Now that Miss Yun is back to normal, he can finally set his heart at ease.
What is called a âland of tendernessâ? This is it.
No matter how beautiful or charming Miss Zhu is, the only thing she brings Xu Changâan is pressure. He has too much to think about to have any mind for beauty.
"So thatâs how it is." Yun Qian understood, and suddenly she felt a bit happy.
Because, this counts as a closeness brought by Miss Zhu. Without Miss Zhuâs suppression, Xu Changâan wouldnât have rebounded so strongly. In this light, that Miss Zhu is quite lovable too.
"Is this like a small separation triumphing over a new marriage?" Yun Qian asked.
"..." Xu Changâanâs old face flushed, finally realizing how embarrassing he was at that moment. He awkwardly stepped back two steps and said, "I suppose you could say so."
"Mm." Yun Qian responded, then looked at him: "Did you drink?"
Xu Changâan felt a chill down his spine upon hearing this, yet he replied truthfully: "I drank some Jade Dew, prepared by Senior Zhu. Didnât want to put her to shame."
After finishing, he quickly added: "Miss, you know me. When we drink usually, have I ever drunk Jade Dew?"
When he is with Yun Qian, he always drinks strong liquor; he doesnât like something as soft as Jade Dew.
"I was just asking."
Yun Qian bent down to pick up the umbrella Xu Changâan had thrown to the ground, and took his hand: "Tired? Then rest for a bit."
Yun Qian walked toward the courtyard, quickly turning her mind over, thinking what a wife should provide for a husband who returns home weary after reading so many books.
The land of tenderness is only the first step.
The two entered the courtyard, Xu Changâan closed the door under the regretful gaze of the group of women outside.
Yun Qian was thinking, but stumbled, then turned her head to look at Xu Changâan who had closed the door and didnât move, puzzled.
"Miss."
"Mm."
Xu Changâan finally couldnât help himself: "Just now at the door...why were you smiling? Did something good happen?"
"You came back." Yun Qian said as she always does.
That is the good thing.
"No, I mean..." Xu Changâan looked at the puzzled girl in front of him, her eyes clear, and froze.
Because, he couldnât help but start doubting, was the bright smiling woman at the door really this emotionally reserved girl?
"Am I... dreaming?" Xu Changâan couldnât help but pinch Yun Qianâs cheek.
Yun Qian: "..."
"This feeling, isnât a dream." Xu Changâan carefully tasted the faint cool touch on his fingers, coughed, and said: "Miss, you look really good today... So why were you smiling?"
"Is it that important?" Yun Qian didnât understand why Xu Changâan cared so much. She tugged Xu Changâanâs hand towards the house but couldnât move him, so she frowned: "Didnât you say you were tired."
For Miss Yun, nothing is more important than letting Xu Changâan rest, so she didnât really want to stand there talking.
But Xu Changâan thought differently. The way Miss Yun smiled earlier was so eerie, if he didnât find out why, he couldnât relax or even breathe without his chest hurting.
"What were you smiling at?" Xu Changâan stubbornly asked.
"..."
Miss Yun sighed gently, "She told me, women look better when they smile often and you would like it more."
"???"
ââ
A bunch of question marks appeared above Xu Changâanâs head.
She?
Who?
Yun Qian then told Xu Changâan that after he left, the Rowing Maiden had been accompanying her and talking to her, only leaving a quarter of an hour ago.
"..."
Xu Changâan was dumbstruck.
He didnât get over the shock for quite a while and didnât know what to say.
The amount of information revealed in that sentence was immense.
Putting aside the myriad points about the Rowing Maiden telling Yun Qian to smile more often... the fact that Miss Yun, with her personality, could chat with a stranger for so long was incredible.
And not only chatted but followed her advice?
What happened while he was away for just a little while?
Is Miss Yun so easy to befriend?
Xu Changâan was as anxious as if a cat were scratching at his heart but followed the previous line of conversation: "Smile more often? Why smile if thereâs nothing to be happy about?"
