Chapter 3 Chapter 3 "The scorching sun is like a burning fire."
Husband and wife’s relationship?
He...isn't he?
Sheng Puju felt something was wrong, but her mind seemed to be a mess. The hanging gauze curtain was like the mist that had not yet dissipated in the bathroom. The light and shadow were chaotic. She fell on her back in a soft brocade quilt.
Xie Zhiyan rested his hands on both sides of her pillow, his deep eyes were so close to her that her breath was almost suffocated by his gaze alone.
"Close your eyes." He suddenly spoke in a low and slow voice.
Sheng Puzhu's eyes, like those of a small animal, showed the confusion clearly. She could no longer remember what to do and could only do as she was told.
Little did she know that her belated realization was seen as a kind of acquiescence in his eyes.
The moment I closed my eyes, the light in the bedroom flickered and I fell into endless darkness.
Xie Zhiyan's Adam's apple moved, the muscles in his arms tensed, and there seemed to be some turbulence in his eyes, which had always been as calm as a lake.
The Xie family's century-old rules are both a form of suppression and a nutrient for its rampant growth. Coupled with decades of repression and self-discipline, they have become somewhat extreme.
He is not gentle. He is born with strength and has a unique physical condition. Even if he restrains himself, it is difficult for him to control himself once he starts doing something like this.
What's more, the relationship between husband and wife is a matter of courtesy.
Acting according to etiquette is not considered as overstepping one's bounds.
Sheng Puzhu closed his eyes. The space inside the tent was small. His breath was like charcoal fire in winter, but his hands were like icicles on the surface of the lake. She was drowned in the yellow sand outside Yumen Pass in his mouth.
He is very strong and has no restraint in his ferocity.
Cold and heat alternate, and the wind stirs up the dry sand.
She didn't know how long this went on, but she suddenly stopped breathing with her mouth open, and tears flowed uncontrollably. Suddenly the air became moist, and fine rain fell from deeper in the air.
Sheng Puju felt like she was completely out of control. With the nourishment of the rain, those incompatibilities became a fullness that she could not bear.
She wore a breeches embroidered with hundreds of butterflies in flowers, and a magnolia-colored chiffon nightgown. The butterflies on her chest seemed to be flapping their wings and flying out of the fabric. The fragrance of the goose pear curtains magnified her senses exponentially.
The rain is getting heavier and heavier, soaking everything.
In this belated rainstorm, Sheng Puzhu finally found his voice: "You are not... not..."
Her eyelashes trembled, and before her mouth could shout out the word "injured" before her brain could, she quickly changed her voice.
He asked vaguely, "Aren't you asleep?"
"Are you asleep?" Xie Zhiyan raised his chin slightly, his intimidating eyes pointed out something, and he seemed so unkind.
As smart as he is, how could he not know that she had been observing him carefully and covertly from the beginning, and even went so far as to test him in the end, although she thought she had hidden her thoughts well.
only……
He frowned slightly, he didn't expect that the matter of family life would be so difficult. Her face looked a little pale, and although her expression was not painful, it was obvious that she was not used to it.
Never mind, let’s end it as soon as possible.
He sighed inwardly.
Sheng Puzhu bit her tongue and shuddered, feeling like she was swaying in the water. The rainstorm flooded the entire desert, and she was about to be washed away and die.
Before she lost consciousness, her hand, which was climbing up, seemed to touch the bandage on his arm. When she was close, she could even smell the faint scent of healing medicine.
…
Sheng Puzhu did not sleep well that night. He felt like he had fainted from exhaustion, but his spirit was still floating in the air.
After an unknown amount of time, she finally struggled to wake up from the darkness, but her eyes were still too sleepy to open.
"Mammy." Her voice was so hoarse that even she was startled.
"Madam." Madam Du had been waiting for a long time. When she heard the voice, she hurried forward. "It will be Chenshi in a quarter of an hour. Today, Madam and her husband must go to offer tea to the elders. We must not delay the auspicious time."
"Okay." Sheng Puzhu hummed with his eyes closed, enjoying the last bit of relaxation and laziness.
Xie Zhiyan left in a hurry, and the couple didn't even offer him tea. According to the rules, they have to make up for it today to fulfill their duties as a bride.
Nanny Du gave her some warm water, her eyes filled with heartache. She lovingly smoothed down her hair and said softly, "Today is a busy day. After tea, come back and catch up on your sleep. After noon, you have to go to Tianchang Temple with your husband to pay your respects to Princess Shoukang."
