The small couch was placed in the outer room. Pei Yuan helped her sit down, then went inside to open the small window of the inner room, brought out a brazier, placed it beside the couch, and sat down as well. Pei Yuan touched his nose, coughed lightly, and said, "Why are you feeling unwell again lately?"
"It's nothing, I just don't want to move when it gets cold." Zhu Yuan looked outside happily. "Brother Yuan, is there anything you want to say?"
"No." Just an excuse.
"You should still go out for a walk around noon."
Zhu Yuan nodded. A moment of silence fell between them, the atmosphere somewhat awkward. They hadn't gotten along particularly well before; Pei Yuan would usually sit in the courtyard for a while while Zhu Yuan did her embroidery, occasionally saying a few words, otherwise remaining silent. But back then, it wasn't this awkward; it seemed perfectly natural for them to sit silently facing each other. Now, however, she felt unsure what to do with her hands.
Pei Yuan paused for a moment, then chuckled softly and said, "Do you still remember your brother?"
Zhu Yuan smiled. "How could I forget? His death anniversary is coming up again in a few days. Brother Yuan, will you be able to visit him with me this year?"
“Of course he will.” Pei Yuan turned his head away somewhat awkwardly, staring at the cotton curtain, and said, “Take a rest, and I’ll tell you about his life in the military camp.”
Zhu Yuan smiled, gazing at Pei Yuan's profile, and unconsciously tugged at the hem of his robe. A sense of contentment filled her heart. Following her hand, she looked down and couldn't help but smile again. See, she didn't ask for much—just a sliver of clothing—and her heart was overflowing with happiness. Thankfully, he hadn't fallen in love with her; otherwise, he would surely be heartbroken if she died. This was for the best. She would eventually die, but he could grow old with Qiu Su, raising children together. But if only she could be free of jealousy and envy.
Pei Yuan recounted anecdotes intermittently, noticing that Zhu Yuan's breathing, though rapid, was relatively steady despite her eyes closed. As he got up to fetch a thin blanket from the inner room, he saw her hand tugging at the hem of his clothes. At that moment, a complex feeling stirred within him. Perhaps, without realizing it, he had incurred someone's debt.
Pei Yuan sat for a while longer, then gently pulled out a corner of his robe, got up, took the quilt to cover himself, closed a few windows, and then lifted the curtain to go out. He told Xiao Qing to ventilate the room well, and returned to the courtyard with mixed feelings.
The author has something to say: It's very simple for a woman to fall in love with a man, for better or for worse, perhaps in just one encounter.
Qiu Su was probably also amazed by Pei Yuan at their first meeting.
Women are also very self-deceiving and timid; they always find various reasons to cover up men's lies.
Q: Is Pei Yuan really a jerk?
37
37. What you never gave...
When Pei Yuan returned to the courtyard, Qiu Su had already eaten breakfast. She merely raised an eyelid when he entered before continuing to learn how to make small clothes from Huang Tao. Pei Yuan felt a little depressed, a bad mood creeping in. Seeing that Qiu Su hadn't responded to him for a while, he went out and wandered off to Rong Courtyard.
"Miss, it's rare for the young master to be home. You should let him keep you company more often," Huang Tao muttered softly.
Qiu Su casually replied, then frowned and asked, "Did He Zhuo send a letter?"
"No, it's definitely colder up north than here. It's probably covered in snow and ice right now." Huang Tao pouted. "He Zhuo isn't a very likable person, but it's still a bit sad to think about him freezing. Miss, I wonder if that little gray cat can handle that awful weather."
Seeing the glint in Qiu Su's eyes, Huang Tao quickly widened her eyes and said, "Stop, stop, I don't have any thoughts. People who are too familiar with each other are like family. Miss, isn't it strange? Isn't it said that childhood sweethearts are always the best? But how come I didn't have any childhood sweethearts with any of the brothers in the mountains? We've seen each other every day since we were little, and we've seen each other for decades without getting tired of each other."
"You said you're brothers, so how can you say you're childhood sweethearts?"
"Miss," Huang Tao glanced at the door and lowered her voice, "Miss should treat the young master even better and not hold a grudge against him. The people in that courtyard are very shrewd."
Qiu Su frowned in disapproval. "Don't talk about Miss Zhu Yuan like that. She was a pitiful person too." Qiu Su sighed. "You don't understand, and neither do I. In short, I was the one who came later."
Huang Tao pouted, "What are you talking about? Miss didn't force the young master to marry her. He was the one who insisted on marrying her, and once he's married her, he has to treat her well. That's only natural. What's Miss worrying about? Humph, I think Qingfeng Village is better. At least you can do whatever you want and occasionally go out for some fresh air. The mountain lord has been going crazy lately."
As they were talking, Xiaoxue squeezed through the cotton curtain and ran in. She circled around Qiusu, then squatted down in front of her, wagging her tail and tilting her head slightly. She was just like the Mountain Lord in that respect; when she was happy or asking for a reward, she would always tilt her head like that. Qiusu raised her hand and rubbed its fluffy head. She heard the person outside the curtain say with a smile, "Sister-in-law, Mother asked me to invite you over to play."
