Because the liquor's effects hit too fiercely, Chang Yunchéng’s steps grew unsteady as he stumbled toward the small **, collapsing half his weight onto the sleeping figure there.
“Qi Yueniang…” he muttered low.
The sleeping person was jolted awake by the sudden weight, letting out a sharp cry.
That cry also startled Chang Yunchéng awake; without rising, his hand shot out, flinging the person to the ground. “Who are you?” he roared, raising his foot as if to stomp down.
“Young Master, it is Feicui, your servant Feicui…” the person on the ground shrieked, voice trembling with terror, hastily kowtowing.
Chang Yunchéng’s foot landed beside Feicui with a dull thud. Feicui could actually feel the ground vibrate beneath her, sending a fresh wave of cold sweat over her. If that blow had landed on her… Feicui was a maidservant to Old Madam Xie, whom Chang Yunchéng more or less recognized.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice heavy.
“Young Master, you drank too much. Old Madam sent me to attend to you in case you needed water during the night,” Feicui blurted out in one breath, not daring to pause for an instant.
Chang Yunchéng rubbed his temples; he dimly recalled drinking too much, then being brought back by Old Madam…
“Where is the Young Mistress?” he demanded, his voice sharp.
“The Young Mistress is resting in another courtyard. Old Madam saw you were drunk and had you rest here in the warm pavilion, not wanting you near the Young Mistress…” Feicui rushed out the entire explanation without taking a breath, nearly suffocating herself.
Chang Yunchéng understood. He sat down heavily on the small **, trying to gain a measure of sobriety.
Feicui remained kneeling on the floor, trembling with a mixture of fear and cold.
“Take me to her,” Chang Yunchéng said, pushing himself up.
Feicui didn't react fast enough and received a sharp kick from Chang Yunchéng.
“To the Young Mistress’s place,” Chang Yunchéng snapped, a hint of vexation in his tone.
Only then did Feicui scramble to her feet, rushing to help him with his outer garments, only to be shoved aside forcefully by Chang Yunchéng.
Chang Yunchéng shrugged his heavy cloak on himself and strode out the door.
The night air was sharp and cold. A patrolling old woman, hands tucked into her sleeves, scurried past. Suddenly spotting two figures approaching from the opposite direction, she jumped back in alarm. She only dared to challenge them once they were closer, but before she could speak, Feicui, holding the lantern high, waved a hand at the patrol women—they all recognized Feicui. Seeing Chang Yunchéng behind her, however, filled them with greater astonishment.
“On such a cold night, why is the Young Master out like this?” the old women cried out, their fright mounting, their words tumbling over one another.
Chang Yunchéng paid them no mind, and Feicui naturally dared not linger, hurrying away with head bowed.
The pair soon vanished into the distance, leaving behind a particularly bewildered and gossiping cluster of old women.
After crossing two courtyards, Feicui finally stopped before a solitary structure. There were no maids or older women attending the entrance, and the twin lanterns hanging beneath the eaves made the place look utterly deserted.
She was deliberately dumped in this place…
“You can go back,” Chang Yunchéng said, lifting his foot to ascend the steps himself.
Feicui dared not speak to stop him, forced only to watch as he approached the door.
The sound of the door opening startled A’ru, who had been resting near the entrance.
“Who?” she rose, pulling her clothes around her, challenging in a low voice.
“It is I,” Chang Yunchéng replied.
A’ru was so surprised she couldn’t react immediately. Chang Yunchéng waited outside without rushing her, letting A’ru regain her senses and light the small lamp by her bedside.
Across the room, Qi Yue was also awakened. Having just moved to a new environment, her sleep had been shallow, and hearing A’ru rise, she got up too.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
A’ru was already throwing on her outer garments and moving to open the door.
“It’s the Young Master,” she told Qi Yue while pulling the door wide.
Qi Yue was startled as well and hurried out of bed.
The door opened, and Chang Yunchéng entered, bringing the chill of the deep night with him.
Faced with the confused and questioning gazes of the mistress and servant, both clearly ripped from sleep, Chang Yunchéng suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
“What is it?” Qi Yue stepped forward to ask.
