[GL]Whose Wife Is Always Acting Pitiful? Oh, It Turns Out It’s Mine 12

Chapter 12: Testing on the Swing

Dugu Yuan’an’s tone clearly indicated she didn’t believe it, and Xue Mu knew she wouldn’t, so she smiled and said, “In front of your elder brother and sister, how could I make you lose face? Maiden Yuan’an, do you still want to bask in the sun? Shall I push you to the swing for a sit?”

Dugu Yuan’an chuckled softly. “You want me to sit on the swing?”

Xue Mu’s playful nature was roused, and she smiled. “Don’t you want to sit on it?”

Dugu Yuan’an raised her chin and gazed at Xue Mu’s enthusiastic and handsome face. After a moment of daze, she said gently, “Alright then. Madam must be responsible for pushing me on the swing. The force cannot be too light, nor too heavy, otherwise I will fall off.”

Xue Mu had an idea. Wanting to test Dugu Yuan’an’s kung fu, she agreed repeatedly, thinking that although her leg meridians were damaged, her internal energy must be very deep. Otherwise, how could she have learned the Soul Cold technique? The slightest carelessness would lead to a backlash.

Dugu Yuan’an sat on the swing, took off her sable fur coat, and grasped the ropes with both hands. Xue Mu stood behind her and called out, “Here I come!”

With that, she pushed Dugu Yuan’an’s back. The swing swayed forward slightly, and she stepped back a bit. A flash of pure white swayed before her eyes. When the swing swung back, she added some force with both hands, and the amplitude of the swing increased.

Xue Mu didn’t hear Dugu Yuan’an laugh at all. She continued to increase the force pushing her back. The swing went higher and higher, and Dugu Yuan’an’s toes pointed upwards. Xue Mu stepped back further to avoid being hit by the swing.

She stared at Dugu Yuan’an’s hands gripping the ropes. For a normal person, when a swing went this high, they would have to grip the ropes tightly with both hands to maintain their center of gravity. But the person on the swing showed absolutely no tendency of falling off.

Those fingers merely rested lightly on the ropes, the pads of her thumbs touching the ropes without even bending. To the naked eye, it looked like she wasn’t using any strength at all.

“Is Madam having fun?” Dugu Yuan’an spoke out of the blue. The swinging amplitude slowly decreased. Standing behind her, Xue Mu picked up a pebble from the ground and flicked it towards Dugu Yuan’an’s hand gripping the rope!

“—Snap!”

Xue Mu didn’t even see clearly if Dugu Yuan’an’s fingertips had moved. The pebble had already flown past her ear towards the back—

She turned around abruptly, only to find that the pebble was embedded in the tree trunk behind her, creating a small round hole. Faint light could be seen coming through from the other side, and the pebble was nowhere to be found.

Xue Mu’s throat bobbed. She only heard Dugu Yuan’an’s gentle voice: “Is Madam done playing?”

Xue Mu turned her head back. Dugu Yuan’an sat on the swing, calm and composed, smiling faintly at her.

Xue Mu was horrified in her heart.

This woman Dugu Yuan’an’s finger technique actually possessed such power. Silent and motionless, yet able to unleash such formidable finger strength. If she had been serious on the day of their first meeting, her own knees might have been destroyed!

She had never heard of the Dugu clan having such a strong finger technique. It seemed Dugu Yuan’an had truly encountered an expert, learning not only the Soul Cold Palm but also this superior finger technique.

“Madam.” Dugu Yuan’an let go of the ropes and reached out to her. Though she was smiling, her eyes glinted with a sharp light. “What’s wrong, Madam?”

Could she think I deliberately launched a sneak attack to retaliate for her forcing the marriage? Xue Mu thought to herself, hurriedly stepped forward to hold her hand, and put on a smile. “You don’t even laugh when swinging. It’s boring.”

Dugu Yuan’an was puzzled. “Why must one laugh when swinging?”

Xue Mu said, “Because… uh, swinging is fun. When I was little, I played with the maids and guards at home. Swinging very high was especially interesting. Doing interesting things makes one happy, and when one is happy, one laughs.”

The pad of Dugu Yuan’an’s thumb gently stroked the back of Xue Mu’s warm hand. Her expression seemed touched, and then she sighed somewhat sentimentally.

Xue Mu said, “Maiden Yuan’an, what’s wrong?”

Dugu Yuan’an said dazedly, “My mother used to take me to do interesting things too. We would catch small fish in the pond. I was very happy then, and I would laugh too. But now…”

She stopped there, her voice lowering. “Forget it, it’s useless for me to say these things.”

Xue Mu only thought she missed her own mother, so she comforted her in a low voice, “Maiden Yuan’an, don’t be too sad. No matter what, the Dugu Manor is your home now. Hero Dugu and Madam Dugu will both cherish you.”

Dugu Yuan’an nodded slowly, then pressed Xue Mu’s fingers against her own cheek. Xue Mu was stunned. Where her fingers touched was icy cold, but also delicate and soft. Her heart moved, and she couldn’t help but feel regret for Dugu Yuan’an.

“Maiden Yuan’an, don’t be sad. Let’s go back,” she said.

Dugu Yuan’an lowered her eyes, her breath brushing against Xue Mu’s fingertips. As if possessed, Xue Mu gently hooked that small nose tip.

Dugu Yuan’an looked up. Xue Mu froze for a moment, withdrew her wandering fingertips, and whispered, “Maiden Yuan’an, excuse my rudeness.”

Dugu Yuan’an let go of her fingers, two faint blushes flying onto her snow-white cheeks. She didn’t speak. Xue Mu helped her back into the wheelchair and pushed her back to the bridal chamber.

**

At the Hour of the Rabbit the next day, Xue Mu climbed out of bed, looking at Dugu Yuan’an who was still sleeping soundly on the other side of the “Chu River and Han Boundary.” Last night, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, so she ran to the cold pool to soak for half an hour. When she returned, Dugu Yuan’an was already asleep.

She gazed at Dugu Yuan’an’s peaceful sleeping face, then looked down at her own palm and fingers. With a thought, she put on her clothes, trousers, shoes, and socks, and quietly went out the door.

Zi’ang was indeed guarding outside. Seeing Xue Mu come out, she wanted to go in and call Dugu Yuan’an. Xue Mu shushed her and said, “Your master is very tired and needs to rest. Don’t disturb her.”

Zi’ang’s face changed slightly, her tone very bad. “You tormented Master yesterday; no wonder she’s tired.”

Xue Mu was stunned, thinking she had misunderstood, so she played along.

“Yes, your master and I are already married. Newlyweds are deeply in love and lost in passion; there’s always going to be some tormenting.” Her words were full of ambiguity and lingering affection. Hearing this, Zi’ang’s face became even uglier, even faintly pale. “You! You did what to Master—!”

Xue Mu waved her hand perfunctorily. “Your master needs to sleep until the sun is high in the sky before getting up. Don’t disturb her.” With that, she was about to leave. Zi’ang’s figure flashed, blocking her path. “Where are you going?!”

Xue Mu frowned. “I’m going to the cold pool. Don’t block me.”

Zi’ang’s breathing quickened. A trace of killing intent flashed in her eyes as she looked at her. Finally, she suppressed the anger in her heart and made way.

Seeing her eagerness to protect her master, Xue Mu smiled. “Your master is doing very well. I’m very gentle with her and wouldn’t deliberately torment her. She’s just too tired, so don’t disturb her.”

With that, she hummed a song lightly and swaggered out of the courtyard.