If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

Wang Jue lay down for a while to rest and recuperate, and when he woke up, he was once again in high spirits and full of vigor.

He summoned the accompanying guards and gave them some kind of mission. The head of the guards, who was from the royal family, stared at him for a long time.

Finally, it seemed like they had no other choice but to agree.

As the eldest son of the Xi family, Xi Rui could not lead troops into battle forever; one day he would have to strategize and support the family in the imperial court.

Xi Jian had many distinguished guests visiting him every day, leaving him no time to teach him.

Xi Rui also knew how to find a mentor for himself, and he readily used Wang Jue.

Having discovered Wang Jue's feelings for his sister, he now stands more and more confidently in front of Wang Jue.

In the afternoon after I sobered up, a north wind was howling in the courtyard, and the sky was gloomy, looking like another heavy snow was about to fall.

Carrying stacks of official documents and gazettes, along with the points of confusion he had while reading those policies on governing the country, Xi Rui went to Tingyuxuan, where Wang Jue resided.

He knocked and was given permission to enter, expecting the person to be engrossed in studying documents or pondering important matters of the court.

But what he saw left Xi Rui stunned and speechless.

Wang Jue sat calmly behind his desk, holding a small copper hammer in his hand, slowly and methodically tapping wild walnuts.

Those walnuts were wild mountain walnuts that could only be found deep in the mountains, making them extremely rare.

His hammer strikes were precise, only lightly cracking the hard shells without damaging the plump, intact kernels inside; with his slender fingertips, he deftly removed each perfectly intact walnut kernel and carefully placed it into a small celadon jar beside him.

The movements were fluid and graceful, a delight to behold.

Xi Rui, however, looked utterly bewildered, as if he had seen a ghost. "What... what are you doing?"

Wang Jue looked up, saw the person who had arrived, and remained calm. "What is it?"

Xi Rui gestured to the heavy documents in his arms, "I... I have many questions, so I came to ask for your guidance." Wang Jue nodded slightly: "Go aside and handle your official business. If you have any doubts, just ask me, and I will answer them for you."

Xi Rui pouted, "Where did all this come from? You like eating this?"

"It's not that I want to eat it."

"Who is that?" Xi Rui's eyes gleamed with a knowing smile, as if he knew the answer already.

Wang Jue stiffened almost imperceptibly, his tone becoming slightly awkward and stiff, "Just bored in my spare time, so I'm looking for something to do to pass the time."

Xi Rui was so angry he laughed.

Even wild walnuts aren't as stubborn as you.

Wang Jue pursed her lips. "Are you here to ask about political affairs or to pry into my personal matters?"

Xi Rui wisely kept quiet and began to peruse the documents, accompanied by the sound of cracking walnuts.

……

Xi Lingxian returned to her courtyard, took a bath, and changed her clothes.

The bathroom was filled with steam, and she sat naked in the bathtub, her thoughts wandering.

The peach branch and the colorful screen each had their own function: one perfumed the clothes, and the other burned incense.

"Young lady, please forgive me for speaking out of turn, but I believe that Young Master Wang is truly sincere towards you."

Cai Ping whispered, "Whether you like him or not, whether he's sincere or not, we outsiders can see clearly how Young Master Wang treats you."

Xi Lingxian pouted, "Whose maid are you, and whose side are you taking? Besides, is he really that good to me?"

"Young lady, you were pampered by the head of the family and the young master, so you probably look down on Young Master Wang?" Tao Zhi wiped her clean as she spoke, "But Young Master Wang is a cold and aloof person, so your treatment of me is truly unique and special."

"What's so special about it? They still abandoned me when it came to my life or death!"

Ultimately, she was still bothered by the incident of falling into the water during the Dragon Boat Festival; it was a knot in her heart that had been there for two lifetimes.

Color Screen: "Lady, perhaps you could think of it this way: If you were in that situation, between a young master Wang who is an expert swimmer and a second master Song who cannot swim and is in constant danger, who would you choose to save?"

"Of course it's Ah Song, he's my own brother."

As soon as she said it, she suddenly realized what she was doing and began to defend herself.

"That's different. I'm his biological brother, and his... cousin is just someone else."

"But the Wang and Xie families are neighbors separated by only one wall, and the young master Wang and the eldest daughter of the Xie family are cousins ​​who grew up together. Humans aren't plants or trees; it would be truly terrifying if the young master Wang were to sit idly by and watch his cousin get into trouble in the water, wouldn't it?"

Xi Lingxian remained hesitant. "Doesn't this just prove that the person most important to him is his cousin? So I won't interfere, and I'll let them be together, okay?"

The two maids exchanged a glance and laughed, "Alright, alright, if the young lady doesn't like it, she can simply leave and find another one."

After fussing around in the bathroom for more than half an hour, when she came out, her cheeks and body were flushed red, like a ripe peach.

"Is the young lady asleep? Young Master Wang has sent someone to deliver some things."

Wang Jue?

What are they up to now?

Cai Ping went to open the door, and the person who came was Wang Jue's personal guard, Chang'an. He was holding two small porcelain jars in his hands, with blue cracks, which looked very exquisite.

"Greetings to the young lady."

Xi Lingxian combed her hair behind the screen and asked, "What is it?"

