"You're too kind, Chief Escort Wu. Qingfeng Village is honored to be of help." Qiu Su turned to look at the mountain lord who was still unconscious, and her forehead twitched with heartache.
**********************************************************
Qingfeng Theater:
Mountain Lord: Dear Qingfeng, I was wrong, I shouldn't have grinned at you o(╯□╰)o
Qingfeng: Good boy, obedient children get to eat meat.
Mountain Lord: Well, Blue Eyes...
Qingfeng: This meat is not that meat, my son, you must wait a little longer.
Author's Note: Ding~~~~
10
10. Pei Yuan's marriage proposal...
Wu Yi stayed in Pingcheng for several days. During this time, Qiu Su sent people to help him. She led him to search every mountain she knew where bandits frequented, but naturally, they found nothing. Wu Yi left with his men, looking very unhappy. Magistrate Qin breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Wu Yi off. To express his gratitude to Qingfeng Village, he bestowed upon them a plaque that read "Rectifying the Source."
The plaque is somewhat ambiguous. Those in the know would say that Qingfeng Village has changed its previous carefree style of highway robbery and become a proper mountain village; those who don't might think that the government is starting with Qingyuan Mountain to truly rectify the situation. Magistrate Qin, however, meant well. Firstly, he praised Qingfeng Village for its successful purification of its source, and secondly, he encouraged other mountain villages to follow suit, thus promoting harmony in Pingcheng.
Qiu Su naturally understood Magistrate Song's good intentions, so when the officials from the prefectural government delivered the plaque to Qingyuan Mountain with gongs and drums, Qiu Su hung it at the main gate in front of all the officials, right above the three gilded characters "Qingfeng Village." Tsk, it does look a bit awkward.
Pei Yuan looked at the plaque still adorned with red silk and compared it for a long time before saying, "The three characters 'Qingfeng Village' are still the most elegant. Which expert did you invite, Madam?"
“There’s a scholar named Yang who runs a stall in the city. He only has five copper coins.”
Pei Yuan coughed lightly, "My wife, my injuries are almost healed, and I will be able to go down the mountain in a few days."
"good."
"Being able to come down the mountain and help with purchasing betrothal gifts is a really good thing."
Qiu Su was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"My wife has ruined my reputation, so of course she should take responsibility. I thought she would take it on willingly. Or perhaps, my wife will find a new lover in the next few days?"
"Well, this requires further consideration."
Pei Yuan's smile faded, and he looked somewhat displeased. Qiu Su explained, "We are not married yet."
"That's why we need to hurry up and get the wedding done, so that it will be legitimate for us to share a room and even a bed. Oh, Zhou Tong and I have already discussed it, and we'll get it done in the next few days. Does my wife think that her husband is not good enough and still needs to be tested?"
Well, the deeper meaning is that not getting married doesn't mean one's innocence is ruined.
"This, that, you know..."
"My wife." Pei Yuan took a step forward, his gaze lingering on her intently, and reached out to put his arm around her waist. It wasn't heavy, but it made it difficult for her to break free.
Pei Yuan lowered his head and lightly pecked those red lips, leaving Qiu Su instantly stunned. This was the first time he'd ever kissed her in all the time they'd spent together. Before Qiu Su could even process the sensation, a flood of emotions overwhelmed her. This was simply too astonishing!
"My wife and I have been in the same bed for so long, and we've done everything we should and shouldn't have done. Do you still need an excuse? Or perhaps, my wife, you don't want to marry me?"
Uh, this is a difficult question to answer. Wait, what does it mean to say they did everything they should and shouldn't have done? What exactly did they do?
Qiu Su wanted to raise her hand to touch her burning lips, but felt that wouldn't be carefree enough. Her muddled mind struggled to process what she had just learned, and then, in a moment of inspiration, she said, "I can't bear to part with the Mountain Lord."
Pei Yuan curled the corner of his lips into a smile. "Does it matter?"
"The mountain lord likes to sleep in bed."
Pei Yuan narrowed his eyes.
"Uh, actually, it seems to be sleeping on the ground now, but that's because there's a man on the bed. The mountain lord has always been very principled."
"Susu?"
Qiu Su subconsciously looked up, but the next instant, her lips were captured by someone's. There was no movement, just a gentle touch, yet Qiu Su's eyes widened. She froze for a moment before frowning and raising her hand to push him away, but her hand was caught by his chest. Qiu Su tried to kick him, but Pei Yuan easily pulled her into his arms, closing the distance and leaving her momentarily unable to move.
This is far too reckless.
Qiu Su was genuinely annoyed. She might not object to marrying someone so hastily, but it was too fast, making her suspicious of his motives. However, upon further reflection, wasn't she even more impatient than him? His coming up the mountain seemed to be because of her. If she hadn't wanted to find a husband to live with, if she hadn't wanted to marry herself off before eighteen for the sake of everyone's wish to have a "grandson," if she hadn't tacitly approved of Zhou Tong's actions, he wouldn't have come up the mountain, and he wouldn't be lying naked in her bed. To put it bluntly, the one who was initially in a hurry was her, Qiu Su.
Wasn't she just looking for someone to settle down with? Why are there so many speculations now that someone is finally willing to stay? Was she discouraged by the previous naked men who resisted her to the death? Actually, he's been behaving exceptionally well these past few days. He said he'd seen her before, but she couldn't quite remember. If he's telling the truth, then it seems quite romantic. It would be a real shame to miss out on such a distinguished and handsome husband.
Her lower lip was lightly bitten and then gently sucked. Qiu Su snapped out of her daze, her earlier anger gone, but unable to respond, she could only awkwardly lie there, letting him kiss her. She really couldn't understand the subtlety of it all; she had spied on others kissing and making love, but when it happened to her, it just felt strange.
Those lips seemed to have tasted a delicacy, and slowly began to move, sucking and gently biting. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Qiu Su—eat cherries! Hold them in your mouth, bite gently, suck, and spit out the pit.
Qiu Su was about to savor it, but Pei Yuan released her lips and burst out laughing.
"Susu, hehe, do you know what I'm doing?"
Uh, do you even need to ask?
Pei Yuan stroked her cheek, shook his head, and said with a smile, "What are you thinking about, standing there like a block of wood?"
Qiu Su felt a little embarrassed, wondering if she had been too unreserved. Normally, a woman who had been assaulted would slap him first, then cover her face and run away crying; or point at the perpetrator and cry in protest; at the very least, she should show her anger and stomp on his foot to express her displeasure. Qiu Su looked at Pei Yuan's face, then down at his feet clad in black brocade boots, and then thought of her own blushing and crying run away in shame and anger. Finally, she chose to look up at the exceptionally blue sky of Qingyuan Mountain, coughed lightly, and said, "Pei Yuan, I have a question for you."
"Please speak, my lady."
Qiu Su withdrew her gaze, her clear eyes fixed on Pei Yuan as if trying to see into his heart. Only when Pei Yuan looked away, slightly uncomfortable, did Qiu Su say, "Pei Yuan, tell me the truth? What do you want?"
Pei Yuan also composed himself, stared at Qiu Su for a long time, and then smiled and said, "What treasures do you have that are worth me going to such lengths to get? Can't I just want you?"
Sigh, we really don't have anything to ask for, but what about people? That word is too profound, thought-provoking, and intriguing.