Chapter 11.011 The young couple's relationship deepened once again. ...
The day after the wedding, the lanterns and ribbons hanging all over the Marquis's mansion were taken down. Xiao Rong and his son Xiao Lin, who held official positions, also left one after the other. Only the heir Xiao Hu, who was still recuperating from his injuries, and the brothers Xiao Yu, who were preparing for the imperial examinations, were left at home in leisure.
After having breakfast, Xiao Yu went to the study in the front yard. Luo Fu thought he was too eager to study, so she took Ping An and went out to Wanhe Hall to pay her respects to her mother-in-law.
Madam Deng warmly welcomed her youngest daughter-in-law: "Didn't we say that we don't use the custom of morning and evening greetings in our household? Why did Fu'er come? Where is the third son?"
Luo Fu smiled and said, "He's studying, and I can't stand being alone, so I came to keep Mother company and talk to her. I didn't ask the maid to tell her beforehand. I hope I'm not disturbing her."
Ms. Deng: "No, no, I'm so bored at home all day. I wish you would come over every day."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law took off their shoes and sat facing each other on the tatami mat in the side room. Next to them was a row of carved windows inlaid with stained glass. The bright morning light shone through the stained glass, illuminating most of the tatami mat and keeping out the chilly early winter wind outside.
Luo Fu touched the sparkling glass and chatted softly with her mother-in-law: "I have never seen windows like this in Guangling. My brother-in-law's house in Chunhuafang also has ordinary doors and windows. I suppose only the high-ranking families in the capital can use such windows?"
Madam Deng: "Yes, I heard it all from your father-in-law. He said that this kind of translucent glass that can be used as windows is extremely rare and can only be used in the palace. In years when there are too many tributes, the emperor will bestow some more upon the imperial relatives and families of meritorious officials. Others can't find a place to buy it even if they have money in their hands. However, this house was bestowed upon us by the emperor when your father-in-law was first ennobled. The glass windows in the several courtyards were also provided by the marquis's mansion. It's probably difficult to expect your father-in-law to receive such a reward."
This kind of glass is considered a rare treasure, incomparable to the common items that wealthy people often see, such as gold, silver, and silk.
Luo Fu: "But the fact that Father was able to earn such a nice house shows that the Emperor values him. I think Mother is too greedy and wants to replace all the houses in the Marquis's mansion with glass windows."
Even her playful scolding made Deng laugh heartily. She gently touched her daughter-in-law's petal-like lips and teased, "It's really strange. Our third son has a mouth full of poison, but he married a wife who is full of honey. I'm really curious whether you two are poisoned by him or sweetened by him when you're together."
Deng was referring to speaking, but Luo Fu thought of their intertwined lips and teeth at night. How could it be poisonous? Xiao Yu's lips and tongue were always burning hot, making her weak all over and unable to resist, satisfying his desires time and time again.
The sudden thought made Luo Fu's cheeks flush. Afraid that her mother-in-law would notice, she pretended to continue admiring the glass.
Madam Deng is already a grandmother; how could she not see that her youngest daughter-in-law was thinking the wrong thing? Good thing she's thinking the wrong thing; it means the third son is quite capable in bed and hasn't become a weak and useless scholar. Hmm, I'll have the steward send more chicken, lamb, lotus seeds, black beans, and other things to the third son's family for a while. Newlyweds can't hold back; they can only drink more soup to nourish themselves.
"I heard that the third brother spent the afternoon with you in the park. How was it? Do you know the way around now?"
"More or less, except I haven't visited my eldest and second sisters-in-law yet."
"We're all family, so there's no need for formal visits. You can go anytime you want, and it's good for relatives and sisters-in-law to visit each other more often."
It's the younger daughter-in-law's good fortune that she can get along with the two women from wealthy families. If she couldn't, she would give up after a few rejections, and Deng wouldn't interfere.
They chatted inside for half an hour. As the sun rose higher and it got less cold outside, Madam Deng took her youngest daughter-in-law to the garden for a walk and a chat. There they encountered Erlang, Sanlang, and Yingjie playing together. Six-year-old Dalang had gone to study at the Imperial Academy in the first month of the lunar year and didn't return until dusk every day.
The children were accompanied by wet nurses and maids. After seeing their grandmother and third aunt, they surrounded her and acted coquettishly for a while, but soon went to play hide-and-seek again.
Luo Fu played with her nephews for a few games. She loved to laugh and hug the children, and all three kids were very fond of her.
