As soon as it got dark, An Sheng took A Mei to an open area in the military camp.
The soldiers had lit bonfires and various fire racks of different sizes.
His Majesty had already retired to his tent, so the atmosphere became much more relaxed.
Most of the people in sight were the young children from the families of court officials. They gathered in groups of three or five, warming themselves and roasting meat. Although the weather was cold, the atmosphere was very lively.
The place arranged by An Sheng through Wu Da was a bit secluded. The maids had placed chairs with cotton cushions in advance. As soon as A Mei sat down, she pointed at the young men and women not far away, pouting and complaining to An Sheng.
"Hubby, look, look. Those people are dressed so lightly, but you've wrapped me up like a silkworm pupa. I even felt stuffy walking here."
An Sheng glanced in the direction A Mei was pointing at, then unceremoniously covered A Mei's legs with a blanket and snorted with a smile:
"Take a good look again. They're all just trying to look stylish and handsome, but they're clearly freezing with red noses and ears, and their noses are running. Unlike our lady, who has a rosy complexion and looks radiant."
A Mei: …
A Mei blinked her eyes and pouted: "But it won't be that cold when sitting by the fire."
An Sheng said again: "Be good, A Mei. Listen to me. It's very inconvenient in the wild. Nothing can compare to home. We'll be staying here for three days and two nights, so we can't afford any mistakes. It's better to be safe and sound."
A Mei obediently replied with an "Oh", thinking it made sense and knowing that her husband was thinking about her: "Okay then."
"Lord An, Lady An."
Suddenly, a greeting sounded. The voice sounded familiar to A Mei.
She subconsciously turned to look and saw Cui Gudao leading his wife and a young girl coming to greet An Sheng.
A Mei was about to stand up, but a pair of big hands gently held her down.
An Sheng first glanced at the three of them, then nodded slightly at Cui Gudao: "Lord Cui."
He then turned to gently pat A Mei's small hand that was holding a hand warmer on the blanket: "You sit still. There's no need to get up."
After saying that, An Sheng stood up, exchanged a look with Cui Gudao, and the two of them walked aside to a deserted place to talk.
As soon as they left, A Mei felt a bit embarrassed. After all, it was a bit inappropriate for her to be sitting while others were standing.
Fortunately, a maid brought over a stool. Lady Cui immediately sat down beside A Mei, smiling warmly and saying: "Lady An, we meet again."
A Mei replied with a smiling face: "Lady Cui."
Then Lady Cui said to the girl beside her: "Ying'er, this is Lady An. Quickly greet her."
The girl named Ying'er immediately curtsied to A Mei, lowering her eyes and saying shyly: "Ying'er pays respects to Lady An."
A Mei blinked her eyes and heard Lady Cui explain: "This is my youngest daughter, named Cui Ying."
A Mei nodded, with a slight curve in her eyebrows: "So she's the daughter of Minister Cui. She's really graceful and intelligent."
As soon as these words were spoken, the little girl's face immediately turned red, looking even more shy and bashful!
A Mei slightly raised her eyebrows and heard Lady Cui let out a soft laugh: "Lady An is overpraising. I know my own daughter well. This child is just a shy type. She can't stand being praised. Not only outside, but also at home, she's so timid and introverted, and afraid of strangers. That's why my husband and I thought of bringing her out to meet more people and gain more experience. Maybe her personality will become more lively."
A Mei first nodded in agreement and then said: "It's naturally good to meet more people and gain more experience."
As A Mei said this, she turned to the maid beside her and said: "Quickly get a stool for Miss Ying'er."
Soon, the maid brought over another stool.
Cui Ying stood behind Lady Cui, feeling too shy to sit. It was Lady Cui who urged her: "Since Lady An has asked you to sit, then sit down."
Only then did Cui Ying sit down properly, speaking in a soft voice like a mosquito:
"Thank you, Lady An."
A Mei always thought that she used to be quite bad at socializing, with an introverted and timid personality. Later, after getting married to her husband and spending more time together and experiencing more things, and more importantly, because her husband doted on her, she became more and more free and bold. But when she suddenly saw such an introverted girl, she couldn't help but pay a few more glances.
She asked Lady Cui: "How old is Miss Ying'er?"
"She's just turned sixteen."
A Mei asked again: "Is she engaged?"
A Mei asked this for a reason. Since An Sheng went on a tour of inspection to the border on behalf of the emperor at the beginning of the year, A Mei had started to socialize in the circle of official ladies in the capital. After experiencing more occasions, she also knew that many of the children of officials, especially the girls, were engaged at a very young age. Take the wedding of the legitimate daughter of a second - rank official she attended last time. That little girl was engaged at the age of twelve, and was married off by her husband's family as soon as she had her coming - of - age ceremony at fifteen.
Upon hearing this, Lady Cui's face stiffened, and a look of uneasiness flashed in her eyes. Finally, she sighed and said: "To be honest with Lady An, my Ying'er was engaged since childhood, but she was just jilted recently."
As soon as Lady Cui said this, Cui Ying lowered her head, making it hard to see her expression, but one couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
A Mei opened her eyes in surprise. Naturally, she was curious, but she also felt embarrassed to ask more: "Ah, this..."
A Mei thought for a while and finally said: "This may not necessarily be a bad thing. It can only be said that the man's family has no luck."
