Chapter 572: Obedient and Soft
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Yu Youyao rambled on, “After washing your hair, loosen and tighten it a hundred times like this to prevent a headache. Look at Grandmother. She’s already so old, but she doesn’t have any head disease at all. I learned my technique from Nanny Liu. Grandmother is an old woman, so I have to use a little more strength. If Cousin feels uncomfortable, tell me and I’ll be gentler.”
“The strength is just right.” Zhou Linghuai leaned against the wheelchair and felt a sense of relief. His brows relaxed, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He enjoyed this peace of mind and body.
About the time it took to burn an incense stick, most of his hair had already dried and could be tied up loosely.
Yu Youyao called Chang An over. “Bring me the comb and Cousin’s hairpin.” Chang An flew down from the roof and rushed into the house.
Yu Youyao turned to look at her cousin. “Cousin, can I help you tie your hair
Zhou Linghuai tilted his head. The little girl’s bright face was so close that his breathing slowed down. He had done all of this for his mother in the past. He had thought that this was just for fun.
But now he knew that this was not just fun, but a deep relationship.
He did not expect such a romantic gesture. He had never done it for Yu Youyao before, but the little girl had already done it for him first. Zhou Linghuai’s voice was slightly hoarse. “Okay!”
There was still a long way to go!
There was nothing he could do for her now. In the future, he still had a lifetime to slowly do it for her one by one.
The rest of his life was long. He had to do everything that his father had done for his mother. He had to do everything that his father had never done for his mother.
Chang An quickly brought over a cow horn comb and a wooden hairpin and handed them to Yu Youyao.
Yu Youyao took a comb and helped her cousin comb his long hair. She tied more than half of it at the top of his head and fixed it with a wooden hairpin. Considering that his hair was not completely dry, she tied it loosely.
Yu Youyao felt that it was very novel. There was a very secret joy in the depths of her heart, but she couldn’t express it.
She ran up to her cousin and sized up the bun on his head. She smiled until her eyes curved and her lips curled up slightly. “This is the first time I’ve tied someone’s hair. It’s not crooked at all!”
Zhou Linghuai had the urge to return to his room and look in the mirror. He also wanted to reach out and touch the bun that Yu Youyao had personally tied up. However, his fingers that were holding the wheelchair had only just moved when he was worried that he would mess up the bun that she had personally tied up, so he could only give up. However, it was like a cat’s claw was gently scratching his heart.”
He kept wanting to do something to calm down. Zhou Linghuai felt very uneasy. “As a form of courtesy, I’ll help you tie your hair in the future, okay?”
Yu Youyao was stunned.
tHer cousin looked at her intently. There were no stars in his eyes, but there was a panic-inducing deepness. It was as if he was about to be sucked in. Yu Youyao’s mind was in a mess. For a moment, she couldn’t think of what it meant for a woman to tie a man’s hair and a man to tie a woman’s hair.
It was as if a demon’s voice was constantly bewitching her—
Promise him, quickly promise him. You and Cousin have a good relationship, and you’ve done many close things in the past. One more is nothing.
When you were wiping your cousin’s sweat, twisting his hair, and bunning his hair just now, why didn’t you think of guarding against men and women? Isn’t this appropriate? Could it be that you’re really willing to distance yourself from him for the sake of guarding against men and women?
Your cousin will be returning to the North soon, and you won’t see him much in the future. Are you really going to give up this short opportunity to get close to him for the sake of these so-called etiquette, dogma, and rules?
If you really care about your reputation, you should keep a distance from your cousin and not stick to him all day.
If you don’t say it, Cousin won’t say it either. No matter how close you are, no one will know.
As if possessed, Yu Youyao met her cousin’s deep eyes and nodded slightly.
“Okay!”
She didn’t want to think about what all this meant.
In this world, her cousin was the only one who truly treated her well without weighing the pros, and cons. Such a good cousin was worthy of her following and getting close to.
Zhou Linghuai’s expression relaxed, and his lips curled up slightly, revealing joy and satisfaction.
He held Yu Youyao’s hand. Her small hand seemed to be boneless. When he held it in his hand, it was as smooth as cream, as if he could knead it as he pleased.
Zhou Linghuai pulled her closer and reached out to brush the messy hair on her cheek behind her ear.
This time, his actions were no longer cautious. His fingers gently scraped across her cheek, revealing a shuddering ambiguity. “Don’t be afraid. You said that you would treat me well for the rest of your life, and I promised to protect you for the rest of my life.”
Yu Youyao’s body stiffened, not because she was afraid.
The tip of her cousin’s hand was a little rough as it gently scraped across her cheek, causing her heart to beat faster. Not only did she not resist or dodge, but she even straightened her body out of nervousness.
Her throat was dry, and she said softly, “Yes.” Her voice was also dry. “I’ll be good.”
Her voice was sweet, obedient, and soft. Zhou Linghuai seemed to have been hit by something and pulled her into his arms. He smiled gently. “Good girl!” It wasn’t until April that the candidates who had been implicated because of the cheating in the examination were released.
When Yu Zongzheng returned to the residence, he told her about Song Mingzhao’s situation. “He was whipped and was covered in blood. He looked really scary. The Zhenguo Marquis Residence invited Imperial Physician Shi to treat Mingzhao. The imperial physician only said that he had suffered physical pain and didn’t have any terminal illness. He was just sick in prison for a long time and wasn’t treated in time. His vitality was injured and he had to recuperate carefully while he was still young.”
This was more serious than Yu Youyao had thought.
In the end, he was still sick. Old Madam Yu was dispirited and could only say,
“It’s good that he came out. At least he survived. It’s a blessing in disguise.”
Song Mingzhao was only 18 years old this year. He only hoped that the root of this illness was not too serious and could recover at a young age.
However, Matriarch still felt uncomfortable.
Old Madam Yu asked Nanny Liu to prepare good medicinal herbs and supplements. “Send them to the Zhenguo Marquis Residence later. Tell them that I’ll go over to visit Mingzhao another day.
No matter what, Song Mingzhao had been her “filial grandson” for two years. Now that Song Mingzhao had suffered and his body was injured, she should go over and take a look.
However, because Song Mingzhao had just come out of prison, it would take a few days for him to settle down.
Yu Zongzheng mentioned again, “The President of the examination is Lord
Tang, and the examiner who leaked the question is also a scholar from the Hanlin Academy. Lord Tang has been suspended because of his incompetence in the Imperial Examination and is temporarily involved in the compilation of the Teng library’s ‘Collection of Documents’. This is also the best outcome for the Tang family. Lord Tang’s Yue family has helped a lot.”
Old Madam Yu was not surprised. “As soon as Ning Yuanbo was caught for being involved in the cheating in the examination, Lord Tang’s concubine, whose surname was Ye, was found in the sick room. A doctor was found to take a look at her. He said that her illness could be contagious, so Matriarch Tang sent Concubine Ye to the manor..”