"Read, read the letter?" The servant was surprised.
Pei Wenfeng's face was as gloomy as water. His right palm covered the pen that had just been slammed on the table. Black ink splattered everywhere, almost smudged the file. He replied in a deep voice, "Read it. I really don't want to see the handwriting of this vicious woman with my own eyes."
"Yes." Cai Chun was originally a servant, but gradually became a confidant, and he could read and understand. He followed orders, holding the letter, cleared his throat, and read with a stiff upper lip: "Ahem, my dear nephew Wenfeng—"
“That’s enough!”
Pei Wenfeng's patience was instantly broken. He raised his hand to stop the servant, then leaned back in his chair, a headache aching. He rubbed his brows and sneered, "What a sinister and vicious stepmother! She's so shameless! Who is she calling 'nephew'?"
Cai Chun understood the rift and hatred between them and chimed in, saying comfortingly, "Yes, how shameless! Such a selfish and despicable woman is not worth your anger at all."
"Yushu must have been framed by the Xu family, there is no doubt about it." Pei Wenfeng took a sip of tea, the sleeves of his tea-white robe fluttering lightly. The collar and cuffs were trimmed with bamboo green silver patterns. His eyes were narrow and long, his face was like a crown of jade, handsome and elegant.
After a moment, he said, "Forget it. You don't have to read it aloud. Just read it through first and then tell me the important parts."
"Yes." Cai Chun understood, carefully examining the situation for a moment, then replied, "Sir, if I understand correctly, Madam Jiang and Madam Xu wrote this letter specifically for your marriage to Miss Jiang Er. Between the lines, she hinted that her own daughter is 'spoiled and ignorant' and 'probably doesn't share your interests.' To put it bluntly, she clearly disapproves of this match!"
Pei Wenfeng knew it all and said indifferently, "She did something immoral and feels guilty, so she doesn't dare to hand over her own daughter to the Pei family."
"Tsk~" Cai Chun sneered and muttered, "Marry a virtuous woman. As the saying goes, like mother, like daughter. Who would be willing to marry her daughter? She's dreaming!"
Pei Wenfeng's face was expressionless, his narrow eyes flashing with a cold light. He said in a flat tone, "Marriage has always been about following the wishes of parents and the words of the matchmaker. It's strange that Xu, after all, has lived to such an old age, doesn't understand this principle. She shouldn't have reminded me in a roundabout way. Instead, she should have discussed it with the elders of both parties."
"I cannot decide my own marriage affairs, so I cannot reply. Please pack up the letter and forward it back to the capital."
@Unlimited good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
"Who to send it to?" Cai Chun's eyes lit up.
Pei Wenfeng replied calmly: "Uncle."
"Good idea!" Cai Chun was immediately delighted and said happily, "Please ask Master Jiang to keep the second wife under control so that she won't disturb your peace and quiet so often."
Pei Wenfeng was a busy new official, yet he had to find time to deal with the incoming letters. He pulled himself together and held out his hand, saying, "Let me take a look at the letter from home."
Cai Chun bowed and presented the letter.
Pei Wenfeng opened the boxes one by one, glanced at them briefly, and then put them on the table, his expression becoming increasingly gloomy.
"Is everything okay in the mansion?" Cai Chun wiped the ink stains that had just been spilled quickly.
Pei Wenfeng leaned back in his chair again and replied ruefully, "My elder is in good health, but the letter still urged me to agree to marry my second cousin instead."
"You still haven't changed your mind?" Cai Chun frowned and blurted out, "Marrying the second Miss Jiang is not appropriate, right? The sisters are all engaged, but in the end they exchange husbands. If it gets out, won't people laugh at you-" He stopped in a hurry and smiled awkwardly.
Pei Wenfeng felt helpless at the elders' stubbornness and sighed, "It's well known that it's easier to get an official position if you have someone in the court. My uncle was my grandfather's favorite student, and he rose to the position of Minister of Works. My grandfather was convinced that his son-in-law would do his utmost to support his nephew, so for his own career, he asked me to marry my second cousin."
