Coax me
Ye Youqing was momentarily taken aback upon hearing these words. She quickly placed her hand behind her back and wiped it on her dress, helplessly saying, “You saw it.”
Ci Ke remained silent, seemingly acknowledging the situation.
“It was just, an impulsive action.” Ye Youqing rubbed her head and then reached out with her other hand to hold Ci Ke’s hand. “This hand didn’t touch her, is that alright?”
This time, Ci Ke didn’t avoid her, but her expression didn’t show much joy either. She pursed her lips and walked towards the center of the courtyard. The light and shadows fell on her delicate gauze clothing, accentuating her slender waist.
Ye Youqing knew that she was angry and felt a bit flustered. Not knowing what to say, she could only follow closely behind her, holding her breath and watching as Ci Ke sat down.
“So she really is someone from the capital,” Ci Ke said calmly, her voice sounding much deeper than usual.
Ye Youqing nodded, “Yes, she is from the Imperial City. She is a shadow guard sent by the Emperor himself.”
“How do you plan to deal with her?” Ci Ke asked.
“As long as she doesn’t escape, it doesn’t matter. We won’t stay in Weizhou for long. I estimate that we can leave when autumn comes, and then we can disappear without a trace,” Ye Youqing replied. There were dishes left on the table for Ye Youqing. After she finished speaking, she reached out and picked up the chopsticks.
“You are kind-hearted,” Ci Ke said coldly.
Ye Youqing’s movement paused as she secretly raised her eyes to look at Ci Ke. She saw those beautiful eyes lowered, and her mouth tightly pursed when she didn’t speak. It wasn’t that she was cold, but she seemed a bit sulky.
Ye Youqing shook her head and sighed, setting down her chopsticks. “It’s not all kindness. We’ll release her when we leave the north. If she doesn’t deliver the message, it’s fine. But if she does, it will actually divert the pursuers for us.”
Upon hearing this, Ci Ke’s expression softened.
“So we will leave here soon,” Ci Ke said softly, lowering her head to fiddle with her fingers, seeming a bit down.
“After we finish dealing with things here and the search in the south calms down, it should be autumn,” Ye Youqing replied.
Ci Ke raised her eyes to look at the small courtyard, surveying the ground paved with blue stone bricks, the dry willows in the courtyard, and the square and straight courtyard walls, which still had lanterns hanging from the day of birth.
At that moment, the front gate was pushed open, and Shi Li walked in with a bundle of freshly bought vegetables. She closed the door with his foot and strode towards the two of them, placing the vegetables covered in mud on the ground.
“It’s been almost half an hour, why are there still so many leftovers on the table?” Shi Li looked at the remaining bowls and plates on the table and scolded.
“We got delayed,” Ye Youqing smiled and reached out to pick up a dish, but Ci Ke opened her hand beside her.
“It’s not that cold…” Ye Youqing said as she tried to pull Ci Ke, but Ci Ke skillfully avoided her and then picked up the already cold dish, walking quickly towards the kitchen with a cold expression on her face.
Ye Youqing held her hands up in the air, not even grasping a single strand of hair.
She let her hands droop down, using them to support her body, and looked towards Shi Li with a helpless gaze.
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Shi Li stood with her arms folded in the same spot, glancing at Ye Youqing and then at Ci Ke, who was busy cooking in the kitchen. She shrugged her shoulders and sat down, lifting her robe.
“What’s wrong?” Shi Li approached, leaning closer, and asked in a low voice.
Ye Youqing explained in detail what had just happened, and Shi Li shook her head while listening, raising an eyebrow. “It’s already fortunate that Ci Ke is willing to talk to you.”
“But I didn’t do anything…” Ye Youqing lowered her head into her arms, vigorously scratching her neatly tied hair, filled with distress.
