Huancheng Shen Shen

Capítulo 34

Are you done being angry?

"Um?"

"Hmm... I'm asking you, how long are you going to stay angry?"

Lu Ziqi paused, looking at Song Xiaohua's face, which appeared somewhat distorted under the light, with a puzzled expression: "When did I get angry?"

"If you're not angry, why are you making that deadpan face?"

Dead fish face...

Lu Ziqi's eyebrows twitched involuntarily, but he tried to keep his voice calm: "What are you talking about? I don't understand."

“I know I shouldn’t have confronted the Liao princess so directly, making her so angry and embarrassed. It damages the dignity of our great Han people and might even cause you trouble. But…” Song Xiaohua slammed her hand on the table and stood up: “She’s so arrogant! I just couldn’t stand it anymore, that’s why I clashed with her. Sometimes, you can’t be too lenient and forgiving with foreigners who don’t know what’s good for them, otherwise they’ll think we’re weak and easily bullied!”

Lu Ziqi sat there, and with just a slight tilt of his head, he could clearly see the face that was turning an even more bizarre red from his impassioned outburst: "So, you thought I was angry with you because of this..." He smiled and lowered his eyelids: "How could that be? Even if I was angry, it could only be directed at myself."

"Why yourself...?"

"This whole thing started because of me. If I hadn't acted carelessly, you wouldn't have suffered this misfortune. If I had looked unwell before, it was only because I was thinking about how to keep you out of this unnecessary conflict. So, Yaoyao, you're overthinking it."

Outside, a breeze blew by, occasionally carrying the sounds of children and dogs playing. The sky had darkened, and dusk was approaching.

Inside, only breathing could be heard. The orange light enveloped the two people, one sitting and one standing, in silence, creating an atmosphere of romance.

Lu Ziqi's slender features and distinct eyebrows and eyes now showed a touch of softness, and his drooping eyelashes were also sprinkled with a faint light, trembling slightly from time to time.

Song Xiaohua moved a little closer and asked in a low voice, "So, you're worried about me?"

Looking up, I met a pair of eyes that held a mixture of unease and deep anticipation. They were still bright and clear, but now seemed to hold a hint of eagerness. A soft spot in my heart was gently touched, and I couldn't help but take those cool little hands in my palms: "Yes."

The voice was soft and gentle, yet it made my eardrums ache slightly.

He took a deep breath, bent down, and looked straight ahead. After a moment, he closed his eyes, leaned forward, and accurately touched the two lips that had not yet closed. There was a hint of stubble around them, and he felt a slight tingling sensation.

He paused, then quickly separated. Gritting his teeth, he looked directly at the face filled with undisguised astonishment, forcing himself to nod calmly: "The taste is good!"

Upon hearing those words, Song Xiaohua wished she could bite her tongue off. Hadn't all those previous kissing experiences been brought into this world? To behave so embarrassingly—it was as if she'd rather die than risk being insulted…

After being utterly speechless, Lu Ziqi finally regained his composure, coughed lightly, and stood up: "Yaoyao, some things require a man to take the initiative."

His voice was slightly hoarse and deep, with a hint of laughter, carrying a certain allure.

Song Xiaohua looked up, gritted her teeth again, and said, "Then, would you like to try my taste?"

Looking at her face, which was almost bleeding—whether from her injuries or from shyness—Lu Ziqi suppressed a laugh, slightly embarrassed: "At this time? Here?" Even if it wasn't broad daylight, even if it were in his own home, the door was wide open, which was rather...

"Or... I'll try some of yours!" I haven't had enough yet...

Without waiting for a response, he tiptoed and pressed his lips to the 'delicious' lips once more. The movement was swift and fluid, as fast as lightning...

This time, he opened his eyes wide, but couldn't see anything.

Relax, wrap your arms around yourself, and slowly extend your tongue, anticipating that dazzling, mesmerizing fusion...

"Father! Mother! What are you doing?"

