If Life Were Only Like the First Meeting

Xiao Wan'er did not continue unrolling the calligraphy copybook. Instead, she rolled it back up and put it away in the box.

Mr. Yue Ming watched their movements clearly, clasped his hands behind his back, and gave a light snort:

"Miss Wan'er, now tell this old man—was this copybook truly written by Chen Yi?"

Before Xiao Wan'er could answer, Xiao Die beside her could no longer hold back. "Eldest Miss, it really was written by the son-in-law. Xiao Die was right there at the time, and I even saw wisps of fluorescence..."

At this, Xiao Jinghong raised a hand to stop her. "Enough, Xiao Die. No need to say more."

Once Xiao Die fell silent with a disgruntled look, she turned to the old man and gave a slight bow. "As for the origin of this copybook, the Xiao Manor will provide Mr. Yue Ming with an answer shortly."

Mr. Yue Ming glanced at her, nodded calmly, and said, "I await the good news."

With that, he turned and strode away.

The nearby scholars bowed to the Xiao family and then followed after him.

Wang Lixing studied the expressions of the two young misses, then looked at Xiao Die, who was pouting as if about to cry. He hesitated before bowing and saying:

"Eldest Miss, Second Miss, these characters were indeed written by the son-in-law."

Xiao Jinghong looked at him, a glint of surprise in her eyes beneath the Half Armor, as if she hadn't expected him to speak up at this moment.

After a moment's thought, she said, "I already know of this matter. We'll discuss it when we return to the manor."

Then Xiao Jinghong instructed Xiao Die to follow and helped Xiao Wan'er back into the carriage.

Xiao Die followed closely, sitting on the outer side of the carriage, her head lowered, not daring to look up.

She didn't know which words she had spoken wrong, and a sense of unease crept into her heart.

At this, Xiao Wan'er set the copybook aside and asked, "Xiao Die, did you truly watch the son-in-law write these characters?"

"Yes, Eldest Miss. Xiao Die would not dare to lie."

The two Xiao sisters exchanged a glance. Xiao Wan'er's expression, at once pleased and teasing, seemed to say that her second sister had found a fine husband.

But Xiao Jinghong still had some doubts.

To be precise, she found it hard to believe her elder sister's saying that "the character reflects the person"—otherwise, how could she explain her husband's acts of forcibly seizing a woman and visiting brothels?

Thinking this, Xiao Jinghong asked, "Xiao Die, tell me everything the son-in-law has said and done during this time, without omitting a single detail."

"Yes, Second Miss..."

Xiao Die's eyes swept over the Half Armor on her face, then dropped again as she began to speak in fits and starts.

From Chen Yi being confined to the manor and made to copy the family rules, to writing that poem Ballad of Shu · Marrying into the Xiao Gate, to having his confinement lifted and going to Yanhuaxiang in the south of the city, and even the matter of pretending to "forcibly seize a woman" to help Li Huaigu and Miss Yunxiang—she recounted everything in great detail.

Only one thing did Xiao Die conceal—the poem titled Graceful Spirit Ode. She didn't even dare to mention it, fearing that if the Second Miss heard it, she would punish the son-in-law.

When she finished, the carriage was silent for a long time.

Xiao Wan'er ran through Chen Yi's actions in her mind, recalling the night he had climbed over the wall to Jiaxing Garden, and couldn't help but smile.

Her jade-like face, set off by the pristine white fur, grew even more radiant, as pure as a blooming lotus.

"Second Sister, the things your husband does cannot be judged by common sense."

"Perhaps," Xiao Jinghong said, setting aside her misgivings for the moment.

Compared to those scholars and common folk who followed the crowd, Xiao Die's words carried far more weight.

Xiao Wan'er knew her sister had a cold temperament, so she didn't press further. Instead, she opened the copybook again.

As her slender hands gently unrolled it, each character on the five-foot-long Yunsong Paper began to glow with wisps of silvery white.

But soon, the luster faded, leaving only faintly shimmering strokes.

