Chapter 45

{T/N:This mass release is dedicated to Yamiluu and D. Bubble… Thank you soooooo muchhh for the coffee.. I’m currently drinking my coffee while counting alpacas in the deep jungle of the Amazon. ~~~~hehe~~~. Anyway, this novel will be finished within 2 weeks, so if you want me to pick up any other novel,please leave a comment below or you can put it in my Ko-fi page. Well,as you know, a comment a day keeps the translator awake..hehe}

Feng Bao stood silently behind everyone, clearly observing everything that happened.

He glanced at the figure in black and sighed, stepping forward to support Su Mi, whose body was swaying slightly.

“Madam, Master is going back. In my opinion, don’t bother with the baggage. Let’s get on the carriage first.”

“Okay,” Su Mi replied softly. She glanced at Yu Qingniang without saying much and quickly followed Feng Bao.

…

Inside the carriage, Qin Yan casually threw his crane cloak aside.

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“Nsae…”

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The carriage slowly left Jiaozhou, and the suffocating air inside made it hard to breathe.

Su Mi was terrified of this silence, as if he could abandon her at any moment. They had returned to a worse state than before.

Uncomfortably, Su Mi lowered her head and fiddled with her clothes, knowing that Qin Yan wouldn’t respond, so she didn’t dare to look up.

“Lord, I know you did it for me.”

“I detest him more than anyone else, and I hate my sister.” Su Mi paused, her face showing a trace of despair. “But I don’t hate my mother.”

“You should be angry.”

Su Mi’s voice was very soft, not with a sobbing tone, but it sounded even more pitiful than crying.

“Lord, during these days at home, I really missed you.”

After Su Mi finished speaking, her head hung lower. When Qin Yan opened his eyes and looked at her, his eyes carried an indiscernible meaning.

***

They traveled in silence for days, and when they reached the official road to Xuzhou, the carriage suddenly stopped.

Feng Bao noticed that there were officials from Xuzhou blocking the road ahead, so he got off the carriage to inquire. It turned out that the official road in Xuzhou was not far from the Huai River, which was currently experiencing ice flooding. The officials from Xuzhou were busy dealing with it.

Feng Bao stood by the carriage and reported to Qin Yan. After all, this time they were using a regular carriage, and he didn’t dare make the decision whether to reveal their identities or not.

“Master, the river ahead is flooded with ice. The officials need two days to clear it. Should I inform them…?”

After waiting for a while, a voice came from the carriage, sounding indifferent. “Wait for two days.”

“Yes, Master.”

This was the first time Su Mi had heard Qin Yan speak since that day. Although he wasn’t talking to her, she felt happy just to hear his voice.

She tentatively asked, “Lord, are we going to the post station?”

After waiting for a while without a response, Su Mi muttered to herself with an “Mm” and decided not to say anything more.

The carriage stopped at a villa in Xuzhou, similar in size to the one in Jiangling City. Su Mi guessed that this was probably where Qin Yan usually stayed.

Qin Yan got off the carriage and went to the study with Ling’an. 

As Feng Bao helped Su Mi out of the carriage, he said, “Madam, I have already sent someone to deliver a message to Chun Mei. She will directly find a mule cart and go to the capital. You don’t need to worry.”

“Okay, thank you, Feng Bao.”

They couldn’t bring Chun Mei with them this time, as they were in a hurry. Fortunately, Feng Bao had thought ahead, and Su Mi hadn’t even had the chance to think about it before he had already taken care of it.

***

By the time they arrived at the villa, it was dusk. When Su Mi finished bathing and returned to her bedroom, it was already dark outside.

The villa was purchased by Qin Yan before their marriage and naturally didn’t have any women’s clothes. Su Mi had rushed out without bringing any clothes or belongings.

Since they were going to stay for two days and Chun Mei wasn’t there, she didn’t feel like asking Feng Bao to buy anything. Instead, she washed her own clothes and hung them up to dry. She found an old garment in Qin Yan’s closet.

His clothes seemed to be scented with sandalwood. Su Mi could still smell his scent lingering around her. She wasn’t sure when he had worn this garment before, but the thought made her blush.

She tightened the blanket around her while thinking that, as Qin Yan liked to sleep on the outer side of the bed, she would lie on the outer side and keep the blanket warm. Tonight, she was determined to wait for him to return.

The night grew darker, and after the long journey in the carriage a few days ago, Su Mi couldn’t sleep peacefully. Although drowsiness crept over her, the thought of Qin Yan immediately woke her up. She knew there wasn’t much she could do, and if she fell asleep now, he would probably dislike her even more.