"The old man is indeed doing this for the young master's own good." Cai Chun trimmed the wick and the candlelight flickered.
Pei Wenfeng sat up straight, staring intently at the candlelight, and said slowly, "Over the years, my uncle has taken great care of me and has been very generous and kind. I am not ungrateful. I have always been grateful and worked hard. We originally agreed that regardless of whether I passed the exam or not, we would marry Yushu on an auspicious date this year." He paused, unable to hide his anger, and said in a trembling voice, "But I never expected that Sister Shu would be framed by my stepmother and forced to marry someone else in a hurry! Moreover, the elders worked together to conceal it and only told me after the palace exam results were announced. By then, Yushu had already been exiled! I, I -"
He sat stiffly, his chest heaving violently, gritting his teeth.
"Calm down, calm down now." Cai Chun felt pity for us, scratching his head and saying, "The old master was afraid that the younger ones would let the cat out of the bag, so he kept it a secret. Actually, they were doing this for your own good. You've studied so hard for ten years, and you can't afford to be distracted by the imperial examination. If you knew about this before the exam, you would be furious, and you wouldn't be able to give it your all, which would hinder your future."
Pei Wenfeng stared straight into the candlelight, his eyes dark and irritable, and he said tiredly, "I believe my uncle didn't know about Yushu's accident beforehand. After the incident, he apologized many times. Like the elders in my family, I don't blame him." He changed the subject and raised his head, "But Xu Shi has done too much evil. She is the culprit and has a heart as vicious as a scorpion. I will never agree to marry her biological daughter!"
"What if, what if the elders of the two families insist on getting married?"
Pei Wenfeng brushed off his sleeves, took a pen from the pen holder, dipped it in ink, and continued writing official documents. He replied coldly, "Parents' orders cannot be disobeyed. If they force me to marry, then I will marry. Don't blame me for neglecting my second cousin then."
"She brought this upon herself, she deserves it!" Cai Chun knew that the young master hated Xu's mother and daughter, so he spoke frankly.
Pei Wenfeng was disgusted. "Humph, between mother and daughter, Yu Shan couldn't possibly be completely ignorant. She's so cruel, falsely accusing her sister of jumping into the fire pit for her. Not only did she get away with it, she even accused her sister of stealing her love. That shameless face is just like Xu Shi."
"Alas, what can we do about our relatives' family affairs? There's nothing we can do."
Pei Wenfeng wrote furiously for half a page before sighing deeply, kneading his brows. He said sadly, "Yushu was born timid and weak. Ever since she was little, she's only able to cry when wronged. She's completely defenseless. With all this sudden misfortune, I still can't imagine how much she's endured. I'm afraid she's cried herself dry and her eyes damaged... Fortunately, she's still alive, waiting for me to rescue her in Yuehu Town."
Cai Chun was startled and asked hurriedly, "Could it be that my cousin has sent a letter? What does she want from you, young master?"
"Why should I explain it? I know Sister Shu's personality very well. She loses her mind when she encounters difficulties and must be anxiously waiting for me to rescue her." Pei Wenfeng firmly believed it and murmured anxiously, "After this busy period is over, I will try to find her in Yuehu Town."
"Sir," Cai Chun said worriedly, "don't forget that your cousin is now a married woman—"
Pei Wenfeng was furious. "Shut up!" His eyes were like torches as he shouted, "Get out."
"...Yes." Cai Chun was helpless and retreated uneasily, thinking: Is the young master trying to take back my cousin? Stealing someone else's wife? Troublesome, too troublesome.
It was not late at night and the red candle was burning quietly.
After Jiang Yushu took off her hairpins and washed off her makeup thoroughly, her skin was no longer sticky and felt much more comfortable.
I was busy all day and because of the spring outing, I didn't take a nap at noon, so I was exhausted and very tired.
In Jiang Yushu's mind, today's ceremony was called the wedding consummation ceremony, but in fact it was the marriage ceremony. After the ceremony, the excitement and tension gradually subsided, and a strong sense of sleepiness surged.
