Chapter 174: Teasing
Mengxi and Xiaojun's sedan chairs arrived at Shouxi Hall one after another. Shishu and Shihua were already waiting there. When they saw the two men get off the sedan chairs, they hurried over to greet them, greeted them and said:
"The Second Master is finally here. The Old Lady, the First Master, and the First Mistress are all waiting in the room. I have asked them several times. Second Master and Second Mistress, please follow me in."
Everyone gathered around the two of them and entered the hall. After turning around the screen, the old lady and others were already sitting there. When they saw the second master coming in, even the old lady stood up and said tremblingly:
"My son, you are finally back. I missed you so much. Come here and let me see you."
Seeing the old lady standing up, Xiao Jun hurried forward and was grabbed by the old lady and called her darling.
"Jun'er was out there all alone, without anyone to take care of him. I think he must have suffered a lot. Look at him, he has become darker and thinner. Jun'er is really cruel. He was gone for nearly a year and a half, and didn't even come back for the New Year. He just endured it all alone out there."
"Grandma, it's not that Jun'er doesn't want to come back, it's that he can't get away and makes you worry about him. Jun'er didn't suffer. The sun in the south is very strong and everyone will get tanned. Jun'er is in good shape now. If you don't believe me, just look at him."
As Xiao Jun spoke, he rolled up his sleeves to show his strong and powerful arms to the old lady. When the eldest wife and the eldest master saw it, they couldn't help but wipe their eyes.
After a long time, the old lady let go of her hand. The second master helped the old lady to sit down, and then he and Mengxi paid their respects to the eldest master and the eldest mistress. Everyone sat down again. The old lady and the eldest master asked about things in the south and the situation in the past year, and they sat there and chatted.
As he was speaking, the secretary came in and replied:
"Replying to the old lady, Hong Xing has brought the second master's change of clothes. The old lady wants the second master to wash up and rest for a while before having lunch?"
"Look at my memory. I was just talking. Jun'er must be tired after all the traveling. Let's wash up and take a rest here first. After lunch, we can have a good rest. Xi'er doesn't need to stay here with us. Let's go down and serve the Second Master together."
Mengxi, who was sitting aside doing nothing, heard the old lady's instructions and then remembered that serving the Second Master was her job. She almost forgot about it and hurriedly got up and agreed. She followed the Second Master and was led by Shihua to a side room on the west side. When she entered the room, she saw steam coming out from behind the screen opposite the bed. She thought that the maids had already prepared hot water.
Mengxi hesitated and stopped. No way, a simple wash would be enough, why would she need to take a shower? Since the wedding, he had never asked her to serve him closely. Mengxi hesitated whether to go out, but after waiting for a long time, she didn't wait for him to say "You go out" as he often said.
I was at a loss for a moment, and then I saw Hong Xing and a little girl carrying a small wooden bucket coming out from behind the screen, and they came forward and bowed:
"Second Master, the water is ready. The clean underwear is placed inside and the outer clothes are placed on the bed. Please take a bath and change your clothes."
Xiao Jun nodded and motioned them to go out. He glanced at Mengxi who was standing at the door, and walked in with square steps.
Sitting gracefully on the soft step beside the bed, listening to the sound of water behind the screen, Mengxi was so nervous that her heart was about to jump out. She had never experienced watching a man taking a bath through a screen before. She was really afraid that the screen would suddenly fall down or that the man sitting behind her would be so happy taking a bath that he forgot to put on his clothes and come out to show off his figure.
The look from the Second Master just now and Hong Xing's hint made her understand that the Second Master wanted her to wait here so that she could serve him after he finished washing. Although they had never had physical contact, they had been married in a legitimate way and were still husband and wife in name. And this was at the old lady's house, so Mengxi had nowhere to hide and had to stay. Fortunately, she dragged Zhiqiu along with her to give her courage.
Xiao Jun finally finished washing. Wearing a moon-white middle-length shirt and wiping his hair with a towel in his hand, he walked out and sat lazily on a chair not far from the bed.
When Zhiqiu saw this, she hurriedly called the maid to come in and clean up. After a while, Hongxing led the maid in and started to get busy. Mengxi sat there watching them, not knowing what she should do, so she straightened her body and acted like a queen in a dignified manner.
After a while, the maids cleaned up the room. Hong Xing came over to help the Second Master dry his hair, tied it into a bun, and pinned it with a silver hairpin. She took the crown and scarf, but the Second Master waved his hand to indicate that he didn't need it. Hong Xing put the crown and scarf aside and said,
"Second Master, do you want to take a rest or go directly to the front hall?"
"It's getting late, go straight to the front hall"
Hong Xing responded and went forward to pick up a navy blue embroidered gauze shirt that had been prepared earlier, and shook it out, wanting to help the Second Master put it on. However, after lifting it for a long time, the Second Master just sat there looking at the Second Mistress, without moving an inch.
Hong Xing suddenly came to her senses and realized that helping the Second Master change his clothes was the Second Wife's job and she had overstepped the mark. However, since the wedding, the Second Master never let the Second Wife serve him closely. Not to mention Hong Xing, even the Second Wife herself had forgotten that this was her duty.
Mengxi, who had nothing to do, was stunned when she saw Hongxing handing her the second master's clothes. Zhiqiu hurriedly poked her from behind. Mengxi finally realized that she was being asked to serve him. She took it with her hand, stood up and spread out the clothes.
