“Wi-wife-master?! You’re awake?” The young gentleman, who was just bending down to get his shoes, was startled and hurriedly pretended to be thirsty, going to the table to pour a cup of tea.

Li Ruantang gave a low “mm” sound, and had just propped herself up when she saw the guilty Jiu Jiu standing by the table, dawdling and unwilling to come over.

“It’s cold in this room. You should put on an outer robe even when getting up at night.”

The outer robe placed on his shoulders still carried her fragrance. The young gentleman sniffed it lightly, feeling increasingly regretful in his heart. Why did she have to wake up?

After being in the night for a while, things became clearer to see.

Li Ruantang stared steadily at her little husband’s gloomy expression, her heart softening. She lightly lifted his chin with her fingers, lowered her brow, and brushed his lips like a spring breeze.

In an instant, countless peach blossoms bloomed, inlaid at the corners of his eyes and brows, pinking his cheeks. Even the heart hidden in his chest seemed to be tightly gripped, wanting only to be closer.

The young gentleman stared up dazedly, those beautiful phoenix eyes even brighter in the night. He seemed to have said nothing, yet also seemed to have said everything.

“Silly Jiu Jiu.” Li Ruantang’s face was also red as she hugged him, “I’ve been too busy these past few days. In the future—”

These words always seemed a bit shameless to say, but it wasn’t a problem to say them to one’s beloved.

She paused, her voice lowering again and again, but it was like a fire, burning the young gentleman so that he couldn’t help but feel a scorching heat rising from the soles of his feet.

“After we return to the capital, I’ll accompany Jiu Jiu every day, okay?”

“Wi-wife-master, what about cuddling?” Resisting the embarrassment surging from his heart, Meng Jun secretly pinched his thigh, forcing himself to stay clearheaded.

He still needed to detoxify her!

Li Ruantang’s breath caught, her face reddening a few more shades as she nodded lightly.

The young gentleman understood that she meant they would cuddle every day. In that case, if they cuddled once, it would be but a moment. If they calculated a night as three hours, it would take at least two or three months.

Meng Jun lay in the blankets, counting on his fingers over and over again. He didn’t feel sleepy at all. He moved his buckwheat pillow closer to Li Ruantang and whispered enthusiastically, “Wife-master, do you feel anything now?”

He didn’t know if this momentary cuddling had helped alleviate some of the toxins.

But these words sounded very ambiguous to Li Ruantang’s ears.

“…Very, very comfortable.”

Hmm, that’s right, that’s right, her lips were so soft, it really was very comfortable to cuddle, Meng Jun thought distractedly.

In the darkness, Li Ruantang’s ears were red enough to drip blood, but her little husband still persisted, asking again, “What else?”

There certainly was more, but it couldn’t be spoken, otherwise it would be hard to restrain herself.

“…Jiu Jiu.” Li Ruantang took a deep breath and reached out to tuck the thin blanket around the young gentleman, “Go to sleep now.”

“Oh.” Meng Jun obediently closed his eyes. He had been exhausted for a long time, and if he hadn’t been worried about Li Ruantang’s poison, he wouldn’t have persisted until now.

Now that they had agreed to cuddle every day, they could detoxify slowly.

The young gentleman felt a great weight lift from his heart, and before long he skillfully rolled into Li Ruantang’s arms.

He slept sweetly.

The originally tired girl slowly opened her eyes. She smiled softly and reached out to brush the corners of her little husband’s lips in the air, “Little silly.”

The young gentleman in her arms had curved eyebrows and eyes, as if having a sweet dream. She wondered if she would be in his dreams.

*

After continuous heavy rain, the sky grew clearer day by day.

After last night’s tossing and turning, the young gentleman unsurprisingly overslept. Even the three members of the Hu family slept in a bit longer than usual.

Li Ruantang was accustomed to waking up early. She had just pushed open the courtyard door when the branches and leaves of the surrounding trees suddenly moved without wind. In an instant, several masked women in black clothes lightly descended from above.