As soon as these words were spoken, Lady Cui's eyes immediately froze, and even Cui Ying beside her looked up at A Mei blankly.
A Mei coughed lightly and said to the mother and daughter seriously: "This is the first time I've met Miss Ying'er, and I don't know much about her. But at first glance, although she's introverted and shy, it can be seen that she's a girl who doesn't cause trouble. Besides, I've heard my husband's evaluation of Lord Cui. In my perception, Lord Cui is definitely a good and honest official. And Lady Cui, you once ran around for your uncle's family, which shows that you have noble character. If the parents are like this, how could the daughter be bad?"
"Looking at it this way, do you think what I said about the man's family having no luck is wrong?"
What A Mei said was the truth and not an exaggeration. Lady Cui was immediately touched to tears when she heard it.
She immediately took out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eyes and sincerely thanked A Mei: "Yes, how could it be wrong! It's really true that the on - looker sees most clearly. Thanks to Lady An's words, I feel much more at ease in my heart. Ying'er, what do you think?"
The little girl still had her mouth slightly open, looking a bit shocked. It took her a while to blink her eyes. She turned to look at her mother and then at A Mei.
Suddenly, the little girl nodded heavily, and her voice became a bit louder: "Yes, it's their bad luck. Ying'er thanks Lady An."
Lady Cui's eyes immediately brightened, and she looked at A Mei gratefully: "Lady An is really a person with great wisdom. No wonder Lord An loves and values Lady An so much."
A Mei smiled: "What wisdom or not. Lady Cui, I just spoke my mind truthfully."
At this time, An Sheng and Lord Cui came over.
Lady Cui then led Cui Ying to stand up, bid farewell, and left with Lord Cui.
After they had walked some distance, Cui Ying suddenly asked Mrs. Cui, "Mother, that Lady An is really a kind person. Is her husband, Lord An, really a eunuch?"
Mrs. Cui sighed and said, "Naturally. Everyone knows about An Sheng, the commander of the Nei Xing Chang. It's a pity that such a nice girl as Lady An has married such a ruthless and terrifying man."
Cui Ying looked hesitant and puzzled. "But I think Lady An seems quite happy."
Mrs. Cui was taken aback for a moment. Remembering the sweet and happy look on Lady An's face when Lord An came back just now, and the gentle and caring attitude of Lord An towards his wife, she couldn't help but say, "Who doesn't say so? How a couple lives behind closed doors, only they themselves know."
...
An Sheng looked at A Mei's silly and happy look, while turning the roasted rabbit over the fire in his hand, and asked,
"What did you talk about with Mrs. Cui that made you so happy?"
A Mei grinned, her eyes narrowing into crescents, and said with a little pride, "Husband, do you know? Just now, Mrs. Cui praised me as a person with great wisdom."
An Sheng's eyebrows twitched slightly, and then the corners of his lips lifted in a doting arc. He said matter - of - factly, "This is true. This Mrs. Cui has good eyesight."
This made A Mei a little embarrassed. She shyly coquettishly said, "Oh, it's okay for others to say so, but when you say it too, I suddenly feel a bit embarrassed."
An Sheng's eyes fell on A Mei's little face. "What's there to be embarrassed about?"
A Mei gave An Sheng an angry look. "Isn't this like a melon - seller praising their own melons?"
An Sheng smiled gently. "No, this is called being objective and speaking the truth."
Saying so, An Sheng tore off a small piece of the roasted rabbit meat with his fingertips and held it to A Mei's mouth. "My lady, try our family's cooking skills."
A Mei opened her mouth and took a bite. She honestly murmured, "Delicious. It's clearly the servants who roasted it. You just turned it over a few times. Mm..."
Before she could finish her words, An Sheng stuffed another piece of rabbit meat into her mouth.
A Mei frowned and gave An Sheng an angry look. Looking down at the little bit of shredded meat still on An Sheng's finger, A Mei instinctively stuck out her tongue and gently licked it... Well, it was really just a gentle lick.
An Sheng's eyes suddenly changed.
The deep black pupils clearly showed obsession and fanaticism. He said in a hoarse voice, "Be good. Don't tempt me like this outside."
A Mei: ...
A Mei looked up, blinking her eyes, and used her eyes to ask what he meant.
An Sheng's dark eyes were very deep. His voice was still gentle. He hooked the corners of his lips, his voice full of helplessness and indulgence, but the words he said were a bit hard for A Mei to understand.
He said, "Alright, I really can't do anything with you. Let's go back to the tent after dinner."
What on earth was he talking about? A Mei didn't understand. Facing the roasted meat that her husband offered again, she simply turned her head and ignored it. "I won't eat. I ate too much at noon. I'm not hungry at all."
An Sheng quickly finished the meat in his hand, then stood up. "Come on, let's go back now!"
A Mei: ...
"Wait, husband, didn't we come here to watch the bonfire?"
"This bonfire is not as important as our lady!"
"But..." A Mei frowned slightly, completely confused. She suddenly didn't understand what her husband was talking about.
"No 'buts'. Be good and come back with me." When An Sheng met A Mei's moist eyes full of innocence and a hint of sensuality, he felt his heart melting. He immediately took A Mei's little hand and pulled her up, then walked towards the tent.
A Mei obediently followed her husband, but couldn't help looking back, looking longingly at the largest pile of unlit firewood in the middle. She still wanted to watch the bonfire...
