Chapter 47: Propriety
Perhaps because Song Hemei had not reacted for a while, Yu Yeqing's palm gently waved before her face, as if urging her on.
She took a deep breath. "I thank Lord Yu for the kindness, but this is not proper."
Yu Yeqing's expression shifted slightly; it seemed her refusal had made him realize his own impropriety. He withdrew his hand and said no more, his fingertips tightening around the reins. Lost in thought, he merely squeezed his legs against the horse's flanks and began riding forward slowly.
Song Hemei had no inclination to ponder him. She turned back, mounted the carriage, and instructed the driver to keep the reins taut and follow closely alongside.
This time, they could not travel quickly. As night was nearly upon them and they had yet to reach an official post station, they had no choice but to stop at a random inn. Children always get excited at the prospect of an adventure, and so Lianzhu absolutely refused to sleep come evening. Song Hemei had to ask for an extra room so the maid could take him there. By the next morning, when they set off again, he was insisting on riding a horse.
Song Hemei could see his face was slightly sunburned and absolutely refused to let him. But then Lianzhu would look at her with pitiful eyes. When he saw she was unmoved, he would glance outside at Yu Yeqing—whether out of pure admiration or in the hope that he might plead with his mother on his behalf, she could not tell.
To the young boy now, the carriage had become a cage. Even the wide-open carriage window seemed to have invisible bars. His round eyes glistened with unshed tears, and from time to time he would lift his head and call out, "Mother," only to slump down in dejection when he met her refusal.
They had been traveling for half the day when Song Hemei could bear it no longer. To Yu Yeqing outside, she said, "Lord Yu, it's terribly hot out here. Perhaps you should come into the carriage."
Yu Yeqing glanced at her and replied, his tone laden with subtle meaning, "Madam Shao, that would be improper."
Song Hemei was momentarily speechless. Was he saying that on purpose?
She took a deep breath and forced a smile. "What does it matter? Lord Yu's health is important. How could I bear to have you suffer under the sun and wind?"
Yu Yeqing turned his gaze away and did not respond.
Song Hemei ground her teeth. She took a freshly brewed cup of tea from her maid and held it steady, saying, "Lord Yu, please forgive me. The child is too young. If you ride all day, he'll be envious and fussy all day. I beg you to come into the carriage. I have prepared some cooling tea for you—please, have a taste."
Yu Yeqing turned his gaze back to her, focusing on the teacup in her hands. "So it seems that unless I get into the carriage, I cannot have even a single cup of your tea. No wonder I heard nothing of this yesterday."
So he was holding a grudge against her?
Song Hemei bit her lip. If only it were three years ago, when he wasn't so high and mighty, she would have simply pulled him inside and spared herself all this talk.
Just then, the carriage wheel rolled over something, causing the whole carriage to shudder. The brimming cup of tea sloshed over, spilling a few drops onto her fingertips where they held the saucer.
Before she could speak, she let out a sharp hiss without thinking. Instinctively, she let go and examined her hand. Seeing nothing amiss, she lightly rubbed her fingertips and looked back at Yu Yeqing.
But as soon as she raised her head, she saw he had already tightened the reins and slowly brought his horse to a halt. The carriage stopped as well.
Meeting her astonished gaze, Yu Yeqing walked over and stopped right before her. He was very tall, his eyes level with hers in the carriage. He also blocked the sunlight falling on her face. His sudden proximity made her instinctively straighten her back. "Lord Yu—"
Before she could finish, he raised his hand, took the teacup, and snatched it from her.
His warm fingertips brushed against the back of her hand, making her entire arm tense up. Yu Yeqing glanced inside the carriage. "Is there room?"
Chunhui immediately cleared away the small table that had been set up. Song Hemei said directly, "Naturally, there is room."
Yu Yeqing looked away and turned back toward the front of the carriage. When he lifted the curtain, his tall figure loomed over them, making the entire carriage feel cramped. As he stepped inside, the vehicle swayed.
Song Hemei inexplicably felt her breath catch, especially when she watched him come closer and then sit down beside her.
Though they were not terribly close, she still felt she could sense the warmth emanating from him. Even though she sat rigidly upright, she couldn't keep his figure from intruding into her peripheral vision.
If she closed her eyes, it was even worse. She could, it seemed, feel the faintest rustle of clothing as they brushed against each other. She even had the uncanny sense that he was drawing closer and closer, making her heart race wildly, pounding with such irritation.
But when she opened her eyes, Yu Yeqing was calmly sipping his tea, making her own discomfort even more conspicuous. It irritated her. Why was she the only one flustered?
Yu Yeqing set the cup aside and said nothing. The carriage fell into silence, yet seemed to be enveloped in an indescribably subtle tension.
Perhaps the only one unaffected was Lianzhu.
After yesterday, he was already quite familiar with Yu Yeqing. He crawled over from his cushion, trying to climb into Yu Yeqing's arms, but first had to scramble over Song Hemei. His little knees dug into her thigh, making her inhale sharply. She grabbed him and gave his bottom two sharp smacks. "What are you up to now?"
Lianzhu nestled in her lap, his eyes slightly bewildered as he looked up at her. Though he didn't know what he'd done wrong, he still tugged at her sleeve to placate her.
Song Hemei's heart, which had been in turmoil for some time, steadied a little. Seeing him like this, she felt a pang of regret. She had, perhaps, taken out her irritation with Yu Yeqing on him.
She let out a soft sigh. Though her hands hadn't struck hard, she softened her voice. "Where do you want to go?"
