No need to please
Ye Youqing did not get up, but lay in place, not moving her arms.
Ci Ke has never shown a calm and relaxed demeanor in front of her, in fact, she has never looked peaceful in front of anyone, like a child.
So she didn’t really want to wake her up.
The faint morning light created visible shadows through the window, casting light on the bed corner. Ye Youqing watched the shadows slowly move up, waiting for them to reach Ci Ke’s legs. The woman beside her finally stirred, opened her eyes.
Her eyes were still not very clear, showing a drowsy awakening. Then, it seemed she realized where she was, and turned her head suddenly to see if Ye Youqing was still dreaming.
“Morning,” Ye Youqing waved her empty hand at her.
Ci Ke’s body instinctively bounced up, her skirt forming an arc in the morning light, with specks of dust falling down.
The previously full arm suddenly felt empty. Ye Youqing withdrew her hand, massaging the sore part, with a lingering headache, making her look haggard.
It’s hard to believe so much time has passed before her body started to give her memories again. Ye Youqing rubbed her temples. When she got up, she found a lot of hair left on the porcelain pillow.
Seeing the state she was in yesterday, Ye Youqing got out of bed, walked out of the room. Qin Xin was still sitting at the dining table, resting her head on her hand. When she heard movement, she opened her eyes and got up from the chair.
“Eldest Miss, how are you feeling?” Qin Xin stepped forward anxiously. “I will go call the doctor.”
“It’s fine, just a headache,” Ye Youqing said. “No need to make a fuss, and don’t let my mother know.”
Although Qin Xin was worried, she could only agree. She quickly went to fetch hot water for washing, but another pair of hands beat her to it. Ci Ke was faster with her actions, but remained calm and carried the hot water steadily.
“Eldest Miss.” Ci Ke spoke, moving gracefully, placing the basin of water in front of Ye Youqing. With a respectful demeanor, she handed a warm handkerchief to Ye Youqing.
She was more considerate than Qin Xin, leaving Qin Xin feeling frustrated with empty hands.
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Ye Youqing was not used to being served like this. She chuckled awkwardly, took the handkerchief from Ci Ke, dried her face, rinsed her mouth, and then Qin Xin hurried to take back the basin of water.
Qin Xin was about to go get the clothes for today, but saw Ci Ke emerge from the inner room, unfolding a light blue long skirt gently, surpassing Qin Xin calmly.
Ye Youqing watched as Ci Ke spread out the skirt, wrapping it around her waist as if embracing her, her beautiful posture slightly arched, displaying the skill of a competent servant, making Ye Youqing feel a twinge in her heart.
Ci Ke’s actions added a touch of elegance to the previously submissive posture.
Ye Youqing was momentarily distracted, and Ci Ke had already helped her put on the clothes. She was now kneeling at her feet, changing her shoes. The moment those delicate white fingers touched her foot, Ye Youqing suddenly shivered and took a step back.
Ci Ke was startled by her sudden movement, hastily raised her head, her moist cherry lips tightly pursed, as if she had been scared.
Ye Youqing remained silent, bowing her head to put on her shoes. Then she suddenly squatted down, maintaining eye contact with the kneeling Ci Ke.
A hint of confusion passed through the eyes opposite her.
Ye Youqing suddenly didn’t know how to speak. After hesitating for a while, she finally said, “Ci Ke, I…”
“You do not wish to touch me?” Ci Ke suddenly interrupted, slowly pulling back her hand, her lips twitched slightly, “This servant obeys.”
Seeing her slowly retreating, Ye Youqing felt extremely helpless. She abruptly reached out, grabbing Ci Ke’s wrist, forcing her back in front of her.
“I do not wish to avoid touching you, but you do not need to act submissive like this,” Ye Youqing struggled before finally saying the last word. Indeed, Ci Ke’s eyes showed a hint of sadness because of it.
She suddenly shook off Ye Youqing’s hand, saying, “This servant is always like this. I thought the Eldest Miss should be used to it by now.”
“Qin Xin has never acted this way,” Ye Youqing remained in her half-squat position, her gaze gentle and serious, “You are not a slave, damn it, there should never have been slaves.” Ye Youqing scolded.
Perhaps because she had seen the memories of the original owner, she couldn’t bring herself to be angry at Ci Ke now.
Ci Ke looked at her hands being controlled by Ye Youqing, her voice soft and pleasant: “Liar.”
Ye Youqing was at a loss for words, so she adopted a stern tone: “At least with me, you don’t need to. I have taken you in, you can help me with tasks, but you don’t need to please me like this.”
“Especially, don’t force yourself,” Ye Youqing added.
She could see Ci Ke’s body stiffen for a moment, confirming her suspicions were correct.
Upon waking up, she had doubts. If Ci Ke had such a complicated relationship with the original owner, why would she endure all this to approach her, harboring both hatred and a desire to be close? It takes a strong inner strength.
Now it seemed that perhaps Ci Ke had truly run out of options, and she was the only lifeline to help her.
As for the other layer of reasons, she hadn’t thought of them, nor could she.
“Alright, get up,” Ye Youqing stood up briskly, reaching out to help Ci Ke up, purposely avoiding any probing gazes.
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She didn’t know how to change Ci Ke’s attitude towards her. After all, for Ci Ke, the original owner was a complex and painful wound.
But she couldn’t openly tell a person from ancient times, “Hello, I am a time traveler.”
It’s ridiculous just thinking about it.
