Zhao Rong’s mouth twitched as he flicked the finger at the little one clinging to the spoon, his face full of disdain; Qing Jun dodged left and right, his small body twisting and turning.
Lingfei watched the playful "father and daughter" with a beaming smile.
Just then, near the Elegant Pavilion, pedestrians appeared, seemingly about to pass by the pavilion.
Lingfei quickly stood up and, without explanation, took the bowl and spoon from Zhao Rong’s hands and pressed him back into his seat.
Then, standing in front of Zhao Rong like a virtuous wife, she began to skillfully prepare the porridge, feeding it to him with gentle and graceful motions.
Passersby, upon seeing this scene of marital affection inside the pavilion, quickened their pace. Some even avoided passing in front of the pavilion altogether, opting to take a longer detour.
Zhao Rong blinked, watching the woman before him whose demeanor had suddenly changed, unable to suppress a chuckle.
Lingfei glared at him sharply.
Zhao Rong quickly suppressed his smile.
Afterwards, he enjoyed a while of Qing Jun’s attentive service and then, looking out at the sky, suddenly said, "Qing Jun, why don’t you stay overnight today, don’t leave."
"No," Lingfei turned her face away to refuse, but after a pause, she glanced sideways at Zhao Rong and crisply said, "My husband knows from childhood that I kick in my sleep, aren’t you afraid I’ll kick you?"
Zhao Rong’s spirits lifted, his tone definitive, "I’m not afraid!"
Lingfei turned her head back, scrutinized him for a moment, then smiled sweetly, "Rong’er, your body would be killed by my kicking."
He glanced at his wife’s round, slender long legs, then couldn’t help but notice the dainty, purple embroidered shoes she wore today, and replied seriously, "Qing Jun, to die under your legs, cough, and under your feet... I think it’s worth it."
Lingfei’s smile faltered slightly, seemingly reminded of something; her lips parted slightly, her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief, and her cheeks, originally pale with a hint of pink, flushed a deep red.
In Zhao Rong’s eyes at that moment, it was the most brilliant blush of autumn.
Lingfei collected herself, her hands still holding the bowl and spoon, she lowered her gaze and then, embarrassed and angry, turned away from Zhao Rong, "Rogue...Rong’er is a rogue, everything has gone bad, he wasn’t before."
Before, when they were children at the spring, she would playfully extend her feet to step on his feet in the water. Rong’er would disdainfully say, "Keep your stinky feet to yourself, take them away" or "Whose little pig trotters? So small and meatless, trying to sell for money? It’s not even enough for me to nibble on."
Eventually, after Rong’er started going to private school, he would no longer join Lingfei to wash feet or catch fish, always sternly saying something about how it’s improper for young girls to expose their feet.
But now, Rong’er, she guessed if she dared to stretch her legs and feet over, the next second, she wouldn’t think of escaping his clutches easily anymore, and moreover, without...without losing a layer of skin, she wouldn’t be pulling back anymore.
Undoubtedly, Rong’er would probably do something extremely embarrassing to her.
Certainly, he has so many tricks up his sleeve now...
"Pah," Lingfei tilted her head and spat lightly, then turned back, scowling at Zhao Rong with eyes full of reproach.
Her tone was serious:
"Rong’er, stop thinking about all those weird things, stop it," she demanded.
Zhao Rong blinked, "I can’t even think about my own wife, not about someone else."
"No, you can’t mess...mess up your thoughts about me doing weird...weird stuff, you can’t." Lingfei’s usually long, slender eyes widened, her presence commanding yet her speech faltered.
"I’m just thinking, not really doing, Qing Jun, how can you even control what I think? That’s so unreasonable," he objected.
Lingfei’s long eyelashes fluttered over her bright eyes, then abruptly, her tone became fierce, rarely capricious, "You are my husband, mine, all mine, I say you can’t think, then you can’t think, my husband should obey, during the daytime, don’t think... don’t think about strange things regarding me."
Zhao Rong watched Qing Jun closely, intrigued by this rarely seen unreasonable side of her.
Because, in his memory, the Qing Jun of their childhood was meek and docile in front of him, and having grown up without anyone to protect her, she became strong and self-reliant, generally cold and distant from strangers, mostly rational and logical.
However, what Zhao Rong didn’t realize was that even the most rational and aloof woman, once she falls in love and snuggles into her lover’s arms, can become "unreasonable," capable of acting like a spoiled little girl, but only towards that one person.
Towards others, she would still be polite and logical.
Yes, that’s the unfairly biased treatment.
For some women, for their whole lives, they will only "treat differently" one person, indeed, their first love.
And for Lingfei, it was even more so, her tiny heart had been filled early on by one person.
In this life, if the first love turns out to be the last love.
From childhood knots to adult combs, from black hair to white.
Having him is enough, enduring from beginning to end.
Therefore, when she initially thought she was betrayed, thought Zhao Rong no longer wanted her,
Lingfei’s heart had been devastated, utterly despondent.
But now, after many hardships and separations, Zhao Rong had moved back into her heart, slowly beginning to mend her battered heart piece by piece.