“Madam, the General is back!”
Ah? Du Jingyi was startled. Why is he back now? She had thought her husband would stay in the military camp until the nineteenth. She glanced at the food on the table, which was clearly not enough for two, and immediately told Yingtao, “Have Danruo prepare some more food quickly, and pick out the ones the General likes and that will fill his stomach.”
“Yes.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Shang Ji walked in from outside. His face looked fine, but his clothes were a little dusty—inevitable from riding a horse home. If the former Du Jingyi had seen this, she would have insisted he clean up in the side room before entering the main room. But now, if she said such a thing, would she appear less “virtuous”? If she offended her husband and ruined their trip home, wouldn’t it be a loss outweighing the gain? Thinking this, Du Jingyi’s smile became genuinely sincere and warm, which made Shang Ji feel a little awkward.
He couldn’t help but think that after only one night away from home, his wife seemed to have changed. But then he remembered what he had said to her before leaving yesterday, and suddenly it all made sense. Watching her walk towards him, “attentive” and graceful, he immediately said, “Iam back.”
“Mm.”
“Have you had lunch? I was just about to eat.”
“I rushed back as soon as military training was over; I haven’t had anything yet.”
“Okay, I’ll ask the kitchen to prepare more. Is Guard Luo coming back with you? Do you want to prepare some for him?” Du Jingyi’s voice wasn’t loud, but Luo Yuan, standing outside the door, had excellent hearing and caught every word. He promptly shouted back, “Thank you, Madam!”
Hearing this, Du Jingyi couldn’t help but chuckle, then told the maid Yingtao, “Tell Danruo to prepare some for Guard Luo alsp .”
“Yes, Young Madam.” Yingtao remained well-behaved in front of Shang Ji and Du Jingyi. But as she walked out the door and saw Luo Yuan’s face, she couldn’t help but frown, as if he had done something improper. Without a word, she headed towards the small kitchen.
Luo Yuan innocently looked at Lizhu next to him, lowering his voice to ask, “Is there something wrong with the sister next to the Young Madam? Why does she look at me every day as if I’m a thief?”
Lizhu glanced at Yingtao’s retreating figure in the corridor, then at Luo Yuan. After a moment, she explained, “Maybe it’s because your appearance isn’t pleasing to her. I remember Sister Yingtao once said that men with too thick eyebrows are all flirtatious. Guard Luo, take a look at your eyebrows. Heh, they are quite thick, aren’t they?”
Luo Yuan was immediately speechless. Didn’t they say people shouldn’t be judged by their appearance? Besides, everyone in the Luo family had thick eyebrows, and his grandfather and father certainly weren’t carefree philanderers. So he grunted twice and said, “You’ve an unreliable sister. She haven’t even exchanged a few words and already judging people by their looks. It’s boring! I’ll have to let her know: so what if my eyebrows are thick? People who shouldn’t be bothered won’t be, regardless of their thick eyebrows. And people who are naturally carefree won’t stop being carefree just because their eyebrows are thin!”
Lizhu felt dizzy listening to his rambling. She spread her hands and calmly stated, “Then I wish Guard Luo immediate success?”
Luo Yuan was speechless and looked up at the sky. Why is the Young Madam so smart and clever, but the maids around her are so… foolish? For a moment, he genuinely couldn’t think of a good word to describe it. In the corridor, the two continued their low-voiced banter.
Meanwhile, in the room, Du Jingyi was already waiting for Shang Ji to change his clothes. Shang Ji was accustomed to the military, so he didn’t pay much attention to such details. But he was meticulous to a fault, and with a quick glance, he could see that everything in this main house was exquisite and spotless. The same went for his wife’s clothes; Shang Ji had never seen her wear the same outfit twice. Therefore, he felt a little out of place himself. So, to avoid standing out too much, he thought for a moment and said, “Are there any clean clothes here that fit me. I’ll go to the side room to wash up first and then come back for dinner.”
Du Jingyi was a little surprised to hear this, but she quickly replied, “Yes, the General’s clothes that you kept in the study are all in the cabinet. I will get them for you.”
“Good.” Shang Ji felt he was covered in dust and couldn’t sit still.
Du Jingyi opened the cupboard door to take out the clothes. Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she turned and glanced at Shang Ji, asking curiously, “General, would you like to change your shoes and socks as well?”
Hearing this, Shang Ji’s face turned a little green. This little lady, does she dislike the smell of his feet? Is that why she asked that question? If Luo Yuan had dared to ask such a thing, he would have been thrown out long ago. But when Shang Ji looked at his wife’s innocent expression and eyes, he couldn’t get angry no matter how hard he tried. He could only pretend to be calm and reply, “Okay.”
Seeing this, Du Jingyi brought him some clean shoes and socks and handed them over. Then she said with a smile, “These also belong to the General. A new batch of clothes, shoes, and socks will be delivered by Luju in a few days. I will let the General try them on, and if there are any discomforts, they can be changed.”
“Good.” Shang Ji hadn’t thought he was a man of many words before, but why did he seem so chatty in front of his wife? So, he was about to take the clothes and go to the side room to wash up and change, but he heard Du Jingyi call out, “Lizhu!”
“Yes , Young Madam!”
“Serve the General to groom himself.”
“Yes.” Then, Du Jingyi handed Lizhu the clean clothes, shoes, and socks. Lizhu, seemingly oblivious, simply focused on completing the task assigned by the Young Madam. She completely missed her General’s face, which had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
However, after this incident, Shang Ji understood something: his wife must have some mysophobia. Otherwise, why would she insist he change not just his clothes, but even his shoes and socks, into clean ones? But despite his thoughts, he followed Lizhu and entered the side room. After washing his hands, he told Lizhu to leave, saying he would change by himself. Lizhu frowned but dared not question the General’s words. She turned to leave.
Just before she exited, she saw a piece of fragrant soap and suddenly remembered something. She found a new piece and handed it to Shang Ji, saying kindly, “General, this is the Young Madam’s favorite scent. You can try it; it smells very good.”
Shang Ji’s face darkened, and he sternly rebuked her, “Nonsense.” Imagine him, a dignified General, using scented soap! If word got out, he’d be laughed at. So, he refused, stiffening his neck. Lizhu had no choice but to put the fragrant soap back in its place and quickly left the side room.