Don't be tempted, sir

Chapter 152 Returning

For two days, people were constantly coming and going in the Song Mansion. The best cloth shops, cosmetics shops, clothing shops, jewelry shops, shoe shops, and hair and makeup masters in the capital all came to the door to train a group of maids to dress up with Shen Yining in the future. When Song's mother gave birth to Xiao Yuan prematurely, she was injured and never had another child, especially a little girl! Now she is lucky to have a cute daughter and she is very happy.

Because they had to go to Qiannan early, they changed their return visit from the third day to the second day. In order not to delay the newlyweds' fun, the Shen family happily greeted them at the door early in the morning.

The Song Mansion's carriage drove over from afar. Shen Changjun held his daughter in his arms and raised his little hand to shake it: "Here she comes, here she comes, Aunt Xiangxiang is here."

Xiangxiang is still young and can't speak clearly. She keeps shouting with joy and drooling: "Ah~~~"

Ah Wu and Xing Yue sat outside the carriage. Xing Yue waved from afar as if she hadn't been heard back for a long time and was very excited. The carriage slowly came to the gate of the mansion. Song Xiaoyuan got off first and stretched out his hand to help Shen Yining get off from behind. The group saw the delicate and charming doll getting off. However, she had completely changed in one day, and she was more delicate than a little bit.

Mother Shen wiped her tears and held her daughter's hand: "Yining, are you okay?"

Shen Yining nodded affirmatively with red eyes: "Don't worry, mother, everything is fine!"

Xiangxiang saw her beautiful aunt grabbing her hands and yelling, "Ah~~~ Hug me!"

Shen Yining wiped away her tears, turned around and smiled, opening her arms towards the little baby: "Xiangxiang, let me hold you!"

Yi Ning's injury has not yet fully healed. Shen Changjun has not handed his daughter over. He nodded and signaled her to go in: "Daddy will hold you. Doesn't Xiangxiang like it?"

Xiangxiang jumped up and down excitedly, trying to speak. Shen's mother pulled her daughter in, with Song Xiaoyuan and Changjun behind her. Changjun kissed his daughter's chubby cheek and happily teased the serious Song Xiaoyuan: "Xiangxiang, look, this is your cold and self-respecting uncle."

Song Xiaoyuan turned around and smiled as warm as the spring breeze. Xiangxiang looked at him in a daze and excitedly stretched out her hand: "Ah!!!"

Changjun was dissatisfied: "Put it away, put it away!" He quickly took his daughter away. As expected, the little girl loves all the pretty things...

Shen Rushan came down from court, hurriedly changed out of his official uniform and came to the old lady. As soon as he entered the garden, a deep and majestic laugh came: "Haha~ Yining, my good son-in-law!"

The two men came forward to greet each other. Shen Rushan waved his sleeves happily, and then walked through the crowd to greet the old lady inside: "Greetings from my son and mother."

The old lady smiled and replied: "Well, now that everyone is here, let's start the meal. I think the kids are hungry." They were not just hungry. Xiangxiang and Chenchen were almost drooling with their fingers.

After dinner, the women drank tea at the old lady's place, while the men walked in the garden to eat. They discussed nothing more than matters in the court and the camp. Song Xiaoyuan did not say anything, but just walked behind them.

Now the second-rank official position is still vacant. After a long struggle, everyone can see what Emperor Yan meant. Shen Rushan asked casually: "Son-in-law, do you really not want to be an official anymore?"

Song Xiaoyuan stood up in the pavilion and bowed: "My son-in-law will leave for Qiannan tomorrow, and I promise to live in Lu'an from now on. But don't worry, father-in-law, Lu'an and Qiannan are not far from Beijing, and it will be convenient for Yining to return to Beijing when he recovers."

"Not coming back!" Shen Changjun asked excitedly, unexpectedly.

Song Xiaoyuan nodded gently: "There is nothing going on in the capital. Lu'an is my old home, so it can be considered a return home."

Shen Changjun was puzzled, seeing that he had made up his mind: "Who else is like you, resigning from office at the age of twenty-six and returning to your hometown to retire? People who don't know you would think you are sixty-two!"

Song Xiaoyuan sipped his tea and said, "Excuse me, I am really incompetent and cannot bear all these things. If I can't do it, I should give way to capable people."

