Chapter 40 I will not abandon you.
Chapter 40
Shen Suining won the final victory. When He Bufan personally handed her the pair of gold-inlaid jade pieces, she stood behind He Hansheng, clutching his clothes tightly, looking extremely frightened. "Don't bring me to occasions like this next time, it's so scary."
"..." He Hansheng was helpless, but he still had to play along. "Okay, next time I'll take you to a more peaceful place to play."
He Bufan watched their performance quietly, a forced smile on his face. "Is my niece-in-law really that afraid? Of all the young masters and ladies from martial arts families, how come you were the one who won?"
“Thanks to Brother Hansheng,” Shen Suining said without batting an eye, “when he was fighting with someone for the embroidered ball, he kicked it right into my arms. I ran away with the ball in my arms, and he held off the others from behind, which is how we won the game.”
He Bufan's lips twitched, revealing an expression that said, "Are you taking me for a fool?" He handed her the brocade box containing the jade.
"Thank you, Uncle." Shen Suining hugged the spoils tightly, as if afraid he would change his mind.
He Hansheng bowed and said, "Then we'll take our leave now."
After the two left, Cui Rong, an advisor from He Bufan's residence, came up and lowered his voice, "My lord, I just inquired and found out that the Lady of the Marquis does indeed know martial arts, and her skills should be quite good."
“Of course she knows martial arts,” He Bufan sneered, having already seen through her. “I just don’t know how good she is. If she can really be on par with He Hansheng, then our plan will be much more difficult to implement.”
Cui Rong: "Two fists can't beat four hands. No matter how strong their martial arts are, they are still just two people. We can send more people."
He Bufan snorted softly, his eyes slowly turning cold.
...
After getting into the carriage, Shen Suining finally relaxed. She was exhausted, as if she had just fought a major battle, and almost collapsed on the seat.
He Hansheng asked her, both helpless and amused, "Having fun?"
“I’m tired,” Shen Suining said, lying back in her chair and letting out a soft sigh. “It’s too difficult to both win and pretend that I don’t know martial arts.”
“Since he came specifically to test your martial arts, he must have already been informed by an informant in the manor.” He Hansheng wet a handkerchief with water and handed it to Shen Suining to wipe her face.
"Of course I know." Shen Suining took the handkerchief and sat up.
"Then why do you still insist on acting?" He Hansheng laughed as he exposed her, his tone tinged with indulgence. "Just being playful."
"You seemed to enjoy cooperating with us."
Shen Suining chuckled, reached out and opened the brocade box on the seat, took out a pair of gold-inlaid jade safety buckles, and hung them on her fingers to play with. The jade was green to the point of being blue, yet so pure that it was almost transparent, truly of excellent quality.
“He really went all out to deal with you,” Shen Suining put the jade back into the brocade box and sighed softly. “If my mother could be this generous to me, I wouldn’t have to live such a stingy life.”
He Hansheng knew she had a fondness for gold, silver, jewelry, and valuables, so he teased her, "Shouldn't you share one of these safety buckles with me?"
As expected, Shen Suining instantly clutched the brocade box tightly in terror, "You're already so wealthy, why do you have to fight me for such a worthless little thing?"
“You just said it yourself, I cooperated quite well,” He Hansheng leaned forward slightly, resting his wrist on his thigh, looking at her teasingly, “You worked so hard, don’t you deserve a reward?”
Shen Suining's eyes darted around, and after a moment's thought, she said, "I can give you another reward."
"for example?"
Shen Suining placed the brocade box on the chair, reached out and cupped He Hansheng's face, then kissed him.
"A kiss from a beauty," she smiled at him, her bright, alluring eyes "worth more than jade?"
He Hansheng's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes filled with laughter. He looked at her red lips so close to his own, cupped the back of her head with his hand, and deepened the kiss.
He held Shen Suining's waist with his other hand, which seemed to be her sensitive spot. The moment his palm touched her waist, she trembled slightly, her body went limp, and she straddled him in his arms.
Compared to her previous rudeness, Shen Suining was much gentler this time. At first, she was a little defiant and bit him forcefully, but later she almost completely handed over the initiative to He Hansheng, only hugging his neck and pressing the back of his head gently, letting him patiently guide her.
The creaking of the carriage masked the intimate sounds of kissing inside.
With his broad, calloused hands gripping Shen Suining's waist, He Hansheng tilted his head back, maintaining a patient and refined demeanor as he kissed her slowly and gently, making Shen Suining feel as soft and boneless as water, leaning against him.
After a long while, Shen Suining turned her face away, leaned on his shoulder, and gasped for breath, "I can't take it anymore, I'm going to suffocate."
In both of their encounters, Shen Suining initiated the first kiss and then conceded defeat first. She felt somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, wondering how this man could have such a long breath. Every time he kissed her until she was almost out of breath, he seemed completely unaffected.
He Hansheng didn't continue, but simply tilted his head and touched her forehead, chuckling softly.
"What are you laughing at!" Shen Suining was furious and raised her fist to punch He Hansheng's shoulder, but He Hansheng grabbed it and held it in his palm.
His other hand rested on her back, gently pulling her into his arms, as if patiently comforting her, his voice low and husky.
“I’m so happy, Ningning.”
...
After setting a date to return to Yangzhou, the two of them packed their things early in the morning.
Shen Suining's luggage was a bit simpler. Besides her own clothes and belongings, she brought some small items for her mother and the other brothers and sisters in the manor. He Hansheng arranged all the larger items.
