“Yes.” An Ran turned her head and smiled sweetly, looking absolutely charming. “Looking at a beauty under the lamplight is certainly a unique experience.”
It took Lord Lu a moment to realize that the "beauty" his young wife was referring to was actually himself.
He had intended to take the opportunity to flirt with his young wife, but unexpectedly, he was the one who got flirted with instead.
An Ran winked playfully, then slowly revealed a smug smile.
Lu Mingxiu was about to retort when he saw the smile that reached the depths of her eyes and her relaxed and carefree expression. Lu Mingxiu's heart softened, and he accepted the title of "beauty." Seeing her so happy, he figured it wouldn't hurt to let her be happy for a while.
"It's getting late, go to sleep." Lu Mingxiu feigned anger. He got up, blew out the lamp, and lay back down, only putting on a defeated and annoyed expression.
After An Ran finished laughing, she remembered that she had teased Lord Lu and felt a little uneasy.
"My lord, you're not angry, are you?" A faint light filtered through the tent, so it wasn't entirely dark inside. An Ran opened her beautiful eyes and smiled ingratiatingly, "Please forgive me this time, won't you?"
Finally, in her eagerness to express herself, her voice trailed off in a soft, melodious tone. She even moved closer to Lu Mingxiu, gently pressing her soft lips against his cheek. Then she pulled away slightly, looking at him with a pitiful expression, as if Lu Mingxiu had pushed her away; she appeared utterly innocent.
This isn't an apology; it's clearly just her being coquettish.
But I happen to fall for her charms.
Lu Mingxiu sighed deeply in his heart, then smiled again. He was happy to accept it.
He stretched out his long arm and pulled An Ran into his embrace again. Since Lord Lu had promised not to consummate the marriage, he was naturally very careful when sharing a bed with An Ran. Even when holding her, he kept the blanket between them. Although he occasionally overstepped the bounds, he still strictly adhered to propriety.
Anran let out a barely perceptible sigh.
Seeing Lu Mingxiu's extreme restraint, An Ran felt a pang of guilt. But—was it really alright for her to say such shameful things?
Anran, who had initially resolved to say something, hesitated and backed down.
She turned over in Lu Mingxiu's arms, somewhat troubled, still not sleepy, and hesitated whether to speak. She was naturally unwilling to share him with someone else. But she couldn't let him keep enduring it...
Lord Lu, already quite content with the warm, soft body in his arms, was unaware of his young wife's inner turmoil and distress. Back in the army, he had always dealt with these matters himself. Moreover, he had always maintained a clean and virtuous lifestyle; even back in the capital, he only employed servants in his room, without even a maidservant.
Feeling his wife squirming in his arms, Lord Lu patted her blanket and urged her, "Go to sleep quickly, it's getting late."
Anran, who was struggling with her decision, felt frustrated.
Who is she so distressed about? He, on the other hand, seems completely indifferent.
An Ran rarely abandoned reason, acting solely on her emotions, and thought angrily.
Chapter 132
An Ran's hard-won courage was shattered by Lu Mingxiu, and she chickened out again.
She wasn't ready yet, but how could she bring it up appropriately? After all, she always felt a little embarrassed if Lord Lu didn't bring it up.
An Ran couldn't help herself and turned over again, facing away from Lord Lu, staring blankly at the tent with wide eyes.
After much deliberation, An Ran came up with a compromise. The next time Lord Lu went to take a cold shower, she would... she would stop him and ask him a question? That way, it would be considered going with the flow, wouldn't it?
An Ran couldn't help but want to cover her face with her hands.
The images from the picture books she looked at during the day would involuntarily float into her mind. They were enough to make her blush and her heart race.
"Stop making a fuss and come here to sleep." Lord Lu could no longer tolerate An Ran's rolling around, so he simply wrapped her up with the blanket and held her in his arms. He only stopped when An Ran closed her eyes.
If only I could turn fifteen soon!
Anran vaguely thought that there was no need to worry so much anymore. Everything could take its natural course.
******
Xu Hui's frequent outings have already caught the attention of her mother, Liang.
When Xu Hui returned in the evening once again, Madam Liang had been waiting for her at the gate for a long time.
As Xu Hui turned the corner at the alley entrance and was about to reach her own front door, she was suddenly surprised to see her mother staring at her from afar with a gloomy expression.
"Mother, why are you standing here?" Xu Hui was startled, secretly relieved that she hadn't let Chen Qian escort her to this alleyway, otherwise her mother would have bumped into her. She quickly went to greet her, saying, "It's so windy right now, how can you stand it?"
Madam Liang looked at her, her gaze sweeping over her from head to toe with a deep intensity. Her daughter was someone she had given birth to and raised, yet now she seemed somewhat unfamiliar.
Xu Hui felt a little scared under her gaze, her heart pounding. She quickly stepped forward, took Liang's arm, and said coquettishly, "Mother, let's go inside quickly, it's too cold in here."
After a moment of silence, Liang refused Xu Hui's help and the two of them walked through the gate.
After passing the screen wall, the mother and daughter entered the main room. Xu Hui first helped Liang Shi sit down before sitting down herself at the lower end of the table.
"Why are you back so late again?" Madam Liang asked calmly.
Xu Hui put down the bamboo basket in her hand, and was about to say that she was going to cook, but was stopped by Liang Shi's words. Xu Hui had already thought of a reason, and said without thinking, "I took a job to embroider flowers and sew gemstones on the hem of skirts. We are not allowed to take the gemstones out, so I have to have them made at the silk shop."
Liang remained skeptical. She looked at Xu Hui's basket and asked, "What's in your basket?"
Xu Hui quickly placed the basket in front of Liang Shi and opened it generously for Liang Shi to see. Inside were pieces of fine silk trim and several strands of silk thread. Xu Hui smiled and said, "These were given to us by Aunt Zhang, who is in charge of our business. I was thinking of making a purse for Brother Zheng, and this material is better than what I could buy myself."
When wealthy families send fabric to make clothes, there are always some scraps left over, which the host usually doesn't want back.
Upon seeing these things, Madam Liang's expression softened slightly.
At that time, their resources were limited, and they couldn't offer anything of value. Xu Hui's actions, however, were ultimately a gesture of goodwill. It showed that she still cared about Zheng Xing, and perhaps there was still hope for the two children?
Madam Liang knew that her daughter, Xu Hui, was proud of her talent and beauty and was unwilling to marry Zheng Xing and live a mundane life. These days, Xu Hui was frequently going out, and Madam Liang was anxious, fearing that her daughter, being arrogant, would try to find someone else and have an affair.
"Hui Niang, you haven't been associating with any shady people, have you?" Madam Liang hesitated for a moment before asking with a worried look in her eyes.