Xiao Wan'er stared, her gaze frozen.

It was as if those horizontal and vertical strokes possessed some strange power, holding her eyes captive.

She was not alone—beside her, Xiao Jinghong was equally transfixed.

But unlike Xiao Wan'er, who did not cultivate the Martial Path, Xiao Jinghong saw not mere words in the copybook, but a series of ethereal, tranquil artistic conceptions.

In a daze, a figure seemed to appear before her—a man in a long robe, strolling leisurely through the mountains and fields.

He had a tall, slender build, his hair tied in a topknot at the back of his head, and a handsome face always wearing a gentle smile as he unhurriedly admired the scenery around him.

"Brother-in-law's calligraphy is truly unconventional. No, I should say his characters have already formed a school of their own."

After a long while, Xiao Wan'er sighed in admiration. "No wonder Mr. Yue Ming spoke as he did. The significance of this copybook is probably..."

Probably enough to make countless calligraphy masters of the Great Wei Dynasty flock to it.

Just like Mr. Yue Ming today, disregarding his status and dignity to argue with a maidservant from a Marquis's mansion.

Xiao Jinghong snapped back to reality and nodded. "It should be so."

Xiao Wan'er looked at her with a teasing expression. "Second Sister, are you unhappy?"

"Eldest Sister is overthinking things."

Xiao Jinghong turned her head to look out the carriage window, the figure she had seen in the copybook still lingering in her mind, and a faint curiosity stirred within her.

In truth, before their marriage, she had once secretly gone to Fengchun Tower to catch a glimpse of Chen Yi.

At that time, she only felt that her husband, like other scholars and students, carried a strong scent of books, along with a trace of resentment and a brooding temperament.

It was completely different from the "husband" she now heard described by others.

Thus, Xiao Jinghong was very curious about what had happened to Chen Yi during the time she had been away from the Marquis's mansion.

It couldn't be that someone had "swapped the beams and pillars" on him, could it?

Not long after.

Shen Huatang drove a carriage through the Xiao family's main gate, followed by another carriage of the same make, along with Wang Lixing and the others.

Ge Laosan watched the carriages from afar as they passed through the central courtyard and headed straight for the back courtyard, muttering, "Judging by the way our two young ladies are carrying themselves, I get the feeling our son-in-law is done for this time."

Slap.

Wang Lixing couldn't help but give him a smack, glaring at him and saying, "Do you have a death wish, saying something like that?"

Ge Laosan was about to retort when realization suddenly dawned on his face. He quickly clasped his hands in apology: "Brother Xing, forgive me. With the young ladies not in the mansion these past days, I forgot."

He had indeed forgotten.

Eldest Miss Xiao Wan'er had no martial arts to rely on, so she was fine.

But Second Miss Xiao Jinghong was a Fourth Rank Realm cultivator, her martial arts long since transcended the mundane. She could hear what others could not, see what others could not, and even tread upon the clouds to soar into the sky.

A powerhouse like her, even if she wasn't paying attention to him, could still hear his words spoken behind her back.

Liu Si'er glanced at the two of them and said in a low voice, "Anyway, now that Second Miss is back, everyone in the mansion will have to behave themselves."

Damn it, the one who most needed to behave was that fledgling!

With the two Xiao young ladies returning to the mansion, news reached every courtyard in the entire Marquis's mansion.

Inside Qingjing Residence.

The Old Marquis was playing chess with the Duke of Gan and others when a servant came to deliver the message. A faint smile of joy appeared on his face upon hearing it.

"Jinghong has returned to the mansion. I'm afraid I won't be able to keep you two company for much longer."

Zhang Xuan curled his lip slightly: "You old scoundrel, you're shameless enough, and you've also stumbled onto a stroke of luck, having a prodigy like Jinghong emerge from your Xiao family."

Sun Fu nodded: "The words are crude, but the reasoning is sound. Indeed."

The Old Marquis wasn't angered. After his moment of joy, a trace of melancholy showed on his face.

