Chapter 54 A Shy Couple, Only the Two of Us in the Painted Boat

Although these forsythia flowers are woven from bamboo strips, they still have a strong and vigorous appearance, and you can tell at a glance that they have been woven for a long time.

Cui Yiluo gave him forsythia flowers not because she liked them herself, but because Jiang Yunjin's courtyard had no flowers or plants, except for a forsythia tree planted outside his study.

Jiang Yunjin across from them had his eyes downcast, concealing his emotions and making it impossible to read his expression.

After a few moments of silence, he suddenly spoke, his voice soft and low: "Didn't you say you didn't know?"

Cui Yiluo chuckled softly, "Does my husband want me to know, or not?"

She could see clearly that he was so averse to birthdays, but when she directly wished him a happy birthday just now, there was surprise and shock in his eyes, but no disgust.

Jiang Yunjin pursed his lips. "So, you deliberately said you had a fan agreement?"

He had clearly come to his senses and realized that she had deliberately lied to him about having an appointment with Jiang Zhaoyue, and then deliberately said that Jiang Zhaoyue had something else to do and couldn't go out.

"Is my husband now going to settle old scores with me? But didn't you deliberately keep it from me?"

She continued, "If my cousin hadn't told me yesterday, I don't know how many years it would have taken before my husband spoke up?"

The words "how many years" made Jiang Yunjin pause slightly, and a dark undercurrent surged in his dark eyes.

Cui Yiluo was unaware of his thoughts. Instead, she recalled Jiang Yunjin's subtle glances at Lilan's orchid jade pendant during meals over the past few days, and couldn't help but want to laugh again. She suppressed her laughter and deliberately spoke in a sour tone, "The gift was prepared in a hurry, and I imagine my husband doesn't like it." She sighed and said wistfully, "It's a pity I didn't even have time to look at the account book yesterday; I even injured my hand while weaving..."

"No."

Jiang Yunjin suddenly uttered two words, and Cui Yiluo was taken aback, asking, "Nothing?"

"There's no such thing as disliking it."

His tone was extremely serious, and Cui Yiluo was suddenly speechless. She was just teasing him, but given his rigid nature, he would always explain things to her seriously each time.

Before Cui Yilu could answer, he carefully put the small wooden box into his hidden pocket and said, "Where is your hand injured? Let me see."

His tone was forceful and left no room for argument. Cui Yiluo subconsciously reached out her hand, but the pear wood table in the middle was too spacious for her to place her palm in front of him. She had no choice but to get up and walk in front of him.

Just as she was about to reach out her hand, a wave suddenly surged outside the boat, causing the pleasure boat to rock violently. Cui Yiluo lost her balance and instinctively reached out to grab the table, but when she realized that she was falling towards Jiang Yunjin, a smile flashed in her eyes, and she withdrew her hand from the table.

As she fell, Jiang Yunjin reacted quickly. Whether he saw through her intention or not, he reached out his long arm and caught her.

Cui Yiluo landed steadily in his arms, her body pressed tightly against his. His strong arms wrapped around her waist, easily stabilizing her.

But suddenly being so intimate, Cui Yiluo felt the body beneath her hips tense up slightly, and when she saw the man's profile was taut, her expression immediately showed some unease.

He was probably going to say that intimate behavior was against the rules in public. Cui Yiluo immediately stepped in and showed him her hand to shut him up.

In her soft, delicate palm, a blood-red scratch stretched across the pad of her index finger, standing out starkly against her snow-white skin. The scratch wasn't deep, yet it sent a shiver down one's spine.

The atmosphere on the pleasure boat immediately became somber. Cui Yiluo glanced at Jiang Yunjin and saw him staring intently at her delicate fingertips, clearly distracted by the wound on them, no longer caring that she was sitting on his lap.

His brows furrowed deeply, his eyes darkened, and he said in a deep voice, "Has the medicine been applied?"

"No," Cui Yiluo said with a smile, "Would you like to help me apply the medicine, husband?"

"Um."

He responded very quickly.

Suddenly, her fingertips felt a warmth. Jiang Yunjin suddenly grasped her hand, his large, warm palm covering her entire hand. Cui Yiluo watched as his palm enveloped hers, and her heart skipped a beat.

The pleasure boat fell silent for a few moments, with only the gentle sound of flowing water remaining.

Jiang Yunjin held her hand tightly, his expression shifting slightly, a complex mix of emotions swirling in his eyes. He suddenly spoke softly, his voice low but extremely earnest:

Thank you.

He hasn't celebrated his birthday in a long time, and he hasn't received any birthday gifts.

He spoke solemnly, and Cui Yiluo subconsciously looked up, directly entering his dark and deep gaze. He had never looked at her so directly before. The complex emotions in his eyes made the usually dominant Cui Yiluo feel a little helpless, and her heart skipped a beat.

Their eyes met. She sat on his lap, and he could only turn his head slightly to look at her. The candlelight shone on his profile, making him appear even more handsome and dashing.

Cui Yilu bit her lip, her rosy lips glistening with moisture.

The next moment, the man suddenly leaned down and gently kissed her.

