Marry a Northern Song Dynasty civil servant

Chapter 79

Lu Ling nodded obediently, while Lu Yue continued to chuckle to himself, making Song Xiaohua's teeth itch even more. She grabbed him as if to hit him, but unexpectedly, his little hand, which had been behind his back, suddenly reached out, revealing an oversized calligraphy brush dripping with ink. He swiftly drew a big X on the face that instantly contorted...

Song Xiaohua flew into a rage: "If I don't beat your butt into eight pieces today, you won't know why the sun rises from the east every day!"

Lu Ling pleaded repeatedly, "Mother, please don't be angry, please forgive my brother this time!"

Lu Yue clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "Mother, ugly, mother, shame on you~"

"...How dare you laugh at your mother! Ling'er, get out of the way!"

So, when Lu Ziqi returned home, he was greeted by the usual chaotic scene of chickens and dogs running around: "Yaoyao, what's wrong? Has Yue'er gotten into trouble again?"

She tucked the mischievous boy, who was kicking and flailing his arms and legs, face down between her legs, raised her hand high, and gently brought it down: "If I had known your son would be this troublesome, I should have nipped your little tadpole in the bud in my pond!"

"…………"

"Brother Lu, may I ask what your wife means by the tadpoles and the pond she mentioned?"

His clear, melodious voice spoke in a pedantic tone, yet with a hint of mockery.

Song Xiaohua, who was facing away from the courtyard gate, froze as if she had been struck on an acupoint, her hand hanging in mid-air.

Taking advantage of the situation, Lu Yue quickly rolled down and wobbled away, calling out, "Daddy~" He paused, then called out in a childish voice, "Uncle Piao Piao~"

Lu Ling followed and said, "Ling'er greets Father."

"Ling'er, do you still remember me? We met once before."

"Forgive my poor eyesight, but I just feel that you look very familiar."

“It’s not your fault. You were too young back then. Your father is a year older than me, so logically you should call me Uncle Yuan.”

"Your Highness, how can this be?"

"Brother Lu, have you forgotten our agreement again? Today, we will only reminisce about our old friendship, with only Yuan Hao present."

Yuan Hao......

Song Xiaohua finally caught her breath and slowly turned around: "Yuan Hao, it's been a long time."

Her flowing robe blended seamlessly with the azure sky. Her face was almost otherworldly, with arched, curved eyebrows.

That blue hue, that smile, though separated by time and distance, remain unchanged in the slightest.

However, the upward curve of her narrow eyeliner seemed to have increased, and the originally clear, spring-like brightness in her eyes was replaced by a cold glint that seemed to come from a lonely star in the sky.

"Sister-in-law, how have you been?" Her eyebrows lifted almost imperceptibly, then her smile deepened: "I still remember when we met in that little courtyard, it was also this time of year, and there were three tabby cats."

"Huh? A cat?"

Lu Ziqi sighed helplessly: "Back then, there was one big dog, one small dog, and now there are three dogs, one big dog and two small dogs."

Lu Ling scratched his head sheepishly, "I'm sorry to have made Uncle Yuan laugh."

Lu Yue rubbed against his father's chest, meowing, "Mama meow meow, brother meow meow, Yue'er meow meow."

Song Xiaohua suddenly felt very grateful for the large, bold "X" on her face, because it could cover up her once-in-a-lifetime bright red face...

After finally getting herself and the kids cleaned up, Song Xiaohua went to the front yard again, and then, her nose started bleeding profusely.

A crescent moon rises like a hook on the horizon, casting its gentle light.

Dressed in black and blue robes. One sitting, one standing. Jade table and stools, vines spreading like a canopy. One plays the zither, the other the flute. The zither's notes are clear and resonant, the flute's melody is melodious and graceful.

Gradually, the sound of the xiao (vertical flute) rose higher and higher, faintly carrying a murderous aura, while the sound of the qin (zither) became more peaceful and upright, but the sense of ups and downs was like the clanging of clashing swords.

The cicadas fell silent, and the evening breeze ceased.

Song Xiaohua was not musically literate and could not understand the meaning of the qin and xiao duet, but for some reason, she felt as if a fire was burning in her heart, causing her to break out in a cold sweat.

However, she quickly found a reasonable explanation for her inexplicable reaction.

Faced with beauty, the wolf's blood boils.

The zither player's slender fingers, slightly closed eyelids, and sensual lips, the flute player's fair neck, the rhythmic Adam's apple, and the perfect face, all exuded a unique aura under the white moonlight—a palpable air of illicit passion.

"Wow! This is a super-powered version of 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer'..."

Disturbed by her murmured words, the zither music abruptly stopped, and the flute music also ended at its highest point, the lingering meaning lingering in the air before soaring straight into the sky.

"Yaoyao, you've arrived! Please take your seat!"

Lu Ziqi pushed his zither aside and stood up, bowing to Yuan Hao, who was smiling and playing with his xiao (vertical bamboo flute), as an invitation: "In this haste, I can only offer you some simple home-style snacks. I hope Brother Yuan will not find them too crude."

"Brother Lu, you are too kind. It should be me who apologizes for being presumptuous and disturbing you."

"How dare I? How dare I?"

"You're too kind."

Song Xiaohua rolled her eyes and sat down first: "You two can continue to pretend like that. I'm hungry, I'm going to eat first."

Yuan Hao was taken aback, then chuckled: "It's been three years since we last met, and your words are still so unpredictable."

"Thank you for the compliment. You are as captivating and alluring as ever."

"...You flatter me, sister-in-law."

The three of them had just sat down when the two little glutinous rice balls came running over one after the other.