Lingling lifted the curtain and came in, and the Mountain Lord also took the opportunity to squeeze in, instantly making the room lively. Dou Dou, who had been lazily lying by the charcoal brazier, suddenly stood up and pounced on Xiao Xue, wanting to play. However, Xiao Xue nimbly dodged away, haughtily raising her chin and moving to Lingling's side. Dou Dou yawned in boredom and sheepishly scurried back to her spot.
Lingling rubbed Xue'er's head and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, brother said you should wear something warmer."
Qiu Su put on a cotton cloak and went out. As soon as she stepped out, she saw Pei's mother hurriedly coming to greet her. She took Qiu Su's hand and led her to the front hall. Qiu Su was bewildered. She didn't stop until she entered the hall and saw the servants kneeling on both sides of the road. She frowned and then saw the eunuch sitting upright in the hall, wearing a dark red cotton robe and a black top hat. Her heart skipped a beat.
These days have been so peaceful that I've almost forgotten these people even exist. Pei Yuan walked over from the other side, took Qiu Su's hand from his mother, and followed her into the hall.
"Hehe, what brings Eunuch Wu here? What are you standing there for? Serve tea, serve the best tea!"
Eunuch Wu stood up and said with a smile, "Goodbye, I have to rush back to report."
"Oh?" Madam Pei walked to the main seat and gestured for Eunuch Wu to sit down. She then sat down herself and said with a smile, "I wonder what it is? I'm sorry to trouble Eunuch Wu to make this trip in person. Just find someone to pass on a message."
"Hehe, Laba Festival is in a couple of days. His Majesty invites Young Master Pei and his wife to the palace to celebrate the festival."
Madam Pei chuckled twice, glanced at the person sitting with their hands in their sleeves, and sighed, "This humble woman thanks you in advance. But Eunuch Wu, look at my daughter-in-law's belly, I'm afraid..."
"The palace will send a sedan chair to pick you up then." Eunuch Wu smiled amiably. "It's been a long time since I've seen Lord Pei."
"Her health is getting worse and worse," sighed Mother Pei. "She hasn't been getting out of bed much lately."
Eunuch Wu smiled and said, "It's been a long time since we've seen each other. It would be better to go and visit them."
"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Eunuch Wu." Madam Pei said as she stood up. "Alright, Eunuch Wu, please come and sit for a while. We recently received a jar of fine tea, and I'll have the servants wrap it up so you can take it back with you."
As Pei's mother and Eunuch Wu went out, Qiu Su, who had been keeping a low profile, finally looked up at Pei Yuan. Pei Yuan smiled and said, "It's alright, we'll just cook some Laba porridge and send it in. We don't really need to go all the way there."
Only two days later, the first snow of the year fell. It was heavy, drifting and swirling, adding a blanket of snow to the world in just one morning. The mountain spirit and DouDou were overjoyed. The three of them rolled around in the snow, and even the usually proud XueEr let loose and followed DouDou, panting and puffing out its tongue as it played.
The snow did little to alleviate Qiu Su's inner turmoil, but coincidentally, she fell ill from the cold the day before Laba Festival. Madam Pei sent a message to the palace, and the palace sedan chair still arrived, this time with an additional imperial physician.
Qiu Su was truly ill, but more seriously than she had anticipated. When the imperial physician arrived, Qiu Su was sniffling and crying, and had a fever. The tears weren't from crying, but from sneezing.
Qiu Su sneezed repeatedly, until her stomach began to ache slightly. She dared not sneeze anymore, but each time she held it in, her eyes filled with tears. The imperial physician took her pulse and nodded to Eunuch Wu, who was following behind, saying, "The pregnancy is unstable."
The imperial physician touched Qiu Su's hot palm and frowned, asking, "Is there any bleeding?"
"Hmm," Qiu Su responded in a muffled voice, "Not much."
Pei Yuan's brows were furrowed. Ever since he woke up in the middle of the night last night and couldn't find Qiu Su, and then found her in the snow wearing only her undergarments, he hadn't uttered a word. He had never hated anyone before, but at that moment, he hated Qiu Su. He hated that she had never truly believed him, hated that she never took his words to heart. Perhaps in her heart, he wasn't even as good as the Mountain Lord. Yet how could she have married him? And even become pregnant and give birth!
Yes, pregnancy is something she can't control. If she could, she might be quite happy not to have this burden in her belly.
Madam Pei was genuinely worried. "I asked for a prescription and consulted a doctor, but they all said that she's seven or eight months pregnant, so it's not good to prescribe strong medicine. They said that there's not much difference whether she takes the usual medicine or not, and they only prescribed medicine to prevent miscarriage. In her condition, it's not good to leave her cold untreated."
The imperial physician stroked his beard and carefully examined the child again, then frowned and said, "How could she suddenly catch a chill? If cold air enters the uterus, even if the child is fine, the postpartum woman will suffer a lot."
"What will happen?" Pei's mother asked anxiously.
"It's hard to say. Back pain and headaches are inevitable. If you take good care of yourself, you'll be fine. If you don't, it will be difficult to have a second child."
Qiu Su felt a heavy weight in her head, so she simply closed her eyes. Hearing Pei's mother's anxious voice and Wu Gonggong's shrill, androgynous tone, she felt a strange sense of peace.