Chapter 113 The First Day After the Wedding After the wedding, Third Brother changed. ...
Lin Daiyu suddenly woke up with a start. Her third brother was not beside her. Through the bed curtains, she could vaguely see a tall figure outside.
"Third Brother," she mumbled sleepily.
The candlelight outside went out quickly. Mu Chuan lifted the bed curtains, got into bed, lay down naturally, pulled the blanket over himself, and hugged the other person: "Sleep."
Lin Daiyu barely opened her eyes and whispered, "It's hot."
"You were just saying you were cold," Mu Chuan said helplessly.
Lin Daiyu chuckled, and in her half-awake state, she spoke with unusual candor: "Who told you to take off my clothes? And why didn't you tell me to cover myself with a blanket?"
As she spoke, she pressed her face against Mu Chuan's chest, rubbed against him a couple of times, and chose a comfortable position: "It's warm and feels very comfortable."
Neither of them spoke, and they were about to fall asleep when Lin Daiyu suddenly asked again, "Where have you been?"
"Blow out the candles. The weather is dry, be careful with fire."
"We should both blow out the candles together." Lin Daiyu's eyes were still closed, but her brows furrowed as she struggled to wake up.
Mu Chuan gently patted her and whispered to comfort her, "Whether the two of us are doing well or not is not determined by two candles. Besides, there can't be any open flame in the room when we're asleep."
After Mu Chuan finished speaking, he waited a moment. The lady who had just entered the room was breathing lightly and slowly. Had she fallen asleep again?
No, he didn't tire her out... did he?
Mu Chuan chuckled and closed his eyes as well.
After an unknown amount of time, sunlight streamed in, and Lin Daiyu stretched and opened her eyes.
It was only mid-July. Although it wasn't too hot in the mornings and evenings, it was still early autumn, so the bed curtains couldn't be too thick. In other words, they had to let in light.
She could see her third brother sleeping to her side, still asleep.
Lin Daiyu couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth. Last night... last night, it seemed that Third Brother had scars on his back, chest, waist, lower back, and arms.
It seems there's nothing on the shoulders, and it seems there's nothing on the legs either.
Lin Daiyu blushed, feeling both shy and distressed. In the dim light, she secretly glanced at Mu Chuan's shoulder.
It is firm, smooth, and rounded, and there are indeed no scars.
Thinking of the feeling of his body last night... Lin Daiyu pressed her ribs. She could feel her own bones with just a little pressure, but her third brother... no matter how hard she tried, his body was solid.
Lin Daiyu chuckled a few times, then quickly covered her mouth and carefully reached out to touch his shoulder.
But after she poked him twice, her hand was grabbed.
Mu Chuan smiled and asked her, "Are you awake?"
Lin Daiyu hurriedly pulled the quilt over her face, but she couldn't pull her hand out.
"Did I wake you up?" Lin Daiyu asked in a muffled voice.
Mu Chuan laughed again and slowly replied, "When you poked me the first time, I wasn't sure, but when you poked me the second time, I knew you did it on purpose."
"Time to get up!" Lin Daiyu, with the determination of a warrior cutting off her own arm, threw off the covers and sat up abruptly. "I still need to pay my respects."
But before he could even get halfway up, he was pulled back down.
“We don’t have those rules in our family,” Mu Chuan said. “I’ll lie down a bit more. I already told you beforehand that I’d meet people this afternoon.”
Although Lin Daiyu was wearing a waistband, Mu Chuan was naked. She was pulled back, and the two were pressed together, not knowing where to put their hands.
Not to mention her hands, she didn't even dare to look at Mu Chuan. Instinctively, she grabbed a blanket from the side and haphazardly piled it on him.
"The other day he shamelessly said he would help me apply the medicine," Mu Chuan laughed. "He's quite the braggart."
"Who's bragging!" Lin Daiyu glared at him. "Bring me the ointment, I'll apply it for you."
