Chapter 27: Cuddling against the door crack, a faint shadow cast…

The wind blew gently, and the young man quietly approached.

Just as their noses were about to touch, Meng Jun suddenly stopped, his beautiful phoenix eyes opening wide with confusion.

Wait, something seemed off about the steps!

He frowned, seriously pondering with his hand on his chin, mumbling, “Wife-master and I, a woman and a man. Hmm, close eyes, then cuddle.”

Ah! That’s it!

The young man’s eyes suddenly lit up. He knew something felt strange – it was that his arms weren’t wrapped around Li Ruantang’s shoulders.

The hands cupping her cheeks gently fell to her thin shoulders.

Meng Jun took another breath, carefully estimating the distance to her lips, before nervously closing his eyes.

“Wife-wife-master, let me help you detoxify with a kiss.” The young man’s cheeks flushed as he softly explained.

His handsome face was like spring breezes blowing over the mountaintop, growing more beautiful with each inch closer.

The hands resting on Li Ruantang’s shoulders trembled uncontrollably. If not for the wide sleeves hiding them, his panic would have been obvious at a glance.

Her breath was so close.

Meng Jun felt his temples throbbing, his whole body seeming to catch fire. Even that heart hidden in his chest, tucked away in his ribcage, was pounding wildly. It felt like if he just opened his mouth, he could offer up his heart.

They were… about to touch.

The fingers on Li Ruantang’s shoulders unconsciously tightened. The young man forcefully swallowed the saliva that had somehow accumulated, and secretly opened one eye a crack.

Now if he just moved a tiny bit closer, they would touch. That faint sweet scent, like honey-coated candy, firmly held the young man’s attention.

They had both spent a night in the mountains, yet how was it that he was covered in mud while she still smelled so sweet?

The young man’s mind wandered for a moment. In that daze, Li Ruantang, who had seemed on the verge of waking, slowly opened her eyes.

Though her expression was very weary, upon seeing her little husband, her eyes instinctively curved into a smile.

She didn’t know what he had just been doing, but even his neck was flushed pink.

“Hmm, if I cuddle with wife-master, I might smell sweet too.”

The young man murmured softly to himself with his head down, deep in thought. “But it takes soaking for quite a while in a flower petal bath to absorb even a bit of fragrance. If we just cuddle—”

Meng Jun sighed worriedly. It was nearly afternoon now. They still needed to get back before sunset. He carefully counted on his fingers, calculating, “That would take two hours.”

“What needs two hours?” Li Ruantang asked curiously. She casually pulled him closer into her embrace. This was the mountaintop after all – even if the mountain breeze was warm, it was best not to be exposed too long.

“Just cuddling with wife-mas—” The explanation that was about to come out suddenly stopped, leaving only panic. “Wife-wife-master, you’re awake?”

“Mm.” Li Ruantang nodded, looking at those slightly disappointed phoenix eyes. Strange, her little darling was rarely so listless.

Even when she saw him this morning, the young man’s eyes were full of joy.

Could it be that her little husband was upset she had slept so deeply? No wonder, she was the one who said she would watch over him.

Li Ruantang made various guesses in her mind, casually placing her hand on his flushed face. “Darling, you—”

Before she could finish, the young man who had just been gloomy suddenly became nervous. “Eh? I, I absolutely didn’t have any other intentions!”

He could swear to it.

Li Ruantang: “……”

Her little husband’s eyes were wide and round, clearly hiding something in his heart. His words were so flustered, it was obviously a case of protesting too much.

Thinking of how her darling had been biting his lip in distress when she first opened her eyes.

Li Ruantang’s breath caught, and she secretly tightened her arms around him, suppressing that inexplicable restlessness.

“Wife-master, do, do you not believe me?” Seeing her only blush without speaking, the young man thought Li Ruantang had seen through his thoughts.

He hurriedly raised his finger, stammering, “Wife-master, I can swear to the Mountain Goddess.”

Ah Ning had said this place was all under the Mountain Goddess’s domain.

The young man’s eyes flickered, silently adding a prayer in his heart, “Mountain Goddess bear witness, I really had no other intentions just now, I, I just wanted—”

“Silly darling, why are you swearing for no reason?” Li Ruantang chuckled, about to casually ruffle his hair.

Unexpectedly, Meng Jun was startled by her sudden call, and the mumbling hidden in his heart burst out, “To cuddle with wife-master.”

“Cuddle?”

What strange new word was this?

Li Ruantang was stunned for a moment. The young man, realizing he had spoken the truth, suddenly covered his mouth. Oh no!

He had said it all out loud.

Tsk tsk tsk, he didn’t just want to cuddle. But he didn’t dare say he was trying to help detoxify her. With Li Ruantang’s personality, she would certainly question it thoroughly.

But right now……

Meng Jun dejectedly lowered his head. What kind of poison had she been afflicted with, whether the imperial edict still had room for reconsideration – these were all unknowns, all dependent on the news Wei jiejie would bring in two days.

Moreover, how was he to explain to her that he wasn’t actually her husband?

What if she hated him even more?

Wuu, if only he hadn’t lied from the start.

The young man’s whole face scrunched up in distress. Li Ruantang paused, thinking this so-called “cuddle” was likely another new term from those novels.

There wasn’t a single young man in the capital who didn’t love reading those inner chamber books.

Like that young master living next door to her, who enjoyed them immensely. Every three days he would go to the bookshop to see if there were any new releases.

That time she encountered him, that young master was hugging a book. However, he seemed to extremely dislike her.

Li Ruantang frowned slightly. Though she couldn’t recall what that young master looked like, she surprisingly remembered his eyes clearly from that time.

