Chapter 28: Garlic White Meat (Part 3)
Leng Yue lay alone on the bed with her eyes closed for quite some time, until she was drifting off to sleep when a rich aroma suddenly filled the room.
Opening her eyes, she saw Jing Yi had already seated himself by the bedside, holding a steaming bowl of braised pork ribs.
Leng Yue might have grudges against many things, but never against food.
Thus, on this beautiful moonlit night with gentle breezes and flickering lamplight, Leng Yue sat cross-legged at the head of the bed wearing a half-soaked red bellyband, her fair long legs exposed, happily devouring a bowl of braised ribs.
Jing Yi sat opposite her, holding a tea tray to collect the bones she'd finished gnawing.
Turtle Grandson scratched at his bowl in the corner, clatter clatter clatter...
If one only looked at the shadows cast on the window paper, it appeared to be a scene of peaceful domestic bliss.
The peace lasted until Jing Yi watched Leng Yue finish more than half the ribs. Holding the tea tray piled high with bones like a grave mound, he said with romantic sentiment, "The moon is so beautiful tonight."
Leng Yue, completely absorbed in gnawing the rib in her hand, absentmindedly responded, "Mmm..."
"It's round."
"Mmm..."
"But not perfectly round yet."
"Mmm..."
"Tomorrow it will be round."
"Mmm..."
"The day after will be the roundest."
"Mmm..."
Jing Yi paused, watching Leng Yue who remained fully focused on her bone, and sighed in resignation.
Expecting his wife to read between the lines while eating seemed to be quite impossible.
"Madam..." Jing Yi decided to be direct, "Tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival."
Leng Yue's jaw trembled, her front teeth hitting the bone hard, the pain making her nose sting. "Ouch!"
Jing Yi's heart also jumped. "Don't rush, don't rush, eat slowly. There's more in the kitchen, I can heat more for you if this isn't enough..."
Leng Yue dropped the bone in her hand, covering her aching teeth. Her heroic eyebrows knitted together, her expression somewhat indescribably unpleasant.
Mid-Autumn Festival meant beautiful moons and family reunions.
The Leng family had produced military generals for generations, where male members often went off to battle before reaching adulthood. Family reunion days couldn't be scheduled by the calendar, but only according to war circumstances. Thus, Leng Yue had never properly celebrated any reunion festivals since childhood - neither Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, nor New Year.
Now that she had married Jing Yi and become a daughter-in-law of the Jing family, that meant...
Tomorrow night, she would have to return to the Jing family mansion with Jing Yi for the reunion dinner.
In that very Jing family mansion where she had just embarrassed herself two days ago, sitting at the same table with all the Jing family members, young and old, eating, drinking, making small talk...
Thinking of this, Leng Yue felt somewhat envious of Xiao Yunde.
What was called a clean break...
"That..." Seeing Leng Yue had no intention to continue eating, Jing Yi got up from the bed, placed the bone-filled tea tray on the table, and took the bowl from Leng Yue's hands. He wiped her hands with a handkerchief before undressing, blowing out the lamp, and slipping under the covers. "It's late, let's sleep. We have to go to the main residence first thing tomorrow morning."
Leng Yue nearly jumped up from the bed. "...First thing in the morning?"
Jing Yi turned over, naturally pulling Leng Yue into his embrace. "Yes... there's a bunch of miscellaneous matters. If we're late again, we'll have to kneel in the ancestral hall."
"..."
Whether Jing Yi slept well that night she didn't know, but she herself stayed awake until dawn.
She had her reasons for being unable to sleep.First, it was because Jing Yi had held her in his arms all night.
Holding her was one thing, but Jing Yi was restless in his sleep and loved to toss and turn.
Tossing and turning was one thing, but he insisted on holding her while doing so.
Thus, she was held by him and rolled back and forth all night long.
Second, it was because she was nervous.
Jing Qian hadn't married yet, but Jing Shi and Jing Bai had been married for several years, both to proper, elegant, and virtuous young ladies from respectable families. In terms of appearance and figure, she might not be inferior to them, but when it came to the rules and formalities of official households...
Jing Yi had only mentioned "a messy pile of things," and her mind had truly been in chaos all night.
Early the next morning, when Jing Yi was startled awake by a clap of thunder outside the window, Leng Yue's eyes were already dark and puffy from exhaustion.
"Mmm..." Jing Yi sleepily kissed her eyelids. "Didn't sleep well?"
Leng Yue gritted her teeth. "I didn't sleep at all."
Jing Yi hugged Leng Yue and smoothly rolled over, moving her from his left side to his right. With his eyes still closed, he mumbled drowsily, "It's raining... Let's go later. Sleep a bit more..."
Leng Yue, her face dark with irritation, pushed at Jing Yi's shoulder. "Didn't you say that if we're late, we'll have to kneel in the ancestral hall?"
"It's fine... There's food in the ancestral hall. Today, there's meat..."
"..."
Leng Yue had absolutely no desire to kneel before the Jing family ancestors on such an auspicious day and share offerings with him again.
So, she firmly grabbed Jing Yi by the ear and dragged him out of bed.
As soon as they sat up, Leng Yue silently gasped.
Oh, heavens...
There was a spot of blood on the bedsheet.
Panicked, Leng Yue covered the crimson stain with her hand.
Seeing Leng Yue wobble as soon as she sat up and freeze with a changed expression, Jing Yi was momentarily stunned. He gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder and asked with concern, "Does it hurt?"