Lu Yue scrambled ahead, followed closely by Lu Ling, who was shouting and yelling.

"Little brother, slow down, be careful not to fall and hurt yourself!"

"Uncle Piao, Uncle Piao Piao..."

Seeing a little red boy with a pigtail flying towards him with a big smile, Yuan Hao quickly reached out and scooped him up in his arms before he made close contact with the bluestone pavement.

Her delicate features bear a resemblance to hers, especially her bright, expressive eyes and radiant smile that instantly brings joy to anyone who sees her – she captures the essence of her beauty.

He took out a pair of jade pendants and waved them in front of the child: "Your name is Yue'er, right? Call me Uncle Yuan and I'll give you this."

Lu Yue blinked his big, dark eyes, glanced at the priceless jade pendant briefly, and then turned back to stare intently at Yuan Hao, who was drooling.

"At such a young age, he already possesses a remarkable integrity that prevents him from being corrupted by wealth and status."

Song Xiaohua chuckled dryly: "You're giving him too much credit. The little idiot has no idea this thing is valuable. If you don't believe me, try exchanging it for a copper coin."

Yuan Hao, completely bewildered, accepted the one coin handed to him by Lu Ziqi, who was chuckling wryly. Just as he held it in his hand, Lu Yue suddenly sprang up and stood on his knees, shouting loudly, "Uncle, Uncle Piao Piao!"

Confused: "I think I just heard him shout that, what does it mean?"

Lu Ling volunteered to answer: "What my brother means is, Uncle Yuan, you are a very, very handsome uncle."

"...It would be my great honor."

"My little brother likes you very much and has been insisting on coming to see you. I couldn't stop him, which is why I disturbed Father, Mother and Uncle Yuan's mood. It's all my fault, please don't be angry, Uncle Yuan."

Yuan Hao smiled and ruffled his hair: "In just a few years, you've grown into a sensible and mature young man. When we first met, I was in such a rush that I didn't prepare a gift, so I'm making up for it this time. Since your brother doesn't appreciate their value, you can keep both jade pendants for now. Give them to him when he realizes they can be exchanged for lots and lots of copper coins."

Lu Ziqi reached out and pushed it away, saying, "It's too precious."

With a half-smile, he said, "What's so valuable about it? It's just an ordinary object that can neither be eaten nor drunk. Or perhaps, Brother Lu, you feel that our relationship is too shallow for you to be worthy to present your son with a gift?"

After a slight hesitation, he changed his mind and accepted instead: "Brother Yuan, I am truly ashamed of what you say. Since that's the case, I am unworthy to accept it. Ling'er, please thank Uncle Yuan on behalf of Yue'er."

He accepted the greeting with a smile, then reached out to help her up and looked her over carefully before nodding: "Although you are young, you already show the potential to be a pillar of society. Ling'er, can you tell me what you want to be when you grow up?"

Lu Ling stood ramrod straight, his clear, childlike voice, whistling through his missing front teeth, echoing around him: "Kill the enemy and serve the country!"

Yuan Hao's eyes narrowed for a moment, then he laughed heartily: "Good, that's spirited! Just like my son. A true man should prove himself on the battlefield, expanding the country's territory with the enemy's bones and establishing merit for himself!"

"Uncle Yuan, in the future, Ling'er can fight alongside your son!"

"Side by side?" A slight smile played on his lips. "In any case, you will surely meet on the battlefield."

Several cicada chirps came from afar, and the cicadas in the courtyard seemed to wake up from a dream and began to chatter noisily. The evening breeze, which had stopped for a while, also began to blow, the heat wave receded, and a slight coolness gradually arose.

A few strands of hair were blown into her nose by the wind, and Song Xiaohua couldn't help but sneeze. Lu Yue tilted his head, grinned, and promptly sprayed Yuan Hao with an "Achoo!" that was as powerful as a watering can. Then, he grabbed Yuan Hao's drool-splattered face with his two little hands and started licking it frantically...

Seeing this, Lu Ziqi was extremely embarrassed. He quickly grabbed his son by the back of his collar and pulled him away. Lu Yue kicked wildly in mid-air, shouting, "Uncle Piao Piao, kiss me, it's delicious..."

Song Xiaohua sighed and muttered to herself in a low voice, "You little lecher, you really are worthy of being my son. Not only are you bisexual, but you also have great taste. Just looking at this kind of top-quality stuff makes one's mouth water and feel unbearably hungry. Eating her would be an infinitely delicious experience."

Originally, the surrounding area was filled with the sounds of wind, cicadas, and babies, but when she said these words, it was as if everyone was being strangled, and the whole world fell silent.

Yuan Hao's lips twitched, Lu Ziqi's eyebrows twitched, and Song Xiaohua's scalp tingled...

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After Lu Ziqi saw Yuan Hao off, he returned, but could not find the mother and her two children anywhere. He was about to ask a servant when he heard a few faint barks from a dog.

Following the sound, they arrived at a deserted wall, where they saw Song Wuque carrying Lu Yue in his mouth, with Lu Ling standing beside him, both looking up at the wall.

Approaching quietly, I was shocked and blurted out, "Yaoyao, why are you climbing the wall?"

Song Xiaohua, who was perched on the wall looking around for a foothold to climb down, immediately shook her head and waved her hands frantically upon hearing this: "I didn't climb the wall! I didn't climb the wall!"

"Isn't what you're doing called climbing the wall?"

"My love for you is unwavering, I would die for you without regret; heaven and earth bear witness, the sun and moon can stand as proof of my chastity..."

Chastity archway...