Early in the morning, before it gets dark, Tan Ting has to go to the office.

He woke up early and looked at his sleeping wife in his arms, feeling a little dazed for a moment.

In the past three years, even when they slept on the same bed, they had to be separated by a palm's length. No one touched anyone, and no one talked to anyone...

Now it seems that it is really wrong. Outrageous.

Tan Ting was reluctant to disturb his wife's dream, gently pulled out his arm, put her on the pillow, and gathered the brocade quilt for her.

But the more he tried to speak softly, the more something went wrong. When he went to look for the jade belt he had thrown aside yesterday, he bumped into the chair next to the bed.

A loud bang woke up the people in the tent.

Xiang Yi was startled, woke up from his dream, and sat up in a daze.

Tan Ting looked at his wife apologetically, only to see her sitting up with her body propped up. The belt he had tied for her last night had fallen apart after a night.

Without the restraint of the belt, the skirt of her clothes slipped off her shoulders, and her white shoulders were suddenly exposed to Tan Ting's sight.

She wasn't fully awake yet, and her eyes were still a little confused when she looked at him.

Tan Ting only felt that his eyes were a little hot under this scene.

But it was getting late now, and he had to go to the office, so he could only sit on the edge of the bed and lift up her fallen clothes.

"Let's sleep a little longer..."

As soon as his fingertips touched her shoulder, she seemed to shrink subconsciously, looking at him with a slightly frightened look.

Tan Ting knew that he had some emotions last night and worked quite hard to scare her like this.

At that moment, he couldn't help but let out a soft breath.

"It's still early. I'll go to the Yamen. You can sleep a little longer."

How Xiang Yi fell asleep yesterday morning couldn't be remembered clearly this morning. He only knew that he didn't know what was going on, and he seemed to be having a hard time with her. , entangled in the account for a long time.

Now he was talking for a while, but Xiang Yi only glanced at him and said nothing.

She was speechless and actually became a little angry, and Tan Ting panicked.

He quickly held her hand and apologized to her in a low voice.

"It was my fault yesterday, Yizhen, don't be angry. I won't be like this on the 20th."

Xiang Yi couldn't help but said when he saw that he was still thinking about the next time.

"Uncle, I've been really... out of control lately. It's time to take a two-month break."

Two months of rest.

After hearing this, Tan Ting glanced at his wife in surprise, and then his eyes fell.

"It seems that Yizhen doesn't want to get close to me..."

Xiang Yi: "..."

"That's not what I meant, it's just that I..."

This time, Xiang Yi didn't wait to say anything. After that, Tan Ting said, "I won't be like that anymore."

He had said so, and Xiang Yi had nothing to say, so he had to gather up his clothes and remind him that it was getting late and he should go to the Yamen.

Tan Ting breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his wife again.

Thinking about how she was like yesterday, it wasn't actually because she always seemed to be hiding something in her heart and refused to tell him anything.

He didn't leave for a while, sitting by the bed and making no sound.

Seeing his wife giving him a confused look, he spoke.

"Yizhen needs to remember that you and I are husband and wife."

Xiang Yi didn't remember it, and he didn't know what the old man was thinking about.

Fortunately, the next few days were calm.

On the 20th of every month, there was a big break in the academy. Xiang Yi went to his younger brother and sister Dianxia's yard one day early to help clean up the house, vacated the house, and brought his sister to him.

But when she arrived at the small courtyard, she found that her younger brother Xiang Yu had also returned home early.

Xiang Yi was surprised, "Brother Yu, why are you back early?"

Xiang Yu said while packing up things in the yard, "I'm a little cold. My husband asked me to come back and take a rest early."

He said this, Xiang Yi Haosheng looked at his brother twice, but he didn't see any sign of illness in him.

The injury on Ning Ning's face has healed, leaving only some light red marks, which will not be visible in about half a month. Her foot injury seemed to be much better, and she walked out of the room when she heard Xiang Yi's voice.

"Sister is here."

As soon as she walked out, Xiang Yu looked back at her.

"Why are you walking around again? Why don't you go back to the house and sit down?"

Xiang Ning refused and said it was okay. "If I sit in the house again, I will get moldy."

When she said this, Xiang Yu frowned, but also Without saying anything else, he took a thorn and put it behind her.

"Then just sit outside the house and don't move around."

Xiang Ning didn't refute him at this moment, and sat down according to his words, smiling with Xiang Yi.

"Sister, you see, A Yu is a worried person."

Xiang Yu glanced at her, said nothing, and continued to pack up the things in the yard. Seeing Xiang Yi's eyes falling on him, he paused and said a few words. I gave a stool to the classmate's house next door, turned around and walked out of the yard to the next door.

Xiang Yi glanced at his brother several times before looking away.

Xiang Ning hasn't lived here long, and there aren't that many things. Qiao Yun has already packed them into boxes and cages for her, and there are only a few boxes in total.

