Once they entered the waterside pavilion beside the koi pond, Zhao Cheng released Song Jia and paced back and forth, his hands hidden underneath his sleeves.
Song Jia watched him for a while before tentatively saying, "Can wang ye sit down in front of qie? Qie doesn't want to have a conversation like this."
Despite his turbulent emotions, Zhao Cheng obediently sat down. His anger had also been replaced by frustration and a sense of helplessness. He knew he had no right to be angry, and venting it out at her would only make him feel worse later on. She was right, they have to talk about this.
Song Jia saw that he was starting to appear a bit calmer and took his hand to place it on her lap, "Does wang ye have a problem he can't talk about with qie?"
Zhao Cheng looked at her and knew that he would definitely not allow a divorce to happen between them. He slowly nodded.
"Is it a very big problem that worries wang ye?"
Zhao Cheng nodded again.
Song Jia smiled, "Wang ye should lie down."
When he didn't move, she slowly placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him until he laid his head down on her lap. She brushed his hair and massaged his temples until Zhao Cheng closed his eyes.
"Qie has a story that qie wants to tell wang ye. Does wang ye want to listen?"
Feeling content with her soft hands caressing him and his nose filled with her sweet scent, Zhao Cheng murmured a gentle "Mmm."
"Two monks were returning to the monastery in the evening. It had rained and there were puddles of water on the road sides."
Song Jia's voice was neither fast nor slow. It had a lively rhythm to it that made the listener follow her every word.
"At one place, a beautiful young woman was standing unable to walk across because of a puddle of water. The elder of the two monks went up to her, lifted her, and left her on the other side of the road. Then, he continued his way to the monastery.
In the evening the younger monk came to the elder monk and said, 'Sir, as monks, we cannot touch a woman.'
The elder monk answered, 'Yes, that's right.'
Then the younger monk asks, 'But then, how is that you lifted that woman on the roadside?'
The elder monk smiled at him and told him, 'I left her on the other side of the road, but you are still carrying her.'"
Song Jia's hand that was stroking Zhao Cheng's forehead paused. "Does wang ye understand what qie means?"
Zhao Cheng's eyes opened. They were bright when they looked up at her face. He lips quirked, "Never let a worry become a burden that you carry on your shoulders?"
Song Jia smiled back at him. "As expected, wang ye is very intelligent."
She leaned down and pressed her lips on his forehead, murmuring, "Wang ye's reward."
How could Zhao Cheng not take advantage of this moment? He rose up from where he was lying down and kissed her, his arm curling around her waist to place Song Jia on his lap.
It was a very tender kiss. When he pulled away, he pressed his forehead against hers.
"Really can't let go."
Song Jia blinked. "What did wang ye say just now?"
Zhao Cheng didn't want to ruin the moment so he changed the subject, "Can Jia'er play her guqin again for me? We still haven't eaten our lunch, so we'll let the servants transfer the food here."
Song Jia thought that his bad mood was over and there was nothing more that was bothering him. So she smiled like the sun, "Qie agrees to wang ye's suggestion."
In the end, the two of them spent the entire afternoon in the garden. After playing a song on the guqin, Song Jia introduced an interesting game called 'Jenga', to Zhao Cheng. He had great martial arts skills, so it was an easy thing for him not to imbalance the unstable tower of wooden blocks. Song Jia, on the other hand...
"No, we'll play again!"
"Wang ye, you cheated! Don't choose the middle one!"
"That's supposed to be the wooden block that I was going to push next! Wuwu..."
In the end, Zhao Cheng had to pretend to lose just to make his little woman happy. He thought it was the end, but then she pulled out a bundle of thin wooden sticks from out of nowhere...
"Whoever removes a stick from the pile and first disturbs any of the other sticks loses! Wang ye, qie has to let you know, qie is very good at this game."
Zhao Cheng had to admit, his wang fei had a very creative mind. But why did she have to invent games that she didn't have any talent at? In the end, he had to pretend to lose again...
"Wang ye, qie has another game she wants to play..."
Zhao Cheng hurriedly stood up. "Jia'er, the sun is setting, let's go back to the zhengfang."
Song Jia blinked. Sure enough, the golden sphere was sinking into the horizon. The whole afternoon was gone just like this? Somehow disappointed, she accepted Zhao Cheng's outstretched hand and didn't even mind that he held it all the way back to the zhengfang.
Song Jia had also forgotten, that when daylight disappears, a starving wolf would be ready to hunt...