Chapter 72

Sang Yinyue was still the same as before, standing casually at her door, giving Sang Yao the illusion that nothing had changed. Sang Yao’s gaze shifted away from her, not bothering to pay her any attention.

Sang Yinyue stepped inside, staring at Sang Yao’s clearly made-up face, then glanced back at the closed door, curious. “Yao Yao, did you… you know?”

For some reason, Sang Yao understood what Sang Yinyue meant right away. Her face flushed, and she frowned. “Are you… are you crazy?”

Sang Yinyue said, “What’s wrong with that? Yao Yao, you’ve experienced it, why are you shy?”

Sang Yao didn’t understand how Sang Yinyue, a young woman still in her boudoir, could ask such a question without changing her expression.

She knew that besides the practice with Xie Yun, there was also the explanation from the old maid before the marriage. Sang Yinyue always talked about these things. Without looking at her, Sang Yao said, “You know I’ve experienced it, why are you asking?”

Sang Yinyue slapped her thigh and said, “I knew it!”

Her voice lowered, and with a curious look, she asked Sang Yao, “Is Lord Xie brave?”

Sang Yao: “…”

Was there anyone who could control Sang Yinyue’s mouth?

She was so outspoken. Her uncles’ families all seemed normal, but how did they raise someone like Sang Yinyue?

Sang Yao pushed her away and said, “You’re really annoying, I don’t want to talk about it.” They hadn’t consummated their marriage yet, so how would she know if Xie Yun was brave or not? Anyway, he was quite brave when kissing her.

Seeing her expression, Sang Yao became suspicious and then said, “Yao Yao, is it… not working?”

“I heard that your husband was not interested in women before, and even had few maids around. At first, I thought he was just being reserved, but could it be that there is a hidden reason?”

Now she used a more normal term, at least she knew to replace “husband” with “husband.” But Sang Yao’s face fell, and she said, “Are you crazy?”

She didn’t like Sang Yinyue speaking about Xie Yun so casually. Perhaps it was because she had been with Xie Yun for so long that she had learned a bit of his quirky nature.

She said, “Is your life so boring that you’re so concerned about me? Why should I tell you?”

“I’m just asking about your husband…”

“Instead of being concerned about my husband, why don’t you worry about yourself!”

Sang Yin used to worry about her marriage, but in fact, Sang Yinyue’s marriage was the most difficult.

Because she was straightforward and a bit naughty, she didn’t hold back in her words.

She didn’t have much contact with men on weekdays. She had been engaged a few times before, but they all fell through.

The first time, she stared at a mole on the other person’s forehead while talking, and when the other person was speaking seriously, she suddenly reached out and scratched it, which led to the failure of that engagement.

The second time, the man was not from the capital and had a slight accent. He always showed off in front of Sang Yinyue. She exaggeratedly imitated his accent while scolding him for showing off. This also led to the end of that engagement.

Later, Sang Jue felt embarrassed and didn’t mention it to her again. Sang Yinyue was a bit older than her, and her marriage was already on the verge of being given up by the family.

Sang Yinyue widened her eyes and said, “Yao Yao, what’s wrong with you? You can speak now?”

Sang Yao kept a straight face and said, “…Thanks, but I’m not mute.”

Sang Yinyue sat next to Sang Yao and said, “Please, Yao Yao, can you tell me if Lord Xie has any hidden issues? I’m so curious.”

“Before, they all said that Lord Xie was not disinterested in women because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t. I even argued with them about it.”

Sang Yao rarely discussed these things with others, so she hadn’t heard about this. She actually didn’t like it when others gathered together and talked about Xie Yun without knowing the truth, spreading rumors. She was a little unhappy and replied, “He’s fine, don’t discuss this with them next time.”

“I knew it.”

Top of Form

She continued, “Sigh, I don’t want to get married, but my mother keeps urging me. It’s really annoying. Besides, no one likes me.”

Sang Yao looked at Sang Yinyue. Actually, Sang Yinyue was pretty.

