishness, Liang Qin’s admiration, Li Suyue’s embarrassment, Zhang San’s belated realization……
The lively and noisy voices in the room floated out, carrying the heat of the hot pot, and seemed to still be echoing in Xu Qingwan’s ears.
She stood dumbly, hugging her sparrow, in the cold wind, until the vermilion gate was pushed open a small crack.
“This young lady……”
Ying’er poked out her head, asking in doubt, “Who are you looking for?”
“Ah!”
Xu Qingwan returned to her senses from her daze, opening her mouth.
“I, I took a wrong turn……”
“Took a wrong turn?”
Ying’er was somewhat suspicious, just about to ask again when she saw the woman opposite her had already lowered her head and turned to leave.
“Strange……”
Watching the figure slowly disappear at the end of the alley, she blinked her eyes in puzzlement.
Hmm?
It seemed like she had seen this older sister somewhere before……
Must have misremembered……
“Ying’er, what are you doing here?”
Li Sumin’s voice came from behind.
“Ah, nothing.”
Ying’er shook her head and closed the gate again.
From noble mtl dot come
“The doorman said there was a young lady standing outside, so I came to ask.”
“Where is she?”
“She’s already left, saying she took a wrong turn.”
……
……
“Tinkle, tinkle~”
In the room, the fire that was about to rise was not very bright.
The small room was tidy, with a wooden bed in the corner, covered with a lattice-patterned bed curtain.
Although the mud bricks on the floor were spotless, they were somewhat damp, unclear whether it was due to the water splashed in the afternoon or the humid climate of Shuzhou.
This was the residence arranged by the Xuanjing Bureau for Xu Qingwan in Shuzhou, already considered “above standard” compared to ordinary officials.
After all, the news of Xu Zongtai and Wei Changtian’s romantic affair was well-known throughout the Xuanjing Bureau, and Chen Bo naturally had heard of it.
Although he didn’t know what Xu Qingwan’s current relationship with Wei Changtian was, he didn’t dare to neglect her, directly arranging a room according to the “standard” of a hundred households.
“Tap~”
Gently placing the sparrow on the table, Xu Qingwan sat for a while before unfolding her bundle to pack her luggage.
In fact, there was not much to pack.
The small cloth bundle contained only a few changes of clothes, and a small, tightly wrapped wooden box.
“Tap-tap~”
The box lid opened, revealing a stack of silver notes, adding up to nearly two thousand taels.
Underneath the silver notes was a red, exquisite jade pendant and a thin sheet of paper.
Two hearts, if they are long-lasting, will not be bound by morning and evening……
Biting her lip, Xu Qingwan looked foolishly at the poem she had read countless times, her eyes welling up with tears.
She only knew Lu Jingyao before and didn’t know who the women who spoke earlier were.
But they were all very close to Wei Changtian, anyway.
Only three months and he’s already got a new love interest in Shu State?
Xu Qingwan knew she had no right to be jealous, after all, Wei Changtian hadn’t officially married her yet.
But her heart still ached.
“Tap, tap~”
A gentle knock on the door broke the silence, and Little Xu’s heart skipped a beat, filled with excitement and anticipation.
She hastily tidied up the wooden box, wiped away her tears with her sleeve, took a deep breath, and walked to the door.
“Who is it?”
“Cough, Xu General, it’s me,” Chen Bo’s voice came from outside.
“……”
The excitement that had just emerged instantly dissipated, and Xu Qingwan slowly opened the door, forcing a faint smile.
“Lord Chen, do you need something?”
“Ha ha, nothing much, just dropping by to see if you need anything, and I’ll send someone to get it for you.”
Chen Bo didn’t seem to have any intention of entering the room, standing at the door, making small talk: “You just arrived from the capital, if there’s anything you’re not used to, just let me know, don’t be polite.”
“Thank you, Lord Chen, for your concern, I have everything I need here.”
Xu Qingwan hesitated for a moment, slightly opening the door: “Would you like to come in for a cup of hot tea, Lord?”
“Uh… I’ll pass on the tea.”
Chen Bo glanced at the empty copper pot in the room and asked again.
“By the way, today is the Winter Solstice, have you had dinner, Xu General? If not, I can have someone send some over?”
“No need to trouble you, Lord Chen, I’ll go out and find a restaurant to eat later.”
“That’s fine, there’s a good restaurant on West Street, the Xiyi Wine House, it’s one of our Suspended Mirror Agency’s own establishments, just show them your waist token after you’re done eating, and they’ll take care of the bill.”
“……”
Chen Bo quickly introduced Xu Qingwan to the various shops in the area, then prepared to take his leave.
Xu Qingwan nodded, politely not rushing to close the door, instead standing at the door, watching Chen Bo walk away.
However, just as the latter turned the corner, a conversation suddenly came from behind.
“Lord Wei?”
“Yes, Lord Chen?”
……
The candles burned brighter, casting a red glow on Xu Qingwan’s face.
Looking at Little Xu, who stood opposite her, dumbfounded like a silly goose, Wei Changtian put the food box on the table, his face a mix of anger and amusement.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to Shu State?”
“You wrote me a letter, why didn’t you reply?”
“You were just at the door, why didn’t you knock? And you said you got the wrong person?”
“……”
Facing this series of questions, Xu Qingwan opened her mouth, unsure which one to answer first.
She stood there for a long time, finally weakly pointing to Wei Changtian’s waist and softly asking:
“Where’s Longyin?”
“Hmm?”
Wei Changtian didn’t expect Xu Qingwan’s concern to be so strange, answering casually: “It’s broken.”
“I got into a fight a few days ago, and the other party’s weapon was better than Longyin, so it broke.”
“Ah?”
Xu Qingwan suddenly lifted her head, taking a tense step forward: “D-did you have anything?”
“Of course not, or I wouldn’t be able to sit here and talk to you, would I?”
Wei Changtian pulled out a red string that had turned dark red and was slightly frayed from his chest, smiling as he said:
“The knife may be gone, but I still have the token you gave me.”
“Cough, it’s just that… I used to tie it to the knife handle, so it looks a bit worn out from the wind and sun…”
“Pfft!”
Wei Changtian didn’t finish his sentence, as a slender figure suddenly flung herself into his arms.
“Waaa…”
Feeling the warmth and wetness on his chest, Wei Changtian was baffled.
“What’s wrong with you? You’re crying again!”
“I-I…”
Xu Qingwan had already recognized Wei Changtian, but since they had never been intimate before, she couldn’t help but feel a bit shy.
However, she didn’t want to let go of Wei Changtian, so she buried her head in his chest, crying with a mix of sadness and relief:
“I-I thought you didn’t want me anymore!”
“You promised to marry me, and I even gave you twenty silver coins, waa…”