The New Year is about to come, and the incense in Fangyuan Temple is particularly strong. The green smoke rises and the fragrance floats. The sound of bells, wooden fish, prayers and the voices of the great masters singing sutras in the Great Buddha Hall blend together to form a unique rhythm that makes people feel Extra peace of mind.
There is an endless stream of people who come to offer incense, pray, and pray for peace, either with good expectations for the coming year, or seeking relief from the melancholy things in their hearts. Reciting thoughts and kowtowing here can always make people feel more full about life. hope.
In the Zen room in the backyard, the door was pushed open, and a tall and straight figure flashed into the room and closed the door.
"Your Highness." Shen Que bowed to Li Luansong and sat opposite him.
"It's snowing outside." Li Luansong poured her a cup of hot tea, "Drink some hot tea quickly to get rid of the cold."
Shen Que smiled and held up the cup. The hot air filled her eyes with a thin layer of mist.
"I brought you a lot of delicious food." Shen Que opened the baggage he brought and found three five-layer food boxes. "These are all made by me, including snacks, braised snacks to go with wine, and There are pickles made by the Queen herself, and I have brought them to you."
Li Luansong rubbed his hands and said excitedly: "Every winter, Queen Mother likes to make pickles by herself. The taste, tsk tsk tsk, my father and I can't get enough of it. Now it's thanks to you."
Shen Que said with a smile: "My queen made this for Your Highness. It's your blessing that I can eat such delicious food in this world."
Li Luansong saw the smile on her face and said with emotion: "I thought Yuanyuan was angry with me and was avoiding me."
Shen Que hesitated: "Why should I be angry with His Highness?"
Wasn't it because she tested someone last time and said they wanted to get married? The more Li Luansong thought about it when he went back, the more he felt that he was too much for Meng Lang. Stop scaring her. Now it seems that this girl is really very nervous in this regard.
It was as if she always blushed when she faced him. At first he thought it was because she was shy and thought she was interested in him, but later he found out that it was just because she was thin-skinned.
Frustration is frustration, but the more frustrated you are, the more courage you get.
Shen Que opened the food boxes and spread them out layer by layer, covering the entire desk. They were exquisite and elegant, making people salivate just looking at them.
"You are so busy and you still want to make food for me. Hey, how can this be embarrassing?" He changed the subject.
"I thought Zelan didn't know how to do this, so I cooked some. You just like it." Shen Que looked at him with a smile, and then looked back at the last baggage he brought, struggling over and over again not knowing what it was. It shouldn't be taken out.
Li Luansong noticed her hesitation, followed her eyes and asked, "What's wrong? Is there anything else?"
If you don't take it out now, you have to take it out.
Shen Que blushed and said, "I make some knee pads, hand guards, and neck scarves every snow day, but coincidentally, I made an extra set this year..."
She slowly opened the bundle, took the contents in her hands, and handed them to him.
That bright silver thing with embroidery and fur edges was in front of his eyes. This made the well-informed Li Luansong extremely excited. Now he was not being sentimental.
"For me?" He took it and stroked it gently. It was so soft and smelled so good.
"Yeah." Shen Que's face turned as red as silk.
"It's great, I like it so much."
He was such a carefree and open-minded person, unabashedly happy and excited, holding it with admiration, and even tried it on his body. It was just right, nice and warm.
This was the first time he received a warm gift made by his wife, and Li Luansong was elated, as happy as a child who had never seen the world.
"As long as you like it."
The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward. Neither of them dared to look at each other, but they could feel the strong and hot eyes.
Li Luansong confirmed again that this feeling was not wrong.
Fortunately, a gust of wind blew outside, causing the door to jingle. Shen Que quickly adjusted his breathing and heartbeat by "closing the door," but he suddenly felt nervous.
When she returned to the inner room, Li Liansong had already collected the gifts and greeted her: "It's too windy and snowy to walk at the moment. It's almost the evening meal, so let's just eat something together."
It's good to have something to do when you're embarrassed, and Shen Que followed suit. The two of them chatted while eating, ranging from how to make snacks to what dishes would be on the New Year's table at home.
