Chapter 9 Bathing

Song Luoning raised her eyes and her gaze lingered on Xiao Yu for a moment before she smiled and said, "Please trouble you to bring the food to the room, my dear husband. I'll be right back."

"......"

Xiao Yu stared blankly for a moment as the figure disappeared through the courtyard gate.

Even at this moment, he still made sure to order me around.

That's really too much.

Who is this woman going out to see so late at night?

As a pampered young lady who is completely powerless, how could she have no sense of danger at all? Doesn't she know how treacherous the world is?

Xiao Yu gritted her teeth in anger.

She's such a sheltered flower, never having seen the world.

Xiao Yu quickly stepped forward to catch up, but as soon as she stepped out of the courtyard gate, she saw Song Luoning coming out of the neighboring courtyard, and their eyes met.

The atmosphere froze for a moment.

Xiao Yu: "..."

It was just a coincidence.

Xiao Yu touched his nose, pretending not to see anything, and looked up at the sky.

The weather is nice today.

Song Luoning: "......"

That lecherous man is actually pretending to be stupid.

She tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a faint smile: "Why did you come out, my husband?"

Xiao Yu: "..."

Why did she come out?

Is that even a question?

What the hell? What does she have to feel guilty about? Xiao Yu turned her face away and cleared her throat. The one who should feel guilty is Song Luoning. Going out so late at night, has she forgotten that she is already married? If I'm not mistaken, the person who came out to see her off was a man.

A man and a woman alone late at night.

Song Luoning doesn't even have the self-awareness of a married person.

She got angrier the more she thought about it: "The food is getting cold, and I have to be called to eat." She didn't even realize the sour tone in her voice.

Song Luoning approached, her smile deepening: "Thank you for your trouble, husband."

Her voice was clear, melodious, and gentle.

For a moment, I really thought the other person was head over heels in love with me.

If it weren't for that smile that didn't reach her eyes, Xiao Yu would have really been fooled by her.

Heh~

The more beautiful a woman is, the more likely she is to lie; this saying is indeed true.

He almost fell into Song Luoning's trap.

Beauty can be a trap!

Coming to her senses, Xiao Yu glared at Song Luoning with annoyance, then brought the stir-fried bamboo shoots out of the kitchen and placed them on the table: "Eat up."

The two sat down facing each other.

"I didn't expect my husband to be such a good cook. It looks so appetizing." Song Luoning chuckled, gracefully picking up a bamboo shoot and putting it in her mouth, chewing it slowly.

Xiao Yu twitched the corner of her mouth.

Go ahead and pretend. Do you think praising her a couple of times is enough?

etc!

Why should I care who she meets?

Xiao Yu's heart immediately went into overdrive, breaking out in a cold sweat. After a long while, she forced herself to remain calm: "You paid me, so of course I'll do a good job. I'm not the kind of person who doesn't keep his word."

Song Luo Ning didn't know whether he was trustworthy or not, but now was not the time to turn against him. She smiled slightly and said, "Husband is joking. Luo Ning is sincerely praising your skills. It is Luo Ning's blessing to marry you."

Sincerity? Good fortune?

Heh~

Would she believe that?

Xiao Yu also came to her senses, and all romantic thoughts vanished. She would never believe that Song Luoning was sincere. Not to mention that they had only known each other for two days, Song Luoning's fake smile that didn't reach her eyes was enough to make her furious.

Why can't we just get along well?

Why do they have to play palace intrigue?

Xiao Yu twitched the corner of her mouth and said irritably, "Even food can't shut you up."

"......"

Song Luoning paused, her hand still holding the food, and couldn't help but grind her teeth. How dare this bastard talk about her like that?

After a while, she managed to calm herself down and said with a smile, "My husband really loves to joke. By the way, what are you planning to do with those bamboos you cut down today?" She successfully changed the subject.

Xiao Yu became somewhat interested in this, but then she thought that it was best not to let anyone know before she had finished making it, since she wasn't sure she could do it well.

She had read about these things in books, but she still needed to put them into practice. If she talked about them now and they didn't work, wouldn't the woman opposite her be laughing at her?

Xiao Yu lifted her eyelids and cleared her throat: "Just messing around with it randomly."

Song Luoning's expression remained calm, showing little fluctuation.

Sure enough, she didn't expect to hear anything from her anyway, since she had already heard quite a bit about Xiao Yu's deeds from her neighbors that afternoon.

She smiled slightly and said, "My husband is indeed very modest."

"......"

That sounds really awkward.

Xiao Yu observed her expression but couldn't find any flaws after a long while. Oh well, she decided to just take it as her praising herself.

Since they're living under the same roof now, and she's taken over the original owner's body and taken a thousand taels of silver from her, it's just that she speaks in a sarcastic tone. It's okay, she'll just put up with it.

Song Luoning took a few bites and then put down her chopsticks. With her slender, white fingers, she took out a white handkerchief embroidered with ink bamboo from her sleeve and wiped her mouth with an elegant gesture.

"I'm all set, my husband, please make yourself at home." With that, she stood up, her slender figure perfectly proportioned, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Tsk~" Xiao Yu clicked her tongue in amazement. Only she could eat and wipe her mouth so elegantly.

I couldn't help but take a second look.

