Chapter 47 Extra 1.1 Daily Life After Marriage
It's never good for two military generals to be stationed in the same provincial capital. Zhan Yunmei had just arrived in Beiyuan when Zhan Yan, unwilling to let her move again, took the initiative to request to be transferred to the other side after Zhan Yunmei's marriage.
Before his departure, Zhan Yan gave Hua Lang some of the family's ancestral lands and shops, and presented betrothal gifts according to custom. However, since Hua Lang had no relatives, the betrothal gifts were given to him personally. In addition, he provided many clothes, ornaments, gold, silver and money. The importance attached to this matter is self-evident.
Hua Lang only took a small portion, and handed the rest over to Zhan Yunmei.
He no longer accompanied Zhan Yunmei to work every day. Occasionally, he would stay at the mansion to manage the farmland and shops, and hand over the profits to Zhan Yunmei.
As spring fades and the snow melts from the streets, new green shoots emerge. Black boots tread across the bluestone path and stop at the gate of the General's Mansion in the north of the town.
"General, you're back. Should we announce your return to the main house?" Yao Shuniang pushed open the door and welcomed Zhan Yunmei in.
"No need, it's so late, he should be asleep."
Indeed, the oil lamp in the main house was about to burn out, and the room was quiet. As you walked further in, a faint light shone through the screen, and you could vaguely see the figure lying on the canopy bed.
Having shed her travel-worn appearance and washed herself clean, Zhan Yunmei quietly returned to her bed.
Hua Lang lay reclining on the edge of the couch, with a thick ledger beside him and a pen that hadn't completely dried. The ink from the pen tip seeped into his forearm beneath his snow-white nightgown, curving and twisting like a tattoo.
He was sleeping on his side, his cheek and arm close together, with some ink stains on his face. Zhan Yunmei inexplicably thought of a black and white stray cat that had recently wandered into the mansion, which also had a face covered in ink stains.
She smiled gently, carefully picking up the ledger and pen. Hua Lang noticed something, his brow furrowing slightly. He reached out and rummaged around, finally finding her wrist and grabbing it.
Now Zhan Yunmei had no choice but to put the account book and pen on the bedside table and had to put them on the floor.
She made no noise again and went to bed.
Unfortunately, Hua Lang wasn't a deep sleeper, and he noticed even the slightest noise. He slowly opened his eyes, still dazed, and saw her reflected in them.
Without much thought, he sat up unsteadily, snuggled into her arms, and, noticing her cold hands, put them under his neck to warm them for her.
Still half-asleep, he called out softly, "General."
"Okay, go to sleep," Zhan Yunmei said, gently stroking the back of his neck. Unexpectedly, the stroking woke him up.
Now fully awake, Hua Lang was not as obedient as when he first woke up. After he blinked, she half-heartedly let go of his hand and retreated back into the quilt.
"The general is disturbing people's rest."
If he's obedient, she's willing to let him sleep well; if he's stubborn, then she'll have to be stubborn with him too.
They grabbed the rope around his neck and pulled him over.
"Why did you go to sleep without waiting for me?"
Turn the person over so they face her.
Hua Lang touched the marks on her neck from being strangled, and buried her head in a somewhat aggrieved manner.
Look, she's playing the victim again.
Zhan Yunmei clicked her tongue in amazement.
“I’m exhausted. The general has been out and hasn’t come back. I can’t wait any longer,” he said.
“If you can’t wait, you’ll have to keep waiting until I come back,” she pointed to his dirty forearm. “The tabby cat isn’t allowed to sleep on my bed. Go and wash it clean.”
Why are you so fierce...?
Hua Lang secretly raised his eyes, but couldn't tell how serious Zhan Yunmei was. She must be trying to scare him.
Looking up, I realized my forearm was quite dirty, and I might have even soiled the bedding.
He decided to wash himself clean before coming back.
Zhan Yunmei watched as Hua Lang slowly climbed off the couch and headed towards the bathhouse, walking slowly step by step, still feeling sleepy.
There was a Western bird clock placed behind the screen. Looking over there, you could tell the time. It was already late, and in a few hours it would be almost dawn.
But she wasn't in a hurry; she had a day off tomorrow and could sleep in as late as she wanted.
After sitting by the couch for a while, Hua Lang still hadn't returned. After waiting a while longer, half an hour had passed on the clock, and he still hadn't come back.
Something must have happened, otherwise why hasn't he come back yet?
She pushed open the bathroom door and found that the oil lamp inside had burned out. Zhan Yunmei took a new one and peered inside.
Hua Lang was lying on the ground.
"Hua Lang?"
Quickly slap his cheeks.
Hua Lang opened his eyes listlessly. This time he had been sleeping both deeply and lightly, and he woke up quickly, not too confused.
He was alright, just asleep, and there were no unexpected events, so her anxious heart was relieved, but she also felt a little annoyed.
"General, I'm so sleepy..." he murmured, snuggling closer to Zhan Yunmei's arms. He smelled the warm fragrance emanating from her and unconsciously nuzzled his head against her.
"I told you to wash your hands, why are you still asleep? What were you doing during the day?" She pushed him away.
Hua Lang thought for a moment and said truthfully, "I was woken up before Chen Shi (7-9 AM) because many people were stuffing gifts into the mansion to congratulate the general on his marriage. I had to get up early to decline them so as not to cause you any trouble."