Chang'an placed the two porcelain jars he was carrying on the table.

Through the screen, the images were indistinct and unclear, and Xi Lingxian could not see them clearly.

"What is that?"

"These are the kernels of wild walnuts; the young master had his guards search the mountains extensively and personally peeled these two jars."

personally?

Xi Lingxian doubted her ears. "You're saying he peeled them himself? You're not just trying to glorify your master, are you?"

"If I am lying, may I be struck by lightning!"

Chang'an was afraid she would refuse, so he put down his things and slipped away.

Cai Ping opened one of the porcelain jars and presented it to Xi Lingxian, exclaiming with delight, "Look, young lady, these are truly wild mountain walnuts that can only be found deep in the mountains. I've heard that ordinary hunters might not be able to find two or three pounds even after three or four days in the mountains, and they're hard to buy even if you have money."

Xi Lingxian looked down at the whole walnut kernels, feeling a little awkward.

Offering unsolicited favors is either a sign of malice or theft.

What exactly is Wang Jue up to now?

Seeing her hesitant expression, Taozhi suppressed a laugh and teased, "What does it matter what his intentions are? Such a good thing is delivered to you, so just eat it without worry. Who would dare to tamper with the walnuts?"

Xi Lingxian hesitated for a while, then picked up a plump walnut kernel and put it in her mouth.

With a gentle bite, the thin kernels spread between the lips and teeth, and the more you chew, the richer the sweet aroma of the wild fruit from the deep mountains becomes.

It lingers on the tip of the tongue, a sensation that lingers long afterward.

This is the taste. It instantly swept over my taste buds, unlocking long-dormant memories.

Xi Lingxian paused slightly as she chewed the walnuts, her originally clear eyes gradually becoming misty, her thoughts drifting uncontrollably to the distant past, carried by the aroma of wild walnuts.

……

That was about two years after she and Wang Jue got married.

Wang Jue's mother, Madam Wang, summoned her and, in front of Xie Wanyi and a group of young ladies, put on airs as a mother-in-law. She then urged her to prepare for the issue of offspring and told her to prepare to take a concubine for her husband.

The Xie and Wang girls, watching the spectacle with amusement, were fanning the flames.

She was never one to take things lying down. While Madam Wang couldn't be scolded, those young girls were no match for her. She shut them up with just a few words, but it also infuriated Madam Wang, who clutched her chest and cried out in despair.

Half angry and half aggrieved, she went to Wang Jue to complain.

Unexpectedly, the man, seated behind his desk, parted his thin lips slightly, a half-smile playing on his lips: "You're really getting more and more audacious, talking back to my mother in front of her? Are you just offering yourself up for someone to use against you?"

She scoffed, knowing she couldn't count on him.

Wang Jue immediately summoned his confidant and said, "Go and tell the old lady that I have my own way of handling the matter of offspring. I prefer peace and quiet, so I will dismiss all concubines and maids for now and let her enjoy her old age in peace."

At night, she lay down first, still feeling annoyed by Madam Wang's constant use of Xie Wanyi to provoke her. After taking a bath, he crawled into her bed and tried to pin her down; but she kicked him back in a huff.

"I'm still angry, don't touch me."

Wang Jue rarely compromised, "So what do you want to do to calm down?"

"Your dear cousin found some wild walnuts today and brought them to your mother to curry favor. The old lady praised her to the skies. Go find some, I want some too."

Wang Jue's eye twitched. "I thought you were here to curry favor with my mother, but it turns out you're planning to eat it all yourself?"

"Is that not allowed?"

"Don't you have any walnuts at home?"

"Those are wild walnuts; they can only be found deep in the mountains and forests."

Wang Jue paused for a moment, then asked, "And then?"

"Aren't all your bodyguards incredibly resourceful? Could you ask them to help you search?"

Wang Jue almost choked on his breath. His bodyguards were all top-notch experts, used to gather intelligence and carry out important missions!

His eyes blazed with fury as he spoke, each word deliberate and forceful: "Aren't you going a bit too far?!"

Xi Lingxian puffed out her cheeks, thinking that it might be a little true.

"Fine, I won't eat it then! Let them keep riding on my head, let me stay ignorant."

That night, the woman who didn't get what she wanted was harder to control than a shrewish ox, and Wang Jue was left alone on half a cold bed.

The next day, she took her servants to collect the debts from the estate that was part of her dowry. By the time she returned to the mansion, it was almost evening.

A whole basket of wild walnuts, still damp from the deep mountains, sat quietly in her courtyard.

At lunchtime, Wang Jue came from the front yard, still with that cold, indifferent face, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

She was pleased, and after dinner, she took advantage of the situation and asked him to peel walnuts for her.

Wang Jue, unable to bear it any longer, picked her up and carried her back to the inner room. Taking advantage of her unpreparedness, he threw her directly onto the bed, his tone filled with gritted teeth.

"Why don't you just go to heaven?"

She couldn't help but laugh first, and the more she laughed, the angrier he became.

They came up with all sorts of ways to retaliate against her.

Back then, he always said that with her by his side, he would be so angry that he would live at least twenty years less.

But she didn't stay angry with him for many years.

She's gone, there's no one to cheer him up anymore, I wonder if he's happy or not.