After Ji Huaiyan paid his respects to Lady Qu, Lady Qu, knowing what was on his mind, had a maid lead him to Qu Zhirou's courtyard.
Outside the courtyard, Ji Huaiyan dismissed the maid and walked in alone.
He paused before the door, quietly observing the woman inside.
She was facing away from him, sitting before an embroidery frame by the window. Outside the window bloomed an unnamed, vibrant peach-colored flowering tree. It formed a stark contrast with the elegant woman within the room, yet also a unique harmony.
The woman wore a plain blouse embroidered with white orchids, and below, a cinched, goose-yellow long skirt. Half of her dark hair cascaded to her slender waist, while the other half was loosely tied with a blue-yellow ribbon.
Her eyes were cast down, intently focused on the threads at her fingertips.
Two lines of poetry surfaced in Ji Huaiyan's mind: "She dares boast her nimble fingers, but never strives to compete with painted brows."
Ji Huaiyan softly called out, "Rou'er."
Qu Zhirou's hand trembled, and she gasped.
Ji Huaiyan quickly stepped forward, taking her slender, pale fingers into his mouth first.
Disbelief filled Qu Zhirou's eyes; she even forgot to be shy.
"I'm sorry, does it hurt?" Ji Huaiyan's eyes showed self-reproach.
"It doesn't hurt. You're back? How did you come back? Am I dreaming?" Qu Zhirou said, her face alight with joy, tears in her eyes.
Ji Huaiyan embraced her and said, "You're not dreaming. I'm truly back. I've come back to marry you. Rou'er, is your wedding dress ready?"
Qu Zhirou wrapped her arms around his lean waist, resting her face against his chest.
"Almost. Only the veil is left."
Ji Huaiyan held her arms, looking into her eyes, and said seriously, "Rou'er, I miss you so much. Do you miss me?"
If it were her usual self, she would definitely not answer or would just nod. But after a long separation, she only wanted to tell him how much she missed him!
"Yes! I miss you very, very much! You said that once the wedding dress was embroidered, you would come back. So on the day you set off, I bought the fabric and began embroidering. I wanted to finish it quickly so you could come back sooner, I..."
The rest of her words were swallowed.
The sunlight from outside shone in, spilling onto the fiery red wedding dress, making it brilliantly dazzling.
After a long while, Ji Huaiyan's voice finally sounded in the room.
"Rou'er, I truly wish we could marry soon." Ji Huaiyan sat by the table, tightly holding the person in his arms, unwilling to let go.
"Oh, right, I got a treasure in Lan An. Look." Ji Huaiyan presented a brocade box to her.
Qu Zhirou glanced at him. Ji Huaiyan gestured for her to open it.
Qu Zhirou slowly opened the brocade box and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"So beautiful!"
Inside the box lay a jade bracelet, entirely碧色 (jade-green), translucent throughout, with a warm luster, like a dark night orchid, exuding its own fragrance.
Jade bracelets were common, but one of such color was rare.
"Come, let me help you put it on."
Ji Huaiyan took out the jade bracelet and gently helped her put it on.
The jade bracelet rested on her pale wrist, making it difficult to distinguish whether it was the glow of the bracelet or the skin, as beautiful as fine jade, emanating from it.
"It's beautiful. The first time I saw this jade bracelet, I thought it suited you perfectly."
Qu Zhirou softly said, "I like it very much, thank you."
Ji Huaiyan curved his lips and said, "Then how about a more practical thank you?"
Qu Zhirou saw the look in his eyes and knew what he meant. She struggled to get up.
Blushing, she said, "You let go of me. The maid will bring tea later. What would that look like?"
Ji Huaiyan chuckled, "They won't disturb us. Besides, it's fine if they see us; we're engaged."
Qu Zhirou glared at him, but it held no real deterrence.
On the contrary, her face was slightly flushed, her beautiful eyes filled with both anger and娇嗔 (娇嗔 - charming poutiness), and her lips were moist and rosy, like luscious red cherries hanging on a branch, inviting one to pluck them.
How could Ji Huaiyan resist such temptation? He immediately leaned his upper body forward and pressed close.
Qu Zhirou lay on the table, about to get up, but he pinned her between the table and his imposing body, giving her no escape. She could only let him do as he pleased.
Ji Huaiyan saw the woman close her eyes, her small hands nervously clutching his lapels, and chuckled softly.
Their lips met. He tasted her as if savoring a delicious dish, gently and delicately.
