I See You

Editor: DarkSapphire, Uncia

In the afternoon, Yan Xixia and Xiao Lian sat in the courtyard and basked under the sun. Yan Xixia listened to Xiao Lian reading their own wedding invitation and smiled: “Just wait for three more years. Would the madam believe I can still win first place in the imperial civil service and the court examination?” 

“Of course, I always believe in you.”

“Does the madam think I am too arrogant?”

“It is arrogant to be blindly self-confident despite having no talent—you are not.”

Yan Xixia smiled and said: “Madam, I like you more and more.” 

Xiao Lian looked at the bandage wrapped around Yan Xixia’s eyes. He stretched out his hand and gently touched it: “We can remove it in seven more days.”

Yan Xixia also stretched out his hand to touch the bandage around his eyes: “When I think about how soon I can see my wife, I think that the sun feels warmer.”

Xiao Lian never thought that they would get married, having only met each other a few times. Now, it has been half a year: “Do you still remember what I looked like?”

Yan Xixia clenched his hand into a fist under his chin. He frowned and said with a distressed look: “I really can’t remember. What should I do if I can’t tell madam from a sea of people?”

Xiao Lian said solemnly: “Don’t worry, there are no strangers in the Yan Mansion. Doctor Bai and I are different sizes. You can tell which one is me. Besides, everyone’s voices are distinct. You just need to remember my voice.”

After listening to Xiao Lian, Yan Xixia stretched out his hand to hold Xiao Lian’s hand and chuckled: “It’s been half a year since you and I were married. Why is the madam still so pure?”

Xiao Lian let Yan Xixia caress his hand: “I believe in everything you tell me.”

“Oh you—you really are a good boy just like your pet name, Xiao Guai.” Yan Xixia chuckled lightly: “How could I have forgotten my beloved wife’s appearance?” 

Xiao Lian retracted his hand and poured a cup of tea in front of Yan Xixia. In the past three months, not only did the news of two people winning top marks in the imperial civil service examination spread all over the Huaihe City but one piece of gossip  about Xiao Xin also spread. Xiao Lian changed the subject: “I heard that Xiao Xin went to the Jiyue House and lost a lot of money. At the beginning of the month, he sold the 16 shops under his name. After getting the money, he went back to gamble. Today, his mother went to the Jiyue House and took him home.”

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

The Jiyue House was a place where rich people go to gamble and seek entertainment. Yan Xixia picked up his teacup: “Gambling is a bottomless pit. If you don’t stop as soon as possible, you will squander your entire family’s fortune. If not now, then somewhere down the road.”

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“Let’s stop talking about this disappointing person.” Yan Xixia still remembered what Xiao Xin had done to Xiao Lian. Yan Xixia got up and pulled Xiao Lian: “Let’s go. Let me take you out and see something that will make you happy.”

Yan Xixia took Xiao Lian to a street in a carriage. When they got out of the carriage, Jiu Si also followed behind them with a box in his hands. There were shops on both sides of the long street. Xiao Lian knew that many of these shops belonged to the Xiao Family. Xiao Lian looked at Yan Xixia and wondered: “Why did you bring me here?”

Yan Xixia didn’t answer right away, turning his head and telling Jiu Si to lead the way. Yan Xixia held Xiao Lian’s hand and said: “Follow Jiu Si.” 

Xiao Lian squeezed Yan Xixia’s hand back and followed behind Jiu Si. The small servant took Xiao Lian around many empty shops. Only one doorman was watching all the shops, and there was no business in any of them. Each of them was bigger than Xiao Lian’s small embroidery workshop. He had some idea of what Yan Xixia had in store for him as he asked: “Are you giving me a shop?”

Instead of answering, Yan Xixia questioned: “Why does the madam think so?”

“Every shop that Jiu Si brought us to is empty. Isn’t it for me to pick the most suitable one to buy? Moreover, when we went out, you said that you would take me to see something happy. That wouldn’t be as simple as showing me empty shops, right?”

Yan Xixia smiled without saying a word. Xiao Lian looked at the smile on Yan Xixia’s face, fearing that he assumed wrong. Yan Xixia was indeed just showing him empty shops. It was that simple. So he added: “I am not asking you to buy me a shop. I was only guessing.” 

Yan Xixia clasped Xiao Lian’s hand and interlocked their fingers: “If madam would ask for it from me, I will definitely buy it.”

Yan Xixia took Xiao Lian and sat in a shop: “This is the last shop we will see today.”

Xiao Lian sat next to Yan Xixia while Jiu Si handed Yan Xixia the box he was holding. Afterward, he withdrew and stood by the door. Yan Xixia put the box on the table and asked: “Madam, did you count how many shops we have seen?”

Xiao Lian didn’t. He tried to remember how many and gave an estimate: “About twenty?” 

“Nineteen actually.”

“Really?”

“Madam, please open the box and take a look.” Yan Xixia handed the box to Xiao Lian.

Xiao Lian opened the box. Inside were sheets of property deeds. All of them were under Xiao Lian’s name. The hands that were holding the deeds were trembling. Yan Xixia seemed to feel Xiao Lian’s emotions and hugged Xiao Lian into his arms. He kissed Xiao Lian’s forehead: “Of these nineteen shops, sixteen of them were bought from Xiao Xin, anonymously of course. I wanted to give them to you on a special day. When I heard Xiao Lian’s father gave him sixteen shops on his sixteenth birthday, I bought three more shops. My plan was to give you a surprise when you turned nineteen years old, but when Xiao Xin was mentioned today, I suddenly felt that I should make you happier. The sooner the better. I don’t care about not giving it to you on your special day. Xiao Guai, you will always have me in the future.” 

