As Su Xiaoqi finished escorting Liang Xier to Prince Xiang's residence and was chatting with her, she heard the sound of approaching horses.
Initially, she paid no mind. Liang Xier, however, tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Brother-in-law is here."
Su Xiaoqi looked up and saw Shen Yun approaching on a black horse.
The clear, rhythmic hoofbeats echoed.
They sounded like a drummer beating a resonant drum.
He rode against the light, the evening sun casting his silhouette long behind him.
Su Xiaoqi gazed up at him, a single thought filling her mind: He's here, he's here, he's coming walking on light.
"Wow, Brother-in-law is so handsome!" Liang Xier covered her mouth and giggled.
Indeed, Shen Yun was still dressed in his crimson court robes, his official cap on his head, a jade belt around his waist, his posture upright as he leisurely approached, radiating a luminous aura as if accompanied by background music.
Su Xiaoqi found herself staring, mesmerized.
This was her man, so handsome!
At that moment, her man had reached her, extending his hand. His brief, magnetic voice rang out:
"Get on."
Su Xiaoqi was startled. Before she could react, her body was lifted, and with a swift movement, she was pulled into Shen Yun's embrace, already seated on the horse.
Before she could recover from the surprise, Shen Yun's low, magnetic voice reached her ear:
"You go in by yourself. I'm taking Sister Xiaoqi somewhere."
Liang Xier grinned foolishly and waved vigorously at them both: "Okay, okay, okay! Take your time!"
After waving, she saw her uncle emerging from the residence.
He hurried over, only catching a glimpse of Shen Yun flying past with Su Xiaoqi in his arms.
He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "What a well-matched couple."
Liang Xier came back to her senses and quickly bowed.
Liang Jingting offered a supporting hand, saying, "We're family, no need for formalities. Oh, did you do any inquiring for me today?"
Liang Xier looked bewildered: "Inquire about what?" Why did she have no memory of this?
"Ah, you little magpie, so unreliable. You went out today to see your Sister Xiaoqi.
Didn't we agree you'd help me ask about your Sister Mingzhu's feelings?"
"Oh, I thought since I didn't meet Sister Mingzhu, so, so..." she trailed off, implying she hadn't asked.
"Ai, you know as well as I do that your Sister Mingzhu only listens to your Sister Xiaoqi," Liang Jingting said, his feet itching with anxiety.
But the person before him was a little imperial grandmother.
Although he was her elder in name, her uncle, his status at home was not as high as hers.
Now that his mother had this granddaughter, the little magpie, she wouldn't even look at him.
He said with some exasperation, "Little imperial grandmother, next time you see them, please remember to put in a good word for me."
Liang Xier nodded, then extended her hand to him, asking for a reward.
Sister Xiaoqi had said they didn't help people for free.
"What do you want? Tell me. Be it stars from the sky or stones from the earth, I can get them for you."
Liang Xier giggled, saying she couldn't think of anything right now, but she would ask for it when she did, so she owed him.
Liang Jingting dared not refuse and quickly agreed.
Meanwhile, Shen Yun, with Su Xiaoqi on his horse, first went to change his clothes, then galloped out of the city.
Su Xiaoqi was momentarily confused, not understanding what he was doing.
As she listened to the wind whistling past her ears and watched the boundless scenery flash by, she felt some of the pent-up frustration in her chest dissipate.
They rode westward, galloping towards the setting sun, as if chasing it.
After an unknown amount of time, the sun had set.
The sky grew dim.
Su Xiaoqi opened her eyes and saw they had entered the mountains.
She looked around and found herself in a valley, which seemed unfamiliar.
She had never been here before.
"Where is this?" she couldn't help but ask.
"This is Lovers' Valley!" Shen Yun said seriously.
"Lovers' Valley?" Su Xiaoqi didn't believe him.
She had been in the capital for some time.
With her and Du Yiyi exploring everywhere, and her knowledge of the outskirts of the capital, she had never heard of such a place.
"You didn't just make it up, did you?" Su Xiaoqi looked at Shen Yun, seeing his calm demeanor but also his evasive gaze.
She knew her guess was correct.
Her man had simply given it a name.
But she had to admit, it sounded lovely.
And it suited the surroundings perfectly.
Because the valley walls were sheer and imposing, appearing bare from a distance, but upon closer inspection, a small stream flowed at their base, with many flowers blooming along its banks.
There were lilies, roses, peonies, and trumpet vines...
It was beautiful!
But this was not their destination. Shen Yun dismounted, tethered the horse, lifted her down, and led her along the stream towards the deeper part of the valley.
Before long, the stream ended at a mountain cave.
The cave entrance was not large, easily concealed.
But Su Xiaoqi detected a faint smell of sulfur.
"Hmm, could there be a hot spring in here too?"
Shen Yun nodded, confirming there was indeed a hot spring pool inside.
So, he had brought her here to soak in the hot springs?
Shen Yun led her inside.
The interior was an irregularly shaped hexagon.
The pool was shallow, and the bottom was visible through the sparse light from outside.
Shen Yun produced a fire starter he carried, lit a torch, and pulled Su Xiaoqi over.
"So, so we rode so fast just to come and soak in the hot springs?"
Shen Yun hugged her, began to undress her, and said, "I heard the hot springs here are beneficial for treating cold uterus and are very good for women's health."
"You want children?" Su Xiaoqi blurted out.
After asking, she felt a slight awkwardness.
What was she saying?
Offering herself up so readily?
As expected, Shen Yun chuckled softly upon hearing this.
He lowered his head, bent down, and whispered in her ear, "Does my wife miss me?"
"Hmph, you, you're wicked." Su Xiaoqi's face flushed red.
Her heart pounded like a drum.
She wondered who had transformed Shen Yun, a man of integrity, into this.
Before she could figure it out, Shen Yun had already removed her clothing.
And it was wet.
She grew anxious, quickly exclaiming that she hadn't brought any clothes.
Shen Yun smiled, saying he hadn't brought any clothes either; once they were wet, he would wash them, and then start a fire to dry them.
Su Xiaoqi, upon hearing this, found it made perfect sense.
Thus, during Shen Yun's subsequent activities, she didn't resist much.
Shen Yun's techniques were so skillful that he didn't give her a chance to object.
By the time she finally regained her senses, Shen Yun had already washed their clothes clean, built a simple frame with a few branches, and hung their wet clothes on it.
She felt a bit tired from soaking in the water and wanted to get out, but seeing her current state, she decided it would be better to stay in the water.
A faint aroma wafted over, and Su Xiaoqi's stomach rumbled appropriately. Oh, she was hungry.
Shen Yun looked at her, smiled faintly, and brought out something wrapped in lotus leaves from the side.
Su Xiaoqi exclaimed with surprise, "Wow, you made beggar's chicken! You're so amazing."
She was purely praising him as she saw food, saying it casually.
Shen Yun's smile was full of contentment. He loved that his wife had a sweet tongue. He tore off a chicken leg and fed it to her.
Su Xiaoqi looked at the golden beggar's chicken, its fragrance filling the air. It was a bit greasy, and she didn't want to get her hands oily, so she ate it from Shen Yun's hand.
Shen Yun understood her intention, smiled, squatted down a little closer, fed her a few more bites, and then lowered his head...