The man leaned against the tree, his leg pressed against the trunk. Jiang Fu lay in his embrace, listening to his comforting words in her ear, feeling unnatural and wanting to move away.
“Hmm!”
She had only shifted her legs a couple of times when she heard the man let out a muffled groan.
The sound was not loud, but it was filled with suppressed pain.
“Don’t move!”
The man’s grip was incredibly strong, his hands pinching her waist and lifting her body slightly into the air.
This apricot tree had been planted for thirty years—tall and thick. Xiao Jing pushed her away, and the sudden sense of weightlessness made Jiang Fu feel as if she were about to cry from fright.
“I… I won’t move. You… don’t push me away.”
Even in a dream, falling would still hurt.
Jiang Fu tightened her arms around his neck and pressed her body closer to his.
Xiao Jing felt both sweetness and torment.
The young girl was too timid, so he had to find other ways to distract her.
“Are the apricots tasty?”
The basket of apricots he had sent during the day was picked by his own hands. He wondered if the young girl liked them.
Hearing this, Jiang Fu instinctively licked her lips. The apricot trees planted in the Princess’s estate were naturally of the finest variety.
Jiang Fu hadn’t eaten many apricots in her life, but the ones she had during the day were undoubtedly the sweetest she had ever tasted.
“They’re delicious.”
She nodded obediently, her cherry lips full and rosy. Xiao Jing’s eyes suddenly darkened, and his voice grew husky.
“Is that so? Do you want to eat more?”
“Huh?”
Jiang Fu didn’t understand what he meant. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion.
The young girl was so delicate, so soft. Xiao Jing’s suppressed urges nearly overwhelmed him.
He switched from pinching her waist to holding her with one hand and plucked the reddest, softest apricot from the tree.
Peeling back a small piece of the skin at the top, the bright yellow flesh was revealed, its sweet fragrance wafting straight to her nose.
Xiao Jing held the apricot, pressing the flesh against Jiang Fu’s lips, his voice low and commanding.
“Eat.”
Jiang Fu: “…”
She wanted to refuse, but as soon as she parted her lips, the fruit melted on her tongue.
Sweet, with a hint of sourness—it was delicious.
She didn’t understand why she could taste it even in a dream, but her craving took over, and she ended up eating half the apricot from Xiao Jing’s hand.
The young girl’s cheeks were puffed up, and she looked utterly adorable as she ate, as if the apricot were some heavenly delicacy.
Xiao Jing suddenly wanted to taste it too.
He lowered his head, his gaze falling on the young girl’s charming face and her trembling eyelashes.
The young girl was afraid.
Xiao Jing wanted to tease her further, but he couldn’t bring himself to.
In the end, he held her in his arms and fed her apricots all night long.
“Miss, the neighbor has sent apricots again. How many baskets is this now? Even if I liked them before, I’m tired of them now.”
Bai Xing came in carrying a basket. From the initial delight to the current worry, she began to suspect whether the neighbor was sending them apricots because they had too many and didn’t want them to rot on the ground.
Seeing the apricots, Jiang Fu was reminded of the dream she had at night—the man’s chest burning hot, his arms like iron clamps, holding her tightly in his embrace.
He was also incredibly domineering, forcing her to eat apricots all night long.
Eating them at night and during the day, she now wanted to avoid even the sight of apricots.
“Take them out and make dried apricots.”
She didn’t want to eat them anymore.
“Alright.”
Xu Yun’s letter arrived, and Jiang Fu finally learned the identity of the neighbor.
The Princess was Xiao Jing’s mother, Old Mrs. Xiao. Could it be that the person living next door was Xiao Jing?
Jiang Fu’s face paled.
The daily deliveries of apricots and the man who appeared in her dreams every night—Jiang Fu had her suspicions, but each time, she deliberately ignored them.
Xiao Jing lived in the courtyard just a wall away from hers, filling her with a flustered sense of shyness.
The man she fantasized about every night was so close. If he ever found out, Jiang Fu felt she might as well shave her head and become a nun.
