But Luo Cuiwei wasn't in a hurry to eat, and seemed to be deliberately keeping her outside the dormitory, which was rather strange.
“I really can’t stand it anymore,” Luo Cuiwei nodded apologetically to her, casually touching her flat stomach, and earnestly pleaded, “Please do this for me! I’ll eat breakfast and wait for you to come back, I won’t run around.”
Seeing the sincerity in her eyes, as if she really wanted to eat the rock candy balls, Tao Yin thought for a moment, considering that there were still two chefs at home, and it wouldn't be right to leave her alone at home, so she nodded in agreement.
However, she didn't forget to make a compromise with Luo Cuiwei: "Then I need to go to the doctor at Jishetang first. If the doctor says you can't eat rock sugar now, I'll buy you other sugar, okay?"
Since Luo Cuiwei became pregnant, Tao Yin has been very careful about her diet, consulting with the doctor at Jishetang before making any decisions, for fear of any oversights or mistakes.
Luo Cuiwei accepted her kindness and readily nodded, "Then I'll trouble you. Go and come back quickly. You don't need to buy too much, a small box will be enough."
Anyway, she didn't really need to eat rock sugar; she just wanted to get Tao Yin away for a while.
Tao Yin suggested that they consult the doctor at Jishetang before going to the market, which inadvertently coincided with Luo Cuiwei's wishes.
She was actually hoping that Tao Yin would stay outside a little longer.
****
Once Tao Yin's figure was completely out of sight, Luo Cuiwei felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She didn't even bother to eat breakfast and turned around to go back to her dormitory.
She hastily pulled out the bed sheet, wrapped it into a ball, hugged it tightly to her chest, and hurried into the bathroom, throwing the humiliating bed sheet into the large wooden basin.
The reason she sent Tao Yin away was that she didn't want Tao Yin to see this shameful bed sheet.
In the past, Tao Yin would often have to wash the sheets. Although she felt a little embarrassed, she could pretend that nothing was wrong. After all, she and Yun Lie had only been married for less than half a year, and it was only natural that they would fall in love so easily.
But now that she is pregnant, Tao Yin was standing next to her listening when the doctor from Jishetang advised her that "it is not advisable to have sex in the first few months."
Today, there are shameful marks on the bedsheets again that shouldn't be there. If Tao Yin saw them, she would probably laugh at her in her heart for being so shameless, unrestrained, and obsessed with men...
I'm almost too ashamed to continue living like this.
Thinking about this, Luo Cuiwei suddenly realized that her decision to send Tao Yin away was extremely wise.
After all, she couldn't exactly drag Tao Yin into explaining, "Actually, it wasn't 'like this or that,' it was just 'like that'."
Luo Cuiwei's head was burning red. Despite the two chefs' questioning concern, she forced herself to remain calm and went in and out several times, carrying all the usable hot water from the stove to the washroom and pouring it into a large wooden tub.
She added some cold water, tested the water temperature to make sure it was suitable, then quickly closed the bathroom door, sat down on a small stool, and began washing the sheets with a flushed face.
"That shameless, despicable Yun Gouzi," she muttered angrily as she washed the sheets, "I should have made him wash the sheets before he left this morning. I'm so wronged... oh, not really wronged."
Ultimately, she had to blame herself for what happened last night.
hand……
The thought of "hands" made her freeze, staring at her own hands, her face turning bright red.
Embarrassed and ashamed, she couldn't concentrate on the sounds coming from the courtyard. It wasn't until the bathroom door was pushed open that she was startled back to her senses—
With a flushed face, she stared at Tao Yin, who was standing dumbfounded at the door.
The two red faces complemented each other beautifully.
After a long silence, Tao Yin looked awkwardly at the bed sheet in the basin, then awkwardly at Luo Cuiwei. She cleared her throat, pointed to the wooden shelf in the corner, and stammered, "I forgot, forgot to bring my sachet."
While she was washing clothes in the bathroom in the morning, the belt around her waist came loose, and she almost fell into the water.
The bottom of the small pouch was damp, so she couldn't just put it back on her waist. Instead, she hung it on the wooden frame and blew on it.
Luo Cuiwei stood up blankly with a red face, walked awkwardly to the shelf, took down the dried lotus sachet, and then awkwardly went to the door to hand it to Tao Yin.
Tao Yin took it, lowered her head and whispered, "Just soak it in the basin, I'll wash it when I get back."
Luo Cuiwei neither agreed nor disagreed with her suggestion, her face flushed and serious, her expression righteous: "If I said that last night there was actually no such thing... would you believe me?"
Tao Yin gave the answer silently with her equally serious red face and a firm look in her eyes that said, "If you want me to believe, I will."
****
The doctor had previously advised Luo Cuiwei to move around appropriately, so after Xiahou Ling returned at noon and had lunch with her, she decided to go to the city with Xiahou Ling to check on the progress of the house construction.
After all, she hadn't yet recovered from the embarrassment in her heart, and didn't have the courage to stay at home and remain silent with Tao Yin.
Xiahou Ling went to Huaihua Ferry to pick up the goods early in the morning. When she returned, it was noon. She hurriedly ate lunch and was about to head to the new city. Her mind was full of things to do, so she did not notice Luo Cuiwei's awkwardness. She just thought that Luo Cuiwei had suddenly remembered the doctor's instructions.
"Don't be stubborn. Even though the sun is shining brightly today, it's still cold after all, it's the Great Snow solar term," Xiahou Ling said, draping a thick brocade cloak over Luo Cuiwei and gently patting away her hand that was trying to pull it off. "I think it's His Highness who has spoiled you too much, making you more and more like a brat."
Luo Cuiwei was feeling awkward when she heard Yun Lie mentioned, and immediately turned her face away uncomfortably, saying, "I'm not cold."
But he didn't bother with the cloak he was wearing anymore.
Xiahou Ling grabbed a few roasted tangerines and handed one to her in each hand, saying, "Let's go, we can eat them on the way and they'll keep our hands warm."
The two walked out of the courtyard side by side and slowly headed towards the other side of the new town.
The new town is only two or three miles from this village, and it usually takes less than half an hour to get there. However, Luo Cuiwei cannot walk fast at the moment, so Xiahou Ling also slowed down and accompanied her to stroll over at a leisurely pace.
The two chatted and laughed all the way, and Luo Cuiwei gradually forgot about the embarrassment of the morning.
"A-Ling, I'm so sorry. You arrived just in time for me to be lazy. In the past two weeks, I haven't had a single day of free time." Luo Cuiwei held two warm roasted oranges in her hands, feeling somewhat guilty.
“But right now I’m only doing small-scale tasks, just running errands and relaying messages, which is a waste of your talents.”
Xiahou Ling turned her head and glanced at her in surprise. "What are you saying? It's my duty to help you with your work, regardless of how big or small the task is."
“Father once said that once Luo Rui and the others have grown up, you can choose any branch to be the manager if you wish, or you can start your own business,” Luo Cui said with a smile, patting Xiahou Ling’s shoulder. “Everyone in the family knows that you are capable of handling things on your own.”