Pearl swallowed the apricot in her mouth and said calmly, "No need."
"We must," Alaric replied. "You treat me so well. I can't be cold and heartless in return."
He picked up an apricot and tried to feed it to Pearl. She stood up and stepped away from the chair, tossing out, "I don't want it anymore," then walked out.
Seeing her leave, Alaric dropped the apricot and followed her. Hearing movement behind her, Pearl turned back. It was that annoying man again. Pearl felt a headache coming on. Why was he always in her sight? She desperately needed some space to breathe.
She turned back around and kept walking. When she reached the spot, she took out the herbs she had dug up that morning and began to sort and dry them.
Only after finishing did she return to rest. A cup of water was handed to her. "Madam, have some water to soothe your throat."
Pearl hesitated for a moment as she looked at the cup, then took it and drank.
When she finished, Alaric took the cup, filled it again, and handed it back. She drank a second cup.
After that, Pearl didn't drink anymore and rested quietly.
Time passed quickly, and someone came to report that dinner was ready.
They sat down at the table. The dishes were:
Steamed chicken with fresh mushrooms, braised fish, stir-fried blood duck, dry-fried loach, crispy river shrimp, sliced meat with garlic sprouts, sliced meat rolls, stir-fried three delicacies, sweet and sour lotus root shoots, braised eggplant with green beans, minced meat stuffed tofu, and cabbage fish ball soup.
Alaric picked up the first bite and placed it into Pearl's bowl. She didn't look at him but silently picked it up and ate. He continued until she was full, then stopped serving her.
After dinner, Pearl got up to stroll outside. Alaric grabbed her small hand and walked with her.
Their hand-holding walk had already become known to everyone on the estate the day before, so no one was surprised to see them together again.
When they finished their walk and returned, it was already dark. After bathing, they went straight to bed.
When Pearl woke up, she found herself tightly held in the arms of that annoying man again. She could only lie there quietly, with no temper left.
After nearly half an hour, she felt movement beside her. He began rubbing against her. Pearl forcefully threw off the arm wrapped around her and got out of bed.
She washed up and sat down for breakfast.
Breakfast included pumpkin millet porridge, meat buns, fried dough pancakes, shrimp fritters, stir-fried amaranth greens, and brown sugar date cake.
After finishing, Pearl called for Servant Xin, packed tools and a basket, and asked him to lead the way to another mountain to collect herbs.
They spent the whole morning searching, but just like the day before, they only found a small amount of useful herbs.
By midday, they returned to the estate. Servant Wang was already waiting on the roadside to tell Pearl and Alaric that lunch was ready.
After lunch, Pearl organized the herbs and rested in her room.
The next morning, she took Servant Xin up the mountain again to dig for herbs. By the fifth day, Pearl had finally gathered all the herbs she needed and started the journey back to the manor.
On the way back, Pearl could clearly sense Alaric's cheerful mood.
After an hour, they finally returned home.
Walking into the manor again, Pearl felt complicated emotions. Although she hadn't planned to escape during this trip, she still didn't want to return to this cage.
Compared to Alaric's joy, she was visibly gloomier.
Alaric held her hand the entire way, not letting go for a moment. He held her hand as they got off the carriage and walked back to the bedroom. Then he pulled Pearl tightly into his arms and kissed her deeply, full of burning passion.
Pearl instinctively resisted and struggled. Beside her ear, Alaric's low voice came, "Wife, don't forget what you once said."
Pearl froze when she heard that. Then she stopped resisting and relaxed her body.
They tangled together until the lanterns outside were lit, finally stopping. After dinner, another round began.
The next morning, when Pearl woke up, Alaric was already gone. After breakfast, she dried the herbs she had brought back and continued reading.
Around noon, Alaric returned. As soon as he walked in, he scooped her up and began kissing her. Pearl quickly turned her face away, avoiding his kiss.
Alaric chuckled softly. "Wife, are you shy?"
Pearl kept her face turned and said nothing. In her heart, she was annoyed. Why did he cling to her and kiss her the moment he came back? Wasn't yesterday's amount enough?
Seeing her still wearing a cold expression, Alaric asked gently, "Are you angry, wife?"
"Did someone make you upset?"
"No," Pearl replied indifferently and picked up her book to continue reading.
No? Alaric wondered.
He hugged her while they read together. After lunch, they rested together.
Two days later, Pearl finished her book and didn't feel like reading anymore. She began practicing calligraphy and painting.
Back at the estate, while writing one day, she realized her handwriting was only legible but lacked elegance and spirit. So she decided to train herself to write beautifully.
Painting was just an addition. With this, she could freely go in and out of the study. When tired, she could walk around the estate. She didn't have to stay cooped up in the bedroom.
Today in the study, she was practicing calligraphy but couldn't grasp the technique, which made her frustrated.
Suddenly, a large hand held her slender one. The familiar scent of sandalwood drifted from behind. Pearl paused. Then Alaric's deep and pleasant voice came to her ear.
"Pay attention to the pressure, light and heavy, quick strokes, pause at the hooks, lift lightly. Yes, like that, it's done."
She looked at the character he wrote. The strokes were graceful and elegant. People say handwriting reflects the person. But to her, it didn't match his personality at all. Still, she had to admit it looked very beautiful, and she liked looking at it.
"Wife, write the next one. Light on the top, heavy at the bottom. Keep the pressure even, follow the curves, add weight."
Alaric kept holding her hand and guided her through the dozen characters she had practiced before. Pearl also learned the basic techniques.
After that, every day when Alaric returned, he would go over the characters Pearl had practiced that day.
Soon, Pearl developed her own style of writing. But no matter how she looked at it, it always seemed to carry some shadow of Alaric's handwriting.
Alaric only smiled and said nothing.
When Pearl painted, Alaric noticed one of her finished works. He was amazed. The scenery in the painting looked vivid and lifelike. The colors blended naturally and richly. Silently, he watched from the side. It was a technique he had never seen before.
After finishing one type of handwriting, Pearl moved on to practice another. Alaric also personally taught her each one. Because of that, every style she learned bore a hint of Alaric's style.
While watching Pearl paint many times, Alaric quietly picked up the painting method as well.
One day, Alaric had the day off. Pearl didn't want to spend the entire day with him, so she went to the courtyard to paint. Alaric followed her and asked the servants to bring painting tools. The two of them painted together in the courtyard.
A gentle cool breeze stirred the quiet courtyard. The only sounds were their brushes moving.
Half an hour later, Pearl put down her brush and looked at the bamboo painting she had just finished. After inspecting the details, she found no flaws. She was very satisfied.