"Did you see something dirty?"
"Nonsense!" Li Tai retorted. "What kind of filth could come from in broad daylight?"
Guo'er shrank her neck and pouted: "Uncle Liu from the front yard told me that dogs can see dirty things that people can't."
"Dirty thing" Wei Hong: ...
Just as Li Tai was about to scold Guo'er a few more times, someone suddenly walked out from behind the courtyard wall.
He was tall and had a familiar face, always wearing a dark expression as if everyone owed him 80,000 taels of silver.
"There really is something dirty..."
He changed his words and murmured.
Wei Hong: "..."
Yao Youqing was squatting on the ground comforting the little cutie when she suddenly heard Li Dou call out "Your Highness" from the side. She subconsciously looked up and saw a tall man walking towards her from a distance.
"Your Highness!"
She stood up and exclaimed in surprise.
Wei Hong's dark expression softened as he listened to the girl's joyful expression and tone, and he walked up to her with a smile.
"I'm back."
Yao Youqing nodded, her eyes shining, her face beaming with undisguised joy.
In the past, when Wei Hong came back, she would also stand up and greet him with a smile, but it was always a proper, gentle, and subtle smile, just like when she was facing anyone else, just like...
Just like Ji Yunshu in the past.
But now he could clearly see that her smile had deepened, shining from the depths of her eyes. It was completely different from the superficial, polite smile she used to have. It was an expression of anticipation for his return, of joy at his return.
Wei Hong used to think that women should be as generous, proper, and dutiful as Ji Yunshu. Now he realizes that when a woman truly loves and depends on a man, this is what she should be like.
So-called generosity and propriety are all for outsiders to see. Why bother with propriety or impropriety in front of family?
If someone can always maintain the most proper demeanor in front of another person, it means they don't care about that person at all, and don't consider them family.
Looking at the girl's smiling face, Wei Hong really wanted to pull her into his arms and rub her, but he didn't reach out because there were other people present. However, his eyes remained fixed on Yao Youqing's face, unable to look away.
Seeing that his eyes were practically glued to the girl's face, Li Tai clicked his tongue and said, "Why do you hide from the little cutie? Do you usually bully it?"
"No, no."
Yao Youqing quickly tried to explain for Wei Hong.
"The prince is very good to the little cutie, and often buys it jerky to eat. The little cutie used to like the prince a lot, and would always run to the prince's study. But then... I don't know how it turned out like this. But the prince really never bullied it!"
Li Tai scoffed, "Maybe he bullied the little cutie in the study! Or maybe he kidnapped her!"
"this……"
"I don't."
Wei Hong answered without batting an eye.
It was Cui Hao who carried him, not him, and he neither admitted it nor felt guilty.
Yao Youqing nodded: "Your Highness wouldn't do that."
Little cutie: "Awoo..."
"alright."
Seeing that Li Tai was about to speak, Song interrupted him.
"Your Highness has just returned. Please come inside and have some hot tea. If you don't mind, you can have lunch with us here. I'll have Douzi tell the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes."
Wei Hong used to eat here occasionally, so he didn't stand on ceremony and nodded in agreement: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Auntie."
After saying that, he walked towards the main courtyard with the others.
Li Tai and his wife walked in front, Wei Hong and Yao Youqing walked side by side behind, while Li Dou went straight to the kitchen.
Wei Hong reached out to take Yao Youqing's hand, but she laughed and dodged it. He tried again, but she dodged it again.
The two laughed and joked silently, but Wei Hong eventually succeeded, pulling her along the way until they were about to enter the door before letting go.
Song had tea served and asked a few questions about the recent situation at the border. Seeing that Douzi had not yet returned, she stood up and said, "I'll go to the kitchen to check. You all sit here for a while."
After walking a few steps, seeing Li Tai still sitting in the chair drinking tea, he turned around and said, "Come with me."
Li Tai looked up from his teacup: "What should I do?"
Madam Song didn't explain, but her brows furrowed slightly: "Are you going or not?"
Li Tai quickly put down his teacup: "Go."
Zhou's mother walked to the door and lifted the curtain for them, then stepped outside herself.
If Yao Youqing still couldn't tell at this point that they had deliberately left so that she and Wei Hong could be alone, then she would be a fool. She hurriedly stood up and tried to call them back, but Wei Hong pulled her back and hugged her lap.
"Your Highness!"
She blushed and tried to get up, but Wei Hong held her firmly by the waist.
“They are all experienced people, and they know we are newlyweds, which is why they let us talk alone.”
Yao Youqing said anxiously, "We've been married for so long, we're not newlyweds anymore!"
