Chapter 49 Two Hearts Delighted

  After leaving the Ling Wang Fu, Yuwen Qiming did not accompany Yun Wuqi and instead returned directly to his own official residence. As soon as he entered the gate, the old steward Shi Shu came forward to greet him.

  "Master, it rained heavily in the afternoon. You didn't get wet, did you? I've been regretting not bringing an umbrella for you when you left this morning!"

  Yuwen Qiming put his hand on Shi Shu's shoulder, who was half a head shorter than him, and said with a smile: "You think I'm not grown up, you're worried about everything for me. It's raining, don't I know to find a place to hide? How can you be sure that I'll just stand in the rain getting soaked?"

  Shi Shu was amused by him and laughed for a while. When his smile faded, he couldn't help but sigh: "Young master, if you really grew up, you shouldn't be so willful. The clan leader has been wanting you to return, but you insisted on being an official in the capital. It's not that I'm nagging, young master is already quite old, how can you get married without returning home?"

  "I think you're in a hurry to go back and see your wife, aren't you, Uncle Shi? Alright, alright, I'm hungry!" Without waiting for Uncle Shi to say another word, he pretended to head towards the study.

  Shi Shu shook his head helplessly, sighed and went to prepare food.

  Yuwen Qiming had no relatives in the capital, and except for Shi Shu, an old Mohe tribesman who had always followed him, there were only a few young servants and miscellaneous workers in his official residence.

  Jian Shi Shu walked towards the kitchen, Yuwen Qiming quickly changed direction and rushed to the small back door of the rear garden.

  The door was half open, a carrying pole stood upright against the wall, and beside it stood a tall girl with her head slightly bowed, her hands clasped together in front of her. Her deep blue coarse linen dress was washed to a faint whiteness, and her black glossy braids were neatly combed down to her chest, but there wasn't a single ornament on her hair.

  A young servant came out carrying two empty vegetable baskets, "Miss Yan, Master Shi said that the fresh bamboo shoots you sent last time were very much enjoyed by our young master. He wants to ask if you can send some more over tomorrow."

  "Oh, okay! I'll send it over tomorrow."

  He nodded slightly, and the young man didn't say anything else, turned around and left.

  She shouldered a carrying pole with two empty baskets, one at each end, and stood up straight, but she didn't leave immediately.

  Yuwen Qiming stood at the corner of the wall, watching her stand there hesitantly for a while, then looked around the mansion before reluctantly going to pull that half-open door.

  "Zhaodi!" He smiled and blocked her way.

  Yan Zhaodi suddenly lifted her head in surprise, and as soon as her eyes met Yuwen Qiming's smiling gaze, she immediately blushed and lowered her head again. Her hands and feet felt awkward, and even the two baskets on the carrying pole couldn't help but sway back and forth.

  Seeing her awkward and shy appearance, the smile on his lips couldn't help but deepen. "Why didn't you wait for me before leaving?"

  "Prince..." Yan Zhao's face turned red as if she could bleed. "I'm here to... deliver the dishes."

  "There's no need to be in such a hurry! Don't you want to see me?" He deliberately lowered his eyelids, his tone dim and tinged with disappointment.

  Her heart skipped a beat, and a sour taste spread between her lips. Although she couldn't bear it to the extreme, she had to desperately suppress her emotions. He was a noble son of an official, while she was just a commoner. Even if she didn't know many characters, she still understood the vastly different distance between them.

  Yuwen Qiming originally just joked with her, but now seeing that she seemed to have taken it for granted, he couldn't help but feel a sudden surge of anxiety, and hastily reined in his playful heart, taking a step forward to grasp her hand.

  "Zhaodi!"

  Two soft words almost shattered her psychological defense line. "I... I want to leave." Avoiding his eyes, she turned her head and struggled hard to break free from his control.

  "You're going to run away again! Have you forgotten what I told you? I like you, and in the future, I will definitely marry you as my wife."

  Her head lifted slightly, her face still flushed with a thin layer of mist in her eyes. Her lips moved, she was about to speak, when Yuwen Qiming's slender fingers pressed against her lips.

  "Don't say you don't dare, you're not worthy, you can't reach me. I, Yuwen Qiming, love you, want you, regardless of your family background and wealth, or your talent and knowledge. You should learn to trust me instead of escaping from me. Can you really say that you don't like me at all, don't care about me?"

  His slightly overbearing yet gentle and sweet voice rippled the spring water in her heart, completely defeating her self-abasing inferiority complex. Dazedly gazing at his high nose, gentle eyes, and slanted eyebrows, her tender heart had long been jumping into a mess, where could she escape, flee, or deny it?

  With a pleasant smile, he removed the carrying pole from her shoulder and directly pulled her into his arms.

  Her cheeks were red like ripe apples, she struggled slightly and immediately got a more forceful hug from him.

  "Don't refuse me again! I'll get angry!" He lowered his voice, teasing her on purpose.

  "Ah?" This move was indeed effective, she immediately stiffened and obediently nestled in his arms, not daring to move again.

  Yuwen Qiming's eyebrows and eyes were filled with a smile, his exotic features shining brightly, making him stand out from the crowd. As he held his loved one tightly, he suddenly understood the feelings of San Dianxia. Love, if it cannot be reciprocated, is a kind of tormenting pain.

  In her heart, she felt both shy and nervous, Yan Zhaozhao moved slightly, still wanting to leave this uncomfortable embrace.

  "Still moving!" He clenched his fist, with a few more smiles in his tone, and even more joy in his heart. Although their path of love was unpredictable, but as long as Zhāo Dī had him in her heart, just this point alone made him much luckier than the Third Prince.