Chapter 168 – Sweet and Refreshing Daily Life (II) – Part 1

 

Pei Xiaoyuan finally realized that her initial reminder was a great consideration for him. Unfortunately, this consideration did not continue. She seemed determined to let him deal with it himself. He did not dare to disturb her, nor did he dare to leave her precious son to the nursemaid, so he had to use all his wits to deal with it. After a lot of effort, he finally made this energetic little guy sleepy and fell asleep on his chest. At this point, it was almost the third watch.

Not only was the night already halfway gone, he was also exhausted both physically and mentally, and felt that it was more tiring than fighting a war.

“What are you drawing? It’s getting late, go and have some rest. You can draw the rest tomorrow or the next day.”

He carefully placed his son in his own little bed, then came to the outer room where she was busy drawing, stopped behind her, glanced at the painting she was working on, and urged her to rest.

“You go on to bed first. I’ll need a little while longer. This painting was a promise I made to He Que—he asked me to make it as a birthday gift for his mother. Things have been hectic lately, so I fell behind. Her birthday is just around the corner, and since the painting is going well tonight, I’d like to finish it, have it framed, and send it off as soon as possible. That’ll be one thing off the list.”

Pei Xiaoyuan hesitated: “When did this happen? Why didn’t I know about it?”

“It was the last time he visited. During the farewell banquet, I stepped out for a moment and happened to run into him. He made the request then, and I agreed. It was just a small matter, so I didn’t bother mentioning it to you,” she replied, head down as she continued carefully working on the painting.

He Que was a prince of Tuyuhun who had come to pay respects along with his brothers a month ago. From the moment he laid eyes on her, Pei Xiaoyuan had sensed something—those eyes of his lit up instantly. This was something Pei Xiaoyuan would never mistake. At the time, he had felt a bit displeased, but since the man had done nothing more than look, and there was no reason to make a scene in public, he let it pass. The visitors were sent off that same day, and the matter gradually slipped his mind—until now. Realizing there had been a follow-up, a sour taste immediately rose in his chest, though he couldn’t say anything outright. After a pause, he said mildly, “When his mother’s birthday comes, we can just send someone with the gift. No need to go in person.”

Xuyu nodded: “That’s fine. There’s no need for us to attend, anyway.”

Only then did Pei Xiaoyuan feel a bit more at ease. He looked at her again. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to interrupt her work. He reached out, intending to massage her shoulders, but she stopped him, “Go on to bed. You’ve just gotten back—you must be tired. Don’t worry about me. I don’t need you to keep me company. With you sitting here, it just makes it harder for me to concentrate. Once I’m done, I’ll head to bed myself.”

Pei Xiaoyuan withdrew his hand helplessly, and gently reminded: “Then hurry up. Don’t stay up too late. Be careful not to tire yourself out.”

She nodded without raising her eyes.

He had no choice but to go back and lie on the bed alone.

“The end of the year is approaching, and I haven’t been around these days. You must have had a lot on your plate, managing everything alone?” After a pause, he tried to make conversation.

“You’ve had a hard time.”

“I didn’t have a hard time. There are people to handle everything—I just have to give the orders.” She found him a bit annoying. So chatty. So persistent.

After a moment of silence, his voice came again: “Didn’t you once say that after we got here, you want to paint me? Where’s the painting? Why haven’t you ever mentioned it?”

“I’ve been too busy—always rushing around from one thing to another, and I also have to take care of Xiao Hu’er. When I have free time, I will paint you. You’re not going to grow old that quickly, don’t worry. I’ll definitely manage it in time!” She sighed silently and responded perfunctorily.

He was silent again.

Suddenly, he said slowly from behind her: “On my trip, I passed by the territory of Prince Fengzhong. He wanted to marry his daughter to me as a concubine.”

Prince Fengzhong was also a chieftain. He changed his name to show his loyalty to the court.

“Then just accept it!” She exclaimed, but still didn’t get up.

