Chapter 4004: Let me serve you well.

Unlike the open, shared earthen beds in their rooms, the mistress's bed was draped with an exquisite double curtain. The inner layer was made of dark, thick cloth to block out light and wind, while the outer layer was made of light-colored gauze for decorative purposes.

Because the mistress had not yet gone to sleep, the maid did not lower the bed curtains when she went out. Now, the two layers of curtains were held up by the gold hooks at the head and foot of the bed, revealing the mistress's large and sturdy bed.

Li Yue'er secretly felt the underside of the master's bed with her palm. There were at least three layers of thick mattresses under the bed, which were incredibly soft. Even without the heating, one wouldn't feel cold lying naked on them.

Because the mistress had only been married for a few days, the bedding and pillows on the bed were all bright red, with patterns of mandarin ducks playing in the water.

If the master hadn't run away, she wouldn't have had the chance to kneel at the foot of this wedding bed today.

Li Yue'er lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the back of her hand where blue veins were visible.

The bed was definitely not cold, but she felt a bit chilly kneeling on it while wearing light clothing.

Li Yue'er pulled down her sleeves, gripped the sleeves tightly with both hands and pressed them against her legs, trying to warm herself up.

Li Yue'er's heart was in her throat for as long as the mistress sat outside, so much so that she was somewhat dazed when the other woman came in.

It wasn't until she met the mistress's eyes that Li Yue'er snapped back to reality.

She straightened her back without making a sound, revealing her graceful posture, and while lowering her head and eyes, she made herself appear less humble.

But the other person's gaze merely swept over her lightly, without lingering for even a moment.

Li Yue'er's face felt hot, as if it had been roasted by the flickering flame of the oil lamp by her bedside, and it stung slightly.

The mistress passed by her, turned around and sat on the bed, and said in a low voice, "Lower the bed curtains."

Li Yue'er got up and obediently did as the other party instructed.

But when she raised her arm to take off the golden hook, her hand trembled uncontrollably. For a moment, she couldn't tell whether she was shivering from the cold because she had been kneeling for too long, or from the nervousness that made her whole body tremble.

The other party was so calm and composed that Li Yue'er, who was doing this for the first time, became increasingly flustered.

It wasn't until she untied her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and climbed onto the bed that the mistress subconsciously lowered her eyes.

For some reason, the other person's lowered eyes eased Li Yue'er's anxiety.

It seems I'm not the only one experiencing this for the first time.

The mistress, though inexperienced, wasn't a completely unresponsive stone, so she wasn't so panicked.

Li Yue'er even suspected that the mistress had been sitting outside for a long time not to deliberately humiliate her, but simply to compose herself so that she could sit in front of her with a cold face that didn't show any emotion.

She took off her thin outer garment and untied the straps around her chest. The loose ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) was no longer restrictive and slid off her body, piling up at her feet, revealing a light pink tube top and faded four-corner panties underneath.

When Li Yue'er quietly knelt on the bed, the mistress was already lying down in the dimly lit bed curtains.

She lay on the outside of the bed, not near the edge, but the space left for Li Yue'er was too narrow for another person to lie down.

Li Yue'er braced herself on the soft mattress, and without thinking, lifted her leg and stepped over the mistress's waist, kneeling on either side of her body.

Her action startled the two of them.

Which servant would dare to step over his master!

Qu Rong raised her eyes and frowned, her mouth opening and closing again.

Li Yue'er pretended not to notice her expression, and quickly leaned down, her soft body half-pressing against the mistress. She braced herself to divert the other's attention, pretending to be an expert, and said in a high-pitched voice, "Let me serve you well."

Qu Rong, "..."

The mistress shut her mouth completely, and even closed her eyes.

Li Yue'er quietly bit her lip and breathed a sigh of relief.

The oil lamp outside was still lit, but the light was dim. With the double bed curtains drawn, the light that could get in was even weaker, and even if you tried hard to see, you couldn't make out the expression on the other person's face.

The dim environment draped Li Yue'er in a thick veil that concealed her dignity, allowing her to abandon her pride and face, lie prostrate on her mistress, and with trembling eyelashes, take the initiative to kiss her mistress's neck.

Being so close, Li Yue'er could faintly smell the delicate fragrance of cold plum blossoms emanating from her mistress.

Cool lips pressed against burning skin, and both of them paused in their breathing.

Li Yue'er's mind was filled with the next steps taught in the book, and she was focused on the techniques to "serve" her mistress well and please her. As a result, she did not notice that her mistress's body stiffened slightly and her breathing became disordered.

Li Yue'er came after washing herself clean.

To make a good impression on the mistress, she took advantage of the sunshine in the afternoon to wash her hair thoroughly with warm water infused with osmanthus flowers, and carefully wiped her body.

But the mistress had clearly just finished washing up not long ago; the warm steam still lingered on her skin beneath her cotton nightgown, mixed with the faint scent of cold plum blossoms, making one feel intoxicated.

Qu Rong didn't know what Li Yue'er was thinking, but her sudden closeness with someone made her slightly lose her composure, her brows furrowing tightly.

Especially when those slightly cool lips touched her chest where her heart was beating, the contrast of hot and cold caused Qu Rong's eyelids to tremble slightly, and she subconsciously bent her left leg, wanting to raise her hand to push the other person away.

Before she could even resist, the other person had to step onto the bed and grasp her bent leg's ankle with their five fingers.

Qu Rong, "..."

The plain white cotton skirt bunched up on Li Yue'er's forearms, her palms slid up her shinbones, over her knees, and down again.