Finally, seeing her face flush almost to the point of bleeding from shyness, he pulled her back into his arms.
He sighed inwardly, Just wait a little longer.
He glanced at the table again, his eyes deepening slightly.
The two lingered in warmth for a long time before Ji Huaiyan began to recount interesting stories from the battlefield.
He told them with thrilling twists and turns, and she listened with great excitement.
Finally, she sighed, "Li'er is so amazing!"
Ji Huaiyan nodded in agreement and said, "Princess Changning is indeed a remarkable woman, but my Rou'er is also excellent. I heard you took out all your dowry to exchange for military provisions?"
Qu Zhirou nodded and said, "Yes. At that time, we received a letter from the front line saying that military provisions were scarce. The national treasury didn't have any spare provisions, so when we saw Li'er take out so much silver, I also contributed my small part. But compared to Li'er, mine was too insignificant."
"Who said that? Your hearts are all the same."
Princess Changning was a golden phoenix flying alongside a dragon. His own was a soft, cuddly little rabbit.
Others said that the eldest son of the Ji family was a cunning fox. This fox and rabbit were quite a match. He only needed to protect his soft, easily bullied little rabbit.
A sound came from the courtyard, presumably deliberately made by the maids.
Sure enough, after a while, the maid's voice came.
"Miss, it's almost noon. Madam has prepared a meal. Please come with Young Master Ji to dine."
Qu Zhirou looked outside in surprise. Was it already this late?
"Coming."
Qu Zhirou poked Ji Huaiyan with her hand and said, "Let's go."
Ji Huaiyan released her and stood up, leading her out by the hand.
Qu Zhirou tried several times to pull her hand back but failed, so she let him.
Ji Huaiyan's lips curved in a triumphant smile.
This girl came from a scholarly family, unlike his family, the Wuyang Marquis Mansion, which was military.
She valued rules, perhaps related to the former Prime Minister's residence, and was a bit overly cautious.
He hoped she would be happier. Although rabbits were timid, within his small domain, she could be a lively, lawless rabbit.
The two arrived hand-in-hand at the front hall. Lady Qu saw them approach and said with a smile, "Huaiyan, Rou'er, come and sit."
"Mother."
"Aunt."
"No need for formalities, please sit." Lady Qu nodded in response.
The two took their seats.
Wealthy families emphasized "no talking while eating," but in such a small banquet, there weren't so many rules.
"Your wedding is in a few months. When you get married, I'll leave the capital and return to your grandmother's house." Lady Qu looked at the two, her eyes filled with satisfaction.
She felt very at ease entrusting her daughter to Ji Huaiyan.
Qu Zhirou stopped eating, looked up in surprise, "Mother?"
Lady Su chuckled, "Silly child, you'll have to marry eventually."
Ji Huaiyan said, "Aunt, Rou'er will miss you. I've already bought the mansion adjacent to Wuyang Marquis Mansion and it's currently being renovated. When it's done, we'll open a gate in the wall to connect to Wuyang Marquis Mansion. After we're married, you can live there with us. That mansion is very large; it used to be General Sun's residence, and it's been vacant since he retired."
Qu Zhirou looked at him with emotion, never expecting him to think so thoroughly.
If he were to marry into her family, the Wuyang Marquis Mansion might not be willing.
She naturally didn't want her mother to leave the capital alone.
Her mother didn't want to live in Wuyang Marquis Mansion.
In this way, he had considered all sides.
Lady Qu was stunned, her heart touched.
She had always valued her daughter more than herself. She was very reluctant to let her daughter leave.
Although her father, elder brother, and sister-in-law were all very kind, she would still feel uncomfortable returning.
Being able to be with her daughter, she was naturally happy.
"You child, you spent so much for me." Although she said this, the smile on her lips could not be hidden.
Her daughter's discernment was far better than hers. She had not misjudged him!
Qu Zhirou chuckled, "Mother, that's wonderful! We'll never have to be separated!"
Lady Qu chuckled, "Yes, we won't be separated. After you two marry, I can even help you look after your children. How wonderful, truly wonderful."
The older one gets, the more one fears loneliness.
Qu Zhirou glanced at Ji Huaiyan, seeing him looking at her with a smile in his eyes. She shyly whispered, "Mother, what are you talking about?"
"What's there to be shy about? You girl, you're even more old-fashioned than your mother."
With her worries resolved, Lady Qu's smile was brighter than before, and her demeanor became much more cheerful.
The meal ended in this joyful atmosphere.
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