Li Ji entered the Duke Zhen Country Mansion, ignoring the servants’ bows and greetings as he made his way straight to the rear courtyard.
At that moment, Hua Manman and Princess Rouwan were sitting in the flower hall, admiring the chrysanthemums.
After a period of rest, Princess Rouwan was able to get out of bed, though she still looked quite pale.
The autumn chrysanthemums were in brilliant bloom, their petals layered upon one another in a myriad of different colors, creating a lively sight.
Princess Rouwan could list off the varieties of these chrysanthemums as if they were family treasures, casually recounting the origin and characteristics of each one. Hua Manman didn’t know anything about flowers and plants, but she listened with rapt attention.
"Manman."
Hearing someone call her name, Hua Manman stood up and looked toward the sound. Her eyes lit up when she saw Li Ji striding in.
The clothes he wore today were exceptionally luxurious, a stark contrast to his usual casual and comfortable style.
But because he was so handsome, with deep-set features, a unique air about him, and a tall, slender figure, he actually managed to pull it off.
Not only did it not look out of place, but it also lent him a distinct and graceful beauty, making him utterly captivating.
When Li Ji stopped in front of her, she blinked and praised him with a wide grin.
"Your clothes look quite nice today."
Li Ji hadn’t expected her first words upon seeing him to be a compliment about his clothes.
He retorted grumpily, "Shouldn’t you be saying these clothes look good because I’m handsome?"
Hua Manman thought about it seriously and replied with sincerity.
"You have a point."
She asked, a little curious, "Why are you dressed so formally today?"
Li Ji lifted a hand, his wide sleeves swaying with the movement, and retorted.
"You call this formal?"
Hua Manman looked at the exquisite scale pattern embroidered with gold thread on the hem of his robes and nodded sincerely. "Yes."
Li Ji’s lips curled into a faint smile. ’If I don’t dress up a bit,’ he thought, ’how am I supposed to lure my wife back home?’
The moment they met, he had already given Hua Manman a quick look from head to toe. Seeing that she was safe and at ease, not looking in the least bit wronged, his anxious heart finally settled.
Li Ji asked, "You said you had something urgent to see me about. What is it?"
Hua Manman’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, her voice soft and sweet.
"It’s nothing, really. I just missed you and really wanted to see you."
Li Ji felt as if a warm breath had caressed the softest spot in his heart. A tingling sensation washed over him, and he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from curling into a wide smile.
’So, while he was missing Manman, Manman was missing him too.’
’This is wonderful!’
Princess Rouwan, completely ignored by the young couple: "..."
’These two are just too sappy!’
’I can’t stand it, I just can’t.’
’I feel goosebumps breaking out all over me.’
Li Ji took Manman’s hand. His joyful mood made his voice exceptionally cheerful.
"Since you missed me, come home with me."
Hua Manman quickly said, "No, don’t! Since you’re already here, don’t go back. Stay and celebrate the festival with us."
Only then did Li Ji’s gaze fall on Princess Rouwan, but he quickly looked away and said stiffly,
"Let’s just go home to celebrate."
’It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival. He didn’t want to start a fight and ruin his mood for no reason.’
Hua Manman said, "If we go back, it’ll just be the two of us. Won’t that be lonely? Let’s stay and celebrate with the Commandery Princess. It’s livelier with more people. Besides, Mother really hopes you’ll stay. Isn’t that right, Mother?"
She directed the last sentence at Princess Rouwan.
Princess Rouwan was stunned to be called "Mother" and subconsciously replied, "Right."
She only realized what she had said after the word was out, and her expression instantly became incredibly awkward.
She didn’t dare look at Li Ji’s reaction. Reaching for the teacup beside her, she used the motion of lowering her head to take a sip to hide her discomposure.
Li Ji was truly stunned.
’He never expected Princess Rouwan to ask him to stay for the festival.’
’Didn’t she hate his guts? Why the sudden change in attitude?’
Li Ji’s heart was filled with shock and suspicion. For a moment, he could hardly believe this was real.
It wasn’t until Hua Manman gave him a nudge that he snapped back to his senses.
Hua Manman said, "Well, say something."
Li Ji actually wanted to refuse.
He had keenly felt the depths of Princess Rouwan’s hatred for him, and he didn’t believe such profound animosity could vanish in a short time.
If he accepted the olive branch she was offering, it would be tantamount to opening his heart and giving her another chance to hurt him. It was too risky.
But when he met Manman’s expectant eyes, Li Ji couldn’t bring himself to utter a word of refusal.
He knew Manman had arranged all of this.
She wanted him to repair his relationship with Princess Rouwan, to love his own kin.
He didn’t want to let her good intentions go to waste.
So, he managed to force out four words.
"I’m fine with anything."
’As long as Manman was happy, he was fine with anything.’
At his words, Princess Rouwan’s movement as she drank her tea paused almost imperceptibly.
Hua Manman’s face immediately lit up. "That’s wonderful!"
When it was time for lunch, the three of them sat around the dining table.
Neither Princess Rouwan nor Li Ji spoke; Hua Manman was the only one talking at the table.
She ladled a bowl of chicken soup, placed it before Princess Rouwan, and said enthusiastically,
"This soup is delicious. Mother, please have a taste."
Princess Rouwan picked up the bowl, took a sip, and said lightly, "It’s alright."
Seeing this, Li Ji couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy.
’My wife is serving soup to someone else, but not to me.’
The next moment, he saw Hua Manman pick up a large chicken drumstick and place it in his bowl.
Li Ji’s mood instantly went from cloudy to sunny.
But with an outsider present, he didn’t let his joy show. Instead, he deliberately put on an air of importance and asked pretentiously,
"How did you know I wanted a chicken drumstick?"
Hua Manman’s answer was brutally honest.
"I didn’t know you wanted it.
I wanted to eat it myself, but I felt a bit sick after one bite.
It would be a shame to throw away such a big drumstick, so I thought you could finish it for me."
Li Ji: "..."
He turned the drumstick over and saw that a bite had been taken out of it.
All the joy and emotion he’d felt instantly vanished.
’So I’m just here to eat her leftovers!’
’How could a dignified Prince like himself suffer such a humiliation?!’
When Hua Manman saw that he wasn’t moving his chopsticks, her eyes immediately grew misty, as if she had been terribly wronged.
"Are you disgusted because I already took a bite?"
Seeing this, Li Ji swallowed the retort on the tip of his tongue and gave a different answer.
"No."
’They were practically an old married couple. He’d kissed her who knows how many times, so how could he possibly be disgusted by her?!’
Hua Manman pouted and pressed, "Then why aren’t you eating it?"
Li Ji resigned himself to his fate.
’Eating leftovers it is, then. At least they’re not someone else’s leftovers.’
’We’re family, so why draw lines between us?!’
He picked up the chicken drumstick and took a bite, landing precisely on the spot Manman had bitten before.