The incense in the gilded duck stove in the corner of the room had burned out. The last wisp of light smoke slowly rose from the nozzle and dissipated. From the inner room, all sounds had finally fallen completely silent—no more interruptions from him.

Outside the window, the northern wind howled intermittently, sometimes near, sometimes far, making the warmth and quiet of this winter night feel all the more pronounced.

Xuyu finally finished the painting. She set her brush down and sat up straight, stretching her arms long above her head, then gave her legs a gentle thump to ease the soreness. Suddenly, she remembered something.

She recalled that shortly after they married, she had said something quite similar—and it had made him angry. He even smashed the fish talisman and ran out to drink wine with Chengping…

She suddenly turned her head and looked into the inner room.

He was still lying on his back, his clothes neatly arranged, his eyes closed, and it was unknown whether he was asleep or not, as he didn’t move.

She couldn’t help but feel a little regretful. She quickly turned off the light on the drawing table, tiptoed inside, climbed onto the edge of the bed. Kneeling beside him, she quietly observed him for a moment, held back her laughter, stretched out a finger, and poked his chest.

“I was wrong!”

She leaned forward flatteringly and kissed him on the mouth.

He opened his eyes and looked at her coldly. The corners of his lips showed a bit of stubbornness, tight and silent.

She continued to kneel beside him. Under his steady gaze, she slowly raised her arm and pulled out the green bamboo hairpin that held up her hair, tossing it aside. Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Then, she began to loosen the front of her robe.

The fabric slipped down her bare shoulders and snow-white arms, and piled messily on her slender waist.

With a touch of defiance, she finally lifted her newly unveiled, beautiful body toward him.

Raven hair, ivory skin—her beauty was utterly soul-stealing.

His dark, deep eyes rested on her body, but he still showed no other reaction.

“Forget it! I’ll go sleep with Xiao Hu’er instead—to avoid annoying you…”

She angrily grabbed her clothes to cover her chest and was just turning away when a large hand caught her shoulder from behind. In the next instant, he flipped her down onto the pillow, pressing his face close to hers.

She pouted her lips: “Are you not angry anymore?”

His low voice was filled with a ruthless force, “What did you say before? Say it to me again.”

Xuyu looked up and gazed at the handsome man who was still angry with her.

Sigh, it was really difficult to coax him. But… who can blame him for having such a good-looking face? She couldn’t resist.

“I just said that my dear Pei is not allowed to have other women. For this life, the next, and the one after that… you can only be good to me, and me alone…”

From her red lips flowed honeyed words sweet enough to poison, as she kissed along his jawline, then trailed downward along his Adam’s apple.

Like a smooth, slender fish, her body slid down his chest and abdomen and disappeared under the quilt. A long strand of glossy black hair hung messily over the edge of the quilt.

His breathing grew heavier. He closed his eyes and pulled her back out from under the quilt.

“Be gentle! Xiao Hu’er, Xiao Hu’er… let’s go out…” She couldn’t help sobbing. She let out an involuntary whimper. Realizing the sound she’d made, she quickly tried to stifle it, fearful of waking the little one asleep in the adjoining alcove.

He took the paintbrush that she had just thrown beside the pillow and told her to bite the brush with her teeth to stop the sound.

“Princess, please give me another daughter, please…” He whispered to her again, begging.

She bit the brush tightly and held on to his shoulders firmly.

Her husband also wanted a daughter. Apart from agreeing, what else could she do?

From this day on, for an entire winter, until the warmth of spring melts the frost, there was almost nothing significant happening.

