What a Xiao Shan! He actually hid this thing.
The door sounded outside, and Xiao Shan returned with his carrying pole.
"Xiao Shan! Come in here!" Xue Niang called him from the window.
Did her voice sound a bit off?
He had met that woman again while fetching water, and Xue Niang hadn't followed. She shouldn't know, right?
Xiao Shan put down the carrying pole and entered the house. He first looked at her expression, her eyebrows knitted in anger, her almond eyes spitting fire. Who had upset her?
"What's wrong?"
As soon as he spoke, something was hurled at him. He caught it.
What was it?
"Tell me, are you planning to use those methods on me? No wonder you've been forcing me to drink soup every day, to keep me healthy so you can do whatever you want?"
She was already struggling, and she had done her best to satisfy him, but he still wanted to use such vulgar tricks on her. The illustrations were truly shameful! What did he take her for, a prostitute?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. How could he look at such vulgar things? Disgusting, utterly disgusting! If he dared to treat her like that, she would never speak to him again!
"So it can be done like this?" Xiao Shan flipped through the small booklet in his hand, as if discovering something new, his eyes glued to it, page after page.
"Xiao Shan!" Xue Niang's mouth was agape, her breathing rapid, a mist clouding her eyes.
"Ah?" Xiao Shan looked up and was startled by Xue Niang's appearance. "This damned Yuan Bufei, how dare he send me such obscene material! I think he doesn't want to live!"
"Don't cry, I really didn't know about this. It was sent on our wedding day, and I'd forgotten about it. That brat, just you wait until I deal with him!"
Xiao Shan moved closer to embrace her, but Xue Niang slapped his hand away. "You really didn't know?"
"I swear, I really didn't know! Why would I look at such things? I'll burn it right now!"
Xiao Shan, filled with righteous indignation, turned and went out.
Xue Niang slowly eased the tightness in her chest and felt a little better.
It seemed he truly didn't know. That was right, he wasn't one of those dissolute men, so how could he look at such shameless things? She had wronged him.
Xue Niang wiped her eyes and found the box of jewelry equally displeasing. With a "snap," she closed it and threw it into a corner.
Still a county magistrate? Was there such a shameless county magistrate!
Xiao Shan entered the kitchen and lit the firewood. However, he didn't throw the booklet into the stove. He continued to flip through it page by page.
The flickering firelight reflected on his face, his eyes lowered and hidden in the shadows, exuding a darkness like the mystery of the night.
Only when he heard movement outside did he swiftly toss the booklet into the stove.
Damn it, Yuan Bufei must have commissioned a master to draw these illustrations. They were so lifelike, as if drawn on the spot. The scale was immense, truly the best.
He had scared his woman. He would see how he dealt with him!
Xue Niang was his treasure, how could he bear to treat her like this? However, some of the illustrations were worth trying.
"Xiao Shan! Are you crazy!"
Xue Niang felt something was wrong. Couldn't he smell the strong burning odor? Was he burning the pot without adding water?
"Ah? Oh, I forgot, I forgot." Xiao Shan hastily added water.
Xue Niang looked at him suspiciously. "What's wrong with you? Are you troubled?"
How could he make such a mistake? His mind was always clear.
"No, oh, I remembered that after autumn, taxes will be due again. I'm afraid the villagers' lives will be even harder."
Yes, Xue Niang fell silent at this thought.
Actually, her father was a good emperor. Although he lacked great ambition, he was always diligent and conscientious. Many times, in places she couldn't see, he would be frowning. Her second brother said it was because many people in some places had died due to natural disasters.
Since childhood, he had doted on her the most. He said calling him "Your Majesty" sounded too distant, so she called him "Daddy." She had always thought she was truly his most beloved child, and her second brother had to take a backseat.
Because her mother was Daddy's most beloved woman! Love me, love my house, so she and her second brother were naturally Daddy's most beloved children. And she, having lived in the Phoenix Palace for so long, made Daddy even more concerned.
Who would have thought? Who would have thought...
She had drifted off again.
Xue Niang stopped her thoughts and returned to Xiao Shan's words.
Something was wrong.
When had Xiao Shan ever cared about the lives of the villagers?
Unless there was someone in this village he cared about?
"Xiao Shan, when you went to fetch water recently, did you meet Chen Dong's wife again?"
"What are you talking about! How could I meet her?" Xiao Shan retorted quickly.
"Why are you so agitated?"
"I'm not. I was just thinking of taking you up the mountain tomorrow!"
"Are we going tomorrow?" Xue Niang's attention was indeed diverted. "Then I must sleep early tonight. Is that place far? Do we need to bring anything? Can we return the same day?"
The string of questions made Xiao Shan relax, and he inexplicably smiled.
Yes, yes, she needed to rest well.
That night, Xue Niang fell asleep early. Xiao Shan really didn't bother her, which made her very satisfied. She got up early the next day.
Xiao Shan carried a large basket, though it was unclear what was inside. It was wrapped in a large oilcloth. He also brought plenty of food, and the two of them left.
As they left, they encountered Granny Hua. She was still tiptoeing, peering in the direction of the village exit.
"Granny Hua, what are you looking at?" Xue Niang asked curiously.
"I dreamed my son said he would be back these few days, so I'm waiting for him here!"
"Ah? You dreamed it?"
"Yes! I think it's a divine maiden's blessing, Xue Niang, you look so much like a divine maiden!" Granny Hua examined Xue Niang closely and exclaimed.
Xiao Shan blocked her view. "Then, Granny Hua, we'll be going now."
On the road, Xue Niang sighed, "Granny Hua is so pitiful. She must miss her son terribly."
"Families like this are everywhere in Jing country. There are so many pitiful people."
It wasn't that he was cold-blooded, but he had seen too much. After fighting on the battlefield for more than ten years, he had become numb as his brothers who fought alongside him one by one disappeared.
The most heartbreaking thing was not that brave men died on the battlefield, but that all their spilled blood did not bring about the desired outcome.
He felt sorrow for himself and these brothers, and even more so for the country.
"Xiao Shan, do you resent the Emperor?"
"I used to. Now... I've come to terms with it. I still have a good life ahead of me, why waste it on these people? I never had any great ambitions for the country; I only joined the army for a meal."
For some reason, from the first moment he saw Xue Niang, he began to change. Recalling it now, he had a vague feeling that from his birth, he had been wandering aimlessly, and Xue Niang was his destiny, his purpose and destination in this world.
"Are you tired? Do you want me to carry you?"
"I'm tired! But the feeling of climbing the mountain is good, I want to walk myself!" Although Xue Niang was panting, her cheeks were flushed red, but she also had a surge of energy. Her blood was coursing, giving her more vitality.
Xiao Shan's lips curved upwards, and his eyes seemed to burn with flames, staring intensely at the little woman beside him, as if he wanted to devour her completely.