Under Xie Jingchen’s insistence on absolutely refusing to give up wearing that camellia flower, Ying Xu also pointed and criticized him along the way with “no taste,” “doesn’t recognize good things,” “how can you be so rustic,” “are a few broken flowers really necessary to look at like eyeballs,” and reached the Great Buddha Temple amid her disdain.
Arriving at the entrance of the Great Buddha Temple, Xie Jingchen suddenly stopped his steps.
Hearing that there was no movement behind her, Ying Xu could not help but turn her head and strangely said, “Xie Jingchen what are you doing?”
Xie Jingchen said, “A Buddhist place, I bring flowers inside, it is not appropriate.”
The Great Buddha Temple emphasizes tranquility, so there are many rules inside, although it has not been written in words to explicitly prohibit bringing this kind of somewhat romantic wind-flower-snow-moon thing inside, but those who come and go will intentionally avoid such matters, what’s more…
Then he said again, “And A Xu doesn’t like it, I will wait for A Xu outside.”
This sentence made Ying Xu somewhat speechless, immediately she viciously glanced at him, and then scolded a sentence, “You want to freeze to death outside, I still don’t want to collect your corpse!”
Even though today’s weather is considered calm and sunny, in the middle of winter, she goes into the Buddhist hall to pray for blessings. During that long time he just stands outside waiting dryly. Does he not want his life anymore?
Then Ying Xu walked two steps toward inside the gate, and then turned back to look at Xie Jingchen who was holding that whole basket of newly obtained treasured flowers there blinking innocently, and said unhappily, “Follow along, idiot! What’s bad about you not entering the Buddhist hall?”
“The Buddhist gate even talks about saving a life being better than building seven levels of pagodas, if you freeze to death in front of the Great Buddha Temple, will the temple still be able to open?”
Hearing Ying Xu say this, Xie Jingchen immediately cozied up ingratiatingly, acting cute and saying, “Whether the temple can continue to open or not I can’t manage, I only care about A Xu.”
And Ying Xu only gloomily swept a glance at that basket of camellia flowers that she disliked but he treasured like some rare treasure, and with a small mood said one sentence, “Sooner or later you’ll anger me to death!”
But she did not continue to insist on making Xie Jingchen throw away that thing that made her feel it lowered her own status.
The two entered the temple together. Under the guidance of the temple attendant, Ying Xu went to the Buddhist hall to burn incense and pray for blessings, while Xie Jingchen, like a child who got a beloved toy and would not let go of that basket of flowers, while waiting for Ying Xu, did foolish things — specifically manifested in that whenever he saw a little monk in the Buddhist temple who was about his own size, he would stop the person and ask whether this flower was good-looking and whether it matched him, asking the passing little monks who had six roots purified to be at a loss.
And when Ying Xu came out, it just so happened that she saw such a scene: Xie Jingchen had just caught another new victim, like a peacock opening its screen, jumping around there showing off his little flowers.
It made Ying Xu immediately feel her head heat up — wanting to beat this embarrassing stupid dog to death, and under the frightened gaze of the little monk who had just been “harmed,” she grabbed his ear and led the stupid dog away.
Only after leaving the Great Buddha Temple did Ying Xu release her hand, and then under the pitiful gaze of the wet little dog eyes, she somewhat couldn’t help but say one sentence, “Xie Jingchen can you be a little promising? It’s not like I’ve never given you gifts, you as for…” when she reached here, she really couldn’t continue.
Ying Xu truly could not find a word, how to describe Xie Jingchen’s state right now, it was really too stupid and too embarrassing.
Looking at the somewhat speechless Ying Xu, Xie Jingchen, still holding that basket of “flowers Ying Xu bought for him,” somewhat awkwardly touched his nose, then softly said, “But those are not the same…”
This was the first time he received flowers from Ying Xu’s hands. And it was also on such a special day, even though he did not like the story behind Da Qi’s current Qiqiao Festival, and this flower was something he himself asked for, but…
Being able to receive flowers from Ying Xu’s hands, he was still very happy.
So happy that this originally disliked festival also became one with two likes.
To Xie Jingchen, as long as it was connected with Ying Xu, then no matter what, everything would become beautiful.
Then seeing Xie Jingchen’s silly idiot appearance, Ying Xu did not continue to say anything about him, of course, this also inevitably included that she was already tired of speaking.
And seeing Ying Xu slightly reveal fatigue, Xie Jingchen also very consciously squatted down again, proactively wanting to carry her back.
He was so sensible, Ying Xu naturally had no hesitation, again leaning on Xie Jingchen’s shoulder, and then under the young man’s soft-voiced request asking her to help hold the flowers, Ying Xu reluctantly extended her hand to lift that bamboo basket, causing Xie Jingchen to immediately hehe stupidly laugh.
Ying Xu spent not a short amount of time praying for blessings for her elder brother at the Great Buddha Temple, so when the two left the Great Buddha Temple the sky was already very late, the originally bustling and prosperous street on their way there had also withered, leaving only a sparse two or three people.
But it also added a bit of quiet and tranquility.
