vrcanaries Chapter 555 Xie Jue's Storyline: The Youth
Chapter 555 Xie Jue's Storyline: The Youth
Gao Wanzhi's cheeks flushed red, and she quickened her pace, unwilling to give up.
The two of them rushed breathlessly to the front of Yanzhai. As soon as they stepped into the corridor, they heard a woman's painful scream coming from inside the room. Her voice was sharp and urgent.
Xie Jue immediately composed himself, his youthful and mischievous expression vanishing, and quickly stepped forward.
Outside the door, Xie Jing stood dressed in a dark blue brocade robe, the veins on the back of his hands bulging.
Qin Jiuwei sat to the side and said, "The midwife is the best in the capital, and her pulse is stable, so don't worry."
Xie Jing nodded slightly, but remained standing motionless, his whole body tense.
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind him: "Second Brother."
Xie Jing turned around and saw Xie Jue and Gao Wanzhi standing at the bottom of the steps.
Xie Jing looked at him, nodded slightly, and then turned his gaze back to the door.
Suddenly, a baby's cry came from inside the house.
Xie Jing rushed in almost at that moment.
Before the midwife could speak, he had already rushed to the bedside.
Li Sheng leaned weakly against the headboard, holding a baby in her arms, the child a tiny, pink bundle.
Xie Jing looked at the two children, one big and one small, and his heart ached with each beat.
Li Sheng looked up at him, her lips weak but light, "It's a boy."
Xie Jing's fingers trembled slightly as he reached out and gently touched the baby's forehead.
He was always restrained, but now he couldn't even make a sound.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, and Xie Jue and Gao Wanzhi followed them in.
The two of them immediately lit up when they saw the baby on the bed.
"Wow!" Gao Wanzhi was so excited that she almost pounced on him, but Xie Jue blocked her way.
"Be careful, don't scare my little nephew." Xie Jue bent down first, "I'll hold him."
"Just because you got here first doesn't mean you're so great!" Gao Wanzhi snorted, then said softly to Li Sheng, "Sister Li, I want a hug too~"
"No," Xie Jue interrupted.
"Why not?" Gao Wanzhi said, hands on her hips. "Sister Li hasn't even spoken yet, how can you refuse on her behalf?"
Xie Jue remained nonchalant, saying, "No means no."
The boy had extremely handsome features, but his eyes held a cunning and mischievous glint, and his thin lips were slightly upturned.
Qin Jiuwei stood aside, watching the two people arguing heatedly, and helplessly raised her hand to rub her forehead.
When Xie Jue was little, he would call her "little sister" in a soft and sweet tone. If Gao Wanzhi cried, he would run all over the yard in a panic and coax her more patiently than anyone else.
But who would have thought that as he grew older, his personality became so difficult to change.
It's not just ordinary awkwardness.
Xie Jue never lost his composure in front of others.
But whenever he saw Gao Wanzhi, he would retort with barbs, as if he couldn't feel comfortable unless he teased her.
Qin Jiuwei coughed lightly and smiled as she tried to smooth things over, "Alright, alright, you two start bickering as soon as you meet. Is this Yanzhai too quiet?"
Xie Jue then changed his tone and moved half a step to the side.
"I won't stoop to her level."
Gao Wanzhi retorted without backing down, "I can't be bothered with you."
Qin Jiuwei instructed a maid to bring a food box and handed it to Gao Wanzhi.
“You’re back at just the right time. I’ve had some lily and pear syrup made these past few days, along with a few kinds of nourishing snacks for your lungs. You can take them back to your mother.”
Gao Wanzhi smiled and accepted it, "Thank you, Your Highness. My mother has been coughing a lot lately, so this pear syrup is just in time."
"Her health has never been strong, and she's prone to flare-ups when the weather gets cold, so we have to take good care of her. If anything goes wrong, send someone to write to us," Qin Jiuwei added with concern.
"Mm." Gao Wanzhi nodded in response, her eyes filled with a smile. "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will remember."
Holding the food box, she smiled and bowed to Qin Jiuwei in farewell, saying, "Then I'll head back now and come see you again later."