Sheng Puzhu nodded with her eyes closed as usual, but did not move. She had been lazy since childhood. When she was a girl in the boudoir, she was restricted by her elders to learn the rules, but as the eldest sister in the family, she was also the most smart and clever one. Even if her grandparents showed more love to her at home, no one would think it was biased.
Therefore, in Sheng Puzhu's opinion, staying in bed late is not considered to be against the rules.
Her hands and feet were as soft as a ball of over-kneaded dough. The most uncomfortable part was her lower body. She didn't want to move at all. She could only beg in a soft voice, "Mammy, go to the box and get the small jar of ointment that my grandmother gave me."
"I'll go right away."
Sheng Puzhu kicked her toes, slowly turned over, and rubbed her cheek into the soft pillow.
The next moment, she felt a cool sensation on her cheek, and something round and hard pressed against her ear.
I opened my eyes dazedly and looked over.
Um?
Why does it feel familiar?
When she saw clearly what it was, she hugged the quilt and sat up suddenly.
Her precious white jade abacus!
Sheng Puzhu was so frightened that he almost stopped breathing. He felt like he had seen a ghost in broad daylight. Could it be...
She couldn't help but think of another important thing that she had almost overlooked!
That's it!
Xie Zhiyan recognized that the person in Linlang Pavilion was her?
"Madam." Nanny Du took the ointment and handed it forward, her expression as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Sheng Puzhu's thoughts were interrupted. She waved at her and lowered the gauze curtain: "Don't worry, Ma'am. I can do it myself."
Although Nanny Du had taken care of her since she was a child, she was already married. Moreover, it was such a private place. Sheng Puzhu felt that it was just a matter of applying some medicine and there was nothing difficult about it.
She reached out to tear off the brocade quilt, but she never expected that such a simple action would cause her whole body to ache. Her shoulders and waist felt like they had been broken and put back together again, and even her nimble fingertips did not obey her commands.
Sheng Puzhu reluctantly took off her tight pajamas, endured the discomfort and took out a piece of light pink ointment on her fingertips. After all, it was such an embarrassing place, and she fumbled for a long time but still couldn't find the right way.
I was just about to ask Aunt Du to help.
Just then, footsteps were heard approaching outside the tent. Sheng Puzhu thought it was Nanny Du who came to ask about her movements.
"I can't use this ointment to relieve pain and swelling properly by myself."
"Madam, can you help me..." The rest of the words were stuck in her throat. The hand that was lifting a corner of the gauze curtain froze in mid-air, her eyes were wide open, and her body still maintained that extremely awkward posture.
The soft crabapple-red brocade quilt was piled on her slender waist, which could be held in one hand. She had a pair of straight long legs, and her jade feet were clad in silk stockings, revealing a section of her snow-white ankles, as if they were carefully carved by the Creator. Red plum blossoms bloomed in the snow, following the smooth curve, with some parts that were barely visible, just blocked by the brocade quilt.
It was just a quick glance, and he should have stepped back, but his ink-black eyes darkened and he stopped.
Sheng Puzhu wanted to hide, but his body was as tense as a string, and that part of his body hurt even more.
Xie Zhiyan sighed, his eyes fixed on her hand holding the medicine, and said in a low voice: "Don't move."
He was dressed neatly, but his temples were damp, and a few strands of black hair stuck to his cold white neck. He smelled of soap after a bath. He must have been in the study in the outer courtyard, because that scent was not usually used in her room.
"I..." Sheng Puzhu's mind was in a mess. He wanted to explain, but found it difficult to speak.
"Give it to me." Xie Zhiyan looked straight ahead, sat down beside her, and took the ointment from her hand.
His eyes were clear, and when the two looked at each other, Sheng Puzhu immediately avoided looking away. It felt like he hadn't done anything, but his body's memory was honest.
Xie Zhiyan's hands were beautiful, slender and strong. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing his muscular arms. His fingertips were stained with pink plaster. His movements were meticulous, and even his eyes did not show any change in his calmness and self-control.
But Sheng Puzhu couldn't help but notice that that part of his body already showed signs of being in a state of preparation.
Even she herself felt that the redness and swelling were quite deep, and the coldness of the ointment plus the warmth of her fingers seemed to have drained away the heat from her body. There was also an indescribable strange feeling, and she was shivering uncontrollably.
for a long time.
Sheng Puzhu took the handkerchief and handed it to her, saying in a low voice, pretending to be calm, "Thank you."
