Chapter 393 - 391: A Sharp Tongue’s Fault (First Update)

Chapter 393: Chapter 391: A Sharp Tongue’s Fault (First Update)

Xiao He heard the words and chuckled softly, "Even this you know? It seems Qingyun truly likes you."

Xu Jing raised her eyebrows slightly, just as Xiao He, with a smile on his lips, said, "You must be somewhat surprised, right? Seeing the demure and elegant young lady Qingyun, who privately enjoys reading storybooks. I met her when she was eight, the first time Mr. Song brought her into the palace. She seemed to be in a sulk, sitting alone, holding a copy of the Analects, ignoring everyone.

That time, the Holy Emperor as Crown Prince had been lazy and didn’t complete the homework assigned by Mr. Song, which made him very angry. He harshly scolded the Crown Prince and Yanci, who was in cahoots with him, then made them stand in the courtyard with books on their heads for half an hour as punishment.

Being the only one not punished at that time, I was somewhat bored, and somehow kept staring at Qingyun, who was reading alone."

At that time, he didn’t have so many complicated thoughts, just simply felt that this little lady from Grand Tutor Song’s family was quite good-looking, like a beautifully carved little doll with a soft, rosy face. Because she was sulking, she kept her cheeks slightly puffed, delicate as if it was made by the finest embroiderer in the Capital City, her well-formed eyebrows slightly furrowed, and her big, clear eyes lively like a little ball of snow in the winter.

Everyone has an appreciation for beauty, especially when he was bored at that time. Although only twelve years old, the mischievous Xiao He thought that the young lady should be about seven or eight years old by now. But she was still holding an Analects and reading it, which must’ve been very boring too. Although staring at others was not very polite, she would probably understand since they were both bored.

So, he watched as the young lady’s face became redder and redder, her eyes like glass beads darting faster and faster, clearly more and more uneasy, yet he continued watching without feeling there was anything wrong with what he was doing.

Just as Xiao He yawned for the third time, thinking perhaps next time he too should not finish his homework and go get punished with the others rather than sit idly, the young lady suddenly stood up unexpectedly, turning her head sharply in his direction with a flushed face. After a long pause, she finally managed to say, "Did you... did you find out?"

Xiao He, in the middle of his fourth yawn, was stunned, raising one eyebrow slightly, looking inexplicably at the young lady before him.

"Don’t pretend, you’ve been staring at me, you must have found out!"

The young lady nervously kneaded the Analects in her hands, seemingly about to crumple it with her grip, biting her lip as she said, "I... I don’t usually read this kind of book, I just... I just accidentally saw my cousin reading it a few days ago, asked what it was, and my cousin suddenly got very angry, saying this matter has nothing to do with children and told me not to meddle. Since then, every time my cousin sees me, her face is unpleasant, and she fiercely asks if I’ve told anyone about it, I... I got curious and asked Tao Liang to find me a copy to see what kind of book it is."

Her cousin was usually very nice to her, but she’d been so fierce lately. She was very unhappy.

She thought it must be this wretched book that strained their relationship! She just wanted to see what extraordinary ability this broken book had!

Unexpectedly, as she read, she found it quite enjoyable, which was what made her the most furious!

Xiao He was rarely stunned, completely not understanding what the young lady was talking about, but he did gather that her unusual behavior was related to the book in her hands.

He instinctively looked down at the Analects in her hands, and was quite surprised to find that after being kneaded by the young lady, the cover had come off, revealing the real cover of the book inside.

So, the so-called Analects was just a random cover she put on! He thought as much, that the daughter of Grand Tutor Song wouldn’t still be reading the Analects at her age!

He unconsciously stared at the book’s real cover, which was half-exposed, noticing its vividly colorful, almost garish design depicting a man and woman standing in a pavilion, seemingly in a close embrace.

Half of the book’s title was visible, showing two flamboyant characters "Mistaken Marriage..." the rest was unclear, but it instantly dawned on him—no wonder the young lady was so anxious, she was secretly reading such improper books!

He didn’t know why, but suddenly found it somewhat amusing, his smile growing deeper as he watched the young lady’s face turn redder and redder, until she resembled a ripe hawthorn berry. He chuckled lightly, playfully saying, "Young lady, it would be better not to read too much of such books."

As if with a "boom," the young lady’s neck turned red as well. She stood helpless for a long time before her eyes welled with shameful tears. Stamping her foot, she gritted her teeth, "I... I’ve said I was just curious to take a look, I don’t usually read this kind of book! You... you’re so hateful! I’m not talking to you anymore!"

Having said that, she abruptly turned and ran off in a huff.

Even long afterward, whenever Xiao He recalled this matter, he couldn’t help but feel immense regret.

If back then, when they first met, he hadn’t been so mischievous, hadn’t deliberately teased her like that, would Qingyun have felt differently about him? Could it have been him she liked from the start?

After that, Qingyun avoided him for a long time, leaving Xiao He both helpless and amused, harboring a slight, indescribable vexation. The more she avoided him, the more he couldn’t help but pay attention to her, seizing every opportunity to approach her, talk to her, and soothe the feathers he had ruffled.

However, when Qingyun finally was willing to interact with him normally, and he started to understand what these tangled feelings were, the girl who grew increasingly graceful approached him with bashful shyness like a budding flower and said, "Xiao Erlang, I heard you are Xiao Qilang’s cousin? What kind of person is Xiao Qilang usually?"

At that moment, Xiao He truly felt the mockery of fate.

Thinking back to those days now, Xiao He still can’t come to terms with it, and his smile carries a trace of bitterness as he talks about it.

Yet Xu Jing’s heart is completely clear.

So, such a thing happened between them as well, no wonder Song Erniang is now so shy about others knowing she’s writing storybooks.

Tracing it back, it partly lies on his loose tongue.

Moreover, it seems even Xiao He doesn’t know about Song Erniang writing storybooks.

Xu Jing looked at him with a bit of sympathy.

It seems his revolutionary path is still long and arduous.

But after all, he is her husband’s cousin. Xu Jing thought for a moment and decided to lend him a hand, saying very tactfully, "When you have time, you might want to check out a storybook written by someone called Cloud Hermit."

Xiao He was slightly surprised, "What’s so special about this Cloud Hermit?"

"Special, very special," said Xu Jing, completely unfazed, "Mainly, her stories about my detective work are especially good."