She covered her mouth and yawned, then paced around the room twice. She was so sleepy that she couldn't help but walk to the couch and lie down in her clothes.
I originally planned to close my eyes to relax and relieve fatigue, but I fell asleep quickly while closing my eyes.
Soon, Guo Honglei finished entertaining the village chief and returned quickly.
After the door was opened with a creak, the room was quiet, which made him feel inexplicably anxious. He raised his head and looked at the beams.
Of course, there was nothing on the beam!
He shook his head and smiled bitterly, thinking to himself: Is it true that "once bitten by a snake, one will be afraid of ropes for ten years"?
Where are the people?
Guo Honglei closed the door and strode around the gauze screen, only to see his wife sleeping soundly with her clothes on, looking very peaceful.
"You——" Guo Honglei bent down and stared, then burst out laughing.
It was human nature. He was not tired at all at the moment and was full of energy. He wanted to wake her up, but seeing that she was sleeping very soundly, he could not bear to wake her up.
After a long time, Guo Honglei leaned over and kissed his wife's forehead, thinking helplessly: She has been tired all day and is not in good spirits. Let it go tonight, there is still a long way to go.
So he lowered the red curtain, took off his outer robe, shook out the quilt, and gently covered each other.
The young couple slept in the same bed, one still in her wedding dress, the other in plain white pajamas. They were covered with a quilt embroidered with mandarin ducks and pomegranates, and snuggled up to each other intimately.
According to tradition, the candles cannot be blown out and are left to burn.
The gauze screen and curtains blocked the candlelight, and the couch was dim. Guo Honglei smelled a faint fragrance that hit his nose. The fragrance went down and down, as if it had penetrated into his heart... He restrained himself and lay on his back. It was stuffy and hot, but because the rules and etiquette were deeply ingrained in him, he was too thin-skinned to do something like Meng Lang would do to wake her up, so he could only endure it silently.
As the night deepens, everything becomes silent.
Jiang Yushu fell asleep peacefully, and could have slept soundly until dawn.
Unexpectedly, a strong wind suddenly blew in the second half of the night, and then heavy rain poured down. The raindrops as big as beans formed a curtain, covering the mountain village with a "rustling" sound and hitting the tiles with a "ding-ding-dong" sound.
"Hmm?" Jiang Yushu was woken by the noise, mumbling as she rolled over, leaning against a strong, warm body. She was half asleep, curled up against a strong arm, which hurt slightly. She froze for a moment amidst the clamor of wind and rain, then slapped her forehead and sat up with a thud.
Guo Honglei was alert, and the sound of raindrops hitting the tiles woke him up. He sat up, looked down and asked, "It's raining. Did it wake you up?"
"You, cough cough," Jiang Yushu said, feeling thirsty. She cleared her throat and raised her head awkwardly, asking, "When did you come back?"
Guo Honglei smiled and raised his eyebrows as he replied, "I came back a long time ago. It's already late at night."
Jiang Yushu calmed herself down, lifted the curtains and got off the bed, explaining softly, "Sorry, I accidentally fell asleep. Why didn't you wake me up?"
The wind and rain were raging, and the tiles on the roof were clattering. Guo Honglei couldn't hear anything at all. Puzzled, he got up from his bed and asked, "What did you say?"
Jiang Yushu couldn't hear clearly and answered irrelevantly, "I'm thirsty and drinking water. Are you thirsty?" @Infinite good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
"A little." Guo Honglei approached. He wasn't thirsty, but he gladly took the water and drank it all. He put the cup on the table and turned to look:
The candlelight is still flickering.
Jiang Yushu stood beside the screen, her slender white fingers clutching the sash of her wedding dress, hesitant.
I should have taken off my outer robe before going to bed. It was uncomfortable and looked strange, but now he was in the room... What should I do?
After staring at each other for a moment, Guo Honglei saw her face flushing. He slowly walked over and whispered, "I'll help you."
The author has something to say:
Spring breeze and spring rain, how much is a moment of spring night worth in gold? [Counting on my fingers]
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I'll consummate the marriage tomorrow, I must! If I don't, Master Guo will beat me up...
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