Accompanying my sister-in-law on her homecoming trip

Lee Soo-man smelled a faint scent of alcohol on Zhang Chunfeng and wondered, "Zhang Chunfeng actually drinks alcohol?"

Just as he was about to speak, he noticed Zhang Chunfeng staring intently at his collar.

It turned out that he had changed his clothes in the dark inside the house, but his collar was not properly closed and was a bit too open. His hair was also wet, and water was dripping from his neck to his collarbone.

Lee Soo-man immediately realized that he looked far too unkempt.

Zhang Chunfeng pulled out a handkerchief, "What's the rush? You'll catch a cold if you stay indoors in the wind."

Without waiting for Li Xiuman to take it, Zhang Chunfeng shoved the handkerchief directly into Li Xiuman's hand and walked away.

Li Xiuman stood there for a moment, clutching her handkerchief. Then, belatedly, she realized that Zhang Chunfeng hadn't called her "sister-in-law" when she spoke to him.

He hid the handkerchief, went inside, and listened to Li Shi explain the etiquette for returning to his parents' home.

Once back in his room, Li Xiuman opened the handkerchief that Zhang Chunfeng had thrown at him.

Made of brocade and embroidered with a golden phoenix holding a pearl, neither the brocade fabric nor the embroidery on the handkerchief was cheap. How could he dare use such a handkerchief to dry his hair?

Li Xiuman pondered that since he didn't need it, he should return it to Zhang Chunfeng tomorrow.

The next day, Li Xiuman rode in a sedan chair again, with Zhang Chunfeng riding a horse in front, and the group headed to Aunt Liu's house. This time, the sedan chair was not as extravagant and flamboyant as the one used for the wedding. No one was watching Li Xiuman or allowing her to look out of the sedan chair, etc.

Li only hired four sedan chair bearers, and paid them for one trip. All the belongings were placed inside the sedan chair, and Li Xiuman guarded it. Once the two arrived at Aunt Liu's house, the four sedan chair bearers could leave. Anyway, when Li Xiuman and Zhang Chunfeng returned in the evening, it would be dark and no one would be around, so there was no need for a grand display.

Perhaps Li had been too stingy with the money she paid the sedan chair bearers, because these four bearers seemed to lack the skill to use their strength. During the wedding, the sedan chair didn't sway at all, but now it was bouncing around so much that Li Xiuman had to brace herself with both hands to keep her balance.

Every time the sedan chair swayed, he could knock on Zhang Chunfeng, who was sitting on a tall horse, through the open curtain.

On their wedding day, he didn't see Zhang Chunfeng at all because she was covered by a veil. Now, looking at her again, he inexplicably wondered if Zhang Chunfeng had grown taller again.

When he carried her on his back in the fields during the rain, Lee Soo-man only thought of her as a little girl.

Looking at Zhang Chunfeng from inside the sedan chair today, he was indeed tall and slender, his long legs, clad in embroidered gold boots, straddling a tall horse steadily. His black hair was all tied up with a hair crown because of the heat, and his back, dressed in a light blue robe, was straight. For some reason, it gave him a feeling that wherever Zhang Chunfeng walked, he would feel at peace.

Originally, Li Xiuman thought the sedan chair was bumpy, but because of Zhang Chunfeng's back, a terrible thought arose in his mind: it's good that the sedan chair is a little bumpy.

Time flew by, and in no time, the group arrived at Aunt Liu's house.

Aunt Liu is in her forties this year. When she saw Zhang Chunfeng arrive, and then looked at his face, she felt uneasy. Li had clearly said that she was getting a wife for Zhang Chuntian.

Why is it that all the people who came to pick up the bride and those who came to visit the bride's family are Zhang Chunfeng?

Could it actually be a marriage proposal for Zhang Chunfeng? Aunt Liu wondered, just as she saw Zhang Chunfeng dismount and help Li Xiuman out of the sedan chair, Li Xiuman blushing uncomfortably.

Let alone getting out of the sedan chair, Li Xiuman could even carry it himself; he didn't need Zhang Chunfeng's help at all. Zhang Chunfeng was treating him like a little wife, which made him blush.

But when Aunt Liu saw this blush, she immediately concluded that Li Xiuman had indeed married Zhang Chunfeng, and that she must have made a mistake back then.

Marrying Zhang Chunfeng would be great. If he becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination, it would be like I've arranged a marriage for him.

Aunt Liu greeted the two with a big smile, and her smile widened even more when she saw the gifts they had brought back.

Aunt Liu took Li Xiuman's hand affectionately, "Man'er, how are you getting along with your husband?"

"Look how handsome Chunfeng is, we must take good care of him."

Aunt Liu's two sentences made Li Xiuman blush as if she had been scalded by hot water, her face turning red all the way to the roots of her neck.

Aunt Liu didn't notice anything amiss. Several times when Li Xiuman was about to say that Zhang Chunfeng was not her husband, Aunt Liu interrupted her.

Lee Soo-man glanced at Zhang Chunfeng sheepishly, worried that the other might misunderstand him for not explaining himself and wondering if he had ulterior motives.

