bookcurios Chapter 258 March 2nd is auspicious
Chapter 258 March 2nd is auspicious
Chapter 258 March 12th is an auspicious day
Xu Chaoyan started to act shamelessly: "As long as the meaning is the same, it's not much different."
After saying that, she kissed Meng Jiuhe's soft lips and began to suckle. Actually, she didn't intend to do anything; she just wanted to kiss him, but Meng Jiuhe misunderstood.
So she decided to tease him. She was exhausted these past few days and didn't have much energy left. Just thinking about Meng Jiuhe's serious rejection made her laugh.
Meng Jiuhe truly didn't expect that even after he said that, his wife still wouldn't dislike him. His heart softened even more, and he reached out to wrap his arms around her soft waist, involuntarily deepening the kiss. His wife carried a faint peach blossom fragrance, and he greedily deepened the kiss.
A moment later, when the two of them stopped and were panting heavily, he asked, "Wife, did you use rouge that smells of peach blossoms?"
Xu Chaoyan stretched out her fingers and began to trace his eyebrows and eyes. It has to be said that this person is handsome. In the past two years, he seems to have grown up even more. His whole temperament is gentle and elegant, with a strong scholarly atmosphere.
No wonder Qin Zhenzhen took a liking to him back then. I haven't paid much attention to him lately; clothes make the man, and with a little dressing up, my husband is quite presentable.
Xu Chaoyan picked up a strand of his hair and played with it: "I don't have the leisure to do those rouge and powder things. I guess I picked some when my little sister came back from picking peach blossoms. Why don't you like this smell? Or are you allergic to pollen so I can avoid it next time?"
Meng Jiu and the other woman switched positions. He placed his palms on either side of her and stared intently at her rosy lips, swallowing involuntarily. His voice became slightly hoarse.
"My wife, I don't dislike it. It's just that it's the first time I've seen this peach blossom fragrance and I find it quite pleasant. As long as you like it, that's fine."
Xu Chaoyan let go of a strand of hair and couldn't help but gently scratch his Adam's apple a few times. A gulp of saliva was heard, which was even more clearly audible in the quiet night.
A hint of desire flickered in Meng Jiu's eyes, and his hand involuntarily caressed her soft red lips.
But reason pulled him back to reality. These past few days, the spring chill had been alternating, and he had been coughing incessantly. The two of them had been in too much contact, and he might have caught the illness.
He had originally planned for them to sleep in separate beds, but Xu Chaoyan refused, saying she was afraid to sleep alone in the dark. She felt it would be warmer to snuggle up with him; he was like a giant heater, and she didn't want to let go.
He grabbed Xu Chaoyan's wandering hand, his voice filled with restraint and forbearance: "My wife, it's getting late. We should retire for the night."
Xu Chaoyan raised her almond-shaped eyes and looked at him: "I know it's getting late, so let's not waste time on this dry topic."
She had clearly sensed the changes in Meng Jiuhe's body, yet he remained unmoved despite her provocations. She felt somewhat frustrated.
Seeing that she was in a low mood, Meng Jiuhe was afraid that she would overthink things, so he gently pulled her into his arms, rested his chin on her head, and spoke in a gentle tone, but if you listened carefully, you could hear a hint of restraint and forbearance.
"My wife, don't think too much. My cough hasn't fully healed yet, and I don't want to pass on my illness to you."
He thought Xu Chaoyan had misunderstood that he disliked and was unwilling to be intimate with her, so he quickly explained.
Previously, when his wife was setting up her stall, several people had discussed her appearance. Coincidentally, he overheard them again, and Shen Siheng immediately went up to argue with them.
People in their village love to gossip, and he never expected it to be the same in the county. He immediately frowned and was about to scold them when his wife saw him and shook her head, telling him not to cause trouble.
Behind his back, some students gossiped that he was good-looking and that marrying an ugly woman was just a way to live off her. They said that he might abandon his wife when he passed the imperial examination. He was furious when he heard this, and if Zhang Xuyang hadn't been quick to stop him, he would have definitely argued with those people.
Held in his arms, Xu Chaoyan listened to his heartbeat and felt drowsy. Her eyelids began to droop, as if listening to a lullaby, and she didn't hear a thing.
"My wife, do you understand? It's not that I despise you. We've been through thick and thin together, and I can't live without you; I need you."
