My Wife Is A Sword Immortal
Chapter 545 - 356 Qian’er’s First Encounter with the Li Clan’s Ruins

Chapter 545: Chapter 356 Qian’er’s First Encounter with the Li Clan’s Ruins

Great Li Dynasty, Nanxing County, Xingzi Town.

One quarter of an hour ago.

On a floating ancient path across Xingzi Lake, strewn with stars, a certain segment.

A man and a woman stood in silence, clinging to each other, tightly embracing, the lake beneath reflecting the round moon.

The man was tall and noble, gentle and Confucian in manner.

The girl was petite and lovely, with an air of graceful charm.

In the distance, a swordsman with his back to them seemed to be keeping watch.

The two stood above the bright moon, quietly affectionate.

"Qian’er, why are you crying?"

Zhao Rong frowned at Zhao Qian’er, who was simultaneously laughing and crying, and said anxiously.

Zhao Qian’er came back to her senses, "It’s nothing, I was just thinking about some things from when I was a child."

Zhao Rong sighed, holding her, and gently rocked her like swinging in the evening breeze, "When you were a child? You were such a silly girl back then."

His tone carried a hint of laughter.

Zhao Qian’er suddenly spoke, "... Rong’er, brother."

"Hmm?"

"Do you still remember the first wife?"

Zhao Rong was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"I remember. I used to get scolded by her a lot, especially when I initially asked her to let you join the fourth household with Qing Jun, I had quite the trouble with the first wife."

He touched Zhao Qian’er’s little head, she was nestled quietly in his arms, not speaking.

"But now that I think about it, I was indeed rather mischievous as a child, and as I got older, after studying with Teacher Fang, I became more understanding of the rites and tamed my wildness a bit. But she’s no longer here, leaving Qing Jun alone."

Zhao Qian’er did not speak, only rubbed her cheek against Zhao Rong’s chest.

Zhao Rong, looking up at the moon, spoke in a nostalgic tone.

"Actually, looking back now, the first wife was alright, aside from being strict about ranks of superiority and inferiority. As a child, I was the one who least cared about that. Whether Qing Jun’s position was noble or not, like you, wasn’t she just a little girl who followed us around, always looking for snacks and fun?"

"Mmm mmm."

Seeing Rong’er talk about her and the young lady like that, Zhao Qian’er wriggled and punched him twice, relentessly—one of the punches was on behalf of her young lady.

Zhao Rong burst into laughter, "That’s why, back then, the first wife wanted me to call Qing Jun ’Miss’ and follow the servant’s duty. How could I be willing? I wasn’t like you, a silly girl who complied with everything she said, with utmost respect."

Zhao Qian’er didn’t punch him this time, but instead wrapped her arms around him tightly.

It seemed as though she was enjoying this moment of stolen tranquility with him amidst their busyness.

The smile in Zhao Rong’s voice gradually faded.

In the night enveloped by stars above and beneath, he spoke of the past with a gentle voice.

"All those things have passed. If I could meet the first wife now, I imagine it would be quite interesting. I wonder how she would regard me now, her son-in-law granted by convenience. Ha, I was the troublesome kid she found most annoying."

"However, speaking of which, it’s somewhat unexpected. My engagement with Qing Jun was actually agreed upon by the first wife during her lifetime, after discussing it with my mother. I didn’t believe it when my mother first told me, but if she hadn’t given her permission and decision, Duke Mansion probably wouldn’t have agreed to my engagement and joining the household with Qing Jun. So, it must be true."

Without blushing or skipping a beat, Zhao Rong nodded and said:

"Speaking of which, could it be the first wife had long seen that when I grew up, I would be distinguished and elegant, standing out like a jade tree in the wind, and like you and Qing Jun, a dragon and phoenix among men with limitless prospects? Ah, the first wife had vision indeed, so insightful. Perhaps her making things difficult for me before was all part of a test?"

"..."

Zhao Qian’er shook her head, "I don’t know."

She sniffled, "Rong’er, brother, I kind of miss the first wife."

Zhao Rong put away his smile, pursed his lips thoughtfully, and gently patted the young girl’s back.

He didn’t say anything.

Zhao Qian’er hugged Zhao Rong tightly, suddenly standing on tiptoe, raising her head, her eyelids drooping slightly as she lifted her delicate little chin.

From below looking up, facing him.

Her lips slightly pursed.

Like a tender, moist petal blushing pink in the evening breeze, weak and soft, awaiting someone to pluck it.

Zhao Rong stared blankly, looking down at the little girl in his arms who strained on tiptoes and tilted up her chin.

Zhao Qian’er closed her eyes, giving her beloved the softest gift she had treasured for seventeen years.

The corners of her captivating peach-blossom eyes were tinged with a faint pink and marked with tears not yet dried. A few strands of her hair by her temples were brushed up askew by the evening breeze, one clinging to her moist lips, utterly endearing.

Her delicate beauty was marred by tears, like a pear blossom bearing the spring rain.

When I first met you as a child, by the orphanage window sill on that spring morning, it was there I bumped into my kindred spirit.

You basked in the sunlight, nonchalantly squatting on the tall windowsill, eating fruit and scaring me; I restrained my pain, smiling radiantly, curled up where the sun’s rays couldn’t reach, below the windowsill, and dared not make eye contact with you.

One morning, wet with dew, you took me to the wooden hut on the back hill, claiming me as your second wife.

One afternoon, you rode the wooden horse with me, picking green plums across the hills, and when tired, you would casually sleep on my lap. I folded a banana leaf to fan you a gentle breeze, my head nodding little by little, my cheek quietly resting against yours as we slept.

On one summer’s day, I crouched on the ground, head buried, grasping your hand, stubbornly not letting you go.

In the distance was a swing set in motion by someone else.

Later, you took me on a swing you had just made. As we swung higher and higher, we truly flew out, into the sky, where we fell to the ground, looked at each other, and laughed while rolling around.