Thinking that Xiang Yu was also at home, he might as well move out today. However, before Xiang Yi could speak, there was a knock on the door suddenly.

Xiang Yi asked people to go to the door and saw a handsome young man of seventeen or eighteen years old, well-dressed and handsome.

Before Xiang Yi knew who this person was, Xiang Ning stood up.

"Why are Mr. Zhao here?"

Mr. Zhao... Only then did Xiang Yi know that this was the man who rescued Xiang Ning from the ditch that day.

After she inquired about it at that time, she even went to send a thank you gift.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Zhao came to our door today.

This Zhao Gongzi's name is Zhao Jia. He is the son of a moderately aristocratic family in the south of the Yangtze River. He is now a scholar like Xiang Yu. He left his relatives in Beijing to study at Boyun Academy.

Because he was not accustomed to the acclimatization of the Northland for the first time, he spent half a month recuperating outside the academy. When he was going out for a walk, he bumped into Xiang Ning who had fallen into a ditch.

When he saw Xiang Yi, he recognized him immediately.

"It must be Mrs. Tan."

He announced his name and saluted Xiang Yi, and Xiang Yi returned the salute.

Unfortunately, they were about to move and everything was in a mess, so they couldn't entertain them properly.

Mr. Zhao didn't mind. He first asked Xiang Ning if she was feeling better. Seeing that they were about to move away, he asked, "Madam, are you taking the girl to the Tan family in the capital?"

Xiang Yi nodded, "My sister lives here alone." It's really inconvenient."

What did Mr. Zhao want to say? Xiang Yu just came back from next door.

As soon as he walked in and saw Zhao Jia, he looked very defensive. When he heard that he was the one who saved Xiang Ning, he stepped forward and saluted seriously.

Zhao Jia didn't know who he was, so when he heard Xiang Ning say this, he looked at Xiang Yu in surprise.

"I didn't expect him to be Miss Ning's twin brother! When we meet him this time, he is really a talented person!"

He was polite, and Xiang Yu naturally couldn't lack the courtesy.

Xiang Yi quickly told Qiao Yun to clear away the tables and chairs and make a pot of tea to entertain others.

Zhao Jia didn't care at all. Instead, he started chatting with Xiang Yu. He first talked about studying at Boyun Academy. He was very surprised when he heard that Xiang Yu was admitted by himself.

"I thought it was Mr. Tan who was helping me, but I didn't expect Brother Xian to rely on his own ability."

His eyes brightened a little when he looked at Xiang Yu.

Xiang Yu was used to seeing this kind of gaze, and he was quite used to it. But then, he suddenly changed the subject and his voice became a little lower, as if he was a little embarrassed.

He asked Xiang Yu.

"Actually, I came here today to ask... Miss Ning whether she is engaged?"

He asked, his face turning slightly red.

When Zhao Jia rescued the embarrassed girl from the ditch that day, he took a look at her.

These days, he first asked people to inquire about the Xiang family, and then sent a letter to his family in a hurry. He came forward to ask after getting his family's approval.

But when he asked, Xiang Yu's expression froze.

Xiang Yu didn't speak for a while, but Qiao Yuan made tea and Xiang Yi greeted them.

Xiang Yu didn't answer, turned around and left.

Zhao Jia didn't pay too much attention. He was naturally upright, so he just turned around and asked his subordinates to inquire.

Because they were moving, everything was a little messy, so Zhao Jia didn't stay long. He gave Xiang Ning some Jiangnan special scar removal ointment, glanced at her secretly, and then left.

After he left, Qiao Yun came over to talk to Xiang Yi, and Zhao Jia inquired about Xiang Ning's marriage.

Xiang Yi could tell from his behavior today. After hearing this, he smiled and whispered to Qiao Yun.

"Speaking of it, Ning Ning is indeed not young anymore."

She is already sixteen, and she is at the age where she can get engaged.

Qiao Yun agreed and asked Xiang Yi, "Madam, what do you think of Mr. Zhao? If the Zhao family really comes to propose marriage, will you agree?"

Unexpectedly, Xiang Yi didn't answer yet, so Xiang Yu walked over.

"Sister, don't agree!"

Xiang Yi turned around in surprise and saw his pale-faced brother.

She was silent for a moment and let Qiao Yun go down first.

There was no one around, so she asked Xiang Yu in a low voice.

"Why can't you agree? Brother Yu, do you have a serious reason?"

She looked at her brother, saw his eyes flashed, and spoke.

"Then Zhao Jia is also a young master from an aristocratic family, but our Xiang family is notorious and down and out. He wants to marry Ning Ning, not because he doesn't care about these things, or because he really likes Ning Ning to the point where these are not important, but because he wants to marry Ning Ning. He values ​​eldest sister and you being the wife of the Tan family. Even though our Xiang family has a bad reputation, with the Tan family as our backers, he feels that Ning Ning's background is not too bad."

