Chapter 91 A Perfect Time "Don't you want it?"...
Jiang Ce suddenly felt his arms empty and opened his eyes.
Xue Chan had already put on her clothes and was standing there smiling.
Jiang Ce was still stunned in front of the cabinet, his undergarment mostly loose, barely hanging on his body.
He snapped out of his reverie, picked up the robe from the ground, and draped it over Xue Chan: "It's late autumn, and even though there's a charcoal fire burning, it's still a bit cold."
Xue Chan bent down, tilted her head, and smiled, "I need to wash up. Please wait a while."
After saying that, she lifted the beaded curtain and walked outside.
The door opened and closed, and Jiang Ce let out a long breath, feeling that this day had been both busy and joyful.
He picked up the pieces of clothing Xue Chan had dropped from the ground, folded them neatly, and placed them on the low table. He also picked up the pendant of her wedding robe that she had carelessly tossed aside and placed it in front of the dressing table.
After Xue Chan left, the room seemed empty again.
Only the brightly lit dragon and phoenix candles and the festive decorations filling the room proved that this was not an illusion.
Jiang Ce walked slowly through the house. Most of Xue Chan's belongings had been moved in before the wedding.
On her desk sat her celadon lamp and several sets of brushes. Several scrolls of calligraphy and paintings were placed in a porcelain jar, and on a display shelf to one side were her collection of books and paintings, as well as her handwritten calligraphy samples.
Flower vases, incense burners, chessboards, and half-open boxes containing trinkets like Cuju (ancient Chinese football), embroidered balls, and nine-linked rings.
Jiang Ce looked again and saw that even the tools used for Chuiwan (a type of Chinese polo) were there. However, they looked a bit old, as if they had been used for many years.
Inside the room there was even a folding screen with ink bamboo painted by herself.
Jiang Ce circled around and around, even counting how many hairpins were in her dressing case.
He glanced at the water clock; only a quarter of an hour had passed.
When there was nothing left to see, I sat back on the bed and started to zone out, quietly waiting for Xue Chan to return. As I sat there, I felt like I was alone in an empty room.
I need to find something to do.
Jiang Ce quietly rummaged through the box under the bed, took out the books inside, and flipped through them page by page. Perhaps because he had drunk too much, his face started to turn red again, and his head felt foggy.
What are you looking at?
He was engrossed in reading when Xue Chan returned unnoticed and suddenly spoke up behind him.
Jiang Ce was startled, and the book in his hand flew out, landing right at Xue Chan's feet.
She bent down to pick it up, and just as she was about to open the book, Jiang Ce immediately snatched it back and hid it behind his back.
His attempt to hide it only fueled Xue Chan's anger: "Give it to me!"
Jiang Ce shook his head and stepped back: "No."
Xue Chan said in a deep voice, "You'd better give it to me yourself, don't make me go through all that trouble."
Seeing her slight cold smile and change in expression, Jiang Ce hesitated for a moment before handing it over.
Just as the book was about to fall into Xue Chan's hands, it was suddenly snatched back. Jiang Ce ran away from her, saying, "No, no, no!"
Xue Chan suppressed her anger, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sat on the bed, turning to the side in a huff.
"Give it or don't!"
Seeing that she was angry, Jiang Ce awkwardly sat down next to her again. The closer he got, the further away she moved.
"It's not that I'm unwilling to show you, it's just...it wouldn't be good for you to see this..."
Xue Chan turned and glared at him, snorted coldly, and then turned away. No matter how much he apologized or begged, she didn't respond.
Jiang Ce lowered his head and sighed.
Xue Chan stood up and walked out, but he quickly grabbed her sleeve. She turned her eyes, smiled, and suddenly turned around.
Before Jiang Ce could react, she pinched his cheek and unexpectedly kissed him. He felt a soft touch on his lips, and his mind went blank. He sat on the edge of the bed, too stunned to react.
Just as he was about to lean in to deepen the intimacy and reach out to hug Xue Chan,
She snatched the book from her hand and quickly retreated behind the beaded curtain.
"If you want to play with me, you'd better be born eight hundred years earlier!"
"Don't!"
Before Jiang Ce could stop her, Xue Chan had already started reading.
Oh no, she must think I'm a huge pervert.
He was filled with shame and regret, and slumped onto the edge of the bed, staring at the beaded lamp with utter despair.
"I wondered what it was, but it's just this."
There was no shame, no anger, no blame; only the ordinariness of three meals a day.
Jiang Ce raised his face, the blush still lingering on his cheeks.
Xue Chan slowly walked back and calmly tossed the book into his arms: "It's just a erotic picture, is it really worth all this?"
But that's all?
How could she say such things so calmly?
