Perfect Match – CH 018

Chapter 18

Deng Ruyun paused, glancing up at Teng Yue.

Teng Yue let his wife look at him. She looked at him, her unspoken gaze revealing obvious strangeness and discomfort.

But Teng Yue withdrew his hand, only gently smoothing her disheveled hair along her cheek before asking her again.

“Does your wound still hurt?”

She shook her head stiffly, trying to change the subject.

“Is Linglang with Xiuniang right now?”

She wanted to change the subject, but the man did not say much. He gently withdrew his hand and answered her.

“Linglang just came over. She was very upset to see you still unconscious… I will go get the child.”

She did not object. Teng Yue tucked her in and got up to leave.

Xiuniang and Linglang entered the room, both surprised and delighted to see Deng Ruyun awake.

Little Linglang called out “Auntie!” and rushed to her bedside, sniffling with a mixture of joy and grief.

Xiuniang wiped away her tears. “Miss is finally awake! I was so worried! Thank goodness you had some sleeping potion with you; otherwise, how would we have gotten through this?!”

She stroked Linglang’s little head and nodded to Xiuniang.

Teng Yue heard this and asked,

“Did you make the sleeping potion yourself?”

Deng Ruyun paused. “This is the first time I’ve made sleeping potion. I only made it for myself.”

Upon hearing this, Xiuniang immediately added, “Selling sleeping potion is illegal. We only use it ourselves; we’ve never sold it.”

After their explanations, the room became unexpectedly quiet, the candlelight flickering on the bed curtains.

Teng Yue had no intention to interrogate them.

He simply wanted to interject and speak to her.

Their wariness stemmed from the fear that he would report her or send her away again.

The man’s eyelids lowered, his gaze only lightly falling on her face.

“Yunniang, I did not mean anything by it.”

Deng Ruyun vaguely understood, but the words were already spoken and could not be taken back. She could only change the subject, avoiding his gaze, and ask Xiuniang about the time.

Hearing Xiuniang say it was late, she said, “Take Linglang to sleep tonight. She has not been sleeping well these past few days; keep an eye on her.”

But after she said this, the man suddenly asked, “Where has Linglang been staying in the residence before?”

Deng Ruyun replied, “Linglang has not been here long; she’s been with Xiuniang these past few days.”

But upon hearing this, he said, “The west wing is empty; from now on, let Linglang stay in the west wing of Liumingxuan.”

Deng Ruyun did not reply for a moment.

Before she entered the mansion, Old Madam Lin had arranged for her family to stay in a small house in the east of the city. Knowing her maternal grandmother was elderly, Aunt Juan had injured her leg, and Linglang was young, the Old Madam had specifically assigned someone to look after them.

Deng Ruyun understood Old Madam Lin’s intentions.

People often develop unnecessary feelings when they live together. Since they would eventually have to part ways, it was better to keep a distance from the beginning so there would be no unnecessary reluctance when they left.

If Linglang had not been beaten and fallen ill, she truly would not have brought the child to the Teng family. Originally, she planned to send her to the small house in the east of the city in a couple of days, but after some twists and turns, Teng Yue actually suggested that Linglang stay with them.

This was completely different from Old Madam Lin’s intentions.

She shook her head. “General, please do not trouble yourself. She can sleep with Xiuniang.”

With Xiuniang, that meant living in the back room of Liumingxuan, the servants’ quarters.

Teng Yue realized she was not just being polite; she genuinely meant it.

He suddenly remembered one night when she got up several times and even went outside.

At the time, he only thought she had some ulterior motives and did not question it. But that night, she probably went to check on Linglang in the back.

She always kept the child in an inconspicuous back room, never bringing her out in public.

Moreover, since Linglang had come to the mansion that day, she would have spent the Mid-Autumn Festival there as well.

However, she did not let the child appear at the family Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. Even apart from the time he accidentally bumped into Linglang, she had not let Linglang run and play freely in the Teng family home.

Linglang was considered the youngest cousin in the family, and it was only natural that she should have her own courtyard and servants to look after her. But she had not mentioned it at all, as if she was afraid of disturbing them and could only keep the child hidden away from them for the time being.

