Chapter 67

Xie Yun in front of her was already dressed neatly. Sang Yao had seen him in this outfit before.

The outer robe had dark gold patterns on the front, with wide sleeves, giving him a solemn and serious demeanor, making him seem particularly aloof.

In the past, when he looked like this, he was always far away from her, in the spotlight of the crowd, but now he was in front of her.

This subtle feeling was hard for her to describe.

Sang Yao blushed slightly at his words. She was just curious, she didn’t really want to see anything.

She said, “I don’t want to see.”

She looked at the copper coins Xie Yun handed her, puzzled as to why he specifically handed her these coins. She reached out and took them, saying, “You could just leave them there.”

Sang Yao casually glanced at the coins and felt that the pattern on them seemed a bit different from when she saw them yesterday.

She pinched the copper coins and took a closer look.

A bold and wild intertwined posture suddenly caught her eye.

This was the third time Sang Yao had seen this thing. At least she managed to resist the urge to throw the coins away.

Her pupils contracted slightly, and she stammered, “This, this…” She suddenly realized, quickly turned the coin over, and saw the familiar characters of Feng, Hua, Xue, Yue.

How could she have completely forgotten to flip it over last night? She should have known that there was something bad inside that box!

So Xie Yun saw it last night, and she was still blabbering…

Xie Yun seemed to know what she was thinking and said at the right time, “Your lucky charm should not be carried around with you.”

Sang Yao:

She quickly closed her palm around the copper coins, looked up at him with a mix of embarrassment and anger, and after hesitating for a long time, she blurted out her innermost thoughts.

She glared at him and said, “You’re so annoying!”

Xie Yun grunted in response, adding, “Next time, remember to get something decent blessed.”

Sang Yao pouted, ignoring him. She quickly sat up, turned her back to him, and started dressing herself.

After a while of silence, Sang Yao turned around quietly again and looked at Xie Yun, who was searching through documents at a nearby desk, and took the initiative to speak to him, “Why aren’t you going to court today?”

Xie Yun didn’t even lift his head and replied, “Does Miss Sang not know about the existence of marriage leave?”

Sang Yao was almost used to his attitude. She casually asked, “How many days?”

Xie Yun: “Nine days.”

Nine days sounded quite long.

However, she had heard from her father before that Xie Yun hardly took any breaks throughout the year, always busy with one thing or another. Sang Yao had originally thought it was already good enough that he could spare a day to marry her.

Unexpectedly, it was a break of nine days. Did that mean she would have to spend all these nine days with Xie Yun?

When she was alone, she could read her novels and do her embroidery. But what could they do together?

She made a sound of acknowledgment.

When Sang Yao finished dressing, the maidservant waiting outside lightly knocked on the door. After receiving permission, she entered and, after bowing to the two, began to help them freshen up.

Xie Yun usually didn’t need these attendants. After taking care of himself, he sat aside and waited for Sang Yao.

Sang Yao sat in front of the bronze mirror, a young maid was arranging her hair for her.

Through the bronze mirror, Sang Yao couldn’t help but glance at Xie Yun sitting not far away. He sat at the long table, the documents he had just searched spread out in front of him, his expression focused, his long fingers pointing at the papers.

At this moment, still having the mood to read documents, Xie Yun was indeed diligent.

These kinds of books made her sleepy after just a glance. His meticulousness and seriousness were probably why he could accomplish things so well. This made Sang Yao even more convinced of his “training” plan.

After reading for a while, Sang Yao withdrew her gaze and looked at herself in the mirror. Her lips were still a bit swollen, but it shouldn’t be a problem to apply some lip balm.

Except for her neck.

Sang Yao suddenly gasped. She said, “Xie Yun!”

Xie Yun looked up and said, “What is it?”

Sang Yao turned to look at him and said, “Look at my neck!”

There were at least four hickies on her neck down to her collarbone, and there might be more below, but they were covered by her clothes. No wonder she felt a bit sore yesterday. Xie Yun said, “It’s okay, don’t cover it up.” His expression was serious, and Sang Yao inexplicably felt that he said so with consideration, so she didn’t argue and just asked, “Really?”

Xie Yun grunted in affirmation. After Sang Yao finished grooming herself, the two of them sat down together for breakfast.

By now, the sky was completely bright, the morning glow faded, and the sun hung high in the sky.

Sang Yao was a bit nervous. Before leaving, she approached him and whispered, “If I do something wrong later, please remind me quietly.”

Xie Yun stood by the door, looking at her delicate face full of worries and the marks on her exposed neck. He didn’t really pay attention to what she said.

When Sang Yao finished speaking, he grunted and said, “You should kiss me now.”

Sang Yao was still worried about making mistakes later, so she was taken aback when she heard this, and asked, “Huh?”