As Xie Jingchen passed through the streets, Ying Xu on his back seemed to suddenly think of something, abruptly lifted her head, one hand again shaking left and right the light flower basket she was holding.
“A Xu what’s wrong?” the handsome young man immediately asked like this.
Ying Xu said, “I don’t want to return to the imperial palace, you change direction, go to my home.”
As soon as this sentence’s sound fell, immediately the beautiful girl lazily fell back down again, pressing the weight of her head on the young man’s shoulder and neck.
Now the emperor was already dead, and she had also thrown the divorce letter to him, when the emperor was alive she was already no longer the empress, so afterward she also would not be the empress dowager, naturally there was no need to return to the imperial palace again.
That mess inside the imperial palace, Ying Xu did not want to go clean it up, anyway she already had no relationship with those things. It was better to go home, and also be able to gain a bit of ease and leisure.
Moreover, returning home, it was also possible to better wait for big brother to come back.
Thinking of her own elder brother’s unlucky bitter fate, Ying Xu could not help but sigh.
And when she sighed, Xie Jingchen also immediately understood Ying Xu’s meaning, and comforted the girl on his back, saying, “A Xu don’t worry, I’ve already sent people to look for that tribe.”
“…Mm.” leaning on his shoulder, Ying Xu softly responded.
Ying Xu was thus carried by Xie Jingchen all the way back to the Ying residence, until she was delivered back to her bedroom Ying Xu’s feet finally touched the ground.
Just after instructing the maid to burn hot water, Ying Xu turned her head and saw Xie Jingchen tell her he was leaving, and could not help but ask one sentence, “Where are you going?”
Xie Jingchen answered, “Going home.”
Ying Xu tilted her head, “At this time, you just stay here.”
Hearing this sentence, Xie Jingchen’s breathing could not help but stop, his voice even began to stutter, “C-can I?”
“What is there that can’t?” Ying Xu found it strange, then said another sentence, “After all, the Ying residence isn’t without your room.”
From childhood to adulthood, Xie Jingchen had not stayed at the Ying residence any less.
In the residence, that room of his was something that when he was very young, no matter what he insisted on following Ying Xu, no one could pull him away, relying on a streak of stubbornness he got for himself.
Thinking of this matter, Ying Xu suddenly raised her eyes to look at him, her gaze faintly carrying scrutiny, making Xie Jingchen continuously feel nervous, “W-what’s wrong? Why is A Xu suddenly looking at me like this?”
“It’s just that I suddenly discovered…” Ying Xu raised her hand to pinch her chin, with a thinking look said, “You seem to have changed quite a lot compared to before?”
Ying Xu vaguely remembered, it seemed a long time ago, as if when she had just met Xie Jingchen — at that time he was also not called Xie Jingchen, he did not yet have a name, on the day she insisted on going to play in the Cold Palace, she picked up a pretty-looking, herself looked very pleasing to the eye Cold Palace “little eunuch” who was a bit gloomy and did not like to talk to people… of course, this here refers to not liking to talk to people other than her, otherwise with the temper of the Ying family’s little young miss who was doted on by everyone, she would have long since thrown aside any cat or dog that dared to provoke her.
That time’s Xie Jingchen truly could be described with one sentence as dog-hated and people-disliked, there was not one person around her who liked him, but Ying Xu at that time just happened to find him pleasing to the eye, and Xie Jingchen was obedient, sensible, and listened to her words, so she kept him as a lackey.
Later Ying Xu also did not remember from when, her little lackey suddenly had people who liked him and people who praised him, and inexplicably became the emperor uncle’s most favored imperial son.
But she also did not pay attention to such matters, because it seemed everything else was changing, but Xie Jingchen in front of her was always that obedient and sensible little lackey, she did bad things, he took the blame, she wanted to hit people he went to prepare sacks in advance.
Obviously some things if done by her would not incur any punishment at all, and might not even have any small verbal reprimand, but Xie Jingchen still proactively took the blame for her, taking the matters onto himself.
Hearing Ying Xu say this, Xie Jingchen immediately became somewhat at a loss, fearing that Ying Xu would suddenly feel something about him was not pleasing to the eye, and weakly asked one sentence, “Is there?”
Ying Xu nodded, directly telling him the past she had just thought of, saying, “I also just suddenly remembered, before I didn’t notice,” then asked another sentence, “So how did you become liked by people?”
Hearing this, Xie Jingchen abruptly froze. He actually somewhat did not expect Ying Xu to ask him this question.
Because Ying Xu before would never pay attention to these unimportant matters.
Looking at him, seeming somewhat stunned, Ying Xu tilted her head, and asked another sentence, “This also can’t be said?”
Xie Jingchen’s secrets were a bit too many, weren’t they?
Hearing this sentence, he immediately shook his head, denying, “No! It can be said!”
It’s just that telling Ying Xu this matter, he would feel a bit… embarrassed. And he was also a bit uncertain whether after Ying Xu heard that answer, she would feel displeased and… offended.
He worked hard to become likable, only in order to be able to stay by Ying Xu’s side, and even… be worthy of her.