Chapter 56. He's stubborn again.
Chapter 56
He Hansheng's body stiffened slightly.
After a long while, he turned to the side and carefully held her in his arms.
In fact, Shen Suining was not used to sleeping in someone's arms, and neither was He Hansheng. Even after being intimate, the two had never slept in each other's arms all night. At most, they were closer to each other, but they still gave each other enough space.
Just like their current way of getting along, although they work together, they also give each other maximum freedom.
He held Shen Suining in his arms, and she felt as if he were holding an extremely precious piece of porcelain. He was exceptionally careful and attentive, yet he maintained a perfect balance, being intimate without making her feel too constrained.
She tried to find a position that would make them both more comfortable, and unconsciously shifted her position. Her toes brushed against He Hansheng's leg, igniting a surge of desire.
He Hansheng couldn't help but gasp, but Shen Suining was completely unaware. Through several layers of clothing, she only belatedly realized that this person's body seemed to be a little hot.
After a long pause, He Hansheng finally spoke in a hoarse voice: "Ningning, don't move around."
Shen Suining obeyed without moving, but she couldn't ignore He Hansheng's body temperature. She suppressed her irritation and asked, "He Hansheng, do you have a fever again? You feel so hot."
He Hansheng closed his eyes and said, "No."
Shen Suining said "Oh," not paying much attention, and simply reached out to pull open the thin blanket folded to the side and cover them both.
The ship is very humid and windy at night. They've both just caught a cold, so they need to be careful.
Thinking this, Shen Suining closed her eyes in peace. She nestled against He Hansheng's chest, listening to his steady, powerful yet slightly anxious heartbeat.
Perhaps she was truly exhausted, because listening to his heartbeat, Shen Suining was able to fall into a deep sleep.
After hearing her breathing gradually become steady and even, He Hansheng gently exhaled, calming the agitation in his heart, and slowly closed his eyes while holding her.
After spending more than ten days on the ship, we finally approached Huadu.
Everyone's face showed the fatigue of a long journey. Even Lingrui and Lanzhu, who were initially excited about their first trip, looked wilted like eggplants after a frost.
Seeing Ling Rui lying listlessly on the deck, barely able to hold her cards, Shen Suining couldn't help but kick her to remind her, "Play your card."
"Young Master, we've been fighting day and night for thirteen days straight, I really can't keep going anymore," Ling Rui said dejectedly, loosening her grip and causing the leaf cards to clatter across her face.
Yan Zhen and Lan Zhu also put away their cards and chimed in, "Yes, young master, even if you like something a lot, doing it nonstop for half a month will make you feel nauseous and dizzy when you see it again."
"..." Shen Suining slammed down her cards and put on a stern face. "Why weren't you dizzy and nauseous when you were losing at the beginning? Now that you've won my money, you start saying such discouraging things."
The three chuckled and simultaneously put away their winnings of silver and chips, as if afraid that Shen Suining would snatch them back.
Shen Suining snorted lightly, too lazy to argue with them, and got up to go back to her room.
He Hansheng was writing something at the table. When he saw her return, he couldn't help but look up at her. "Did you lose all your money again?"
“No,” Shen Suining said angrily, sitting on the edge of the bed with her arms crossed. “They’re cheating and don’t want to play anymore.”
"It's good to take a break," He Hansheng chuckled, glancing at the inkstone on the table. "Help me grind the ink."
Shen Suining picked up the ink stick and started grinding it. Seeing He Hansheng looking so serious without even looking up, she couldn't help but ask, "What are you writing? You've been writing for days."
“Some things about the management and allocation of the city defense troops,” He Hansheng paused, dipped his brush in ink, “I haven’t had much to do on the ship lately, so I thought of some adjustment plans and wrote them down.”
Shen Suining said "Oh," and since it was about his military duties, she didn't ask any more questions. She just quietly stayed by his side, grinding ink for him.
The two stayed there from afternoon until evening. In between, Shen Suining changed her sitting position a few times and even lay down to take a nap. When she opened her eyes, He Hansheng was still sitting at the table, unmoved.
She couldn't help but marvel at this man's patience. "He Hansheng, aren't you tired sitting in one position for so long?"
“It’s alright,” He Hansheng responded to every word. “When I was a child, I was also impatient. Whenever I was reading or practicing calligraphy, my father would sit next to me with a military stick and watch me. Over time, it became a habit.”
Shen Suining thought of what Xiang Yemingke had said about He Hansheng's childhood, when he was controlled by both parents. She looked at him with more sympathy, but then she thought of her own mother and felt more sympathy for her.
She sighed. "That's why my parents and your parents are good friends. My older brother had a similar childhood to yours, but he was different. The more his parents disciplined him, the more rebellious he became. He even ran away from home when he was a teenager. If my father hadn't occasionally sided with me, I probably would have ended up like him."
The two looked at each other and laughed simultaneously.
“Parents love their children and plan far ahead for them. Although they are strict, they are always thinking about our future,” He Hansheng said softly.
Shen Suining lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, seemingly reluctant to get up. The boat was moving slowly on the river, swaying gently, which made her feel sleepy again after just waking up.
He Hansheng put down his pen and called her name. She responded with her eyes closed, and it was unclear whether he heard her.
A moment later, she heard him say, "After we disembark, I need to go to the military camp first. You take Fengyu back to the manor to rest. Yu Chu will take care of the rest of the people."
Shen Suining hummed in response, seemingly not quite understanding.
When she came to her senses, she opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him, "So, are you going home tonight?"
