Chapter 29 029 Mid-Autumn Night

Chapter 29: 029 Mid-Autumn Night

She ran toward him like a little swallow, her skirt fluttering in the wind, a bright smile warming his heart and dazzling his eyes—utterly adorable. Qin Yan stood still, his calm heart suddenly began to race wildly, and he couldn't help taking a deep breath to steady himself.

What's gotten into her? Today she's so warm toward him, unlike the coldness of the past few days. He should have avoided her, but Qin Yan didn't move, waiting for her to throw herself into his arms.

She did embrace Qin Yan, but only by latching onto his arm, sticking close, and acting concerned.

"Husband, are you hungry? Have you eaten?" She tilted her head, her innocent eyes blinking, gazing at him innocently. Her expression carried a hint of flattery and ulterior motive.

Qin Yan didn't notice her eyes; instead, he was stunned by her calling him "husband." He had heard "Lord Qin" or "Marquis" most often, but no one had ever called him "husband"—only her. Qin Yan felt both surprised and a little awkward, as if they were the most ordinary couple out of thousands, no different from commoners.

But he was composed and quickly regained his cool. Glancing down at the arm she was clinging to, he said, "Not yet. What is it?"

"I haven't eaten either. Let's have a meal together."

Whether he agreed or not, Qiao Wanyue pulled him into the room. Naturally, Qin Yan wouldn't refuse. After all, they had been in a cold war for days. Since she'd made the first move, Qin Yan was happy to let bygones be bygones.

The midday meal had been specially prepared. Qiao Wanyue had observed that Qin Yan wasn't picky but preferred light food and avoided anything spicy or sour. So there were no spicy dishes on the table—everything was mild, suitable for both of them.

Qiao Wanyue put on an attentive act, but Qin Yan quickly noticed something unusual. His sharp eyes swept over her, but he didn't call her out on it, waiting for her to be unable to hold back and speak first.

After drinking half her soup, Qiao Wanyue couldn't swallow another drop. She stole a glance at Qin Yan, who was eating well. Now was the perfect time to speak.

"Marquis, is the household cutting back on expenses?"

Switching back to her old way of addressing him, Qiao Wanyue felt more at ease. Calling him "husband" earlier had given her goosebumps.

At this, Qin Yan suddenly remembered. Earlier, he had noticed how extravagantly the second and third branches lived and told them to be more frugal and avoid waste in the future. How did Qiao Wanyue find out? Who told her?

"Yes, that's right," Qin Yan replied quickly, glancing at the table and then around the room, thinking maybe the servants had been mistreating her. But seeing the room and the dishes no different from usual, he was even more puzzled.

"Why did you suddenly bring this up?"

Qiao Wanyue didn't want to come off as petty, but what choice did she have? Madam Yang seemed to be targeting her, including the previous matter of household management. If she let herself be bullied without fighting back, even the servants would dare to push her around.

How could she live like that?

The young woman looked down, biting her lip slightly, her expression a bit aggrieved. "It's nothing major. Mother just said the household needs to cut expenses, so the monthly allowance and festival gifts have been reduced."

She loved money—she would mutter about it when her clothes got dirty. Now that her allowance was cut, she was definitely unhappy, probably cursing him in her mind.

Qin Yan nodded, indicating he understood. "I'll go see Mother later."

"Forget it," Qiao Wanyue said, suppressing her delight. She said "forget it" but was actually thinking about how Qin Yan would talk to Madam Yang. Would he rat her out? Probably not—Qin Yan wasn't that dumb. Throwing her under the bus would only make things worse between them, and Qin Yan certainly didn't want that.

"Don't worry about it."

She was saying the opposite, and Qin Yan could tell.

After the meal, Qin Yan went to Madam Yang's, while Qiao Wanyue relaxed in the pavilion. The gentle breeze brushed across her face like silk, making her so comfortable she closed her eyes and got drowsy. She swayed, on the verge of dozing off.

Just then, Hongmei quietly approached and whispered, "Madam, I found out what you asked me to look into."

Qiao Wanyue immediately opened her eyes, her drowsiness gone. She sat up straight. "What's the word?"

"Xiaochun from the kitchen said that the second and third branches also had their allowances and gifts cut, but their maids were dodgy and didn't want to discuss it. She thinks something's fishy."

"What do you think, Madam?"

Qiao Wanyue waved her hand and smiled. "Of course they don't want to talk about it. Let it go. We'll just keep it to ourselves."

Besides, Qin Yan had already gone to Madam Yang's; he would probably be back soon.

Qiao Wanyue yawned. She was really sleepy after lunch, her mind foggy and completely drained. Seeing this, Hongmei said, "You should go inside and take a nap. There's the family banquet tonight."

The family banquet was bound to be uncomfortable—so many eyes watching, you couldn't eat too much or too little, and you had to deal with those people. Just thinking about it annoyed Qiao Wanyue. But as the wife of the Marquis, she couldn't skip it, so she had to nap now to regain her strength.

Qiao Wanyue went to sleep. Before she'd even been asleep for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Qin Yan returned from Madam Yang's. He checked on her in the bedroom, saw she was sleeping, and went back to the guest room.

A while later, Nanny Liu came, bringing the full monthly allowance and festival gifts. Qiao Wanyue was still sleeping, so Hongmei received them. Nanny Liu said in honeyed tones, taking all the blame on herself, saying it was her oversight and that the Dowager Madam had no idea about it.

Hongmei played along and sent her off. When Qiao Wanyue woke up, Hongmei told her about Nanny Liu's visit. Qiao Wanyue just nodded and said, "I know," and dropped the matter.

Now that the allowance and gifts were made up, she didn't want to keep bringing it up and risk looking petty.

