The Eunuch Has A Wife - Chapter 44

Bai Zhi lowered her head, staring at the tips of her feet, her clear eyes shimmering with emotion.

Stay calm, stay calm, steady your mind. You’re the head of the cold palace’s small kitchen, someone who’s seen big scenes. Don’t panic.

She took a deep breath and looked up at Wei Ziwan.

The two of them were only a fist’s distance apart, their breaths almost mingling.

The person before her had a gentle smile, like a bright moon.

It dimmed the stars, eclipsed the heavens and earth, leaving only the moon hanging high in the sky.

In Bai Zhi’s eyes, it seemed as if she could only see Wei Ziwan. Beyond this person, nothing else mattered.

She swallowed, her throat burning with an inexplicable heat, her voice hoarse: “Wanwan’s meaning is my meaning.”

Do you understand what I’m saying?

Is your meaning what I hope for?

Wei Ziwan’s smile faltered for a moment. The two of them silently gazed at each other, speechless for a while.

Bai Zhi’s lips moved slightly, and she slowly reached out, grabbing hold of Wei Ziwan’s sleeve.

Wei Ziwan glanced at her arm, her fingertips twitching slightly before falling still again.

“Husband, why are you tugging at my sleeve?”

Bai Zhi looked at her hand, her expression somewhat dazed. She didn’t know what she was doing either; she just instinctively wanted to get closer, but she didn’t know how to do so without startling the person in front of her.

Her hand, still clutching the sleeve, moved slightly. After a long silence, she softly asked, “So, what do you mean?”

“You guess~” Wei Ziwan looked deeply at Bai Zhi, as if trying to see into her heart.

Her voice was light, her tone ambiguous.

Bai Zhi stared at the hand gripping Wei Ziwan’s sleeve, her gaze slowly moving upward.

To the collar of the cotton robe, to the fair neck, to the delicate chin, to the alluring red lips.

Her gaze paused.

She exhaled, her breath trembling slightly.

Bai Zhi closed her eyes briefly, then tightened her grip on the sleeve and pulled Wei Ziwan tightly into her arms.

The person in her arms stiffened for a moment before gradually softening, nestling obediently into her embrace.

The only sound left was the irregular, rapidly increasing heartbeat in her ears.

“Wanwan, did I guess right?” Bai Zhi lowered her head, leaning close to Wei Ziwan’s ear.

Wei Ziwan’s body trembled slightly, a faint itch making her want to pull away, but she didn’t. “You guess—”

Bai Zhi was both amused and exasperated. What more was there to guess?

She tightened her embrace, her arms encircling Wei Ziwan’s waist, and let out a satisfied sigh. “I won’t guess anymore. I’ve already guessed right, haven’t I?”

Wei Ziwan didn’t respond, her nose brushing against Bai Zhi’s neck as she murmured, “You guess—”

Bai Zhi: “…”

She looked down. The person in her arms had slightly reddened ears. Was she shy?

“Wanwan keeps making me guess. Are you shy?” Her tone was teasing yet tender.

Wei Ziwan’s breath hitched, her eyes darkening dangerously. Her lips parted, and she bit down lightly on Bai Zhi’s neck.

“Ouch—why are you biting me?” Bai Zhi abruptly released the person in her arms, reaching up to touch her neck. The spot where it hurt was slightly damp.

She didn’t need to think to know what it was—this woman’s saliva!

Her expression stiffened, her heart a jumble of emotions. She didn’t know what to feel.

Just moments ago, they were sharing a tender moment, and now she was biting her. Wasn’t this development a bit off?

Wei Ziwan let out a soft hum, her gaze lingering on the faint bite mark on Bai Zhi’s fair skin. “Just letting my husband know that you guessed wrong.”

This eunuch dared to tease her? She wasn’t shy at all.

Bai Zhi looked at Wei Ziwan’s mock-angry expression and suddenly understood what was going on.

Not only was she shy, but she also didn’t want to be called out on it. The moment she was, she got flustered and angry.

Bai Zhi coughed lightly, suppressing the laughter in her eyes, her voice cool. “Oh, wrong is wrong. I won’t guess anymore then.”

Wei Ziwan glanced at her, biting her lip lightly. She should have bitten harder earlier. This clueless eunuch.

Bai Zhi silently averted her gaze, feeling that Wei Ziwan’s eyes were dangerous. Did this woman have a biting fetish? If so, their future life together might be quite perilous. (Wrong, it would be exciting.)

But if it was only as painful as that bite earlier, maybe she could endure it.

She secretly thought this, her gaze drifting back to Wei Ziwan.

Wei Ziwan, feeling the increasingly strange scrutiny, turned away uncomfortably. “Let’s go check the vegetable shed. Manager Xi will be here in a couple of days. We should start preparing.”

Suddenly discussing serious matters, Bai Zhi quickly pulled her wandering thoughts back and said seriously, “Let’s find a good spot today. We can move things over slowly in the next few days.”

Wei Ziwan nodded faintly. The more critical the moment, the more they needed to take their time. They absolutely couldn’t rush.

Fortunately, both of them were patient people.

Two days later, the people from Lou Shang Lou arrived.

Manager Xi personally brought over a dozen servants and seven or eight open carriages. The green vegetables were bundled and stacked on the carriages, secured with ropes and wooden planks, piled nearly two meters high.

