dognovel Chapter 191 Greetings
Chapter 191 Greetings
Xiao Jiaojiao was personally escorted back to the fourth household by a nanny.
After everyone had gone far away, Madam Xing turned around, grabbed her daughter's arm, and asked curiously,
"Did you see or hear anything?"
Those curious eyes were full of curiosity.
Xiao Qianqian still turned her face away and threw a tantrum.
"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know anything, I didn't see or hear anything!"
Seeing that her daughter was still angry, Madam Xing immediately stepped forward, took her arm, and rubbed it for her.
"Good Qianqian, what Mother did just now was for that girl from the fourth branch of the family to see. If I wasn't strict, I don't know what that brat would say when she got back. How could Mother bear to hit you? Quickly tell Mother what you just saw?"
Xiao Qianqian was spoiled and had an extremely bad temper. She turned her head away unhappily and shook off his hand.
"I told you I didn't know! Why are you still asking?"
Xiao Yirou, being clever and perceptive, immediately stepped forward and said,
“Madam, we just saw Third Brother lift his veil and fall asleep immediately. The bride then got out of bed, blew out the lamp, and went to sleep as well. Fearing that Third Brother might be drunk, the two of them didn’t say anything to each other.”
Hearing Xiao Yirou say this, Madam Xing felt rather bored.
This is usually how wedding nights are; what is she expecting?
Qiao Qingshu and Xiao Zhijie slept soundly that night, but someone else couldn't sleep at all.
Xiao Chengyan did not go to Liu Wan'er's room tonight, but stayed in his study to practice calligraphy.
Having drunk a few extra glasses of wine at the banquet, he was quite agitated, and his handwriting was illegible.
He angrily tore the Xuan paper into a ball and threw it forward in a huff.
Qiao Qingshu's image kept appearing in his mind, and Princess Yongxian's ugly face would occasionally pop into his head.
He even began to resent Liu Wan'er. If it weren't for her, why would Qiao Qingshu insist on breaking off the engagement with him?
And now he has no choice but to marry that smelly, ugly, pockmarked princess.
Enraged, he rushed into the yard and started kicking the osmanthus tree in the yard.
It was already late at night, but a woman in green suddenly emerged from the corridor in the distance.
Xiao Chengyan rebuked him warily.
"Who's there!"
The woman walked out gracefully; it was none other than his half-sister, Xiao Yirou.
Xiao Chengyan pursed his lips and lectured,
"What are you doing wandering around here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping! Go back to sleep."
Xiao Yirou walked down from the corridor, the pale yellow lanterns shining on her.
Xiao Chengyan was momentarily dazed; his sister had actually come out wearing only a thin nightgown.
The moonlight revealed her figure almost completely.
He used to pay little attention to this younger sister because he already had his own sister, Xiao Qianqian, and dealing with her was tiring enough. He had no time to bother with his other half-sisters.
Thinking back to when Yi Rou was just a little girl last year, with a delicate figure, how could she have grown into such a beautiful woman in just one year?
She has grown into a young woman, and looks even more charming under the moonlight.
But after all, they were half-siblings, and Xiao Chengyan adopted the airs of an older brother, scolding him.
"Aren't you afraid of freezing to death dressed like that? Go back inside and go to sleep."
Xiao Yirou, however, seemed not to hear his reprimand, her face full of gentle, understanding beauty.
"Brother, are you unhappy? Qiao Qingshu should be your wife, not Xiao Zhijie's."
These words struck a chord with Xiao Chengyan, but he had no intention of opening up to his half-sister.
He ignored her and turned to walk back to his room.
But then a soft, delicate body rushed up from behind and hugged his waist.
The warm, youthful scent and soft body embraced her.
A soft, delicate voice came from behind.
“Brother, Yi Rou is always by your side. If you are unhappy, remember that Yi Rou will always be here for you.”
These words were actually quite ambiguous, but Xiao Chengyan didn't think much of it, taking it as her younger sister trying to be friendly.
He forcefully pried her fingers apart, shoved her back, and said in a heartless tone,
"If you don't go back to sleep, don't blame me for calling your mother out to punish you."
These words proved true. Xiao Yirou was originally a concubine's daughter and was usually very afraid of Madam Xing. Upon hearing this, she dared not make any more trouble.
She just stared with her two big, watery eyes as Xiao Chengyan disappeared into the night.
She thought to herself,
"Brother, you are mine, you belong only to me, and no one can take you away from me."
The next morning.
When Qiao Qingshu woke up, she was still a little dazed when she opened her eyes.
Looking at the unfamiliar bed ceiling, the unfamiliar surroundings, and the man beside her, she couldn't help but feel as if she were in another world.
Turning her head, she saw that the man was still asleep. Seeing that it was already bright outside, she nudged the person next to her.
"Wake up."
Xiao Zhijie rubbed his eyes, pretending to have just woken up.
Actually, he had woken up half an hour earlier, and he had been staring blankly at her sleeping face until now.
He sat up to get dressed, but Qiao Qingshu handed him a handkerchief from under the bed sheet.
Xiao Zhijie's face flushed red instantly. He knew the meaning of the handkerchief; the bride was to bleed on her wedding night.
However, he slept soundly all night, and the two did not consummate their marriage. Now, it was his newlywed wife who reminded him, and Xiao Zhijie was naturally blushing.
But Qiao Qingshu showed no shyness whatsoever; instead, she said anxiously,
"The old lady will definitely send someone to collect it as soon as possible, so we need to think of a way quickly."
After saying that, she immediately jumped off the bed barefoot, took out a hairpin from her dressing box, pricked her palm, and smeared the blood on her snow-white handkerchief.
Watching her finish all this, Xiao Zhijie still looked completely bewildered.
He knew that a woman would bleed on her wedding night, but he never expected Qiao Qingshu to fake it so calmly.
Looking at the bright red handkerchief, he hesitated. In fact, he hadn't been so drunk last night that he was unconscious.
He was faking being drunk.
He was about to set off for war in half a month, so he did not want to ruin Qiao Qingshu's chastity. If he could return victorious, then they would naturally become husband and wife again.
But if he were to die on the battlefield, he didn't want Qiao Qingshu to be a widow for him; it would be easier for her to remarry while still a virgin.
At this point, he didn't want to hide anything and told Qiao Qingshu his plans.
"I won't touch you. We'll talk about everything when I return from the battlefield. If I come back, we'll naturally become a loving couple. But if I don't come back, it'll be easier for you to marry someone else while you're still a virgin."
Qiao Qingshu was looking down at the handkerchief, never expecting Xiao Zhijie to say such a thing.
She was momentarily stunned and looked up at him.
He had actually considered these things for her, which was something Qiao Qingshu had never expected.
Just as Qiao Qingshu was about to say something, there was a knock on the door, and a voice came from outside.
"Young Master, it's time for the Young Madam to get up. She still needs to go to the main courtyard to pay her respects to the Old Madam later."