She propped up her head and watched the man approach with steady steps.
Even though they were far away, she could feel that his eyes were on her. Maybe it was because she couldn't speak, whenever they were together, he would always stare at her to prevent missing any reaction.
The man who entered the pavilion didn't say a word, but his eyes glanced at the stove next to him and his clothes one by one, as if he had checked them carefully.
When he held her hand, the warmth in his hand must have satisfied him, and his expression visibly eased.
"Why don't you go sit in the house?" Zhou Huailin sat down next to her.
Liang Ying pointed to a place not far away, and he looked over there. It was the blooming plum blossoms.
The white snow dotted the bright red plum blossoms, which was a different kind of interest. Liang Ying saw that he looked appreciative, as if he had just seen it, and couldn't help but laugh, but also inexplicably sweet.
It seemed that he had a hard time seeing things other than himself, as if only she was the most important to him.
Liang Ying had to admit that she was a vulgar person and liked the feeling of being loved wholeheartedly.
She handed the tea simmering on the stove to Zhou Huailin, and the man took it. On a winter afternoon, there was a rare glimpse of sunlight, and the two sat by the stove.
Liang Ying asked him, "Did you prepare those snacks?"
Zhou Huailin hummed, "Does the prince like them?"
Liang Ying laughed and told him that the prince not only liked them very much, but also took some back to the palace. But as she gestured, her smile slowly dimmed, and she stopped the movement of her hands for a while before continuing, "Don't do this in the future."
She knew that Zhou Huailin wanted to maintain the relationship between them as mother and son.
But she didn't think it was a good thing. Just as she was thinking, Liang Ying's hand was held, and when she raised her eyes, she saw Zhou Huailin's slightly frowning brows. The man was already a bit fierce, and this frown made people feel even more terrible.
But...
"Liang Ying."
He was calling Liang Ying's name. These two words seemed to have magic in his mouth, softening his whole body.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has never worn court clothes to leave the palace." Liang Ying heard him continue, "He came here dressed so grandly today, probably because he wanted his mother to see him."
Liang Ying's heart seemed to be hit by something, and she couldn't recover for a long time. It was not until Zhou Huailin's hand touched her face that she realized that she had burst into tears without knowing when.
She remembered the boy's slightly restrained but hopeful eyes
just now. When she was far away in Junzhou, she heard that he was canonized as the crown prince. She was happy for him, but also regretted that she couldn't see his crown prince canonization ceremony with her own eyes. Maybe she was not the only one who regretted it at that time.
But she was so cold just now, would Wen Qi think that his mother didn't like it?
Every time she thought she was rational enough to seal her love for Wen Qi, she would always be at a loss because of this sudden sadness.
Her tears flowed more and more, and Zhou Huailin had already taken out a handkerchief from his bosom to wipe them.
"You don't need to think so much."
Hearing his voice, Liang Ying looked up, and in her tearful eyes, she felt that the man's face was a little gentler: "Liang Ying, you just need to do what you want. He is the Crown Prince and your child. Treat him the way you want, so that you won't regret it in the future."
Liang Ying buried her face in his arms.
She actually regretted it now, regretting that she should have smiled more at Wen Qi just now, at least, at least praised him for being really good-looking today.
***
Even if Liang Ying had such an idea, Wen Qi didn't come every day.
Since they met that day, he hasn't come for two days.
This day Liang Ying received an invitation from Zhou Huailin's cousin Zhou Qingzhi. She and Huailin's cousin had a good relationship when they were in Zhou's house before.
Later, she married in the capital, and the two had several correspondences, but it was a while since they had met. So Liang Ying agreed after a little thought, and just told the servants that if the prince came, they should find her back. For
safety reasons, the prince's itinerary would not be notified too far in advance, which is why Liang Ying has been waiting at home these days.
But she also wanted to see Qingzhi.
***
In fact, Liang Ying had been in Zhou's house for half a year before, and had not seen anyone from the Zhou family. It's just that the person she didn't want to meet was not from the Zhou family, but her.
At that time, although she had fled the capital, she couldn't escape the state of mind like a walking corpse. After arriving at Zhou's house, she stayed in the house all day and didn't see anyone.
Now think about it, it's said that Zhou Huailin was a life-saving straw, but I didn't treat him as a life-saving straw at the time. On the contrary, because she was no longer in the capital and didn't need to pretend, Liang Ying refused to communicate with others even more self-destructively.
As a person who is ready to give up her life at any time, she would not even think about whether Zhou Huailin, as a fiancée, could tolerate it.
But the fact is that Zhou Huailin did endure it all.
No matter how Liang Ying turned upside down day and night, when she woke up and got up, the man would always appear beside her like a ghost, and patiently ask her: "Are you hungry?"
