He Xun stormed out of the courtyard in a huff but then halted.
The main hall was still hosting guests, and he didn't want to go there. But if he went straight to the guest room, he was afraid it would embarrass Su Nansheng. Hesitating, he turned and headed for the Weeping Willow Garden.
Lying on a small boat in the lake with his arms pillowed behind his head, He Xun took out the wooden hairpin from his bosom and looked at it in the starlight.
The wooden hairpin was tiny. Looking at it, He Xun remembered Su Nansheng's chubby little face when she was a child.
At that time, he was only eight years old. He went on a military expedition with his father to gain experience but witnessed the cruelty of the battlefield with corpses strewn everywhere.
From then on, he had nightmares all the time. In his dreams, there were severed arms and legs, and he had trouble sleeping at night. It was still the same after he returned to the capital.
But he was reluctant to tell his parents about his fear. That would be so unmanly.
So he wandered around outside every day and refused to go home even when it was dark because there were many people on the street to keep him company.
Once, in order to avoid the servants at home, he hid in a dead - end alley.
It was already dark by then, and there was no light in the alley. He hid behind a pile of bamboo cages, feeling panicked. Moreover, he recalled the scenes of the battlefield fight, and his whole body trembled.
"Are you also hiding from your father?" The voice was crisp, like a tender bamboo shoot.
It was too dark for He Xun to see the girl's face. He only saw her bright eyes twinkling like stars.
The girl pulled him to the mouth of the alley. In the moonlight, he could see the girl's face clearly.
It was white and round, like the milk cake the cook made especially for him.
"You've been crying. Were you also beaten on the palm by your father?" The girl tilted her head and looked at him.
Only then did He Xun realize that his face was icy cold.
"I didn't cry."
"If you cried, you did. Don't deny it. I was just scared and cried." The girl seemed rather proud.
He Xun wiped his face casually with his sleeve and then said:
"I really didn't cry. A man doesn't shed tears easily."
"But mother said that a crying child gets candy."
As the girl said, she inserted the wooden hairpin on her head into He Xun's hair crown:
"A man doesn't shed tears easily. Then you can be a girl with this hairpin in your hair for a while, cry for a while, and then be a man again when you've cried enough."
"Who wants to be a girl!"
He Xun was a bit annoyed and reached out his hand to pull out the hairpin on his head and throw it away.
"Su Nansheng, come out right now, or you'll sleep outside tonight."
A solemn male voice came from not far away, scaring the girl so much that she shrank her neck.
"I originally wanted to accompany you to cry for a while, but it doesn't matter. I'll cry very loudly later. It's just like accompanying you."
Saying this, the girl pulled He Xun out of the alley, and then she trotted towards an open gate with her short legs.
"Su Nansheng, you still know to come back!"
"Didn't father call me back?"
Not long after, crying came from the yard. It was really loud, as loud as a tiger's roar.
He Xun stood at the mouth of the alley and cried loudly for a while too, just as if he was accompanying Su Nansheng.
After that, He Xun often came to play with Su Nansheng, but he didn't see her very often. She always seemed to disappear somewhere before he came.
After that, whenever He Xun had a nightmare, he would hold the wooden hairpin and cry a few times.
Gradually, he was no longer afraid. Gradually, there were no more severed arms and legs in his dreams.
He Xun looked at the wooden hairpin in his hand with mixed feelings.
He had even made the same hairpin for her, but she still couldn't remember.
But she was only five years old then, still too young. Even though he often went to find her in the following two years, the number of times they met could be counted on one hand.
Often he heard her loud crying outside, which proved that she had caused trouble again that day.
Thinking of this, He Xun sighed. Which was better, being a child - bearing tool or being a girl?
...
The next day, in a daze, Su Nansheng always felt that someone was staring at her.
She opened her eyes and saw He Xun sitting opposite her in only his inner robe, with one long leg bent, looking at her coldly.
Su Nansheng immediately sat up, her heart almost jumping out of her throat.
Even if one was prepared, being stared at by a pair of cold - glinting eyes early in the morning would still be scary.
Moreover, he had left angrily last night. She waited until midnight but didn't see him come back. She thought he would stay somewhere else.
"My lady slept quite soundly."
He Xun's words sounded a bit sarcastic, but at least he was the first to speak.
Su Nansheng gritted her teeth. Just as she was about to get up and move closer, she heard the door creak.
"Second Young Lady, the nanny said that if you're up, please give the handkerchief to her first."
Bi Tao always spoke in a straightforward way, but there was an unnatural look on her face at this moment.
Su Nansheng's head was buzzing. She naturally knew that the nanny wanted the wedding night handkerchief, but they hadn't consummated their marriage yet. Where could she get such a handkerchief?
Just as she was thinking about how to cover it up, she saw He Xun take out a handkerchief from beside her leg with an inscrutable look on his face.
Su Nansheng looked at the bloodstains on the handkerchief and then at He Xun's fingers. Could it be...
"Dog's blood."
After saying that, He Xun took the handkerchief and directly gave it to the nanny waiting outside.
Snowball?
Su Nansheng suddenly looked around. Where was her Snowball?
That scoundrel He Xun! He even bullied the dog!
When He Xun turned around, he saw Su Nansheng's angry but restrained face. Even her eyes were a bit rounder.
The corner of He Xun's lips curled up slightly. He gently rubbed the base of his left little finger where there was a small cut hidden in the crease.
"Get up. It's time to pay respects."
After saying that, He Xun walked behind the screen and reached out to get his outer robe. Unexpectedly, Su Nansheng, who had followed him in, pressed his hand.
"Let me do it."
The servant had prepared a long robe in lake - blue embroidered with patterns of clusters of flowers for He Xun. There were auspicious clouds embroidered with silver thread on the front, looking noble and stately.
The robe felt smooth and soft to the touch, but in Su Nansheng's hand, it seemed to be burning. She wanted to put it on He Xun as soon as possible.
He Xun looked down at Su Nansheng dressing him. She was only wearing a bright red inner robe at the moment. It hung smoothly, outlining her graceful figure, neither too plump nor too slender.
At this moment, she was lowering her head to tie his belt. As she moved, her collar opened a bit, revealing her slender collarbone and a small mole on her neck.
Some loose strands of hair were beside the mole, twining around it, looking very charming.
He Xun's throat went dry. His hand unconsciously lifted up, wanting to push the hair aside.
"All done."
Su Nansheng took a step back and still kept her head down.
He Xun cleared his throat. "I'll wait for you outside."
After he walked out of the screen, Su Nansheng let out a long sigh.
She had done all the things like flattering and currying favor. Why was He Xun still so cold?
Having a child should be a natural thing, but why was it so difficult for her?
...
The two came to the flower hall. The red silk in the hall hadn't been removed yet, still looking very festive. There was a refreshing incense burning in the hall, which was invigorating and comfortable.
In front of the three - fold gilded rosewood screen, Lady Chen was sitting in the main seat, and Concubine Li was sitting on the lower right side of her.
The maids served silently on one side, but He Jin and Su Hele were nowhere to be seen.
Su Nansheng was a bit surprised. Her well - behaved elder sister was actually later than her.
Although she knew that Su Hele was reluctant to serve her in - laws, in her previous life, she had come to pay respects properly.