flamboyant

Chapitre 13

Lu Ziqi raised an eyebrow: "Our Great Song Dynasty has no such rule. Could it be that this is a rule of the Liao Dynasty?"

"Hmm... whatever you say goes!"

Pshaw, so concerned about saving face, of course they'd be happy! This is clearly a rule passed down from your ancestors, you know...

Song Xiaohua made a face in her mind at this outstanding civil servant who never forgot to uphold the dignity of his government.

Chapter Sixteen: Even Out

Dinner consisted of cooked food bought at noon plus vegetable and egg soup made by Lu Ziqi. Song Xiaohua, who had been eating tea and snacks all afternoon, did not feel hungry and was full after eating only a little. Lu Ziqi, on the other hand, seemed to eat even less than her.

Lu Ling, on the other hand, was overjoyed to see that his father and mother not only didn't argue but also seemed quite happy after he was sent away. He ate almost a third more than usual, and then complained that his stomach was too full. Song Xiaohua was both amused and annoyed, so she rubbed his stomach for a while, while Song Wuque occasionally climbed onto his little belly and stomped and bounced around to help him digest.

Lu Ziqi said he had official business to attend to, and went to his study after the meal.

After Song Xiaohua finally managed to get Lu Ling settled, she helped him wash up, tucked him into bed, and then kept telling him a completely made-up story before he finally fell asleep obediently.

After thinking for a moment, he gently carried Song Wuque, who was already lying in his little bed and snoring softly, to his room, dog and bed together. He had already kept Lu Ziqi up all night; he couldn't let that happen again tonight, after all, Song Wuque needed to go to work to earn money to support his family…

After finishing all that, it was probably not even nine o'clock yet. Having already had a good night's sleep, Song Xiaohua reverted to her night owl nature, becoming more energetic as the night went on, showing no signs of sleepiness whatsoever.

After spacing out for a while, I decided to ask Lu Ziqi for two books to take a look at and see just how pathetic my current level of 'illiterateness' really is.

I knocked on the door, and it took quite a while for it to open.

"You didn't fall asleep in there, did you?"

Lu Ziqi, wearing a long robe, stood at the door. His face was backlit, so his expression was not visible. Only a hint of surprise could be heard in his slightly hoarse voice: "No...you came to see me for something?"

"Hmm... What, is this study a confidential place that we can't go in?"

“No…” Lu Ziqi paused, then turned slightly to the side: “It’s my own home, there’s no place I can’t go.”

A table, a chair, a desk, and several shelves filled with books.

On the table are a writing brush, ink, paper, inkstone, books, scrolls, and an oil lamp; on the desk are a memorial tablet and an incense burner.

Song Xiaohua stared blankly at the items on the table.

Lu Ziqi whispered behind her, "Yaoyao, offer incense to Ling'er's birth mother, my deceased wife!"

"Oh... okay..."

Song Xiaohua quickly stepped forward, took some incense, lit it, and bowed three times to the memorial tablet, just like she did on TV. She didn't feel awkward at all.

Perhaps it's because the living always hold a certain respect for the dead, regardless of whether they know them or not.

Looking at the wisps of white smoke that lingered in the air, Lu Ziqi smiled bitterly.

Tong'er, I didn't expect you two to meet so soon. It really caught me off guard...

"Um... I came to see you because..."

As Song Xiaohua turned around, she saw Lu Ziqi leaning against the door frame, slightly bent over, his right hand pressed tightly against his abdomen. Even in the dim light, his face was deathly pale and covered in cold sweat. "What's wrong with you? Are you sick?" Song Xiaohua was startled, and her voice involuntarily changed.

He shook his head, gently shook off her support, and struggled to walk back to his desk to sit down. He forced a weak smile and said, "It's just a little stomachache, it'll be fine in a bit."

"Stomach? When did it start feeling uncomfortable? Did it start before dinner? Is that why you ate so little? Why didn't you say so sooner? Should I go and get Dr. Hu now?"

Song Xiaohua's barrage of questions made Lu Ziqi smile wryly and press his temples: "It's okay, don't be so nervous, it's just an old problem, I promise, it'll be fine soon."

"Well... I'll go boil some hot water for you. It seems to have gotten chilly after the heavy rain. Drinking some warm water might make you feel better." Without waiting for Lu Ziqi's reply, Song Xiaohua whirled out like a gust of wind.

Lu Ziqi looked at the slightly ajar door, shook his head weakly, and murmured softly, "Tong'er, you see, she's extremely worried about me. You should be relieved, shouldn't you?"

Waves of stomach cramps forced him to concentrate on the problem to distract himself.

After witnessing the scene at the teahouse in the afternoon, he went to the yamen and privately asked the head constable to investigate the background of the young man. He also took the opportunity to visit the clothing shop.

Soon, Officer Xing returned.

The man identified himself as Yuan Hao, a native of Northwest China, who had been traveling around aimlessly for many years. He had just arrived in 'Beiya County' two days ago and was temporarily staying at the best inn in the county.

