Chapter 406 - Chapter 406: Satisfied
Chapter 406: Satisfied
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Having just come out of combat, even though Mu Yangling knew that it was safe in the General’s Mansion, her combat awareness was still hidden in her body. Hence, the moment Qi Haoran approached, he was kicked by Mu Yangling before he could even touch her. Fortunately, Qi Haoran was quick to react and leaned back to dodge it. Otherwise, with Mu Yangling’s strength, he would definitely have to lie down for three days even if his bones did not break.
Qi Haoran sat on the ground and stared blankly at Mu Yangling, who was sitting on the brick bed.
Mu Yangling opened her eyes in a daze and glanced at Qi Haoran. After confirming that it was safe, she immediately closed her slightly opened eyes and lay down on the brick bed. She lifted the blanket and continued sleeping.
Qi Haoran, who was about to shout, shut his mouth again. He got up and stood by the brick bed to look at her for a long time. In the end, he poked her face with his finger and quickly retracted it. Seeing that she did not react, he knew that she was no longer on guard.
Qi Haoran lay on the brick bed and secretly kissed her face. Only then did he he down at the side in satisfaction and close his eyes to sleep.
When Mama Wang opened the door and entered, she saw Qi Haoran lying outside the brick bed with his wet hair. She exclaimed and hurriedly went forward to pull him up. Seeing that Mu Yangling was sleeping soundly, she reprimanded in a low voice, “Fourth Young Master, why are you lying here? Hurry up and go back to your room. What if others find out? You and Miss Mu aren’t married yet.”
“But we’re engaged,” Qi Haoran said unhappily.
“Engagement is not marriage. You have to get married before you can be considered husband and wife. Hurry up and get out. Otherwise, if Eldest Master finds out, he’ll whip you.” Mama Wang pushed Qi Haoran out. Seeing that he had wet hair, she said, “How do your servants serve you? Fei Bai is getting more and more lazy. How could he let you out like this? What if you get sick when the wind blows?”
Mama Wang pulled him into the side room to dry his hair. Qi Haoran explained on Fei Bai’s behalf, “I asked him to go down and rest since he hasn’t slept for a few days following me. It’s not his fault.”
Just as Qi Haoran finished speaking, he slowly closed his eyes and leaned against the couch.
Seeing this, Mama Wang’s heart ached. She quickly helped him lie down, covered him with a blanket, and dried his hair.
Hence, Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling did not wake up for dinner tonight. Seeing that they were sleeping soundly, Qi Xiuyuan did not instruct the servants to wake them up and let them sleep.
Li Jinghua hesitated if she should carry Qi Haoran back to his own courtyard. Although he and Mu Yangling were already engaged, it was not a good idea for them to sleep in the same courtyard.
However, Qi Xiuyuan didn’t care at all. “If the people in Spring Courtyard don’t say anything, who will know?”
Li Jinghua thought about it and agreed, but she still asked Wen Cui to move there to keep an eye in case gossip spread.
The two of them slept for two days. Mu Yangling woke up from hunger, and Qi Haoran woke up from needing to relieve himself. The two of them woke up almost at the same time. Then, they opened the door and asked Mama Wang to bring them water.
Seeing Qi Haoran’s messy hair, Mu Yangling couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Then, she remembered and asked, “Why are you here?
After Li Jinghua married into the family, Qi Haoran moved to the front yard. He and Fan Zijin lived in two adjacent courtyards, one on the left and one on the right. It was very far from the Spring Courtyard where she stayed.
Instead of answering, Qi Haoran ran to change his clothes and waved as he ran.
“Wash up first. Let’s go eat together later.”
Mu Yangling pursed her lips and stopped asking.
The two of them washed up and went to the dining room together. Li Jinghua, who had received the news that they had woken up, had already prepared the dishes and set them on the table. When she saw them coming, she greeted them with a smile. “Alright, you’re finally awake. I even said that I’d drag you out of bed if you continued to sleep any longer, lest you got a headache from oversleeping.”
The table was filled with dishes, and in the middle was an entire chicken stew. The chicken soup was milky-white and thick. From left to right, there was roasted catfish, braised mutton, stir-fried melon with rabbit, fried mutton slices, and braised lion’s head. There was only one vegetarian dish on the table, which was mushrooms with vegetables.