Zhang Chunfeng, however, remained calm and composed, his gaze sweeping over Aunt Liu's small courtyard before looking at its furnishings.

Aunt Liu's family has three sons and one daughter. Her daughter married and moved to another village early on, while her three sons are lucky enough to have all bought houses in Ancheng, so the family is considered complete.

The only drawback was that her son and daughter each had their own families and rarely visited Aunt Liu, who preferred the quiet of the village. However, living alone meant she couldn't always manage everything, from chopping wood and farming to raising chickens. Li Xiuman, being kind-hearted, always helped her, and over time, Liu Shenzi began to treat Li Xiuman like a son.

Today was the day of the bride's return visit to her parents' home. Only Aunt Liu's daughter came back to help with the cooking. Li Xiuman had only been sitting in the house for a short while when she went to the kitchen to help with the cooking.

Although Aunt Liu tried to stop her, Li Xiuman insisted that the meals for four people should not be prepared by Aunt Liu's daughter alone.

Once he left, only Aunt Liu and Zhang Chunfeng remained in the house.

“Auntie is lucky, unlike Xiuman’s adoptive mother, who died young from illness,” Zhang Chunfeng said.

Aunt Liu chuckled, "I'm a very easygoing person, I can take everything in stride. Look at my sons, they all got married and forgot their mother, and I didn't make a fuss. But Shen Shi is different. She was just abandoned, yet she acted like she was going to die."

"Oh? Who abandoned you?"

"Xiuman didn't tell you? He must be embarrassed too. Although Shen didn't give birth to him, she still raised him. Although Shen came from a poor background and was a flirtatious woman in Zuixianlou, she later met Manager Chen, who ran a tavern at the west end of the city. The braised beef at that tavern is excellent. Have you ever tried it?"

Zhang Chunfeng raised an eyebrow, finding it amusing. She had happened to have been to both Zuixianlou and Manager Chen.

"I know, but it was a restaurant I ate there years ago. That restaurant seems to have closed down a few years ago?"

Aunt Liu slapped her thigh, "It's gone out of business. This Shen family is just unlucky. It's really good that a girl from a brothel can marry the manager of a restaurant. Who would have thought that after the marriage, she would find out that this Manager Chen is..."

Aunt Liu lowered her voice, as if revealing a shocking secret, "She's completely devoted to her widowed sister-in-law!"

"Cough cough!" Zhang Chunfeng coughed up some fragrant tea, a smile on his face, but his heart was pounding. What a coincidence!

"Right? This is so against the natural order, it's absolutely terrifying. But that widowed sister-in-law couldn't have children, and seeing that Shen was beautiful, she married her to have a child. A year after Shen entered the mansion, she gave birth to a boy named Yaozu, who was immediately given to the widowed sister-in-law to raise. Shen's body was ruined by this childbirth, and she couldn't have any more children. Three years later, she was kicked out of the mansion."

"After losing her support, Madam Shen bought Man'er, who had died at the age of four, thinking that she would have someone to take care of her in her old age. But she still wanted to see her child in the Chen family and often went to Chen's shopkeeper to make trouble. Every time she was kicked out, she became sick from being bored."

"However, Manager Chen's act of such moral depravity was bound to be punished by heaven! Coincidentally, two years ago, someone died in Manager Chen's restaurant! Business suddenly stopped. After Manager Chen died, he had no money, so Yaozu came to Shen again to ask for money. Shen had no money. She was sick and Man'er worked to earn money for her medicine. Even so, Shen still secretly gave Yaozu money behind Man'er's back."

Aunt Liu sighed, "Poor Man'er knows nothing. If she doesn't bring money home every day, Shen will nag her. Especially in the last few months, Shen was so sick that she became delirious. If she couldn't see the money, she would hit Man'er. She has no idea that Man'er worked in the fields, carried bricks in town, and did laundry and sewing for others to earn money. She did the work of several people. She gave the money to Shen, Shen gave it to Yaozu, and Yaozu would gamble it all away."

"To be honest, it would be a blessing for Man'er if her foster mother passed away sooner," Aunt Liu said without any hesitation.

Zhang Chunfeng nodded knowingly. He had thought about Li Xiuman's hardships, but he hadn't imagined that Li Xiuman's life would be so miserable. Many families are poor, but at least they can be together. However, he didn't know who his biological parents were, and his adoptive mother only cared about her own child, treating Li Xiuman like a blood donation bag.

"Yes, Auntie is right."

"Fortunately, Man'er's hard times are over now. From now on, Chunfeng and Man'er must live happily ever after," Aunt Liu said with a smile. Li Xiuman happened to be carrying food into the room when she heard Aunt Liu's words, and immediately blushed again.

At the dinner table, Zhang Chunfeng ate politely and spoke slowly and deliberately, which pleased Aunt Liu.

They had just finished their meal when Aunt Liu called Li Xiuman into the house for a talk.

Aunt Liu closed the doors and windows, looking all mysterious.

After she had Lee Soo-man sit down on the edge of the bed, she rummaged through the drawer for a long time and found a picture book.

