"Ah Yan? Is that you?"
"Yes, it's me."
An inexplicable sense of peace washed over her, and she relaxed completely. Leaning on the couch by the window, she rested her arm on the window frame and leaned closer to the outside.
She asked, "You didn't leave?"
Chu Yan replied, "I did leave. The servants in your mansion all saw me go. I climbed over the wall and slipped back in. No one noticed."
Shang Yunruo suddenly understood. She quickly turned to Chu Yao and said, "Put out the lamps in front of my room."
Chu Yao obeyed and left. Soon, it was pitch - black in front of the window.
Shang Yunruo said, "Thank you for coming back to accompany me. I wasn't being honest just now. I was really a bit scared."
Chu Yan let out a soft chuckle and said, "Sleep in peace. I'll leave after you fall asleep."
Shang Yunruo couldn't fall asleep for a while. Curiously, she asked, "Are you leaning against the wall now? Your voice sounds like it's right in front of me."
After saying that, she stretched her arm out of the window and felt around but didn't touch Chu Yan. Just as she was about to pull her hand back, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.
The warm palm completely enveloped her wrist. The fingertips were slightly rough, as if there were calluses. This feeling was vaguely familiar.
This was the second time she felt that something about Chu Yan was very familiar, but it wasn't the same kind of familiarity as in her dreams.
She leaned forward and stretched out of the window, grabbing the back of his hand with her other hand and trying to pry his hand off.
Unexpectedly, he let go of her wrist and pulled his arm back.
But Shang Yunruo's other hand was still tightly clutching his, and she was almost pulled out of the window by him.
Thankfully, Chu Yan reacted quickly. He grabbed her hand and used his arm strength to support her whole body, maintaining balance.
Shang Yunruo was still in shock and scolded, "Why did you dodge?"
Chu Yan waited until she was safely back inside the window before slowly saying, "I should be the one asking sister - in - law. Why did you suddenly grab my hand? It's not proper."
Shang Yunruo:...
This made it sound as if she were a wanton woman who had no sense of propriety and was just trying to flirt with her brother - in - law.
She was so angry that she laughed. "You're just a kid. What's wrong with me grabbing your hand?"
Chu Yan raised his eyebrows in the darkness and said slowly, "A kid? I'll be having my capping ceremony in a few months."
Shang Yunruo said, "But you haven't had it yet. Although men usually have the capping ceremony at twenty, most boys have it at sixteen or seventeen. Are you sixteen or seventeen this year?"
Chu Yan replied, "Nineteen."
Shang Yunruo:... Well, he wasn't a little kid anymore.
Chu Yan asked, "Does sister - in - law think I'm still a kid because I look weak?"
Shang Yunruo pouted. He was indeed a bit thin now, but she knew what a strong man he would become in the future.
She took a deep breath and said, "I just felt that you were familiar. Maybe I was wrong."
After a pause, Chu Yan slowly asked, "Familiar? Has sister - in - law been in close contact with other men?"
Shang Yunruo blurted out, "With your elder brother."
Chu Yan's voice turned colder. As if without thinking, he blurted out, "When?"
Shang Yunruo replied, "On our wedding night."
There was a moment of silence in the air, broken only by the chirping of cicadas. Then Chu Yan's voice softened, and he said simply, "Oh."
Shang Yunruo suddenly felt embarrassed. Admitting that she had only been intimate with her husband on their wedding night was really shameful.
She shrank back into the couch, covered herself with the quilt, and said resentfully, "Why am I telling you all this? I'm going to sleep. You can go back."
Chu Yan really didn't say anything more. After a while, Shang Yunruo whispered tentatively, "Ah Yan, have you left?"
"No."
The soft, low voice made her close her eyes in peace. Half - asleep, she told him not to catch a cold and to go back to sleep instead of staying there.
She slept more soundly that night than ever before. The next morning, Chu Yao woke her up by shaking her.
"Miss, miss. I just went to check the white flour..."
