Chapter 83: Nanxia County
Chapter 83: Nanxia County
The soft touch of the cold wind pulled Xiang Ling out of the beautiful dream she was lost in. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself looking at a very familiar place. Yet, it wasn’t her bedchamber.
As she realized where she was, the memories of the previous night returned, and an almost shy smile bloomed on her lips as she buried her face in the covers. The kiss she and Wei Guang shared the night before was undoubtedly the sweetest kiss of her life till date.
They kissed for a long while and she remembered almost falling asleep in his arms. He then picked her up in his arms and gently placed her on the bed before he once again settled down next to the window to rest.
Pulling her face out from under the covers, she scanned the room and realized that she was the only one there. Realizing that everyone should have already woken up, she hurriedly climbed out of the bed. After quickly running her fingers through her hair and dress to adjust them, she headed toward the door.
All she wanted was to get back to her room as soon as possible without getting noticed by anyone but much to her horror, the moment she opened the door, she found a startled Zhe Yuan standing there with one of his hands raised in the air as if he was about to knock on the door.
"Hehe... You are here." Xiang Ling felt stupid as she gave him the most awkward smile possible.
"Lingling? What are you doing here?" Zhe Yuan asked as his gaze scanned her face closely.
"I... I came to find Ah Guang... but he’s not here." She finally found an excuse but looking at Zhe Yuan’s expression, it was clear that the man didn’t completely believe her. "I should get going now." She didn’t wait any longer for him to continue questioning her further and just rushed past him.
As she almost ran toward her chamber, she could feel Zhe Yuan’s suspicion-filled gaze following her. It was not until she was finally inside her room that she let out a sigh of relief.
"But why am I hiding?" She asked all of a sudden, realizing that there was no need for her to hide. After all, she was in her own husband’s room and not in the room of a random stranger. Getting rid of these thoughts, she entered her space to get ready for the day.
When Xiang Ling stepped out of her chamber half an hour later, she was dressed in a beautiful rose-pink dress. Her hair fluttered with the wind and despite the gloomy weather, she was all smiles. She even started humming a tone as she headed in the direction of the dining hall.
Throughout breakfast, she was unable to control herself. She stole more than a hundred glances at Wei Guang. But there was one more person who kept attracting her attention toward him - Xin Cheng. The man was still acting grumpy and Xiang Ling was unable to understand what was his problem.
Was he really mad about the divorce thing? She wondered as she watched Xin Cheng leaving the dining hall with Dao Ming.
"Did you sleep alright?" Wei Guang asked as he too stood up from his seat and headed in her direction.
A smile immediately made its way to Xiang Ling’s lips as she turned her attention toward the man. As she gave a nod in the affirmative, she realized that there were two pairs of eyes closely watching their interaction.
As she turned to look at Zhe Yuan and Li Xian who were still present in the dining hall, she found the two men looking directly at her and Wei Guang. Shaking her head, she returned her attention to her first husband and spoke, "I should get going."
Wei Guang gave her a small nod with a warm smile and watched as she left the dining hall along with Fu Xiao.
* * *
"My Lady, what are you doing?" Fu Xiao asked as she placed the bowl of osmanthus soup on the table where Xiang Ling was currently studying a map of the entire Nanxia County.
She settled down on the other side of the table and started brewing the tea. It was late in the morning and a light rain was falling. Sitting under the pavilion, the scene looked breathtaking and serene.
"I’m trying to get an overall view of the villages, towns, and cities, that come under my father’s jurisdiction." Xiang Ling replied as she closely studied the map.
Nanxia County was the third biggest county of the Xi Empire and was located near the western border. With Dongzhi City as the central hub, there were a total of forty-eight villages, towns, and small cities that were parts of Nanxia County.
"Why are you doing that?" Fu Xiao asked in confusion, not understanding why her lady would suddenly be interested in learning about Nanxia County.
Letting out a sigh, Xiang Ling answered, "I’m thinking about starting some businesses. Having an idea of the nearby villages, towns, and cities that depend on Dongzhi City for businesses, will be helpful for me." Xiang Ling provided the girl with an answer.
Fu Xiao was again surprised after hearing her lady’s words. "You want to open shops?" The girl asked.
Xiang Ling nodded her head before adding, "I’m thinking about starting a restaurant first. What do you think about it?"
"A restaurant?" Fu Xiao repeated and there was a certain look on her face which made Xiang Ling ask - "Is something wrong?"
Fu Xiao quickly shook her head. "No, My Lady. I just recalled something when you mentioned opening a restaurant."
The girl had now all of Xiang Ling’s attention. "What did you recall? Share it with me."
Fu Xiao looked hesitant but when Xiang Ling urged her to spill the beans, the girl finally broke the silence. "Chen family used to have a restaurant in the past too."
"Used to? What happened?" Xiang long asked curiously.
After another moment of pause, the girl answered, "You sold it."