The Flood Controller's Wife

Chapter 12: Don't fall in love with him

The next day, Lanwangji woke up to the faint sound of birds chirping outside. The room smelled of magnolias. His wife seemed to have woken up earlier than he did. She was already dressed and was waiting for him by the bedside.

She had prepared a basin of water to wash his face.

"Weiying... Last night.. Did i fall asleep?" He was slightly embarassed about failing to do his husband duty on his wedding night.

Weiying did not want him to suspect anything. He took a damp cloth and wiped lanzhan's face with it.

"Thats okay. I'm happy." He said, flashing his best smile to his new husband.

His naima told him before, always smile to your husband. 'Even if you can't satisfy him in bed, at least he will be contented if you treat him well and a man can't resist a woman's charming smile.'

"I'm sorry I fell asleep."

"Don't worry about it."

Weiying was sitting on the bed beside Lanzhan when he suddenly felt warm hands enveloping his back. His heart skipped a beat.

Do not fall for him! He only likes you because he thinks you are a girl. Weiying reminded himself.

"Lanzhan, I'm hungry.. Lets eat, shall we?"

Lanzhan was slightly disappointed that his wife did not want to linger in his embrace, however, he was a gentleman so he let go of her and proceeded to get dressed so they could eat their breakfast together.

After that, Weiying followed Lanzhan to his study.

His study was located in the building beside their bedroom. The room was huge. To the side wall hung rows of neatly lined weapon. A long table stood horizontally parallel to the wall and some weapons lay there as well. Weiying immediately walked excitedly towards that area. On the table, he saw a familiar worn out bow.

"Lanzhan, this..."

"You gave that to me.. Did you forget?"

"No of course not. You're still using it now?"

"Yes."

He slightly frowned at its worn out condition.

Weiying held a strong fascination to making and fixing objects so when he see something worn out, his hands could not help but fix it. His nimble hands skillfully pulled out the bow strings out of the bow. He dipped the strings in oil before tieing it back to the curved weapon, tighter this time.

Lanzhan watched at the sides at her little action and smiled.

"There its better now."

"Thanks wife."

Lanzhan's work place was filled with many interesting objects that caught Weiying's attention. He was like a well behaved child in a candy store. He was excited, yet afraid of being scolded so he restrained his actions. However, the squeals of delight that shone through his eyes gave him away. Lanzhan saw through his behaviour and led him to a side table.

"Weiying, this is your home too, if you wish to read or write you can use this table." He showed Weiying to a side table adjacent to the main study table in the center of the room.

"Thanks Lanzhan." He mutters excitedly.

Weiying caught side of a map hanging behind the desk. He walked over and studied it. It was a map of Qi territories.

"Lanzhan's why is your map slightly different than my father's?"

"Eh?"

"In yours there is a small river linking the huai river to the smaller shen river. There were none on my dad's map. And I went with him before. This should not exist?"

"Huh?"

Lanzhan was surprised that Weiying held deep interest in geography and weapons. She never cease to surprise him.

"And right here there is a channel linking the Huai river to the Liao river. Heyy this one isn't on the map either. I was.. I mean my father was at Longxi investigating the flooding that had been going on for many years now, and recently he found a pathway linking the two rivers. It was right here in your map."

"Weiying, if it interests you, Lets compare both our maps tomorrow at your parent's house."

Weiying nodded. His eyes blinking with excitement.

The second night proceeded smoothly as Weiying had prepared another cup of tea lined with sleeping drug.

In the morning of the third day, it was customary that the bride visit her parent's home accompanied by her husband.

So Lanzhan and Weiying boarded the carriage to his home. When they arrived, they were received by Weiying's parents. After the formal greetings, Weiying noticed the tense atmosphere in the house and Weiming had a dark face. After they had formal greeting and tea, Weiying and Lanzhan followed Weiming to his study.

"Father is everything okay?"

The rainy season had arrived. It had been almost a month since they left the unfinished job at Longxi. And something went wrong and WeiGuang had gone missing. The last letter written by Weiguang that they had begun digging the tunnel and after that no letters had reached the manor. Rainy season would be approaching soon and Weiming became worried. He told Weiying that he planned to leave the capital to seek out what had happened.

According to the map, if we dug a water pathway through these walls, they could punch through the other side and connect the overflow to another adjacent small Liao river that flows along the other side of the mountain. Judging from the calculated distance, the dig would take an approximate time of two weeks and at the other side would be a border territory between the Qi and the Wen kingdom. A supposedly remote area that would not disturb any nearby villages.

It had been two weeks and Weiguang had not sent any reports. 

"Father, we could send a messenger to check on the situation. I'm worried if you are going to go by yourself."

"I'm bringing Yubin and a few others with me so I will be fine. Don't worry Weiying."

If he had not gotten married, Weiying would be the one to accompany his father or to check it by himself. But with his current status, he had no choice but to abandon those thoughts.

On the ride home, Lanzhan noticed that his new bride who was sitting beside him was exceptionally quiet. She appeared to be in deep thought and a slight frown was plastered over her forehead. His heart slightly pained to watch his love worried like that.

Noticing Lanzhan's worried stares, Weiying said to him.

"I'm sorry Lanzhan, its just that my father always does everything by himself. He has no male child so I since I'm the oldest, I'm always worried for his wellbeing."

"Weiying, if you are worried, I could ask the emperor to assign me to accompany father in law for his trip."

"You would? thanks Lanzhan." Weiying grabbed his fingers and squeezed. Lanzhan enveloped his fingers to his wife's. They were green and lacked experience in the fields of love. Their palms were somewhat awkward, hot and sweaty when pressed against eachother. Yet none of them tried to let go of eachother's hold. They stayed that way for the rest of the trip.

That night before they go to bed, Lanzhan sat on the bed while Weiying gave him tea. He looked at his wife's smiling face and the teacup on her hands. Her eyes were deep as the night sky yet there was warmth in it.

Without another thought, he gulped down the liquid and laid to rest for the night.