Shen Youran clumsily escaped from him, her face flushed deep red, and buried herself under the quilt.
The quilt shifted, then half of it was pulled away by him.
The side of the bed dipped slightly as he lay down again.
“You—you said you’d be leaving late, so why aren’t you gone yet?” she asked awkwardly from beneath the covers.
“I’ll leave soon.”
“Can’t you leave now?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I’m waiting for it to calm down.”
The door.
Pei Huaijin glanced at the mound under the quilt beside him and reached out to pat it.
“Don’t you find it stuffy? Come out.”
“No.”
Embarrassed beyond words, she dared not come out and only dared to secretly lift the quilt just enough to avoid suffocating herself.
After about fifteen minutes, the movement finally ceased.
Pei Huaijin brushed aside the curtains and got out of bed.
He went to the wardrobe to get dressed, then asked her, “Aren’t you getting up to have breakfast with me?”
“No, I want to sleep a little longer…”
Pei Huaijin smiled helplessly.
Who was it that insisted on waking early to have breakfast with him while gnawing on biscuits in the carriage earlier?
Well, since last night had left her with little rest, it was fine to let her sleep in a bit today.
By the time he was dressed, it was already late, so morning exercise was out of the question.
Pei Huaijin barely touched his breakfast before ordering his cloak and preparing to leave.
Qingjian was waiting in the courtyard.
When he came out, Qingjian handed over a stack of account books, saying they were sent by the people of Chunxuan Hall.
Pei Huaijin glanced at them and immediately understood his grandmother’s meaning.
“You don’t need to go out with me today. When the young mistress wakes up, give her these account books. Tell her to start with two of them today, and you supervise her—don’t let her slack off.”
“Yes.”
Qingjian took the books and left.
After watching his master leave the yard, he turned to glance toward the main residence.
Pei Huaijin had just said that once the young mistress woke up, he would have her read the account books.
At this hour, the young mistress still wasn’t awake?
When Shen Yunshu arrived at Xiangguo Si, the morning mist had yet to fully lift.
Thin fog drifted over the treetops, pine needles glistened with silver frost, swaying gently in the breeze.
She spotted Pei Huaian’s carriage at the foot of the mountain—just as she had suspected, he had come to the temple again.
It was said that those spoiled sons of noble families liked to frequent the pleasure quarters and entertainment districts, but he—he came to the temple every day, even staying there.
When Shen Yunshu found Pei Huaian, he was limping out of the monks’ quarters.
His foot was still injured, but that didn’t stop him from running away as soon as he saw her.
Shen Yunshu lifted her skirt to give chase, pursuing him from the quarters to the dining hall, then through the backyard to the back mountain.
He limped swiftly and soon vanished into the forest.
Unable to find him, she feigned a fall, then called out to Tinglan, “Tinglan, come quickly, I’ve been—”
Tinglan didn’t come, but the restless, naive youth appeared instead.
“Where did it bite you?”
Shen Yunshu grabbed his hand tightly, holding on, “I was lying to you. You’re not allowed to run anymore.”
“You…”
Pei Huaian was caught, so even if he wanted to escape, he couldn’t.
He said, “You get up first.”
Pei Huaian helped her to her feet and tried to pull his hand back, but she not only didn’t release it, she grabbed his other hand as well.
He looked at his hand caught in hers, unease flickering across his face.
“I won’t run anymore, but you let me go first.”
She wouldn’t let go and asked, “Your foot’s still injured. Why are you running?”
Pei Huaian instinctively glanced at her neck.
Her fair and delicate neck was spotless; the red mark he left on her in the carriage had completely disappeared.
“I…I have no face to face you after what I did.”
They had agreed to only be a façade of husband and wife, treating each other as siblings in private, yet he had taken advantage of her while drunk and even grabbed her hand to—
Thinking of that made Pei Huaian wish he could bury himself underground in shame.
He had been hiding in the temple these past few days, afraid to return home.
He planned to leave with Father to Quanzhou soon so he wouldn’t have to face her again.
He didn’t expect her to come find him at the temple.
“That day’s incident wasn’t your fault.”
Shen Yunshu knew why he was avoiding her and had already prepared what to say before coming to see him.
“Actually, there was something wrong with the wine that day. I sent someone to check with the Lu Family; the servant had mistakenly brought a jar of Yishen Buyang Wine. You’re young and hot-blooded and drank too much, so it happened…”
She could tell Pei Huaijin the truth because she trusted his maturity and reliability.
He could help deal with Lu Yi and keep it secret, but she dared not tell Pei Huaian, as he was impulsive and reckless, and if he found out, things might spiral out of control.
“So that’s how it is.”
Pei Huaian took a deep breath and murmured, “That’s why I only dared to dream about it before…”
“Hm?”
Pei Huaian hurriedly stopped, shyly avoiding her gaze.
Then he suddenly remembered something, “I noticed that day you drank more than me…so did he…”
Shen Yunshu couldn’t make up a story about Pei Huaijin, but she had to cover the lie.
She vaguely said, “That day, big brother’s lips were all cracked…”
Pei Huaian felt much better hearing that—if even the dignified and aloof big brother lost control, it was only natural that he, as the younger brother, couldn’t hold himself back either.
“So you really don’t blame me for being presumptuous?”