"You are incompetent? Can't bear it? Xiao Yuan is a little too modest. I have never seen anyone in the capital who is more suitable for being an official than you."

Shen Rushan watched the two talking, leaned sideways and said, "From what my son-in-law said, do you have a candidate in mind?"

"Mr. Chen"

"Chen Youen?"

"Yes, Mr. Chen entered the government in his prime, with a poor family background. He was passionate about making plans for the development of the Liao Kingdom. In comparison, Mr. Chen is the most suitable."

Shen Rushan nodded after thinking. Chen Youen has always been a solitary person and is very eccentric. He would make reports that others dare not make, speak for others that others dare not speak, and his suggestions were also quite well-intentioned.

The women were laughing and talking happily. Although she knew that the Song family was kind-hearted, Shen's mother still couldn't help asking a few more questions. Shen Yining smiled and said that everything was fine, and it was indeed fine.

Later, before dinner, Shen's mother took Yining to the room and asked if the two slept together. Seeing her daughter still so ignorant, she guessed something. Shen Yining blushed and shook her head. The two just slept together as usual and did nothing else. Shen's mother just patted her hands and said take it slow, there is still a long time to go.

Song Xiaoyuan did what a husband should do and treated Shen Yining with respect. Shen Yining always felt that his indifference was not mixed with the love they had before, so she did nothing else except hugging him. She just felt that such things only happened because of love, and she could wait for him to love her like he did before.

During dinner, Shen Rushan said that he might live in Lu'an from now on, and gave some instructions. Shen Yining thought that he was just going to recuperate, but she didn't expect that he would leave Beijing to live for a long time. When getting on the carriage, he was reluctant to leave and held his mother's hand tightly. Shen's mother wiped her tears, hugged her and patted her back to comfort her.

After finally getting on the carriage, Shen Yining sat opposite and couldn't help crying. Song Xiaoyuan handed her a handkerchief to comfort her: "Don't be sad, Miss Shen will be back after she recovers from her illness in a month."

The tears stopped abruptly. She understood what he meant without taking the handkerchief from his hand. After a moment of silence, she calmed down and asked calmly, "Do my parents-in-law know?"

Song Xiaoyuan was sitting there, holding a handkerchief in his hand and stroking it with his head down: "I don't know."

They returned home in silence without saying a word. Song's mother was waiting happily at the door. Shen Yining got out of the car and looked at him, who was calm and indifferent, and then at Song's mother, who was happy. He felt very uncomfortable and was conflicted about whether to tell him or not to keep him from leaving.

"Why are Yining's eyes red? Did Xiaoyuan bully you?" Song's mother asked with concern.

Shen Yining hesitated but didn't say anything. He smiled and said, "No, it's just that I feel very uncomfortable being separated from my parents."

"Oh, this is easy. When Yining and Xiaoyuan recover, they can live in the Shen family or the Song family, depending on Yining's preference. Don't be sad. Get well first."

Shen Yining nodded in agreement, and was deeply moved by her mother-in-law's gentleness.

After returning to the room to wash up, Shen Yining went to bed and slept as usual. In the middle of the night, Song Xiaoyuan came back from the study and went to bed to rest. In silence, he closed his eyes and said, "What do you want to ask?"

Shen Yining tilted her head to look at his face, which was hard to discern in the darkness. "I'm sorry, Xiaoyuan. I did something wrong and hurt you. I want to make amends and change, but every time I get close to you, you retreat further and further away. Xiaoyuan, when you recover, can we come back together?"

Song Xiaoyuan closed his eyes and spoke without any emotion: "Ms. Shen, you had no choice but to be born in Qiang. I know you did it for me, so I never blamed you or resented you... Now it's like this, I'm tired."

Shen Yining was stunned and did not continue.

In this life, I have already been unfilial, unfaithful, and unrighteous. Song Xiaoyuan spoke again: "Don't think too much, go to sleep."

Outside the window, a rustling rain began to fall again. The quiet sound of the rain was infinitely amplified, and my heart was filled with desolate and dampness.

"Since you already know everything...you said you don't blame me or resent me, then...why don't you love me anymore?"

He no longer had the courage to love again, and how to love. For the first time in his life, he felt confused and didn't know how to respond to her. The sound of rain faded away with the wind. He didn't reply, and she didn't ask again. The rain was taken away by the wind, but what couldn't be taken away was the haze in their hearts.