Xiao Lian stretched out his hand to hug Yan Xixia’s waist. He didn’t reply and just hugged Yan Xixia quietly. Yan Xixia did not speak as he stroked Xiao Lian’s back with his hand from time to time until the sky darkened.Then, they returned to their home.

Seven days later, when Yan Xixia’s bandages were coming off, not only were the Yan Family members present but also Wen Yihong and Xu Shan. Everyone gathered around Yan Xixia and waited for Bai Zhu to untie the bandages. Xiao Lian was squeezed to the outside of the circle. He also wanted to be the first one Yan Xixia saw but compared to Yan Xixia’s family and friends, he knew Yan Xixia for the shortest time. He also thought that the person who would spend the most time with Yan Xixia in the future was also him, so he was not in a hurry.

Xiao Lian thought for a moment, and walked to Bai Tu’s side: “I’ll go back to the room first. Could you let him know to come find me once he is free?”

Bai Tu was also standing outside of the circle, looking at Yan Xixia on tiptoe. Bai Zhu was explaining to Yan Xixia the precautions for after removing the bandage. Bai Tu turned his head and said to Xiao Lian: “You are no-not staying h-here?” 

Xiao Lian shook his head and chuckled: “No need. I think his family and friends care about him as much as I do. They must have a lot of things they want to say. I will inevitably distract him, and also, he will be able to talk with me more in the future. I don’t need to care about this moment.”

Bai Tu nodded and promised. Xiao Lian turned around and went back to the room.

When Yan Xixia opened his eyes, he saw a clear picture around him. Despite the surrounding ordinariness, under a new light, he couldn’t help himself from tearing up. Family and friends raised questions one after another: “Can you see?” “Does it hurt?” “Is there any blur?”

Yan Xixia also answered them one by one. He saw that Xiao Lian was not around him, intuitively knowing Xiao Lian would prioritize others first. He didn’t bring it up. He focused on responding intently to the concerns of family and friends. After Bai Zhu did an inspection and test, which resulted in no major issues, Bai Tu told Yan Xixia that Xiao Lian was waiting for him in their room, and Yan Xixia returned to their yard. 

When Yan Xixia opened the door, he didn’t expect to see a scene like this. Xiao Lian was dressed in the red wedding suit, his complexion turned red, and the suit outlined his beautiful figure. Yan Xixia thought about the last time he saw Xiao Lian when Xiao Lian was still hiding on the path to the examination, so Yan Xixia repeated what he said on that day: “Come out, I see you.” Time between the same phrases passed in an instant.

Yan Xixia looked at Xiao Lian, who was wearing the wedding suit in a daze, thinking that he was here to fetch his bride. He smiled gently and politely and stretched out his hand: “I finally see you again, my wife.”

After Xiao Lian returned to the room, he wanted to tidy up his appearance to give Yan Xixia the best impression, but when he opened the closet, he found the customized wedding suit. Xiao Lian thought about their wedding day and how he wasn’t who Yan Xixia thought he was. So, being slightly selfish and with some embarrassment, he put the outfit on. He stood at the door waiting for Yan Xixia, just like the day he got married. When Yan Xixia opened the door, he saw Yan Xixia’s handsome brows and how those eyes were filled with light and soul again, himself reflected in them.

Xiao Lian watched Yan Xixia stretch out his hand just like the day of their wedding, but Xiao Lian didn’t reach out to hold it. Instead, he threw himself on Yan Xixia. He wrapped his hands around Yan Xixia’s neck, and Yan Xixia hugged him back tightly. The two of them hugged each other tightly and gently shook their bodies like  children who had reunited after a long time. 

Yan Xixia let go of Xiao Lian, reached out his hand to close the door, and inserted the door bolt. He turned around and picked Xiao Lian back up. This time, instead of relying on the number of steps, he could see the bed clearly. He walked toward it and laid Xiao Lian down. Xiao Lian’s long hair cascaded like a waterfall and his eyelashes trembled, but he did not close his eyes and looked straight at Yan Xixia. Yan Xixia lowered his head and kissed Xiao Lian’s lips, not as gentle and polite as usual, but with force and some bites. The kiss slowly turned gentle before they separated from each other, leaving a bright red mark on Xiao Lian’s lip. With a trembling voice, Xiao Lian said: “It’s still daytime.”

Yan Xixia raised his head and looked Xiao Lian in the eyes affectionately. He stretched out his hand to brush the loose hair on Xiao Lian’s forehead and laughed in a low voice: “I thought my wife was wearing the wedding suit to invite me to the bridal room.”

Yan Xixia bowed his head and pecked Xiao Lian’s lips: “Indulging in lascivious acts in broad daylight is because of true love.”

Three years later, Yan Xixia took part in the examinations as a candidate. This time, he scored first place in two of the three examinations in succession. If you count his first-placed candidate in the provincial imperial examination from three years ago, it meant he scored all three examinations in first place. 

Everyone thought that the new top scorer would marry a virtuous woman from a scholarly family or have a concubine to pass down the family name, but Yan Xixia and Xiao Lian were not affected by the outside world at all and still loved each other as much as before.

Perhaps Xiao Lian was influenced by the Xiao Family when he was young because he was quite talented in business. Now when people in the Huaihe City talked about the Xiao Family, they meant Xiao Lian.

Xiao Lian sold his small embroidery workshop. He bid it farewell, like his farewell with the Xiao Family. All the silver earned from his workshop went to Yan Xixia, and he only kept the nineteen shops. Originally, Yan Xixia didn’t agree with Xiao Lian doing this, but he understood that as far as Xiao Lian was concerned, the nineteen shops meant more to him, so he did not oppose Xiao Lian’s decision.

Xiao Lian also stopped selling his own embroidery and only picked up embroidery needles for Yan Xixia and him alone.