Summer had only just begun, yet the weather had already turned sweltering.
A Mei had originally planned to browse the shops at noon and take a boat ride to listen to music in the afternoon. But before noon even arrived, the heat drove her back home.
Within less than fifteen minutes, word that Madam was feeling dizzy reached An Sheng at the Inner Works Office.
How could he possibly ignore that?
An Sheng immediately put aside his work and hurried home.
A Mei had only felt a little light-headed from the heat. After the physician at the residence examined her and confirmed that she was fine, she was just about to lie down and rest when she saw her husband rush back with several imperial physicians in tow. They came in a grand, frantic procession and took turns examining her pulse.
Enough already. A Mei’s dizziness had vanished by now, replaced with a headache.
At last, after the physicians had examined her one after another and confirmed that she was perfectly fine, An Sheng finally let out a sigh of relief.
Once everyone had left and only the couple remained in the room, A Mei sat up in bed and finally glared at An Sheng in exasperation.
“Honestly, my husband, I already told you I’m fine. I’m not that delicate. I’m simply too accustomed to being pampered at home. I went out and walked around without warning, and with the weather so hot, I broke into a bit of a sweat and felt slightly uncomfortable. I was perfectly fine after coming home and resting. Never mind that the maids and servants were so nervous they nearly lost their wits—why did you have to make such a fuss too?”
No sooner had she finished speaking than she saw An Sheng bring over a small bowl of herbal soup and sit down on the bed. He picked up a silver spoon, stirred the liquid, and gently blew on it.
A Mei’s pretty face immediately scrunched up, and she complained unhappily, “Wait, my husband, the physician already said I don’t have heatstroke. Why do I still have to drink medicine?”
Seeing her pitiful little expression, An Sheng could not help laughing helplessly. He coaxed her, “Don’t worry, Madam. This is only a cooling soup. It’s beneficial to drink some in hot weather, and it isn’t bitter at all. If you don’t believe me, I’ll have a sip first.”
As he spoke, An Sheng lifted the bowl and took a sip. Then he looked at A Mei and coaxed her, “See? It really isn’t bitter. Be good. Once you finish it, I’ll have some snowflake jelly prepared for you.”
A Mei blinked, her eyes lighting up. “Snowflake jelly?”
An Sheng nodded, his brows and eyes filled with indulgent affection. “Yes. Haven’t you been talking about it for ages?”
A Mei decisively took the bowl from An Sheng’s hands and drank it all in one go. Then she gazed at him expectantly.
An Sheng: …
Before long, An Sheng rose and brought over the bowl of snowflake jelly prepared on the table. He then personally fed it to A Mei by the spoonful.
Watching her rosy little lips open and close as she swallowed, A Mei could not help sighing in satisfaction. “Mmm, this is exactly how I remember it. It’s delicious.”
But as she ate, A Mei suddenly laughed. She lifted her delicate eyes to An Sheng and said coyly, “Why does A Mei feel as if my husband is treating me like a child?”
From A Mei’s perspective, all she saw was her husband smiling at her with indulgent affection.
“I’m not coaxing a child. I’m coaxing my wife. After all, A Mei is her husband’s little wife.”
The words…
made A Mei’s face turn red in an instant.
Soon, she finished the entire bowl of snowflake jelly. An Sheng set the empty bowl aside, took a handkerchief, and wiped the corner of her mouth. Then he asked, “Are you still dizzy, Madam? Is there anywhere else that feels uncomfortable?”
A Mei shook her head. “I don’t feel uncomfortable anywhere. I feel perfectly fine now.”
“My husband.”
“Hmm?”
“You’re usually so busy that you don’t even have time to come home at noon. Today, you’ve delayed yourself for so long just because of A Mei. You should hurry back to the Inner Works Office.”
An Sheng leaned over and kissed A Mei on the forehead. “No need. What official business could be more important than my lady of the house? Besides, if the Inner Depot can’t function without me, wouldn’t that mean I’ve been wasting my time raising all those people? I’m staying home to take an afternoon nap with my wife today.”
A Mei smiled radiantly. “All right.”