That day, Jiang Ji left but then came back and said, "Young ladies are shy, you must be patient, patient, and even more patient, understand?"
Why are they completely different?
Perhaps seeing Jiang Ce's stunned and shocked expression, Xue Chan rummaged through her box and pulled out two booklets as well.
"I have this too."
She sat down next to Jiang Ce, opened the booklet, and handed it to him.
Jiang Ce reached out his slightly trembling hand to take it and looked down at the picture book.
Oh, it is indeed a spring-themed picture.
He looked up at Xue Chan again, who remained calm and composed.
Oh, how peaceful.
Jiang Ce looked into the silver mirror, where his flushed cheeks were reflected.
Oh, how embarrassing.
"...Aren't you even a little bit ashamed?"
Xue Chan replied, "The ancients said, 'Food and sex are human nature.' Isn't that a very normal thing?"
Jiang Ce blinked. So it was him who was abnormal?
"And..." Xue Chan continued calmly, "I've looked at this booklet many times since it came into my hands. It's just that the painting skills aren't very good; the technique and colors aren't very good either. Yours is much better, but it's still quite bad."
With each word she uttered, Jiang Ce's heart calmed down a little, until by the end, his heart was as still as water.
Seeing that Jiang Ce had his eyes open but didn't respond, Xue Chan simply took back the book and explained it to him page by page. She pointed out what was wrong, what was incorrect, and where it could be improved.
Jiang Ce was already lost in thought.
Is this how a wedding night should be?
Why would they sit on the wedding bed on their wedding night, discussing how to draw erotic pictures?
After speaking for a short while, Xue Chan stopped and said, "We still have important things to do."
Jiang Ce smiled with a hint of relief: "Master Xue, you finally remembered."
Otherwise, he would think he was going to have classes all night.
Xue Chan closed the booklet, stood up, walked to the table, poured herself a cup of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.
Before Jiang Ce could react, Xue Chan had already walked straight up to him.
She snatched the book from his hand and tossed it behind her, then kicked off her shoe and grabbed Jiang Ce's collar, pulling him onto the bed.
"Alright, let's get down to business."
Jiang Ce was pulled so hard he stumbled, managing to stay upright by grabbing the bed frame with his hands.
Is it really that direct?
When the copper hook was gently removed, the gauze curtain fell, and the inside of the curtain was dimly lit.
The two sat facing each other, looking extremely serious.
"Do we really... have to be this direct?"
Xue Chan said, "Haven't you heard the saying 'A moment of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold'? It's already very late. As the ancients said, 'Enjoyment tonight, seize the good time.' We've already wasted a lot of good time, so we should naturally make the most of the remaining time."
Jiang Ce's breath hitched. He had never felt such disgust for the ancients before. What had they done to such good people?
Xue Chan's gaze fell on him, though it was so hazy, it shone brightly.
"Shall I help you?"
Jiang Ce covered himself with his clothes and said, "I...I...I can do it myself."
He untied the three sashes very slowly, especially when Xue Chan stared at him intently, which made him untie them even slower.
He suddenly stopped and said, "Could you please stop looking at me...?"
"...You can turn around."
Jiang Ce turned his back, while Xue Chan half-reclined on the pillow, calculating how much longer he would dawdle.
He was much shyer than she thought, and much more fun to tease.
No matter how long he dawdled, his clothes still had to be removed and he still had to fall down, so his back was exposed inside the wedding tent.
It was a tall and broad body, every line clear and smooth, intersecting with the large and small scars on its shoulders and back like gently undulating hills. Beneath the narrow, winding ravines lay a clear stream. Abundant aquatic plants, soft green grass, and swaying wildflowers.
There was even a mark running from his shoulder to his lower back, but it was a very long mark that almost ran from his right shoulder to his left waist.
Although it had long since healed, it still looked shocking.
Xue Chan sat up straight gently.
It turns out she hadn't misremembered.
Jiang Ce's palms were sweating with nervousness, but there was an unusual silence behind him. The piercing gaze that had been pressing down on him had vanished at some point, leaving only silence in the tent.
As he was wondering about turning around, fingertips landed on his back, slowly tracing down his right shoulder to his left waist.
How did you get so many injuries?
Jiang Ce smiled and said, "Do you think I got to where I am today? It was all earned through hard work and fighting. These wounds are both a testament and a source of pride."
Xue Chan's voice softened considerably: "Why don't I see any injuries on your face?"
Jiang Ce turned around and lowered his gaze.
"That won't do. I treasure this face. It will have its own uses."
Xue Chan smiled slightly: "For example?"
Jiang Ce laughed: "For example, seducing you."
He leaned closer little by little, kissing her forehead, eyes, bridge of her nose, cheeks, and corners of her lips, then gently kissing her lips, as tender as a dragonfly skimming the water.
