Chapter 48. Pretending to be reserved.
Chapter 48
After watching He Hansheng and Shen Suining descend the mountain, Shen Yan let out a soft sigh and asked Madam Shuyu beside him with a smile, "Is Madam satisfied?"
Madam Shuyu snorted coldly, "Anyone can say pretty words."
“Look at you, you were clearly doing this for Ningning’s own good, but you’ve made this meal look like a trap,” Shen Yan shook his head helplessly. “Ningning is such a strong-willed person. Just like you, even if she likes something, she won’t let anyone manipulate her easily. If she doesn’t like something, no matter how much others force her, she won’t give them a kind look.”
"You're so talkative," Madam Shuyu glared at him.
Shen Yan smiled. Seeing that the two hadn't gone far before Shen Suining had He Hansheng carry her on his back again, his expression softened. He said softly, "You and I both know Ningning's personality. She can get along so well with this child now, so she probably likes him."
"What does she know about liking someone? According to you, the people she's liked could stretch from this mountaintop to the foot of the mountain!" Madam Shuyu was furious when she talked about this. "Ever since she came down the mountain at fifteen, every time she came back she would tell me which swordsman she had her eye on, which young master she liked, and that she wanted to bring him back as her husband. Every time, I would eagerly look forward to it and prepare. Her wedding dress was almost worn out from being altered so many times! And what happened? I didn't even see a single person! If she had made up her mind earlier, six whole years would have been enough time for her to choose a husband she liked and who we could all be satisfied with. But she dragged it out until now and was forced into marriage! It's all because of you all spoiling her!"
Madam Shuyu grew angrier the more she thought about it. She couldn't stand looking at Shen Yan's old face no matter how she looked at him, so she simply pointed at him and said, "Go back and kneel down! You're not allowed to sleep in the room tonight!"
Shen Yan: "..."
...
He Hansheng carried Shen Suining down the mountain.
"I spent the whole meal listening to my mother's lecture," Shen Suining said wearily, as if she had just fought a fierce battle. "He Hansheng, I noticed you didn't eat much. Aren't you hungry?"
He Hansheng didn't speak. The way down the mountain was not as easy as the way up, so he had to be careful.
“As soon as they started talking, you put down your chopsticks and barely ate anything. Although you respect them, we don’t need to be so formal here,” Shen Suining thought of how tired He Hansheng must be, having to carry her up and down the mountain without eating much. “Here’s what we’ll do: when we get back to my place, I’ll have Huai Xia tell the kitchen to cook another meal. What would you like to eat? Let me tell you, the food from my kitchen is the best in the entire Shuyu Manor. Others might want to eat it but can’t.”
“Whatever,” He Hansheng said, reaching out to hold onto a tree at the corner and supporting her with his other hand. “Make whatever you want to eat.”
"How can that be? You've worked hard today, so of course you have to eat what you want."
The road not far from Yuquan Villa was flat; after crossing a small bridge, they arrived. He Hansheng quickened his pace noticeably.
He strode into the villa and headed straight for the inner courtyard. The winding corridors within the villa only amplified his inexplicable anxiety.
Shen Suining noticed and asked him what was wrong. He didn't speak, but just pursed his lips and carried Shen Suining into her bedroom.
The inner room of her bedroom was larger than several of the outer rooms. A huge round bed was placed in the center, and a green curtain cascaded down like a waterfall. Next to the row of windows was a bamboo couch with cushions, a table, and a rocking chair made of nanmu wood.
He Hansheng thought that she probably really liked these things that could be swayed; the outer corridor was so long, and there was a swing every few sections.
Shen Suining was placed on a rocking chair by He Hansheng. Just as she was about to get up and call Huai Xia, He Hansheng pressed her down into the rocking chair. His kisses suddenly overwhelmed her, and the two of them swayed together with the rocking chair.
Shen Suining was a little confused, but she quickly came to her senses and cooperated by wrapping her arms around his neck.
His hands gripped the armrest tightly, holding her firmly in his arms.
A moment later, He Hansheng released her, his nose gently brushing against her cheek. Shen Suining chuckled and dodged away, her eyes full of allure. "I was wondering why you were so still in the hot spring. I thought you had such strong self-control. Turns out you were waiting for me here."
“I was in a hurry to have dinner with my parents-in-law just now,” He Hansheng kissed her forehead and then the corner of her mouth. “You said it yourself, that I should eat what I want first.”
"Pretending to be modest."
He Hansheng chuckled softly, found her lips, and kissed her again.
The rocking chair swayed gently, starting with a slow and peaceful rhythm, but then suddenly the speed increased, and the swaying became rapid and violent.
This nanmu recliner was originally Shen Suining's favorite place to lie during her afternoon nap. The nanmu wood used for the chair was originally from the back of Biyueyunju. After she was born, her maternal grandfather cut down the nanmu wood and made it into a cradle. Later, it was remodeled several times, with the wood being patched up, and it became the recliner it is today.
Shen Suining loved anything that could make her body sway – swings, rocking chairs, light boats, she loved them all. This was a habit she developed as an infant. Soon after she was born, she grew into a snow-white dumpling, extremely cute. Everyone who saw her would hold her in their arms and rock her a couple of times. Later, it evolved into her crying loudly if she was just held without being rocked, which was quite a hassle. Her father loved her and didn't force her to change this habit while she was still young, so it just stayed that way.
Sometimes when Shen Suining couldn't sleep at night, she would lie down in this rocking chair for a while, and then she would feel sleepy.
But now, the rocking chair was swaying more frequently than before, and the uncontrollable swaying only increased her unease. She leaned against the soft backrest, her limbs clinging tightly to He Hansheng, resonating with him.
