Gu Jianli lingered in the west room for another half-hour, knowing that Jixia would soon come to bring hot water. Finally, she braced herself and went out. She checked her reflection in the copper mirror on the wall to make sure her face wasn’t too red before finally opening the door to the west room.
She had imagined more than a dozen scenarios of Ji Wujing mocking her, but when she went out, she found that Ji Wujing was not there.
Gu Jianli frowned. If she had known Ji Wujing wasn’t there, she wouldn’t have stayed in the west room for so long. It was somewhat cold inside.
As soon as Gu Jianli sat down by the bed, Ji Wujing pushed the door open and came in. Gu Jianli’s body instantly tensed up. She lowered her eyes, waiting for Ji Wujing to make fun of her. After waiting for a while and not hearing anything, she sneaked a glance at Ji Wujing and saw him looking down at something in the folds of his robe.
Ji Wujing stood by the bed and poured the flower petals he had gathered in his robe onto the bed. The various shades of Balsamine flowers fell lightly, some pink, some red.
He had actually gone to the courtyard to pick Balsamine flowers. Ji Wujing’s demeanor was as calm as if nothing had happened between them. This made Gu Jianli feel relieved, and the tension and lingering embarrassment eased somewhat.
“Knock, knock, knock—” Someone was knocking at the door.
Gu Jianli knew it was Jixia coming to bring water. She turned her head towards the door and raised her voice, “Come in.”
The person who came in with the hot water was not Jixia, but Ye Yunyue.
Gu Jianli was stunned for a moment and slightly frowned. She felt a bit flustered today and, in such a state, didn’t want outsiders to see her.
Ji Wujing glanced at Gu Jianli’s expression and then looked at Ye Yunyue, who had just walked in.
Ye Yunyue entered with her head lowered and carried the wooden bucket to the west room.
“Ye Yunyue?” Ji Wujing called out her name uncertainly.
Ye Yunyue paused, hurriedly stopped, and looked at Ji Wujing with a mixture of surprise and delight. “Yes, it’s me.”
Ji Wujing frowned. “Why are you still here?”
The smile on Ye Yunyue’s face instantly froze.
Gu Jianli glanced at Ji Wujing and then silently lowered her head, pretending not to hear anything and not getting involved.
Ye Yunyue knew she didn’t yet have the privilege of showing awkward emotions in front of Ji Wujing. The Zhao family, with whom she was staying at the Guangping Marquis Mansion, had finally finished preparing their residence in the capital. In recent days, Ye Yunyue’s aunt had several heartfelt talks with her, expressing disappointment. Ye Yunyue also realized that staying in Ji Wujing’s courtyard as a maid would only mean being oppressed by Gu Jianli forever. It was better to leave the mansion first and approach Ji Wujing from another angle. She had already packed her things and would move out with her aunt in a few days. But for now, she would definitely not leave.
Because, as someone who had lived through this once before, she naturally knew that it wouldn’t be long before people in the mansion would secretly bind Ji Xinglou and throw him into the wilderness to be fed to the dogs. In her previous life, she was far away and didn’t know exactly what had happened, but she vaguely remembered that it was Gu Jianli who had found Ji Xinglou. Ye Yunyue speculated that it must be because of this that Ji Xinglou became particularly dependent on Gu Jianli. Otherwise, Ji Xinglou wouldn’t have immediately made Gu Jianli the Empress Dowager Shangxian after ascending to the throne.
As someone who had been reborn, Ye Yunyue decided that she must seize this credit!
So, Ye Yunyue put on a respectful and obedient appearance and replied softly, “In a few days, I will move out with my aunt. Not being able to serve Fifth Master is indeed a regret for Yunyue. However, now that Lizi is not around, Fourth Sister is lonely every day, and Nanny Lin can’t take care of both children by herself. Fortunately, when I move out with my aunt, Lizi will be back…”
Ji Wujing impatiently looked at her and interrupted, “Get out.”
The words Ye Yunyue was about to say got stuck in her throat, and she stood there awkwardly. Swallowing back her words, she didn’t dare to proceed further into the west room. She put down the wooden bucket, turned around, and hurriedly left. As soon as she exited, Jixia entered and said, “This servant was wrong. I didn’t watch over her. I had just gone to the kitchen to prepare medicine and didn’t expect her to…”
Gu Jianli waved his hand and didn’t blame her, “Go about your tasks.”
“Yes!” Jixia quickly prepared hot water in the west room.
After Gu Jianli finished his bath, he instructed Jixia to clean up the west room and prepare hot water again for Ji Wujing. While Gu Jianli was bathing, Ji Wujing went out again and picked some leaves.
As soon as Ji Wujing entered the west room, Gu Jianli glanced at the flower petals on the bed, hesitated for a moment, and followed him into the west room.
Ji Wujing had taken off his outer garment and was untying the red inner garment. He looked up at Gu Jianli and lazily asked, “What, do you want to bathe again with Uncle?”
Gu Jianli ignored him, poured a cup of warm water, placed it on the table beside the bathtub, and added salt to it in six or seven times the usual amount. Then, she took out tooth powder and a wooden toothstick from the cabinet and placed them beside it.
Ji Wujing stopped what he was doing and watched Gu Jianli’s actions with interest.
Gu Jianli glanced at him and softly said, “Make sure to clean your mouth well…”
After speaking, she hurriedly turned and walked out.
Ji Wujing licked his lips, then his teeth. Watching Gu Jianli’s retreating figure, he laughed.