When Li Yue'er lowered her head and lightly brushed her nose against her mistress's collarbone, she was distracted by the smoothness and heat of her mistress's skin. Almost instinctively, she pressed herself against her mistress's furnace-like body, clinging to her cool self.

Beneath her was a soft mattress, and beside her was her warm, loving mistress. Li Yue'er slowly relaxed.

Her skills were naive and clumsy, but unfortunately, the mistress clearly didn't understand either.

Neither of them spoke, and they continued, stumbling along.

The only thing that made Qu Rong feel noticeably uncomfortable was—

...Her hands were too cold.

Even with the wetness inside, the strange, unfamiliar feeling of the foreign object and the cold touch made Qu Rong want to kick her off the bed.

But Qu Rong's rationality and the uncontrollable burning sensation on her cheekbones told her that now was not a good time to open both mouths at the same time.

She held back.

After her icy fingers were soaked in warm water, the initial chill disappeared, and Li Yue'er felt that her hands were much more flexible than before.

Despite her cold exterior, the mistress's skin was actually warm, and her other mouth gave a much more honest and enthusiastic response than the one above.

Li Yue'er secretly glanced at the other person's expression.

Unfortunately, the light inside the bed curtains was too dim, and she couldn't see the mistress's expression at all. She could only feel that the other woman was holding her skirt, which was bunched up at her waist, and gripping it tightly.

The other party didn't show any signs of panting, nor did he utter a single word throughout the entire process. Li Yue'er was filled with anxiety, fearing that she hadn't satisfied him.

So, after the encounter, noticing that her mistress had loosened her grip on the hem of her skirt, she tentatively untied the mistress's half-closed bodice and boldly tore off her bodice...

It took about an hour in total, because when Li Yue'er crawled out of the bed curtains and bent down to pick up her clothes, she glanced at the oil lamp out of the corner of her eye and estimated the time by the length of the wick.

She didn't know if the mistress was satisfied with her or not; she only knew that after the other woman's breathing became disordered and short and rapid, she was silent for a moment, and then said in a fit of anger and embarrassment, "Enough, get out."

Li Yue'er, "..."

As Li Yue'er bent down to tie the straps around her neck, she was so annoyed that she wanted to slap herself twice.

She was too eager to "show off," and without experience, she seemed to have lost her temper and hurt the mistress.

It's all because of this clumsy mouth.

When Li Yue'er bit her lip, she seemed to be able to faintly smell the lingering scent on her lips. It was a scent she had never smelled before, strange in a way that she couldn't describe, but it wasn't disgusting or repulsive. She even wanted to smell it more carefully and perceive it more thoroughly.

Li Yue'er's body was still warm, but her clothes were icy cold, and she gradually grew cold as well.

She dressed and stood awkwardly and nervously in front of the bed curtains, clutching her skirt with both hands, wanting to open her mouth but unable to.

The bed curtains were tightly closed, and there was no reaction. The light in Li Yue'er's eyes slowly dimmed.

The chill seeped through her thin outer garment onto her arms, seeping into her internal organs along her skin, leaving her mind a complete mess, unsure of what to do next.

The rustling sounds outside the tent subsided, and Qu Rong's unusually hot face calmed down. Ignoring the strange feeling on her body, she pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, frowned, took off her nightgown, and with a long arm, threw it onto Li Yue'er.

Qu Rong said, "Take it back and wash it clean."

Li Yue'er caught a glimpse of that pale, cold-skinned forearm stretching out and then retracting, and slowly picked up the nightgown in her arms, blinking her eyes gently.

The dress was stained and smelled strongly of the mistress.

The fact that the nightgown wasn't thrown away but instead given to her to take home and wash suggests that the mistress was satisfied with her service earlier.

Li Yue'er couldn't tell whether she was sad or happy. Holding her skirt, she curtsied and said, "Yes."

Hearing her slow footsteps as she left, Qu Rong pulled the blanket over herself and closed her eyes slightly.

She could easily close her eyelids, but it was difficult for her mind to calm down. As a result, she felt that something was still wrong when the light in front of her dimmed.

About fifteen minutes later, Dansha gently knocked on the door, "Mistress, would you like some hot water prepared?"

Qu Rong: "Hmm, I want to take a bath."

Unlike the mistress, Li Yue'er didn't have the opportunity to take a bath after returning home.

She could only carry the basin to the washroom, mix hot and cold water, wipe herself clean from the mud and discomfort, and then change the water and basin to wash the mistress's clothes.

The moonlight was bright. Li Yue'er squatted on the ground by the well in the courtyard, propped up her hands, lifted her skirt and looked carefully to see where it was not yet clean.

Perhaps because she had been staring at it for so long, she became somewhat dazed and couldn't help but think that clothes could be washed clean and dried and restored to their original condition, but what about her?

The path you choose is your own; dwelling on it further inevitably seems pretentious.

Li Yue'er took a deep breath and focused on washing and drying the clothes before pushing open the door to enter the house.

The dimly lit room was slowly illuminated by the faint glow of an oil lamp.

Li Yue'er's heart tightened, and when she looked up, she saw Xu Xinmei sitting in front of the dressing table with her arms crossed.

Xu Xinmei gave her a cold look, her gaze sweeping over her from head to toe. As if she had something on her, she raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "Where did you go?"

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Moon: I cooked three dishes and a soup for the mistress. Is there a problem?

Xu Xinmei: Mistress, you greedy little girl, are you still eating midnight snacks so late?

Mistress: ...