Mandarin Ducks Far Away

  Madam Ji led Xia Xue in, and upon entering the room, she saw Xia Tian leaning against Feng Liu's body. She couldn't help but feel both shocked and delighted, exclaiming repeatedly: "It's all right, it's all right! Tian'er has finally woken up! Heaven blesses us, our ancestors bless us!"

  " Ninth Aunt." Xiaoyang turned around and called out softly. Jingfei hurriedly composed himself, bowed slightly, and forced a smile: "Ninth Aunt and Fifth Sister have arrived."

  Feng Lian sat behind Xia Tian and nodded slightly, calling out: "Ninth Madame, Fifth Young Miss."

  "Yang Er and Jing Fei are also here!" La pulled down her head, following closely behind her, Xia Xue. The Ninth Lady smiled at Xia Tian: "Your fifth sister has been clamoring for me to bring her to see her fourth sister, Tian Er, what do you think? Is it a bit better?"

  She glanced at the ninth lady, and then turned her gaze to Xia Xue. Xia Jingting had a total of twelve wives and concubines, eight of whom were still alive. This ninth lady was currently the most favored, she only had one daughter - Xia Xue, who was Xia Jingting's youngest daughter. This Xia Xue looked like she was fourteen or fifteen years old, with delicate features, thick eyelashes, and a hint of red on her lips. Although she was still small in stature, her future beauty was already promising.

  In the summer days at Xia's house, there were limited encounters with Mrs. Jiǔ, and as for Xia Xue, there was even less interaction, usually she would hide herself far away.

  "Fourth sister." Xia Xue timidly raised her head, with a face full of estrangement and fear. But when her gaze fell on the cloth doll in her hand, it suddenly lit up.

  Subconsciously, she tightened her grip on the plush toy's fingers, and Xia Tian couldn't help but frown slightly. It was clear that Xia Xue loved this plush toy dearly, and if he gave it to her, he might be able to gain her friendship. But she herself also liked it very much, not to mention it was a gift from her big brother. She bit her lip, feeling wronged and conflicted as she turned her head to look at Xia Yang.

  With a faint smile, Xia Yang gently blinked his eyes at Xia Tian, patted Xia Xue's shoulder with his hand, and asked with a smile: "Does Snow also like plush toys?"

  Xia Xue quickly withdrew her gaze, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded again.

  "Tomorrow big brother will buy another one and give it to you, huh?"

  After all, it's a child's nature. Xia Xue immediately regained her spirit, turned her head and widened her eyes, asking clearly: "Does big brother keep his promises?"

  "Got it!" Xiaoyang was in a good mood, chuckled and rubbed her nose, intentionally emphasizing the tone.

  "Yang Er, don't spoil her!" Ninth Madame said with a smiling rebuke.

  The sky was gloomy, and she let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that she had indeed been overthinking things. Xia Yang wasn't only good to Xia Tian, but also gentle and loving towards Xia Xue. She was his sister, how could she have foolishly thought otherwise!

  Coming out of the summer bedroom, all the way back to the house, Xia Yang was in front, and Jing Fei followed silently behind. Looking at his straight back, her heart ached, and her eyes were covered with a layer of mist. The arrangement by their parents and matchmakers was ordinary yet reasonable. He was the eldest son of the General who protected the country, a young and promising general, while she was the second daughter of the Minister, an intelligent and knowledgeable woman. Such a marriage between two families of equal status seemed almost perfect. However, people seem to have forgotten that in marriages without emotional foundation, how many couples can truly be happy and loving?

  Since their marriage, he has never said anything bad about her, but she knows in her heart that he doesn't really like her. She respects him, loves him and takes good care of him, yet she still can't figure out what he wants. At one point, she thought he was a cold-blooded person who didn't have any feelings for women, after all, since their marriage, she had never seen him show any interest in any woman. However, recently, she doesn't know why, but she feels that he has become very different towards Xia Tian.

  Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand to wipe away tears but instead bumped into his chest.

  "What's wrong?"

  His voice sounded above her head, his hand on her arm. The tears she had just retracted flowed out again because of this sudden care, and for a moment she really wanted to rush into his arms and cry loudly, but the education she had received since childhood did not allow her to make such a frivolous move outside the bedroom, even if the other person was her husband. She bit her teeth to stabilize her fluctuating emotions, her face red as she lowered her head and said in a tiny voice: "The wind blinded my eyes."

  "Oh."

  Her arms relaxed and her hands let go of him. A sense of emptiness filled her heart, and she looked up with a hint of resentment to see his back disappearing into the distance.