Chapter 24 True couples should do what couples do.
"No."
Xu Jinnian stopped applying the ointment and looked at Sheng An's confused face, easily guessing what she was thinking: "I just think you don't like old-fashioned people."
Sheng An was taken aback, and the confusion on his face turned into disbelief.
Is it simply because you feel she doesn't like old-fashioned people, so you try to change your way of speaking to have more in common with her?
This fact made Sheng An panic: "You..."
She wanted to say that you don't have to do that, just be yourself and don't easily change for others.
But before he could even begin to speak, Xu Jinnian interrupted him.
"An'an, I want to make this change for myself, so don't feel pressured."
Xu Jinnian's voice was as low and pleasant as ever. The dim light seemed to filter his face, making him appear even more handsome and otherworldly.
“You are my wife, and we will spend our lives together. I want to understand you more deeply, to know what you think, to know your preferences, and to know your way of doing things, so that we can communicate better and you won’t feel tired being with me.”
If that's what he wanted, how can it be said that it was for An'an's sake, causing An'an distress?
Sheng An stared blankly at Xu Jinnian, speechless for a moment.
Am I touched? Maybe a little.
From childhood to adulthood, no one has ever been willing to go to this lengths for her.
Sheng An's defenses crumbled at that moment.
She had originally planned to get along well with this man, so now that he had taken the first step, what was there for her to hesitate about?
After thinking for a moment, Sheng An said seriously, "Let the relationship between husband and wife take its natural course. You don't need to force yourself to change."
At this point, she quickly added, "Just like a forced melon won't be sweet, what if I don't like your changes? Wouldn't that be like trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice instead?"
Well, that description doesn't seem quite right either.
Oh well, whatever, that's the gist of it.
Seeing his wife scratching her head, Xu Jinnian couldn't help but chuckle and patted her head, saying, "Okay, listen to An'an, let nature take its course."
Sheng An breathed a sigh of relief and was about to proceed to the next step when she suddenly screamed, "Ah!" "I just washed my hair, and you've made it all oily!"
Xu Jinnian's hand froze, and he couldn't bring himself to touch it anymore.
Sheng An was still muttering to herself, "Do you know how hard it is to wash such long hair? I hate washing my hair the most!"
Xu Jinnian stepped forward and hugged her, coaxing her gently, "From now on, I'll wash and dry you for you, and I'll never let you do it yourself."
Sheng An asked suspiciously, "Really? Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you and say you're a henpecked husband?"
Xu Jin laughed, then looked at the tuft of hair sticking up on her head and couldn't help but reach out and press it down: "What are you laughing at? It's only natural to be considerate of your wife. The people who laugh at me are the funniest."
Seeing his awareness, Sheng An felt even more certain that her judgment was correct: "Okay, from now on, my hair is in your hands."
As she spoke, she touched her head, clearly dissatisfied with her hair: "It's so dry and brittle, like a bunch of straw. I need to take good care of it."
In her previous life, Sheng An had jet-black, lustrous hair. While most people suffered from hair loss, her hair was thick and full, so good that it could be used in a shampoo commercial.
This body is malnourished, so naturally the hair quality won't be good.
Hearing Sheng An's words, Xu Jinnian touched his hair again: "I heard that eating black sesame seeds can nourish the hair, I'll go buy some black sesame powder tomorrow."
Sheng An shook her head: "Black sesame has a strong flavor, I don't like it."
The quality of your hair depends on your overall health; taking good care of your body is better than eating ten tons of black sesame powder.
After a busy day, Sheng An was a little sleepy. She nudged Xu, who was clinging to her, and said, "Go read a book and go to sleep early after you finish reading."
Xu Jinnian didn't leave. He wrapped his lean arms tightly around the person in his arms and said in a low voice in her ear, "Sleep with An'an tonight."
Sheng An blinked, then looked up uncertainly and asked, "Do you want to..."