He raised his head and glanced at Xiang Yi.

"If one day the eldest sister is no longer the wife of the Tan family, can he treat Ning Ning well?"

Xiang Yi originally wanted to hear what kind of serious reasons he had, but he didn't expect that he actually said it.

What he said did make some sense.

Xiang Yi still knows what kind of reputation the Xiang family has and what kind of existence it is in the eyes of the family.

Xiang Yi did not deny it, but just glanced at Xiang Yu.

"I'll think about it, but you don't have to worry about these things."

After she finished speaking, her brother's face froze, but she left without saying anything more.

With Zhao Jia's incident, we didn't move in today and stayed here for one night.

In the evening, Xiang Yi said something about Zhao Jia to his sister, seemingly unintentionally.

Xiang Ning was startled, "I actually don't know Mr. Zhao very well."

That was unintentional.

Xiang Yi nodded and asked his sister again.

"What do you think about your marriage?"

Xiang Ning really didn't think much about this question. After all, the Xiang family's reputation was too bad before, and the eldest sister had a rough marriage.

She said there was no rush, "Why are you in a hurry to get married?"

After hearing this, Xiang Yi glanced at his sister for no reason.

"Aren't Ning Ning going to get married?"

Xiang Ning spoke and smiled.

"Ning Ning means don't be in a hurry. It won't be too late to marry again in two years. In short, I will just listen to the eldest sister."

There was no hidden meaning in the younger sister's words.

Xiang Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, but thinking about his brother, he felt a little headache.

No one knew that Xiang Ningfei was her biological child. She was informed by her father before he was convicted and exiled six years ago.

At that time, her father said that this matter was a secret and should not be known to anyone. As for Xiang Ning's identity, her father only told her that she was the daughter of an old friend of her mother, but he did not know who she was or where she was... ..Xiang

Yi remembered what happened six years ago.

Could it be that Xiang Yu overheard this at that time?

...

Moving home the next day, Xiang Yi's siblings and Tan Jian, who had dropped out of school, went to the Tan family in the capital.

The entire Tan family's old house in the capital became lively.

Tan Ting asked someone to place a meal in the pavilion in the back garden. He was so enthusiastic that Xiang Yu, who really didn't want to come to Tan's house, calmed down and offered him a toast.

The corners of Tan Ting's eyes curled up, and he lowered his head to Xiang Yi's ear.

"Yizhen, brother Yu gave me a toast."

They are all on the same table, can Xiang Yi not see them?

Xiang Yi said "hmm" and responded to him with a smile.

She glanced at Tan Ting with a smile on her face, and then at Xiang Yu. She saw Xiang Yu's expression was downcast, and her peripheral vision fell lightly on Xiang Ning who was talking to Yang Zhen, but when she looked over, He immediately took it back and talked to Tan Jian as if nothing had happened.

Xiang Yi was silent, his heart a little heavy, and he became a little absent-minded during the second half of the meal.

She was a little absent-minded, and Tan Ting could tell.

From time to time, the family banquet in the pavilion broke up. Xiang Ning moved to the courtyard with flowers blooming all year round that Tan Ting had left for her before. Xiang Yu went to the front yard. Tan Jian and Yang Zhen returned to the west courtyard without leaving. In the pavilion Only Tan Ting and Xiang Yi were left.

The night breeze held the warmth of a summer night, and Tan Ting took Xiang Yi's hand and walked around the pond outside the pavilion.

He wanted to know what was going on in her mind.

But walking around the pond, she just lowered her head and looked at the water, still saying nothing.

Tan Ting couldn't help but wanted to ask her, but saw that she spoke first.

"Uncle, please go to bed early tonight. I'm a little tired."

She did look a little tired. Tan Ting had no choice but to nod, but still asked.

"Why is Yizhen so tired?"

Xiang Yi was full of thoughts, but couldn't say a word. She pinched her eyebrows.

"Maybe the weather is getting hotter and it's a bit boring."

What a poor excuse.

Tan Ting looked at his wife and saw that she turned around and headed towards the main courtyard. His eyes were fixed on her. He did not follow her back for a while, but sat in the pavilion again and poured himself a glass of wine.

He looked down at the wine for a long time. The moonlight reflected in the wine became colder. He raised the cup and drank it all.

The main room was extremely dull at night. It was the dullest night in so many days.

It was just the couple, no one said much.

The night slipped quietly by with the sound of drums.

The next day, Tan Ting went to the Yamen again early.

Xiang Yi was doing some trivial matters at home, when suddenly the concierge's boy ran over.

"Someone gave this to Madam."

It was a letter.

Xiang Yi opened it and found that it was not a complete letter, but several fragments that had been damaged by fire.

But Xiang Yi frowned when he saw the one with the most characters. He read it from beginning to end, and his fingertips trembled.

She quickly asked the porter who delivered the letter, but the porter shook his head.

"Go back to Madam, I don't know who it is."