Mu Chuan got out of bed to get the scar-removing ointment that Lin Daiyu had given him. Lin Daiyu was watching from behind, and after a couple of glances, she realized she was shy. She covered her eyes but left a gap between her fingers.
"Put on your robe," Lin Daiyu said with a smile, "be careful not to catch a cold."
Third Brother, really! Before the wedding, he seemed like a perfectly respectable gentleman. After the wedding—
No matter what, she couldn't think of a suitable word.
Mu Chuan quickly brought over a small jar, and Lin Daiyu took it and looked at it: "Why has so little been used?"
"I'm waiting for you to wipe it for me."
Lin Daiyu glanced at him and patted him on the shoulder: "Turn around."
Mu Chuan was still wearing his robe. Lin Daiyu smiled and reached out to pull the robe down.
Ouch—
Old wounds haven't healed, and new ones have been added.
She covered her face and laughed twice; it definitely couldn't have been her who grabbed him. She'd never grabbed anyone before in her entire life.
Besides, she doesn't remember either.
Lin Daiyu used her fingernail to pick out the ointment and gently applied it to Mu Chuan's back. His broad shoulders bore the marks of countless times he had sheltered himself from the wind and rain.
Does it hurt?
"It will definitely hurt more than when you scratched me last night."
Lin Daiyu slapped him on the back, annoyed and embarrassed, and said, "Straighten your back, don't talk! And don't move."
The ointment was quickly applied to the few scars on her back. Lin Daiyu hesitated for a moment; this ointment was for removing scars, and those scratches were just a little red.
Just pretend you didn't see it.
After applying the ointment to his back, Mu Chuan turned around again: "And the chest area."
Although it had already happened last night... I still don't feel used to seeing it like this. Lin Daiyu turned her head and threw the plaster into his arms: "Can't you even reach my chest?"
"Don't waste what's on your fingers."
Lin Daiyu laughed a few more times, then wiped her hands clean on Mu Chuan's chest with a slight smile.
Third Brother's chest is broad and thick; you feel safe not only leaning against it but also just touching it.
Mu Chuan hesitated for a moment, thinking that this was enough for the first time, and he would let her experience the moving pectoral muscles next time.
After applying the medicine, Lin Daiyu stood up: "Isn't it about time to get up?"
It wasn't very noticeable in bed at first; she only felt a slight ache in her back and legs, which she thought she could tolerate and that no one would notice.
However, as soon as her feet touched the ground, she completely collapsed. She didn't even have the strength to stand up, let alone walk.
Fortunately, Mu Chuan caught her in time and then asked, feigning concern, "Where do you feel unwell? If you can't walk, should we call a sedan chair? Or should I carry you to pay your respects?"
Seeing Lin Daiyu puffing out her cheeks and glaring at him in anger, Mu Chuan said again, "Shall I carry you?"
Lin Daiyu simply lay down: "Rest well, I'll go pay my respects this afternoon."
Since she was already like this, Mu Chuan took out some camellia oil from the bedside table: "Let me massage it for you, it will be better soon."
Lin Daiyu looked at him suspiciously, while Mu Chuan looked completely innocent: "It's said that Yang Guifei loved to use this, combined with a secret military relaxation technique, and you'd feel better after the massage. Lie face down."
Anyway, given her current condition, it was uncertain whether she would be better by the afternoon, so Lin Daiyu lay down.
Although she couldn't see, her other senses were exceptionally sharp. Lin Daiyu heard him pour out camellia oil, and she could smell a faint fragrance and the aroma of Chinese herbs, perhaps because something else had been added to it.
Next, you should rub your palms together to warm them up, and then—
"It itches." Lin Daiyu flinched. Mu Chuan placed his two large hands on her sides; that's how it started last night.
Lin Daiyu bit her lower lip, not daring to speak or move.
Mu Chuan's gaze grew increasingly profound. If he didn't do something good the first time, it would be difficult to help her with massages in the future.