What is it… Chang Yunchéng managed a wry smile; even he didn’t know…
A’ru lit two more lamps, brightening the room considerably.
“Why are you wearing only that?” Qi Yue asked, noticing Chang Yunchéng’s attire, her surprise deepening as she reached out to pull him. “Quickly, come over here.”
She intended to take his arm, but unexpectedly, Chang Yunchéng raised his own hand, catching hers.
Qi Yue shivered involuntarily, unsure if it was from the coldness of his hand or the sudden contact.
“How could you come dressed like this? Did you come by yourself?” She spoke quickly to distract him while guiding him toward the inner chamber.
Two charcoal braziers burned fiercely in the inner room.
A’ru brought tea over, and Qi Yue quickly reached out to take the cup, using the movement to slip her hand free from Chang Yunchéng’s grasp.
“Why did you come at this hour?” Qi Yue asked again.
Chang Yunchéng felt a strange flare of irritation under the scrutiny of the mistress and servant.
“I come when I wish to come. What of it?” he retorted.
Qi Yue laughed.
“Oh, this is your maternal grandmother’s home—it’s your territory, then. My apologies, my apologies, I asked a foolish question,” she said with a smile.
A’ru hesitated, glancing between the two, then quietly withdrew from the inner chamber.
Silence settled within the room.
Qi Yue said nothing more, turning away to rummage through something on the low **.
Chang Yunchéng remained silent, slowly turning the teacup in his hand.
The only sounds in the room were the occasional snap and crackle of the charcoal and the candlelight, creating an atmosphere of tranquil warmth.
“Actually, you needn’t mind it,” Qi Yue said, still sorting things with her back to him.
Chang Yunchéng looked at her.
Qi Yue turned back, carrying a quilt and a pillow, and walked over to the kang table near the window, spreading them out.
Chang Yunchéng said nothing, merely watching her efficiently prepare the bedding.
“This was expected; I knew it coming in. Being kept at arm’s length is only natural. If your grandmother’s family had welcomed me warmly, I would have been the one feeling odd—I probably wouldn't have dared eat a single meal. This way is fine; I ate quite enough tonight,” she said, finishing the bedding and clapping her hands together. “There. You sleep here. But I won’t give up my bed…”
Chang Yunchéng looked at her, then suddenly reached out and pulled her into his embrace.
Qi Yue shrieked in fright, bracing herself with one hand. A’ru in the outer room rushed in, then immediately spun around, terrified by the sight, caught between wanting to retreat and worrying about Qi Yue, standing frozen, unsure what to do.
Qi Yue struggled, but Chang Yunchéng only held her, making no further move. Gradually, Qi Yue’s panic subsided.
Qi Yue hesitated, then reached out a hand to pat Chang Yunchéng’s back.
“Um… that’s enough now. You’re not a child, and you’re a grown man. Why are you being so… so sentimental?” she mumbled.
Taking a wife like this to visit relatives, only to be slighted unceremoniously by them—that must be humiliating for a man. Who wouldn’t want a companion they could proudly show off? But alas, he hadn't had a choice; they had been bound together…
Qi Yue sighed, about to say more, when Chang Yunchéng suddenly tightened his hold, pulling her close again. Qi Yue tensed, her hand, still resting near his back, instinctively gripping his firm waist and kneading the muscle there in her sudden nervousness.
“Stop moving!” Chang Yunchéng growled low.
“Who’s moving?” Qi Yue managed a frustrated, half-laughing reply, pushing him again. “Hey, you disturbed someone’s rest in the middle of the night, and now this presumptuous behavior—are you here to start a feud?”
Chang Yunchéng released her.
“Noisy,” he muttered flatly, then turned and collapsed onto the kang by the window.
Finally free from that awkward posture, Qi Yue let out a breath.
“Cover yourself up properly,” she instructed.
Chang Yunchéng rested his head on his hand, eyes closed. A soft snore quickly sounded; he had actually fallen asleep.
Qi Yue sighed in resignation and had no choice but to slip off his shoes herself and pull the quilt over him.
A’ru peered in from the doorway. Qi Yue waved her hand and made a gesture to sleep, then blew out the lamp.