It’s just that as soon as she spoke, everything fell apart. Not only could she offend people accurately every time, but she also always said things that were unspeakable for young ladies.

“Then just speak properly,” Sang Yao said.

Sang Yinyue stepped back and said, “Where did I not speak properly?”

“Getting married is nothing good, except that you can play with men.”

Sang Yao didn’t know what else to say.

She probably wouldn’t be able to have a proper conversation with Sang Yinyue in this lifetime.

“Yao Yao Yao Yao, why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t you agree?” She’s sick, Sang Yao concluded.

Sang Yao turned around, put the booklet in the wooden box and locked it. Sang Yinyue was still nagging behind her, but she couldn’t hear a word.

By the time it was close to noon, the return banquet began. The Sang mansion was not large, and there weren’t many people, but the table was full.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was not cold.

Whenever the topic came to Xie Yun, he would say a few polite words if he wanted to talk about it, but if he didn’t, he would be very perfunctory.

He was already giving a lot of face by being perfunctory. Xie Yun rarely attended even family banquets, let alone this kind of event.

Sang Yin could still hold it steady, saying what should be said and holding back what shouldn’t be said. But Sang Jue was different.

From the moment Xie Yun entered, she showed an unusually enthusiastic attitude.

Sang Yao was not someone who would take the initiative to start a conversation. After they had some drinks, they became less restrained.

While Sang Yin and Sang Jue were discussing something with flushed faces, Sang Yao just quietly ate her food.

Seeing that Xie Yun didn’t eat much, she quietly approached him and asked, “Is it not to your taste?”

Xie Yun said, “No.”

Sang Yao picked up a piece of bamboo shoot from her own bowl and put it in Xie Yun’s bowl, then said, “Try this?” She thought this bamboo shoot was particularly delicious and had eaten several pieces already.

Xie Yun was silent for a moment.

At least in the past six years, Xie Yun had never eaten food picked up by someone else’s chopsticks.

After a moment, Xie Yun lowered his head and ate the bamboo shoot under Sang Yao’s gaze.

“I didn’t lie to you, did I?” Xie Yun didn’t have any particular favorite food, and this bamboo shoot was just average in his eyes.

But he still nodded and said, “It’s good.”

Sang Yao added, “My uncle is just like that. Don’t mind him.”

She cautioned, “If he asks you for anything, don’t agree, okay?”

Xie Yun was not the kind of person who would use relationships to help others arbitrarily, regardless of their closeness.

He sincerely asked, “He’s not you, why should I help him?”

Sang Yao pursed her lips at his words, her face heating up a bit. She complained softly, “Can’t you stop this at the dining table?”

Staring at her flushed face, Xie Yun asked, “Why are you blushing at the dining table?”

Sang Yao didn’t want to talk to him anymore. She distanced herself from him and focused on eating her food. Occasionally, she would give him a few pieces of bamboo shoots.

After the meal, Xie Yun was invited by Sang Yin to the study. As Sang Yao was preparing to return to her room to tidy up, her aunt found her again.

Walking together, Su He asked, “Yao Yao, how have you been these days?”

Sang Yao nodded and said, “I’m fine, Auntie, you don’t have to worry about me.”

Su He nodded and whispered, “That’s good, Yao Yao, don’t be too willful in your daily life, and follow along with Xie Yun. The Xie family is not an ordinary family, you need to secure your position.”

Sang Yao actually resisted discussing these things. She thought that since she was married, if she was unhappy, she could just divorce. She could live a regular life and why bother scheming.

But she knew that in a sense, this was also for her own good, so she didn’t argue much.

She just said, “I understand.”

“This is not just talk. We can’t provide you with any protection, so you have to hold onto Xie Yun firmly,” Su He continued. Sang Yao felt even more uncomfortable listening to this.

“By the way, does Xie Yun have any plans to take a concubine?” Sang Yao had never considered this issue before because Xie Yun had said there would be no concubines.