Initially, Su Mi lay down, but later she was afraid of falling asleep, so she propped her head up and forced herself to stay awake, staring at the candle on the table.

Bit by bit, until it burned out, the sun appeared on the horizon, but Qin Yan still hadn’t returned.

It was already daytime when a young maid from the villa brought in the washing utensils. Su Mi finished grooming herself, but there

was little sleep left in her.

Pushing the door open, Feng Bao happened to be fetching water in the courtyard.

“Good morning, Madam.” Feng Bao glanced at Su Mi’s attire and realized that he had forgotten about it yesterday. “Madam, shall I send a maid to the street to buy a few things for you?”

“We’ll be leaving tomorrow; no need to trouble yourself.” Su Mi smiled and hesitated before asking, “Feng Bao, did the Lord rest in the study last night?”

Feng Bao glanced at the dark circles under Su Mi’s eyes and her obvious exhaustion, then sighed almost imperceptibly.

“The Lord just returned from Chenzhou, and there are many matters to attend to. I saw him in the study last night.”

“I see… Did he have his breakfast?”

Feng Bao nodded. “I have already sent it to him.”

Su Mi felt a little disappointed. She had wanted to prepare some small dishes and send them over for his breakfast.

She and Chun Mei had grown up together in the small courtyard. While Chun Mei was good at cooking main dishes, Su Mi had learned some pastry-making techniques from her out of curiosity.

Qin Yan was still angry with her, and she had no other choice. Now, all she could think of every day was how to find more opportunities to meet him.

So Su Mi asked again, “Do you know if the Lord has any favorite pastries?”

Feng Bao pondered for a moment. “Actually, I’ve heard that master used to like the osmanthus water chestnut cake from Mo City. It’s not too far from Jiaozhou. Have you ever tried it, Madam?”

This was something the former Grand Eunuch, who had served the old Chief, had mentioned. The chief had enjoyed these pastries when he was only eleven or twelve years old. Feng Bao had never seen the chief eat pastries on a regular basis, but since Su Mi asked, he couldn’t simply say he didn’t know. After all, it was the thought that counted, and the chief would surely appreciate it.

A bystander sees clearly. Feng Bao didn’t understand the intricacies of love between a man and a woman, but he knew that if she could prevent the chief from killing someone, it meant he truly cared about her.

These past few days, the chief’s mood had been bad, and it had made Feng Bao fearful as well. That’s why he dared to suggest such an idea for Su Mi.

Su Mi nodded in response to Feng Bao’s words. She had eaten it once, but it was Chun Mei who had bought it.

As for how to make it, she would have to rely on the techniques she had learned before and give it a try.

After Feng Bao sent someone to buy the water chestnuts, Su Mi busied herself in the kitchen from the afternoon until dusk. Perhaps she put in too much glutinous rice, and in the end, she ended up with a pile of round water chestnut dumplings.

“Madam, it would be best if you personally delivered them. Ling’an just left, and the chief shouldn’t be too busy.” Feng Bao suggested it earnestly.

“Alright.”

…

Su Mi held the stack of pastries in her hands and took a deep breath before knocking on the wooden door of the study.

After waiting for a while, she heard a muffled response from inside, and then she carefully walked in, holding the porcelain plate.

Qin Yan was sitting in the main seat behind the desk, supporting his forehead with one hand. When Su Mi entered, he didn’t raise his head.

Suppressing the bitterness in her heart, Su Mi held the plate of glutinous rice dumplings and whispered, “Lord, I made some glutinous rice cakes. Please have a taste.”

Only then did Qin Yan lift his gaze and glance at the round and white dumplings on the porcelain plate. They didn’t resemble the glutinous rice cakes he remembered. He hadn’t eaten them in over a decade, so where did she hear about them?

But could this be considered an attempt to please him?

After these few days, he wasn’t as angry as he was before. Since she had come, Qin Yan suddenly became interested in looking at her.

Following Su Mi’s delicate and fair hand holding the plate, he noticed the familiar wide sleeve of a man’s robe. A faint scent of sandalwood emanated from it, gradually blending with his own scent.

She was covered in a large robe, concealing everything but her flushed and watery face, which hinted at her exquisite figure beneath the loose garment.

Her hair was casually tied up, and the neckline of her clothes was slightly loose, revealing a fair and delicate neck and alluring collarbones.