The rocking chair slowly stopped rocking, and He Hansheng picked up Shen Suining and placed her on the bamboo couch next to him.
Her cheeks were flushed, her forehead was sweating, her hair clung to her cheeks, and her eyes were glistening with natural tears, the corners of her eyes slightly red. She was less flamboyant than usual, and more charming and alluring.
He Hansheng kissed the corner of her eye and asked with a light laugh, "Are you alright?"
Shen Suining gritted her teeth and snorted coldly, "What's wrong with me?"
That's just how she is; she always wants a competition. She originally thought that she and He Hansheng were quite compatible in this kind of thing. Although they were both a bit green and clueless at first, He Hansheng was patient enough to take care of her feelings and was willing to guide her to explore ways that would give them both the best experience.
Although Shen Suining was not as patient and gentle as He Hansheng most of the time, she liked to take the initiative, and at least in this respect, she and he were evenly matched.
In fact, she only realized today that as long as He Hansheng didn't give in, he could always keep the initiative completely in his hands, and she couldn't touch it at all.
He was very patient, and in the past he preferred to slowly guide her to be the hunter, letting her take the initiative.
This man usually appears to be a noble and arrogant young master from a noble family, but once his true colors are revealed, he reveals a wild nature. His strong aggressiveness and possessiveness make Shen Suining both love and hate him.
When the two returned, it was still daylight. Now, Shen Suining saw the gauze curtains by the window being rolled up by the wind. In a daze, she glimpsed outside and it seemed that even the stars had come out. She saw them constantly swaying.
After the stars finally calmed down, Shen Suining let out a soft breath, feeling a hoarseness in her throat, and was a little unable to speak.
"You bastard..." Shen Suining cursed weakly, glaring angrily at the man who seemed perfectly normal. "I knew you were just pretending to be serious all the time!"
"Food and sex are human nature. It's just common sense."
"..." Shen Suining watched him slowly put on his clothes, as if he had just had a simple and ordinary meal. After putting down his chopsticks, he was once again the noble and aloof young master, with a touch of asceticism in every gesture.
Shen Suining glared at him fiercely. After a moment, she propped herself up and said, "Come here, carry me to the back to wash up."
He Hansheng responded softly with "Okay," picked up an outer garment from the ground, wrapped her up, carried her to the hot spring behind the bedroom, and carefully placed her in the water.
Hot springs can effectively relieve body aches and pains, and also release fatigue. Shen Suining gently exhaled and was about to relax for a moment when she suddenly heard the sound of someone stepping into the water behind her.
Shen Suining instantly became wary. "What are you doing down here?"
"You said it yourself, have you forgotten?"
"..."
Shen Suining regretted her words during the day, wishing she could slap herself twice.
Her legs were already a little weak, and she could hardly stand in the hot spring. He Hansheng seemed to notice, walked straight over, supported her waist, and lifted her legs to hang on his body.
"..."
A misty haze swirls around, and the water ripples gently.
A moment later, Shen Suining lay on his shoulder, panting with despair, not even wanting to open her eyes.
He Hansheng held her, his fingertips gently tracing her spine. His tone was slightly teasing as he asked, "Still being stubborn?"
Shen Suining was too lazy to pay him any attention.
Soaking in the hot spring for too long can make people dizzy. There was a banquet tomorrow, so He Hansheng didn't want to go through too much trouble. After washing each other, he carried Shen Suining ashore.
He dried them off and changed them into clean clothes.
Shen Suining allowed He Hansheng to take care of her. She had long since become quite at ease, having gone from being embarrassed and blushing when she first treated him with sincerity. In fact, because He Hansheng's energy was so abundant, she even seemed to have given up on herself.
However, He Hansheng came from a high-ranking family and probably had no experience serving others. Even something as simple as dressing her was a bit clumsy for him, and he didn't even know how to tie the sash.
Shen Suining seized the opportunity to ridicule him, "You can untie but you can't tie. Young Master He is truly only interested in matters of love and romance, and never lifts a finger to do anything practical."
He Hansheng coughed awkwardly, then simply placed Shen Suining on the round bed and drew the bed curtains. "I'll watch it once, and I'll know how to do it next time."
"How could I trouble you with something like this?"
Shen Suining finally regained some ground and felt much better.
After tying the belt of her inner garment, Shen Suining instructed He Hansheng, "Go and close the window."
He Hansheng did as instructed. The mountain dew was extremely penetrating, and if the cold air entered the body at night, one would likely fall ill.
After closing the window, He Hansheng lifted the bed curtains and lay down on the bed. He thought for a moment, then hesitated before speaking, "Tomorrow..."
"Tomorrow's arrangements won't be as complicated as the previous weddings, so you don't need to get up too early," Shen Suining said, enduring her fatigue as she turned to look at him and explained the general schedule for tomorrow. "Tomorrow, we'll have lunch here, change into our wedding attire, and then go up to Biyueyunju to pay our respects to my parents. After that, we'll go down the mountain with them to the Liyue Hall for a meal together. Of course, some people might try to make things difficult for you during the meal, asking you for lucky money, but don't worry, I've already given instructions. Just try to go through the motions..."
The voices behind her grew fainter and fainter, and before she could finish speaking, Shen Suining had fallen into a deep sleep, her breathing steady.
He Hansheng smiled helplessly, covered her with the blanket, and turned to look at her sleeping face.
After a long while, he lowered his head and touched her forehead, and said softly, "I'm not afraid of being made difficult at all, Ningning."
"On the contrary, I would prefer to be put in a difficult position, perhaps that way you will know that my feelings for you are not just empty words."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com