Chapter 156: Disappointment and Putting In More Effort
The feeble paper-like lady was now looking at Long Heng with a curious expression in her eyes. Are you dissatisfied with something?
Truth be told, Long Heng was actually feeling very content at this moment, except for that one minor hitch. But since he had lived well for most of his life without ever knowing the pleasure of having a woman, what would it matter for him to wait for a little longer?
Dinner was served a short moment later. Bai Xiangxiu didn’t dare to eat much to account for her lack of appetite. Instead, she was personally putting food into the old madame’s bowl to make her eat more.
Long Heng was very appreciative of the harmony that had descended on his home. What man wouldn’t wish to come home after a long day of work to a place where nobody would make problems for him?
The old madame couldn’t bear to see Bai Xiangxiu eat so little. She needed more nutrients when carrying a child! So she ordered the servants to make some medicinal soup and told her to drink it later. Bai Xiangxiu reassured the old madame and returned to Apricot Garden after listening to her careful advice and reminders. While Bai Xiangxiu was on her way home, a thought came to the old madame’s mind. It is so fortunate that Bai Xiangxiu has moved to Apricot Garden. It would have been very worrying if she had to travel such a distance back to Winter Garden. The temperature is also falling. It seems like it’s going to snow soon.
And just as the old madame had predicted, a massive snowstorm soon covered the estate. Despite all that, the mood in Apricot Garden was still warm and fuzzy. Bai Xiangxiu had removed her makeup, undressed herself, and taken a bath all under the supervision of Long Heng. Long Heng is being too anxious. It seems like I’ll have to explain everything to him or life is going to be miserable. As soon as her thoughts reached that conclusion, Long Heng picked her up and placed her onto his legs.
She whimpered a little due to the pain but he didn’t seem to pay it any heed. “Your Highness, this concubine has something that she has to explain.”
“Oh?” Instead of complaining, she’s trying to explain something? Must’ve done something wrong. He took his time exploring her while asking what was wrong. Even if he couldn’t eat her, a little nibble here and there would go a long way to satiate the hunger.
“Your Highness. Mmn… actually this concubine is not… pregnant.” Please don’t dice me up into pieces!
“What?!” Long Heng froze. He lifted her chin to force her to look him in the eye. One could discern how furious he was just from his gaze alone.
“I… I… Actually it is because…”
“What I hate the most is when women from the rear court fight for my attentions. And yet you…” Long Heng surged to his feet. He’d stormed off before giving her a chance to explain herself.
He was convinced that she’d conjured such a scheme because she wanted something in the estate. He could understand if it was just a small and harmless trick. But acting like she was pregnant with his child and using it as a front? That was where he drew the line. Long Heng had been really looking forward to having a child, but his hopes and dreams had been dashed to pieces in the blink of an eye. To make things worse, there was even an unknown conspiracy behind it. Vexed by the current situation, Long Heng immediately stormed off. He needed some time to calm down. The way a man calmed himself down was different from a woman. He wasn’t going to find a corner to brood over things, nor was he going to find someone to confide in. Instead, he was going to find a place to pour wine down his throat and would not return home until late at night.
As if by habit, he had arrived at his favorite tavern. Unfortunately, Song Jiaoyue and several of his friends were there as well. When Song Jiaoyue saw him enter the tavern with a furious expression, he couldn’t help but ask Long Heng, who’d taken a seat and started silently throwing back wine. “What’s the matter? It’s so rare to see you like this. Did something happen… in your household?”
“Nothing much. Come. Have a few drinks with me.” Long Heng personally poured a cup of wine for Song Jiaoyue. The two drained it before any of the dishes were served.
“Is it because of Madame Xiu…”
“Don’t bring up her name!” Long Heng’s voice rose to a near yell as he smashed his cup into the ground.
Something must’ve happened between them. Song Jiaoyue has never seen his friend so angry before. However, he couldn’t believe that that kind and gentle girl could have done something that would cause Long Heng to be so furious.
“You’ve always been like this. I don’t know what has happened between the two of you but the least you can do is try listening to her explanations. She is such a kind and gentle person. Aren’t you making things hard for her by acting like this?” Song Jiaoyue was feeling frustrated as well. He got to his feet and left, leaving those words behind.
Unexpectedly, Long Heng froze, a new cup of wine in his hand. He had indeed stormed out of the room before she could give any explanations. What if she had some unspoken difficulties? If that was true, then his actions were nothing more than a wrongful accusation. True, his anticipation for a child was to blame for his reactions. Hearing that it was all a lie had made him angry and rash. His mind finally cleared after some wine and a reminder from Song Jiaoyue. Putting his wine cup aside, he began his journey back to the manor.
Bai Xiangxiu too was filled with anger after Long Heng had stormed off. What a chauvinistic man! He won’t even give me time to explain myself! You know what? It’s fine if you refuse to listen! I’m very angry too, alright?
Feeling extremely wronged, tears began to drip from her eyes despite her initial reluctance to cry. She then sat on the corner of the bed and stared into the lantern. More than ever before, she was missing the modern era. Back then, she’d lived in the northern part of the country where she could see snow during winter as well. However, the snow wasn’t as thick and white like what was falling outside. She sneezed ferociously because the window side was a little chilly.
A cloak was carefully draped around her shoulders. Initially, Long Heng had returned with the intention of making her confess to all of her wrongdoings. But all his thoughts had scattered when he saw the condition she was in. His heart softened and any anger that he had previously felt disappeared into the back of his mind. Bai Xiangxiu would’ve been extremely saddened if he was still angry after he came back. She might have even resumed her previous personality if she’d seen that.
Fortunately, he didn’t. And because of that, she began to throw some tantrums. She swept the cloak aside and murmured, “Who needs your concern? Why don’t you just leave?”
Long Heng had never seen her act this way before. He couldn’t help but feel a little taken aback. “I…”
It was like everything was all his fault. Long Heng was actually speechless for once, but his intuition told him it would be a grave mistake to leave the room.
“I only wanted… wanted to cheer up Old Madame so that she wouldn’t dwell in her sad memories. And because you weren’t here, I could only make the decision by myself. But I didn’t expect that you would lose your temper and not even give me time to explain…” Bai Xiangxiu began to sob harder. It grew to the point where even the maids and servants outside couldn’t help but want to glance into the room. However, no one dared to barge in. They shouldn’t be meddling in the young couple’s quarrels. Otherwise, disaster would descend upon them.
Long Heng soon understood her reasoning, and in truth couldn’t blame her for doing so. His mother was indeed much happier after she’d heard the news. Although the plan was a little too bold, it seemed like she really hadn’t had much of a choice.
It was normal for a woman to become quite fierce when throwing a tantrum. Despite her tiny stature, Bai Xiangxiu began to rake up the past as she described every provocation she had to endure and how’d she acted for the household.
Feeling helpless, Long Heng tenderly lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed to quietly listen to her complaints. Some moments later, he still didn’t see an end to her ramblings, and her sobs were only beginning to worsen. Without much of a choice, he decided shut her up by giving her a long and romantic kiss. Finally. She’s stopped. Long Heng sighed out of relief.
“You… What are you doing…” How did things develop to this point? I’m still very angry at him just now… She couldn’t help but question him while Long Heng was having his way with her body.
“I was just very disappointed. However, we should put our backs into it so that we won’t disappoint mother.”