Gu Jianli walked out of the west room, glanced at the bed covered with balsam petals, and didn’t touch Ji Wujing’s things. She casually picked up a book and sat at the dressing table, flipping through it. However, her mind was in such turmoil that she couldn’t focus on reading.
After Ji Wujing finished his bath, he glanced at Gu Jianli, rummaged through a drawer, and took out two mortars. Lazily sitting by the bed, he began sorting through the balsam petals. He picked out the light pink ones from the different colors and threw them into the mortar. His long fingers sifted through the petals for a while before he suddenly looked up at Gu Jianli and said, “Come help.”
Gu Jianli put down the book, walked over, and sat opposite Ji Wujing. Silently, she began to sort the petals, separating the pink and red petals and the leaves, each into a small pile.
Ji Wujing placed the pink petals into the mortar and began grinding them, his expression focused. He always seemed unreasonably serious when doing inexplicable little things.
Gu Jianli hadn’t used balsam petals to dye her nails in a long time. Previously, for festivals or banquets, she would use dyes from the rouge shop, which were easy to apply and remove. The last time she used balsam petals to dye her nails was many years ago, in her childhood. She and her sister had run into the flower garden, holding hands, and picked a basket full of balsam petals. Remembering those childhood times, a smile slowly crept onto her lips. She placed the pink petals in her palm into the mortar held by Ji Wujing and continued sorting.
The room was filled only with the muffled sound of Ji Wujing grinding the flower petals.
The balsam petals in the mortar gradually turned into pulp, releasing their juice. In the light of the candle beside Ji Wujing, the flower juice shimmered.
Ji Wujing looked at the flower juice in the mortar, paused, and unexpectedly said, “That’s normal.”
Gu Jianli, who was silently sorting petals, looked up at him blankly.
Without looking up, Ji Wujing tapped the mortar with the pestle, causing the balsam flower juice to ripple slightly. He said in a normal tone, “Insects can grow up, and balsam petals can produce juice too.”
He spoke in such an ordinary tone as if he were truly talking about insects and balsam flowers.
Gu Jianli stared at him in a daze, feeling a bit lost. She vaguely guessed something, but after the initial surprise, her cheeks turned slightly red. However, she didn’t fully understand, and her thoughts were muddled. In her distraction, her hand involuntarily tilted, causing the small handful of balsam petals to fall from her palm.
Ji Wujing reached out and placed his hand under hers, catching the falling balsam petals in his palm.
He nonchalantly put the petals into the mortar and said slowly, “When you crave delicious food, your mouth will water. It’s the same from top to bottom.”
If Ji Wujing’s first sentence had made Gu Jianli vaguely understand something, his second sentence left her completely bewildered. She looked at Ji Wujing with her clear, innocent eyes, full of confusion.
Ji Wujing curled his lips into a smile. Suddenly, he leaned in, placed his palm on the back of her neck, and pulled her close, giving her a forceful kiss on her clean eyes, then quickly released her.
He casually removed the hairpin from Gu Jianli’s hair, letting her silky, raven hair fall, the strands brushing against Ji Wujing’s hand. He withdrew his gaze and reached out to Gu Jianli, “Give me your hand.”
Gu Jianli silently extended her hand to him.
Using her hairpin, Ji Wujing meticulously applied the thick balsam juice to her nails. He lowered his eyes, concentrating, as he carefully spread the juice on her nails, holding her hand firmly and spreading it evenly again and again.
Gu Jianli’s gaze moved from her nails to Ji Wujing’s focused expression. Her eyes gradually settled, unconsciously drawn to the tear mole under his eye.
After finishing her right hand, Gu Jianli rested it on her knee, her fingers slightly curved.
Ji Wujing took her left hand and continued applying the juice. Suddenly, he said, “Don’t be afraid.”
“What’s there to fear about dyeing nails…”
Ji Wujing just smiled without saying anything.
Gu Jianli slowly lifted her eyes, cautiously observing his expression, and finally realized that Ji Wujing wasn’t referring to dyeing nails.
“I understand…” she replied softly, lowering her eyelashes, quietly watching the vibrant balsam juice.
After finishing all ten of Gu Jianli’s nails, Ji Wujing pulled her hand back and applied another two layers. Although balsam flowers appeared brightly colored, they required several layers on the nails to look good. After three layers, Ji Wujing used a jade hairpin to apply the thick red juice from another mortar, starting from the tips of her nails, leaving a little space, then switching to pink for the ends. He then wrapped her nails with leaves, doing the same for all ten fingers.
Such patience—Gu Jianli thought to herself.
“Lift your feet,” Ji Wujing said.
Gu Jianli instinctively drew her feet back, looking warily at Ji Wujing.
“I won’t bite,” Ji Wujing said, tapping the mortar.
Only then did Gu Jianli extend her foot to him. He held her ankle and applied the juice, wrapping it with leaves.
They wouldn’t be able to remove it until the next day.
That night, Gu Jianli was afraid of dislodging the leaves and slept uneasily. She woke up very early the next day. She quietly got out of bed and removed the leaves herself. Seeing the alternating red and pink on her nails, she couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.
She got up and tidied the used leaves, then put the book she had been reading last night back on the shelf. Her gaze inadvertently fell on a small booklet in the corner of the shelf—the spring palace illustrations she had begged from her sister.
Gu Jianli carefully took it out and nervously opened a random page.
On the page, a woman with her hands bound appeared in pain, lying on the ground. A man knelt before her, holding her waist, penetrating her body.
The booklet in her hand fell to the ground with a “thud.”
Gu Jianli was shocked and quickly turned to look at Ji Wujing.