At the mention of the white flour, Shang Yunruo woke up immediately. She asked nervously, "Were there any footprints?"
Chu Yao replied, "Yes! There were footprints from outside the door all the way into the house. Every room except your bedroom had footprints."
Shang Yunruo took a deep breath. A sense of fear welled up in her, and her heart started beating erratically.
The thief didn't enter her bedroom. Maybe it was because Chu Yan was outside. The thief didn't dare to get close when he saw someone.
She instinctively leaned out of the window, but it was so blurry that she couldn't see anything. Before she could ask Chu Yao, Chu Yao understood her meaning and whispered, "I haven't seen the second young master this morning. I don't know when he left."
Thieves usually strike when people are sleeping soundly. So Chu Yan must have stayed until after midnight.
Shang Yunruo ordered, "Tell the kitchen to prepare a hen for me. After I wash up and get dressed, I'll go to the kitchen myself to stew a nourishing soup for Ah Yan."
---
Chu Jinli was drunk again.
He rubbed his slightly aching head and secretly regretted drinking so much with his cousin last night. He ended up staying at his uncle's mansion.
It was a day off today, and he could have slept a bit longer. But he couldn't sleep well in a strange place, so he got up.
After putting on his inner clothes and just about to put on his outer robe, there were three knocks on the door. Before he could say "come in", the door was pushed open.
He frowned and looked up. Xue Ning'an's graceful figure appeared at the door. Her phoenix eyes curved slightly, and her lips were red and teeth were white as she smiled. "Cousin, you're awake."
Xue Ning'an had delicate features, a petite and dainty beauty, not like Shang Yunruo's bold and imposing beauty. But she always had an endearing charm in her every gesture.
Every time he thought her behavior was inappropriate, he couldn't bring himself to scold her because of this charm.
But today he couldn't help but ask, "Why did you get me drunk yesterday and beg me to stay at uncle and aunt's mansion?"
Xue Ning'an lowered her eyes, picked up his outer robe, and helped him put it on. She whispered, "Because I wanted to be able to dress and tie your hair for you like a newly - wedded wife as I am doing now."
As soon as the topic of marriage came up, his anger faded. He did feel indebted to her for not being able to marry her.
Looking at Xue Ning'an tying his hair in the mirror, he softened his voice and said, "I promised you that I would only stay in the study and never enter her room. But you still insisted on keeping me at uncle and aunt's place. It's not proper."
Xue Ning'an also said softly, "I know. I was being willful this time. How about we go on a spring outing to the western suburbs later?"
Chu Jinli shook his head. "I have to go back to the mansion later. If she complains to grandmother and finds out that I left my newly - wedded wife and stayed at another mansion, I'll surely be scolded. If that Shang Yunruo makes a fuss, I'd better be there to deal with it."
After saying that, he got up and left. When he returned to the mansion, he was a bit surprised that both grandmother's place and Mu Chenxuan were very quiet.
He walked around and felt that the peace was a bit too much.
When passing by the kitchen, he smelled a strong aroma of chicken soup. His stomach had been uncomfortable after vomiting last night due to the drunkenness, so he entered the kitchen, lifted the lid, and served himself a bowl of soup and two chicken legs.
The cook had gone out to get firewood. When he came back and saw the marquis eating chicken, he quickly bowed and greeted him.
Chu Jinli praised, "Your chicken soup is really delicious. Make it for me again tomorrow!"
The cook replied, "This was stewed by the mistress."
Chu Jinli was quite surprised. He didn't expect her to have such a skill. Swallowing the tender and smooth chicken, he felt warm in both his heart and stomach.
He didn't expect her to be so considerate. Not only did she not blame him for staying at another mansion, but she also personally stewed chicken soup for him early in the morning.
Chu Yao supported Shang Yunruo as they came to the kitchen to get the chicken soup. Suddenly, they saw the marquis eating chicken. Chu Yao blurted out, "Why is the marquis drinking the chicken soup?"
Chu Jinli looked up and asked in confusion, "Wasn't this made for me?"