As the Chinese New Year approached, the Great Compassion Temple was covered in a blanket of snow.
This ancient temple with a history of several hundred years looked even more solemn and serene under the adornment of the white snow.
Caiyu woke up again nearly at noon.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she felt sore all over, especially in the indescribable parts. As usual, the soreness made her legs tremble.
She stared blankly at the ceiling.
Last night...
She and Song Yinghuai had finally ended up hurting each other but also satisfying each other.
When Song Yinghuai pushed open the wooden door from the outside, it creaked, looking simple and clumsy.
Song Yinghuai was holding a newly filled medicine kettle. He seemed to have shaken off yesterday's gloom and looked refreshed, which made Caiyu grind her teeth with anger.
She couldn't tell who had taken advantage of whom.
But after all, she was a woman. She always felt ashamed of that alternative intimacy.
Song Yinghuai ignored her complicated expression and returned to his usual self. He gave her a cold glance and said,
"You seem to be less and less aware of your duties as a maid. In the past, you just got up later than me. Now, not only do I have to serve you in bed, but also out of bed. Who is the master between us?"
She never asked him to bring the medicine!
Nor did she ask him to serve her in that way!
Well... at the end of last night, she seemed to have finally asked him in a hoarse voice.
Caiyu gritted her teeth and endured for a while before swallowing back the words she wanted to retort. She just propped herself up and rolled off the cold bed to apologize:
"Your Highness, please forgive this maid. I'm still injured and have been a burden to Your Highness."
She didn't want to speak at first, but since Song Yinghuai had just blamed her, she seemed to have no choice but to say something.
But as soon as she opened her mouth, Caiyu was pleasantly surprised to find that her voice had recovered a lot overnight.
There was still a slight hoarseness, as if she had been smoked by some smoke, but the pain in her throat had lessened a lot.
Song Yinghuai put the medicine kettle back on the table and poured a cup.
He had an elegant temperament. Even the way he poured the tea looked much better than ordinary people.
Just looking at his well - defined fingers holding the cup, Caiyu remembered the crazy things of last night, and her ears turned slightly red.
Song Yinghuai didn't seem to intend to blame her for anything. Instead, he handed the cup of tea to her and said,
"It sounds like you've recovered well. Your body is much better too. You got out of bed faster than you served me last night..."
"Your Highness!" Caiyu couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted Song Yinghuai's teasing.
She had done it on purpose yesterday. She had thought she could finally take the lead, but in the second half, Song Yinghuai had taken control again. How could she have the face to mention it?
But since Song Yinghuai was intent on teasing her, Caiyu wasn't going to be outdone:
"This maid is injured. She must not be as dexterous as Your Highness's fingers when you twirl the prayer beads. So please bear with me, Your Highness."
Song Yinghuai didn't expect that a woman like her would say such a shameless thing. He was immediately speechless and couldn't say a word for a long time.
Caiyu let out a sigh of relief. A feeling of pleasure welled up in her heart, as if to say, "Come on, let's hurt each other!"
Look, only by being so thick - skinned could she shut up Song Yinghuai's poisonous tongue.
Song Yinghuai cleared his throat and moved the teacup in front of her. He felt that his fingers were not working properly:
"You can drink this medicine by yourself today. Just remember to drink it slowly."
Caiyu took it and didn't say anything more. She just held the cup of medicine and sipped it carefully.
At this moment, she finally had a real drink of water, and she was really touched.
Song Yinghuai didn't urge her. He just sat down beside her and continued to look at the heavy snow outside the window, seemingly enjoying the peace at this moment.
Caiyu finally finished the cup of medicine. She felt her throat becoming more and more relaxed. She also had the mood to watch the snow and the energy to chatter like before.
She belatedly asked, "Your Highness, how many days have I been missing? What day is it today?"
She remembered that the day of the accident was already the Little New Year's Eve.
In the Great Ye Kingdom, once the Little New Year's Eve came, it meant the end of the year. It was a time to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new one, a time for family reunions. It was the most important custom in the Great Ye Kingdom.