In the following days, in addition to staying at home to accompany Xiao Hu’er, they often went out together when the snow stopped and the sky cleared. He took her across the towns, garrisons, watchtowers, and beacon posts under his jurisdiction—visiting troops to boost morale, checking in on the elderly and widowed. He led her galloping across the vast, undulating, snow-covered land, telling her how come spring and summer, this place would transform into a landscape of an entirely different, majestic kind. They also returned to Weiyuan City, where their common memories began. On a whim, he pointed to the fields outside the city and told her how he resisted their engagement at the beginning, how his uncle had forced him into it, and how he eventually met her. Then, that entire day, even the grass and trees, indifferent as they were, had seemed charming in his eyes. And just as he returned from hunting that evening, he’d learned that she had voluntarily broken off their engagement. Those subtle stirrings of emotion, that quiet joy tinged with faint melancholy—it all remained vivid in his mind even now. She laughed so hard she nearly fell off her horse, scolding him for being a lecher moved by beauty, saying he really was nothing but a libertine.

He smiled and let her tease him.

Had they not met again later in Chang’an, then that fleeting emotion from the beginning would have been nothing more than a ripple stirred upon the surface of a quiet heart-lake—a breeze passing, the ripple vanishing, like duckweed in passing current. But fate had other plans, and brought him and her together once more.

They both lived in Chang’an when they were young, but they didn’t know each other when they met. Now, whether it was destiny across three lifetimes or merely attraction at first sight, all the joys and troubles that followed had begun with that one sudden encounter.

This life continued—peaceful and steady—until something unexpected occurred. Though in truth, it wasn’t all that surprising. With his hard work, she soon found out that she was pregnant again.

He was not by her side when she gave birth to Xiao Hu’er last time. This time upon hearing the news, after being ecstatic, he became extremely nervous. In his eyes, she had suddenly become as fragile as glass—this she mustn’t do, that she mustn’t touch. Even on the rare occasions she went out, everything had to be handled with utmost care. Riding in a carriage meant laying down seven or eight layers of cushions, and he had to personally watch over her the entire time, almost wishing he could carry her in his arms at all hours just to feel at ease. As for riding a horse—absolutely out of the question. It was the depth of winter anyway, so Xuyu had no choice but to cease all outdoor activities and stay home to nourish the fetus. In that quiet time, she finally had the leisure to paint a portrait for him.

She painted quite a few—including several private ones meant only for the two of them to secretly enjoy behind closed doors: portraits of her dear Pei in all his handsome glory. When he first saw them, he flushed red with embarrassment. He had always been a man of discipline—even with a friend like Chengping, he had long remained untouched by such things, as if walking through mud without ever being soiled. But now, under the influence of his beloved wife, after the first bout of blushing, he fell into it—and couldn’t get enough. Xuyu had drawn them simply on a whim, and once her interest faded, she wanted to destroy them, worried that now that Xiao Hu’er was running all over the place, he might someday discover them and ask, “Father, Mother, what are you doing in this picture?”—an awkward scene indeed. He tried to stop her, to no avail, but managed to protect one of the paintings from being destroyed. In that painting, the moon rose over a mountain peak, and within the dense fir forest, behind a screen of greenwood, stood a majestic horse. Two people rode together on its back. At first glance, there was nothing particularly unusual—but a closer look revealed their garments disheveled, some half-off, some not, and the man was clearly bold and reckless, daring to indulge in wild passion beneath the open sky. The maiden turned to look back at him, her expression equal parts coy and reproachful—as though scolding his wanton behavior, yet unwilling to refuse him.

This scene was painted very beautifully. The man’s fierce boldness, the woman’s reaction to her beloved’s wild act, even the horse beneath them—tilting its head and pricking its ears as though listening in—were all vividly captured. Everything was lifelike, yet veiled as if seen through mist and blossoms, striking a delicate balance between reality and illusion. It stirred the imagination, utterly unlike the crude explicitness typical of such subjects. He was deeply fond of it and firmly refused to let her burn it, insisting on keeping it. She relented and agreed, but insisted they find a proper place to hide it. The two of them searched all over and tried several hiding spots, none of which felt secure enough. Finally, they had a long case custom-made, placed the scroll inside, locked it with a key, and buried it at the bottom of a trunk of clothes. That way, they wouldn’t need to fear their son uncovering it by accident.

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