Xiaotan in His Heart - Chapter 3
When I woke the next morning, my whole body still ached.
We didn’t wake until a maid knocked on the door.
I helped Xie Rongyu sit up, then personally brought water and wiped his face.
He cooperated with everything, proper and gentle, utterly unlike the ravenous beast he’d been the night before.
“My lady, thank you. If my eyes weren’t like this, you wouldn’t have to work so hard.”
I hurriedly replied, “Serving my husband is only what I should do.”
After washing and breakfast, Xie Rongyu went to his study.
He held an important government post. Although he couldn’t see, a young attendant read and wrote for him, so he hadn’t fallen behind on any of his work at the Hanlin Academy.
The moment Xie Rongyu left, Qiaoling, one of the maids assigned to the South Courtyard, stopped pretending to be polite to me.
“Why aren’t you sweeping? Do you really think you’re Miss Lin now?”
I couldn’t be bothered with her.
After straightening the bed, I took out my needle and thread and sat in the courtyard mending one of Xie Rongyu’s discarded robes.
Seeing that I ignored her only made Qiaoling angrier.
While watering the flowers, she deliberately tipped the watering can in my direction and drenched me.
“Oh!”
She cried theatrically,
“I didn’t see you there.”
I laughed from sheer irritation.
I tossed the robe aside, wiped my face, snatched the watering can out of Qiaoling’s hands, and walked over to the well.
Then I filled it to the brim with cold water—
and poured the entire thing over her head!
Qiaoling stared at me in shock.
“You’re insane!”
I curled my lips and said coldly,
“I’m different from you. I saw you.”
She flew into a rage and lunged at me.
I rolled up my sleeves.
A fight?
Fine.
I wasn’t afraid.
We immediately started wrestling.
She slapped my face. I yanked her hair. She pulled at my outer robe. I scratched her neck.
It was the most ordinary kind of street fight between two women.
We didn’t notice the courtyard gate open until it was too late.
Only then did Qiaoling and I realize that Xie Rongyu had returned.
She trembled violently and hurriedly shoved me away.
I straightened my hair and walked toward him with my cheek still burning.
Thank goodness he couldn’t see.
I took several deep breaths until my voice was steady.
“Husband, why are you back? Did you forget something?”
Xie Rongyu tilted his head to locate me by sound, then held out his hand.
“We’re newly married. You must be bored here by yourself, so I came back to keep you company. What was that noise just now?”
I calmly lied,
“Two maids were fighting. I’ve already punished them.”
He nodded to show he understood.
After helping him back into the room, I began to worry.
At night, I knew exactly what to do with him.
But during the day?
How was I supposed to spend time with him?
Xie Rongyu took several letters from his sleeve and placed them on the table.
His tone was casual.
“Would you read these to me?”
“All right.”
I opened the first letter and haltingly worked my way through the handwriting.
At that moment, I had never been more grateful that I knew how to read.
I understood nothing about court politics. Even after finishing the letters, I could barely grasp what they meant.
Xie Rongyu, however, responded almost instantly.
He quickly decided on the proper answers and asked me to write his replies for him.
My handwriting was hideous.
But I didn’t dare admit it.
After all, I was currently pretending to be Lin Jingru, who was famously well educated.
Unable to bear looking at my own eye-searing handwriting, I hurriedly put the letters away as soon as I finished, writing the recipients’ names on the covers.
Once all the correspondence had been dealt with, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, I moved too quickly.
The side of my face that had been slapped earlier throbbed, and I sucked in a breath.
His hearing was extremely sharp.
He immediately turned toward me.
“What’s wrong?”
I hurriedly said, “Nothing. I bumped into something.”
Xie Rongyu caught my hand.
Starting from my palm, his fingers slowly traced their way up my arm.
Even with his eyes covered, I could feel how closely he was paying attention to me.
His lips pressed together.
His head tilted slightly as though he were trying to “hear” every reaction I made.
When he reached my cheek, I couldn’t stop another little hiss.
His fingers immediately grew gentler.
They barely brushed the skin of my face, careful and patient.
He asked softly,
“Why is it swollen?”
I lied, “My face gets puffy when I wake up. It’ll go down soon.”
The corner of Xie Rongyu’s mouth lifted.
“Then why is only one side swollen?”
His long, graceful hands were cupping my face now.
I knew perfectly well he couldn’t see me.
Yet I still felt embarrassed and uneasy.
I tried to change the subject.
“Husband, your robe is torn…”
But Xie Rongyu suddenly asked,
“What is your name?”
His voice was quiet.
Yet the words struck me like a thunderbolt.
Every hair on my body stood on end.
My scalp prickled.
By instinct, I forced a smile.
My lips moved twice before I finally managed,
“Husband, what are you saying? I’m Ru’er…”
A soft smile touched Xie Rongyu’s lips.
“I know.
“You aren’t.”