Xu Jinnian's eyes darkened, revealing a hint of nervousness.
A sly glint flashed in Sheng An's eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear, "Do you miss your mother's embrace?"
Xu Jinnian: "..."
When it comes to spoiling the mood, the wife is number one.
After a moment of silence, Xu Jinnian sighed and decided to make things clear:
“An’an, I don’t have a mother, and I’ve never slept peacefully in a mother’s arms. I won’t miss someone who doesn’t exist.”
Sheng An was somewhat surprised. Was this man like her, born without a mother?
Seeing through her thoughts, Xu Jinnian said in a flat voice, "I am my father's adopted child. In terms of blood relation, he is my second uncle."
The Xu family is a large family. In Xu Chenglin's generation, there are four brothers and two sisters.
Xu Jinnian is the son of the third son of the Xu family. However, from the moment he was born, a fortune teller predicted that he was a cursed star who would bring death to all his relatives.
Just then, the Xu family's old ox broke its leg and could no longer plow the fields for the Xu family; Xu Lao Si's five-month-old son had a high fever for three days and almost became mentally impaired.
The entire Xu family attributed both of these misfortunes to Xu Jinnian, who was only three days old, believing that he was the one who brought bad luck to them.
Fearing that Xu Jinnian was destined to be a lone star, Xu Laosan cruelly threw him into the mountains, hoping that he would be bitten to death by wild beasts in the mountains to atone for his sins.
Upon returning home, Xu Chenglin heard that his nephew had been thrown into the mountains to be eaten by wild animals. He flew into a rage at the Xu family and, ignoring all advice, ventured into the mountains alone to find Xu Jinnian, who was covered in ants.
From then on, Xu Chenglin, who had no wife or children, had a son, and Xu Jinnian also had a father who truly loved him.
The father and son were not well received at home, so Xu Chenglin simply moved to the city with his son. His relationship with his other brothers and eldest sister was very strained, and they rarely interacted with each other.
Only Xu Cuilian, the youngest sister, always regarded Xu Chenglin as family and also doted on Xu Jinnian.
Over the years, neither Xu Chenglin nor Xu Cuilian have been killed by Xu Jinnian.
The Xu family members knew in their hearts that Xu Jinnian was not a cursed loner, but none of them were willing to admit that they were fools who would so easily believe the fortune teller's words.
After hearing Xu Jinnian's complicated background, Sheng An couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him, and her words were extremely blunt:
“No matter what you think, I, Sheng An, only recognize one father-in-law. I don’t recognize any of the Xu family members, and they shouldn’t try to use their seniority to pressure me.”
A bunch of selfish and self-serving people will never let go of any opportunity that benefits themselves; it's just human nature.
Xu Jinnian touched her puffed-up face, a smile appearing on his handsome face: "The two families haven't had much contact over the years, they won't make a fool of themselves."
Sheng An shook her head, looking at him with an expression that said, "You're too naive."
"They won't be here now, but once you pass the imperial examination and become a Xiucai, they'll definitely come up to you and try to curry favor. If you pass the provincial examination and become a Juren, they'll be chasing after you like crazy."
Xu Jinnian: "..."
It's a bit disgusting.
Sheng An thought about the scene and felt nauseous. She quickly tried to warn Xu Jinnian:
"In short, you must remember this: in the entire Xu family, only your father is your father, and your aunt is your relative. Everyone else is utter rubbish! If you dare to treat rubbish as family or relatives, I will sever all ties with you!"
Xu Jinnian's face darkened: "An'an, you're not allowed to say such things!"
Sheng An snorted: "I'm not kidding you, I find it disgusting to associate with bullshit."
Xu Jinnian was both amused and exasperated. He cupped her face and kissed her forehead, saying, "I promise I won't."
Sheng An was satisfied and stood on tiptoe to kiss his lips.
Kissing someone on the forehead is too formal; a true couple should do what husband and wife should do!
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