Chapter 262 - 258: The Crazy Couple 22

Chapter 262: Chapter 258: The Crazy Couple 22

With Wu Daniu having pressed the matter this far, Wu Chufeng had no choice but to arrange a courtyard for them.

"Let me be blunt," Wu Chufeng said. "This house is small, with only two courtyards. You’ll live in the rear one. In a month, Song Song and I are getting married. When that happens, you will not overstep her or try to pull rank as elders."

The moment Wu Chufeng finished speaking, expressions of displeasure immediately crossed the faces of Wu Wenxuan and Wu Wenhao.

Wu Wenxuan frowned, his tone dripping with disdain. "Eldest Brother, this house is far too small, isn’t it? A two-courtyard residence, how is it supposed to fit all of us? We were accustomed to the spacious estate at the General Mansion. This place of yours doesn’t even have a garden. It’s too pathetic, isn’t it?"

Wu Wenhao also sneered, his voice laced with scorn:

"Exactly! Eldest Brother, this house is tiny. It doesn’t even have a proper courtyard. How are all of us supposed to fit?"

Wu Chufeng shot them a cold glance, his voice tinged with ridicule.

"You think it’s too small? If it’s too small, you’re free not to stay. My temple is too humble to house such grand deities as yourselves."

Wu Wenxuan was taken aback by Wu Chufeng’s words. His expression faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his arrogant demeanor.

He sneered, "Eldest Brother, as the head of the family, have you forgotten your responsibilities?"

Wu Wenhao chimed in, "That’s right! Eldest Brother, you’re the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War now. How can you be so stingy? You won’t even give us a decent house to live in?"

Seeing the growing tension, Wu Daniu’s face darkened, and he snapped:

"Wenxuan, Wenhao, that’s enough out of you two! It is already more than generous of Chu Feng to let us stay here. If you think it’s too small, you’re more than welcome to find your own place outside!"

Startled by Wu Daniu’s outburst, Wu Wenxuan and Wu Wenhao quickly lowered their heads, not daring to speak another word.

Wu Wenxuan muttered under his breath, "Father, it’s just that we feel we’ve been wronged..."

Wu Daniu snorted, his voice filled with fury.

"Wronged? What right do you have to feel wronged? Do you have any idea what state the Wu Family is in right now? The only reason Chu Feng is letting us stay is that I’m his father. If you two cause any more trouble, don’t blame me for getting harsh!"

Seeing Wu Daniu’s temper flaring, Wang Cuihua hurried forward to play the peacemaker.

"My lord, please don’t be angry. Wenxuan and Wenhao are still young and foolish. Don’t stoop to their level."

Wu Daniu shot Wang Cuihua a cold glare, his voice filled with reproach.

"Cuihua, stop spoiling them. Do you have any idea what state the Wu Family is in right now? It is already more than generous of Chu Feng to let us stay here. If they cause any more trouble, don’t blame me for getting harsh!"

Wang Cuihua was silenced by his words. Her expression faltered, but she quickly forced a smile.

"You are right, my lord. Wenxuan and Wenhao are young and foolish. I will discipline them properly."

Wu Daniu nodded wearily. "Alright, that’s enough from everyone. Chu Feng, take us to the rear courtyard."

Wu Chufeng shot Wu Wenxuan and Wu Wenhao one last cold, warning glance.

"Remember what you just promised. If I find you causing trouble again, don’t expect me to be courteous."

Wu Wenxuan and Wu Wenhao flinched under Wu Chufeng’s gaze, quickly lowering their heads and not daring to say another word.

Wu Chufeng turned and led Wu Daniu and the others to the rear courtyard.

The rear courtyard wasn’t large, but it was clean and tidy, and the few side rooms were enough to accommodate them.

Wu Daniu surveyed the courtyard and nodded. "This is fine, Chu Feng. We’ll stay here."

Wu Chufeng nodded, his tone cool. "Father, get settled in. If you need anything, call for me."

Wu Daniu nodded wearily. "Alright. Go on, attend to your business."

Wu Chufeng turned and left, his heart a tangle of complicated emotions.

He had just moved into this house and hadn’t hired any servants yet, so nothing was in order.

The trivialities were a nuisance, and feeling restless and annoyed, he found himself heading to Ji Xiaosong’s home again that evening.

There was no helping it. He truly didn’t know who else he could turn to.

The moonlight was as fluid as water. As Wu Chufeng used the branches of the locust tree outside the wall to vault through her window, he came upon the sight of Ji Xiaosong with her back to him, drying her wet hair.

Her thin, plain-gauze nightgown was rendered semi-transparent by the steam, outlining the jade-white skin just below her slender waist.