The Second Master then stood up, stretched out his hand and cooperated in putting on his clothes. Mengxi was dumbfounded as she helped the Second Master put on his clothes. She hated the ancient buttons and had not learned how to do them in two years since she came to ancient times. Zhiqiu helped her button her clothes. Touching a pair of buttons in her hand, she looked at Hongxing and Zhiqiu for help. When they saw the Second Master's cold face, they dared not step forward and just pretended not to see them and stood aside like a pillar.
Helpless, Mengxi had to bite the bullet and fight with Pankou for her life. Gradually, sweat broke out on Mengxi's forehead. Hongzhu and Zhiqiu on the side were even more frightened. They didn't expect that the second grandma couldn't even button her clothes.
The shirt had a slanting collar, and most of the buttons were under the armpits. The Second Master just stretched out his arms and waited. The two men looked at the clumsy look of the Second Mistress and wished they could go forward and button her clothes themselves, but they had to stand there stiffly when they met the Second Master's cold gaze. Zhiqiu's heart was in her throat, fearing that the Second Master would lose his patience and kick the Second Mistress out.
Mengxi was even more anxious. She wished she could grow two more hands, or use her teeth to button the damn buttons. After a lot of effort, she finally finished buttoning. She took a step back and saw that although two buttons were eager to jump out of the buttonholes, they were mostly stuck and it seemed that they would not fall out for a while. No matter what, just deal with it.
She walked forward, squatted down, and pulled the hem of the Second Master's clothes. She didn't dare to use too much force, for fear that the two buttons would really pop out and make her look ugly.
I stood up and looked him up and down. This second master looked quite handsome when dressed up, but unfortunately he was an iceberg and had no human touch at all.
Thinking that everything was fine and just as she was about to turn around, she saw Hong Xing handing her another belt. Meng Xi was dumbfounded again, secretly cursing that it was so troublesome for men in ancient times to put on clothes, as they had to wear belts like women.
He reached out to take it, trying to recall what kind of knot the second master usually tied around his waist, a knot? A slipknot? Or a bow? He didn't pay attention to it before, and his mind was blank at this moment. He couldn't even remember how to tie the belt. He hesitated for a moment, anyway, this belt is tied around the waist, so he just tied it casually.
When she looked up, she saw the Second Master was looking at her. She took a deep breath and took a step forward to face the Second Master. She held the two ends of the belt with both hands and put it around the Second Master's waist. After all, he was a seven-foot man, and his waist was not as slender as a woman's. Mengxi was petite and half a head shorter than him, so it was difficult for her to get around him even if she stuck close to him, not to mention that she was half a foot away. She couldn't reach it after a little effort, and she still couldn't reach it after trying harder. She had no choice but to tiptoe. Maybe he was uncomfortable with Mengxi's tormenting, and the Second Master moved suddenly. Mengxi didn't notice it and gave the Second Master a bear hug, and fell on him.
Zhiqiu and Hongxing were dumbfounded, their mouths opened wide, and they quickly covered their mouths with their hands. Mengxi's heart was beating so fast that she could even hear the Second Master's strong heartbeat. She felt her cheeks getting hot, and her face must have turned red.
Seeing that the Second Master didn't move at all, she calmed down, hugged the Second Master's waist with both hands, took a small step forward, and finally stood firmly. She also wrapped the strap around him, left the Second Master's arms, and hurriedly took half a step back. She didn't even remember how to tie the knot, so she just tied a buckle casually, turned around and went back to Zhiqiu with forced calmness. When she looked up, she saw Zhiqiu staring at the Second Master with his big eyes, so she turned to look at the Second Master.
Seeing that it was not a big deal, Mengxi wished there was a crack in the ground for her to crawl into. She quickly closed her eyes and said to herself, this knot was not tied by me.
Looking at the Second Master again, he was wearing a flowing silk shirt, but Mengxi had randomly tied the belt in the middle of his waist to make a knot, making him look like a funny guy.
After a long time, Mengxi finally opened her eyes. Thinking of the image of Erye, she also had the urge to laugh. Her little face turned red. She glanced at Erye and saw that he was looking at her coldly. He reached out and untied the knot she had tied, and casually tied a loose knot on the side of his waist, which made him look much more pleasing to the eye.
Mengxi lowered her head and dared not look at the Second Master again. Just as she was wondering what to say, Shiqin knocked on the door and came in, inviting the Second Master to have dinner.
The Second Master responded, glanced at Meng Xi who was looking down at her toes, and said:
"Let's go and have dinner first."
After saying that, he followed Shiqin out with his hands behind his back. Seeing the Second Master leave the door, Mengxi finally breathed a sigh of relief and followed behind him, supporting Zhiqiu from a distance.
Seeing the Second Master walking away, Zhiqiu whispered:
"Why didn't Second Madam give the belt to Second Master and let him tie it around his waist? Second Madam only had to tie the knot, but she tied it herself?"
Damn, no wonder she tried for a long time but couldn’t get around it, it turns out she didn’t have to go around it at all.
"What did you say? I just handed the strap to Erye, so why didn't he take it and watch me make a fool of myself?"
"The Second Master is just waiting to see Second Madam make a fool of herself. If you don't pass it to him, he certainly won't extend his hand."
Zhiqiu rolled her eyes at her Second Grandma, thinking that she was sometimes extremely smart, but sometimes even more stupid than a three-year-old child.
Mengxi finally calmed down, and suddenly realized that the Second Master seemed to be teasing her deliberately. She squinted her eyes and stared at the Second Master's back, deep in thought. His cold eyes flashed before her eyes. She shook her head, thinking it was impossible. After thinking about it, she shook her head again. Never mind, she had lost face today.