The lamplight, filtering through the edge of the gauze curtain, shone on her. Her face was pale, and she seemed barely holding on; her willow-leaf eyebrows appeared somewhat faded.

Her eyes were beautiful, the same as Linglang’s, but the little girl’s eyes always held a bright, star-like light. Before him, however, hidden behind long lashes, he could not discern much of her expression.

The gauze curtain, filtering the light, cast a hazy glow upon her.

She seemed to be right beside him, yet not quite, just as she seemed to live in this house, yet not quite, just as she appeared to be married to him, yet it was as if she had never been…

If things had always been like this, then he, as a husband, had been utterly incompetent.

Now, things could not continue like this.

Teng Yue stopped asking her questions and leaned down to ask Linglang a question.

“Would it be alright if you lived in the west wing with your aunt and uncle? The west wing is very close to your aunt.”

These words brought a hint of longing to Linglang’s eyes. She wanted to stay with her aunt, always.

But when the little girl looked up at her aunt, she saw her aunt secretly shake her head.

Little Linglang lowered her head. “No.”

As she said this, Teng Yue heard the person on the bed say,

“Linglang is not used to it either. General, let her go with Xiuniang.”

Teng Yue had just seen her and Linglang quietly shaking their heads.

She truly did not want to.

Teng Yue wanted to say a few more words to her, but he had not noticed her niece’s actions before; what did it mean to suddenly make such a request now?

Teng Yue could only remain silent, watching as Xiuniang led Linglang to the back room.

In her eyes, he was a much more distant outsider than Linglang…

Having said these words, she felt weary and closed her eyes.

Teng Yue extinguished several unnecessary lamps, leaving only the small lamp beside the curtain.

He gently undressed her.

The moment his fingertips, carrying a cool breeze, touched her waist, she abruptly opened her eyes.

Her eyes held undisguised surprise, and Teng Yue softly explained.

“The physician instructed that the dressing be changed before bedtime.”

“Xiuniang can handle this,” she immediately said.

“But is Xiuniang not supposed to be taking care of the child?”

The man’s sudden question startled Deng Ruyun.

He pursed his lips, his gaze shifting from her face back to her waist.

His fingertips were warm, but the skin on her waist was cold. His movements were extremely gentle, yet each unintentional caress sent shivers down her spine.

He seemed to sense this, and his palm directly grasped her waist, warming her chilled abs with its own.

He was so close; each beat of his pulse flowed into her body along with the warmth of his palm.

Deng Ruyun’s heart raced slightly, but she turned her head away, frowning.

She did not want this.

But he was not in a hurry. He slowly warmed her skin and tended to her wounds before withdrawing his hand.

The next moment, however, he suddenly lifted her up.

The instant he held her in his arms, she instinctively tried to push his chest away.

Their eyes met, and everything inside and outside the bed curtains fell silent; even the lamplight stopped flickering.

But he merely moved her from the side of the bed to the inside; she did not need to resist so nervously…

A cicada chirped softly twice from some branch of a tree in the autumn night.

He bent down and set her down, then pulled the covers over her.

Deng Ruyun turned her head away uncomfortably.

He tidied his things, extinguished the lamp, and got into bed.

Perhaps guessing she was not asleep, he tucked her in, and moonlight streamed in through the window screen.

Deng Ruyun heard the man’s voice beside her, low and heavy with sadness and guilt, say:

“It was all my fault before. From now on, I will be a good husband. Yunniang, sleep.”

…

In the shimmering moonlight, in the quiet room, his heartbeat was clear and strong, each beat a testament to his presence beside her.

Deng Ruyun was wide awake in the dimly lit tent.

The pain in her waist seemed to have lessened, and her mind felt somewhat blank.

But slowly, memories began to surface.

That year in Jinzhou, he returned to the city after fighting. She had received the news long ago, donned her brightest clothes, adorned her hair with her most precious red coral hair ornament, and ran under the blazing sun to the main road leading into the city to wait for him.

It was the end-of-month market day, and the streets were packed with people. She waited for him for a long time before finally seeing him lead his grey horse into the city from outside.

At that time, he was not even a centurion in the garrison; he was just a lowly captain leading troops.