Being asked such a question so bluntly made Leng Yue's face flush with embarrassment. Her expression shifted between red and pale as she shot him an annoyed glare. "Hurt your ass... Hurry up, get out of bed and change your clothes. If the Old Master punishes you by kneeling in the ancestral hall, I'm not going with you!"
Seeing Leng Yue still frozen and unmoving, Jing Yi's expression also turned grim. He tightened his embrace, his finely drawn brows slightly furrowed, devoid of any trace of a smile, and wore a rare seriousness on his face. "You didn't say it hurt last night. If it hurts now, it's not a good sign. Don't hide it from me. If it hurts badly, we must call a doctor."
Leng Yue was stunned for a long moment, staring at this uncharacteristically serious Jing Yi. Hesitantly, she spoke again, her voice much softer and more awkward. "It doesn't hurt... It's just a little blood on the sheet. Aren't you afraid of the sight of blood?"
Jing Yi was also taken aback. In that moment of surprise, all seriousness vanished from his face, immediately replaced by his usual shameless grin. He wrapped his arms around Leng Yue's waist and leaned in. "Feeling terribly worried for me again, aren't you?"
Leng Yue's face flushed bright red instantly, and she spat a spray of saliva at him. "Get off!"
Jing Yi didn't move. "Let me see."
"See what..." Leng Yue kept her hand firmly in place. "If I scare you into crying, you'll just run home and complain about me, won't you?"
"Fine, I won't look. But tell me, how do you plan to deal with this bedsheet?"
"Tear it up and throw it away. It's not like the household is short of one bedsheet.""The maid who came to clean the room noticed the missing bedsheet. What do you think she'll assume?"
"..."
"Now guess what she'll tell the other maids?"
"..."
"And then guess again—"
"Enough!" Leng Yue released her grip with a darkened expression, shooting Jing Yi an exasperated glare. "Look! After you're done looking, make it disappear!"
"Don't worry, my lady."
Jing Yi actually spent a good while examining the crimson stain with keen interest, making Leng Yue itch to kick him out of the room.
Was he truly afraid of blood or just pretending?!
After his inspection, Jing Yi calmly got out of bed, fetched an inkstone and a brush, then lightly traced over the red mark, transforming it into a plump lychee. Noticing Leng Yue's livid face, he quickly added two leaves to the fruit.
"How about this, my lady?"
Leng Yue snatched the inkstone from Jing Yi's hand and slammed it upside down over the lychee, drowning it in a pool of ink until only a black blotch remained.
Satisfied, she shoved the inkstone back into Jing Yi's hands. "This is much better."
"..."
When the maid came to clean, she stared bewildered at the ink-stained bedsheet. Leng Yue serenely explained that Jing Yi had accidentally knocked over his inkstone while writing and sketching on the bed last night, instructing her to dispose of it. Jing Yi sighed with regret, but when Leng Yue shot him a sharp glance, he immediately brightened with a radiant smile. "The sun is so lovely today!"
No sooner had he spoken than a thunderclap roared through the pouring rain outside.
"Well... even the sun is celebrating the holiday today. How wonderful, heh..."
"..."
Leng Yue couldn't be bothered to engage, sitting with a stormy expression in the outer room to eat breakfast.
Truth be told, after devouring half a pot of ribs in the middle of the night, she had no appetite for breakfast. She sat stirring her bowl of red date and millet porridge with a spoon until Uncle Qi hurried in to announce that officials had arrived.
Leng Yue blinked. "Officials from where?"
It was Mid-Autumn Festival. The only government office likely still operating nationwide was An Wang's residence. If it were someone from An Wang's household, Uncle Qi wouldn't have referred to them as "officials."
Beads of sweat dotted Uncle Qi's forehead, his eyes frantic. "From the Capital Prefecture, my lady!"
Leng Yue was even more baffled. Visitors from the Three Judicial Offices would make sense, but what urgent matter could the Capital Prefecture have that required them to appear at her doorstep first thing in the morning?
First thing in the morning...
Leng Yue jolted, nearly chipping the bowl with her spoon.
"Are they here to deliver a coffin?"
Jing Yi happened to emerge from the inner room just then. Startled by her words, he tripped over the threshold and landed flat on the floor with a thud.
Uncle Qi rushed to help him up, but Jing Yi had already curled into a ball and rolled deftly to Leng Yue's feet. Crouching there, he tugged pitifully at her hem.
"My lady, I was wrong..."
Leng Yue rolled her eyes and yanked her clothes free. "What exactly were you wrong about?"
"I don't know."
"...Then why are you wailing?!"
"You ordered a coffin delivered..."
Leng Yue's brow darkened. "Get up... Who said it's for you?!"
Jing Yi remained crouched. "Then who is it for?"Leng Yue looked up at Uncle Qi, who in turn lowered his gaze to Jing Yi. "They really did come to deliver a coffin. When I asked them, they wouldn't say anything... only that the coffin was sent by Prince An's order to be handed over to the mistress. They said the person lying inside is someone the master would recognize with just one glance."
After speaking, Uncle Qi let out a quiet sigh.
If he had known it would come to this, he wouldn't have left the Jing family residence even with a blade at his throat. Though life in the Jing residence was always heart-pounding, it was nowhere near the same level as the heart-pounding moments here...
Leng Yue furrowed her brows, and Jing Yi was also taken aback.
The person lying in the coffin—he would recognize them?
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