Xie Zhiyan nodded, lowered his eyes, and slowly wiped the water mixed with the ointment off his fingertips.
Sheng Puzhu shrank back under the brocade quilt, not daring to look him in the eye. She could only stare at the white bandage sticking out above his elbow.
She asked in a muffled voice, "Do you need medicine for the wound on your arm?"
Xie Zhiyan remained silent. After he had neatly folded the handkerchief embroidered with camellia flowers, he said, "It's just a minor injury."
"Oh, okay." Sheng Puzhu's reaction seemed to be a beat slow. He coughed lightly and then nodded.
Almost a quarter before the hour of Si, the couple appeared at Yishou Hall on time.
As soon as Sheng Puzhu entered, he heard the eldest wife of the eldest house, Qin, teasing with a smile: "Good boy, come here quickly."
"Your grandmother didn't sleep all night yesterday. At first light this morning, she sent a nanny to look for me. She made sure everything in the mansion was ready, and she was waiting for you and my husband to serve tea together."
"Your grandmother has been looking forward to this tea for her grandson's wife for two whole years."
Sheng Puzhu bowed to the old lady as a junior. She pretended not to understand the hidden meaning of Qin's words and said with a smile, "I'm sorry to have caused you so much trouble. It's my granddaughter-in-law who is unfilial."
"It's winter now, so I'll just treat it as a token of my grandmother's love for her. I'll stay in your room for a while tomorrow and drink tea with you to cheer you up."
The old lady took Sheng Puzhu's hand and patted it affectionately: "You clever ghost, I have plenty of people around me, why do I need you to entertain me? You want to eat the hot pot cooked in the small kitchen in my yard, right?"
"If you want to eat, just call Madam Jiang to cook a pot for you. If you like, you can stay here."
Qin was speechless for a moment. Nanny Jiang was a good cook of medicinal food and knew some medical knowledge. When her daughter-in-law was pregnant, she had thought of borrowing Nanny Jiang to take care of her daughter-in-law, but the old lady pretended not to understand.
Even though she was furious inside, Qin still kept a calm smile on her face.
Sheng Puzhu glanced at Qin and knew that she had been married into the Jingguo Mansion for two years. Because her mother-in-law, the eldest princess, did not live in the mansion, and her father-in-law often traveled between the Duke's Mansion and the eldest princess's residence, she did not have to visit them morning and evening, nor did she have to serve the elders. At most, she just had to have a meal with the old lady Cui in the mansion.
I'm afraid that since she doesn't show up often, people will naturally think that she has no husband's support and is a timid and easy-to-control person.
Qing Lingling's gaze swept across the faces of everyone in the various rooms of the Duke of Jingguo's Mansion. In the huge family, everyone had a smile on their face, but it was unclear whether it was sincere or fake.
Sheng Puzhu curled her lips. Just because she didn't take the initiative to cause trouble didn't mean she was afraid of it.
"Serve tea."
Duke Jingguo was obviously in a good mood. He didn't care what everyone was thinking and gave orders with a wave of his hand.
"The daughter-in-law serves tea to father and grandmother." Sheng Puzhu stood next to Xie Zhiyan. The two of them also behaved well and had the best etiquette and rules. At first glance, they looked like a golden boy and a jade girl in the fairy palace.
"Hahaha, good!" Duke Jingguo laughed heartily and gave a red envelope that looked very thick. "For your mother's share, you and Sanlang will go together after noon."
"Yes." Sheng Puzhu nodded.
It was half an hour later when the tea ceremony was over.
Sheng Puzhu held Madam Du's hand and slowly followed Xie Zhiyan out until they reached the three-way intersection of Yunyu Hall.
"Madam." Xie Zhiyan stopped and looked at her, as if he was considering something.
Sheng Puzhu stood on the corridor, watching the falling snow in the garden. She smiled sweetly and gently, "My dear, please go and do your work. If you need anything, please send someone to call me."
She almost wanted to pray to the Buddha again in her heart. It would be better if he was busy. She was anxious to go back and catch up on her sleep.
Xie Zhiyan immediately swallowed back what he was about to say. He really didn't have the time, and according to the rules, it could be considered as compensation from the saint, who had approved him for seven days of leave.
Since his wife is considerate, he naturally doesn't have to worry.
However, when Xie Zhiyan sat in the study, flipping through the book in his hand, his eyes could not help but stare at his cold white fingertips. The wet feeling still lingered on his skin. He had just applied the medicine to her...
Not dry.
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