The warmth enveloped her instantly, intertwining repeatedly. It was almost an instinctive bodily reaction; Cui Yiluo subconsciously raised her face to meet it.

Previously, their kisses were mostly driven by desire in bed, but this time he was not impatient. He was exceptionally patient and gentle, gradually deepening the kiss with Cui Yiluo's cooperation. However, it was not about desire. Unlike before in bed, it seemed that he simply wanted to entangle with her more deeply.

With his lips and tongue on hers, Cui Yiluo sensed the complex emotions beneath his calm exterior, emotions he was suppressing with restraint, which were now revealed in the moment their lips met.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he finally let go of her.

Cui Yiluo sat in his lap, and neither of them spoke for a moment, silently calming their breathing and suppressing their desires.

After a moment of silence, Cui Yiluo spoke up, "Why did you stop celebrating your birthday after you turned fifteen, my husband?"

The room fell silent; the man pursed his lips and fell silent. Just when Cui Yilu thought he wouldn't speak again, her slightly hoarse voice suddenly rang in her ears: "Because of my father."

Cui Yiluo immediately understood that Jiang Yunjin's father had fallen from his horse when he was fifteen years old, and his condition deteriorated afterward. He died after being bedridden for several months.

Although Jiang Yunjin had been disciplined and taught by his father since childhood, it was rather strange that he had stopped celebrating his birthday after his father's death. Cui Yiluo frowned secretly, feeling that it was not that simple.

The painted boat rested in the middle of the lake, gently swaying in the breeze, its atmosphere subtly serene.

Cui Yiluo looked at his somewhat solemn profile, his dark eyes slightly dim, and she raised her lips to lightly touch his thin lips.

“However, I’m afraid my husband will have to celebrate his birthday every year from now on.”

Jiang Yunjin was taken aback at first, then understood the meaning behind her words. His expression immediately became complicated, and he looked at her with some surprise. His cold and stern face brightened up slightly, as if the ice and snow were melting.

He gave a soft "hmm," as if making a promise.

Cui Yiluo gently curved her lips into a smile, then suddenly changed the subject: "However, will my husband be just as strict as a father in the future?"

She still remembered the screen wall at the entrance of Jixuezhai, covered with dense words and wear marks. Every time she entered, she would look at it, as if she could see Jiang Yunjin being punished here as a child, his fingers repeatedly rubbing the words of a gentleman until his fingertips bled, but he was trying his best to memorize the words of a gentleman.

Cui Yiluo thought that she would replace that sandalwood screen wall sooner or later.

Although the two had been married for two months and made love every night, Jiang Yunjin stiffened slightly and looked somewhat uncomfortable when the topic of having children came up.

“The matter of teaching cannot be decided by me alone.”

When the topic turned to the education of offspring, it was an implicit assumption that they would have children in the future. His tone was somewhat awkward, but his answer surprised Cui Yiluo. She smiled mischievously and said, "Then it's okay if I teach it to be unruly?"

A large hand patted his waist lightly, as if as a warning: "Etiquette must not be abandoned; the rules that should be followed must still be followed."

Cui Yiluo chuckled softly. The more he said that, the more she wanted to break his rules.

As the night deepened, the lanterns hanging on the corners of the painted boat shone even brighter.

Jiang Yunjin glanced at the sky. "It's almost curfew. It's time to go back to the manor."

A hint of interest flashed in Cui Yiluo's eyes. She had no intention of letting him return home after they came out tonight.

Although the house in Luoyun Lane burned down, the Yunyi Guards could not find the cause of the fire after the fire, and only said that it was an accident. Since the case was closed as an accident, the government allocated some funds to the homeowner for repairs. However, most of the courtyard walls were burned down, and it would probably be difficult to restore them to their original state in a year or two.

But Jiang Yunjin naturally had other private residences.

Cui Yiluo, who was sitting on the man's lap, suddenly stood up and, under Jiang Yunjin's increasingly deep gaze, straddled him directly.

"Does my husband truly wish to return to the manor?"

Jiang Yunjin's usually cold eyes suddenly darkened.

"We're on the lake right now."

Cui Yiluo said lightly, "What does it matter? There are only the two of us on the pleasure boat."

“No,” Jiang Yunjin said firmly, his large hand restraining her waist again. “Stop fooling around, get down.”

Cui Yiluo feigned sadness and said, "But I put a lot of thought and effort into preparing this pleasure boat to celebrate my husband's birthday."

Jiang Yunjin paused, his hand gripping her waist.

Cui Yiluo seized the moment of his hesitation, raised her chin slightly, and covered his lips with hers, kissing him. Her fingertips gently slid down his waist and abdomen, sending shivers of pleasure through her.

Author's Note: Just keep kissing like this [doge emoji] I wonder if my account will be locked tomorrow night (hinting).

However, the birthday thing isn't that simple; it will be revealed after my cousin goes crazy. You guys can also try to guess!

I'm too busy with things today, so that's all for now. I'll add more tomorrow. After that, I'll have some free time and will try to update more often, aiming for 5k words a day. Thank you all for supporting the official version! [hugs]

Thank you to all the little ones who watered with nutrient solution! [heart emoji]