Aside from this, Xu Yun mentioned that there would be a flower-viewing banquet in the palace next month and asked if Jiang Fu wanted to attend. She could request an invitation for her from Empress Xu.
Naturally, Jiang Fu wanted to go out, but the thought of possibly seeing Xiao Jing made her hesitate.
Whether to attend remained undecided, but Xu Yun, wanting to introduce her friend to her cousin, still made the request to Empress Xu.
“Lady Jiang, the fourth daughter? The one who was previously engaged to Xiao Yuzhang?”
Empress Xu was very fond of her niece. Xu Yun bore some resemblance to her—about fifty percent—though the Empress was more radiant, while Xu Yun had a rounder, more endearing appearance.
The one who truly resembled Empress Xu was her own daughter, Princess Mingyue. However, the large red birthmark on Princess Mingyue’s face obscured her features, especially now that she wore a veil. Even Empress Xu hadn’t seen her daughter’s face in a long time.
Hearing Empress Xu mention Xiao Yuzhang, Xu Yun’s expression filled with disdain. “Yes, that Xiao Yuzhang is utterly shameless. Thankfully, Sister A Fu broke off the engagement with him.”
“Oh? What happened?”
Empress Xu, bored in the palace, sat up straight upon hearing gossip.
Xu Yun then recounted how Xiao Yuzhang had previously looked down on Jiang Fu, stubbornly insisting on breaking off the engagement, only to regret it after seeing Jiang Fu’s beauty. She concluded by harshly criticizing Xiao Yuzhang for caring only about appearances and disregarding a woman’s reputation entirely.
“Sister A Fu already had a difficult situation in the Jiang family, and Xiao Yuzhang’s breaking off the engagement pushed her right off a cliff.”
“Indeed, the Xiao family’s actions were quite dishonorable. Did Madam Xiao not try to stop it?”
Xu Yun shook her head. Empress Xu sighed. “I suppose she couldn’t stop it. The Heir’s Wife is shortsighted. The Xiao family’s future will have to rely on Xiao Jing.”
Hearing Xiao Jing’s name, Xu Yun gasped in surprise, and Empress Xu glanced over with slight confusion.
“What’s wrong, Yun’er?”
Xu Yun shook her head repeatedly. “Nothing, nothing. I just suddenly remembered I haven’t seen Sister A Fu in a long time, and I miss her.”
Empress Xu patted the twin buns on her head and smiled. “If Yun’er misses her, your aunt can invite her to the palace banquet.”
Come to think of it, she also wanted to meet this Lady Jiang, the fourth daughter, and see what kind of girl had captured Yun’er’s affection so deeply.
“Alright.”
After leaving the palace, Xu Yun let out a deep sigh of relief. She had nearly given herself away earlier.
She had simply thought of Xiao Jing’s feelings for Jiang Fu—from previously sending a private room to now moving next door to Jiang Fu—each action signaling his determination to have her.
But she was the only one who knew about this, and Xu Yun felt she would eventually burst from keeping the secret.
Having a secret but being unable to share it was truly agonizing.
Ever since learning that her neighbor was Xiao Jing, Jiang Fu no longer allowed Bai Xing to fetch apricots. She also deliberately avoided Xiao Jing at night, staying up very late and only sleeping at dawn.
Although Jiang Fu’s reversed sleep schedule left her looking haggard and listless, she indeed stopped dreaming of Xiao Jing.
As the end of June approached, the weather grew hotter, yet the servant felt his master’s expression growing colder.
Xiao Jing frowned, his face unusually marked by impatience.
“Still no one has taken the apricots?”
The servant nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ve been watching these past two days. That maid named Bai Xing, who serves Lady Jiang, doesn’t even walk near the wall when fetching meals anymore.”
She’s deliberately avoiding them. Hard to tell whether it’s the maid’s idea or Fourth Miss Jiang’s intention.
The servant silently thought to himself, feeling a pang of sympathy for his master.
Third Master has been showing such attentiveness every day, yet Fourth Miss Jiang doesn’t seem to appreciate it.