Droplets of water from the ends of her hair trickled down the nape of her neck and into her collar, catching the candlelight in a fine, shimmering trail.

CLANG—

In his haste, he kicked over a low stool by the window. Ji Xiaosong spun around.

Her damp, jasmine-scented hair whipped over her shoulder, splattering his nose with droplets of water. Beneath the thin gauze, her collarbones rose and fell faintly with each breath.

Wu Chufeng’s Adam’s apple bobbed violently. He suddenly felt a rush of heat in his nose.

"You..."

Ji Xiaosong raised an eyebrow at the sight of the young man frozen in place, then a slow smile touched her lips.

She leisurely pulled an outer robe from a screen and wrapped it around herself. As she padded barefoot across the moon-dappled floor, the robe’s sash swayed at her ankles. "Climbing through my window so late at night, Chu Feng? Are you playing the part of a flower-plucking rogue?"

Wu Chufeng clapped a hand to his nose and stumbled back half a step. The tips of his ears flushed scarlet the moment his fingers touched warm, wet blood. "I... I came here to tell you..."

He fell silent mid-sentence. The loose robe did little to hide the lingering traces of water on her neck, and the scent of jasmine, mingled with steam, seemed to bore straight into his lungs.

"Here, wipe your face."

A plain white silk handkerchief was suddenly tossed at his face, carrying the same cool fragrance as its owner.

Leaning against her vanity, Ji Xiaosong eyed his crimson ears, her fingers toying idly with a damp lock of hair.

"Tomorrow, I’ll have Ji Dan raise the courtyard wall by three feet. That should deter certain people who are so fond of climbing through windows."

Wu Chufeng’s hand, clutching the handkerchief, trembled slightly. His mind was filled with the fleeting, breathtaking glimpse of her snow-white back.

He suddenly reached out, trapping her against the vanity. The copper mirror reflected the tangled edges of their robes. "Build it as high as you want. It won’t stop me."

His voice was impossibly hoarse, but his gaze remained fixed on the vermillion beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

In the copper mirror, the flower on her hairpin trembled, casting flickering shadows.

As Ji Xiaosong pressed her fingertips to Wu Chufeng’s chest, her jade bracelet clinked against a cosmetics box. "Is the Lord Vice Minister trying to throw his weight around?"

Her voice trailed off with post-bath languor. The jasmine from her hair mingled with the scent of pine ink on his robes, swirling into an ambiguous haze amidst the soft crackle of the candlewick.

Wu Chufeng’s gaze dropped to the undried droplets of water on her collarbone. His throat moved, creasing the fabric of his collar. "Tomorrow, I’ll have someone send over ten cartloads of green bricks."

"Whatever for?"

Ji Xiaosong tilted her head deliberately, brushing her damp hair against the back of his hand. Startled, his fingertips curled, grazing her earlobe. "Don’t tell me you plan to tear down my boudoir to build a new city wall?"

Wu Chufeng suddenly caught her wrist as she tried to pull away. His calloused thumb stroked the pale blue veins on its inner side. "To build a golden house."

His voice was so low it melted into the dripping of the water clock. "To hide you in—my dew-kissed begonia."

A pair of silver scissors on the vanity was knocked over. Ji Xiaosong stumbled, falling into the crook of his arm.

Her untied sash caught on a gilded candelabra, sending the light and shadows of the room dancing like waves.

She placed a bare foot on his dark boot, her toes, stained with balsamine juice, pressing against his calf. "Begonias have thorns. Isn’t the Vice Minister afraid of getting pricked?"

Outside the window, a sudden night breeze sent locust blossoms tumbling down. The snow-white petals drifted between their tangled sleeves.

Wu Chufeng plucked one from beside her temple, his hot breath brushing past the vermillion beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

"If it pierces my palm..."

The jade hairpin snapped. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall into the crook of his arm. "...all the better to tie a dead knot with the red string on your wrist."

Ji Xiaosong suddenly bit down on the knotted frog closure of his robe, her pearly teeth leaving a faint mark on the gilded embroidery.

"Tomorrow, at 5:45 AM..."

Her fingertip traced the frantic pulse on the side of his neck. "I want the jasmine fragrance cream from West Market Wang’s."

The copper mirror reflected a frantic figure scrambling back out the window, half of a broken hairpin still tangled in a few strands of dark hair.

Leaning against the window frame, Ji Xiaosong laughed softly. She watched the corner of his dark robes disappear as he stumbled away into the moonlight, then carefully folded the blood-stained handkerchief and placed it in the very back of her cosmetics box.

But it wasn’t long before Wu Chufeng returned, still clutching his nose.