“Since I know it wasn’t your intention, of course not.”
Seeing his relieved expression, Shen Yunshu loosened her grip.
“Now, will you come back with me?”
His hand suddenly felt lighter.
He looked down and saw she had withdrawn her hands.
He had refused to be held just now, but now that she really let go, he felt a bit lost.
“Then let’s go back.”
He had had enough of temple vegetarian food these days and longed for hearty dishes outside.
“Your foot is still injured. Do you need me to support you?”
Shen Yunshu asked kindly.
Pei Huaian moved his injured foot.
When he fled earlier, he had ignored the pain, but now that she mentioned it, it hurt badly—the scarred wound seemed to have cracked open.
He wanted her support deep down, but as a man, he wouldn’t admit it—asking for help over such a small injury might make her look down on him.
“No need.”
He feigned ease.
“Then I’ll walk with you slowly.”
Matching his steps, she walked beside him.
Pei Huaian limped awkwardly but kept sneaking glances at the calm, gentle person beside him, eyes carrying a trace of grievance: “He said no help needed, but if she helped, he’d walk faster—he was just being polite.”
The proud boy deliberately exaggerated his limp, inching closer little by little.
As his sleeve brushed against her hand, it tickled.
Somewhere in her heart, it felt ticklish too.
Shen Yunshu kept her eyes forward but secretly suppressed a smile: he clearly wasn’t limping this badly before; he wanted her help but was too shy to ask.
She pretended not to see and wanted to see how long he could keep it up.
Pei Huaian limped more and more severely, and when she still ignored him, he became frustrated and finally said, “I think…if you hold me, I’d walk faster…”
Shen Yunshu couldn’t help but look at him, amused.
The boy’s face was awkward and aggrieved, but his clear eyes were full of hope as he looked at her eagerly.
No one could resist the coaxing of someone so good-looking.
“All right.”
Shen Yunshu scratched his chin like teasing a kitten or puppy.
“Call me ‘sister’ and I’ll hold you.”
The boy moved his lips and after a while squeezed out, “Sister…”
“Say it again.”
“Sister.”
“Sister, sister, sister…”
Shen Yunshu laughed and linked her arm with his.
Only after the carriage had driven some distance did Shen Yunshu reveal the real reason she came to find him.
“Your brother said you should focus on studying at home from now on, and that I should supervise you…”
Hearing this, Pei Huaian immediately lost his earlier obedience in the back mountain.
He jumped up, ready to jump out of the carriage.
“Why suddenly make me study? I’m not going back!”
Shen Yunshu grabbed him.
“Studying isn’t a bad thing. Don’t resist…”
Pei Huaian started arguing over old grievances.
“But you told me before we’d only pretend to be married. You wouldn’t push me to improve…”
Shen Yunshu remembered the promise, but she couldn’t refuse Pei Huaijin’s request.
“It’s not that I don’t want to keep the promise. Your brother said he already discussed it with your father. You’re not only to study but a year from now must take the exam for Shuyuan or Guozijian…”
“Father agreed?”
Pei Huaian was shocked.
“Father never said that before. It must be big brother’s idea…”
He thought furiously for a moment and concluded that big brother must have made this plan to keep him away from Shen Youran.
Big brother was too petty, thinking of him as a villain.
He had accepted Shen Youran as his sister-in-law and would restrain himself from having any improper thoughts.
“I’ll talk to big brother myself…”
The late autumn sun had lost the summer’s scorching heat, and only by noon did it gently spread warmth.
Just before lunch, Qingjian came again with the account books to find Danruo, asking, “Has the young mistress woken yet?”
Before the marriage, he never would have imagined his strict master would marry a young mistress who could sleep until the sun was high.
This morning before leaving, he was told to hand over the account books to the young mistress and that she should finish two today.
But now, so late, if she didn’t get up soon, she wouldn’t even finish one.
Danruo knew the young mistress loved to sleep, but rarely till noon.
What was wrong today?
She wanted to check inside.
Just then, the young mistress’s lazy voice came from the room, “Danruo…”
Danruo hurried in and saw her leaning sleepily against the bedpost.
She looked fine, so Danruo relaxed.
After helping her dress and freshen up, and having lunch brought in, Shen Youran collapsed back onto the bed.
Danruo hurried to pull her up.
“You’ve slept till noon already, why do you want to sleep again?”
Shen Youran leaned on her, “My foot’s still injured. I can’t go anywhere. If I don’t sleep, what else can I do?”
How could one morning make up for the sleep lost last night?
“Young mistress, please get up. Qingjian has come several times with the account books. He said langjun instructed it’s important you finish reading today.”
“What account books?”
“Not sure, but I heard they’re from Chunxuan Hall.”
Chunxuan Hall?
The Grand Madam?
Shen Youran suddenly sobered: just a few days after the wedding and already they wanted her to learn the account books?
Was she really going to be this eldest grandson’s wife in charge of the household?
Why make a capable and virtuous older sister sit idle and force her, a dunce, to learn household management?
Wasn’t that asking too much?
Yet, no matter how unwilling she was, Shen Youran dared not speak against the elders behind their backs.
“Where are the account books? Let me see them…”
Isn’t it just reading account books?
Sitting or lying down is reading, reading with a pillow is also reading.
“They’re with Qingjian. He said he’d deliver them personally.”
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