Qiu Su breathed a sigh of relief, but to her surprise, Lu Mingcheng returned and bowed again, saying, "Little Qiu, where do I live?"
Qiu Su stuttered, and Pei Yuan kindly spoke up first: "Doesn't Lu Sheng want to stay in the bridal chamber?"
Lu Mingcheng nodded with a smile, took two steps inside, stopped, and turned back to say, "This is inappropriate, very inappropriate! One should not look at what is improper!"
Qiu Su walked past Lu Mingcheng to the small building. Pei Yuan curled the corners of his mouth, glanced at the very troubled Lu Mingcheng, raised his eyebrows, and followed.
Lu Mingcheng watched the two people and the dog go inside and close the door behind him. He sighed and said, "I'd better go find that leg-shaking Tiger. Alas, it's a pity to miss out. Why did I come to my senses, but Xiao Qiu, you changed your mind?"
Lu Mingcheng looked up at the newly sprouted banana trees, their color vibrant under the red glow of the lanterns, and sighed, "Truly, it was this time last year, in this very place, that faces and peach blossoms reflected each other's rosy hue. But where have those faces gone? The peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze. Alas, it's more than just sadness!"
As he left the courtyard, he vaguely saw a figure flash by and disappear. Lu Mingcheng stood there, frowning, and looked around. After a while, he saw several people carrying a table into an empty room on the side. Only then did he relax and go to look for Ruan Hu.
Qiu Su had a truly frustrating night. Having the self-important Magistrate Qin was already a headache, and now there was Lu Sheng, who was just as self-important as Magistrate Qin. A single wedding banquet had cost an unknown amount of silver and even attracted the establishment of the "Qingfeng Academy." Why hadn't she noticed Lu Sheng's abilities last time? With just a few words, he had settled things just like Magistrate Qin.
The mountain lord hadn't been able to sit in that bed for days, and tonight's bed was exceptionally beautiful. Seeing no one on the bed, he was instantly overjoyed and forgot who his master was. He leaped onto it, even burrowing under the fiery red covers. Pei Yuan's face darkened. Without a word, he pulled back the covers and dragged the mountain lord down by the scruff of his neck. The mountain lord had never been treated like this before, and his eyes welled with tears as he whimpered in distress. Qiu Su, concerned about the money that was about to flow away like a clear spring, glanced at the mountain lord and sullenly sat down at the table.
The man and the dog stared at each other, the mountain lord's eyes filled with grievance, unlike Pei Yuan's confident demeanor. That had clearly been its bed, and it had changed hands so easily. Ah, the aura! Indeed, one needed a strong presence to protect their territory. The mountain lord glanced at the bed, tilted its head, and listened intently to the outside. Suddenly, it sat up, pricked up its ears, listened carefully, and then tiptoed out the door.
Well, someone else's blue-eyed friend summoned it.
Pei Yuan looked at the staircase, sat down on the edge of the bed, and said, "My wife, why didn't you build a separate room upstairs when you built this house?" With the staircase leading straight down, there's no privacy at all. Won't we be spied on on our wedding night?
"Anyway, the whole building belongs to me, and usually no one steps into it."
"Then the entire Qingyuan Mountain is yours too. Why don't you face the blue sky and turn your back to the earth?" Pei Yuan was quite speechless. He brought over two cups of wine, handed one to Qiu Su, and spontaneously took her arm and drank it. Only then did he smile and say, "Are you worried about your money?"
Qiu Su looked at the wine glass in her hand and said the same thing again, "I am generous and righteous, how could I feel sorry for myself?"
"Heh, it's good that you don't mind. My wife has had some wine, so let's get some rest."
Qiu Su glanced at the wedding quilt, which had been disheveled by the mountain lord, and took a small sip of wine. Logically speaking, one shouldn't consummate the marriage if the nuptial wine isn't finished, right? Sigh, there have been so many things to do today that I've completely forgotten about the wedding night.
"That's enough for now, get some rest." Pei Yuan took the wine glass and placed it on the table, reaching out to help Qiu Su up.