The carriages left one after another, with Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan standing by the roadside, watching them go.

Bai Zhi wore a snow-blue robe over her cotton clothes, tall and elegant. Wei Ziwan wore a moon-white robe over hers, graceful and unmatched.

Over time, the people in the manor had come to know the two women’s preferences in clothing.

Bai Zhi favored snow-blue, while Wei Ziwan preferred moon-white. Except for the occasional gray coarse clothes they wore when doing farm work, the two rarely wore any other colors.

Especially after winter arrived, they stopped wearing the gray work clothes altogether. From a distance, the sight of one figure in snow-blue and the other in moon-white was enough for everyone to know who they were.

As the carriages gradually disappeared into the distance, the two figures slipped back into the vegetable shed.

At the manor’s gate, Bai Li, the young master, came out to see them off. As the young master, it was only proper for him to make an appearance when the manager of Lou Shang Lou visited.

“Young Master, there’s no need to see us off. I need to get back before dark. Brother Bai’s vegetable shoots can be harvested two more times. We’ll meet again.”

With that, Manager Xi climbed onto the carriage and sat beside the driver.

For some reason, he hadn’t brought a separate carriage for himself and had to endure the cold wind on the way back with the driver and servants.

Bai Li was puzzled for a moment before snapping out of it.

At the manor’s entrance, everyone watched as the carriages drove away. Someone made a gesture, and two figures quietly followed behind.

In the vegetable shed, Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan stayed inside for a long time. At one point, a servant came to ask if they needed dinner prepared.

The two exchanged a glance, and Bai Zhi said indifferently, “No need. We’ll be busy for a while longer.”

The servant nodded and left.

Wei Ziwan stood up. “In the past, no one ever specifically asked if we wanted dinner prepared.”

They were really being cautious.

Bai Zhi’s expression turned cold. “Manager Xi and the others should be entering the city soon. This is to confirm that we’re still in the vegetable shed.”

From the time Manager Xi left until now, only a little over an hour had passed. It wasn’t even dark yet.

They exchanged a glance, each finding a spot to sit, and stayed busy until nightfall before finally leaving the shed.

By then, Manager Xi should have returned to Lou Shang Lou, and the city gates would have closed.

In the manor, Bai Shu looked at the two people who had hurried back, covered in dust. “Any issues?”

“Reporting to the old master, Miss Bai and Miss Wei have returned to their courtyard. There are no issues.” one of them replied with a fist salute.

Bai Shu nodded. “Continue to keep an eye on them. One of you watch the vegetable shed, the other follow Lou Shang Lou’s carriages into the city. Don’t be careless.”

The two accepted their orders and left.

Bai Shu swirled his teacup, letting out a heavy sigh. Every step now was crucial, especially with Bai Zhi. Nothing could go wrong, or the entire plan would fall apart.

Night.

Bai Zhi looked at the person who had slipped into the bed on her own. The words that had been on the tip of her tongue for days finally stumbled out: “Wanwan, don’t you think the quilt is a bit narrow?”

Since that brief embrace a few days ago, it seemed like they had grown closer. But in terms of actual progress, aside from smiling at each other more often, nothing had really changed.

“Is that so? Let’s get a wider one tomorrow.” Wei Ziwan replied bluntly, offering her opinion.

Bai Zhi’s throat moved almost imperceptibly.

She let down the bed curtains and lay down. The darkness seemed to give her a bit of courage.

“It’s so cold tonight. What should we do?” Bai Zhi heard her own soft, floating voice. Her eyes were tightly shut, not daring to look at the person beside her.

Wei Ziwan was silent for a moment before turning to face the person lying on her back. In the dim light of night, she could just make out Bai Zhi’s closed eyes.

Her lips curved slightly, her tone slow and deliberate. “Hu-sband, what do you think we should do?”

Bai Zhi kept her eyes closed, her words tumbling out rapidly. “Given our current situation, it’s best not to make any sudden moves. We shouldn’t change the quilt to avoid unnecessary suspicion. If it’s really cold, we can just sleep a bit closer.”

It sounded like a rehearsed speech, delivered in one breath without pause.

In fact, these words had been turning over in Bai Zhi’s mind for days. Even so, when it came time to say them, she had to tweak them a bit.

For example, the phrase “sleep a bit closer” was originally “sleep in each other’s arms.”

Bai Zhi sighed inwardly, feeling a bit disappointed in herself. Why couldn’t she just say it?

They’d already hugged. It wasn’t like they were doing anything improper. They were a proper couple, married by the Empress’s decree. What was there to be afraid of?

Too bad her brain was bold, but her mouth wasn’t.

Wei Ziwan’s fingertips twitched, and she loosely wrapped her arms around Bai Zhi’s. “Like this? Does my husband still feel cold?”

Bai Zhi instinctively tensed, slowly opening her eyes but not daring to turn her head to look at the person beside her.

She stared at the bed curtains, her mind seemingly devoid of thought, forgetting how to speak.

“Husband, why aren’t you saying anything? Should we get even closer?” Wei Ziwan moved a bit closer as she spoke.

Bai Zhi’s eyes widened, her heart pounding wildly. The softness pressing against her arm was like a spark that ignited her entire body, evaporating all her bl00d.

She swallowed, her throat dry and burning.

If she didn’t calm down soon, she might blurt out a “yes.”