Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 811 Brief Warm Intentions (3)

Chapter 811: Chapter 811 Brief Warm Intentions (3)

Lizhong had already learned about the affair between Xiao Ruiyuan and Mo Yan from Lixiu by the time Xiao Ruiyuan personally came to give New Year’s gifts. Although it was not officially settled, it was all but certain. Seeing Xiao Ruiyuan like this, Lizhong felt something was improper, yet he didn’t know how to persuade him to leave.

As he was struggling with what to do, the carriage door made a slight noise and closed from the inside.

Lizhong: "..."

Tonight was New Year’s Eve, a night for family reunions. Thousands of lights shone, dispelling the darkness of late night and warming the heart.

The clip-clop of horse hooves echoed in the deserted streets, and from the houses on both sides, one could faintly hear the sounds of people staying up late, laughing and talking merrily.

Lizhong drove the carriage to the city gates and noticed that they were already closed. It was then that he remembered that night-time exit was forbidden in Jing City, and the gates were closed early.

The guard, who was woken up, approached rubbing his sleepy eyes. Seeing it was just an ordinary carriage, he was about to curse out loud, when suddenly something flew out from the carriage window and landed right in his arms.

The guard caught it in a fluster and, with the light emanating from the lantern at the city gate, clearly saw a token in his hand. It was a token that allowed free passage within Jing City. He instantly became alert, saluted the carriage with an apology, and hastily summoned a few colleagues to open the heavy city gates.

Lizhong promptly drove the carriage out of the city gate and heaved a sigh of relief when he heard the gates close behind him. If it weren’t for that token, it would have been impossible to leave the city tonight. All the inns in the city were closed, and he did not carry the key to the rice shop; he would have had to stand in the freezing wind on the cold streets all night.

With such thoughts, he felt fortunate to have Xiao Ruiyuan in the carriage. But the thought of a man and a woman alone together in a carriage unsettled Lizhong. He let Da HongZao proceed more slowly and steadily while keeping his ears pricked for any sound from inside the carriage, ready to act immediately if anything seemed amiss.

But after listening for a while, he heard nothing, as if there was no one inside. He assumed that the person who had uninvitedly entered was simply sleeping against the side of the carriage, never imagining that the very moment the carriage door closed, that person had unceremoniously lifted the blanket and lay down, scooping the sleeping woman into his arms.

The two clung tightly to each other, embracing as they slept. What sound could there be?

Before falling asleep, Mo Yan had taken off her fur coat to ward off the cold. She still wore her outer garments and cotton-padded clothes, so she was not cold when she initially fell asleep, nor was she hot. However, before long, she felt as if she were in a furnace, her body growing hotter and experiencing a suffocating sensation, as if something was tightly constricting her chest.

Mo Yan had a nightmare in which she was tightly ensnared by a terrifyingly large python. Because of the Red Python, she wasn’t afraid of the large snake, but it wrapped around her so tightly that she was running out of breath.

She struggled with hands and feet, not caring that snakes are cold-blooded and wondering why the python that coiled around her was so hot, only wanting to break free from its grasp.

Xiao Ruiyuan, a light sleeper, woke up at Mo Yan’s struggles: "Yanyan, what’s wrong?"

It was pitch dark in the carriage and he couldn’t see the woman’s face in his arms. He just assumed she had drunk too much at the banquet and was feeling uncomfortable from the jostling of the carriage.

Hearing the familiar voice, Mo Yan woke with a start, but her mind was still foggy, unable to distinguish between dream and reality.

A warm, rough hand touched her forehead and immediately brought Mo Yan back to her senses. She let out a small cry of alarm and was about to push away the owner of the hand when she was pulled into a firm embrace, and the familiar voice sounded again: "Yanyan, you are sweating a lot. Are you uncomfortable somewhere?"

In the darkness, Mo Yan opened her mouth in surprise: "Why are you here?"

Even without seeing, Xiao Ruiyuan could imagine the expression of the woman in his arms. He curved his lips slightly but said nothing, tightening his arm around her.

As if understanding something, Mo Yan quietly nestled in the broad arms, smiling tenderly.

Xiao Ruiyuan, still concerned, touched Mo Yan’s forehead again, only feeling the sweat without any sign of fever, and he breathed a sigh of relief: "Yanyan, did you just have a nightmare?"

Mo Yan nodded and said gloomily: "I dreamed that I was wrapped up by a large python, and it was squeezing me so tight that I almost couldn’t breathe."

Xiao Ruiyuan had not yet realized it was his own tight embrace that had caused this, and soothed her: "It must have been the alcohol tonight. If you’re tired, lie down and continue to sleep. I’ll be here watching over you."

"No need, it’s quite nice for us to talk like this." Mo Yan had already had a little sleep and was not very tired anymore.

"Alright!" Xiao Ruiyuan’s eyes softened and he adjusted their position slightly to make Mo Yan more comfortable.

While the cramped and dark carriage was filled with tenderness and warmth, the atmosphere in the brightly lit Imperial study was rather heavy.

"Hengheng, the Emperor is doing this for your own good... In any case, the Emperor has made up his mind about this matter, you just need to wait," Emperor Huian said sternly, his expression solemn, not allowing any objection from Chu Heng who looked upset.