The wedding banquet was grand, and Hua Lang's identity was neither emphasized nor deliberately concealed. Fortunately, no one used it as a pretext to make a fuss, perhaps out of respect for Zhan Yunmei's power, or perhaps because they felt it was none of their business.
At the banquet, only small monetary gifts were accepted according to custom. However, many people wanted to use this opportunity to give gifts and strengthen their relationship with the General's Mansion.
On the spot, Zhan Yunmei would refuse; in private, Hua Lang would be responsible for making excuses.
Even now, the wedding has long since taken place, probably half a month ago, but many people are still sending gifts to the mansion.
"Didn't you catch up on sleep this afternoon?" Zhan Yunmei said, as she reached her arms through Hua Lang's knees and pulled him into the inner room.
Hua Lang struggled symbolically for a few moments, then buried her face in the crook of her neck. "In the afternoon, someone from the farm came over and said there was a problem with the profits, so I've been calculating ever since."
Beneath him lay the soft blankets, still warm from her and his presence, yet he found himself wide awake and unable to sleep.
Zhan Yunmei stood by the couch, her tall figure obscuring Hua Lang. He raised his hand, grasped her fingertips, and gently pulled her towards him.
"These things should be handled by someone else, so why were they given to you?" Zhan Yunmei noticed something amiss. Hua Lang was only in charge of administration, and these detailed accounting tasks should never have been assigned to him. She suspected that the estate was deliberately bullying him.
However, Hua Lang is not the type to suffer losses, so how could he let such a small group of people scheme against him?
“Tell the truth, or you can go sleep in the flower hall with that stray cat today,” she said, shaking off his hand, her tone not serious.
Hua Lang could tell that she was just trying to scare him; he was only thinking about being dumped by her.
She turned her head to the side and muttered, "I took that cat to the side room."
"Then you can sleep in the side room."
"No," he immediately sat up and hugged Zhan Yunmei. The position was just right, as he was pressed against her lower abdomen. The slight movement perfectly blended with his face, and they were pressed tightly together.
For a moment I was dazed, but then an overwhelming joy welled up inside me.
Hmm... Is this really not a dream?
With a loud slap, I received a solid slap on my left cheek, the burning pain was real—it was no dream.
Hua Lang covered her face and finally told the truth, "I originally wanted to keep calculating until you came back, so you would feel sorry for me, but I was too sleepy and fell asleep..."
Hearing the truth, Zhan Yunmei wasn't too surprised. She bent down, brought the person back, and made him lie down again.
Her fingertips ran through his soft, long hair, soothingly stroking it.
How should I put it?
You said you've always felt sorry for him?
Or is he just being pretentious and stupid?
Let's not say anything more.
Zhan Yunmei asked, "Does it hurt?"
Hua Lang nodded, then placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, softer than the quilt beneath him and warmer than the bed itself.
Her eyes involuntarily curved upwards, her eyelashes fluttering incessantly.
He wanted her to hit him a few more times so she could kiss him repeatedly.
The kiss moved from the side of her cheek to her lips, but lingered on the outside, refusing to penetrate. Hua Lang was a little disappointed.
He grabbed Zhan Yunmei's wrist, wanting to slap himself in the face, but then thought it would hurt her hand, so he refrained and instead put it inside her collar.
Heading downwards.
He had gained a lot of weight on his waist, but he wasn't very fat; there was still a dent in that area.
Zhan Yunmei pinched it.
It feels great.
She stuck out a little bit of her tongue, gesturing for Hua Lang to open her lips.
He refused again, turned his head away, and complained to her, "You don't even remember what you promised me."
Zhan Yunmei was stunned for a moment.
So all that buildup was for this moment.
Unfortunately, she really couldn't remember what she had promised. She had absolutely no recollection of it.
From her stunned expression to her hesitant look, Hua Lang knew that she couldn't remember. Her heart was already exploding with anger, but she still had to pretend to be normal on the surface.
She dragged out a sarcastic tone: "I just don't remember. The general is too busy. This servant should be considerate of the general."
"Yes, that's true."
Zhan Yunmei lifted the blanket and lay down.
There's no need to press him or argue. Just ignore him. He'll get angry with himself for a while and then come crawling back. You won't get an answer by arguing with him.
After lying there for only a short while, before the oil lamp had even gone out, Hua Lang couldn't resist any longer. He pulled her arms away and snuggled into her embrace.
"He promised to spend a day with me at the wedding banquet, but he hasn't done so yet..." I felt a little wronged and a little pitiful.
Zhan Yun thought back carefully.
It seems that this is indeed the case. There were many guests that day, and he had to entertain them. Hua Lang hadn't spent much time on such matters in a long time, and this sudden event left him exhausted. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow that night.
On that very day, Zhan Yunmei casually mentioned that she would spend time with him whenever she had time, as compensation.
After Zhan Yunmei broke her promise, Hua Lang did not question or reprimand her at all. Instead, she threw herself into her arms, rubbing against her and trying to please her. She did not feel the slightest bit of anger.
Zhan Yunmei could find no reason to deliberately argue with him anymore, so she opened her arms and hugged him back, embracing him tightly to soothe his vague unease.
"Then I'll make it up to you, okay? Don't be angry anymore."
"good."
Without the slightest hesitation.
Zhan Yunmei chuckled. She had never seen anyone so shameless, nor had she ever seen anyone so easily coaxed.
He would paint a picture of a bright future and see her as some kind of great savior; if she looked at him, he would want to strip naked and offer himself to her.
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