RNP Chapter 272 The Young Master is Willing to Be a Mistress (17)
Chapter 272 The Young Master is Willing to Be a Mistress (17)
The moonlight was soft and gentle, and the courtyard was completely silent except for the rustling of leaves in the gentle evening breeze.
Jiang Rou rested her chin on her hand, turned her gaze to a corner of the wall, and asked 021 casually with great interest in her eyes, "Is he still there?"
Upon hearing this, 021 pulled himself out of the game for a moment, nodded, and said, "They haven't left yet. Why do some people like to stand in the corner? That's strange."
Cui Tao, who was standing to the side, was gazing at the starry sky with her hands supporting her face. Just as she was immersed in the awe of the starry sky, she suddenly saw her young mistress stand up. She quickly stood up as well and asked, "Is the young mistress going back to her room?"
Jiang Rou shook her head, a slight smile on her lips, and a rare slyness in her eyes. "Shall we go to the Plum and Bamboo Pavilion now? I want to see if the lake is covered with fireflies like it is at home."
Looking into Jiang Rou's eyes, Cui Tao couldn't bring herself to refuse. She missed the carefree days at the Jiang family mansion, and how could her young lady not miss them too?
Xie Jingci gazed at the apricot tree standing gracefully in the courtyard, unconsciously imagining in his mind whether she was lying on the couch with her eyes slightly closed, just like in his dream, her dark hair falling on her plain nightgown, her snow-white neck being caressed by the evening breeze.
For some reason, he seemed to suddenly smell a fragrance unique to that person. Did that mean they were being caressed by the same evening breeze? That…
Suddenly remembering something, Xie Jingci's earlobes turned red. Fortunately, the darkness of the night concealed his embarrassment, preventing anyone from seeing the jade-like young master's awkward state.
The courtyard suddenly fell silent, presumably because it was time for her to go to bed. Xie Jingci felt a little regretful that he hadn't seen her in person, but he felt a faint sense of satisfaction.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly saw the person he had been longing for appear in front of him. Xie Jingci's body reacted before his brain once again, and he slowly followed after him.
He overheard the entire purpose of the master and servant's trip along the way. He knew that Jiang Rou was homesick. At this moment, he was very glad that he had given the instructions a few days ago. He thought that Jiang Rou would be able to see her family in a few days.
There are naturally no fireflies in the capital in April. Knowing this, Cui Tao was still disappointed when she saw the dark lake. She quickly comforted Jiang Rou, saying, "It seems that it is still early. The fireflies have not yet appeared. If you want to see them, Miss, we can come back in a few days and we will definitely see the same beautiful scenery as before."
Jiang Rou's voice was so soft that Cui Tao almost thought she had misheard: "Will it be the same as usual?"
Upon hearing this, Cui Tao felt a surge of anxiety. Before she could speak, she heard Jiang Rou say, as if talking to herself, "As the ancients often said, the past cannot be retrieved. Xiao Tao, we can never go back, never go back..."
Despite her voice being as gentle as ever, Cui Tao's eyes suddenly reddened, and she felt uneasy. Her voice was urgent and fast: "We will go back, we will definitely go back. The eldest young master is a good person. When the eldest young master takes over the Marquis's mansion, he will definitely let Miss return to the mansion. At that time, we can live with the master, madam, and second young lady again. They must miss Miss very much."
In the pitch-black night, one couldn't see people's expressions, but one could clearly hear Jiang Rou's trembling voice: "We'll go back, Xiao Tao, we'll go back, won't we?"
Before Cui Tao could speak, another clear and gentle voice spoke first: "What Madam wishes for will surely be fulfilled."
The sudden sound startled both of them. Cui Tao immediately shielded Jiang Rou behind her like a mother hen protecting her chicks, and looked sharply at Xie Jingci.
Seeing that he had frightened them, Xie Jingci looked somewhat remorseful. He took a step back, then turned around, his voice filled with guilt: "I did not mean to offend you two ladies. I just happened to pass by and overheard your private conversation. Seeing that you were in a bad mood, I spoke rashly. I have really overstepped my bounds today. I hope you will forgive me."
Upon hearing this, Cui Tao immediately wanted to speak up and offend them, but Jiang Rou stopped her and whispered to the back of the figure with his back to them, "Is that Young Master Xie?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Jingci's eyes lit up with surprise. He suppressed his excitement and replied in a clear, gentle voice, "It is indeed I. Does my wife still remember me?"
Jiang Rou gave a soft "hmm" and slowly said, "Young Master is a man of noble character and would certainly not do something like eavesdropping on other people's private conversations. I wonder if you could refrain from speaking about what happened tonight, Young Master..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Jingci immediately assured her, "My lady, rest assured, I swear to heaven, if..."
Before Jiang Rou could speak, Cui Tao immediately interrupted her: "Young Master, you can just agree. You don't need to make any oaths."
Xie Jingci pondered for a moment and said, "Everything I said just now is true, and my wife will surely get what she wants." His words sounded particularly firm in the dark night.
Jiang Rou paused for a moment upon hearing this, and then softly thanked him: "Thank you for your kind words, young master. You are kind-hearted and will surely be blessed with good fortune in the future, and all your wishes will come true."
Xie Jingci chuckled upon hearing this, and then said, "Then I would also like to thank you for your kind words, my lady. It's getting late, my lady should go back soon."
Upon hearing her say that, Cui Tao's impression of him changed slightly. This young master really was just as her young lady had described—a kind-hearted person.
As the footsteps of the master and servant faded into the distance, Xie Jingci slowly turned around. Gazing at the white figure in the darkness, his expression softened unconsciously. He clapped his hands against his chest, feeling his pounding heartbeat.
From then on, he would pray to God every moment, begging God to have mercy on him and grant his wish. Even if they could not be together forever, he would use his remaining time to protect her.
He was born with detached emotions; even the failure of a meticulously planned scheme would not ignite his anger. But she seemed to be the only exception, as if she were a gift from heaven, as if it were destiny, as if they were somehow connected in the dark.
After performing a play, Jiang Rou slept until late the next day, leading Cui Tao to mistakenly believe that she was too heartbroken to sleep all night. Cui Tao even thoughtfully stopped Song Xiangning, who came looking for her.