Lu Ling and Song Wuque stood frozen in front of the door, their four large, round, dark eyes staring unblinkingly at the two people inside who were making intimate contact with certain body parts.

Lu Ziqi was the first to react and quickly took a step back, but this caused the still dizzy Song Xiaohua to stumble forward. He had no choice but to reach out and hold her waist to help her stand up.

"Ling'er, we are... Father and Mother are here..."

How... how am I supposed to explain this? Lu Ziqi, who could remain calm and collected in the face of any unexpected situation, was completely dumbfounded...

At this crucial moment, you still have to look to Song Xiaohua. She straightened her messy hair, remained calm and composed, and said without batting an eye, "Ling'er, your father has a small wound on his lip, and I'm licking it for him!"

lick……

Lu Ziqi's eyebrows twitched violently.

"Ah! Father, are you hurt?" Lu Ling was quite frustrated as she watched two opportunities slip away. Stomping her feet, she lunged at her father: "Ling'er doesn't care, Ling'er is going to lick it at least once today!"

Lu Ziqi instinctively reached out to catch him, but then saw Song Wuque also enthusiastically stick out his tongue and pounce on him, determined to claim the title of "licking champion." Startled, he hurriedly turned and ran outside, followed by two persistent little tails...

Looking gleefully at the chaotic courtyard, Song Xiaohua touched her lips, which still felt numb.

First kiss, done!

Author's Note: Third update complete. I, the demon, am dying from vomiting blood...

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Baby Room Project

The next few days were peaceful and uneventful.

Yelü Ping and his entourage mostly stayed in the temporary residence they had purchased, rarely venturing out. Reportedly, they only occasionally went out to ride horses outside the city and did not visit the market again. In any case, all their expenses were allocated and prepared by the county government as needed, so they did not need to purchase anything themselves.

Lu Ziqi would send someone to inquire about his well-being every day, showing the utmost respect and courtesy. He had also expressed his intention to host a banquet in his honor, but his request was declined.

Since Yelü Ping seemed to still be angry about what happened that day, he was happy to have some peace and quiet and would never go out of his way to provoke them. If he could let go of that obsession after a period of quiet reflection, that would be even better. Therefore, he simply sent people to keep a close watch on the movements of this group of foreign visitors, and the two sides entered a delicate period of cold war.

Following Lu Ziqi's instructions, Song Xiaohua stayed home to avoid any unexpected incidents. In fact, even without the princess as a ticking time bomb, she would never have run around the streets with a miserable face that looked like a broken peach blossom.

Speaking of this near-disfigurement incident, Song Xiaohua has mixed feelings about Yelü Ping, unsure whether to curse her ancestors or thank her on behalf of her ancestors.

Her public outburst was practically a catalyst for the relationship between Song Xiaohua and Lu Ziqi.

Not to mention that out of guilt and heartache, Lu Ziqi has become even more attentive and considerate these past few days. Just the occasional unintentional skin-to-skin contact during each cold compress, and the close, intertwined scents, were incredibly intimate. It's just a pity that he still hasn't been able to taste that wonderfully delicious treat again.

Ever since Lu Ziqi was chased and licked by a child and a dog that day, he's been traumatized. Whenever he sees Song Xiaohua showing any signs of being overly aggressive, he always looks around warily. Unfortunately, Lu Ling and Song Wuque are practically omnipresent, always around except when they're sleeping. And when they're asleep, Lu Ziqi is usually working in his study, so Song Xiaohua is too embarrassed to disturb him.

However, this intense longing reminded her of something: she needed to get Lu Ling a separate room for him as soon as possible. A three-year-old seemed ready for separate rooms, and the little guy usually slept through the night, rarely waking up to pee. At first, someone going to his room once or twice a night to cover him up should be fine; of course, that person would have to be Lu Ziqi. Or perhaps she could consider training Song Wuque's skill in covering others with blankets? ...

To prepare Lu Ling for the future and to get him to make the request willingly, Song Xiaohua spent several days telling him stories of various heroes and knights-errant. In all these stories, there was one plot: all the great heroes and knights-errant started sleeping in their own rooms from a very young age, because this was how they could become brave from childhood.