Xie Yun remained expressionless as he said, “Ordinary couples usually kiss before parting.”

He then added, “I can cooperate with your practice.”

Sang Yao stood up straight. It was early in the morning, and she felt a bit uneasy about this. She had never seen how ordinary couples behaved, but she guessed Xie Yun wouldn’t lie to her.

She hesitated for a moment, then glanced at his lips and said, “Then I’ll kiss you.”

After saying that, she tiptoed, wrapped her arms around Xie Yun’s neck, and kissed him. As their lips met, she instinctively opened her mouth and, when he explored inside, she awkwardly responded with her tongue.

Xie Yun skillfully embraced her waist, using his arm to lift her slightly, making the kiss even deeper.

After what felt like a long time, when Sang Yao was out of breath, Xie Yun finally let her go.

In reality, Sang Yao learned very slowly. After several practices, she only remembered to embrace him, to open her mouth, and to move her tongue a bit.

She didn’t even know how to breathe during a kiss, and she was still nervously holding her breath the entire time.

The lip balm on her lips had completely smeared, and some of it even stuck to Xie Yun’s lips.

His handsome and aloof face didn’t match this blush, making Sang Yao feel ashamed and lower her head.

In the end, Xie Yun wiped her lips and then used the handkerchief she had used to wipe his own.

When the two of them left, Sang Yao was always worried about being late and causing unhappiness, so she walked quickly all the way.

She had been to the Xie family’s residence before, and at that time, she only remembered that the Xie family was very large. It took a long time to find Xie Yun in the complex layout.

Unlike the usual impression of the prominent Xie family, the residence was not extravagant but rather simple and elegant. The paths were lined with greenery, and the buildings were intricate and layered, with lush vegetation on both sides, some even spreading to their feet.

A few servants passed by Sang Yao’s side, they stopped and bowed, “Madam Shao, greetings.”

Sang Yao felt somewhat uncomfortable. When she was at the Sang family, there weren’t many servants, and there wasn’t a clear hierarchy, so the etiquette was not as strict as in the Xie family.

Normally, the servants in the house were all busy with their own tasks, and only when she called someone would they come over and bow to her.

So instinctively, she wanted to reply “good,” but then she thought it wasn’t quite appropriate, so she put on a dignified and graceful demeanor, calmly acknowledging with a “hmm.”

And then it was all “Madam Shao, greetings.”

“Hmm.”

“Madam Shao is polite.”

“Hmm.”

“Please be well, Madam Shao.”

“Hmm.”

“Madam Shao…”

Sang Yao couldn’t say “hmm” anymore; she was tired. She glanced at Xie Yun, who was looking at her.

Sang Yao felt like he was making fun of her.

Sang Yao became dissatisfied, she was about to speak when the man grabbed her wrist and said, “What did you promise?”

He continued to lead Sang Yao forward. For some reason, this time no one came to greet her again; most just stopped and then bowed.

Xie Yun explained, “The more you respond to them, the more they will talk to you.” At this moment, Mrs. Xie and Xie Huan were already sitting in the main seat, with Xie Yan and others on both sides.

Xie Huan was also given three days off, and his usually serious face finally showed a rare smile today.

Mrs. Xie stood beside him, both of them looking very happy. She praised, “You’ve done well during this time. You don’t need to attend this year’s covert training.”

Xie Yan was almost in tears of joy, saying, “Thank you, Madam!”

The Xie family’s covert training only happened once a year. As the highest-ranking retainer, Xie Yan not only had to participate in the training every year but also had to be in the top ten among a thousand people to be considered qualified.

He loved Miss Sang!

Miss Sang was his lucky star!

Thanks to her, the master wouldn’t be lonely and old. Today, they could gather happily because of her.

They hadn’t been so lively for a long time.

Xie Yanyi and Mrs. Xie finally stopped urging him today.

Shen Miaoyi had been smiling since morning. She was worried, “With so many strangers waiting here, will Yao Yao be scared when she comes?”

Xie Yan said, “No, she won’t. She has seen you and me before, and she seems to like you very much.”

Shen Miaoyi’s smile deepened, “The last time Yao Yao came, I knew she was a good girl.”

“No wonder Ah Yun has been waiting for her for so long.”

Just then, someone came to report that Xie Yun and Sang Yao had entered the front yard.

The hall immediately quieted down. Several children who hadn’t seen Sang Yao yesterday also curiously peeked to see the new bride who was rumored to be exceptionally beautiful.

After a while, a graceful and gentle girl stepped over the threshold.

Everyone’s eyes were on Sang Yao. She had a natural affinity, beautiful yet gentle, which easily evoked goodwill in people.

But that wasn’t the most eye-catching thing.