“Qin Xin, by now my mother should be awake. Please go check on her and bring the prepared medicine over,” Ye Youqing took a comb, swiftly combing her long hair while giving instructions, heading towards the door.
“Yes, Eldest Miss. I will come back later to grind ink for you,” Qin Xin nodded in response.
“No need,” Ye Youqing interrupted Qin Xin’s steps, “You focus on taking care of Madam, Ci Ke is here.”
Qin Xin stood still, looking at Ci Ke with round eyes, then at Ye Youqing, her expression gradually becoming distraught. She suddenly let out a low sigh and then turned and ran off.
Ye Youqing watched Qin Xin run out the door in big strides, feeling a bit puzzled: “What’s wrong with her?”
Ci Ke’s soft gaze fell in the direction Qin Xin had left, her lips subtly curling up, seductively saying, “This servant does not know.”
After finishing breakfast, Ye Youqing immersed herself in the study. The previously empty room was now filled with papers covered with strange botanical sketches scattered everywhere, as well as some disorganized books, piled into small mountains.
Ci Ke hesitated at the door for a while before stepping in, watching Ye Youqing use her feet to push aside these things like water, creating a path for herself.
Ci Ke’s face involuntarily darkened, tiptoeing behind her, carefully avoiding stepping on those books.
“Ink is…” Ye Youqing rubbed her chin for a while, then opened another “mountain” of items, pulling out a still-wet inkstone and ink stick, carefully handing them to Ci Ke, before taking a seat.
Ci Ke squinted at Ye Youqing, a woman with an indifferent expression, busily writing in the messy study, appearing strange yet surprisingly harmonious.
She silently lowered her head to grind the ink, but her gaze couldn’t help but fall on Ye Youqing’s pen-holding posture, twisted fingers instead of the typical grip, which made writing more comfortable.
And the handwriting was truly atrocious, with ink blots of various sizes all over the paper.
She remembered that Ye Youqing’s knowledge was at a basic literacy level, but her handwriting had been praised by Minister Ji a few times and shouldn’t look this terrible.
“Strategy document,” she silently muttered the unfamiliar word written by Ye Youqing, lost in thought.
After half an hour, Ye Youqing stopped scribbling and instead lowered her head to read “Qi Lv”. She didn’t need to grind ink anymore, and eventually, she couldn’t continue reading, so she began tidying up the study that had been seemingly ransacked.
Unconsciously, the sun had risen high overhead, making the room hot and stuffy. Ye Youqing put down the book, stretched lazily, and when she looked up, her hand stopped at her head.
The once messy study was much cleaner now, with all the papers neatly stacked on the table or in the rubbish bin, scrolls neatly placed back on the shelves, and the ones she had made notes on laid at her feet.
“Ci Ke?” Ye Youqing slowly stood up, softly calling out, but no one responded.
She tiptoed through the bookshelves and found Ci Ke behind the screen, holding the last stack of books, half-sitting next to a low table with her head against the wall, fast asleep.
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It seemed like she had been too tired from organizing, which led to her falling asleep.
Or perhaps she hadn’t slept well last night due to being held for too long. Ye Youqing suddenly felt apologetic, so she took off her outer garment, planning to cover Ci Ke with it.
As the wind caused the pages of the books to flutter with a rustling sound, Ci Ke suddenly opened her eyes. Ye Youqing was lifting the garment towards her when she blinked in surprise.
She cleared her throat, spun around the outer garment on her head, put it back on, and stepped back, saying, “The study is a bit messy, sorry for the trouble.”
Ci Ke’s gaze shifted between the garment and Ye Youqing’s hands, her expression unreadable, but a hint of blush appeared on her cheeks.
As Ye Youqing walked into Zhao Qingrou’s hall, the lingering embarrassment hadn’t completely dissipated. Acting composed, she sat down next to Zhao Qingrou.
Zhao Qingrou’s condition was now neither good nor bad, but she looked much livelier than before. She looked at Ye Youqing sitting down and placed her warm hand on Ye Youqing’s forehead, saying, “Qing’er, why do you look so pale?”
“It’s just a slight headache from catching a cold last night,” Ye Youqing replied with a gentle smile, holding Zhao Qingrou’s hand.
“I heard from Qin Xin that you brought back a girl from the Zhou family?” Zhao Qingrou asked.
Ye Youqing nodded, expecting Zhao Qingrou to object. Just as she was about to explain, she heard a sigh.
“That girl has had a hard time, it’s good to help her too,” Zhao Qingrou said with lowered eyes and a hint of redness in her eyes.
Ye Youqing felt relieved and was about to say something when the door happened to open. Ci Ke and Qin Xin entered, each carrying dishes and setting them on the table, causing Ye Youqing to be surprised by a few dishes.
It was the dishes that Ci Ke had made for the original owner in her dream – roasted lamb, crab stuffed oranges, and a fish soup.
“Mother, I suddenly remembered that I prepared some external medicine for you yesterday, it needs to be applied as a warm compress on your head at noon. Qin Xin, go,” Ye Youqing suddenly spoke up.
Confused, Qin Xin led Zhao Qingrou away, and Ye Youqing raised her head, meeting Ci Ke’s gaze. Perhaps her expression was too serious, causing Ci Ke to lower her head.
“I remember the Eldest Miss used to love these dishes…”
“No,” Ye Youqing interrupted, her expression softening as she spoke gently, “I never eat lamb.”