He spoke his last sentence softly. He had never said anything sentimental before; partly because it felt awkward, and partly because he always felt he couldn't bring himself to say it. His last words were spoken rather quietly. Unconsciously, his hand gently stroked her back.
Meng Jiu waited for a long time but no one answered him. He was unsure whether his wife was angry or annoyed with him.
After a moment's consideration, he parted his thin lips slightly and said, "My wife, don't you think so? From now on, we can rely on each other until we grow old, go back to the village and live that pastoral life, and plant your favorite flowers in the yard, how about that?"
He kept rambling on and on, but Xu Chaoyan still didn't reply. Suddenly, he heard a soft, even breathing sound, and he realized that he had been talking for so long but had actually fallen asleep.
He didn't know whether to be angry or sigh, and tucked her in.
He gently shifted his somewhat stiff body, intending to take a shower to calm down.
The thought of the chilling well water made him abandon the idea, and he didn't want to make any noise in the middle of the night. In the end, he lay still and didn't dare to move. Because Xu Chaoyan's hands were unconsciously on his body and her heels were on top of him, he dared not move at all.
That night, Xu Chaoyan slept soundly until around 9 a.m. before slowly opening her eyes.
As she yawned and went out, Zhang Yueniang gave her a mocking look.
"Sister Xu, did you get a good night's rest last night? You've been too busy these past few days, you really deserve a good rest."
Xu Chaoyan nodded in agreement: "Yes, I rested quite well yesterday. By the way, Sister, let's go buy some firewood today. We happen to have two cheap laborers at home, so we can have them help us chop wood, and we'll supervise."
Xu Chaoyan suddenly noticed Zhang Yueniang smiling and looking her up and down. Sensing that there was something more to her words, she couldn't help but ask, "Sister, do I have freckles on my face, or did my pimples suddenly disappear and I become a great beauty? Why are you staring at me like that?"
Zhang Yueniang didn't answer her question and continued talking about other things: "Your husband got up early this morning and chopped all the firewood in the yard. I noticed the dark circles under his eyes, tsk tsk tsk, they've gotten so much darker."
After saying this, she moved closer to Xu Chaoyan, looking embarrassed, and said, "You two shouldn't take your youth for granted; you need to take care of your health."
Xu Chaoyan was about to fetch a basin of water to wash herself when she almost stumbled and lost her balance. She hurriedly began to explain.
"Sister, what did you say? I was so tired yesterday that I slept until dawn. I just woke up."
Zhang Yueniang was amused by her seemingly contradictory explanation: "I was just casually reminding you that young people should be more restrained. You've been feeling tired these past few days, so you should take good care of yourself and recharge."
Seeing that the misunderstanding couldn't be explained away, Xu Chaoyan simply stopped talking. Just then, Meng Jiuhe came in from outside the courtyard gate, and she glared at him fiercely and said irritably.
"It's all your fault for wandering around with dark circles under your eyes all day, making it impossible for me to clear my name."
Meng Jiu was completely bewildered by her glare, and turned to look at Zhang Xuyang.
"We didn't do anything wrong, did we?"
Zhang Xuyang pointed to the firewood by the courtyard wall: "Is it because you didn't stack it neatly that people dislike it?"
Meng Jiu tilted her head and looked at it several times: "It's pretty good, isn't it?"
On March 12th, Xu Chaoyan got up at dawn to prepare for her departure. Meng Jiuhe was awakened by her rustling sounds and, rubbing his sleepy eyes, prepared to get up and light the lamp.
"My lady, why don't you light the lamp? Can you see it? It's still early, why don't you sleep for another half an hour?"
Seeing that he was awake, Xu Chaoyan simply got out of bed. After a rustling sound, she came over with an oil lamp.
"It's getting late. We should go over early to order some tofu pudding. Today is our grand opening, and we should also give out some sweets and make some soup to whet people's appetites. They'll be here by noon, won't they?"
Meng Jiuhe took the coat she handed him and put it on neatly, a slight smile playing on his lips as he said helplessly, "That's not called 'luring customers,' it's called 'attracting customers.' You're talking nonsense."
Xu Chaoyan: "Don't worry about all that, as long as the meaning is the same."
She felt that March 18th was too long, so she simply chose 12th, since both are even numbers, which are auspicious, bring great wealth, and have no taboos.