Blutbefleckter Tod - Kapitel 26
Lu Ziqi was left facing Song Xiaohua, whose eyes were practically spitting fire, and could only manage a wry smile.
The people of Liao were indeed very free-spirited, and this princess's unrestrained manner was truly astonishing...
Excessive indulgence... Heavens...
Author's Note: After eating several glutinous rice balls, I finally had a change of heart and decided to come back and update. It's such a holiday, I can't very well skip an update... Sigh, how kind I am! = =
Happy Lantern Festival, everyone!
P.S.: Regarding Princess Xingping, I did a quick look and found that records only seem to include her surname and title, not her given name. So I took one character from her title and made up a name for her... I hope this doesn't offend Her Highness the Princess~ Amitabha...
Also: Regarding this... the issue of languages and dialects among different ethnic groups... please ignore it here~ Otherwise, I'd have to do a translation~ lol...
Chapter Twenty-Eight: You Are My Man
After removing his rain gear and changing out of his wet clothes, Lu Ziqi, now enjoying hot tea in the warm indoor space, was finally able to take a good look at his long-missed home.
The furnishings remained unchanged, and the place was still tidy.
Several pieces of calligraphy lay spread out on the table, their authors easily identifiable. While all were haphazardly written, lacking any discernible pattern, one person's handwriting possessed a certain... menacing... fierce and aggressive quality, much like her personality. She must have had a tough time holding back outside just now...
A smile involuntarily crept onto his face as he reached for a piece of paper lying on the corner of the table, unfolded it, and examined it carefully.
It was a painting, a painting whose subject was unknown. The head was round, the body was round, and even the limbs were round. It was a strange thing... However, the round eyes did have a resemblance to her.
Shaking her head and chuckling, she thought, if she knew what she was really thinking, her eyes would probably be wide open even more.
I hadn't noticed it while I was busy working outside, but it wasn't until I got home and completely relaxed that I realized I had unknowingly developed some feelings for her.
Ling'er and Gou'er followed the lady of the house, bustling back and forth between the rooms, preparing for the return of the master of the house.
Ling'er has grown taller, fairer, and stronger; she has also become more lively and cheerful.
The dog… how could this dog grow so fast? In just over a month, it had increased several times in size. Before, it was a dark, snarling lump that suddenly lunged out, almost scaring him so much that he stumbled and fell into the mud. Even now, he still felt a chill run down his spine. Fortunately, Princess Xingping stopped him in time; otherwise, he feared he would have truly lost face.
Princess Xingping... Sigh, I'd better hurry up and think of a way to explain this...
"distant……"
"etc!"
"distant……"
"I'm busy!"
"distant……"
"…………"
Lu Ziqi sighed and stood up, blocking Song Xiaohua's way, who was determined to remain silent and ignore him completely: "Take a break first, I have something to tell you." He then said to Lu Ling, who was looking at them curiously, "Ling'er, take Wuque to the kitchen and keep an eye on the fire, don't let the water boil dry."
Lu Ling tugged at Song Xiaohua's sleeve, who looked very unhappy, with concern: "Mommy~"
Completely helpless against the little dumpling, Song Xiaohua could only bend down and pinch the pink and tender little face, forcing a twisted smile: "Take the umbrella so you don't get wet. I'll make you fruit soup tonight."
After sending the child and the dog away, the two adults standing face to face in the room fell silent.
She was still dressed simply, with a plain hairstyle and no makeup. However, her complexion was no longer the sallow yellow of someone recovering from a serious illness, but rather fair with a faint rosy glow. She seemed to have gained a little weight, which made her appear more mature and no longer the thin, childlike figure she once was.
With her arched eyebrows, delicate nose, and pink lips, his young wife truly deserved the title of 'beautiful lady.' If only her almond-shaped eyes weren't so 'sparkling'...
"Is fruit custard a new dish you learned?"
“Yes! I learned it from the book Yuan Hao gave me!” Song Xiaohua’s answer was stiff, and she even emphasized the pronunciation of the name.
Lu Ziqi could easily understand the meaning behind her words: "Princess Xingping and I met by chance, and a misunderstanding occurred..."
"A chance encounter? A misunderstanding?" After being bombarded with countless melodramatic TV dramas filled with these two elements, Song Xiaohua finally snapped and exploded: "You and your Ping'er really put on a romantic encounter to perfection! No wonder you took so long to come back, turns out you were playing the 'chance encounter' and 'misunderstanding' game with that princess beauty! Since you're having so much fun, why don't you continue outside? Why did you have to come right in front of me to flirt? Are you here to show off or do you think I'm dead? Let me tell you, I don't care if you're some young master or princess, if you piss me off, you'll be in big trouble!"