"The itching will go away if I apply a little more pressure." Mu Chuan's tone was perfectly normal as he kneaded the muscles on her side, then slowly moved downwards. "Is this pressure appropriate?"
It was indeed suitable; her third brother's hands were large and strong, and the warmth felt very comfortable. However… Lin Daiyu became annoyed. Was she overthinking things?
"It's fine." His head was down, and his voice was a little muffled. "Thank you, Third Brother."
After diligently massaging her waist, Mu Chuan gently patted her back: "Turn over and I'll massage your legs."
Lin Daiyu was so comfortable that she was almost asleep when she heard Mu Chuan's words. She said "oh" and turned over again.
But after pressing it only twice, she suddenly felt something was wrong.
Her ankles were draped over Mu Chuan's shoulders.
This pose is just too much—
"I think I'll just turn over."
"How do I press it when you turn over?" Mu Chuan rolled his eyes at her like a gentleman. "Should I take your legs off, press them down, and then put them back on? Just lie still and don't move."
This routine sounds familiar, as if someone in this room just said it.
Lin Daiyu chuckled, pulled the blanket over her face, and if she couldn't see, everything would be normal.
Mu Chuan brazenly sized up his newlywed wife.
He loved every part of her, from head to toe.
Her skin was fair, smooth, and exceptionally delicate.
Her waist was slender and supple, and could be encircled by two hands.
The leg he was holding... last night, when he couldn't support his body and was shaking, it was a particularly memorable moment.
No wonder it's sour.
"What are you laughing at?" Lin Daiyu suddenly threw off the covers, as if she had caught Mu Chuan doing something naughty.
Mu Chuan cleared his throat and stretched out his arm: "Pinch my arm. Your legs are too weak. No wonder you have no strength."
"You also said you'd teach me Tai Chi, Baduanjin, and what was that again? Wuqinxi! You lied to me."
Mu Chuan smiled and said, "It was difficult to teach you before, and I always had to help you correct your posture. We have a practice room at home. Once you're feeling better and things have calmed down, I'll teach you properly."
That's right, he had collected a lot of mirrors, and he used almost all of them in this room, covering three walls.
This is what a practice room should be like.
Lin Daiyu glanced at him, as if she had caught him doing something wrong again: "Oh, what time was it then? And you were already thinking—"
Now that they're married, Mu Chuan said frankly, "Anyway, you can't run away now. From the first moment I saw you, I wanted to marry you."
A surge of emotion welled up within Lin Daiyu, and her face flushed. She loved the feeling of being cherished and pampered.
Instead of the past, when everyone said she was all alone and helpless, and that she was living under someone else's roof.
"Third Brother." Lin Daiyu suddenly froze. She covered her face in embarrassment, laughing so hard that she could barely speak. "This is the first time I've seen you. I was wondering where you came from... You look so... and you still make me call you Third Brother."
"Okay." Mu Chuan's hand slipped and he grabbed her ankle, tickling it without any restraint.
"Third Brother! Third Brother!" Lin Daiyu laughed so hard she could barely breathe, but no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't break free. "Good Third Brother, I was wrong. You're so handsome now, with delicate features. You're a perfect match for me."
When Mu Chuan finally let go, Lin Daiyu glared at him resentfully, "You were feeling better after you pressed it, but now it's all for nothing."
Mu Chuan lay down beside her: "Don't worry, I'll massage you again in a bit. I'll rest first."
Lin Daiyu pushed him a few times: "What have you been doing that you need to rest?" Although she said that, she still moved closer, rested her head on Mu Chuan's arm, and pulled the quilt over them both.
"If I go to pay my respects this afternoon... what should I do tomorrow?"
"I'll introduce you to the stewards and servants of our household tomorrow."
"And the day after tomorrow?"
"Go to the palace to express your gratitude."
What about the day after tomorrow?
"To organize your dowry, I need to make room for two storerooms for you."
"What about the day after tomorrow?"