Even when he accidentally tripped, he had to fall dramatically to the other side, as if she were some fearsome beast to be avoided.

The hand she had stretched out was forcefully withdrawn into her sleeve when she saw the disgust in his eyes.

For some reason, she always felt her darling and that young master were very similar in some ways.

But how could someone who despised her so much become her husband?

No, it wasn’t possible.

Letting out a soft sigh, Li Ruantang nodded slightly.

Just as her smiling lips curled up, she suddenly blanked. Looking again at her darling obediently nestled against her shoulder, she immediately felt quite guilty.

She had actually been thinking of another man while holding her darling.

Realizing this, Li Ruantang’s brow furrowed sharply. She only held the person in her arms tighter, “Darling.”

“Mm?” The voice from her neck was weak. As he raised his face slightly to respond to her, the lowered head of Li Ruantang gently nuzzled his cheek.

“Eh eh eh eh!!” The young man was so startled he could barely speak. Like a withered flower drinking sweet dew, those beautiful phoenix eyes glimmered moistly.

He abruptly sat up straight, staring fixedly at the somewhat uncertain Li Ruantang. “Wife-wife-master, what, what are you doing?”

The young man turned his face away shyly, only peeking at the equally red-faced Li Ruantang from the corner of his eye. She was staring blankly, seeming to be in a state of surprised confusion.

Wasn’t this how to cuddle?

For the first time, Li Ruantang felt embarrassed, but what was done was done. She lightly coughed a few times and honestly said, “I just got carried away and did something foolish.”

After all, they were wife and husband. Li Ruantang lowered her eyes to look at her darling clutching her sleeve. As long as he didn’t mind her impulsiveness, it was fine.

Since it wasn’t cuddling cheeks, Li Ruantang’s scrutinizing gaze paused, fixating on the young man’s nose tip. Could it be there?

Just as she was pondering this, shouts echoed from far off in the forest.

“Miss Li—”

“Darling—”

Before Wei Yunruo left in the morning, she had sent someone to inform the Hu family. Now that Hu Sanniang knew their general location, she no longer had to wander aimlessly through the forest like a headless fly.

Following the markers Li Ruantang had made along the way, they finally found this mountain peak.

After the young man put on his shoes and tucked the two flower wreaths into a small bundle.

There was rustling behind the person-high grass.

Hu Sanniang was the first to emerge. Upon seeing Li Ruantang standing alive before her, she immediately burst into tears of joy.

Hu Youning, following behind her, was also panting heavily. He first exchanged simple greetings with Li Ruantang, then walked towards her darling sitting by the fire.

“Thank goodness you’re both alright, Miss Li.” Hu Sanniang wiped the sweat from her brow, saying with relief, “If Ning’er hadn’t left a bit late and accidentally received the news, I’m afraid we would have had to search for much longer to find you.”

“Three Niang, you’re saying someone sent word?”

“Yes.” Hu Sanniang looked confused. “What, didn’t Miss Li know?”

“……”

Li Ruantang was stunned for a moment. Thinking again of the peach pastry her darling had brought, she suddenly couldn’t tell if this person was friend or foe.

However, since the other party had extended a hand first, there was no need for her to be aggressive. After returning to the capital, she could investigate thoroughly before making any decisions.

As such, Li Ruantang smiled and nodded, glossing over the matter.

By the time the group returned to the Hu residence, the sun was already setting in the west.

Perhaps due to the effects of the astragalus, Li Ruantang now seemed much more energetic than when Meng Jun had first found her. After settling her little husband, she turned and went to the main hall to confer with Hu Sanniang.

On the shelf by the kang bed, a pair of flower wreaths with most of their petals fallen off were neatly displayed.

Hiding under the thin blanket, Meng Jun peeked out with just his eyes, looking again and again. Recalling how she had dazedly nuzzled him earlier, he immediately covered his face and rolled over.

He wondered when Li Ruantang would get carried away again.

Eep eep eep, what was he thinking!

The young man’s face reddened in embarrassment. Though he scolded himself fiercely in his heart, the corners of his mouth turned up happily.

Since he hadn’t been able to help detoxify her during the day, he would wait until nightfall when she was asleep, then quietly cuddle her.

This way he could help detoxify her without arousing Li Ruantang’s suspicions.

The more the young man thought about it, the more feasible this plan seemed.

“Darling.” Outside the window, Hu Youning crept closer and called to him very softly, “Come out for a moment.”

Li Ruantang could return from the main hall at any time. Hu Youning pondered for a moment, deciding some private words were best said in hiding.

As such, the door to the kitchen was uncharacteristically left ajar.

Meng Jun took the cup of tea Hu Youning handed him, moistening his throat before asking, “Ah Ning, do you have some secret to tell me?”

The young man’s eyes curved in a smile as he curiously watched Hu Youning, who seemed to be hesitating to speak. He rarely acted so secretive – could it be that something unexpected had happened again during the day and night?

For a moment, one was puzzled, the other was weighing his words.

Neither of the two young men noticed the faint shadow cast outside the door crack.

In truth, these matters between women and men shouldn’t be Hu Youning’s concern, but Miss Li was a good person, and someone he cared about.

In the past, the Wei jiejie that his darling spoke of was only in the capital, but now she had actually found her way to Hu Family Village. So there were some things he felt he must ask about clearly, to prevent Miss Li from being hurt in body and mind.

Hu Youning raised his eyes, fixing them on those beautiful phoenix eyes, and asked very seriously, “Darling, do you still have feelings for Wei jiejie now?”