Su Xiaoqi gazed ahead, looking at the scenery outside Mianzhou City.
Yuanbao Mountain stood to the south, its rolling peaks resembling an ink-wash landscape painting.
Lighter above, darker below, the deep verdure was exceptionally beautiful.
The moat not far away was shrouded in white mist, creating a hazy, ethereal atmosphere.
Just as Su Xiaoqi thought Shen Yun would say no more and she could focus on the scenery, Shen Yun spoke:
"He is not called Qi Yunwei. Perhaps he should be called Chu Yunwei."
Su Xiaoqi's heart skipped a beat.
Instead of joy at being enlightened, she felt more depressed.
She believed Qi Yunwei's name appeared because she knew the subsequent plot.
But where did Shen Yun learn of it?
Thinking this, Su Xiaoqi asked, "How did you know?"
Shen Yun chuckled, then reached up to brush away a stray lock of hair from Su Xiaoqi's forehead, moving it down to her pink lips, and tapped his own lips with another finger.
The meaning was clear: kiss me, and I'll tell you.
"Shen Yun..." Su Xiaoqi pouted and glared at him.
"Your husband is here. What do you need, my dear wife?" Shen Yun playfully teased Su Xiaoqi in all seriousness.
"You... you wait." Su Xiaoqi leaned against the carriage wall, then remembered she hadn't leveled up in a long time.
Biting her lip, she suddenly lunged at Shen Yun.
Before she could cover Shen Yun's thin lips, she distinctly heard his almost inaudible low chuckle.
He was mocking her.
Su Xiaoqi became angry and began to playfully ravage Shen Yun's mouth, sucking and swirling.
Shen Yun, feeling the sudden brute force of the delicate woman in his embrace, laughed even harder.
His expression was extremely placid, as if he were lying down, waiting to be 'humiliated' by Su Xiaoqi.
Su Xiaoqi, seizing the irresistible impulse, went wild, biting and sucking without any pattern.
The result was that she ended up looking dishevelled.
"My dear wife's technique is a little rusty. Would you like your husband to lend you a hand?" Shen Yun, while enjoying the soft jade and warm fragrance, did not forget to make sarcastic remarks.
Su Xiaoqi, unwilling to concede in this matter, was instantly fueled by her temper.
She pounced onto Shen Yun's lap and, mimicking his usual manner, lifted his chin with one hand, gently covered his lips, first with a tempestuous storm, then slowly calming down to gentle tenderness.
Then, like breathing, she lingered and savored...
"Mmm..." Shen Yun could still maintain control over Su Xiaoqi's intentional roughness.
But when she slowed down the rhythm, he could no longer restrain himself, letting out a long, drawn-out moan.
Seeing him stirred, Su Xiaoqi deliberately pulled away, causing the tenderness flowing between them to abruptly cease.
She was doing it on purpose, deliberately tormenting Shen Yun.
But ultimately, she underestimated Shen Yun.
What kind of person was he that she could control him?
"Silly wife," Shen Yun murmured softly, suddenly gripping her slender waist. With one hand shielding the back of her head, he pressed her against the seat, securing her, and with a smooth maneuver, pushed her down, taking liberties.
When Su Xiaoqi alighted from the carriage, her lips were red and swollen.
Shen Yun's lips, on the other hand, were even broken.
"Hmph!" Su Xiaoqi shot Shen Yun a glare and took out her homemade lip balm to apply.
It was a wonderful item, moisturizing, reducing swelling and bruising, and with immediate effect.
But when Shen Yun's gaze indicated he wanted some, Su Xiaoqi deliberately ignored him.
However, she soon gave in.
Because Shen Yun suddenly embraced her and whispered a threat in her ear.
If she didn't let him use it, he would rub against her lips.
"You, Shen Yun, you are truly shameless," Su Xiaoqi exclaimed in exasperation.
"Thank you for the compliment, my dear wife," Shen Yun replied, unfazed.
Su Xiaoqi was so choked that she couldn't utter a word and obediently presented the lip balm to Shen Yun, then pointedly remarked, "This is one I've used."
As soon as she finished speaking, Su Xiaoqi regretted it, because Shen Yun responded with a meaningful, "I know."
With those three simple words, Su Xiaoqi could only savor the implication herself, her face growing redder the more she pondered it.
In the end, Su Xiaoqi lost.
