Chapter 568: 568: Improper Thoughts About Second Brother_1

“No,” Wei Jinyi denied.

Following that, Wei Jinyi stood up.

As it was already getting late, Wei Jinyi did not linger long. After advising Wei Ruo to rest early, he departed.

After Wei Jinyi left, Wei Ruo went to bed after washing up.

However, after lying in bed, Wei Ruo couldn’t fall asleep.

Her mind was filled with the content of her recent conversation with Wei Jinyi.

Her longing to leave the Capital City was mingled with gratitude towards Wei Jinyi.

She looked forward to leaving the Capital City. Once she left, with her current status and property, she could do many things she couldn’t do before and live more freely than she does now.

However, she had no plans for how she would regard her relationship with her second brother after leaving the Capital City.

Recently, she had been having some “inappropriate thoughts” about her second brother, which troubled her.

She knew that her second brother cherished her, and as his sister, she should not have thoughts about him other than familial love.

But whenever she was alone with her second brother, she would have emotions and thoughts that exceeded sibling boundaries.

She couldn’t be blamed for having such thoughts. After all, her second brother’s face was so irresistible, and he was so gentle and considerate towards her. Coupled with her coming of age, she couldn’t help but feel restless the more she saw him, right?

Ah, when would her adolescent feelings finally cease?

She did not want to disrupt the balance that existed between them!

What if her second brother found out and started avoiding her, what would she do then?

Her second brother treated her so well, and yet she had improper thoughts about him.

Was that even human behavior?

No, it’s not right, Wei Ruo, you can’t act like this!

Wei Ruo covered her face with her blanket and whimpered a few times.

Then she uncovered herself and encouraged herself, “Wei Ruo, you need to pull yourself together. Appreciate your second brother and stop thinking about these nonsensical things. This is not your style!”

“You can’t think any more, or you’ll have dark circles under your eyes when you wake up tomorrow!”

“Regardless, knowing that I have a chance to leave the Capital City is something worth celebrating!”

After talking to herself for a while, Wei Ruo successfully managed to calm herself down and slowly fell asleep.

###

The next morning, Wei Ruo heard good news from the palace as soon as she woke up.

The Emperor had ordered the execution of Concubine Qi, banished Empress Hui to the Cold Palace, and imprisoned Queen Jing, Zuo Lingyue, in the Sky Prison.

There were no specific instructions for Chu Lan, but the Emperor had summoned King Qin, who was in charge of supervising the shipbuilding in Taizhou Prefecture, back to the capital.

This move seemed to hint at reusing King Qin and also indicated that the incident had had some impact on Chu Lan.

Things were developing in the direction she and her second brother had hoped for.

Wei Ruo was in high spirits. Early in the morning, she personally went to the field of the Wang Residence to pick vegetables, mushrooms, and even caught a fat old hen.

Then she ran to the kitchen and cooked a delicious meal. Around noon, she brought it to Wei Jinyi’s study.

After Ke Chongshan and Zhang Yi finished reporting to Wei Jinyi, they both smiled at each other.

Zhang Yi joked, “Master, we won’t disturb your lunch. We’ve smelled the delicious food prepared by the young mistress. It smells really good!”

Ke Chongshan laughed heartily, “My wife has a good appetite lately, so I will go back and have lunch with her!”

After the two left Wei Jinyi’s study, Wei Ruo came in with two food baskets.

Wei Jinyi stepped forward to help, “Why did you bring so much stuff by yourself?”

“How is this a lot? There are only six dishes, they don’t weigh much,” Wei Ruo was too lazy to ask for help with two food boxes.

As she spoke, Wei Ruo laid out the dishes she had brought in the food boxes on the table.

Sticky rice chicken, stir-fried pork liver, chicken bone stir-fry with vegetable stems, pan-fried tofu, thousand-layer buns, and spicy rabbit head.

All were homemade dishes, nothing unusual, but everything prepared by Wei Ruo was perfect in taste and appearance.

There was also a cotton bag containing three leather flasks, which Wei Ruo also placed on the table.

As she saw Wei Ruo pouring something out of one of the leather flasks, Wei Jinyi’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Wei Ruo chuckled, “Second Brother, don’t worry. What’s inside is a health tonic I mixed myself, not alcohol. I stored it in this leather flask for fear of spilling. If you don’t believe me, smell it.”

“Hmm.”

Indeed, it was not alcohol.

So, Wei Jinyi picked up the cup and took a sip.

Although it was medicine, it didn’t taste bad. On closer taste, there was a sweet flavor. It seemed that licorice or something similar had been added to it.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“As winter turns to spring, it’s good to replenish the body and prepare for the work of the new year,” Wei Ruo explained.

Next, Wei Ruo picked up another cup and poured from the second leather flask for Wei Jinyi.

“It’s fresh ground barley and red bean milk, drink it while it’s hot,” Wei Ruo introduced.

“Hmm, it’s really sweet and fragrant,” Wei Jinyi affirmed.

The previous tonic was just palatable, but this barley and red bean milk was truly delicious.

“Right? I think it’s good too, it’s warming, nourishing, and filling.”

As for what was in the other leather flask, Wei Ruo didn’t tell Wei Jinyi, and didn’t pour any for him either. She just poured a cup for herself.

“Ruo, why did you specifically look for me today?” Wei Jinyi asked Wei Ruo.

“I’m in a good mood and also, I wanted to express my gratitude to you,” Wei Ruo confessed.

“Ruo, you don’t need to be so formal with me.”

“If you are good to me, I should show my gratitude. If I only kept my feelings to myself, how would you know?” Wei Ruo said.

Then, with a serious expression, Wei Ruo said to Wei Jinyi, “Actually, I don’t know how to express my gratitude to you. Sometimes just seeing you makes me feel secure, you not only protect me when I’m in danger but also consider things from my perspective. This feeling is really warm and makes me very grateful.”

Wei Ruo’s bright eyes, full of sincerity, were staring at Wei Jinyi.

Though those unspeakable thoughts could not be voiced, sincere words of gratitude have to be said.

Even if she couldn’t do anything for her second brother, at least she can let him know that she appreciated his kindness and recognized his goodness.

Wei Ruo’s words made Wei Jinyi rigid, and he turned his face away in confusion.

With Wei Jinyi only showing his profile, Wei Ruo couldn’t see his expression, but she did notice a blush creeping up from his cheek to his ear.

“Second Brother, turn to me.”

Wei Ruo leaned closer, wanting a better look at Wei Jinyi’s expression and gauge his reaction.

Feeling Wei Ruo close in, Wei Jinyi hurriedly turned his face back.

“It’s nothing,” Wei Jinyi said.

Perhaps it was because the stove in the room was on high, Wei Jinyi felt a bit hot.

He picked up the cup on the table and drank up all the tea.

He drank too quickly. When he realized the tea tasted different, it was already too late.

“Second Brother, that was alcohol. It’s my medicinal liquor…”