“Young Miss, we subordinates have come late.”

Over the past few days, they had been repeatedly set up, but fortunately the sisters following Wei Yunruo had news that her carriage had left Changshan Gully. Only then did they split into two groups and pursue into Hu Family Village.

After all, it was unreasonable for the Hanlin Academy’s Editing Official to come to such a place that had just experienced a mudslide for no reason.

Moreover, on that day when the Young Miss fell off the cliff, Wei Yunruo was also nearby.

The lead woman lowered her head, “Young Miss, in the past few days, Her Majesty’s headaches have become increasingly severe. Even Doctor Su cannot gain an audience.”

“……”

Li Ruantang frowned slightly, but still couldn’t remember who these people were. She only relied on the familiarity of their voices and said softly, “This place may be related to the Golden Elixir case. Go and investigate if there’s anything fishy about that Fu family’s Fu Lanxian.”

“Yes.”

“Wife-master?!” In the courtyard, the thin door was hastily pushed open, and Jiu Jiu’s anxious voice searching for someone came through clearly.

Her clingy little husband.

Li Ruantang felt a slight sweetness in her heart. She raised her voice to respond, not noticing the astonishment in the eyes of those who had bowed their heads to receive orders.

“Young Miss—” The lead woman, named Wei Dan, was Li Ruantang’s personal maid. Since returning to the capital, she had followed Li Ruantang and had encountered the owner of this voice before – the ninth young master of the Meng family, Young Master Meng Jun.

Although the two of them had fallen off the cliff together, everyone present at the time said it was Young Master Meng who had pulled the Young Miss, causing this accident.

Who knew if this “wife-master” of his might be a trick. Wei Dan, being loyal, hurriedly cupped her fists, wanting to remind Li Ruantang.

But footsteps came from behind the courtyard gate.

Li Ruantang had no time to listen further. She hastily waved her hand, signaling Wei Dan and the others to hide.

Creaking—

The young gentleman, who had been searching confusedly for Li Ruantang in his sleepy state, came running out. His hair was still half-loose. Upon seeing Li Ruantang standing there perfectly fine, he didn’t think twice before burying himself in her arms, hugging her tightly. His voice had a hint of crying, “Wife-master, I thought you had disappeared again.”

Perhaps he had been frightened too badly these past two days.

This morning when he opened his eyes and didn’t see her, Meng Jun’s heart was so upset he could barely breathe. Afraid that everything last night had been a dream, he hadn’t found Li Ruantang at all.

“Silly Jiu Jiu.” Li Ruantang smiled, embracing her little husband and slowly walking back. Her face was gentle, her eyes sweeping slightly over the branches and leaves of the big tree, “I just came out for some fresh air.”

Jiu Jiu?

Wei Dan, hidden in the tree, was stunned. She disbelievingly rubbed her ears. Had the Young Miss and Young Master Meng found true love through adversity?

She patted her chest in slight fear. It was fortunate she hadn’t spoken rudely to Young Master Meng earlier. Otherwise, given the Young Miss’s temperament, she would likely face severe punishment.

Wei Dan chuckled, glancing several times at the Hu family courtyard before leaving. It wasn’t easy to make the Young Miss’s iron tree bloom. Young Master Meng truly had some ability.

It should be known that even when Young Master Qi had chased her to the border, he couldn’t get the Young Miss to spare him a glance. Moreover, in terms of appearance and family background, Young Master Qi was far more suitable for the Young Miss than Young Master Meng.

It showed how truly mysterious this word “love” was.

She sighed repeatedly. Inside the half-closed door.

The completely unaware young gentleman was sitting properly on the bench. Those beautiful phoenix eyes secretly watched Li Ruantang changing clothes. The fingers on his knees tightly curled as he stammered, “Wi-wife-master, I’ve rinsed my mouth, many times.”

“Hmm?”

She didn’t understand what cuddling meant. Meng Jun could only suppress the embarrassment rising to his cheeks and carefully reminded her, “Then… when are we going to cuddle today?”