SGEIRS -Chapter 256 Teasing Jingxi

Upon hearing her words, Gu Jingxi was momentarily stunned. Looking at the young lady in his arms, he felt a swelling in his chest, as if it had been filled to the brim. The feeling of being needed by his little wife brought him a quiet pleasure.

He gently patted her back and said softly, “From now on, anything that happens to you, A-Yao, you must never hide from me. Just like today—you mustn’t hide it from me either.”

Meng Jinyao replied, “Today, I was actually confident. I just wanted to ask my husband to watch a performance.”

Gu Jingxi looked at her seriously and said, “A-Yao, from now on, whether you’re confident or not, you must tell me beforehand, understood?”

Meng Jinyao smiled and countered, “Does my husband not trust my abilities?”

Shaking his head, Gu Jingxi replied warmly, “It’s not about trust. I just want to know everything—everything that concerns you, I want to know.”

After he said this, Meng Jinyao was slightly taken aback. She noticed the man’s gaze fixed on her without blinking; the eyes that were usually gentle now carried a hint of possessiveness—his desire to claim her entirely.

A smirk tugged at the corners of her lips. Holding his face in her hands, she asked, “Then, husband, do you want to know what I’m thinking right now?”

Gu Jingxi nodded, “I do.”

“I’m thinking about my husband…”

Halfway through her sentence, Meng Jinyao’s lips curled into a teasing, knowing smile. She glanced mischievously at him, then leaned close to his ear and lowered her voice to whisper something.

Upon hearing it, Gu Jingxi felt his face heat up unnaturally. His expression turned red, and he stared at his little wife in disbelief. He had never expected this girl to say something so bold and straightforward.

He realized he had been teased.

Meng Jinyao watched his embarrassed expression with great interest, thinking to herself, So Gu Jingxi can be shy too… and blush! It suits him. His skin is already fair, and now it’s flushed with red—it looks quite nice.

Seeing her delight, like a cat caught stealing, Gu Jingxi realized she had done it on purpose. He laughed with mock anger, pinching her soft little face. “Little rascal, who taught you to be this naughty? How dare you tease me!”

“Learned from my husband,” she said innocently, blinking up at him.

Despite the fact that this man had always been very proper—even sharing a bed with her never crossed any line—he now seemed like a completely different person, the polar opposite of before.

Gu Jingxi asked again, “A-Yao, you want to see?”

Meng Jinyao nodded obediently. “I do.”

She had never seen a man’s body before and was very curious. Though the illustrations in the First Night Compendium existed, they were blurry, and the men’s physiques were unremarkable. Her husband’s waist was slender and toned; even through his clothing, the smooth lines of his muscles were visible. It had to look good.

Gu Jingxi was momentarily surprised by her answer. Seeing her gaze him so eagerly, not joking, he froze for a moment. Does a young lady really like to look at a man’s body? He himself, like any man, enjoyed looking at women, but he had only ever looked at the girl in his arms.

The two of them stared at each other silently for a moment before he replied, “I’ll show you later.”

Meng Jinyao smiled brightly. “Alright.”

Later? she wondered. Probably he wasn’t mentally prepared to show her yet. Otherwise, why hadn’t he removed any clothing when she was completely naked before?

It didn’t matter. She could wait.

A grown man, nearly thirty, and yet he was shyer than her, a young girl. Seeing is not going to make him lose anything; she had already shown him everything.

Gu Jingxi, unaware of her inner thoughts, kissed her cheek and said gently, “A-Yao, I have some official business to attend to. I’ll go to the study first. If you need anything, send someone to find me.”

Meng Jinyao nodded repeatedly. “Go ahead, husband.”

Then she suddenly remembered something. “Oh, by the way, the matter is settled. Chan’er can be returned to you now.”

At first, it sounded normal, but upon closer consideration, it seemed odd, even ambiguous. Gu Jingxi immediately corrected her: “Returned to me? She’s not mine—you are mine.”

Meng Jinyao was taken aback. When she said it, she hadn’t thought much, just considered her husband’s people hers, like Qingqiu and Ningdong, not implying a romantic sense.

Gu Jingxi continued, “Chan’er’s martial skills are decent. She can stay by your side to help. She’s a young lady, so it’ll be convenient if you take her with you when going out. If trouble arises, she can deal with it immediately. Unlike Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter—four weaklings who can’t handle danger at all.”

Meng Jinyao was puzzled. “Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter?”

Gu Jingxi explained, “Chunliu, Xiazhu, Qingqiu, Ningdong.”

She immediately understood—Chunliu and Xiazhu were the maids of Weirui Pavilion, and Qingqiu and Ningdong were her own. Coincidentally, they perfectly made up Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

Still, she thought Gu Jingxi made sense. Having a maid skilled in martial arts by her side would make things much more convenient and provide protection. She nodded: “Alright, I’ll take Chan’er. But what should I have her do? What did she do before?”

Gu Jingxi replied, “She used to handle fighting and killing tasks. In the future, you can assign her duties.”

Meng Jinyao: “???”

Chan’er’s temperament was gentle and calm, her gaze clear—she seemed like a well-behaved lady. Meng Jinyao thought even if she knew martial arts, she’d likely do gentle, refined work. She hadn’t expected Chan’er’s past to involve actual combat.

Gu Jingxi seemed to read her thoughts and laughed: “Don’t be deceived by her appearance. Though she looks like a weak girl, she possesses great strength. When facing enemies, she kills without hesitation—not worse than Zhou Yun by my side—just not as skilled in martial arts.”

Meng Jinyao stammered, “Then I really don’t know what to assign her…”

Gu Jingxi casually assigned a role: “Then have her clean the courtyard and act as a guard for Weirui Pavilion. When nothing’s happening, don’t worry about her; act as if she doesn’t exist. If something arises, have her handle it, and take her along when needed.”

Meng Jinyao was momentarily dumbfounded. “Ah?” She immediately objected: “Cleaning the courtyard is work for rough-duty maids. How can she do it?”

Gu Jingxi shrugged: “Perhaps she enjoys cleaning the courtyard?”

Meng Jinyao didn’t believe it. She called Chan’er in and asked for her preference, letting her choose what she wanted to do.

Chan’er was pleased to stay by her mistress’s side, avoiding exhausting tasks. Seeing her delicate mistress, she honestly didn’t know how to take care of such a fragile lady, so she thought doing rough work would be good—stretching her body, otherwise her bones might rust, and she could never defeat that Zhou Yun fellow.

Without hesitation, Chan’er replied: “Mistress, I think cleaning the courtyard is fine. If I could chop firewood too, that would be better. Alas, there’s no need for that at Weirui Pavilion. I’ll also handle drawing water in the courtyard.”

Meng Jinyao was speechless. “…I didn’t expect someone actually likes rough work—and she’s a young lady!”

She looked at Chan’er, silently pondering for a moment before nodding: “Then you can work with the maids who clean the courtyard and draw water. If it doesn’t suit you, tell me immediately, and I’ll give you another task.”