Qiu Su glanced at the hand, then followed the arm to its owner, her gaze flickering slightly. No wonder the bridal chamber was draped in red candles and red gauze; the vibrant red color made the person appear even more radiant, like the moon emerging from the clouds. Pei Yuan was carrying the thickest and brightest red candle from another table, creating an aura of light behind him, like a deity descending on auspicious clouds. The gesture of his hand seemed to bestow blessings and save people from suffering. Qiu Su thought, let him depart on those auspicious clouds; let me enjoy that bed alone for one more night.
"My wife is unwilling?"
How could she not want to? Qiu Su pursed her lips, reached out, and stood up. Actually, it was nothing; he was just a husband, and a handsome one at that.
Pei Yuan was taken aback by her straightforwardness, but after a moment of surprise, his playful side kicked in, and he put his arm around her waist, saying, "My wife really is the one who takes the initiative."
"Of course. This chieftain has always been straightforward."
Pei Yuan glanced at Qiu Su, whose brows were slightly furrowed, and suppressed a laugh. He whispered in her ear, "In that case, I am truly blessed."
Qiu Su tilted her head slightly. "Ziqing, should we start building our relationship first?"
"I have developed feelings for my wife."
Qiu Su lowered her eyelids. "Now that Ziqing says so, I feel relieved."
She really knows how to pretend. Pei Yuan pinched Qiu Su's tense waist, smiled, and pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed.
"My wife, should we be more passionate or more gentle?"
"Ziqing, do as you please." Qiu Su closed her eyes and looked up.
Pei Yuan glanced at the red lips so close to his eyes, then at the long eyelashes trembling like feathers in the wind, and smiled silently before pushing Qiu Su down onto the bed. He wanted to see how long this woman could keep up the act. She was clearly nervous to death, yet she acted as if it were none of her business.
Pei Yuan then pressed down with considerable force, followed by a muffled thud...
Pei Yuan instinctively protected Qiu Su's head, frowning as he watched the bed collapse at one end.
"It's really exciting." Qiu Su sighed, head down, unable to suppress a soft laugh.
Pei Yuan sighed and picked up Qiu Su, rolling off the bed and then lying back down on the other side. "It's just a bed, nothing to stump us."
Qiu Su looked slightly embarrassed, but Pei Yuan had already pulled the blanket over the two of them.
******************************************************
Qingfeng Theater:
Pei Yuan: Those who saw off bed legs are all petty people.
Little person: (picking their ear) Sigh, my hearing hasn't been working well lately. Huh? Did someone just speak?
Author's Note: To recommend or not to recommend, that is the question.
13
13. Inspires imagination...
Huang Tao moved from the small building to a tiled house on one side of the courtyard, but that didn't stop her from getting up early to go to the small building to help Qiu Su with her washing and dressing. In order to allow the newlyweds more time to be affectionate, Huang Tao deliberately waited until Chenshi (7-9 AM) before daring to enter the small building. She knocked on the door downstairs and only dared to carry the basin of water upstairs after hearing Qiu Su's response.
Qiu Su and Pei Yuan were already dressed, each sitting on either side of the table, fumbling for their teacups and silently staring at the bed. Huang Tao went upstairs, and the first thing she saw was the two people sitting at the table, now dressed in casual clothes. Following their gaze, she saw the collapsed wedding bed. The bright red wedding quilt was disheveled and shrouded in an air of ambiguity.
Even with all her knowledge and experience, Huang Tao couldn't imagine what it would be like to have a wedding night where the bed collapsed, and she was momentarily stunned.
"Huang Tao, I remember this bed was made of sandalwood?"
Huang Tao closed her mouth, rolled her eyes, and said, "Miss, there's no need to feel guilty. The new son-in-law is very brave, so it's natural that the bed broke. Even if it's sandalwood, there are some flimsy sandalwoods. There's plenty of trees on the mountain, so we'll have Ruan Hu rush to make a sturdy one later."