“Man’er, you were in such a hurry to get married back then, so the matchmaker should have taught you all these things. But the matchmaker was just found on the spot, so I’m afraid she didn’t tell you how to serve Chunfeng.”

Lee Soo-man's face, which had been flushed for almost the entire morning, was now burning hot.

Serving Zhang Chunfeng?

He muttered to himself, wanting to say that Zhang Chunfeng was not his husband, but Aunt Liu interrupted him.

"Don't tell your aunt that she doesn't need to be served. Zhang Chunfeng is over sixteen and has matured a long time ago. However, most women who marry men do not do so for the sake of physical intimacy, but for other reasons."

Aunt Liu handed the picture album to Li Xiuman.

“Your auntie worked as a matchmaker for ten years in her younger days. She only stopped because she got older. The matchmaker didn’t tell you, but your auntie will.”

Li Xiuman could barely breathe, holding the album in her hands as if it were a hot potato. Under Aunt Liu's eager gaze, Li Xiuman opened the album with trembling fingers.

With just one glance, his heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest.

The picture book features two small figures, the one clearly male, who is either lying face down, kneeling on the ground, or lying with his legs spread wide, allowing the woman to fit him into her body.

Lee Soo-man's hands trembled violently as he slammed the album shut. His throat was extremely dry, and his face was flushed as if it were about to bleed.

He had no intention of watching any more.

Aunt Liu took the picture book from his hand.

"Man'er, don't be shy. There's a long road ahead for this marriage. You may be shy now that you're newly married, but think about three to five years from now. If Zhang Chunfeng has tasted your flavor too much, and you can't come up with any other tricks, what will you do if she wants to try something different?"

Aunt Liu reopened the picture album, sat down next to Li Xiuman, and gently advised, "Zhang Chunfeng is ten years younger than you after all. You don't feel it now, but what if ten years from now, she's twenty-six and in her prime, while you're thirty-six? Don't think learning this stuff is lowly. It's just for the sake of marital fun. Marriage always needs to be managed. It's a good thing if you manage it a little more. There's nothing shameful about it."

His words were truly from the bottom of his heart, and Lee Soo-man could no longer refuse, so he turned his attention back to the picture album.

Aunt Liu explained each picture one by one, and Li Xiuman gripped her robe tightly to keep her fingers from trembling too much, trying her best to listen to Aunt Liu.

After a short while, Aunt Liu put away the picture album. Li Xiuman got out of bed and belatedly realized that his back was covered in sweat. He was so nervous.

Just before leaving, Aunt Liu suddenly took out some ointment from the drawer.

"This was given to me by a wealthy family in the city when I was a matchmaker many years ago. You should keep it. Be careful in that area. It will hurt a bit the first time, but you can apply some to relieve it."

Li Xiuman bit her lip, letting Aunt Liu stuff the plaster into her bosom, and left the house like a zombie.

After saying goodbye to Aunt Liu, the two were about to visit Li Xiuman's family home.

Li Xiuman's family home was said to be next to Aunt Liu's, but it was actually to the side and behind. Because the house was so small, it was completely blocked by Aunt Liu's house, and Zhang Chunfeng didn't see it at all during the wedding procession.

It's only a few steps from Aunt Liu's house to Li Xiuman's ancestral home.

Zhang Chunfeng walked in front, followed by Li Xiuman, and then Zhang Chunfeng's horse that would follow its master on its own.

"What did your aunt say to you?" Zhang Chunfeng slowed down a few steps, her peach blossom eyes sweeping over Li Xiuman's face. Ever since leaving the house, she had noticed that Li Xiuman was absent-minded, and her face was flushed for some reason.

Li Xiuman had wanted to forget Aunt Liu's words as soon as possible, which was why he hadn't spoken a word the whole way. But when Zhang Chunfeng asked, his mind was suddenly filled with images from the picture book again, and he could still feel the ointment in his arms as he moved. For a moment, Li Xiuman felt as if the little figures in the picture book had all come to life, and he was the one lying down, crawling, and kneeling, while Zhang Chunfeng was the one standing behind him, pressing down on him.

How could you think like that! Lee Soo-man's hand, hidden in his sleeve, dug his nails into his palm, the pain bringing him to his senses slightly.

"No, it's nothing," Lee Soo-man stammered.

“My sister-in-law is really dishonest; she’s been hiding something from me,” Zhang Chunfeng said with a laugh.

Lee Soo-man looked up and met Zhang Chunfeng's seemingly smiling yet enigmatic eyes, and felt that half of his rationality had slipped away.

"It's a private matter, I can't say for sure," Lee Soo-man said honestly, his face turning even redder.

Zhang Chunfeng smiled and slowed down a few steps to walk side by side with Li Xiuman.

She was now about half a head shorter than Lee Soo-man, and her gaze fell upon Lee Soo-man's rosy ears, his flushed cheeks, and the small beauty mark on his nose.

Lee Soo-man's skin was indeed fair, and when he blushed, his complexion was truly like that of peach blossoms in March, fair with a rosy glow, incredibly alluring.

Has anyone ever told my sister-in-law that she looks especially charming when she blushes?