Xue Shen laughed: "We'll see him when he returns to the capital, but I don't know if my elder brother will be happy to see his brother-in-law."

Shen Youying kissed his chin: "I'll put in a good word for you with my elder brother."

The two talked for a while, and after Shen Youying finished eating, she took a bath and prepared to rest.

Shen Youying first soaked her feet and got into bed. After Xue Shen arrived, she nestled into his arms. Xue Shen held her close, gently and rhythmically stroking her back to lull her to sleep.

Since becoming pregnant, Shen Youying hadn't been sleeping well. After soaking her feet, Xue Shen coaxed her like this, and she quickly fell asleep.

But having learned that Shen Xiuyi was likely still alive, Shen Youying couldn't fall asleep no matter what, tossing and turning in Xue Shen's arms. Sometimes she would gently rub her forehead against his chest, and other times she would turn around, turning her back to Xue Shen and nestling herself into his embrace.

Xue Shen's nightgown, which he had been wearing properly, was rubbed open by her, revealing a large portion of his chest.

Shen Youying was still unaware and turned over again.

Xue Shen, unable to bear it any longer, gritted his teeth and pressed her down, not allowing her to move any further: "Can't you sleep?"

Shen Youying looked at him innocently and nodded: "My elder brother has not been home for a long time and is unaware of the changes at home. He treasures many military books and trinkets in his study and doesn't let the servants touch them. The house in Xuanping Ward was sold in a hurry, and I don't know if the servants have cleaned up those treasures in his study. I have to go back to the house in Xuanping Ward tomorrow to take a look."

She kept talking, her eyes shining in the darkness.

Xue Shen propped himself up on his arms above her, slowly lowered his head and sealed her lips with his, lingering for a while before saying, "We'll talk about tomorrow's matters tomorrow. Get some sleep first, okay?"

Sensing his restraint, Shen Youying curled her toes slightly, kissed his lips in a flattering manner, and pretended to be sleeping obediently, saying, "Mmm."

Xue Shen was satisfied and lay back down, pulling the person into his arms.

Although they can now have sex, Xue Shen doesn't dare to go too far and usually endures it as much as possible.

For example, right now, although he's been provoked, he doesn't really intend to do anything.

As a result, Shen Youying remained quiet in his arms for less than fifteen minutes before snuggling closer, wrapping her soft arms around his waist and hesitantly whispering, "Maybe you shouldn't hold back anymore..."

Xue Shen looked down at her. Taking advantage of the fact that Xue Shen couldn't see her expression because the lamp wasn't lit, Shen Youying suppressed her embarrassment and said, "I really can't sleep..."

Xue Shen's breath hitched, and he tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her forcefully into his arms: "Are you that happy?"

Shen Youying nodded.

A subtle pang of sadness welled up in Xue Shen's heart. He turned her around, facing upwards, so that Shen Youying lay on top of him.

She gently bit Shen Youying's earlobe and said, "If Zhaozhao wants to, then take the initiative."

Shen Youying's breath was hot, and her cheeks were burning hot. She rested her head on Xue Shen's strong and sturdy chest and quietly used the back of her hand to cool down her burning cheeks: "I'll do it, I'll do it."

Taking advantage of the fact that the lights were off, she propped herself up on her arms and awkwardly but boldly kissed him.

Xue Shen's breathing became slightly heavy as he looked down at her haphazard kisses, which resembled a playful little animal nuzzling against his chest.

After kissing for a while, Shen Youying went to untie the ties of her nightgown, but the night was too dark. She fumbled around to untie them, and instead of untying them, she tied the ties into a knot.

Realizing this, Shen Youying paused for a moment, then complained, "I can't untie it."

Xue Shen chuckled softly, sat up, and supported her, letting her sit on his lap. He said in a hoarse voice, "Did you do that on purpose?"

Shen Youying bit him, and Xue Shen hissed as he easily tore the knotted sash off his clothes...

That night, Shen Youying fell into a deep sleep as she had wished.

Xue Shen was afraid of hurting her, so he was much gentler in this matter than before, but gentle as he was, he used a different kind of tormenting method.

Shen Youying was finally driven to the brink of despair and cried until her voice became hoarse before Xue Shen finally let her go.

Finally, Shen Youying was so tired that she didn't even want to move her fingers. Xue Shen brought her water to wash her up, but when he changed her into her nightgown, she was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open. By the time Xue Shen returned with the water, she had already fallen into a deep sleep, clutching his clothes.

Seeing that she was still holding his clothes even in her sleep, Xue Shen's previous subtle sourness dissipated.

Carefully pulling out the clothes, Xue Shen extinguished the lamp, got into bed, and contentedly pulled the person into his arms.

*

The next day, Shen Youying hadn't forgotten what she'd said the night before; she wanted to go and check on the house in Xuanping Ward.

When they moved out, they took everything they could. The later buyer never lived in the house, and now it has changed hands again and been bought back, with the furnishings exactly the same as before.

However, due to the long period of vacancy, it has inevitably become somewhat dilapidated, and many parts need to be repaired.

Shen Youying and her maid got off the carriage and couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion when they saw the mansion without a plaque.

Looking at the house filled with memories, she smiled and said to Danzhu Bailuo, "When Father sold this house, I really thought I would never come back."

Bai Luo said playfully, "Now that they've all returned, it means you're a lucky girl."

Shen Youying smiled, then lifted her skirt and went inside to see.

Aside from the old servants who looked after the house, only the repairmen came and went in the mansion. Upon seeing their master arrive, they quickly stopped their work to greet him. Shen Youying had Danzhu give her a reward and told the repairmen to go about their business before heading to Shen Xiuyi's courtyard.

Shen Xiuyi's courtyard was already half empty, with only the cypress tree he had personally tended remaining.

Shen Youying walked around the cypress tree a few times and found an inconspicuous mark. She asked Danzhu to borrow some tools and opened the hidden compartment in the tree trunk.

The tree hollow contained some small trinkets like the nine-linked Luban lock, as well as hairpins and jewelry that Shen Youying had never seen before.

The tree hole originally belonged to a diseased cypress tree that was about to be cut down and replanted. However, the eldest brother took care of it himself, and the cypress tree miraculously came back to life. But the remaining tree hole was not very aesthetically pleasing, so the eldest brother made a realistic-looking cover, turning the tree hole into a hidden compartment where he could hide things.

Sometimes the older brother would put some small trinkets inside, so that Shen Youying could take them out herself when she remembered.

This was a tacit understanding that the brother and sister had cultivated over a long period of time. However, after the news of Shen Xiuyi's accident came, the Shen family also encountered trouble. Shen Youying then lost the mood to dig into the tree hole.

Unexpectedly, the older brother had put another hairpin inside without anyone noticing.

Shen Youying looked at the jewelry box in her hand, which had become dusty and worn from being left there for too long, and her eyes couldn't help but redden.

Danzhu and Bailuo looked at her with concern, their expressions showing that they wanted to advise her but didn't know how.

Shen Youying, however, quickly laughed again. She handed the jewelry box to Danzhu and carefully restored the tree hole.

When my older brother comes back, we can put more things inside.