“Yao Yao, you are so naive. If someone powerful comes in the future, what will you do?” She had never thought about this because Xie Yun had said there would be no concubines.

Su He sighed and continued, “Your marriage is settled, but I’m still worried about Yin Yue.” Sang Yao reacted belatedly and asked, “Auntie, are you suggesting…?”

Su He looked embarrassed and said, “I mean… could you persuade Xie Yun to take Yin Yue back with you on this trip?”

“Auntie doesn’t mean anything else. You and your sister have always had a good relationship. With Yin Yue there, you two can take care of each other,” she continued. “In the future, even if other women come in, you two can still present a united front, don’t you think?”

“Or you could keep an eye on the people over there and see if you can make a match?”

Sang Yao remained silent for a long time. She really didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even feel angry, just disgusted by how absurd the situation was.

She didn’t know how her aunt could say these things to her. Maybe Su He thought she had a good temper and was easy to deceive.

Maybe she thought Sang Yao’s marriage was too good to be true, so she wanted her daughter to have a share too. Or perhaps, she thought that since someone like Sang Yao, who had been a sickly child and a bit slow since childhood, could be valued by Xie Yun, then Sang Yinyue could be too.

She was not disappointed in her aunt, because her aunt had scolded her father when she was young, thinking that Sang Yin and Sang Yao, who were not influential in the Sang family, were freeloading.

Sang Yin’s career began to take off, and that’s when her attitude changed.

Ten years passed, but in reality, she hadn’t changed at all.

Moreover, Sang Yao really didn’t like what she said. Who was she to assume that Xie Yun would definitely have a concubine in the future? Such words were really annoying.

Seeing Sang Yao’s unhappy expression, Su He quickly said, “I was just speaking casually, Yao Yao, you don’t need to take it seriously.”

“It’s really not quite appropriate, just like Yin Yue… It’s good enough to be alive.”

“Just because it’s logical, doesn’t mean it’s true. A man’s words are often unreliable. With his high status and power, he’s unlikely to always love you. Your uncle was like this in the beginning, and later he took several concubines.”

Sang Yao pulled her hand away from Su He’s grasp, too tired to scold her, and just said, “Why don’t you go and tell your proposal to Uncle and Yin Yue first?”

“Also, what makes you think Uncle can be compared to Xie Yun?”

With that said, she didn’t say anything more and turned around and left.

She walked quickly all the way, feeling annoyed whenever she thought of what Su He had said. What did it matter if he was high-ranking and had conflicting thoughts? Her father had loved only her mother for so many years.

She understood nothing, just talking nonsense.

Back in her room, Sang Yao had no intention of staying longer with Xie Yun, planning to leave after dinner as originally planned.

Sang Yao came back to pack her things, most of which she had already packed when she got married. Besides the booklet, there was nothing much to take.

Sang Yao placed the packed wooden box on the table. Just then, there was a gentle sound of footsteps outside, and the next moment the door was pushed open, and Xie Yun walked in from outside.

Sang Yao looked up at him, her anger towards Su He fading a bit. She asked in a dull tone, “Why are you here?”

Xie Yun closed the door casually, standing in this girl’s boudoir and scanning the surroundings. “To wait for you.”

The room was delicately decorated and spotlessly clean, with several grass-woven animals neatly placed on the windowsill. Rabbits, butterflies, snakes, and so on, the grass was yellowing, showing that they had been placed for some time.

Everywhere here bore the traces of her life, very different from the room at the Xie family’s.

Her bedding was a light pink, wind chimes hung by the window, and there was a basket of messy embroidery threads on the small table. He could imagine Sang Yao’s life here.

Including the current scene with these small animals, lifelike and very cute. But she was much further from them.

Xie Yun asked, “Did you make these?”

Sang Yao glanced at them and said, “Yes, these are very simple.”

She thought for a moment, then walked to Xie Yun’s side, picked up one of the ones she thought was the best, and handed it to him. “This one is for you.”