When she saw it was almost time, Qiao Wanyue changed clothes to get ready for the evening family banquet.

Qin Yan also came at the right time. Although they slept in separate rooms, they had to attend the banquet together. Both of them knew how to behave.

The man stood in the room and looked around. In just a few days, all trace of him had vanished; every corner was filled with hers. The room held a faint, delicate fragrance. Fresh flowers adorned the table, and various bottles and jars lined the dressing table—all evidence that this room belonged to a woman.

His chest felt tight, though he couldn't say why. It was simply that he no longer saw any of his clothes or anything that belonged to him.

Qin Yan turned and went outside to wait for her. Soon, after applying some lip balm, Qiao Wanyue came out.

They walked to the main hall in silence without a word. At the banquet, they exchanged a few trivial words. Madam Yang was quiet tonight, likely due to the issue of the allowance and gifts.

Qiao Wanyue acted as if nothing had happened, even pouring her wine. Madam Yang forced a smile, stiff and somewhat gritting her teeth.

Qiao Wanyue pretended not to notice, cheerfully ate her meal, and then returned to the courtyard with Qin Yan.

In truth, she hadn't eaten her fill at the banquet, so as soon as she got back, she had Zhu Qing cook a bowl of noodles. A hot bowl of noodles, a few bites in, and her stomach felt fully satisfied.

Just as she was enjoying it, she looked up to see Qin Yan enter. Hongmei and Zhu Qing exchanged glances and quietly slipped out, leaving the two alone.

"Didn't you get enough to eat tonight?" Qin Yan asked.

"Oh, I got hungry again. Do you want some?"

Qin Yan shook his head and sat down across from her. His temples were slightly damp, and he carried the scent of water—he had just bathed.

Today was Mid-Autumn Festival. By tradition, Qin Yan should stay the night, so that's why he had come.

Suddenly, Qiao Wanyue didn't feel like eating anymore. She turned her head awkwardly, then back again, asking knowingly, "Why are you here?"

"Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival."

"Oh."

She slowly chewed the noodles, took a few more bites, then put down her chopsticks. She went to bathe and change. When she came out dressed, Qin Yan had already gotten into bed.

Qiao Wanyue poured him a cup of tea and placed it by the bedside. "Would you like some tea?"

She had been unusually attentive more than once today. Qin Yan instinctively felt she had something else to say to him.

Just leave it there.

She put down the tea and then got into bed to sleep.

Now unable to sleep, she turned over to face him and asked, "What did you say to Mother today?"

Qin Yan, lying flat on his back, turned over and said, "I didn't say much. The monthly allowance and festival gifts from the manor don't need to be skimped on."

She frowned. "That's it? Nothing else?"

"What did you think I would say?"

"I don't know."

Qin Yan curled his lips in a smile. The little girl wasn't someone who'd let herself be taken advantage of; she came to him to complain over the smallest thing. That was good—it showed she trusted him.

Qin Yan himself didn't think it was a big deal, but in Qiao Wanyue's eyes, his willingness to stand by her side spoke volumes.

The young girl's eyes flickered, and she awkwardly managed to say, "Thank you, Marquis."

"What for?" Qin Yan didn't let her off easily, deliberately asking another question.

She turned over, facing away from him, hiding her expression and slightly flushed cheeks.

"Nothing."

The person behind her was silent. Just as Qiao Wanyue thought he had fallen asleep, a hand crawled over her like an ant, light and ticklish.

She trembled all over and didn't dare move. Seeing his hand moving further down, Qiao Wanyue grew anxious. She turned around when he wasn't expecting it and, with a laugh, gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Marquis, do you like kissing me?"

Caught red-handed, Qin Yan felt incredibly awkward but still didn't admit it. "No."

Qiao Wanyue smiled lightly. "I know."

She wasn't stupid; she could sense it.

Under the man's slight change in expression, she slowly said, "I've got my period. Let's go to sleep."

Qin Yan was taken aback for a moment. He kept his hand on her waist. He just gave a neutral "Mm" and said "go to sleep."

His calmness surprised Qiao Wanyue. She had thought he would let go of her or even go back.

She closed her eyes and went to sleep, breathing evenly and not feeling uncomfortable. Qin Yan, however, wasn't so comfortable. The soft body giving off a faint fragrance made it hard for him to resist doing something.

So Qin Yan bent down and kissed her once, then again after a moment...

Qiao Wanyue forced her sleepy eyes open and looked at him. "Are you going to sleep or not?"

Qin Yan wanted to sleep, but before sleeping, he wanted to hear her say those two words. However, after holding back for a long time, he couldn't make himself ask. So he just lay there with his eyes open, looking at her, and then wanted to kiss her.

He felt obsessed; otherwise, how could he explain always wanting to kiss her?

go to sleep.

This time, the two finally fell asleep.

-

After a few days of peace, Lin Susu finally came to find her. Qiao Wanyue had been waiting anxiously all these days, and now seeing Su Su, she cheered excitedly.

She immediately ordered Hongmei to go to the accounting office to withdraw silver. She was going out shopping with Su Su.

Hongmei returned quickly, having obtained another fifty taels. Without further ado, Qiao Wanyue took Lin Susu by the hand and went out.

On the way, she didn't forget to vent her frustrations. "I've been bored to death in the manor. I haven't gone out since I got married. If I don't come out soon, summer will be over."

"Me too."

Lin Susu hugged her. "Let's eat first, then go have fun at Feiyun Manor."

At the mention of Feiyun Manor, Qiao Wanyue's expression changed. She could never forget being thrown into prison.

"Wasn't Feiyun Manor shut down?"

"The people behind it are powerful. It was closed for a few days and then reopened."

Lin Susu revealed to her, "I heard it's run by a relative of the imperial family. So people from all walks of life have to give face."