"Going to Linjia Village to pay respects to our ancestors—tsk, I realize I should have married you. Linjia Village, isn't this just like coming home?"
"Third Brother?"
"Um?"
I'm hungry.
The lady was hungry, so she naturally couldn't lie down any longer. Mu Chuan called the maids and servants to bring hot water to help her wash up and get dressed.
Soon, a servant brought Mu Chuan's "medicine" again. Mu Chuan didn't intend to hide it from Lin Daiyu, and besides, such things couldn't be hidden anyway.
"Third Brother, where do you feel unwell?" Lin Daiyu asked with concern.
Mu Chuan repeated his argument that his kidneys were deficient and that he should not have children in the short term.
Lin Daiyu frowned slightly. She had read some medical books, and her third brother didn't seem to have a kidney deficiency at all.
His body temperature was higher than hers, his muscles and bones were strong and powerful, and his hair was jet black and shiny. Last night... how could it be a deficiency of kidney essence?
But she had only read medical books; her knowledge was purely theoretical.
"Third Brother," Lin Daiyu said, taking a robe and draping it over him, "Don't get cold."
Although... it's quite nice to be cared for by my wife.
After eating and resting for a while, the two went to the west courtyard.
Everything was fine until Lin Daiyu stepped out of the west gate of the main courtyard, and she couldn't help but feel anxious.
Furthermore, I met my mother-in-law once, and she seemed quite nice at the time. However, for the previous ten years or so, she had been spending every day with Madam Wang, and the subtle influence of that relationship was too great.
“Don’t worry. My parents can’t get up that early. My mother said that when the family was so poor, she had to get up early to work. Now that she’s a first-rank noblewoman, if she still gets up so early, wouldn’t that title be a waste? That would be disrespectful to the court.”
Lin Daiyu laughed twice, but after a short while, she asked again, "That can't be right—it's already past noon."
Mu Chuan tirelessly comforted them, "We agreed yesterday that if we went earlier, it wouldn't be convenient for them. They would have to rush around getting ready to see you, and who would be responsible if they weren't prepared?"
Lin Daiyu then felt a little better.
Upon arriving at the West Courtyard, Lin Daiyu became noticeably nervous again, muttering something under her breath. She was unlikely to make any mistakes, and she hoped that from now on, all her days would be good.
Mu Chuan said, "By the way, none of the courtyards in my house have been named yet. Right now, they're still divided into east, west, south, and north. Could you come up with some names for them when you have time?"
"You're so annoying." Lin Daiyu glared at him fiercely. "I was just thinking about what to say later."
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Yousheng watching her from not far away, holding a bamboo dragonfly in his hand, his eyes... seemingly a little dazed.
I'm not usually that fierce.
Lin Daiyu dared not glare at anyone anymore. She beckoned and smiled, "Yousheng, come here quickly."
Mu Chuan grinned mischievously, "This is your aunt."
Although You Sheng didn't spend much time with Mu Chuan, he knew that his tall and imposing uncle was a great support, and he really wanted to get closer to him.
She ran over with the bamboo dragonfly and stuffed it into Lin Daiyu's hand, still not used to her beautiful older sister becoming her aunt: "This is for you."
Then she asked Mu Chuan, "Mother just said that we should call Uncle Third Uncle, so why do we have to call him Aunt Now that Uncle Third Uncle has married?"
That is indeed a good question.
Mu Chuan explained to Lin Daiyu, "She wrote it down in our family tree, so the way we address each other is a bit messed up right now."
After saying that, he said to Yousheng, "Call me Uncle or Third Uncle as you like, but Aunt and Uncle are a couple, and Third Aunt and Third Uncle are a couple."
After repeating it to himself a few more times, Mu Chuan picked her up and carried her into the house.
Huang Guihua and Mu Dazhuang were already sitting on either side of the main hall, waiting. When they saw the two of them come in, especially their daughter-in-law who looked like a fairy, she smiled from ear to ear: "Please sit down, come here with me."
