Ciyou Courtyard.
After last night’s misunderstanding, the four of them felt awkward when they met today, each avoiding the others’ gazes, unwilling to look directly at one another.
That, of course, delayed their conversations.
This morning, Pei Huaijin learned from Danruo and Qinghe the reason why Seventh Younger Brother and Shen Yunshu had snuck into Yunzhi Courtyard at night. Though Danruo was still young, she was sensible and fiercely protective of her mistress, so her behavior was somewhat understandable. Pei Huaijin did not reprimand them much, as he had no intention of holding Seventh Younger Brother and Shen Yunshu accountable for disturbing their wedding night.
Shen You mentioned to her sister that she wanted to stay at her maternal home for some time. Although staying in Shen Mansion would have been better to avoid the strict matron, Shen You could not help but feel reluctant about parting from her sister.
Shen Yunshu, however, saw things more clearly: “After we marry, we barely visit Father. It would be good for you to stay for a while, so you can show him more filial piety on my behalf…”
“But what if Father asks why I’m staying so long? If I say it’s because my husband is taking a concubine, would Father still let me stay?”
The moment Pei Huaijin heard the word “husband” slip from her mouth, his heart skipped a beat. He instinctively tightened his grip on his tea cup: “Don’t worry. I will explain everything clearly to your father-in-law…”
This was the first time, while fully aware, that she had willingly called him “husband.”
Having experienced the ultimate joy of the night before, and now hearing her call him “husband,” it seemed she had truly accepted him from the bottom of her heart.
Yet at this very moment, he was about to be sent away to Shuizhou. After years of service, Pei Huaijin felt an unfamiliar pang of reluctance.
Shen You thought about not seeing her sister for over ten days and felt even more reluctant. She grabbed her sister’s hand and led her to her room, where the two whispered to each other.
Only the two brothers remained in the hall.
The awkwardness from before had vanished.
“By the way, I just came from Grandmother’s place,” Pei Huaijin remembered to relay her words. “Grandmother said she wants to hold a great-grandson. You’re still too young; I don’t plan for her to have children so soon. This matter needs you and your wife to be extra attentive…”
“That won’t do,” Pei Huaian refused immediately. “My wife plans to take the Nuguan exam next year. If she passes, she won’t be planning to have children for at least three years…”
“What if she doesn’t pass?”
“My wife is so clever; how could she not pass?” Pei Huaian teased, glancing at his elder brother. “Grandmother wants a great-grandson; as the eldest brother and sister-in-law, you should take precedence over the younger ones…”
“We’re not having children yet, you first.”
“No, you first.”
“You first…”
“Elder brother first…”
If they continued like this, they’d be just as childish as the women, Pei Huaijin cut in: “Enough, we’ll talk about this later. There’s another matter I’ve been meaning to tell you…”
“What is it?”
“When you and Shen You were kidnapped, the bandits demanded two hundred thousand taels as ransom. At the time, our family barely managed to raise such a sum. Grandmother sent an urgent letter to your uncle, asking him to bring the money to the capital and rescue you. After that, she sent another letter insisting he must come, but despite sending two letters, no reply was received from him…”
“Logically, Father should have gathered the money quickly after receiving the letter and rushed to the capital himself or sent someone. How could he neither show up nor send a reply after seeing you?” Pei Huaian grew increasingly anxious. “Brother, do you think something might have happened to Father?”
“I’ve already sent people to Quanzhou. We should hear news in a few days. Tomorrow, I have to leave for Shuizhou and won’t return for at least half a month. If something really happened to your uncle, you should go to Da Li Si and find Xiao Ci or Xiao Sizhi; they will help you…”
“All right.”
As the two brothers talked in the main hall, Shen Yunshu, in the bedroom, held her sister’s hand. Thinking back on last night’s misunderstanding, the two sisters exchanged glances and burst into soft laughter.
“You two only consummated last night?” Shen Yunshu asked. “I thought you had already done so long ago.”
The last time she and Pei Huaijin came to Ciyou Courtyard for lunch, both of them had necks covered in red marks. Shen Yunshu had thought then they were already truly husband and wife.
“He was my future brother-in-law then. I needed some time to get used to him. How could I consummate before falling for him?”
“When did you start liking him?”
“I don’t really know. But when I was kidnapped by bandits, they were going to give me as a wife to their young master. I thought I might not survive and wished I had been bitten by Pei Huaijin instead…”
Hearing the word “bite” made Shen Yunshu recall the night of the arranged marriage, when Pei Huaian sneaked into the next room to speak to his sister and said, “Just think of it as being bitten by a dog.” Coincidentally, Pei Huaijin and she overheard it.
Pei Huaijin had even asked his brother, “Who’s the dog?”
Shen Yunshu couldn’t help but laugh: “Don’t tell that to elder brother; if he hears it, he’ll be too happy…”
“Sister, what about you and Pei Huaian?” Shen You blinked up at her. “Have you consummated?”
Shen Yunshu had not told her that she had already written the divorce papers. If not for suddenly changing her mind, she would have torn them in front of her, and after that, felt it was still not enough, burning the ashes in the stove before finally feeling at peace.
Now, both of them… recently, Shen Yunshu noticed that her own gaze was tinged with green, obviously thinking about the upcoming marriage night. The two of them were too embarrassed to sleep.
Pei Huaian suddenly hugged her, holding her hands and feet, “I don’t want to consummate…”
“You still have wounds.”
“They’ve already scabbed over and don’t bother me.”
“That won’t do. Consummation could lead to pregnancy, and I have exams next year. I can’t take that risk.”
“Isn’t there Bizi Medicine?”
“Even taking Bizi Medicine can’t guarantee you won’t get pregnant.”
