Chapter 206: Small Talk
The afterglow of the setting sun faded, and although the night had not yet fallen, Zhou Jingyun lit the candles indoors in advance.
Bai Li had just finished washing up and was arranging her hair in front of the mirror. The washing water and the mirror were brought in by the servant woman. Zhou Jingyun originally wanted to go out and buy new ones, but Bai Li stopped him: “I’m not seeing anyone else.”
So, it’s okay to be casual in front of him, her own person? Zhou Jingyun touched his nose and stopped insisting.
Actually, he had seen her asleep earlier and thought about going to prepare washing utensils, but before he could finish a cup of tea, he fell asleep himself.
How did he fall asleep too? He even pulled a corner of Bai Li’s blanket and squeezed next to her because he was cold.
Fortunately, there was a small tea table blocking them, otherwise he didn’t know how rude it would have been.
Bai Li sat aside and suddenly smiled.
Zhou Jingyun turned to look at her: “What’s wrong?”
Bai Li pointed to the candles: “The lamps were lit when we first arrived, and now they are lit after we wake up. It seems like nothing has changed.”
But actually a day has passed, like a dream? Many times he also felt this way, as soon as he opened his eyes, he felt that she was still sitting at the desk, raised her head and called him “My Lord, you are back.”
Zhou Jingyun smiled: “Of course there are changes, for example, now there is the breakfast I bought back.” He pointed to the table on the Arhat bed, “Although breakfast has become dinner.”
Bai Li was amused.
“Come, come and eat.” Zhou Jingyun said with a smile.
Bai Li got up and walked over, sitting opposite him. Zhou Jingyun handed her the bowl and chopsticks, just like before: “Try this.”
Bai Li was excited: “I haven’t eaten this before. Hey, these days I can walk around freely and often eat and drink on the street.”
Zhou Jingyun suddenly realized: “So that’s how it is, no wonder Chun Yue and the others saw you.”
Bai Li hurriedly explained: “I wasn’t eating and drinking at that time, I was watching Zhang Ze. I happened to run into them, so I greeted them.” Seeing Zhou Jingyun smile, she added, “And greeted you too.”
Zhou Jingyun looked at her and smiled: “I received it, the apricot blossoms were beautiful.” He hesitated for a moment, but still said, “Later I also went to the East Market, thinking… thinking that you might have something…”
He actually came to look for her specially, Bai Li’s eyes curved with a smile, and she snorted: “It’s all because that Zhang Ze was doing disgusting things, I went to watch him, otherwise I would have met you.”
So that’s how it is, Zhou Jingyun said with a smile: “But we still met.”
Yes, Bai Li also smiled, and she even helped so much.
“Actually, this is not the first time I met you.” She said, “Before…”
She paused here. When she met him before, people on the street were saying bad things about him, so it’s better not to mention it.
“What happened before?” Zhou Jingyun asked, “When?” He regretted again, “I really couldn’t recognize you.”
“No, you will definitely recognize me when you see me.” Bai Li said hurriedly, thinking of the Imperial Palace, she couldn’t help but be curious, “Right, how did you recognize me at a glance?”
She hadn’t even spoken, she just turned around and met his eyes, and he called out her name.
Zhou Jingyun said: “You forgot, I saw your wanted poster.”
“But that was a drawing of my sister.” Bai Li looked at him and asked, “Are my sister and I so alike?”
She did say that she looked a bit like her sister, but are they so alike? So alike that Zhou Jingyun recognized her as Bai Li at a glance? Is it because he has seen Bai Ying so much these days, so…
“Did Bai Ying threaten you? Are you forced to see her all the time?”
Zhou Jingyun suddenly felt that this question was not easy to answer, and subconsciously said: “So many questions, let’s talk about them one by one. Where did you see me before?”
Bai Li pointed to a dish in front of him: “Let me try this.”
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…….
Listening to the almost uninterrupted conversation in the room, the servant woman, Granny Xu, carried the dishes in her hands and sighed: “The Young Master and the Young Madam are talking so lively, I’ll go and add two more dishes for them.”
Huang Ru, who was warming goat milk by the stove, stood up and took the dishes from her, saying: “No need, let them talk, they don’t care what they eat.”
Granny Xu smiled and wiped her hands on the towel beside her: “Okay, okay, the young people don’t need this old woman to serve them, I’ll go and see our little Nannan.”
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The night wind blew in from the open window, and the candlelight in the corridor and the room flickered.
The Marchioness of Dongyang looked at the clepsydra and frowned: “He still hasn’t come back yet?”
Mama Xu watched the maids serve the dishes and replied: “He said there was something to do. The guards came back in the morning and said he might not be finished yet.”
“What earth-shattering matter?” The Marchioness of Dongyang snorted coldly, “He can’t even go to keep vigil for the Empress?”
The Madam is being sarcastic to the Young Master again, Mama Xu held back a smile and helped her sit down at the dining table: “Consort Bai gave birth to a prince, the Empress will be moved to the Imperial Tombs the day after tomorrow, and the palace is also very busy today, it’s better for the Young Master to avoid it.”