But the young girl, her heart fluttering with love, could not see the other generals; she only saw the young captain lagging behind in the crowd.

She never dared to approach him, always hiding in the crowd, secretly watching him.

Suddenly, his magnificent horse, a grey colt, sprang into action, rearing up with a loud neigh.

With so many people passing by, anyone kicked by such a warhorse would be seriously injured. He quickly pulled on the reins, calming the horse down.

His pull did stop the horse, but it frightened a little girl by the roadside.

The little girl’s bamboo doll rolled off her hands. He did not notice, preoccupied with controlling the colt, and in doing so, he turned and stepped on the doll.

With a snap, the doll broke into three pieces.

He then realized the mistake, and the little girl burst into tears.

He quickly picked up the doll for her, but it was shattered beyond recognition. Teng Yue was incredibly embarrassed; his hands, used for wielding guns and arrows, could barely hold the little girl’s doll.

He repeatedly apologized and could only rummage through his pockets for money, no matter how much, to compensate the little girl. But the little girl cried even louder, “I do not want money; I want the bamboo puppet!”

Teng Yue was completely at a loss, his face filled with guilt. The little girl’s parents came looking for him, and seeing that he was a young officer, they wanted to apologize to Teng Yue.

Teng Yue could not accept this. With both sides pushing and shoving each other, he practically fled in a panic.

Deng Ruyun secretly watched from the side, finding it amusing. She thought she might as well go to the market and buy another bamboo puppet to make amends for him.

But as soon as she found the stall selling bamboo puppets, she saw him already buying the most expensive pair there, carefully placing them on his horse, and returning to the little girl’s side.

He took out a pair of brand-new bamboo puppets from his robes, knelt down, and handed them to the little girl.

“Do you like this new doll?”

A glimmer of light appeared in the little girl’s eyes, but she still clutched the broken bamboo puppet in her arms.

“I do not know them; I only know my dolls.”

She said this, tears welling up again.

He was at a loss, his face full of guilt, but this time he did not leave. Instead, he said, “It’s alright if you do not know them; it’s not too late to get to know them now.”

As he spoke, he picked up the newly bought wooden doll and, imitating the little girl, walked around the roadside, played with it, cooked for it, and even dressed it up with grass leaves…

That afternoon, he played with the little girl by the roadside for a long time, until she was tired, but she had also become familiar with the two new dolls, and her sad tears had long since disappeared.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief, a gentle and relaxed smile appearing on his handsome face, all traces of his previous guilt gone. He watched the little girl walk away before leaving.

That day, Deng Ruyun stayed by his side, hiding in the crowd, accompanying him to his doorstep. Only after seeing him lead the horse home did she leave, looking back again and again.

The sunset that day was a pink hue mixed with the red of trumpet creeper flowers. She grinned all evening, even while eating.

Her mother laughed at her for being foolish, her eldest brother said he would make her a bottle of Danzhi Xiaoyao Pills to cure her dementia, while her father frowned, “Isn’t a mere junior officer a bit too much for my daughter?”

She quickly stood up. “No, no! He will definitely become a great general someday! And he’s a very good person, really very good!”

Her father did not believe her one-sided, foolish statement.

But she felt she was right. How could someone who felt guilty and repeatedly tried to make amends for their mistakes be bad?

In her eyes, he was the best!

… …

The past, like a rushing river, had flowed away, leaving only the sand and pebbles it carried along, perhaps leaving a few behind, but long since sunk to the bottom.

Only at certain special moments would a few grains rise to the surface.

His heartbeat was as clear as ever, and his words from just now echoed repeatedly in her ears:

“It was all my fault before. From now on, I will be a good husband.”

Deng Ruyun smiled silently in the dim light of the bedchamber.

He was like this before, and he was still like this now. He felt immense guilt when he did wrong, and when he felt guilty, he constantly tried to make amends.

Only by making amends could he find peace of mind, right?

Deng Ruyun came under a contract; since she took Old Madam Lin’s money anyway, she did not feel that anyone had wronged her, but if she accepted some of his kindness, he could feel at ease.

At ease, their relationship could return to what it was before, right?

That slightly distant relationship was the kind of relationship they were both used to.