It was almost noon when Luo Fu, who had become very close to her mother-in-law and nephews, returned to Shensi Hall with lingering affection. She saw Xiao Yu sitting in the main hall of the front courtyard. Luo Fu signaled to Ping An to have someone bring water and towels to the main hall, and she went directly to see Xiao Yu.
"Have you been reading all day?" Luo Fu asked with a smile, glancing at the scrolls Xiao Yu had just placed on the table.
Xiao Yu's gaze swept over the small patch of dust on the toe of his wife's embroidered shoe. He nodded slightly and waited for his wife to sit down before asking with concern, "Where did you go?"
Luo Fu told the truth, noticing that Xiao Yu had glanced under her skirt twice. Luo Fu looked down and finally saw the dirt on the tips of her shoes. This little bit of dirt was nothing in the village, but Xiao Yu was obviously bothered by it. Luo Fu explained with some annoyance, "I played hide-and-seek with Erlang and the others in the garden a few times. The little ones are all very good at hiding, always choosing behind the artificial hills, caves, or bushes. I was so focused on finding them that I didn't pay attention to my footing."
As Xiao Yu listened to his wife's gentle words, he suddenly remembered the day they first met. At that time, she and several other girls were sitting on the ground under the shade of an old tree by the bridge, laughing and chatting happily.
Such behavior would be considered undignified for a lady from a respectable family, but for a wife who grew up in the countryside, it would be seen as innocent, carefree, and unrestrained.
"It's alright, I'll change my shoes later," Xiao Yu said calmly.
Nevertheless, Luo Fu noticed his meticulous attention to clothing as a young master of a marquis's household, and unconsciously moved her feet under her skirt, covering them completely. She then began to regret not having gone to the central courtyard to tidy herself up first.
Just then, Ping An arrived with a maidservant bringing water.
Enduring Xiao Yu's gaze, which inexplicably fell upon her face again, Luo Fu went to the side room to wash her face and hands, a refined manner she had specially learned upon arriving at the Marquis's residence. After washing, Luo Fu asked Ping An to help check her appearance, looking for any stray hairs stuck to her forehead and temples, and whether her hair ornaments were crooked or loose.
Looking at the fair and delicate face before him, Ping An whispered, "I just think Madam is so beautiful, she looks good no matter what."
Luo Fu raised the corners of her mouth, told the two maids to leave first, and then called Xiao Yu in.
Xiao Yu lifted the curtain and saw his wife sitting by the couch, toying with a powder box that looked like rouge in her hand. Her fair face still had the fresh scent of water from her recent wash. Their eyes met, and his wife lowered her head slightly, holding the powder box in one hand and offering it to him: "There's no mirror here, and I'm afraid I won't apply it evenly. Husband, would you help me apply the face cream?"
Xiao Yu: "...Okay."
After he took the box, Luo Fu sat quietly, watching him walk over. With her left hand holding the pastel box and her right hand opening the lid, she used her slender index finger to gently scoop out some of the pure white and delicate face cream.
Luo Fu closed her eyes and tilted her head back obediently.
In that instant, she truly heard the sound of the man's throat bobbing.
Xiao Yu heard it too. To cover it up, he quickly placed his fingertip on his wife's face. Seeing her furrow her brow, he immediately softened his pressure and gently spread the face cream, tracing it evenly along his wife's smooth cheek. Everything else was simple, but when he got close to his wife's lips, Xiao Yu hesitated, unsure how close he should apply the cream to her lips.
"Why aren't you moving?" Her lips, redder and moister than early summer roses, parted slightly, uttering whispers as light as feathers.
Xiao Yu had only stiffened one hand, but now his whole body was stiff, including his waist, which had only fully recovered after he had secretly slept for half an hour in the study, and that greedy thing.
Before his wife's thick, dark eyelashes fluttered as she was about to open her eyes, Xiao Yu continued applying face cream, seemingly unaware even when his index finger unintentionally pressed against her lips, which she was deliberately avoiding.
After applying the face cream, there was still her neck. When Xiao Yu's hand brushed behind her ear, Luo Fu let out an uncontrollable groan, followed by a noticeably heavier breath on her face, and the man's fingertips pressed against her skin increased their pressure.
"Never mind, I'll do it myself."
Afraid that he would press down on her in broad daylight, Luo Fu turned her head to the side to avoid his hand, blushing as she cleared herself: "If I wasn't afraid that my husband would laugh at me for not applying it evenly, I wouldn't have asked you for help."
So don't criticize her anymore!
Xiao Yu gave a perfunctory reply, put down the powder box, and hurried outside.