“But it’s still early for my usual nap, and I’m not sleepy yet. Husband, go get that storybook from the cabinet for me. I only read half of it yesterday, and I’d like to continue.”
An Sheng nodded and fetched the book. Then he leaned against the bedpost and half-enfolded A Mei in his arms, letting her rest against his legs. His voice was gentle. “You’ve only just recovered from your dizziness, and you’re already reading? It’ll strain your eyes and tire you out. Lie down against me for a while. I’ll massage you, and I’ll read to you later. Be good and close your eyes.”
A Mei’s heart filled with warmth and sweetness. Obediently, she rested her head on her husband’s lap.
An Sheng raised one hand and placed his long, slender fingers against the acupoints at A Mei’s temples, gently massaging them.
A Mei closed her eyes in comfort. After a while, An Sheng picked up the storybook and began reading softly…
Seeing that his little wife was sleeping soundly and peacefully in his arms, An Sheng rose from the bed.
He had only just stepped out of the courtyard when he saw Little Bean walking toward him, wiping away tears.
Following behind Douzi was Wu Da, his face filled with anxious helplessness.
Douzi had originally come to look for his elder sister, but when he spotted his brother-in-law from afar, he immediately wiped his tears and ran over with little stomping steps, his eyes red and swollen.
“Brother-in-law, why are you home? Where’s Elder Sister?”
An Sheng’s normally cold expression softened. He lowered his voice and said, “Your elder sister is taking an afternoon nap. Don’t disturb her. Douzi, why didn’t you go to school today?”
As he spoke, An Sheng’s gaze swept over Douzi’s swollen eyes before he turned his head and fixed a sinister stare on Wu Da beside him.
Wu Da’s heart gave a jolt under An Sheng’s gaze, and he immediately replied, “My lord, Young Master Bean just asked his teacher for leave.”
An Sheng’s voice turned cold. “Why?”
“This…” Wu Da pressed his lips together and lowered his head at once. Clearly, he did not know how to explain it and looked extremely troubled.
An Sheng narrowed his long, slender eyes. Then he bent down and moved closer to Douzi, softening his tone. “Douzi, tell your brother-in-law. Did something happen at school? If someone bullied you, tell me. I’ll see justice done for you.”
That might have been all right if An Sheng had said nothing, but the moment he asked, the tears Douzi had barely managed to hold back began streaming down his cheeks again. Looking as though he had suffered the greatest injustice in the world, he could not help complaining to his brother-in-law.
“Waaah… Brother-in-law, during cuju class today, none of my classmates would play with me.”
An Sheng’s expression darkened. “Why? Did they bully you?”
Douzi shook his head and sniffled, quickly denying it. “No, Brother-in-law. No one bullied Douzi.”
An Sheng raised an eyebrow. Then he straightened and stared fixedly at Wu Da nearby. Wu Da’s eyes instinctively drifted away, as if saying, Don’t ask me, don’t ask me. This is something I truly can’t do anything about.
An Sheng’s gaze suddenly sharpened. He spoke slowly, his voice low and ominous.
“Wu Da. Speak.”
That look was truly terrifying. Wu Da coughed softly and did his best to organize his thoughts before saying, “My lord, the situation is this: during cuju class, it’s only natural for the children to run around and bump into one another. But Young Master Bean’s classmates are extremely protective of him. They’re afraid he might get so much as a bump or bruise, so none of them are willing to go anywhere near our young master. That’s why…”
Douzi looked terribly aggrieved. Suddenly, he let out a huff and continued indignantly, “Brother-in-law, I asked them why they wouldn’t play with me. They said they were afraid that if I got hurt, you’d have them killed. Hmph! And on top of that, they said all sorts of nasty things about you. They said you were a terrible man who killed without batting an eye, confiscated people’s estates and wiped out their families at the slightest provocation, and chopped off people’s heads whenever you felt like it. I told them all of that was a lie—that Douzi’s brother-in-law was a really good person—but they wouldn’t believe me. Boo-hoo… It would be one thing if they didn’t want to play with me, but they even badmouthed you! Boo-hoo… Brother-in-law, I don’t want to play cuju anymore…”
An Sheng: ……
