"Unexpected?" Yun Qian thought, shouldnāt she be meticulous?
Indeed.
Whether she is meticulous depends on whether Xu Changāan prefers someone clever or a bit clumsy.
At the moment, Xu Changāan seems to be a fickle person, so he likes both types either way.
Li Zhibai couldnāt understand why Yun Qian was so calm when feeling jealous, but she was sure Yun Qian must be uneasy; otherwise, she wouldnāt have been jealous of her earlier.
"Actually, you can set your mind at ease," Li Zhibai said gently. "Changāan is very dedicated, he hasnāt gotten close to any girl on Muyu Peak, and places like the Flower Moon Building... are not to his taste."
She meant that Yun Qian need not worry.
Unexpectedly, Yun Qian closed her eyes and said seriously, "He is a fickle person."
Li Zhibai: "...?"
Fickle?
Who?
Xu Changāan, who seems as oblivious as a log when in front of women other than Yun Qian?
If others said Xu Changāan was fickle, the protective Li Zhibai would demand an explanation, but since Yun Qian said it, Li Zhibai could only be bewildered and accept it.
She certainly couldnāt compare to Yun Qian in understanding Xu Changāan.
"Fickle." Names like Wen Li and Liu Qingluo, and even a fleeting image of Zhu Pingniang flashed through Li Zhibaiās mind unexpectedly. She couldnāt help but ask, "Does he like other women?"
If that were the case, as his teacher, she might have to have a "heart-to-heart" talk with him, ruler in hand.
Li Zhibai favors devoted people and naturally dislikes fickle ones.
"He does like some girls." Yun Qian opened her eyes slightly and looked at Li Zhibai in front of her.
Isnāt the woman in front of her someone Xu Changāan likes?
Yes, Yun Qian was simply responding to Li Zhibaiās question about whether Xu Changāan liked other girls, without linking it to Xu Changāanās fickleness.
She said he was fickle because Xu Changāan said he liked every aspect of her, which implied fickleness.
Such words were unnecessary to share with outsiders.
"..."
Li Zhibai sensed Yun Qian didnāt intend to say more; she held her makeup tool and didnāt linger in thought for long.
She chose to believe in her student.
"Sister, I donāt know what happened, but Changāan is a good young man," Li Zhibai said, her tone firm. "Regarding this, you should know better than an outsider like me, so you must trust him."
"Thatās true." Yun Qian gently exhaled warm air.
Of course, she believed.
However.
Miss Yun opened her eyes to look at Li Zhibai, who seemed slightly troubled between her brows, thinking she was indeed a likable woman for trusting her husband so easily.
Li Zhibaiās gaze fell on a corner of the window lattice, thinking that she said those things, but upon considering how Xu Changāan now went drinking with Qinling, leaving Yun Qian alone in this eerie courtyard, she suddenly understood why Yun Qian felt uneasy.
"Actually, you donāt need to be jealous," Li Zhibai said helplessly.
"Iām not jealous," Yun Qian said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.
If only she could get jealous; Xu Changāan would likely favor her more, unlike now, where she had to learn everything.
Li Zhibaiās eyelashes fluttered abruptly.
Disappointed?
What was she disappointed about?
"Not really?" Li Zhibai spoke instinctively.
Yun Qian fully opened her eyes, looking at this Miss Li in front of her, who she felt fond of, and said softly, "I wonāt be jealous; this is just the cultivation of being a good wife."
"Cultivation?" Li Zhibai was puzzled by Yun Qian, but after a few seconds of thought, she understood a bit and said, her expression strange, "Does Changāan like girls who get jealous?"
"Yes." Yun Qian thought Li Zhibai was indeed smart, with great potential to be favored by Xu Changāan.
"He... I..." Li Zhibaiās face was an array of expressions, which gradually settled into calm.
She had nothing to say.
"Ms. Yun, I noticed some broken planks in the study. Is that... also something he requested?" Li Zhibai asked.