Mu Dazhuang coughed lightly, and Huang Guihua realized that she still had to serve tea.
A maidservant brought up a tray. Mu Chuan first handed a cup of tea to Lin Daiyu, and then took another cup for himself and offered it to her.
"Father, have some tea. Mother, have some tea."
Lin Daiyu stood beside him and did the same thing.
Huang Guihua's meticulously maintained face broke into wrinkles with a smile: "Great, we're finally inside. Please have a seat."
Mu Chuan pulled Lin Daiyu to sit down.
Huang Guihua smiled and said, "It's good to offer tea. When I married into the Mu family, I had to get up early every morning to serve the whole family and cook for them. Sigh..."
Lin Daiyu was sensitive, and it was the morning of her wedding. Moreover, because she wanted to get along well with him, she paid even more attention to it. Upon hearing this, she couldn't help but glance at Mu Chuan. What did this mean?
Huang Guihua, who was sitting upstairs, was taken aback when she saw this. Had she said something wrong? Did her daughter-in-law think she was annoyed that she got up late?
That's not what she meant at all.
Huang Guihua quickly cleared her throat and changed the subject: "This is a gold bracelet I had made for you. I've heard people say that you should have some kind of family heirloom to pass down from generation to generation. But our family has only become wealthy in the last two years. Your father-in-law did buy me a brass bracelet before, but that's too shabby to be passed down as an heirloom. And for a lady from a respectable family like you, that kind of thing isn't presentable—"
Huang Guihua paused, looking at her fairy-like daughter-in-law's expression, had she said something wrong again?
Mu Chuan chuckled twice, took the bracelet, and put one on Lin Daiyu's wrist: "It's quite heavy, you can wear it in turn later."
“Exactly,” Huang Guihua hurriedly replied, “We have a lot of things, and we change them every day.”
Mu Chuntao chuckled twice, her head bowed. Her mother was so pleased with herself that she had fallen short of expectations.
She stood up, took her daughter's hand, and bowed to Lin Daiyu, calling out, "Third Sister-in-law."
Although Mu Chuntao was a few years older than Lin Daiyu, things had finally returned to normal. She accepted the gifts with a smile and also gave them something in return.
Whether it's a greeting or a formal greeting, once this whole process is complete, the matter is considered finished.
Lin Daiyu was still nervous, but thankfully, "It's all Third Brother's fault," she said, looking at Mu Chuan.
Mu Chuan stood up: "Alright, then we'll head back. We'll stick to the original plan and go back to pay respects to our ancestors in five days."
Lin Daiyu also got up, but having lived in the Jia family for many years, the influence there couldn't be eliminated in just a day or two.
She unconsciously asked in a low voice, "Do we need to be served meals? Are there rules?"
Although her voice was soft, Huang Guihua heard it and quickly said, "No need, no need. Do I not have hands or am I paralyzed? You don't need to serve me food. The food will be cold by the time you bring it over. I don't know if you're torturing me or me."
Lin Daiyu had never experienced anything like this before. She subconsciously looked at Mu Chuan again and saw that he looked natural and had a smile on his face. Lin Daiyu felt a little relieved and followed him.
Outside the house, Mu Chuan looked at Lin Daiyu, who looked annoyed, and laughed, "That's just how my mother is. Besides, it's only the second time we've met, so we won't get to know each other so quickly. We'll get used to it later. Don't be so polite."
Recalling their first meeting, Lin Daiyu's mood soured again. She scolded, "Don't say anymore!"
Inside the main hall, Huang Guihua looked annoyed: "My mouth..."
Mu Dazhuang laughed, "You always said I couldn't talk, that I was a downer. But you're quite the talker; your first sentence was about getting up early to cook—"
Huang Guihua slapped him and said angrily, "Shut up!"
Mu Dazhuang said, "I swear to God, I didn't say a word just now."
Then he added, "It was all your doing."
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