In fact, in any verbal sparring match, as long as Shen Yun didn't back down, Su Xiaoqi never won.
She didn't know where her confidence came from, thinking she could contend with Shen Yun.
Alas, a miscalculation!
In the end, Shen Yun did not discuss Qi Yunwei's identity with Su Xiaoqi further.
The next day, upon waking, Su Xiaoqi found the world outside cloaked in a layer of white.
Snowflakes adorned a world dressed in silver, ice flowers layered the courtyard, and long icicles, crystal clear, hung from the eaves.
Hexagonal snowflakes fell gracefully, flying past the window and landing on the ground.
"Ah, it's snowing!" Su Xiaoqi exclaimed in delighted surprise.
Having been born in the south in her previous life, the chance of seeing snow was as slim as winning the lottery for five million.
It was truly a rarity.
Forgetting to even put on her clothes, she leaned by the window to watch the snowscape.
She didn't know when it had started last night, but it must have snowed heavily, accumulating a thick layer overnight.
Su Xiaoqi quietly reached out to measure it, estimating it to be about five centimeters deep.
She imagined that if she stepped into it wearing embroidered shoes, her feet would surely be submerged.
"Cough, cough... Why are you not even wearing clothes?" Shen Yun's slightly reproving voice sounded from behind her.
Su Xiaoqi replied almost instinctively, "I haven't seen snow much before. It's too beautiful."
Shen Yun took the opportunity to ask, "Which places don't have snow? Mianzhou City can see snow several times a year."
"Uh, I, I'm afraid of the cold. I used to live in the City God Temple and didn't have thick padded clothes. Every time it snowed, I didn't dare go out, so I, I couldn't see the snow."
Shen Yun's heart ached upon hearing this, regardless of whether her words were true or false.
"The guests are arriving soon. Put on your clothes and wash up first," Shen Yun gently carried her to the bed, having already prepared her clothes.
Su Xiaoqi had always known Shen Yun possessed exceptional self-care skills.
But now, she was surprised that he also knew how to serve others.
She gazed at him dazedly as he dressed her, even putting on her shoes.
His movements were careful and gentle, as if he were attending to a rare treasure, afraid of harming her.
To be honest, at this moment, Shen Yun was considerate, attentive, gentle, and affectionate.
If he could maintain this state, she thought she would be very reluctant to leave him.
She even wished to indulge herself and stay with him for a lifetime.
But all of this was merely imagination.
Shen Yun would eventually change, but this time, it was different from the situation in the novel. She didn't know how he would change.
"What are you thinking about? Hurry and eat. Your maternal grandmother and mother have already gone."
Su Xiaoqi frowned, unwilling to keep her elders waiting, and quickened her pace.
Soon, they walked into the dining hall side by side.
Today's breakfast was millet porridge with small steamed buns, eggs, and corn.
An ordinary breakfast, nutritionally balanced, not crude.
"Is Mother's eyesight any better?" Su Xiaoqi asked concernedly, having heard Yan Zhi say that Madam Zhao had been doing needlework again yesterday.
"It's fine, it's fine. Ever since I took the medicine you gave me, it's much better.
I thought, with the New Year coming, I can't make clothes for you all, so I'm altering a few for Erdan. He grows so fast, always needing new clothes."
Su Xiaoqi knew she had been frugal for most of her life and couldn't bear waste.
Erdan did indeed grow quickly and had recently bought many clothes.
A garment was often outgrown after only a few wears and then left unused.
Madam Zhao, though she didn't say it, was anxious seeing this.
If she picked them all up and altered them, they could be worn again.
"Xiaoqi is worried that Mother is working too hard," Shen Yun understood Su Xiaoqi's thoughts.
"Oh, doing no work means no hardship. Let your mother do it; she's destined for a life of toil.
She's worked her whole life, how can she just stop resting?" Old Madam Yu interjected.
Zhao Shi was her daughter, and she understood her better than anyone.
Moreover, she was now in a similar situation.
Originally, she didn't want Yan Zhi serving her, but the fact was that her legs and feet were not convenient, and she couldn't refuse.
However, being served was truly difficult for her.
She now only hoped her feet would recover.
"Young Master, Young Madam, there is a guest at the door," Li Shu shao reported from the doorway.
Shen Yun and Su Xiaoqi exchanged a glance and nodded, thinking it must be He Qiulei.
Who knew that upon arriving in the main hall, the visitor was not him at all.