Mentioning Consort Bai, the Marchioness of Dongyang was a little lost in thought: “Such a great happy event of giving birth to a prince, will Consort Bai have a reward?”
Mama Xu nodded: “Definitely, Your Majesty finally has a prince, an heir to the throne.” She lowered her voice and said, “This Consort Bai is really lucky, the Empress is gone, and in the future, when the prince is crowned Crown Prince, she will definitely be crowned Empress.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the Marchioness of Dongyang suddenly burst into tears.
Mama Xu was startled: “Madam, you are…”
What’s wrong?
Crying for the Empress?
It shouldn’t be…
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That Consort Bai is so lucky, but that Consort Bai’s younger sister is really unlucky. The Marchioness of Dongyang raised her hand to wipe away her tears. If she had waited a little longer, Consort Bai gave birth to a prince, let alone whether she would be crowned Empress or not, at least the Bai family’s crime could be pardoned, and then Bai Li could also live in peace.
It’s all Zhou Jingyun’s fault.
The Marchioness of Dongyang only felt her heart turn cold.
“Close the door.” She pointed outside and shouted, “Zhou Jingyun won’t come back so late, don’t let him in!”
What kind of evil is this again? Mama Xu hurriedly appeased her and told the maids to inform the gatekeeper, and also sent someone to the Young Master’s courtyard to ask.
“Why hasn’t the Young Master come back yet? Where did he go so late at night?”
It’s not a custom for the Marquis of Dongyang’s Residence to buy an outer residence in the capital.
Now during the Empress’s mourning period, banquets are prohibited, even Sanqu Lane has stopped.
It’s really strange.
The Young Master has never stayed out all night without saying anything, that’s what other families’ prodigal sons do.
…..
…..
The evening drum sounded again and again, and the baby lying on the Arhat bed seemed to be startled, twisting its body a few times. Bai Li hurriedly patted it gently.
Earlier, when they were halfway through their meal, or rather, halfway through their conversation, they heard a baby crying outside. Bai Li remembered that there was still a child, so she stopped talking and asked Zhou Jingyun to bring the child over to have a look.
Zhou Jingyun went over, waited for Madam Zhuang to finish feeding the child, and brought it over for Bai Li to see.
“After a day, it feels like it has grown a bit.” Bai Li looked at the child and said to Zhou Jingyun.
Zhou Jingyun laughed: “It can’t be that fast.”
“It looks better than when I carried it out of the palace.” Bai Li said, poking the baby’s face lightly.
Zhou Jingyun said: “It wasn’t cleaned up immediately after it was born and was rushed to be disposed of. Madam Zhuang took good care of it last night, and it just had goat milk, so the child is naturally in good spirits.”
Madam Zhuang took good care of it, Bai Li snorted: “She is very good at coaxing children.”
It was unclear whether she was talking about coaxing her, the child back then, or this baby now. Zhou Jingyun knew Bai Li’s heart knot. Although Mr. and Mrs. Zhuang Feizi did not have any ulterior motives when they first met Bai Li, the final result was like this, which was indeed difficult for Bai Li to accept.
He didn’t continue to mention Madam Zhuang.
“I will watch here, I will mainly take care of the child, don’t worry.” He said.
As soon as he finished speaking, the baby lying on the bed twisted a few times and clenched its fists and cried.
The two were startled.
Bai Li immediately smiled again and raised her eyebrows at him: “Okay, you take care of the child.”
Zhou Jingyun held back a smile and picked up the child. Although he had already held it all night last night, he was still a little stiff when he picked it up now. He felt that the baby was even softer, and he didn’t dare to use too much force or too little force. However, with Bai Li watching from the side, he still pretended to be relaxed and indifferent.
It’s just that the child didn’t stop crying, the crying became louder and louder.
Bai Li couldn’t just watch the fun anymore, she reached out: “Let me try.”
Zhou Jingyun handed the child to her, Bai Li held it and swayed as she walked, but it still didn’t work.
“Why does she cry so much?” She couldn’t help but say.
Zhou Jingyun reached out to take it back: “I’ll do it, I’ll do it, all children are like this…”
Madam Zhuang’s gentle voice came from outside the door: “Maybe she wet herself, bring her out and I’ll change her diaper.”
Zhou Jingyun looked at Bai Li, Bai Li curled her lips, motioning for him to send the baby out.
The baby’s crying outside stopped quickly.
Bai Li curled her lips again.
Zhou Jingyun said with a smile: “We are all just starting to take care of children, it will be fine when we get familiar with it.” He looked at the sky, listened to the evening drum, hesitated for a moment, “Where are you staying now? The curfew is coming soon, I’m afraid it will be inconvenient to move around.”
Bai Li only then noticed the sky.
“It’s too late to go back tonight, the boat has already left.” She said.
Boat? Zhou Jingyun looked at her, his eyes questioning.
They had said a lot just now, but it seemed like they didn’t say anything, there were many things they hadn’t had time to say.
They had only been separated for a month, but it felt like they could never finish talking.
Bai Li smiled: “I live on the multi-storey boat, Shangguan Yue’s pleasure boat.”
Shangguan Yue, Zhou Jingyun was a little surprised.
They didn’t even finish one round of small talk, they are quite talkative haha.