Because of this incident, the couple ate lunch in even more silence, with only Xiao Yu making a slight noise when ladling soup into his bowl.
"Would you like a bowl too?" Xiao Yu asked kindly.
Luo Fu pretended to be confused: "Do you love drinking soup? The kitchen made soup yesterday morning and evening and this morning. If you keep drinking like this, it's no wonder I'm getting fat."
Xiao Yu: "...My mother asked the kitchen to make it. I'll give instructions this afternoon to change it to one soup a day."
He is well-read and can tell the effects of these soup ingredients just by looking at them. In any case, he has to restrain himself and there is no need to supplement his diet.
That night, Xiao Yu indeed slept in the front yard. Since Luo Fu was going to return to her parents' home the next day, she missed her parents and wouldn't think about him at all.
The following morning, after bidding farewell to her mother-in-law, Luo Fu was helped into the carriage by Xiao Yu. The gifts for returning to her parents' home in the second carriage were all prepared in advance by the Marquis's mansion.
The carriage was cramped, and the couple sat side by side on the narrow couch in the main seat. Xiao Yu could see the red jade pendant by his wife's ear swaying gently with the movement of the carriage out of the corner of his eye, and he could also smell the familiar fragrance of her face cream.
Suddenly, his wife leaned towards him, and Xiao Yu instinctively hugged her. Looking at her petite body, which was plump but not fat, he felt soft and fleshy all over when he hugged her.
Even after two nights of cuddling, it wasn't enough. After a night's rest, Xiao Yu couldn't control his wandering thoughts. Just as he was struggling to push his wife away to remind her of the etiquette she should observe during the day, his wife in his arms said in a muffled voice, "Before, I was just happy to be able to marry such a handsome and ideal husband like you. Now that I'm really married, and seeing my parents going back to Guangling, I can't help but wonder if I made the right choice. On one side is you, and on the other side is having someone to rely on to be with my parents."
Xiao Yu then realized that his wife was simply reluctant to leave her family.
He continued to hold his wife and whispered, "I will also be your support. I will do my best to help you with anything your parents can do for you."
Luo Fu looked up: "Really?"
Xiao Yu raised his other hand and swore, "If I have uttered even half a falsehood, may I not be punished..."
Luo Fu quickly pulled his hand away, glared at him and said, "It's enough that you have the intention, don't talk nonsense."
Xiao Yu grasped his wife's hand in return, tacitly acquiescing to this intimate embrace, and did not let go for the rest of the journey.
On the Luo family's side, Luo Dayuan and Wang Qiuyue had been eagerly awaiting their daughter and son-in-law's arrival. Upon seeing them, Luo Dayuan, Pei Xingshu, and Luo Song entertained Xiao Yu, while Wang Qiuyue and Luo Lan excitedly pulled Luo Fu into the inner room for a private chat.
Upon hearing that her son-in-law had voluntarily handed over five hundred taels of his private savings, Wang Qiuyue was immediately relieved. A man who is willing to hand over money is more trustworthy and reliable than a basketful of vows of eternal love.
Roland, having more time to spend with his sister, gave all the opportunities to ask questions to his mother, who was about to depart.
Luo Fu was truly reluctant to part with her parents: "Can't we stay a few more days? I'd like Xiao Yu to take our family out of the city for a good stroll..."
Wang Qiuyue: "What are you wandering around for? Xiao Yu isn't studying anymore, and neither is your brother-in-law? Don't say your father and I don't have the time for this. You two sisters should be more sensible and not hold your men back when it matters. Besides, we came to the capital to escort you to your wedding. We've already had enough of staying here for the past month. No matter how nice a golden house or a silver house is, it's not as comfortable as the straw house at home."
No matter how good the eldest son-in-law is, he's not your own son, so it's still awkward to live under the same roof.
The two sisters couldn't keep their parents from leaving. Two days later, after the farewell banquet hosted by the Marquis's mansion, Luo Dayuan and Wang Qiuyue left the capital with their son Luo Song and a cart full of gifts.
Xiao Yu accompanied his wife to the outskirts of the city to see her off. After they finished, they got back into the carriage, Luo Fu's face streaked with tears.
Xiao Yu wet a handkerchief and wiped his wife's face.
Luo Fu cried until her hair was disheveled and her eyes were red. She even took the opportunity to throw down a few harsh words at her newlywed husband: "Don't think you can bully me just because my parents are gone. If that day ever comes, I'll walk back to Guangling alone, and you can find another wife to live with..."