Xie Yun lowered his head. It was a cute little rabbit.

He wasn’t really interested in this kind of thing. But this little bunny looked a bit like her.

Sang Yao placed the little rabbit in his palm.

Then she turned back to get her wooden box and said, “Let’s go.”

Xie Yun carefully closed his palm and put it into his sleeve.

After saying goodbye to Sang Yin, Sang Yao and Xie Yun got on the carriage back home.

The carriage was quiet, and Sang Yao kept her head down, holding the box and not saying a word.

Xie Yun had been watching her for a long time, and she hadn’t noticed.

“What are you thinking?” After a long time, Xie Yun finally asked. Sang Yao shook her head and said, “Nothing.”

She was angry.

But she didn’t know why she was angry. Xie Yun had promised her not to take concubines before, and she hadn’t cared much then. But for some reason, after what Su He said today, she started to care a little.

The journey was not long, and soon they were back at the Xie family’s house. When Sang Yao entered, she first found a place to put the small box. Xie Yun, as usual, sat down at the long table when he came back, flipping through the newspaper that had just been sent over. This

time, Sang Yao didn’t rush to go to sleep. She slumped her face and stared at him, then finally asked, “Xie Yun, are you really not going to take concubines in the future?”

Xie Yun put down his pen and looked at Sang Yao. His face was already cold, and it looked even colder when he heard this.

“So you’ve been thinking about this all the way?”

Sang Yao felt a bit unreasonable when she asked this question.

Xie Yun had told her about this a long time ago, and she hadn’t thought about it since. She didn’t know what was wrong with her today; she suddenly cared a lot.

But Xie Yun hadn’t done anything.

Xie Yun first replied, “No.”

Then he said, “I originally thought that you should have basic trust in me.”

He had never understood why Sang Yao always thought he would take concubines. He didn’t think he was the kind of person who would love someone else as soon as he saw them.

But she had told him a long time ago that taking concubines had to be approved by her.

But why did she think he would definitely do this? Apart from the issue of trust, since she liked him, why didn’t this liking come with possessiveness?

He was very unhappy.

Sang Yao felt guilty when she heard this. She said softly to him, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

He kept a straight face, looking very cold.

Sang Yao rarely saw Xie Yun so visibly angry.

She panicked a bit and said, “I just suddenly thought of it.”

“I don’t distrust you.”

He ignored her.

“Are you angry?”

Xie Yun still didn’t speak.

Obviously, he was angry.

Sang Yao sat up straight, regretting it very much.

It was all because Su He had said a bunch of things to her today, otherwise she wouldn’t have thought about these irrelevant things so seriously.

She called Xie Yun’s name a few times, but he didn’t even look at her.

Sang Yao stood up and walked to the long table. She squatted down next to him, looked at his cold side face, and whispered, “I was wrong, please don’t be angry.”

Seeing that Xie Yun still ignored her, Sang Yao explained again, “Auntie Xie kept telling me that you would take concubines, and I found it very annoying. I don’t want that, especially since we just got married, and she…”

She didn’t know which words hit Xie Yun, but he finally looked at her. But he still didn’t look happy.

“I don’t distrust you,” Sang Yao said in a soft voice, with a hint of unintentional coquetry, but Xie Yun seemed unmoved. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze staring at her quietly.

Sang Yao stood up, suddenly had an idea, “It’s lunchtime, we should kiss!” Xie Yun didn’t come to kiss her.

Sang Yao felt that he was really difficult to coax. Unlike her, a few kind words from Xie Yun would make her not angry anymore. Sang Yao sighed and continued to plead, “Xie Yun, please don’t be angry. What can I do to make you happy?”

Sang Yao just said it casually, but Xie Yun took it seriously. He said, “Anything I do is fine?”

Sang Yao hesitated for a moment and then pursed her lips. In fact, there was nothing she could do.

Xie Yun folded the newspaper and said to her, “Take off your clothes and lie down here.”

He pointed to the high long table in front of him.