This feeling was very peculiar.
When Xie Miao’er’s elder sister had not yet married, she would often rub her younger sister’s head as if petting a kitten.
But…
Before Xie Miao’er could react, she heard Lu Huaihai asking her.
“What are you daydreaming about?”
His tone was as ordinary as ever, as though nothing had happened, making Xie Miao’er almost believe that the head-patting earlier had been her illusion.
Was it an illusion? Xie Miao’er touched the top of her head, pursing her lips as she suspiciously eyed Lu Huaihai’s left hand, which he had just tucked behind his back.
It wasn’t her illusion—Lu Huaihai had indeed used that hand to create mischief.
Lu Huaihai gave a light cough to cover his awkwardness and said, “If we don’t leave now, the rain will get heavier.”
The faint sensation of touch still lingered in his palm.
She lowered her head and giggled foolishly, her fluffy, round head right in front of him. As soon as he looked down, he could see the little hint of smugness on her face that she couldn’t hide no matter how hard she tried.
Too cute. Lu Huaihai couldn’t resist for a moment; his hand moved faster than his rationality could stop it. By the time he realized his impulsiveness, his large hand had already rubbed her head twice.
He strode ahead in big steps, and Xie Miao’er didn’t have time to think too much, lifting her skirt to chase after him.
The slightly cool drizzle brushed against her face, and rather than being irritating, it brought a refreshing feeling.
As she jogged along, Xie Miao’er thought to herself, this was her first time getting caught in the rain.
She had never been in the rain before!
In the past, she had been like a bird kept in a cage, pampered and sheltered. But now, she could finally fly out of the cage, feeling a small part of the outside wind and raindrops.
Before long, the little four-cornered pavilion and the vague, fleeting contact within it were left behind her.
The small courtyard wasn’t far ahead, and Yue Chuang was walking out with an umbrella.
Seeing the two of them approaching, Yue Chuang exclaimed, “Young master, mistress, how did you come back in the rain? I was just about to go out and look for you since you hadn’t returned for so long.”
She was indeed clever, but with only one umbrella in hand, she wasn’t sure what to do for a moment.
However, Lu Huaihai gave Yue Chuang a look, and she understood immediately, quickly running over to Xie Miao’er and tilting the umbrella toward her.
Feeling Xie Miao’er’s slightly damp sleeve, Yue Chuang spoke with a hint of concern: “Mistress, next time you go out, you must bring me along. If you need an umbrella, I can fetch one for you in advance.”
Yue Chuang was quick-witted, and her younger sister was equally sensible. From afar, she had already noticed them returning and prepared dry towels, saying, “The hot water is already boiling.”
Xie Miao’er went to freshen up first, while Lu Huaihai didn’t stay idle during that time. Since the rain had lightened up, this little bit didn’t bother him. He even started practicing the new sword techniques he had just learned.
When Xie Miao’er finished washing up and came out, wringing her hair under the eaves, the rain had grown heavier. Yet Lu Huaihai seemed utterly unfazed, even though water was dripping from the tip of his sword.
She stood still, openly watching him for a moment, and finally noticed what seemed off.
Today, Lu Huaihai was wielding his sword with his left hand.
After practicing for a while, Lu Huaihai glanced at Xie Miao’er, then tossed the sword in his hand into the air—
The sword blade, gleaming coldly in the rain, spun lightly in midair. Even the raindrops around it couldn’t approach, and at that moment, the imposing sword intent seemed to take on a tangible form.
This time, he still reversed the sword and extended the scabbard forward.
The blade was steadily sheathed back into the scabbard.
Xie Miao’er’s eyes widened in amazement. Her round, glistening eyes darted between Lu Huaihai and the sword in his hand.
“That’s amazing,” she said sincerely.
Of course it was amazing. Lu Huaihai didn’t say anything, casually tossing the sword—now finally proving its worth—under the wall’s edge, looking effortlessly cool.
His whole figure was steaming with moisture.
Raindrops fell on his sharply defined face, soaking his eyelashes. Yet his eyes remained clear, their sharpness cutting through the night.
His gaze was so aggressive that Xie Miao’er instinctively turned her face away.
“You should go wash up quickly, or you’ll catch a cold.”
The faint sense of frustration in Lu Huaihai’s heart dissipated completely. He chuckled softly and said, “Alright.”
By the time he had tidied himself up and returned to the bedroom, he found Xie Miao’er sitting on the edge of the bed, cradling the sword he had just tossed under the wall.
“What are you doing?”
Xie Miao’er looked up, and upon seeing him, quickly explained, “I wanted to help you wipe the sword.”
Lu Huaihai took the sword from her arms with one hand. “It’s curfew. If you hurt yourself, where would we find someone to treat you?”
The cool sensation in her arms was suddenly gone, and Xie Miao’er felt a little unaccustomed to it. She muttered, “I’m very careful. I was just afraid it might rust from the rain…”
“It’s not a good sword; it won’t rust just because of a little rain,” Lu Huaihai said.