“Lian’er is different from other women. She approached you from the beginning with a seductive attitude, and there has always been animosity between Ci Ke and her. Seeing your tenderness towards her, with Ci Ke’s temperament, jealousy is inevitable.” Shi Li, with a mature demeanor, patted Ye Youqing’s shoulder. “And from what I know, this jealousy is not easy to dissipate.”
Ye Youqing made a bitter face and turned to look at Ci Ke’s figure, feeling that even the clinking sound of the dishes was like venting frustration.
She, Ye Youqing, had never comforted anyone in her life. How could she calm Ci Ke down? It was really difficult for her. Ye Youqing sighed repeatedly, feeling like she had become a teapot constantly releasing steam.
“Oh, by the way.” Shi Li suddenly spoke up, bringing Ye Youqing’s contemplative mind back. She looked somewhat serious. “When I was shopping earlier, I overheard merchants from the border saying that things seem to be unsettled in the north. There have been frequent conflicts at the border, and the merchants who trade with Western Xia have all fled south.”
Ye Youqing’s mind stirred, furrowing her brows as she asked, “War?”
“Not exactly, just conflicts among the stationed troops. But ever since the Qi’s major defeat against Western Xia eight years ago, the two countries have enjoyed many years of peace. There have been exchanges of envoys and frequent trade, so the border should not be in turmoil.” Shi Li also looked puzzled.
Ye Youqing lowered her head in contemplation.
She knew that in the latter half of the original story, there would be turmoil in Western Xia, but it wasn’t supposed to happen this year. Therefore, she never thought much about it. It was only now, with Shi Li’s words, that her memories were awakened.
What if things were no longer following the development of the original story? After all, her arrival had completely disrupted the fate of many characters.
“However, it shouldn’t be a big deal. If there were really any changes in Western Xia, the court wouldn’t just sit idly by. They would have already sent a large army there. Besides, Weizhou is in a remote location, far away from the troubled areas,” Shi Li reassured.
“Will we be heading south in another month then?”
Ye Youqing pondered for a moment and nodded. One month’s time would be enough to handle the iron smelting and sales matters. But since there were now some minor changes, she would have to pick up the pace.
“And what about Ci Ke? Don’t forget that she initially stayed behind just to take care of you. Now that your wound has healed, will she accompany you to Jiangning?” Shi Li asked.
Upon hearing this, Ye Youqing’s heart sank for a moment, then she shook her head.
“I don’t know,” she said.
The aroma of the food drifted over as Ci Ke approached with hot dishes in her hands. She placed the dishes in front of the two of them and then turned to leave, her skirt swaying and creating ripples on the ground.
“Ci Ke!” Ye Youqing wanted to call her back, but before the words could leave her mouth, Ci Ke had already disappeared without a trace.
Ye Youqing could only listlessly pick up her chopsticks and silently lower her head to eat.
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It had been raining continuously for the past few days, causing most of the shops in the city to close their doors. As a result, Ye Youqing had been delaying her plans. Now that the weather had finally cleared up, she didn’t dare to delay any longer. In the latter half of the day, she pulled Shi Li along and left the house, wandering around the city to inquire.
“A spade?” The man in the blacksmith shop, with his bare bronze arms, wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked at Ye Youqing. “You won’t be able to buy it here. Miss, you have to go to Longzhou.”
“Longzhou? That’s a two-day journey from here,” Ye Youqing seemed hesitant. “Could you please be so kind as to suggest a closer place where I can still find one?”
The man scratched the back of his head for a moment. “Well, there is one place in Lincheng. It’s not an official store because the goods are obtained and sold through illegal means. Miss, you have to find it yourself. The quality is much better than the official ones and they last longer. The prices are also much cheaper than the official ones.”
“Thank you,” Ye Youqing expressed her gratitude. As she was leaving, she caught a glimpse of an iron pot placed in a corner and asked, “This is…”
“Oh, this?” The man sighed. “It was purchased by a regular customer who asked me to buy it from Lincheng. But later, they said they didn’t need it anymore. So, it’s just been sitting here unused.”