Lianzhu was very good at reading her mood. Seeing her expression relax, he immediately broke into a smile. "Wanna go to the Handsome Devil. Devil hold."
Song Hemei reached out and pinched his lips. "Call him Lord Yu."
She had no idea how many times he'd called him that the day before, but Yu Yeqing didn't seem to mind. He extended his hand first. "Give him to me."
Song Hemei lifted her eyes to look at him, a strange feeling creeping over her at the scene, but she had to suppress it. She handed Lianzhu over.
Yu Yeqing held the child very steadily and skillfully. She wondered if he'd learned from carrying Minglian back then and had never forgotten.
His long fingers hooked under Lianzhu's armpits, easily lifting him up and settling him on his lap. Lianzhu giggled. Watching them, Song Hemei felt a surge of irony.
Shao Wen'ang had been a failure as a father. His own son wasn't even as close to him as he was to this strange man.
But then, she began to sense something off about Yu Yeqing. She could clearly feel his gaze landing on Lianzhu and scrutinizing him intently—from his forehead to his jaw, from the curve of his ear to the tip of his nose—as if he were dissecting every part of him.
Her heart began to pound with a nameless alarm. Unable to help herself, she asked, "What are you looking at, my lord?"
Yu Yeqing paused for a moment, then slowly withdrew his gaze. "Nothing."
He stopped his intense scrutiny, but fell into a pensive silence. Though he occasionally poked at Lianzhu to amuse him, she could still sense something amiss.
This unnerved Song Hemei. But after thinking it over, she managed to convince herself.
What could it matter even if he knew? It wasn't as if she hadn't already made a fool of herself in front of him more than once or twice.
Having thought things through, she decided there was nothing to fear. She curved her lips into a faint smile at Yu Yeqing, answering with composure: "For Lianzhu to be so close to you, it must be fate. That's wonderful."
Wonderful, really. Having him to distract the boy on the road spared both her and Chunhui and Suhui a lot of trouble.
She withdrew her gaze, failing to notice that Yu Yeqing's hands had suddenly gone rigid, and even his pupils trembled almost imperceptibly.
He no longer looked at Lianzhu, but seemed to have fallen into deep thought, his expression turning somewhat somber. What was going through his mind?
Thus they traveled on. By the third morning, there was no question of riding. The horse was tethered to the carriage by the driver, and Yu Yeqing sat beside her once again, but his demeanor had become even more withdrawn and silent compared to the previous two days.
Song Hemei had somewhat grown used to it and could relax a little in the carriage. But because they had lost some time earlier with Lianzhu clamoring to ride, they failed to enter Changzhou city on the third day and had to find an inn to stay at.
It was only when the driver pulled the carriage up in front of the inn that Song Hemei belatedly realized—this was the very inn where she had "given birth" to Lianzhu.
She halted mid-step, hesitating whether to go in. But the inn's waiter stepped out to greet them and immediately recognized her. "Oh, madam?"
He didn't know her husband's surname, but still smiled as he engaged her. "Madam, please come in. It's been years, and your beauty hasn't changed a bit. Oh my, look at this young master—he's grown so big! And the master—"
His gaze followed Lianzhu, and when he saw who was holding the child, his voice trailed off abruptly.
A good waiter had to have a good memory. Even though three years had passed and the figure in his memory was only a vague outline, he could still tell that the man before him was not that same master.
The words hung in the air, and embarrassment settled not only on him.
The two maids dared not speak. Yu Yeqing found it hard to explain. Song Hemei had to brace herself and force calm, smiling lightly. "You still remember me. That's very kind. I'd like four superior rooms, please. We're traveling together."
Since no one had asked or pointed anything out, volunteering an explanation would only invite gossip.
She offered him an out, and the waiter quickly took it. He guided them toward the second floor. "What are you saying, madam? Giving birth to a splendid son is a great joy. To tell you the truth, after you left, a couple traded into that very room where you had your young master, hoping to soak up some of that good fortune. And later, the wife really did become pregnant! They came looking to thank you, but unfortunately, I had no idea where you'd gone, so I couldn't direct them."
Song Hemei pressed her lips together, truly at a loss for how to respond.
That child wasn't even born from her. What good fortune could she have imparted?
But the waiter's words brought back the memory of the midwife. She instinctively glanced back at Yu Yeqing and saw that his gaze was deep, fixed on her as well.
It felt as if his eyes were burning her. She quickly turned away and dared not look back again, entering the inn.
She and Yu Yeqing each had their own room. The two maids stayed in one with Lianzhu, and the driver in another. This was how they had lodged for days.
But tonight, she found herself tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
She had ordered a check on the household staff earlier. The midwife they had encountered had not been sent by any of their people. No one at the inn had claimed credit for her, either. She had sent people searching for that midwife, but in the end, nothing had been uncovered.
Three years was a long time—so long that she couldn't recall when she had stopped worrying about it. But now, returning to this place, the question resurfaced, clinging to her.
Perhaps it was because the look on Yu Yeqing's face these past few days, as if he had something to say, had lodged itself in her heart. Or perhaps some things simply needed an answer. After thinking it over, she threw on a robe, rose on a surge of resolve, and pushed the door open.
She hadn't yet decided how to knock on his door or what to ask. But to her surprise, Yu Yeqing was already standing by the second-floor railing. He turned at the sound of her movements and started.
Pausing, Song Hemei was about to speak when, for once, he spoke first. "I have a question I'd like to ask you, Second Miss. Would you be willing to take a few steps?"
He gestured toward the direction of his room.
Song Hemei's heart gave a sudden leap. Go to his room?
A man and a woman alone together—that hardly seemed proper.
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