Chapter 2: The inside story: Why do we have to sleep in separate beds?

She had a dark and sweet dream that night, and it seemed that there were some bizarre scenes. However, perhaps because she was too tired from getting married yesterday, Shen Lianxiu didn't remember anything. If she hadn't heard the noise, she might have continued to sleep.

After all, it was a strange place. Even if he slept soundly, after the daylight gradually brightened, the slightest movement would wake Shen Lianxiu up immediately.

She was stunned for a moment at the picture of a hundred children embroidered on the top of the tent, and then the silver-red color of the tent came into her eyes, overlapping with the overwhelming red in her memory of yesterday.

She had married Zhou Linjin in place of Shen Wuyu, and was currently sleeping in the bedroom shared by "her" and Zhou Linjin.

Fearing that she had overslept, Chen Lianxiu quickly sat up, lifted the bed curtains and looked in the direction of the sound, but found that it was not the servant who came to wake her up.

The faint morning light shone through the window screen, and Zhou Linjin was standing in this beam of light. His thin pajamas made his figure look tall, elegant and graceful.

At his feet was a shattered teacup, clearly the source of the earlier noise. He had clearly anticipated the mess, but since he couldn't see, he didn't dare move an inch. Chen Lianxiu rubbed her eyes, slipped on the embroidered shoes by the bed, and walked over. She first took his hand, carefully guiding him over the broken pieces, and then asked, "Would you like some tea, my dear?"

Zhou Linjin shook his head and said slowly and gently, "No, I just wanted to come over."

He pointed in the direction of the bed. Although the direction was not very accurate, Chen Lianxiu understood it. However, he was still a little puzzled. A whole night had passed, so why was Zhou Linjin going to sleep in the bed at this moment?

Before she could decide whether to ask, Zhou Linjin seemed to see through her thoughts and started explaining, "When it's daybreak, the servants will come in to serve us. If they see us sleeping in separate beds on our wedding night, there will definitely be more trouble."

After hearing this, Chen Lianxiu understood. Zhou Linjin was very careful and what he said was something she had never thought of. If someone saw them sleeping separately last night, not to mention what would happen if it got out, Zhou Linjin still had his mother and grandmother with him. After they knew about it, they would inevitably ask questions and she would have to deal with it again.

Since he said so, it would be a good idea to cover it up for now.

Chen Lianxiu led him to the bedside. Zhou Linjin reached out and groped around, then sat down. He smiled and said, "I've been blind for a short time. Although I used to live in this room, it's still inconvenient. I wonder if I'll still knock things over after walking a few steps like I did today after getting used to it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lianxiu's face became a little embarrassed. Zhou Linjin seemed calm about the matter of blindness, and even seemed to be prepared to be blind for the rest of his life. But how should she respond?

As a wife, she naturally hopes that he can see again as soon as possible and doesn't want to hear him say these words. But as for herself, perhaps Zhou Linjin will never be able to see, and she will live her whole life for Shen Wuyu, so this is the most stable way.

Chen Lianxiu's brows unconsciously knitted together, and finally she whispered, "My dear, please don't say that for now."

Zhou Linjin smiled again after hearing this. At this time, the candles that had been lit in the room all night had burned out. With the help of a ray of light from the sky, Shen Lianxiu seemed to see a flash of loneliness on his face, but it was not very obvious and was soon buried in his faint smile.

As the two were talking, it was almost dawn. Soon, a maid knocked on the door twice. Zhou Linjin turned to face Chen Lianxiu, his lifeless eyes swept over her, and then he responded to the outside: "Come in."

When the servants came in, they saw the two men already sitting up on the bed. They didn't say anything. After helping them wash and dress, a maid who looked like the head of the household came over and said to Shen Lianxiu, "Madam said we'll have breakfast at her place later."

Chen Lianxiu nodded slightly, and the maid helped her up, who had already finished dressing, and brought her to Zhou Linjin, who was waiting there. She smiled and said, "Madam, you are even more beautiful today than yesterday. This pomegranate red dress really sets off your appearance, making your skin look like it's made of snow."

As he spoke, he slightly straightened the gold hairpin with a pearl on Chen Lianxiu's bun.

Zhou Linjin couldn't see, so the maid's words were naturally meant for him to hear, letting him know what the bride looked like today. Shen Lianxiu understood and also laughed softly, which just happened to reach the ears of Zhou Linjin beside him.

Zhou Linjin said to Shen Lianxiu, "This is Aunt Lou from our courtyard. She has been taking care of me since I was a child."

The maid looked at Chen Lianxiu and nodded, then took their hands and held them together. Zhou Linjin immediately held Chen Lianxiu's hand, and together they went to Shou'an Hall, the home of Mrs. Wu, the old lady of the Chengguo Mansion.

Today is the first time that the bride comes to pay her respects. Everyone at the Wu family's place has already arrived, and they are just waiting for Zhou Linjin and Shen Lianxiu to come.

Chen Lianxiu was taken by Zhou Linjin to recognize everyone and greet them one by one.

The person sitting there was Zhou Linjin's grandmother, Mrs. Wu. She was about sixty years old this year and looked a little thin, but she was in very good spirits.