He nuzzled into her neck, whining, “But, Niangzi, I’m about to burst…”
They were at the prime of youth. Shen Yunshu knew this was a tough spot for him but steeled herself, reached out, and grasped the root of his mischief firmly: “You won’t burst…”
Suddenly recalling that, her palm still felt like it was holding a burning iron. Shen Yunshu blushed faintly and said to her sister, “I plan to take the Nuguan exam next year and the Guozijian exam as well, so for now, we want to focus on studying, not get distracted by other matters.”
“That’s good,” Shen You said. She had always known her sister wanted to take the Nuguan exam and was glad the time was near. “Sister, since you’re going back to your maternal home, stay and help manage affairs here. That way, you’ll have more time to study every day. I see that handling household matters is difficult, but soon you’ll be able to take charge alone, and you won’t need to worry about them anymore.”
Seeing how much her sister had grown, Shen Yunshu felt deeply relieved: “There’s no need to rush things. Elder brother is sending you to your maternal home not just to avoid the matron. I suspect Da Li Si will often summon you for questioning. If you stayed at the Pei residence, I’d have to accompany you every time, and too many visits would surely raise suspicion. We worked so hard to protect your reputation; it can’t be all for nothing…”
Indeed, Pei Huaijin had told her that Da Li Si needed her to cooperate more, and staying at the Pei residence would be less free than staying with the Shen family.
“Husband said he might come back in half a month,” Shen You hugged her sister’s waist, pouting, “Sister, I don’t want us to be apart for so long. I’ll miss you…”
Shen Yunshu stroked her head: “If you really want to say that, you should say it to your husband.”
When leaving Ciyou Courtyard, Shen Yunshu handed her sister a sable fur hat to take to their father.
Shen You’s legs were already weak and sore. After walking some distance from the courtyard, she could no longer hold on and tugged on Pei Huaijin’s sleeve: “Carry me.”
Pei Huaijin was more than willing.
She held the hat in one hand and wrapped the other arm around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder and blowing gently into his ear.
The ticklish sensation spread from her ear to her entire body. Pei Huaijin struggled to endure it and weighed her in his arms: “It’s winter; you shouldn’t be teasing me.”
“Huh?” Shen You was puzzled. “I’m not.”
As she spoke, her breath on his ear became even more pronounced.
“Then why are you blowing on my ear?”
“…” Shen You paused before saying carefully, “I’m just… breathing!”
Pei Huaijin stared at her for a moment, a faint blush creeping up his ear: “Sorry, I misunderstood.”
Shen You pressed her head against his and teased, “You’re a scholar, but your mind is always thinking naughty thoughts.”
He defended himself with reason: “Food and sex are human nature. People know shame and are content; that’s not dirty.”
“You always have so many grand principles. Forget it, I guess it’s because I didn’t study enough…”
“If you want to study, it’s not too late now. You can take some books from my study.”
At that, Shen You suddenly remembered what he said last night—that he had books like that in his study: “Great! I’ll take a few of those to read.”
She really wanted to see how his books differed from hers and how he understood so much.
Pei Huaijin took advantage of the position to pinch the soft flesh on her leg: “Not those kinds. You can’t see those yet.”
“Why not?”
“If I’m not here, why would you be reading those?”
“Why can I read them if you’re not here?”
“Those books can arouse desire. If I’m around, and you get those feelings, how will you handle them?”
“I—I would never… be as lustful as you,” Shen You stammered in protest, then thought better of it. “But wait, since you said those books cause desire, have you read them twice? Did you ever get those feelings?”
“The seven emotions and six desires are human instincts. I haven’t escaped them…”
“Then how did you deal with those feelings?”
“Mostly by endurance…”
“Well, I can endure.”
“You? Endure?”
“Don’t underestimate me.”
“It’s not underestimating you but knowing you,” Pei Huaijin stopped and turned to look at the one resting on his shoulder. “If you had half my patience, you wouldn’t have screamed yourself hoarse last night.”
Later, he got what he wanted—watching her blush.
He lifted her higher: “Alright, when I come back, I’ll watch them with you.”
Shen You snorted and turned her face away: “You pervert, nobody wants to watch with you!”
When they arrived at Yunzhi Courtyard, the Bizi Medicine had already been prepared and sent over—a large bowl of thick, bitter medicine. Shen You frowned and drank it down.
Though the medicine was harmful to the body, it was truly hard to swallow. After finishing the bowl, her stomach felt half full, and the bitter taste lingered in her mouth. She barely took a few bites of lunch before setting down her chopsticks.
Pei Huaijin urged her to eat more, but Shen You shook her head and looked at him with plaintive eyes: “It’s really unfair. It’s clearly a matter for two people, but I’m the only one taking the medicine.”
Pei Huaijin knew well that now, having crossed the line, their conjugal relations would only increase or decrease, so relying on her to take the Bizi Medicine alone wasn’t a long-term solution for such a delicate and pampered woman.
“After lunch, we’ll visit Qingjian at the clinic. I’ll ask the Langzhong if there’s a Bizi method that doesn’t require taking medicine, or maybe something the man can take…”
A small dimple appeared at the corner of Shen You’s lips: “That would be better.”
After lunch, Danruo and Qinghe had nearly finished packing their belongings. Pei Huaijin told them to bring his luggage as well, and they set off together.
“Why bring your luggage? Are you staying over tonight?”
“I’ll stay with you at your maternal home tonight. Tomorrow morning, I’ll leave directly from Shen Mansion.”
Though sitting upright and serious at that moment, Shen You was already anticipating what might happen during the night with him, and she shivered silently: “Actually, you don’t have to accompany me…”
“Good girl,” he said with his usual calm tone that somehow made even shocking words sound normal. “If the Langzhong finds a suitable Bizi method, I’ll trouble you tonight…”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.