Comparing the conversation and behavior between Song Xiaohua and Yuan Hao as described by the clothing store owner, it can be confirmed that their encounter was merely a chance meeting by chance.

However, Yuan Hao's temperament was too extraordinary, and Song Xiaohua's behavior was too unexpected, which is why he suddenly became suspicious.

Currently, the Song and Liao dynasties appear peaceful on the surface, but friction is constant. 'Beiya County,' located on the border, bears the brunt of this conflict, with a highly diverse population. Furthermore, the new emperor has only recently ascended the throne and is still young, the political situation in the court is turbulent, and powerful enemies lurk on the borders. These are turbulent times, and vigilance is essential.

However, it's rather a bit much that he's started to suspect and be wary of his own wife...

She shifted her position, pressing the armrest of the chair tightly against her stomach. When her bright eyes saw the dark red object that appeared somewhat ethereal in the smoke, it was as if a layer of white gauze had been veiled over it.

Tong'er...

If it were you, I would never have had such a thought.

If it were you, would I be able to analyze and investigate so calmly?

If it were you, I'm afraid that even if I could restrain myself from rushing forward at the time, I certainly wouldn't have been able to act as if nothing had happened and remain indifferent afterward.

Tong'er, even if I can fool myself, I can't fool you. This isn't magnanimity, this is...

Those three cups of wine... how could my apology and remorse be contained in those three cups of wine...

The door opened, bringing in a gust of cold wind that dispersed the wisps of smoke and also cleared the white veil from view.

Song Xiaohua carefully carried in a bowl of steaming water: "Drink it while it's hot, then get a good night's sleep. If you still feel unwell tomorrow morning, I'll go see Doctor Hu."

Lu Ziqi thanked him, took the tea, and sipped it lightly; it was sweet.

"Hmm... I added a little brown sugar. I remember, this should work..."

Song Xiaohua stammered and didn't continue. In fact, she remembered that brown sugar tea could cure... menstrual cramps... but it should also be effective for stomach aches, right? It's all pain anyway...

There was nothing she could do; back then, she was excessively healthy, rarely even catching a cold all year round, so her knowledge of diseases was pitifully limited.

Lu Ziqi smiled slightly, said nothing, and simply lowered his head to sip his drink, feeling a warm sensation in his stomach and heart...

"Thank you, I feel much better."

"Really?" Song Xiaohua took the empty bowl and carefully examined Lu Ziqi. His complexion did seem less frightening than before. "That's good, that's good. Hehe, the treatment methods really are similar..."

"What?"

What did you eat for breakfast?

Song Xiaohua has always been a quick learner, and she immediately put her newfound skill of changing the subject into practice, with good results.

Seeing Lu Ziqi pause for a moment, unable to answer, she immediately frowned: "You didn't eat breakfast, did you? When I was preparing dinner, I noticed that the amount of cooked food had hardly decreased, clearly only Ling'er had eaten. I thought you were too full from breakfast. So, you haven't eaten anything all day, and then you drank alcohol on an empty stomach. You deliberately made yourself have a stomach ache, didn't you?"

Lu Ziqi could only shake his head and smile bitterly when questioned: "Who would do something so intentionally..."

Song Xiaohua said seriously, "Of course there are! Some are self-harming, and some are brain-dead!"

Lu Ziqi had never heard of either of these terms before, but they weren't too difficult to understand literally: "These words..."

"I created it myself!"

"Alright, alright, it's all my fault anyway, is that alright?" Lu Ziqi couldn't argue with her, so he had to admit defeat: "Your hand hurts, my stomach hurts, so we're even, isn't that good?"

"That's true, anyway, everyone reaps what they sow. Alright, everyone go home, find your mothers, wash up, and go to sleep!"

Song Xiaohua concluded the conversation with a somewhat awkward "concluding remark" that Lu Ziqi found unsettling. As she reached the door, she turned back and said, "Wuque will sleep with me tonight. From now on, we'll each take care of him one night until he's six months old, how about that?"

"Six months?"

"Yes, puppies reach adulthood at six months old. Once they're adults, their immunity is stronger, their health is better, and they don't need as much care from people!"

"oh……"

Song Xiaohua pursed her lips at Lu Ziqi, who looked somewhat dazed: "Just kidding! Look how scared you are. A puppy can take care of itself at most three months old!"

"oh……"

Lu Ziqi's expression remained unchanged, and Song Xiaohua finally gave up: "Fine, fine, I won't tease you anymore, okay? Wuque won't bother you anymore. If you're always not sleeping or eating well and it affects your job as a righteous official, wouldn't I be cursed to death by the people of the whole county!"

After Song Xiaohua finished speaking, she left the room. Lu Ziqi stared blankly at the closed door for a moment, a faint, helpless smile slowly appearing on his lips.

He didn't lose his composure because he was taking care of the dog.