The first person to Wu's left was the wife of Duke Cheng, Zhou Linjin's mother, Yang. After the couple finished their greetings, Yang smiled and asked them to sit next to her. She also specially pulled Shen Lianxiu to sit next to her. Yang had only one son and one daughter. The son was Zhou Linjin, and the daughter, Zhou Yishao, was already married. Duke Cheng, Zhou Chang, had been guarding the border. Apart from them, there was no one else around Yang today.

Sitting opposite Yang was the second wife. Because Wu was still alive, her two sons did not separate, and the second wife also lived together in the Chengguo Mansion. The second wife, Xiao Wu, was Wu's niece. The second wife had more children than the first wife, and the eldest son Zhou Linyu was even ranked before Zhou Linjin. After everyone sat down and exchanged a few words, Zhou Linjin's second uncle Zhou Rong quickly left with Xiao Wu and the children.

After the second wife left, Wu gave Shen Lianxiu a few more instructions, which all just asked her to take good care of Zhou Linjin, and then waved goodbye to let them go.

Chen Lianxiu and Zhou Linjin followed Yang back to her Si Ning Garden.

Breakfast was ready, so the three of them sat down to eat together. Zhou Linjin was blind, so he had some difficulty eating. Although someone was serving him food, Yang would still put food into his bowl and plate every once in a while.

Although Zhou Linjin couldn't see, he could feel with his chopsticks that there was more and more food in his bowl and plate. He couldn't eat as much as Yang Shi. He put down his chopsticks and smiled, "Mother, I can't eat so much."

"Take more nourishment, take more nourishment," Yang heard Zhou Linjin say. Although she stopped her work, she continued to mutter, "Maybe your eyes will get better."

Zhou Linjin didn't say anything else.

Shen Lianxiu saw that Yang’s face was full of heartache.

After finishing breakfast and drinking some tea, Yang said to Zhou Linjin, "There's nothing to do here, you can go back first."

Then he said to Shen Lianxiu, "Stay and talk to me."

After Zhou Linjin left, Yang ordered the servants to leave. After the door was closed, she asked Chen Lianxiu, "What happened to you last night?"

Shen Lianxiu didn't expect Yang to find out. But before she could think of a reply, Yang asked anxiously, "Is there something wrong with Erlang's health?"

"No," Chen Lianxiu came back to his senses and immediately continued, "We just slept in separate beds last night."

Yang sighed deeply, her expression not relaxing at all despite Shen Lianxiu's explanation: "You guys are still children. Do you really think you can hide the fact that you didn't consummate your marriage?"

Shen Lianxiu lowered his head and said nothing more.

"Did Erlang tell you why we have to sleep in separate beds?" Yang continued to ask her.

Shen Lianxiu shook his head.

This time, Yang was silent for a long moment. When she spoke again, her face was filled with even deeper worry. "We've kept Erlang's health...his eyesight a secret from the outside world, but now that you're married, I'm not afraid to tell you the truth. His eyes were poisoned and he lost his sight."

There were many different opinions in Kyoto about Zhou Linjin's blindness. Some said it was due to congenital deficiency, some said it was caused by an old illness, and some said he hit his head. There was no conclusion. Even the Shen family, who had already discussed the marriage, did not know the truth. After a few days of discussion outside without any follow-up, no one talked about it anymore.

According to what Yang said today, it was caused by poisoning, so there must be another story behind it.

"At that time, he went to Shouzhou to provide disaster relief and offended someone he shouldn't have offended." Facing Shen Lianxiu, Yang Shi did not try to hide the truth and continued, "I always said that he was stubborn and young, so it's better to just ignore some things. Why do you have to dig into the details? This is not like his father on the battlefield, where he was not as quick and decisive as before..."

The more she spoke, the more distressed Yang's face became. She held Shen Lianxiu's hand and said, "It's too late to talk about these things now. I'm only most worried about one thing. This poison has damaged not only his eyes but also other parts of his body. If he can't be cured, what can I do?"

How could Shen Lianxiu still not understand what Yang meant at this point? Fear welled up in her heart like the dampness of a rainy day, but she could only manage to calm herself down and said to Yang, "Madam, I see that my husband is fine. Please relax."

"You're the one he's been dying to marry," Yang said, shaking her head. "But we didn't consummate the marriage last night. How can I rest easy? Listen to me, my dear. I know I've wronged you by asking you to do this. Go and test him tonight. The sooner we consummate the marriage, the sooner I can hold my grandson."

Although she was mentally prepared, when Shen Lianxiu heard what Yang said, she opened her mouth but didn't say anything.

Looking at her, Yang knew she was also panicked, but she didn't blame her. She just whispered, "Don't be afraid. I'll have Madam Lou wait outside."

Yang's words completely disrupted Shen Lianxiu's plan from yesterday. She thought that if she could not consummate the marriage and then part ways amicably on that day, it seemed impossible after all.

Yang in front of her was looking at her eagerly. Shen Lianxiu bit her lower lip and finally nodded.

The expression on Yang's face visibly relaxed. She breathed a sigh of relief and said to Shen Lianxiu, "Don't tell Erlang about this when you go back. You should do it quietly. Erlang is a bit arrogant. If it's nothing, it's okay. But if he really has something wrong with his body, I'm afraid he won't be able to get over it. Do you understand?"

Chen Lianxiu could only make up his mind and said, "I understand."