"Stepping on my back, considered relaxation," Yun Qian didnāt answer directly.
But for Li Zhibai, this response was sufficient.
So it wasnāt Yun Qian who was uneasy, but Xu Changāan?
Was it because Xu Changāan wanted Yun Qian to be jealous, so Yun Qian acted jealous?
Because of Changāanās unease.
Therefore, if Yun Qian seemed jealous, Xu Changāan would feel cared for, which would ease his internal unease.
It made sense, everything became clear and connected.
No wonder Yun Qianās jealousy seemed awkward and incongruous; it turned out all of it was an act for Xu Changāan to see???
Just like makeup, itās all a means to please him.
Li Zhibai had keen eyes and an Exquisite Heart; she could infer the White Jade Purple Thunder Tribulation and a stormy rain had to do with Xu Changāan from simple matters and could infer even more.
Indeed.
With such an excellent new wife at home, yet often away for over a month, and liking Yun Qian so much, what man wouldnāt worry?
From Yun Qianās perspective, Muyu Peak was full of women, but conversely... Beisang City also had many men seeking pleasures.
Li Zhibai gave up thinking, saying with a bitter smile, "... the affection between you young couple is reciprocated, I canāt make sense of it."
So this is marriage?
Understandably a mystery to outsiders.
"Actually, sometimes I donāt make sense of it either, but it doesnāt matter; as long as he likes it," Yun Qian said softly.
"Ms. Yun."
"Hmm?"
"Your mindset is admirable," Li Zhibai said.
"..." Yun Qian rarely lost focus for a moment, not responding with a perfunctory "hmm" as before, but keeping a calm expression.
Miss Yun was now braiding her hair; although she said nothing, it inexplicably gave Li Zhibai a very contradictory feeling. She thought Yun Qianās silence was answering her... she wasnāt really a person with a good mindset.
"Encountered some difficulties, want to talk to me about it?" Li Zhibai showed a reliable big sister image, "After all, I do call you Ms. Yun."
Yun Qian lowered her head, looking at a sachet hanging at her waist, tilting her head.
Consult Li Zhibai?
It seemed like a good suggestion.
If anything, there wasnāt a more suitable person in the world to ask this question than Li Zhibai. After all, had she not appeared, no one could shake Li Zhibaiās position beside Xu Changāan.
Yun Qian knotted her brows, her cherry lips lightly parted, and she looked at Li Zhibai earnestly, saying word by word, "What cultivation and achievements constitute a good wife?"
āā
Silence.
As Yun Qianās words fell, the room was so silent that you could hear a pin drop.
"..." Li Zhibai.
What made Li Zhibai feel most helpless was that she no longer felt surprised by Yun Qian asking such a question.
Silence, because the question was so mundane, mundane to the point where it seemed unworthy of Yun Qianās concern. After all... since meeting, Li Zhibai had already experienced how loving this young couple was.
Yun Qian was already a good wife; what cultivation was there to speak of?
But this ordinary question, she couldnāt answer. She hadnāt married, how would she know what makes a good wife? Besides, everyone has different preferences.
So, what Li Zhibai discerned from this question was Yun Qianās affection for Xu Changāan.
She witnessed another display of affection.
She was even getting accustomed to it.
"Ms. Yun, I donāt know how to answer you," Li Zhibai said.
"I understand." Yun Qian wasnāt surprised or disappointed.
After all, being a good wife and making Xu Changāan like her more... was for her the ultimate question, a long-term pursuit, not easily answered.
"However..." Li Zhibai paused.
"However?"
"I heard from him a thing or two about what kind of person Changāan likes, perhaps it can serve as a reference," Li Zhibai said.
Yun Qian was very interested, so she asked, "What kind of person?"
Li Zhibai suggested with a trace of irony in her voice, "He likes the kind of girl who shows him hidden concern, complete trust and is entirely unguarded, and maybe even has some traditional values."
Yun Qian nodded and looked at Li Zhibai in the mirror, asking, "Are you that kind of girl?"