Wei Hong: "...Absence makes the heart grow fonder."
After saying that, seeing that the girl was still struggling, he smiled in her ear and said, "Don't be afraid, I can hear if someone gets close."
"But……"
Before she could finish speaking, the man pressed her against his chest: "I just got back, smell me, does it stink?"
Yao Youqing was taken aback, then chuckled, leaned in to smell it, and shook her head: "It doesn't smell bad."
Wei Hong laughed along, then lowered his head and nuzzled her neck, saying, "Ning'er still smells so good."
A short stubble had sprouted on his chin, which pricked Yao Youqing, who flinched and said in a coquettish voice, "Your Highness, stop itching, it's so itchy."
She should have kept quiet, because the more she talked, the more Wei Hong teased her, and he couldn't help but kiss her lips a few times.
Yao Youqing's face was flushed, and she supported herself on his chest with both hands.
"Your Highness...please let me sit back down, okay? This is my aunt and uncle's house..."
Although Wei Hong was reluctant to let go, he still smiled and agreed, giving her another peck on the corner of her lips before letting her sit back in her chair.
He wanted to get closer to her, but he was afraid he would embarrass himself if the girl sat on his lap and rubbed against him a few more times.
But even though she sat back down, he still held her hand, his large, calloused hands, hardened from years of martial arts training, gently kneading her fingertips or palms from time to time.
Yao Youqing struggled a few times but couldn't break free, so it was fine. Holding his hand was better than being hugged and sitting on his lap.
She leaned against the small table and asked Wei Hong what interesting things happened at the border. Wei Hong thought for a moment and then told her some random, incoherent stories.
For example, if someone accidentally slipped into a mud pit while on patrol and got covered in mud, by the time they returned to camp, the mud had dried and turned into a mud crust, making them look like a beggar's chicken.
For example, a mare in the military camp gave birth to twins, which is quite rare.
These are not interesting things for many women, and they don't like to hear them.
But Yao Youqing found it novel and interesting, so she listened with great interest, sometimes laughing out loud and sometimes widening her eyes as Wei Chi narrated, her expression focused and serious.
When Madam Song returned, she heard her cheerful laughter, as clear as a spring. She walked in and asked with a smile, "What are you talking about that makes you so happy?"
Yao Youqing jumped over and grabbed her hand, her face full of joy.
"The prince promised to give me a pony and also promised to teach me how to ride!"
She wanted to learn to ride horses when she was in the capital, but her father thought it was too dangerous and that it wouldn't be of much use to a girl, so he didn't let her learn.
Upon hearing this, Song had the same reaction as Yao Yuzhi: "Riding a horse? That...isn't that a bit dangerous?"
“It’s not dangerous,” Wei Hong chimed in from the side. “I’m here.”
Yao Youqing was in high spirits, her eyes sparkling as if they were starlight, and she nodded in agreement.
"Yes, with the prince here, there's no danger!"
Chapter 59 Feet
"Don't hold the reins so tightly, relax your arms."
In the woods outside Cangcheng, Wei Hong sat on horseback and spoke to Yao Youqing in front of him.
He said he would teach the girl to ride a horse, so he came to this grove early this morning.
Cui Hao selected a gentle mare for Yao Youqing. This horse was more suitable for her in terms of both temperament and physique, making it the best choice for a beginner.
Wei Hong had Yao Youqing feed the horse a piece of bean cake first, so that she could get acquainted with it, and then he took her on the horse.
Most beginners are bound to be nervous when riding a horse for the first time, let alone Yao Youqing, who is a girl and has always been timid.
She sat stiffly on the horse, her small face tense, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Wei Hong found it a little funny and gently patted her waist with the hand he had on it.
"Don't be afraid, it's very simple."
Yao Youqing nodded, took a deep breath, and did as he was told.
Although this horse didn't look as tall as the other horses, it was still an adult horse, and it wasn't short for Yao Youqing.
Fortunately, Wei Hong was holding her from behind, so she was able to sit relatively steadily and wasn't too scared.
Wei Hong took her for a leisurely stroll for a while, and only let the horse trot after she got used to it.
Yao Youqing's body bounced up and down with the horse's movements. Wei Hong laughed from behind, "Don't relax too much. You still need to use your back and waist a bit, or you might shake your head off."
The girl giggled at his words and, as instructed, slightly tensed her back.
"Yes, squeeze your legs tightly against the horse's belly, and when the horse is running fast, lift your buttocks up a little, don't sit so firmly."
As he spoke, he gently patted the girl's bottom.
Yao Youqing was shocked and instinctively tightened the reins, turning back to glare at him with a mixture of shame and anger.