This was a more formal homecoming, and it was also He Hansheng's first visit to his mother-in-law as a son-in-law. Naturally, he made meticulous arrangements. First, he ordered someone to order a carriage full of the famous Beijing wine, Huangduchun, from Zuixianlou several days in advance. Then, he had Jiang Yuchu personally search for famous and durable local snacks, rare antiques, and some precious medicinal herbs that were only available in the palace.
He heard from Shen Fengyu that everyone in Shuyu Manor had deep feelings for Shen Suining, and he naturally had to please all of them, including the sect leader and his brothers and sisters.
The luggage was escorted by special people overland, and they set off two days earlier than them. As Shen Suining watched the boxes of gold, silver, jewelry and antiques being carried out of the Marquis's mansion, she couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive. She nervously tugged at He Hansheng's sleeve, "You don't need to prepare so much stuff. Everyone is so nice. If you treat them politely, they'll definitely treat you like one of their own immediately."
“It’s my first time going back with you, so I’ll naturally give you face,” He Hansheng said gently, holding her hand. “Don’t worry, some of it is my mother’s idea. She can’t travel long distances, but she also misses her old friends and sends her thoughts from afar, so she asked me to bring some of her sentiments over.”
Hearing that it was the eldest princess's idea, Shen Suining breathed a sigh of relief. "Actually, before my father went into seclusion, my mother lived with him in Huadu for about half a year. My father said that all the glitz and glamour of the capital city were probably not enough for my mother, except for one thing, the Imperial Spring, which was the only thing she couldn't forget. You've already carried a whole cartload over there, so there's really no need for the other gold and silver ornaments."
"It's just a small token of my appreciation, don't take it too seriously," He Hansheng said, pulling Shen Suining into the house. The two sat side by side on chairs. "I heard from Feng Yu that when a son-in-law from Shuyu Manor visits for the first time, he is expected to drink."
Shen Suining thought for a moment, "It seems there is such a custom. The successive heirs of Shuyu Manor have all married into the family. Whether it is the young master or the young mistress, there is always a process when they enter the manor, which is the inauguration banquet. At the banquet, almost all the leaders of the manor's branches must attend. Even if they are on a mission, they must return to the manor immediately unless it is an emergency. Only when all the leaders approve of them can they truly be considered as members of Shuyu Manor. And these leaders of the branches, in addition to each possessing unique skills, are all very good drinkers."
Thinking of He Hansheng's low alcohol tolerance, Shen Suining was quite worried. "I originally wanted to ask Sister Miao to make some medicine to reduce alcohol, but the people at Jishetang all have noses like dogs. If they can tell, you'll probably be thrown off the mountain."
"In such a formal setting, there's no room for trickery."
“You probably don’t know their drinking capacity,” Shen Suining sighed. “Not to mention anything else, the head of Jishitang, Shen Heyang, and the head of Linrong Pavilion, Shen Yunwei, together, can drink me and Fengyu, along with half of Bifengtang, under the table. Every time we hear that they’re both there at a banquet, Fengyu and I have to run away with our tails between our legs.”
Shen Suining felt increasingly worried for He Hansheng. Looking at his calm face, she felt that he either hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation or had already given up in his heart.
Being the young master of Shuyu Manor is no easy task, which is why Shen Suining didn't get married until she was twenty-one. There are very few men in the world who can catch her eye, and even fewer who can step into Shuyu Manor without batting an eye.
Therefore, over the years, Shen Suining has long been accustomed to being alone.
For some reason, Shen Suining suddenly felt a little disappointed, but she managed to hide her emotions well and looked at He Hansheng teasingly: "If you think it's too much trouble and don't want to go, I have a way to help you. But you have to let me know in advance. If you run away halfway, it will make me lose face."
"I won't run away." He Hansheng said softly, his eyes filled with a firmness that Shen Suining had never seen in anyone else.
Shen Suining paused slightly, her heart moved, but reason prevailed. She slowly shifted her gaze, looking straight ahead. "He Hansheng, marrying me has never been a simple matter. It's not something that can be done just by saying it. I've seen many before you."
"Have you ever taken in a son-in-law before?"
"Of course, ever since I was fifteen, every time I went down the mountain I had a mission. My mother hoped that I would find a husband and get married as soon as possible so that she could hand over the Shuyu Manor to me. But every time I took a liking to someone, as soon as I heard about all these rules, I would run away without looking back."
Shen Suining laughed nonchalantly, as if talking about something completely unrelated to herself. "What's even more interesting is that when I was seventeen, a skilled swordsman from the martial arts world approached me and said he was willing to marry into my family. He confidently came up the mountain with me, and my mother called all the sect leaders back to prepare for the feast. But halfway there, he ran away. Because of this, I was laughed at by my brothers and sisters in the village for a long time. Later, no matter how much my mother urged me, I never thought about finding a husband again. After all, there are too few men in this world with the courage and determination of my father. I'm not good at romantic relationships, and I probably don't have my mother's luck."
“So, He Hansheng,” Shen Suining turned to look at him, “it’s only natural, I won’t blame you.”
He Hansheng didn't speak. He simply stood up and walked to Shen Suining, looking down at her. She also looked up, silently waiting for his reaction.
After gazing at each other for a moment, He Hansheng slowly bent his right knee, half-squatting in front of her, took her hand in his, and gently touched the back of her hand to his lips, saying tenderly and solemnly, "I will not abandon you."
“You are my wife, Ningning,” he looked up at Shen Suining, his eyes seemingly entwined with her like a spider web, “So, Young Master Shen, please give your husband a little more trust, okay?”
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