There seemed to be a hint of expectation in her eyes, which warmed He Hansheng's heart. "I will try my best."
Shen Suining lay back down and closed her eyes. "I was just asking casually. Your work is important, so you don't need to force yourself for this. It's not worth it to exhaust yourself and harm your health over this."
He Hansheng didn't say anything, but simply put away the things on the table, got up and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Shen Suining.
Noticing his gaze, Shen Suining opened one eye. "What?"
He Hansheng reached out and gently pinched her lip, chuckling softly, "Stubborn as ever."
"No, I didn't," Shen Suining slapped his hand away, subconsciously licked her lips, and snorted, "I'm just telling the truth. After all, when we were in Yangzhou, I wouldn't have put my work aside just to be with you. To be fair, I wouldn't ask you to do that."
He Hansheng grasped her right hand, pulled it to his lips, and gently touched her wrist. "Are you tired?"
He was probably referring to the afternoon when he spent grinding ink for him.
Shen Suining shook her head. "Grinding ink is much easier than wielding a sword or a knife, isn't it?"
Her right wrist was bare. He Hansheng belatedly realized and asked her, "Why aren't you wearing the gold bracelet I gave you? Don't you like it anymore?"
“Here it is,” Shen Suining stretched out her left hand and waved it. The two gold bracelets clinked together and made a dull sound. She explained, “Last time I wore them on my right hand and someone saw it and recognized my identity, so I hid them on my left hand.”
Her right hand is her dominant hand, and it is indeed easier for people to see it than her left hand.
He Hansheng didn't say much, only slightly bowing his head.
Just then, someone knocked on the door, startling Shen Suining. She quickly covered He Hansheng's mouth and asked loudly, "What is it?"
Ling Rui stood outside. "Young Master, the ship will dock tomorrow. Everyone is planning to have one last drink on the deck tonight. Will you come?"
"I... I don't think so," Shen Suining said, her heart pounding as she looked at He Hansheng, who was so close to her. "You guys shouldn't drink too late either, we still need to find accommodations tomorrow."
Lingrui: "If you don't come, how will everyone know how to make arrangements?"
Shen Suining's mind raced as she tried to figure out how to get rid of Ling Rui, but He Hansheng pulled her hand away and whispered in her ear, "Let Feng Yu go find Jiang Yuchu. He'll make the arrangements."
The warm breath sprayed on the sensitive spot behind her ear, and Shen Suining's body went weak. Her fingers gripped He Hansheng's collar tightly, and she restrained herself from speaking: "Tell Feng Yu to discuss it with Jiang Yuchu."
"What about the money?"
"..." Shen Suining was exhausted from dealing with He Hansheng, but upon hearing this, she still couldn't help but choke back a bit, "Go find Feng Yu, all the money I have left is with her!"
Lingrui said "Oh," as if she wanted to say something more.
Shen Suining couldn't hold back any longer and scolded in a low voice: "Go and drink your wine! If you really don't have money, have Feng Yu borrow some from Jishetang and Qianjige first!"
Ling Rui then left, and the area outside the door finally became quiet.
Shen Suining breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the culprit. Unbeknownst to her, he had already taken off most of her clothes.
Shen Suining grabbed He Hansheng's restless hand and said angrily, "Are you deliberately trying to make me look foolish?"
He Hansheng shook his head, took off his shoes, and knelt on the wooden bed. "It's just that I haven't been close to Madam for a long time, and I couldn't control myself."
Shen Suining looked at his serious and earnest face and was quite amazed.
She had always been impressed by He Hansheng's amazing self-control. During the past half month on the ship, even though they slept in each other's arms every night, he never did anything to her. At most, he would just kiss her. Even when things almost escalated, he was able to stop himself in time.
The rooms on the ship were cramped, and the rooms were separated only by wooden plank walls. Any slight noise or disturbance could be clearly heard by the people in the nearby rooms. This is why, despite living together day and night, they had not been close to each other for a long time.
Now that they were about to reach the shore, He Hansheng seemed to have suddenly removed the tight band around his head, which surprised Shen Suining. She never thought that He Hansheng would be a person who indulged and was unrestrained in such matters.
But the facts were right in front of her, and Shen Suining didn't have the energy to think about anything else. She was so nervous that her toes curled up and her whole body turned red. She lowered her voice and said, "If we make too much noise, people outside will notice."
"Didn't Lingrui say they all went to the deck to drink?" He Hansheng gently kissed her neck, showing no intention of stopping.
The fire was already lit, and it was no use trying to extinguish it. Shen Suining could only clench her teeth tightly and restrain herself from making a sound.
He Hansheng's voice gradually faded. He reached out and covered Shen Suining's mouth with his hand, his movements gentle and restrained, but even so, the wooden bed still made creaking sounds.
The cabin was eerily quiet; all the lively sounds seemed to be concentrated on the deck at the bow, quite a distance away. Any noise they made would simply be drowned out by the even louder sounds.
"He Hansheng, you..."
"Shhh."
He Hansheng kissed Shen Suining, but covered her mouth to prevent her from making a sound. The creaking of the wooden bed gradually grew louder. Shen Suining gripped He Hansheng's shoulders tightly, and in a daze, she felt as if the whole ship was shaking violently.
A mix of intense stimulation and the tension of being discovered welled up with an inexplicable emotion. Shen Suining strained even with her toes, her long eyelashes were wet, and her eyes were filled with physiological tears.
After a while, she opened her mouth and bit He Hansheng's hand hard.
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