Darkness returned to the room, restoring the quiet stillness of the night.
Old Madam Xie learned the moment dawn broke that Chang Yunchéng had snuck out of the warm pavilion to sleep in his wife’s room. At first, she thought she hadn't fully woken up, but after personally going to the warm pavilion to check, she was certain. Enraged, she smashed a teacup.
“Someone bring me two attractive maids—send them to Brother Chéng. I refuse to believe he’s been so utterly bewitched by that woman,” she ordered the household managers.
Her sons, hearing the news, hurried over, awkwardly offering counsel.
“When it comes to beauties, where could one find any to compare with those from the Grandson-in-law’s own family?” the eldest son spoke his honest opinion.
Old Madam Xie paused, realization dawning. She let the matter drop, though her anger had not fully dissipated; Chang Yunchéng left without bidding her farewell.
“It’s truly unreasonable. Can’t a husband and wife even share a room?” the Eldest Maternal Aunt murmured to the person beside her.
“Mother, perhaps you should say less,” the daughter-in-law beside her said cautiously, glancing at the wet nurse holding the baby nearby, hastily urging, “Make sure the little one’s swaddling is secure.”
The Eldest Maternal Aunt pursed her lips, reaching out to take the child herself.
“Is Brother Hao feeling any better?” she asked.
“His loose bowels are still troublesome,” the wet nurse quickly replied.
“Mother, perhaps we should find another physician to look at him?” the daughter-in-law suggested, worry etching her face.
“Physician An Xiao will do. No other physician can match the skill of the An family doctors,” the Eldest Maternal Aunt insisted. “Didn’t Physician An Xiao already say? A child with loose bowels just needs to skip a few meals. Physician An will be back in two days; let him check on him then.”
The daughter-in-law acknowledged this with a nod, her worry lingering as she fell silent.
The Eldest Maternal Aunt rocked the child, muttering complaints under her breath: her own grandson was still her grandson, but what about her great-grandson? They were only seeing relatives off, yet they dragged the sick child out. She truly didn’t know who held the Xie surname anymore…
The daughters and daughters-in-law surrounding her quickly began to placate her in low voices.
“First Aunt died young; Grandmother naturally pities Young Master Chéng,” one daughter whispered.
“There are plenty of children without mothers in this world; no one coddles them like this. Besides, isn’t there Little Aunt?” the Eldest Maternal Aunt scoffed, a half-smile playing on her lips as she swayed the baby in her arms.
The child let out a muffled cry from within the swaddling cloth.
Just then, Chang Yunchéng, having bowed his farewells to Old Madam Xie, emerged with Qi Yue by his side.
The crowd gathered around, smiling and saying their goodbyes. This was the first time Qi Yue had met the entire Xie family since her arrival, inevitably drawing countless curious, probing, and admiring glances.
Qi Yue remained gracefully composed, smiling throughout, showing no trace of the disappointment or sadness that might stem from being slighted. She followed Chang Yunchéng as he introduced her to the Xie family members one by one—they had come to visit relatives, but she was only meeting them as they departed.
“This is Brother Zhao’s wife,” the Eldest Maternal Aunt said with a smile.
“Sister-in-law,” Zhao’s wife quickly curtsied, her movements slightly flustered as the child in her arms was crying quite loudly.
“What’s wrong?” Qi Yue couldn’t help but ask; the sound of the child’s crying didn't seem like normal fussing, and her professional instinct took over.
“He’s not feeling well; his stomach is upset,” Zhao’s wife explained.
“Let me see…” Qi Yue reached out to lift the swaddling cloth, seeing the child was quite young. “How many months?”
“Almost three months,” Zhao’s wife answered reflexively.
“How is his feeding? Is he sleeping well?” Qi Yue inquired while gently examining the infant.
Zhao’s wife paused, turning to look at her mother-in-law.
“Does Young Master Chéng’s wife also know medicine?” the Eldest Maternal Aunt chuckled.
Qi Yue nodded.
“Yes, I am a physician,” she replied, her smile unwavering.
The Eldest Maternal Aunt’s smile froze; she had only meant it as a jest…