"If their parents hadn't both died on the battlefield, why would my Xiao family have needed Jinghong to step up and take the lead?"

"Alright, alright. On a happy day, don't say such disheartening things."

"Jinghong, that girl, can hold on for at most another ten years. Once Wuge returns from Jinling, your Xiao family will still be the Xiao family."

"I hope so."

Meanwhile, outside Chunhe Garden.

Xiao Jinghong and Xiao Wan'er arrived together at the garden's entrance, with Shen Huatang and a girl wearing a silver Half Armor Mask behind them, each carrying a travel bag.

Behind them were Xiao Die, Wang Lixing, and the others.

Xiao Die peeked at Chunhe Garden and faintly heard the son-in-law's cheerful laughter inside. She stammered, "Miss, should I go inform the son-in-law?"

Xiao Jinghong waved her hand to indicate it wasn't necessary, and also signaled for them to stop and keep quiet.

Then she and Xiao Wan'er walked into Chunhe Garden together. The sounds around them immediately became clearer.

"The most... uh, brother-in-law, you've been fishing for almost a month now, and you haven't caught a single one."

The Young Heir Apparent, Zhang Heng, still had a tone of disdain, but compared to before today, his attitude had noticeably improved.

"Brother Heir Apparent, you don't get it. Brother-in-law said this is called 'Jiang Taigong fishes—those willing take the bait.' It's not that brother-in-law can't catch them, it's that he doesn't want to."

Hearing Xiao Wuge's childish voice, Xiao Wan'er suppressed a cough and blinked at Xiao Jinghong.

Then they both looked at the figure squatting by the pond, holding a small shovel and digging in the dirt, as he said:

"The child can be taught, indeed. Wuge, your knowledge is enough to trounce the Heir Apparent."

"Really?"

"Impossible! This Heir Apparent has knowledge too!"

"Like what, Your Highness?" Chen Yi said teasingly. "It couldn't be learning to lie and getting caught by the elders, then getting a good whipping, could it?"

After he spoke, he and Xiao Wuge both burst out laughing, while Zhang Heng was so angry he started yelling.

"It's a good thing too. Your mother sent you to Chunhe Garden, so from now on, you'll..."

As he spoke, Chen Yi pinched the earthworm he had dug out of the soil. "Look, this one's huge!"

He was just about to show off to the two little ones when he spotted Xiao Jinghong, wearing her Half Armor Mask, and Xiao Wan'er, with a smile on her face, not far away. He was momentarily stunned.

Seeing who had arrived, Xiao Wuge let out a cheer and ran over, calling out affectionately, "Eldest Sister, Second Sister, you're finally back!"

Zhang Heng, as if meeting his match, quieted down after a single glance from Xiao Jinghong: "Cousin, Second Cousin."

Chen Yi quietly observed them, then suddenly smiled and raised his hand in greeting: "Wife, Eldest Sister."

Xiao Jinghong watched him smile gently, and his form gradually overlapped with the figure she had seen earlier on the calligraphy copybook, leaving her mind somewhat dazed.

The originally vague and illusory image slowly solidified into the man before her, holding a wriggling earthworm in his hand, yet still gentle and at ease.

At that moment, Chen Yi was also looking at Xiao Jinghong.

Though the Half Armor Mask blocked his view, he could easily tell that Xiao Jinghong's features were extraordinary, especially her eyes, which bore a striking resemblance to Xiao Wan'er's.

But what drew Chen Yi's attention even more was her aura—that proud, independent air, as cold and aloof as a Banished Immortal.

The two gazed at each other for a long moment.

Xiao Jinghong came to her senses first, turning her head away with slight discomfort. "Husband, I've just returned to the manor. I'll go change clothes first."

Xiao Wan'er caught her expression and immediately smiled with a knowing, teasing look, which only made Xiao Jinghong quicken her steps as she turned away.

Chen Yi watched her retreating figure, her form and features already clearly etched into his mind, and smiled knowingly.

"If only life were always like the first meeting..."

"My lady, you truly possess a beauty that startles like a soaring swan..."