Too lazy to go out again, he casually placed the sword on the windowsill outside.
When he turned around, Xie Miao’er noticed that his hair was not tied up but hung loosely down his back.
A man with loose hair either looked strange due to the sharpness of his facial features or overly soft because the flowing hair balanced his temperament.
In the past, on rest days, Xie Miao’er’s mother would wring out her father’s wet hair while laughing at how odd he looked with it down.
But Lu Huaihai was different.
He wore casual sleepwear, and his half-dried hair fell loosely down his back.
Xie Miao’er didn’t know how to describe a man’s long hair, only that it looked incredibly nice, and she couldn’t help but steal a few more glances.
Lu Huaihai didn’t mind her looking at him, as long as her gaze wasn’t fixed on his hair.
His expression turned a bit strange. “What are you looking at?”
Of course, Xie Miao’er wouldn’t admit that she had been thinking about her father and had secretly compared him with Lu Huaihai’s appearance with loose hair, only to conclude that her father—once a famously handsome top scholar in the capital—had lost.
But she wasn’t good at lying—or rather, she had never lied before.
Xie Miao’er struggled for a long time, her face turning bright red as she failed to come up with an answer. Finally, she stammered, “I… I’m getting something.”
Lu Huaihai thought her behavior was utterly baffling. Then, upon reflection, he decided to let it go—her thoughts had always been unpredictable.
He had wanted her to admire his move of sheathing the sword in reverse, but in the end, she had been concerned about whether the sword would rust.
Thinking of this, Lu Huaihai chuckled silently.
He seemed to have smiled a bit too much today.
Truth be told, Lu Huaihai knew he wasn’t the type to be cheerful. He was used to being alone, not even keeping a regular servant boy or follower by his side. Even with the few friends he could genuinely call his own, he rarely shared his innermost thoughts.
But tonight, in the four-cornered pavilion—perhaps it was the rain blurring the boundaries between people, or perhaps it was the budding emotions quietly taking root in the darkness—Lu Huaihai realized that he had been waiting for Xie Miao’er to ask about the strange atmosphere between him and Lu Baozhu.
He didn’t mind letting her know about the frustrating and less-than-dignified experiences in his life.
In fact, he wanted her to know.
Realizing this, Lu Huaihai composed himself and looked at the busy Xie Miao’er.
She had picked up her embroidery hoop, leaning close to the candlelight, stitching carefully one needle at a time.
He wanted her to know more about him.
But the mysteries surrounding her, he knew nothing about.
For example… why had she called his name in her sleep on the very night they first met?
Under the candlelight, Xie Miao’er’s profile was gentle and warm. She was focused, diligently completing one of the twenty-five sachets. Suddenly, she heard Lu Huaihai call her, and nearly pricked her hand.
“Xie Miao,” he called.
Xie Miao’er looked at him. “What is it?”
Lu Huaihai’s Adam’s apple bobbed twice, but he said nothing. Instead, he pointed at the candle that was still burning steadily.
“Oh no!” Xie Miao’er cried out, hastily abandoning her embroidery hoop.
The melting candle wax was sliding down the bedpost. Fortunately, the cloth she had used earlier to wipe the sword was still on the spring stool at the foot of the bed, and she managed to save the situation just in time.
Sometimes clumsy, sometimes nimble, she was always so full of life.
Lu Huaihai turned to gaze out the window.
Tonight, there was no moon in the sky, but before him was a handful of moonlight.
It had taken Xie Miao’er several days to finish all twenty-five sachets.
Needlework wasn’t her forte, but there wasn’t a single skill expected of a young lady that she hadn’t mastered. In the past, she hadn’t had the energy to focus on embroidery, but this time, it gave her a chance to pick up the craft she hadn’t tended to before.
The further she got, the harder it became—not because the patterns were difficult, but because she had to figure out how to hide her true skill, bringing the craftsmanship back to a level that was average but still passable.
After finishing the sachets, Xie Miao’er planned to give them to Lu Huaihai along with a simple “thank you.”
That evening, Lu Huaihai returned.
“You…” Xie Miao’er had barely opened her mouth when she saw him pull a few pale yellow sheets of paper from his sleeve and slap them onto her dressing table.
“Take them,” he said.
Xie Miao’er was momentarily stunned. “What are they?”
Lu Huaihai, adjusting his clothes at an unhurried pace, smelled of wine and smoke—he had just come back from Lankang District and found the odor utterly unpleasant.
When Xie Miao’er took a closer look at the papers, she realized they were the property deeds to the Xie family’s assets. She was so shocked that she couldn’t utter a single word.
Seeing the astonishment on her face, Lu Huaihai’s lips curved slightly as he asked her, “What’s the matter? Don’t recognize what belongs to your own family anymore?”