Xue Chan sat up straight, slightly out of breath, and climbed onto his shoulder, trying to regain her footing.
The gloomy and hazy atmosphere inside the tent gradually intensified, becoming so thick and lingering that it seemed impossible to dispel it.
“I’ve seen all those paintings. They’re not good. I don’t like them.”
"Let me try, study and research carefully, and I'm sure I can create an even more exquisite painting."
Jiang Ce felt extremely dizzy, and only heard Xue Chan's soft and alluring words drift into his ears.
It's itchy, tingly, and numb, yet it's enjoyable.
He simply held her close, his lips glistening with moisture.
Xue Chan was nervous, shy, but even more excited.
This curiosity and yearning for the unknown and challenging realm excited her.
This feeling of gradual exploration and mastery slowly crept in.
Xue Chan heard his increasingly rapid breathing, saw his lips that had become fuller from kissing, and felt the body beneath her that was different from hers.
It is a generous, broad, slightly hard, trembling, and burning body.
This feeling intensely stimulated her five senses, making her feel excited, and her thirst for knowledge, exploration, love, and sex burned like fire.
Jiang Ce was a little out of breath and subconsciously pushed Xue Chan away gently.
She asked softly.
"Don't you like it?"
Don't you want it?
When Xue Chan smiled, her face and eyes became radiant.
Jiang Ce realized with such clarity that she was far more desirable than he had ever wanted.
She knelt and bent over to kiss him, just like she had seen in paintings; she imitated them and applied what she had learned to other situations.
Perhaps Xue Chan is truly a genius far surpassing others; she is extremely good at learning, and also dares to try new things and explore innovation.
Finally, through integration and mastery, the student surpasses the teacher.
Jiang Ce suddenly felt a little disappointed. She was so at ease, while he was too shy and had to be guided by her.
"Don't be upset, don't be timid. What you call weakness and awkwardness are not flaws. The stone is carved into a pattern in your hands. This polishing process is the same for both of us."
Jiang Ce looked up at her and saw that her face was also flushed, and he could feel her trembling slightly.
It's all good, it's all the same in the end.
As Xue Chan said, the polishing process was too difficult.
It failed.
"I...I'm sorry...I didn't know it would turn out like this..."
Jiang Ce was also at a loss, and could only purse his lips and keep apologizing to her.
Xue Chan held his hand tightly: "It's okay, I heard it will get better in the future."
Jiang Ce felt even more guilty and remorseful.
"It's late, let's go to sleep first, we have a long life ahead of us."
Jiang Ce didn't know how to salvage the situation and was completely clueless, so he could only sleep in her arms.
After a moment of quiet, Xue Chan felt tired, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
She felt lightheaded.
"Smack!"
The dragon and phoenix candles suddenly exploded with joy, and after waking up somewhat groggily, I saw the pomegranate flowers on the top of the tent.
I don't know what time it is, but dawn still seems far away. Only my senses have become much clearer.
Moist and soft.
"What...what are you doing...?"
Jiang Ce raised his face from the middle, looking somewhat bewildered. His eyes, like jeweled beads, seemed to see right to the bottom.
"I...I don't know either, I just feel that this day shouldn't have ended like that, it shouldn't have..."
The dragon and phoenix candles exploded, adorned the latticed windows, and lanterns and red silks hung throughout the courtyard and the entire Wu'an Marquis's mansion. The embroidered patterns on the robes and skirts outside the tents, without exception, all symbolized completeness and happiness.
On such a day, after so much preparation and such long-held anticipation, how could we allow any regrets?
Therefore, to mend this crack that represents regret, he wanted it to be complete and beautiful.
He asked her.
Don't you like it? Don't you want it?
Xue Chan took a breath and looked him straight in the eye.
"like"
"want to"
He smiled slightly.
I knelt before her with an almost pious devotion, touching, wandering, and feeling the beauty in every part of her.
He leaned down and gently kissed her.
The two wondered what love looked like when people were first born, before the establishment of social norms.
Perhaps it is a natural longing, an entanglement of innocence, purity, wildness, and a near-natural simplicity.
Like heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, plants and trees, fish and insects, and birds, it is primitive and spiritual.
They should have been by the water, in the mountains, under the moonlight.
When they touch and intertwine, the river of life begins to flow. It surges, flourishes, and exuberance, endlessly regenerating.
The river surged and churned, then calmed down.
The two fell asleep in each other's arms, and he buried himself in her bosom.
Xue Chan let Jiang Ce hold her tightly, buried her face in his chest, closed her eyes, and slowly fell asleep.
It felt as if something was dripping down, sliding from her chest down her heart.
In a daze, she thought.
Those were tears.
It was fulfilling and joyful.
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