"Is there anything else, my lord?" Song Luoning raised her head, skillfully concealing the disgust in her eyes, and smiled slightly.

"......"

Xiao Yu lowered her head and ignored her, continuing to eat.

Seeing her like this, Song Luoning didn't say anything more. She sat upright on the edge of the bed, coughing occasionally, which was quite annoying.

After she finished her meal, she said, "If Luo Ning weren't unwell, I wouldn't have troubled you so much, my husband."

Xiao Yu looked up, feeling a tightness in her chest.

The next second, Song Luoning slowly said, "Husband, Luoning wants to take a bath."

"Hmm?" A bath?

What should I say to myself when I want to take a bath?

Does she expect me to serve her while she bathes?

Xiao Yu looked at her and was startled to see that Song Luoning was sitting upright without making any movement.

Does she really want me to serve her while she bathes?

no!

I have my bottom line. Even though we're married, I'm not someone without principles. How could I take a bath with her?

Song Luoning said gently, "Please trouble you, husband, to boil some hot water for me."

What?

Xiao Yu looked incredulous. Ha~, so it turns out the young lady just treats me like a maid.

Xiao Yu finally felt the breath that had been stuck in her chest.

In ancient times, how much could one thousand taels of silver buy?

A bottle of cough syrup, a bowl of medicinal porridge, and even the help of her own people—it's still not worth a thousand taels of silver?

What are you thinking? She doesn't want to serve her.

"If you want to wash, boil water yourself." Xiao Yu didn't even look up.

"Luo Ning doesn't want to trouble her husband, but Luo Ning's health..." She coughed again before she could finish speaking.

Xiao Yu: "..."

After a moment, a layer of mist rose in Song Luoning's eyes. She took a breath and continued, "There is no bath tub at home. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you, my husband, to go to town tomorrow to buy one."

"Why should I..."

Then, Song Luoning coughed again.

"..." I was feeling very upset.

After a while, Song Luoning's weak voice came again: "Luoning will pay for the bath tub, so husband can take a bath in the future, right?"

"......"

Xiao Yu paused for a moment, pursed her lips, and suppressed the irritation in her heart.

Does she need a bathtub like that?

However, it seems that the original owner's family really lacks a bathtub. I wonder if what Song Luoning said is true. If she is willing to buy one, it doesn't seem like a loss to boil water myself.

While hesitating, Song Luoning added, "It seems to be getting hotter and hotter."

It's early spring now, everything is growing, and apart from the cold nights, the days are sunny and warm, so it's time to take off our cotton-padded clothes.

If there were a bathtub in the summer... this suggestion really struck a chord with Xiao Yu.

"Are you really going to buy a bathtub tomorrow?" Xiao Yu asked uncertainly.

Don't blame her for being suspicious; you always have to be careful when you're out and about.

Seeing that she was moved, Song Luoning's lips curved into a smile, like spring snow melting: "Does my husband not trust Luoning?"

Nonsense, do I even need to ask if I believe it?

Xiao Yu: "Are you sure?"

Song Luoning: "Of course."

Okay, for the bathtub, it's just boiling water, right? Let's wait.

Xiao Yu poured the boiled water into a wooden basin, carried it into the house, placed it on the washstand, and then sat on a stool, lost in thought.

Seeing that she was still standing there without moving, Song Luoning's eyes flashed with displeasure, but she forced a smile: "Husband, why don't you go out and wait for a while?"

"......"

Xiao Yu glanced at her, pursed her lips, opened the door, and went to the courtyard.

After some time, a clear, melodious female voice came from the house: "Husband, could you please take the water out?"

"......"

This woman...

For the bathtub.

Everything was for the bathtub!

Xiao Yu entered the house expressionlessly, picked up the wooden basin, and a faint fragrance wafted from the steaming mist.

An image of a frail, sickly beauty involuntarily surfaced in my mind...

Her slender figure blossomed in the palm of her hand.

A smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

"Husband, is there anything else?" A clear, melodious female voice rang out again, and Xiao Yu shuddered and came back to his senses.

It's a ghost story.

She actually had those kinds of thoughts about Song Luoning's bathwater.

Swallowing hard, she forced herself to remain calm, carried the wooden basin into the kitchen, took a deep breath, and exhaled heavily, repeating this several times before finally suppressing her erotic thoughts.

It seems I need to make things clear with Song Luoning soon. This marriage has to have a time limit, otherwise I might get caught up in it before I even leave.

After calming down, I went back to the bed. The bed curtains were drawn, and Song Luoning was already lying down, turned to her side with her back to me. I could vaguely see a blurry shadow.

This situation was clearly not suitable for a conversation. Xiao Yu stared blankly at her back for a long time before looking away and picking up the bedding to spread on the floor.

The cold wind blew into the room through the torn paper doors and windows, and all thoughts immediately ceased.

The most important thing right now is to repair this place properly, otherwise, with the chill of early spring, I'll definitely freeze to death here.

I don't know how much time passed before I drifted off to sleep.

When she heard soft breathing beside her, Song Luoning opened her eyes. Her eyes were clear, and the tips of her fingers holding the hairpin were white.

Her eyes were filled with naked desire just now. If she really wanted to do something to me, I would risk my life to prevent her from succeeding.

This hairpin is both a weapon to save one's life and a sharp instrument to stab oneself.