Qin Jiu nodded slightly. "Be careful on the road."
Gao Wanzhi turned and left the courtyard, her movements light and graceful, without speaking to Xie Jing again.
Xie Jue stood under the corridor, watching her receding figure, a barely perceptible hint of annoyance appearing between his brows and eyes.
Qin Jiu glanced at him sideways, "When the person was still here, you kept saying no, and your tone was more aggressive than anyone else's. Now that the person is gone, you're just standing here watching."
Upon hearing this, Xie Jue remained defiant, saying, "I wasn't looking at her."
"Then what are you looking at?"
"The tree outside. The one in the southeast corner has lost half of its leaves; it's probably going to wither."
Qin Jiu chuckled and tapped his forehead with her hand. "You're just being stubborn."
The eldest princess's mansion.
As soon as Gao Wanzhi stepped into the door, the maids immediately came forward and called out in unison, "Princess."
She nodded and walked briskly into the inner courtyard.
Inside the room, Gao Yunzhi was sitting by the window drinking tea. The years had not left any marks on her; on the contrary, they had added to her air of unapproachable nobility.
Gao Wanzhi placed the food box on the table and said with a smile, "This is lily and pear syrup sent by the Princess. Mother has been coughing a lot lately, so this is just right for her."
Gao Yunzhi instructed the maid to immediately brew a pot of tea with lily and pear syrup, her voice tinged with amusement, "Your Aunt Qin has the best palate; every dish she sends is delicious."
Gao Wanzhi sat down, picked up a rose cake and put it in her mouth, while looking around.
"Where's Aunt Xu? Why haven't I seen her today?"
"Aunt Xu went to the shop. Now that she has opened five branches, she doesn't have time to stay at home every day and make pastries for you."
"That's true." Gao Wanzhi smiled vaguely while biting into a pastry, her expression carrying a hint of girlish coquettishness.
“Before, I could smell Aunt Xu’s freshly made peach blossom pastries as soon as I came home. Now, I can only find tea and snacks to eat by myself.”
After finishing her meal, she immediately stood up. "Oh right, I'll go check if my new riding outfit is ready. I'm going horseback riding with Xie Jue tomorrow."
The following day, at a horse farm on the outskirts of Beijing.
Xie Jue was standing in front of a chestnut horse, bending down to stroke its mane.
The boy was tall and slender, and his clothes had been changed into a tight-fitting outfit that was easy to ride and shoot. He wore a jade belt around his waist, and he looked spirited and upright.
He gently patted the horse's neck when he suddenly heard a clear and melodious female voice behind him, "Xie Jue."
In the distance, Gao Wanzhi was walking towards him.
She wore a dark indigo riding outfit today, with a cinched waist that accentuated her slender figure.
Her black hair was tied up high, and a plain silver hairpin was tucked diagonally into her temple. A gentle breeze blew by, and it jingled like a bell.
She smiled and waved to him.
Xie Jue paused for a moment, then looked away. "You're late."
Gao Wanzhi retorted, "It's just that you arrived early."
She took two steps closer, reached out and gently stroked the mane of the chestnut horse, and casually asked, "By the way, has your second nephew been named yet?"
"Get ready, his name is Xie Mingchuan."
Gao Wanzhi read it aloud, "Xie Mingchuan? That's a really nice name."
Xie Jue raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. "My second brother said he hopes this child won't be trapped by the mountains and rivers, or by fate."
"As expected of your second brother, the name you chose is as thoughtful as ever."
Xie Jue smiled. "Didn't we say we were going horseback riding? Let's begin."
"What's your hurry? Lieutenant General Li hasn't arrived yet."
Because they wanted to learn to ride horses, Xie Jingchun specially sent Li, the deputy general who was most skilled in riding and archery in the army, to give them lessons.
Xie Jue remembered at this moment, looked up into the distance, and spoke in a lazy tone.
"Alright, then we'll wait."
Soon, the sound of hooves came from behind them, and Lieutenant General Li arrived on horseback with two attendants.