Chapter 610: People Change

Chapter 610: Chapter 610: People Change

"Knock, knock, knock..." There was a crisp call from outside the study, "Master, we’ve made some soup for you. Please have some."

When Bai Changqing was in the study, no one dared to enter. Even the Xu Family Sisters would only knock, and only allowed in after receiving permission.

Rubbing his vaguely aching forehead, Bai Changqing leaned back in his chair, forcing a faint smile onto his face. "Come in."

The Xu Family Sisters both entered, one in front of the other. One carried a small soup pot, the other held a tray with a set of bowl and chopsticks, both looking fresh and charming.

"Master, please rest. I simmered this soup all day—it’s a nourishing recipe passed down in my family. Housekeeper Zhang saw it and said it’s excellent, and it smells so good! Please try it!"

Older sister Xu Zhiyuan ladled a bowl from the pot; younger sister Xu Zhidi carried the bowl, smiling brightly as she handed it to Bai Changqing.

Looking at the two sisters trying to please him, much of Bai Changqing’s gloom dispersed. People say "dead wood can bring forth spring"; he used to find that exaggerated, but now he deeply understood. Every time he saw the clear smiles of the two women, he felt invigorated.

He blew on it and took a sip—honestly, it was quite good.

After finishing the soup, he picked up his chopsticks to eat the ingredients inside. Seeing the sisters so happy, Bai Changqing extended his bowl for another serving. He knew very well—if he ate more, it meant their skill was good, and that would please them more than a few words of praise.

These days since their marriage, Bai Changqing was surprised to discover this attentive and gentle side of himself. He had spent decades with his first wife yet was never like this. Perhaps people truly do change?

Once he finished two bowls, the sisters were indeed all smiles. Xu Zhiyuan cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, while Xu Zhidi—as usual—tried to snuggle and finally got her wish, curling up in Bai Changqing’s arms like a gentle kitten. Xu Zhiyuan, meanwhile, moved behind him to quietly massage his shoulders and neck in concern.

"If you’re tired, you should rest. You’ve stayed up so late," Xu Zhiyuan, unable to bear her husband’s exhaustion, hesitated before finally voicing her concern.

"Mm. You two go to sleep first, I’ll stay up a bit longer."

Standing behind Bai Changqing, Xu Zhiyuan spoke while quickly scanning the table, her eyes flickering briefly before returning to normal.

After a round of massaging, Xu Zhidi in his arms was starting to seem sleepy. Bai Changqing, unwilling to keep the two women up with him in the study, sent them off to their rooms to rest; no need to stay here. Only after they left did he pick up the documents on the desk and continue reviewing them, while scribbling some thoughts and plans in a notebook at the side.

There’s a phrase "Sharing a bed but dreaming different dreams,"—it’s the most apt description for Bai Changqing’s romance between an old husband and young wives. More accurately, it’s a one-sided "different dream," rather pitiable for Bai Changqing.

Carrying the soup pot and bowls back, there was no need for the Xu Family Sisters to clean up themselves. Once they exited the study, servants immediately came to take the items, while the sisters chatted animatedly about how delicious Bai Changqing found the soup, and discussed whether they should cook something different tomorrow.

Though their voices sounded sleepy along the way, it was clear both women were very happy. The servants around them exchanged knowing smiles, serving politely alongside.

Once everything was tidied up, it was already late at night. The sisters donned loose robes, got into bed, turned off the lights, and slept; the servants were finally able to rest as well.

"Sister, did you see it?"

"Yes, I saw it."

Even in the deep quiet of night, lying in bed in their room, the sisters were cautious when wishing to speak, resorting to using their fingers to write words on each other’s palms instead of speaking out loud, their hands concealed beneath the thin covers.

"What were those?"

"They looked like old Ministry of Revenue documents, with details on wartime grain distribution strategies."

"Are these things the Ministry of Revenue is supposed to do next? Is this useful information?"

"Of course. Lord Wang gave us the task—watch his every move. Same old rules: once he leaves tomorrow, we’ll send the info back."

This finger-writing-on-palm method could only be done with special training; most people could only manage a word or two, not such long sentences.

"But sister, I feel Old Bai treats us well. Won’t what we’re doing harm him?"

"Treats us well? His children once tried to poison us both. If I hadn’t been quick, our corpses would have rotted by now. Has he ever avenged us? It was just a whipping for punishment, didn’t even drive them out. And you still feel guilty?"

"I don’t know, I just feel he genuinely cares for us. Besides, that’s his own son—it’s normal he can’t bear to kill him, isn’t it?"

"Zhidi, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for him?" Xu Zhiyuan felt uneasy; she didn’t expect her younger sister to suddenly say this.

"How could I! Sister, you’re overthinking. It’s just... just a bit hard to bear. I think Old Bai is a good man."

Xu Zhiyuan’s vigilance rose to its highest. She warned, "If your feelings waver, you should think of that person. Remember his face and those eyes. You should know what would happen if we fell in love with Bai Changqing. The torture victims tied to the stone pillars—you haven’t forgotten their misery, have you? And our family..."

Hearing her sister mention "that person" and "those eyes," Xu Zhidi involuntarily shivered. She knew her sister meant Lord Shen of the Xuanqing Guard. His cold, snake-like eyes often haunted her dreams, along with repeated images from the torture chamber.

But after coming to the Bai Mansion, those nightmares became rare. Only now, with her sister’s reminder, did cold sweat soak her back.

Feeling her sister’s fear, Xu Zhiyuan let out a breath, pulled her close, and patted her back in comfort, "This is our fate. If we follow the mission honestly, we can live; maybe one day, we’ll be free. That person always keeps his word with subordinates—this I believe. But if we develop feelings we shouldn’t have, we’ll die without a burial."

"Yes, I understand, sister. I won’t think that way anymore."

"As long as you know. Besides, this information is about the Ministry of Revenue, not Old Bai himself. It’s for Lord Wang to use as reference—won’t target Old Bai."

This final reassurance thoroughly soothed Xu Zhidi’s anxiety. The sisters chatted a bit more before falling into deep sleep. Bai Changqing, meanwhile, only returned to lie down shortly before dawn, his mind full of worries and not much thought left for his young wives.

The next morning, after Bai Changqing went off on official duty, the sisters said they wanted to bathe in cold water. Using the time when no one was near, they took out their hidden Thousand-Mile Sound device, transmitting what they’d seen in Bai Changqing’s study yesterday and the content summary. They used a cipher method taught during training, impossible to understand for anyone ignorant of its secrets.