Ye Youqing’s lips curled up in a smile.
After burning an incense stick’s worth of time, Ye Youqing walked out of the blacksmith shop, carrying a heavy iron pot.
“Why did you buy it?” Shi Li was puzzled.
Ye Youqing shook the pot in her arms and said with a smile, “To know the enemy and know yourself is the key to victory in a hundred battles. Since I want to work with iron and sell it, I need to know the prices and quality of the ironware being sold in the market. I have to send this to Ma Xiao and let her have a look.”
With the iron pot still in her arms, Ye Youqing took another round and finally bought an official pot from an old woman who gathered scrap. Only then did she return home, fully loaded.
Before returning home, she also bought two sugar figurines on the roadside.
After all the hustle and bustle, it was already dusk. The two of them walked on a ground covered in golden light, with the sunset at their backs, and wearily returned to their small courtyard.
As soon as they entered the house, Mian’er was squatting on the ground, playing with ants. When she saw them, she ran over chattering. After a few days of getting along, she was no longer afraid of strangers. At this moment, she was tugging at Ye Youqing’s skirt, asking for the sugar figurine in her hand.
Ye Youqing smiled and handed the tiger sugar figurine to Mian’er.
“Sister Ye, I want the little fox,” Mian’er said in a childish voice, while holding the tiger figurine and looking longingly at the fox figurine in Ye Youqing’s hand.
“No, the little fox is not for you, the little tiger is for you,” Ye Youqing touched Mian’er’s head and hid the fox sugar figurine behind her, squinting and smiling.
She was sweaty, so she didn’t rush to find Ci Ke. Instead, she went back to her room to bathe and change clothes. Just as she had freshened up, she heard the sound of footsteps pacing outside the door.
Ye Youqing paused and quickly picked up a handkerchief to dry herself off. She put on a jacket and stood in front of the door. Her hair was still damp, and water droplets soaked through the clothes on her shoulders, slowly trickling down.
The person outside the door paced back and forth for a long time before finally deciding to knock. Unexpectedly, as soon as her hand touched the wood, Ye Youqing opened the door.
Ci Ke was standing outside, with the remaining glow of the sunset behind her. Her face was as rosy as the sunset, and she bit her lip with a hint of dissatisfaction and grievance in her eyes.
Ye Youqing was surprised and opened her mouth to speak, but Ci Ke pushed her into the room and skillfully squeezed inside, closing the door behind her.
Ye Youqing took a few steps back and quickly gathered her long hair behind her, reaching out to touch Ci Ke’s hand. “Ci Ke?”
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Ci Ke shook her off and glanced at the steam in the room, then looked at Ye Youqing’s already damp and thin shirt.
“For what happened earlier in the day, I apologize to you. It won’t happen again in the future, alright?” Ye Youqing spoke softly and reached for the fox sugar figurine on the nearby table, handing it to Ci Ke. “Look, I bought this specifically as an apology.”
Ci Ke furrowed her brows and looked at the figurine for a moment, then reached out to take it.
She lowered her head and suddenly spoke, “Ye Youqing, why are you so foolish? You haven’t done anything wrong.”
Although she said that, her tone didn’t sound angry, nor was it firm. Instead, it had a soft and tender ending.
Ye Youqing was completely bewildered, her phoenix eyes flickering. She could only reach out to hold Ci Ke’s hand again. This time, Ci Ke didn’t dodge, but instead obediently followed her movements and slowly nestled into her embrace.
The warm and soft skin of the woman pressed against Ye Youqing’s chest, creating a sensation through the damp and thin fabric. Ye Youqing reached out to embrace her, gently rubbing her slippery shoulder.
“I’m just unhappy,” Ci Ke whispered. She sniffed and took a whiff of the fragrance that lingered on Ye Youqing’s body after her recent bath.
“I just want you to coax me. Why don’t you understand?” she said with a hint of grievance.
