Chapter 15 The Top Scholar Who Murdered His Wife and Daughter (Fifteen): The Farmer's Son's Counterattack...
Early the next morning, Du Ningwan slowly sat up, and Song Ce, who was a light sleeper, also opened his eyes, hugged Du Ningwan from behind, and whispered, "Wan'er, you're up already?"
Du Ningwan let out a soft "ah," her face flushed red early in the morning. She reached out and tried to push Song Ce away but couldn't. She whispered, "Husband, I should get up. If you're tired, you can sleep a little longer."
Song Ce raised an eyebrow and smiled, "If anyone should be tired, it's my wife."
Du Ningwan: "..."
Before marrying into the family, she never imagined that Song Ce would be like this in private. Although it differed from her expectations of married life, she couldn't deny that Song Ce's personality made her happy from the bottom of her heart.
Seeing Du Ningwan blushing and turning her back to him as she dressed, Song Ce knew he couldn't be too presumptuous, so he quickly followed suit and dressed as well. After a quick wash, the two opened the door and headed towards the Zhou family's house.
On the Zhou family's side, Madam Fang had prepared breakfast early in the morning. She was quite nervous. Although Madam Du was her son's new wife, she was still the daughter of the county magistrate. She was worried about how to get along with her when they met.
Before long, Song Ce and Du Ningwan arrived together.
“You already met Uncle Zhou and Mother yesterday. This is my younger sister, Yunhui.” Song Ce pointed to the little girl hiding behind Madam Fang and said with a smile, “Yunhui, come here and greet your sister-in-law.”
Hearing Song Ce say this, Du Ningwan, though somewhat shy, still took a step forward and bowed to Zhou the carpenter and Fang Shi in turn. Seeing this, Zhou Yunhui also obediently stepped out from behind Fang Shi and said in a very low voice, "Greetings, sister-in-law."
Du Ningwan smiled and responded, then took out a pair of pretty pink beads and placed them in Zhou Yunhui's hand.
"Come and eat, everyone." Fang said, while giving Song Ce a subtle wink.
Song Ce, naturally understanding the implied meaning, prepared breakfast for Du Ningwan at the dining table. Fang Shi had made an exceptionally lavish breakfast today, including thick millet porridge, steamed buns, boiled eggs, and four refreshing side dishes.
"These are just some simple home-style dishes. Try them and see if they suit your taste," said Madam Fang.
"Thank you, Mother." Du Ningwan took a small bite and swallowed, then blushed and said sincerely, "It's delicious, Mother. Your cooking is really excellent."
Upon hearing this, Fang smiled and said, "Then you should eat more."
After breakfast, Madam Fang was very satisfied with her daughter-in-law, and even Carpenter Zhou chimed in with a few words. The atmosphere at the dinner table was warm and harmonious, and the relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was very amicable.
There weren't many rules in the farmhouse, and Fang was a kind person, so after breakfast, Fang let Song Ce and Du Ning go back to their little home.
In their bedroom was a large desk, on which lay some books that Song Ce often read. Upon entering the room, Song Ce noticed his wife's shyness and restraint. He smiled slightly, took her hand, and led her to sit in the chair in front of the desk, then spoke first.
"When Ce was at the academy, he overheard that Wan'er was well-versed in poetry and literature and had exceptional talent. At what age did Wan'er begin her studies?"
"Five years old, I suppose." Du Ningwan glanced at Song Ce, who was staring at her with a smile. Her fingertips trembled slightly, and she asked softly, "Then how old is my husband?"
“I’m only a year older than Wan’er, four years older.” Then Song Ce briefly recounted his childhood to Du Ningwan.
Du Ningwan didn't say anything upon hearing this, but patted Song Ce's hand reassuringly with her small hand, which he then grabbed.
Perhaps because the two of them had already done the most intimate thing in the world last night, and given Song Ce's personality, Du Ningwan relaxed a bit. Her ears turned red, and she gave Song Ce a reproachful look.
So Song Ce's face gradually turned red.
Du Ningwan had never seen Song Ce like this before. She found it novel and delightful, and told him about her life from childhood. The couple talked for a whole morning, deepening their understanding of each other.
Time flies, and before we knew it, it was time to return to our parents' home.
After spending these past few days together, Song Ce and Du Ningwan had grown much closer and were no longer as reserved as they had been when they first got married. The couple prepared gifts and set off early in the morning.
At the entrance of the Du residence, Du Zhiyuan had sent people to greet them early in the morning. When he saw Du Ningwan and Song Ce arriving together, the heavy weight in his heart finally eased a little.
Seeing his daughter's rosy complexion, Du Zhiyuan knew she had been doing well these past few days. He breathed a sigh of relief and found Song Ce more agreeable. During their casual conversation after dinner, he even changed Song Ce's formal name to "my dear son-in-law."
By the time the couple boarded the carriage back to Chenjia Village, it was already sunset.
After paying the driver, Song Ce and Du Ningwan headed home together. They hadn't gone far when they ran into an acquaintance—or rather, an acquaintance of Song Ce's.
At this moment, under a large tree by the roadside, Liu Jiao'er was being harassed by Xie Rui. Taking advantage of his height, Xie Rui was teasing and flirting with her. Moreover, he was also being unruly, touching Liu Jiao'er inappropriately.
Liu Jiao'er couldn't dodge in time and saw Song Ce and Du Ningwan walking in their direction. She cried out in a mix of panic and joy, "Brother Song, save me!"