So when Lu Ziqi returned home that day, Lu Ling rushed over and loudly declared, "Ling'er wants to sleep by herself!"

"What do you mean, sleep by yourself?"

"Ling'er will become a great hero and a chivalrous knight!"

"…………"

Lu Ziqi was completely confused, so he could only look at Song Xiaohua, who was grinning mischievously.

"Ling'er means that he wants to sleep in your room, and that you no longer need to sleep with him."

"Then where should I go... to sleep..."

The question slipped out instinctively, only to be met with its absurdity. This house only had two bedrooms; where else could they go? Naturally, they could only go to the room they should have gone to long ago—their new room…

She coughed lightly and pretended to straighten her son's clothes to hide her unease: "Actually, Ling'er is still young. He can sleep by himself when he's older!"

Just setting up a small bed on the side should be enough, right? After all, he had no experience taking care of children…you know…and he hadn’t really thought about this aspect seriously before. He only knew that many ordinary families had many children, but only two or three thatched huts, and the older children would sleep with the younger ones on one kang (a heated brick bed), while the younger ones would share the kang with their parents. As for wealthy families, they had maids and wet nurses to take care of them, so they didn’t have to worry about it.

Before Lu Ling could object, Song Xiaohua pouted and retorted, "What, you don't mean you want the three of us to talk about our life ideals under the covers every night?"

"…………"

Lu Ziqi remained silent and compromised.

A family of three, a family, a family of three...

Next, it's time to set up the baby's room.

Lu Ziqi squeezed out half a day of free time to add a guardrail to the outside of the bed. Unable to resist Song Xiaohua's persistent pleading, he built a simple, pointed-roof wooden house as a doghouse for Song Wuque, based on her drawing. After finishing it, it took considerable effort to finally dissuade Lu Ling from his insistence on switching rooms with the dog…

Meanwhile, Song Xiaohua covered the entire wall with the 'works' Lu Ling had drawn over this period, including Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Doraemon, Calabash Brothers, and so on, which made Lu Ziqi shake his head in dismay.

In his opinion, these paintings were both crude and strange, utterly devoid of any artistic merit beyond a few remnants of childlike simplicity. Besides, who, apart from a renowned artist, would flaunt their clumsy work so openly? It was far too shameless. Wouldn't Ling'er become too arrogant and conceited in the future if things continued this way?

In response to his question, Song Xiaohua waved her hand and said, "This is called doing everything possible to give children recognition and affirmation. Only in this way will children have sufficient self-confidence, and their imagination and creativity will be stimulated. Trust me, you won't regret it!"

Lu Ziqi had never heard of such a viewpoint before. However, since her arrival, Lu Ling's original reserve and unnatural composure, while lessening somewhat, had made him much more cheerful. He began to laugh and play like an ordinary three-year-old, often mischievous and occasionally naughty, but never unruly. In any case, parents naturally want their son to be happy, so they would follow her method...

Song Xiaohua originally planned to put a multiplication table on Lu Ling's bedside, but since she didn't know if the Song Dynasty had a multiplication table, she didn't dare to do it randomly. So she just made a large sheet of single-digit addition and subtraction tables for now. Anyway, according to the teaching steps, multiplication and division are not introduced until after elementary school, so she can talk about it in a few years.

Because Arabic numerals cannot be used, the table, composed of capital numbers, was covered in ink stains, making it a terrible sight. Lu Ziqi could only sigh and rub his forehead.

This girl is obviously smart and learns everything quickly, but her handwriting shows absolutely no sign of improvement, it's just so intimidating...

Left with no other choice, I had to personally copy it down word by word in neat, tiny characters. Arithmetic was also taught in formal schools, but unless one was extremely interested or exceptionally talented, they would usually only have a basic understanding. After all, it wasn't part of the imperial examinations.

But who knew she would find such enthusiasm for this tedious subject? Oh well, until Ling'er starts school next spring, let her be...