She was brought in by Xie Yun, who had always been aloof. It was difficult for anyone outside the Xie family to understand this feeling.

After all, for the past twenty-something years, Xie Yun rarely spoke to anyone, not even to maids. He almost always had only a few attendants by his side.

Xie Yun handled everything himself.

Sang Yao didn’t expect so many people to come. She quickly realized what was happening and quickly shook off Xie Yun’s hand, then respectfully bowed to Xie Huan and Shen Miaoyi.

Shen Miaoyi quickly said, “Yao Yao, no need to be so polite.”

As they approached, the red marks on Sang Yao’s neck became more obvious. Shen Miaoyi was deeply moved and became even more friendly, saying, “In the future, we’re all family, no need for formalities, it will only create distance.”

Jinglian was also deeply moved. A man’s tears are not easily shed, he wanted to cry, no one understood him!

Never in a million years did he imagine that because of his own preferences, he secretly brought together two completely unrelated people, and after many years, what he thought was just a foolish dream would actually come true.

Xie Yun stood by Sang Yao’s side, waiting for her to serve tea.

A maid approached with a tray, Sang Yao raised her hand to take it, then said to Xie Huan, “Father, please have some tea.” Xie Huan tried to appear gentler, he nodded and took the tea.

Sang Yao said to Mrs. Xie, “Mother, please have some tea.”

Mrs. Xie replied with a “yes,” took the tea, and then took a sip.

After putting down the teacup, she took Sang Yao’s hand, after some pleasantries, she whispered, “Yao Yao, Ah Yun is good in every way, but his temper is a bit bad, don’t spoil him.”

“If he bullies you, come and tell mother.”

Sang Yao glanced at Xie Yun behind her, and then truthfully said, “Mother, he’s actually very good to me.”

There were too many people in the hall, most of them just wanted to see Sang Yao. Mrs. Xie introduced Sang Yao to everyone.

Xie’s family was much larger than her own, and among them, she only knew Xie Yan. But now, there was a gentle and dignified girl by his side, his wife.

Apart from Xie Yan, there were several younger uncles, and several younger brothers and sisters. Sang Yao couldn’t remember them all at once, she silently thought that she would have to ask Xie Yun to review them with her when they returned home.

As newlyweds, Shen Miaoyi didn’t want to disturb them too much. After familiarizing Sang Yao with the surroundings, she dispersed under Xie Yun’s faintly impatient gaze and arranged for the evening’s family banquet.

After Sang Yao and Xie Yun left, Shen Miaoyi sat with Xie Yan’s wife, Yu Zhi, in the room.

Yu Zhi had been married for five or six years and was now pregnant. Shen Miaoyi was often angry with Xie Yun for being unreliable, so she liked to have Yu Zhi accompany her all day.

She got along well with Yu Zhi, there wasn’t much of an age gap between them, and Shen Miaoyi was not a rigid or conservative person, so she didn’t have much reservation in talking to Yu Zhi.

After talking about Sang Yao for a while, Shen Miaoyi became more satisfied with her daughter-in-law. She had favored Li Yaoge before because she was the only one in the capital who dared to approach Xie Yun so boldly and show her admiration. They had thought about pushing it forward, if it worked, it worked, if not, it was expected.

But for the Xie family, they didn’t want to marry a woman who was calculating and cunning in every way. It’s not that such a woman was bad, but it would take time to adjust.

But as she became more satisfied, she remembered something else.

After Xie Yun lost interest in women, she had a new worry.

She sighed. Yu Zhi asked, “Aunt, what’s bothering you?”

Shen Miaoyi said with a serious tone, “Xiao Zhi, do you think this is normal?”

Yu Zhi hummed in agreement, her tone rising.

Shen Miaoyi whispered, “Don’t laugh, but I heard that from the time Ah Yun entered the room until he asked for water, it was less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick.”

“It’s said that after Ah Yun went in, he talked to Yao Yao for quite a while. Subtracting the time spent talking, it was less than a quarter of an hour.”

She hinted, “He asked for water in less than a quarter of an hour… Isn’t that a bit too fast?”

She had finally married a gentle daughter-in-law, she couldn’t let her be rejected because of her son’s incompetence.

“But if I ask Tai Tai to go and check on him, I’m afraid he still won’t be willing.”

“This… is indeed a bit troublesome.”

Both of them frowned. Yu Zhi meditated for a moment, then suggested, “Why don’t we stew some soup that can enhance the heart’s yang energy and promote vitality? Say it has a calming effect.”

Shen Miaoyi remained silent for a moment, feeling that there was some truth in this. She said, “But what if he doesn’t drink it?”

Yu Zhi patted Shen Miaoyi’s hand and smiled, “What’s so difficult about this, Aunt? You just let little sister take it over.”