Watching An Jing playfully kicking the water with her bare feet, looking utterly charming, a cool smile appeared at the corners of Xiao Changyi’s lips.
At that moment, with a gentle breeze blowing slowly, the soft sound of the flowing brook, the splashing of the water she kicked, the occasional birdsong from the mountains, and her laughter filled the lush surroundings—only he and she were there...
The atmosphere was utterly peaceful and splendid.
Xiao Changyi took another look at the person leaning on his shoulder, laughing and kicking at the water, before he plucked a leaf from a tree, placed it to his lips, and gently blew into it.
The leaf produced a crisp, pleasant sound. Although An Jing didn’t know which tune Xiao Changyi was playing, she listened happily, simply because she knew it was a tune he was playing for her.
Once Xiao Changyi finished playing, An Jing asked with a smile brimming with joy, "What tune is this? It sounds lovely."
Xiao Changyi shook his head, honestly replying, "I don’t know." He paused, "I heard someone play it in the military camp before; I never asked what the tune was called."
"You know how to play it just by hearing it?" An Jing was very surprised, realizing her husband had such a talent for leaf-whistling.
Seeing Xiao Changyi nod, An Jing immediately picked a leaf from a nearby tree, placed it to her lips, and tried to remember the melody he had just played, wanting to see if she could produce any sound. However, despite her efforts, the leaf remained silent.
Finally, with a frustrated face, An Jing turned to Xiao Changyi, "Teach me how to do it."
Xiao Changyi taught her, earnestly and patiently. In the end, it wasn’t him who grew tired of teaching, but An Jing who became fed up and deflated, tossing the leaf aside, "Forget it, I won’t blow it anymore." She couldn’t make it sound at all.
Xiao Changyi’s smile lingered as he gently pulled her into his embrace, "Our home only needs me to know how to play. I can play it for you to listen."
An Jing hugged his waist in return, feeling slightly disheartened, "But I want to play a tune together with you."
A rush of sweetness and warmth filled Xiao Changyi’s heart instantly.
Before Xiao Changyi could speak, An Jing added, "My lord, I know how to play the flute. Let’s buy a flute one day, and I’ll play for you." She had taken flute classes before.
Xiao Changyi silently took note of the flute matter, softly replying, "Hmm."
Once the two had rested enough, An Jing put her shoes and socks back on, and they continued clearing the land together.
But just after cutting down a small tree, they heard someone calling them—
"Xiao Bio Gong, Mrs. An."
An Jing and Xiao Changyi instinctively looked towards the source of the voice and saw Wang Youbao being helped up the mountain by his family servant.
The mountain path wasn’t very steep, but due to Wang Youbao’s obesity, he was panting heavily after just a few steps. Eventually, having no choice, he let his family servant support him to find An Jing and Xiao Changyi—but he still couldn’t catch his breath.
When he finally reached where An Jing and Xiao Changyi were, Wang Youbao didn’t say a word, focusing only on catching his breath, which made An Jing once again consider encouraging Wang Youbao to lose weight.
Unaware of An Jing’s thoughts, Wang Youbao caught his breath for quite a while before ensuring he could speak clearly. Then, with a smile, he bowed to An Jing and Xiao Changyi, "Xiao Bio Gong, Mrs. An, I have come to bring you good news."
An Jing, puzzled, asked, "Good news?"
"Indeed, good news," Wang Youbao replied, his smile growing wider. "Official Zhao, Sun Beiwei, He Ba—they’re all in jail now, Jadeite Tavern has been sealed, and you can continue selling fermented tofu. I went to your house to find you, but you weren’t there. I asked around Jiuping Village, and someone said they thought they saw you clearing the land, so I came here to bring you this good news."