Lu Ziqi was both angry and amused, and helpless: "Yaoyao, what kind of nonsense are you talking about..."
"No matter how messy I am, it's still not as messy as yours! All that time I spent counting down the days, hoping for you..."
Song Xiaohua's anger slowly turned into a bellyful of grievances, her voice choked, and she could no longer speak.
She tried to walk out and leave, but Lu Ziqi blocked her way. Frustrated, she recklessly rammed into him, but unexpectedly heard a muffled groan. She subconsciously looked up and saw him clutching his left shoulder, his brows furrowed, and his face deathly pale.
Startled, I blurted out, "What's wrong with you?"
Lu Ziqi paused, and Fang Shu smiled with a forced smile: "It's just a scratch, nothing serious."
"What abrasion? How did you get it? Let me see!"
Gently holding Song Xiaohua's wrist, he said, "On our way back, we ran into Princess Xingping and her entourage who were out for a stroll. Because of the overcast sky and poor visibility, there was a misunderstanding, and she accidentally shot and wounded me. However, the wound has already been treated, and it will heal in a few days. That's how my chance encounter with her and the misunderstanding happened."
She looked up at his frankness: "So, that's why she brought you back?"
"Yes, she insisted that she would feel bad if she didn't do it, and I couldn't refuse her too much, after all, she is a princess of Liao."
"So, your relationship progressed rapidly on the way back together?"
"Absolutely not!"
"Even if you're innocent to her, she's definitely up to you!"
Lu Ziqi's lips curled into a smile: "Then it has nothing to do with me."
Song Xiaohua lightly spat, "He seduced her, then turned his back and acted like a scoundrel. Men, they really are all heartless!"
"You can't say things like that lightly, don't wrong me!"
"You're the most powerful person here, magistrate. If you want to seek justice, who should you go to?"
"Then... this county will seek justice for itself."
Song Xiaohua spat lightly again: "I was worried you'd bend the law for personal gain!" Then she looked at his injury: "Are you really alright? Perhaps we should ask Doctor Hu to take a look!"
Lu Ziqi smiled and shook his head: "No need, the Liao people's external wound medicine is still very effective."
"Tch! She knew you were injured, yet she insisted on standing in the rain and nagging you endlessly. That princess is so selfish, domineering, and unreasonable—she's utterly irritating!" Song Xiaohua grew angrier as she spoke, adding angrily, "She dared to insult my dog and hurt my man! One day I'll make her pay! Oh, I see…" she slapped her forehead in sudden realization, "No wonder… no wonder she said not to overdo it…"
Ahhh, it seems this piece of tinder, yearning for a blazing fire, will continue to dry out...
Damn princess, you ruined my plans! I'm not finished with you!
Watching Song Xiaohua grit her teeth and storm out the door, Lu Ziqi was stunned for a moment, then smiled.
Her man...
Author's Note: Dry wood, oh dry wood, just won't light, just won't light, hee hee hee ya ha ha oh ho ho...
Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Jealous Wife
A table, a small table, a desk, a chair, a stool, and several rows of bookshelves.
It was spotless and immaculate, just as it had been on the day it left. Even the sheet of Xuan paper on the table, which had been laid out but had not yet been inscribed with ink, remained completely untouched.
She managed this study very well, just like she took good care of the whole house.
He gently stroked the two characters that had been caressed countless times with his fingertips, a faint smile playing on his lips.
After a short while, he turned around and sat down, picked up his pen and drew a sable looking back on the blank sheet of paper.
He put down his pen, gazed at the scene for a moment, and sighed softly.
Just as I was lost in thought, a knocking sounded at the door, both frequent and urgent.
"Come in." There was a hint of amusement in his voice that he himself didn't even realize.
"Ouch! Ouch! It's burning me!"
Song Xiaohua was carrying a bowl of steaming hot tea. She wanted to walk quickly but was afraid that the scalding liquid would splash out, so she could only move slowly step by step while shouting loudly.
Seeing this, Lu Ziqi quickly stepped forward and took the 'hot potato': "You too, why did you make it so full? It's about to overflow."
A large bowl was filled to the brim with light brown herbal tea, exuding a familiar and long-lost aroma.
Song Xiaohua puffed out her cheeks and blew a few big breaths on her fingers, which were already slightly red from the burn. Then, imitating what she saw on TV, she grabbed her ears and bounced around twice: "You haven't been drinking a bowl every day as I told you, have you, while you've been out here all this time?"