Qi Haoran almost drooled when he saw this. Seriously speaking, it had been six days since he last had a warm meal. He grabbed the entire chicken in the middle. Qi Xiuyuan hit his hand with his chopsticks and said angrily, “Behave yourself. We haven’t even started eating.”
Li Jinghua quickly scooped a bowl of chicken soup for the two of them and said, “You’ve been hungry for two days and have been living off dry rations previously. I thought that you should eat two light meals first, but your big brother said that there’s no need. He wanted you to be able to eat your favorite foods, so I asked the kitchen to make these. However, you have to finish the chicken soup to warm your stomach before eating.”
“Sister-in-law, we’re not nobles. There’s no need for us to eat light food.” Although he said that, Qi Haoran still took the chicken soup and finished it. Then, he looked at Big Brother eagerly.
Qi Xiuyuan said calmly, “Drink two more bowls.”
Just as Qi Haoran was about to speak, he was kicked by Mu Yangling. Mu Yangling had already finished her bowl and turned to him. “It’s quite delicious. Drink more and nourish yourself.”
Qi Haoran pursed his lips, but he still obediently drank an extra bowl. The servants quickly served them rice and the two of them started eating.
Mu Yangling looked at Qi Xiuyuan. Qi Xiuyuan’s attitude towards Mu Yangling was much gentler. With a smile, he said, “You guys eat. We just had lunch.” Only then did Mu Yangling realize that it was already past noon. Qi Xiuyuan had specially come to accompany them.
Smiling, she buried her head in her food. The two of them were starving. Even with two bowls of chicken soup, they were still famished. Mu Yangling liked braised lion’s head the most, but this dish required a lot of effort to prepare, so Shu Wanniang rarely made it. Also, the version served in restaurants was not authentic, so she might as well not eat it usually.
Those in the General’s Mansion knew her preferences, so every time she came, there would be a dish of braised lion’s head. Qi Haoran also knew that this was her favorite dish, so he only ate one piece. The rest went into Mu Yangling’s stomach.
The two of them swept away everything on the table and even added three bowls of rice. In the end, between the two of them, they finished the entire chicken.
Although the two of them ate quickly, their manners were still considered elegant and not rude. However, their appetite was enough to make Li Jinghua raise her eyebrows.
Li Jinghua could not help but lower her head to look at Mu Yangling’s stomach. She saw that it was still flat. Yes, it seemed to be a little more bulging than before, but it was still not obvious…
Seeing his wife’s dumbfounded expression, Qi Xiuyuan couldn’t help but chuckle. Seeing his brother and Mu Yangling look over, he waved his hand and said, “Come over and talk to me after you’ve eaten your fill.”
Qi Haoran rinsed his mouth before going over eagerly. Mu Yangling also stood behind him. After gesturing for them to sit down, Qi Xiuyuan turned to Mu Yangling and said, “Ah Ling, I’ve told your father that you’ll stay longer in Jingzhao Prefecture this time. I just don’t know if you have anything urgent to attend to.”
“No, the autumn harvest is over. The rabbit farm is managed by Brother Zijin’s men, and Zhang Wu and Zhang Liu can also take charge of the cattle farm. Teacher Liu handles the matters in the nursery, and with my father at home, so there isn’t much for me to do. Big Brother Qi, what do you want me to do?” “It’s nothing particularly important. It’s just that your sister-in-law is a little busy now, so she wants you to help take care of the household for a while. I wonder if you have the patience for that.”
Stunned, Mu Yangling nodded and said, “No problem, but I don’t understand…” “You can come to me if there’s anything you don’t understand. I’ll hand you Wen Cui. Just order her around,” Li Jinghua said with a smile.
Then what was the difference between her and the butler? Why did he need her for this?
However, Qi Haoran reacted and stole a glance at Mu Yangling before giggling foolishly.
When Qi Xiuyuan saw his brother’s silly look, he had the urge to cover his eyes to prevent Mu Yangling from noticing this, lest Qi Haoran embarrass himself. He hurriedly said, “In that case, Ah Ling, go with your sister-in-law to familiarize yourself..”