“Lord, don’t you want to eat?” Su Mi asked when Qin Yan remained silent for a while. She thought he might be dissatisfied with her presence, and fearing to upset him, she immediately had the intention to retreat.

However, to her surprise, after she spoke, she heard Qin Yan’s slightly deep voice saying, “Bring it here.”

It had been several days, and this was the first time he had spoken to her. Su Mi immediately carefully approached and placed the plate of pastries next to Qin Yan’s seat.

Before she could stand firm, she heard a sound of shifting as Qin Yan’s redwood-carved chair turned to the left. Su Mi’s knees suddenly weakened, and with a startled cry, she ended up sitting on Qin Yan’s lap, causing a few of the glutinous rice dumplings to roll off the plate.

“Lord, I didn’t mean to…” Su Mi said anxiously.

“Hmm.” Qin Yan’s expression remained calm as he casually pushed away the book that had accidentally hit her knee and raised his gaze to look at Su Mi. His thin lips parted slightly. “Feed me.”

Sitting on Qin Yan’s lap, although feeling somewhat shy, the most important thing for Su Mi today was to apologize sincerely again. Whatever Qin Yan said, she would certainly do it.

She slightly turned her body, picked up a glutinous rice dumpling with a red face, and said, “Lord…”

Qin Yan approached, meeting Su Mi’s gaze. He bit down, not on the glutinous rice dumpling but on Su Mi’s pale pink fingertips.

His tongue carried a slight coolness, and when it brushed against her, it caused a subtle tremor.

Suddenly, Qin Yan’s gaze changed, and he fiercely bit down on Su Mi’s fingertip. The pain made Su Mi whimper, her eyes welling up with tears, but she clenched her teeth and didn’t cry out.

As if punishing her, after a while, Qin Yan released his bite and regained his usual expression.

“Do you know it hurts?” he asked.

Su Mi nodded, then shook her head, earnestly spreading out her ten fingers. “Lord, if you’re angry, then bite them all.”

Her words dispelled most of the remaining resentment, and Qin Yan laughed. Make him bite them all? Did she think he was a dog?

Su Mi didn’t know what Qin Yan was laughing about, but he finally smiled at her. She had been extremely upset by his coldness toward her these past few days. Taking advantage of Qin Yan’s improved mood, Su Mi quickly said, “Lord…”

“I won’t provoke your anger again in the future.”

Qin Yan’s hand entwined in her hair, his meaning unclear as he said, “Hmm, then don’t make mistakes in the future, or else it will hurt even more.”

Su Mi nodded, still in a state of confusion. “Mm.”

“Feng Bao said you didn’t sleep last night?”

“The Lord wasn’t here, so I couldn’t sleep…”

Qin Yan chuckled, finding it amusing that she had a lot of kind words to say when he was angry.

“Lord, where will you sleep tonight?” Su Mi asked anxiously. After experiencing Qin Yan’s coldness towards her these past two days, she felt that she could say even more embarrassing things in the future.

“In the study.” Qin Yan took the porcelain plate from Su Mi’s hand and placed it on the side of the desk.

In fact, he had indeed stayed up all night yesterday. Although he had finished dealing with the Chengzhou affairs, his departure had been hasty, and there were still some loose ends to tie up tonight.

“Mm…” Su Mi didn’t know about this and thought that Qin Yan didn’t want to confront her again, feeling a bit disappointed.

Qin Yan noticed her subtle expression and, with his left hand supporting the chair leg, his right hand hooked around Su Mi’s waist. In an instant, he changed their position, sandwiching Su Mi between himself and the desk, leaving a comfortable and appropriate distance between them.

“Just sleep like this.”

“Lord?” Su Mi heard it clearly, but she was afraid she had misheard.

“Don’t want to?”

“I want to, I really want to,” Su Mi hurriedly replied.

Resting in Qin Yan’s embrace, with her head against his chest, she was indeed very sleepy. Before long, she fell into a drowsy sleep.

Even when Ling An flew into the room, she didn’t notice.

Ling An saw Su Mi nestled in Qin Yan’s arms, but his expression remained unchanged. He merely glanced at Qin Yan, waiting for his instructions.

“Speak.”

“Reporting to the Master, the Li family’s jewelry business in the capital can only be considered second-rate. I have already conveyed your intentions to the prefect and will investigate the accounts in detail.”

“Mm.”

A cold glint flashed in Qin Yan’s eyes and then disappeared, just like Ling An. The surroundings fell into silence, with only the faint sound of breathing and the turning of pages in books.