Chapter 238
Plot (1)
If Mu Mingtang were to only pay attention to Xie Xuanchen’s ending words then it wasn’t much, but the way he put everything made her blush with embarrassment. The hidden meaning behind those words made her imagination run wild.
Since Mu Mingtang didn’t know whether Xie Xuanchen meant what she thought, she did not dare to say anything in return, afraid that she would think too much about it only to get disappointed. “Okay, look, it’s already this late. I’m feeling sleepy, let’s sleep.”
Xie Xuanchen was not surprised by Mu Mingtang’s reaction. He just stood up and lightly touched Mu Mingtang’s hair: “Your hair has not completely dried yet. Wait a little longer.”
Xie Xuanchen’s movements were very natural. Mu Mingtang had long gotten used to the close intimacy between the two, so when Xie Xuanchen touched her hair, she didn’t feel anything wrong. She simply touched the ends of her hair and answered subconsciously: “But they are almost done.”
“Wait a bit more.” Xie Xuanchen said, “The roots of the hair have not completely dried yet. If you sleep like this, you’ll suffer from a headache tomorrow.”
Mu Mingtang had no choice but to consent. However, a sudden thought made her chuckle: “I’ve never imagined that such concerned words can also come out of your mouth. A person like you, who has always lived his life in a carefree manner, knows about such matters?”
Those things were actually said by Xie Xuanchen’s mother to him. He didn’t intend to take credit for them.
“When I was a kid, my mother always reminded me not to sleep with half-wet hair. But at that time, I was very rebellious and arrogant, paying no heed to her words. Until now I’ve always believed that I had long forgotten her words, but I didn’t expect them to still be vivid in my mind.”
‘Oh! So it was because of Mother Xie.’
Speaking of which, she and Xie Xuanchen had been married for some time, but neither of them had seen each other’s parents.
In hard times, no matter if they were a noble or a commoner, they had to rely on themselves and travel through life alone. They both had gone through the pain of losing their parents and seen their home getting destroyed. Now in this vast and cruel world, they only had each other to rely on.
Mu Mingtang lamented in her mind and gently held Xie Xuanchen’s hand: “It’s all in the past now. Wherever our parents are, their only wish is for us to live a healthy and happy life. Anyway, you said that mother always nagged you when you were a small kid, but it seems like you have also inherited that trait from mother.”
“However, you weren’t able to pull it off that well. Please don’t try to act like my father.” Mu Mingtang, without waiting for Xie Xuanchen’s reply, added while grinding her teeths.
He was clearly my husband but behaving like a father.
Xie Xuanchen looked at her helplessly: “I wasn’t. You are clearly using the wrong analogy.”
However, the point that touched Xie Xuanchen the most was that Mu Mingtang had naturally addressed Lady Yin, as mother.
Yes, they were both married, but her parents weren’t there with them. If they were still alive, he would have treated her parents as his own. He would have also respectfully called them ‘father’ and ‘mother’.
Xie Xuanchen suddenly felt regretful. It would have been great if Mother Xie could have seen Mu Mingtang. She would have definitely liked her very much.
Mother Xie had given birth to two sons. The eldest son died when he was young, so Xie Xuanchen was the only child left. When he was still a small boy, he caused a lot of trouble like climbing over walls from time to time to play outside or jumping around, resulting in worrying Mother Xie.
More than once Mother Xie had expressed her desire to have a daughter, but if she was still alive, with Mu Mingtang around her, that wish would have been fulfilled.
A pity that there wasn’t any room for what ifs in this world.
“Hey, what were you thinking?” Seeing that Xie Xuanchen had been silent for a while, curious, Mu Mingtang inquired in a low voice.
“I was thinking how the old beliefs usually hold some truth. It is said that one should get married first before focusing on the career.” Xie Xuanchen sighed and said, “It’s a pity that I didn’t understand it when I was young and went out to seek the thrill from the outside world. However, when I finally realised my mistake, the best time had already passed.”
Mu Mingtang guessed that Xie Xuanchen was feeling bitter about the passing of his parents. Having listened so far, Mu Mingtang muttered, “Actually, I did listen to the traditional sayings and got married early.”
Mu Mingtang’s words startled Xie Xuanchen, he soon heard her continue: “You see, I am only sixteen years old, and I am already married. I have been married to you for more than half a year. Even in the eyes of the elderly, I should have married quite early.”
Xie Xuanchen suddenly thought of something, making him immediately overturn his previous conclusion. He hurriedly said, “Now that I think about it, my original thoughts were right. When you are young, you should go out and enjoy your life and start a family later. It’s because it’s not too late to get married after you have experienced the world.”
“But that’s not what you just said earlier.”
“So?” Xie Xuanchen glanced at Mu Mingtang: “I would have also liked to get married at early years, but you were only eleven when I was fifteen, do you expect me to marry a kid?”