Xiao Yu's wife was truly pathetic and spoke irrationally. They had been married for several days, and had he done anything that would make her question his character?
But such a wife is also very endearing. Xiao Yu hugged her tightly and said, "I will not bully you, nor will I replace you with someone else. You are the only wife I, Xiao Yu, will ever have in this life."
Luo Fu buried her face in his chest and sobbed twice, which meant she believed him.
Because of this crying and fuss, the young couple's relationship deepened. At night, Xiao Yu became even more clingy, and Luo Fu went from being completely submissive to becoming bolder. Once or twice was fine, but after a while, if Xiao Yu dared to hug her, she would pinch him, pinching him wherever she could grab him—arms, waist, legs. After Xiao Yu pulled back to his side in pain, he couldn't help but wonder if he was being too demanding or if his wife was just naturally a bit fierce.
But during the day, his wife would still speak to him gently and tenderly, watching him go to his study with affection, and then in the evening she would ask after him with concern. Xiao Yu then realized that he deserved to be punished for his own actions, not that his wife was at fault.
.
Xiao Yu could stay in his study and bury himself in his studies, and no relatives or friends outside cared about him. However, relationships between relatives and friends are based on social interactions. When the Xiao family welcomed a new bride, the relatives and friends would attend the wedding banquet and then find an opportunity to host a banquet for the newlyweds so that their own family and the Xiao family's new bride could get to know each other.
On October 21st, the Xiao family was the first to receive an invitation from the Prime Minister's residence. The Prime Minister's wife invited the four women, including the Deng family, to the Prime Minister's residence to admire the chrysanthemums.
A flower banquet would be more natural than a direct invitation to dinner, and it's a social occasion for women in the inner quarters, so it's perfectly reasonable not to invite Xiao Yu.
Upon receiving the invitation, Madam Deng summoned her three daughters-in-law and gave them instructions. After her eldest and second daughters-in-law left, Madam Deng spoke privately to her youngest daughter-in-law: "The Prime Minister's wife and I don't get along. Apart from visiting each other's homes for meals when entertaining relatives and friends, we don't have any private gatherings or banquets. This flower banquet is specially invited for you. Just wait, after the Prime Minister's residence sends the invitation, the Duke's residence should also send one, and then there are the dukes and military officers' families who are not related by marriage. There will be all sorts of banquets until the twelfth lunar month."
Luo Fu couldn't hide her nervousness: "Is there anything I need to prepare?"
Madam Deng laughed and said, "Your sister-in-law will arrange the gift delivery. You just need to go there. Just be prepared for an awkward situation, because we, who started out in our day, are not the same kind of people as those other families."
Luo Fu knew what was going on, and after returning to Shensi Hall, she told Xiao Yu about going to the Prime Minister's residence to admire chrysanthemums the next day.
Xiao Yu simply nodded.
Luo Fu sat down next to him, hugged his arm and said coquettishly, "This is my first time visiting the Prime Minister's residence. Don't you have anything to remind me or teach me?"
Her mother-in-law herself wasn't good at socializing with noble ladies, so naturally she couldn't teach her. Xiao Yu had been associating with the sons of powerful and wealthy families in the capital since she was young, so she must have had her own unique insights.
When his wife asked, a long string of thoughts instantly popped into Xiao Yu's mind. For example, the Left Chancellor Yang Sheng loved to listen to flattery, his eldest son Yang Yanzong seemed refined and learned but was actually just a pretty face, and his second son Yang Yantai was talented but narrow-minded. This proved that Yang Sheng was quite inadequate in educating his sons. Only his sister-in-law seemed dignified and quiet and beyond reproach.
But the men of the Yang family will all be on duty tomorrow, and his wife won't be able to see them, so Xiao Yu doesn't want to gossip about them behind their backs.
"Judging from my sister-in-law's behavior, the Left Prime Minister's wife must value etiquette and rules very much. If you want her approval, you can learn more from my sister-in-law. If you don't want to wrong yourself, then learn from my mother's ways," Xiao Yu replied to his wife after careful consideration.
Luo Fu stiffened slightly and loosened her grip on his arm: "You mean, my usual behavior isn't polite or proper enough?"
Xiao Yu: "...It's enough at home, but outside..."
Luo Fu didn't even listen to him finish speaking, and angrily turned and left.
As his wife hurried along, Xiao Yu noticed the trousers and embroidered shoes peeking out from under her skirt. He wanted to remind her that such a walk would be the subject of gossip in a household like the Prime Minister's residence.
A note from the author:
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Here they are! 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow!
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