Li Luansong said: "There is actually nothing delicious in the palace. Everything cooked in the imperial kitchen has the same taste. There are endless banquets, but it is not as delicious as the home-cooked dishes cooked by my mother."
Shen Que agreed: "When my grandma was here, she would cook by herself every festival. My dad and I could eat every dish. Our favorite thing to do when we were young was to lick the plate."
"Yes, yes," Li Luansong answered, "That vegetable soup base is the most delicious, more fragrant than any delicacies from the mountains and seas. You can eat two big steamed buns with just that soup base."
Shen Que asked: "You also ate soup base when you were a child. This is different from what I imagined the prince's life to be."
Li Luansong smiled happily, "The prince is also a human being. My father, the emperor, and my mother were childhood sweethearts. We also suffered hardships when we were young. Although we are rich, our upbringing is not squeamish. Sometimes we spend our days behind closed doors like ordinary people."
Shen Que thought for a while and asked, "When we were young, we had New Year's Eve dinner, and my father would take me outside to set off cannons and watch the fireworks. Does your Majesty do the same?"
Li Luansong said yes, "Not to mention setting off cannons, my father would still dress in plain clothes like ordinary people and take us walking through the streets. I still remember that the candied haws in Dongxiangkou alley are the most delicious, even during the Chinese New Year. Gotta line up.”
Shen Que suddenly became excited, clapped his hands and said, "Yes, yes, that one is my favorite too, and Sister Li's roasted chestnuts with sugar. Have you ever tried it? It's so delicious."
Li Luansong was very proud: "Of course I have, let me test you. Do you know the best way to eat these sugar-roasted chestnuts?"
Shen Que was very confident: "Remove the shells, peel off the skin, put a handful in the palm of your hand, press it into your mouth at once, chew it, and it will fill your mouth with fragrance."
"Hahahaha." Li Luansong was right, "It seems we both have the same hobby."
Shen Que became interested and said, "When I was a child, I liked to wrap a pack of fried pork and oily meat in oil paper, which was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I would secretly put it in my pocket and take it out to chew while playing with my friends. Hey, that thing is really fragrant."
Li Luansong clapped his hands and burst into laughter: "Then over time, the oil paper bag became soaked with oil, and it couldn't be washed off even if it stained the clothes. My mother-in-law just scolded her."
"Exactly, exactly." Shen Que said with a smile, "I was often scolded for this when I was a child."
…
Snowflakes were falling outside, and the white sky and earth were silent and cold.
In the house, the charcoal stove was crackling, but it couldn't stop the two people from talking and joking. The more they talked, the more they talked, the more they talked, the more they talked, the more lively they were. The conversation was completely open.
Li Luansong asked Shen Que: "I just heard that your mother-in-law passed away early. So is your father-in-law the only one in your family these years?"
Speaking of this, Shen Que hesitated for a moment, and then decided to tell him everything.
"My mother-in-law is also the daughter of an official family. After my mother-in-law passed away, my father married a stepmother who was also the daughter of an official family. However, the family fell into decline, otherwise he would not have taken a fancy to my father."
Thinking of those past events, something strange appeared on her face.
"I have already remembered when my stepmother got married. She was very tall and tall, with majestic facial features and strong beauty. She was very particular about food and clothing, and my father spent a lot of money on it."
Li Luansong listened quietly, not forgetting to change the charcoal for the heater in her hand and peeling peanut shells for her.
"My stepmother's surname is Liu. She has a strong temper and loves face. In fact, she doesn't look down on my father. I can see that. But fortunately, she has a general understanding of my father. She also understands my father's coldness and warmth, and takes good care of him. Not bad.”
Li Luansong heard her unspeakable pain from these words and asked: "Then how does she treat you?"
Shen Que paused, smiled and shook his head, but did not answer.
He just said: "On the second day of the Lunar New Year, maybe you have to go back to your parents' house. I heard a few days ago that my father is going to the south. I don't know what he is going to do there in such a cold weather and it is the Chinese New Year."