Why did it seem that Song Yinghuai had no intention of rushing back to the city at all?
Song Yinghuai got up and stood beside her in front of the window. His voice was calm:
"Today is New Year's Eve."
What?
Caiyu turned to look at him in surprise.
The snowflakes gently covered the roofs of the temple, the trees, and the courtyard. It was a pure white world, as if one was in a fairyland. Time really seemed to pass unnoticed in the mountains.
Caiyu stammered and asked, "Then, aren't we going back to the mansion?"
The Great Compassion Temple was more than twenty miles away from the Prince Yan's Mansion. If Song Yinghuai rode his horse at full speed, he could still make it back in time for the New Year's Eve dinner and the New Year's Eve vigil.
Song Yinghuai slightly raised his eyebrows and asked, "Do you want to go back to the mansion for the New Year's Eve vigil?"
No!
Caiyu almost blurted it out.
The Prince Yan's Mansion wasn't her home. She had no interest in going back.
Moreover, on New Year's Eve, the masters would enjoy themselves while the servants had to wait on them hand and foot.
And there were Concubine Yao and Jiang Jinyue, those two masters who didn't like her.
Only a fool would want to go back.
But luckily, Caiyu didn't say what was really on her mind. She swallowed the truth back with difficulty and forced a flattering smile:
"On New Year's Eve, it's a time for family reunions. The Prince Yan's Mansion is this maid's home. Of course, this maid wants to go back to serve Your Highness."
Look at these insincere words!
Song Yinghuai looked down at Caiyu's extremely fake expression and a hint of mischievous smile appeared on his lips:
"Since that's the case, then you should continue to serve me well today."
"Huh?" Caiyu exclaimed in surprise and stared blankly at Song Yinghuai as he walked back to the table and sat down gracefully. She didn't understand what he meant.
Song Yinghuai turned his head slightly and tapped the table with his slender fingers. "Pour the tea and serve me."
Caiyu almost choked. Looking at the way he gave orders, she really wanted to scratch him.
"Your Highness, if we don't go back soon, I'm afraid it will be too late," Caiyu muttered but didn't move.
Song Yinghuai found her little temper more and more interesting. He remembered the lively look of her when he took her horse - riding to inspect his properties.
He frowned and urged, "Hurry up! Where to serve is not serving? Am I not your master?"
Caiyu: ...
He was right.
Well, if Song Yinghuai wasn't in a hurry, why should she be?
Here, she only had to serve one master. If she went back to the mansion, she would have to serve a large group of people. Since her injury hadn't healed yet, it was better to serve here.
A wise man knows when to yield.
Caiyu quickly figured it out and stepped forward to bustle around.
After drinking some water, Song Yinghuai wanted to take a bath.
The mountain temple was simple. There was no hot spring for him to soak in. Caiyu had to go to the back kitchen pitifully and beg the young novice monk in the temple to get the biggest bathtub according to Song Yinghuai's request and boil a large bucket of steaming hot water.
Maybe it was because she was away from the mansion and felt less restricted. Maybe it was because after last night's wanton teasing of the master, she found that Song Yinghuai wasn't as unreasonable as she had thought. She became much more daring.
While bustling around, Caiyu complained fearlessly, "Your Highness, this is a temple. It's better to be more thrifty. A big bathtub takes time and effort to heat the water and burn the firewood."
Song Yinghuai: "Just go and do as I say! I have long legs. I can't fit my legs into a small bathtub!"
Caiyu: ...
She looked at her own once - proud long legs, which were like two small bamboo sticks compared to Song Yinghuai's. She gritted her teeth and went.
After finishing all this, she was already sweating all over. She even felt that the scab on her neck had been softened by the steam, and the flesh inside was itching. She almost wanted to pick the scab off with her hands.
Song Yinghuai stood beside the bathtub and threw all the medicinal herbs that Master Guangzhi had sent when he came to visit just now into it. He said to Caiyu,
"Take off your clothes and get in."
Caiyu: ???