"Thatâs what I said." Yun Qian nodded.
When the Rowing Maiden told her that smiling was better than any rouge, she said the same thing.
"But, she knew youâd be back, hurriedly told me before leaving to definitely try... smiling."
Yun Qian recalled the smile the Rowing Maiden showed her and began to replicate it one to one.
"Itâs like this smile... um..."
Suddenly her mouth was covered, and Yun Qian blinked.
"I thought so..." Xu Changâan sighed helplessly: "Miss, that boat girlâs energetic nature is not suited for you."
Although Miss Yun copying the energetic Maidenâs smile was quite appealing, to Xu Changâan it was like seeing a ghost.
Yun Qian gently pried his hand open, took a handkerchief from her bosom to wipe his fingers, and asked: "Doesnât it look nice?"
"Of course it looks nice." Xu Changâan said helplessly, "But Miss, just be yourself."
The natural Yun Qian is the most beautiful. Trying to act for him actually falls short.
"I understand." Yun Qian acknowledged.
"Miss, you and that boat girl... are you quite close? Why did she tell you to smile more and you listened?"
"Close enough, I suppose."
Xu Changâan was baffled at Yun Qianâs response.
This was different from Gu Qiancheng telling Yun Qian to cook to keep her husbandâs heartâYun Qian obeying and entering the kitchen.
Cooking was something Yun Qian always considered, even without Gu Qianchengâs reminder.
But "silly smile" wasnât the same, didnât Yun Qian say it herself? Her thoughts were the same as Xu Changâanâs: "Why smile without anything happy"... So, she would defy her own thoughts and listen to a strangerâs advice...
This matter is genuinely worth discussing.
Xu Changâanâs heart was racing, somehow... excited?
Jealousy wasnât possible.
After figuring things out, Xu Changâan found Miss Yunâs silly smile quite adorable.
Because if Miss Yun would heed opinions from people other than him, it meant she might be making friends.
To Xu Changâan, this was worth celebrating even more than the New Year.
Could it be that under his daily encouragement, Miss Yun was finally coming out of her shell?
Xu Changâan tightly grasped Yun Qianâs hand: "Miss, you really like that boat girl, donât you?"
"Like? Is it like?" Yun Qian blinked, then frowned slightly and pouted: "Be gentle."
"Oh..." Xu Changâan immediately loosened his grip on Yun Qianâs hand, then asked: "Is it because you like her that youâre trying her suggestions?"
"I like." Yun Qian nodded.
But Xu Changâanâs happiness didnât last long before Yun Qian continued: "Because you would like her, so I also like."
This there was no problem with.
"..."
Xu Changâan felt like there was a big problem.
Like?
Who liked her?
He had only taken the boat of the Rowing Maiden a few times while visiting the Flower Moon Building, and Miss Yun stuck such a hat on him?
The misunderstanding wasnât the main point.
Turns out, Yun Qianâs care for outsiders was also because of him.
A splash of cold water over his head calmed Xu Changâan down. He thought it over carefully and knew where Yun Qianâs notion of "he likes" came from.
Back then, when Liu Qingluo was in trouble, the Rowing Maiden worried about Liu Qingluo and came to him for help, he assisted her enthusiastically and was quite amicable.
Did his attitude then make Yun Qian think he liked her?
"Miss, that doesnât count as liking."
"I know you donât like her now." Yun Qian thought that was Xu Changâanâs original marriage line, which just vanished now.
But Miss Yun was clever, she wouldnât explain it carefully because she knew these words would displease Xu Changâan.
So Yun Qian was concerned about something else.
Regarding her smiles, the important thing wasnât whether smiling per outside advice was good or bad, but whether Xu Changâan would like her smiling often.
Xu Changâan liked tenderness, though his mouth didnât always approve of tenderness.
Her husband always contradicted himself.
Yun Qian pointed to the corner of her mouth: "You really donât like it?"
"...Honestly, the smile is a bit eerie."
"?"