Song Ce raised an eyebrow, surprised to encounter the two of them today. Du Ningwan glanced at Song Ce in surprise when she heard Liu Jiao'er's intimate address to him, but she didn't say anything and just stayed quietly beside him.
"Xie Rui, what are you doing? Why are you bothering Miss Liu?"
Seeing Song Ce's indifferent expression, Xie Rui suddenly remembered that he was now a scholar. He swallowed hard and hurriedly said, "Master Song, I didn't pester her. She is my fiancée now and will be marrying into my family in half a month."
"Oh, I see." He took Du Ningwan's hand and said calmly, "Then we won't disturb you any longer."
Seeing that Song Ce and his wife were about to leave, Xie Rui breathed a sigh of relief. Liu Jiao'er saw the loving couple and felt a surge of resentment in her heart. She was also afraid that Song Ce would abandon her and that if she were defiled by this filthy man, her life would be ruined.
"Brother Song, it wasn't me! He tricked and schemed against my father, forcing me into this situation. It was not my will. Brother Song, please, for the sake of our past relationship, save me!"
Xie Rui's eyes sharpened, and he opened his mouth but didn't dare to say anything.
"Affection?" Song Ce smiled slightly and asked, "Miss Liu and I are really not close, how can there be affection? Besides, I am already married, this is my wife, Miss Liu should avoid suspicion."
When Liu Jiao'er saw Song Ce talking to her, she felt like she had found a lifeline and quickly said, "Of course, of course, it's not for Brother Song, but for Yun Hui. I have always regarded Yun Hui as my own sister."
Song Ce shook his head, gave Liu Jiao'er a deep look, and said, "I really can't help you. This is a family matter between you and your fiancé, and it has nothing to do with us outsiders."
Upon hearing this, Liu Jiao'er abandoned her usual demure and shy demeanor, as if she had been driven into a corner, and rushed forward to grab Song Ce's sleeve.
Song Ce and Du Ningwan were both taken aback and exchanged a glance. Song Ce reacted quickly, pulling his sleeve back, while Xie Rui's face darkened.
Song Ce's expression turned cold, and he said indifferently, "My wife is still here, Miss Liu, please mind your behavior." With that, he took Du Ningwan's hand and left.
"Brother Song! You can't...you can't do this to me!" Liu Jiao'er, with a strength she didn't know she had, broke free from Xie Rui's grasp and stumbled back in the direction they had left.
Xie Rui's eyes flashed with anger. He caught up, grabbed Liu Jiao'er's hands, and dragged her away.
When Song Ce and Du Ningwan returned to their new home and entered the courtyard, Du Ningwan smiled and said, "My husband's actions today are sure to bring tears to my eyes."
Upon hearing this, Song Ce gently tapped Du Ningwan and said seriously, "Wan'er, don't talk nonsense. Didn't you hear what I just heard? That Miss Liu is engaged. I've barely spoken to her and we're not very familiar with each other."
Du Ningwan did not reply. Anyone would feel uncomfortable if they met a beautiful woman who liked their husband just three days after their wedding.
Song Ce took Du Ningwan's delicate hand and said solemnly, "Wan'er, I, Song Ce, am determined to give my whole heart to you alone in this life. I will never take concubines to add unnecessary worries to your life, nor will I let you suffer heartache and shed tears alone. It is my good fortune to have your love."
Hearing such straightforward words of love, Du Ningwan blushed slightly and replied softly, "You are so learned, I can't argue with you."
The couple cuddled together for a while longer, and then that evening, Song Ce whispered something to Du Ningwan.
"Wan'er, next spring I will be going to the capital to take the imperial examination. Would you be willing to go with me?"
Du Ningwan blushed slightly and hesitated before saying, "Of course I'm willing, but what about my mother-in-law..."
“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll talk to Mother about it in a few days. I think we should go back to the county town to study and come back around the New Year. It’s not very peaceful at home these days. Even though so much time has passed, people still visit frequently,” Song Ce said helplessly.
“Then how about we stay at my house? Father will be so happy to see us back. My husband, you can focus on your studies, and I can take good care of Father and you,” Du Ningwan suggested softly.
"Of course, but I'm afraid I'll have to trouble my father-in-law." Song Ce held Du Ningwan in his arms and whispered some of his future plans.
A few days later, Song Ce and Du Ningwan arrived at their home. Upon seeing them, Madam Fang busied herself preparing a meal. After Song Ce explained his purpose, Madam Fang said with concern, "Ce'er, you're a sensible child. Now that you're married and have such a good wife to take care of you, your mother has no worries. The exams are all over, why do you still need to go to the capital? The capital is so far from our home!"
Song Ce smiled and said, "Mother, I have to take the imperial examination this time. It's scheduled for spring, and all the successful candidates must go to the capital to take it. There's no time to delay, so I have to go. My wife is worried about me and afraid that I won't be able to take care of myself, so she decided to come to the capital with me. There has been some commotion at home recently, so I've decided to go back to the county town to study hard and prepare for next year's spring examination. We'll come home to celebrate the New Year when it's almost here. Now that my wife and I are married, we'll be staying at my father-in-law's house for now."
Upon hearing this, Fang's eyes reddened. She quickly reached out and took Du Ningwan's hand, saying to Song Ce, "It is your good fortune to have such a virtuous wife, Ce'er. I don't care about anything else, but in the future, you must not do anything messy that would hurt your wife's feelings."
Du Ningwan blushed with emotion upon hearing this.
A note from the author:
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I'm giving Wan'er a thumbs up! The sunshine was pretty good today, thanks for your support! [starry-eyed emoji]
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