Her eyes looked toward the ice and snow outside, where she was filled with worry.
In a flash, Shen Que turned his head and looked at Li Luansong: "But that's okay. During the Chinese New Year, there are only Mrs. Liu and my sister, Shen Silan, who is five years younger than me. She is the child of my stepmother and father. Just go. Just go through the motions, if she gives you a look, just pretend you didn't see her and come back soon."
After thinking about it for a while, he said, "Or you don't need to go. With so many things going on in Zhang's house, my stepmother must not be looking forward to my coming home, so she might as well not go, so as not to embarrass you."
Li Luansong understood that her soft temper was just allowed to be bullied.
He said yes, "If I don't go, I won't go. I have a bad temper. Don't come back and cause trouble for you again."
Then he asked: "Did they actually embarrass you in front of Zhang Chengru? Then Zhang Chengru just stood aside and watched?"
Li Luansong laughed: "He has never accompanied me back to my parents' home."
Oh my god, Li Luansong almost jumped for joy.
In the past, I only knew that Zhang Chengru was stupid, cowardly, and blind, but now I think it was good for him to be like this, and she made room for him. If he didn't snatch this wife away, he would be sorry for his stupidity, cowardice, and blindness.
Thinking of Zhang Chengru, Li Luansong thought for a while and said tentatively: "Well, you know what a bastard this Zhang Chengru is."
Shen Que was startled and asked, "What's wrong? He bullied you."
Li Luansong waved his hand and said no, "He is not my opponent, but one night, he was drunk. Guess what?"
He stared into her big clear eyes and said, "He actually wants to forcefully sleep with me."
"ah."
At that moment, Li Luansong saw fear and fear in Shen Que's eyes. The deep pupils trembled, and the tremor completely penetrated his heart.
"But I didn't let him succeed, I beat him out."
He waved his hand, looking nonchalant, but secretly glanced at her. Seeing her let out a long sigh of relief, he knew it in his heart.
Shen Que lowered his head and murmured, "Actually, we have been husband and wife for three years and have not yet consummated our marriage. Please don't..."
He said I knew: "Don't worry, I won't let anyone get close."
She nodded silently, and he was happy.
Helping his wife keep her innocence is simply more important than her own life.
He became excited and said casually: "How do you say that 'one man can block everything and ten thousand men can't open it'."
Shen Que said "Ah", lowered his head and snickered, saying, "You used the wrong sentence again."
The sky outside was getting dark, the wind and snow were blowing, and it was raining harder and harder. Even the windows could no longer be pushed open, and a thick layer of snow had accumulated unknowingly.
"What to do? How to go back."
Shen Que was a little worried.
Li Luansong looked outside and saw no one. This Zen room was prepared by Master Wuchen for the royal family. In the past, Li Luansong often stayed with the Queen.
He walked around and said, "The things are all ready, there are enough charcoal fires, and there is food. If you really can't leave, you can stay overnight."
Shen Que was stunned, pointed to the big bed behind him, and said with a stutter, "But there is only one bed...ah..."
Only then did Li Luansong realize what she meant, a man and a woman spending the night together, and there was only one bed.
This... is so inconvenient (good)!
"Then..." he said slowly, "I can't let you sleep on the ground, but I can't let your body sleep on the ground either. This little body can't bear it."
It seemed like he was talking to himself, but also like he was telling her.
what to do?
The problem was thrown to Shen Que again.
Yes, Shen Zhen thought, he was right, His Highness cannot be allowed to sleep on the ground, and His Highness's body cannot be allowed to sleep on the ground.
Fortunately, she was not a hypocritical person. She touched her palm and said:
"You and I are not outsiders, so why not just sleep on the bed together."
Li Luansong suppressed his excitement and anxiety, reluctantly nodded, and agreed.
Wuyue, who was standing outside the door, crossed his arms and rubbed his arms, then raised his head and glanced at the sky: Your Highness, have you forgotten? Isn't there a room next door? Let me think about it, should I remind you?
