For three consecutive days, Shangguan Yun got up early every day to help Wei Dongling make taro balls and cook milk tea.
Seeing that this elegant young gentleman, who seemed never to be sullied by the dust of the world, could do such things, Aunt Fang, the innkeeper, couldn't help but shake her head and sigh. Seizing the opportunity, she secretly grabbed Wei Dongling and asked, "Don't blame Aunt Fang for being nosy. I can tell that this young man has feelings for you! Is he the husband you've been waiting for?"
Wei Dongling twitched the corner of her mouth and shook her head. "No, it's not him."
Aunt Fang stamped her feet anxiously and whispered, "Whether your man on the battlefield can come back is uncertain! This man is good - looking and seems to come from a well - off family. Is your missing husband as handsome as he is? Don't be silly. You have to fight for a good man! Otherwise, when you're as old as Aunt Fang, you'll surely regret it!"
Wei Dongling:......
She had no idea what Aunt Fang had experienced in her youth. Wei Dongling just nodded casually to perfunctory her and then turned away.
Wei Dongling had already said what she needed to say to Shangguan Yun. He had been staying in the inn and didn't leave. She couldn't just go up and drive him away, could she? That would be so inappropriate! It would seem as if she was impatiently urging him to go home and get married.
Wei Dongling sighed and went out to check on the milk tea stall.
The business in the afternoon was not very busy. Luo Xunlong and Cui Huan were whispering to each other.
Luo Xunlong said, "Huanhuan, there's something I've been thinking about for several days. I've been wanting to ask you, but I'm a bit embarrassed."
Cui Huan was surprised. "What is it? Why are you being so hesitant with me?"
Luo Xunlong looked embarrassed. "Actually, it's nothing else. I just want to ask what your bird - raising senior brother whispered to you that day?" Luo Xunlong had hidden behind and eavesdropped for a long time that day, but the two siblings' voices were so low that he couldn't hear a single word.
Cui Huan laughed. "Is that all you want to ask? Actually, it's nothing. Senior Brother Tian Qi just asked me if he was ugly."
Wei Dongling, standing beside them, was speechless.
Luo Xunlong was shocked. "Can't he look in the mirror? What's the meaning of asking you? Does he have feelings for you?" Luo Xunlong tightened his hand on the bamboo cup, almost crushing it with his bare hands.
Cui Huan shrugged. "Senior brother said that Miss Wei thought he was ugly." Luo Xunlong was completely confused.
Wei Dongling blushed and waved at them. "You two, go away. Don't show your affection here. Go and take a break!"
Luo Xunlong nodded and pulled Cui Huan away. As they walked, he said, "The girl is right. He's really not that great."
Cui Huan pretended to be angry. "My senior brother is clearly a handsome man. What's wrong with him?"
After seeing them walk away, Wei Dongling sighed. She looked at the remaining milk tea in the bucket and started shouting to the passers - by.
Not long after, Shangguan Yun came over with a basin of cooked taro balls in his hands.
Wei Dongling was shouting vigorously, quickly collecting money and filling cups. Holding the copper coins, she beamed with joy, which made Shangguan Yun stop and watch for a long time. Wei Dongling noticed his gaze and turned back to smile at him. "Your Highness, you've worked hard. Go upstairs and take a rest!"
Shangguan Yun lowered his eyes. "I'm not tired. Dongling, you've lost a lot of weight recently."
The two stood there and chatted for a while. Wei Dongling learned that Shangguan Yun had sold the two fine horses given to him by the young prince Murong Xuan at a low price in order to come to Hanzhong earlier. She felt heart - ache. She didn't know how Little Red was doing at home since she had been away for so long.
As the sky was getting dark and most of the milk tea in the bucket had been sold, Wei Dongling planned to pack up and go back.
Just as she was chatting and laughing with Shangguan Yun, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone looking at her in the distance. Wei Dongling turned her head and saw a familiar figure, which instantly made her eyes tear up.
Yu Zixi!
Wei Dongling couldn't believe her eyes. She looked back at Shangguan Yun and saw the surprise in his eyes too. Her nose twitched. Regardless of anything, she threw down the money box and rushed towards Yu Zixi.
Yu Zixi was dressed in a cyan robe. Standing in the distance, he looked at Wei Dongling with a somewhat bitter smile and deep affection in his eyes.
He had lost weight! His cheeks were so sunken that his eyes and eyebrows looked even more profound.
Wei Dongling didn't even bother to take off her apron. Running fast and in a hurry, the loose hair at her temples fluttered. Stumbling, she threw herself into that familiar embrace, making Yu Zixi grunt. He firmly held the petite beauty in his arms.
The two figures hugging each other were clearly seen by Shangguan Yun. He stood there in a daze, a hint of bitterness welling up in his heart.
Wei Dongling sobbed. "Where have you been? You scared me to death, wuwuwu..."
Yu Zixi tightened his arms around Wei Dongling and pressed her head into his neck. He comforted her with a trembling voice. "It's okay. I'm back. Dongling, I missed you so much!"
The pent - up grievances in Wei Dongling's heart instantly burst out. She tightened her hands around his waist and choked out, "You didn't even send me a letter for so long! I only learned that you were in trouble from the Crown Prince, wuwuwu..."
Seeing her crying out of breath, Yu Zixi felt sad and his eyes involuntarily turned red. He coaxed her gently. "Your husband was wrong. You can beat or punish me as you like, okay?"
When Wei Dongling saw him tremble because of her pinch, she looked up anxiously. "Where are you hurt? Go and let Ruan Niang take a look!" Saying that, she pulled him towards the inn.
Yu Zixi glanced at Shangguan Yun, who was still standing there in a daze, and whispered to Wei Dongling, "I'm fine. Don't worry. I just wanted to see you." Then, he picked her up and turned away.
The two rode on the same horse and galloped towards the west of the city.
Wei Dongling kept chattering. "Why did you come to find me so late? Where have you been staying recently? Have you found Tian Qi and Ruo Chen? Yu Zixi, will you come back to the capital with me?"
It was already a blessing that Yu Zixi was alive. No matter what he had done here, Wei Dongling didn't want to know. As long as he was willing to go with her and break free from Master He's control, she could act as if nothing had happened!
Without waiting for his answer, Wei Dongling hurriedly said, "Or if you don't want to go back to the capital, then we won't! How about we go to the south of the Yangtze River?" Nestled in his arms, she looked up at Yu Zixi's profile, hoping for his answer.
Yu Zixi, with his thin eyebrows and eyes, smiled gently at her. "We'll go to the south of the Yangtze River sooner or later."
Wei Dongling hugged his waist persistently. "But Princess Jiaxin went to the Empress Dowager to petition for you to marry He Yao. What about me then..."
Yu Zixi put his arm around Wei Dongling's slender waist and whispered, "I promised you that I would only marry you. I don't care about anyone else!"
Hearing this, Wei Dongling finally felt a little relieved. She pressed her face against his chest to feel the warmth of his embrace. It seemed that only in this way could she feel that Yu Zixi had really come back.
In front of a restaurant in the west of the city, Yu Zixi reined in the horse and dismounted.
As night fell, the lights in the restaurant were lit up. Yu Zixi stood at the door, looking up at Wei Dongling on the horse, and held out his hands to her.
Without hesitation, Wei Dongling threw herself into his arms.