Le monde des arts martiaux est un véritable cloaque

Chapitre 37

Yang Huan laughed loudly several times, returned to his main seat, and warmly urged everyone to eat. Master Chen and the others calculated that today's single bite of cabbage cost a hundred strings of cash, and after only a dozen bites, they had already spent a thousand or eight hundred strings of cash, far more valuable than dragon liver and phoenix marrow. They had no appetite for the food, but each of them moved their chopsticks slightly and said they were full.

The crowd still gathered below the Spider Tower watched as Magistrate Yang left triumphantly, followed by the local gentry and wealthy landowners who, after seeing him off, filed out dejectedly, bewildered. Once everyone had dispersed, they inquired with the waiters in the restaurant and learned the whole story. They burst into laughter, saying that Magistrate Yang was a strange man who had used unconventional methods to punish these wealthy and unscrupulous gentry, but for the sake of the county's poor people.

When Yang Huan returned to his room that evening, he vividly recounted the day's events to Xu Shirong, making her laugh so hard she clutched her stomach and cried out in pain. Yang Huan, beaming with pride, waited until she had finished laughing before turning a worried expression and saying, "Those people are all misers; today I could only scrape off this much, and it still isn't enough." Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "Why don't we just say it's your birthday tomorrow and make those women bleed a little more?"

Xu Shirong had just stopped laughing when she heard his words, and couldn't help but laugh again. She reached out and pinched his cheek, scolding, "You naughty boy, you're really full of mischief. Those people are such tightwads, they must be feeling the pinch after you plucked their feathers like that today. When they get home tonight, they might even kick a hole in their mat. Haven't you heard of people who would rather die than give up money? Pushing them too hard isn't good either. Everything should be done in moderation. Let's build the seawall first, and we'll find a way around it eventually."

Yang Huan nodded repeatedly after hearing her words. Seeing that her cheeks were flushed from her earlier laughter, and feeling the smooth and fragrant hand that was pinching his face, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. He immediately hugged her waist tightly and pulled her into his arms, eagerly lowering his head to kiss her rosy lips.

Author's Note: Updated!

Thank you to fanqiyu2008, shsweetfox, yuanmanyn, houqian121212, and linkehang2008 for the generous donations.

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Chapter Forty-Four

Caught off guard, Xu Shirong was suddenly pulled into his arms. She gasped and looked up, only to find his lips pressing down on hers. Their lips met. He kissed her passionately for a while, making her breathless. She mumbled a couple of times, shaking her head and struggling to push him away, but her hands were firmly held down by his sides, unable to move. After a few twists, she felt him release her lips. Just as she exhaled, she felt a tingling sensation on her ear. Yang Huan had moved his lips to her ear, pleading in a hoarse voice, "Just a kiss... don't avoid me, I really want to kiss you..."

Xu Shirong felt a sudden tingling sensation on her earlobe; he was gently nibbling it with his tongue. The feeling was unfamiliar and strange, but it spread to every part of her body, making her feel warm and weak. Not only did her legs go weak, but even her heart, which had been filled with some embarrassment and annoyance, softened, becoming sweet and tender, as if overflowing with honey.

Seeing her gaze lowered, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and her cheeks flushed a deep pink, Yang Huan was overjoyed to see her looking so shy and adorable. He pulled her close with one hand and lifted her face with the other, about to kiss her moist, cherry-like lips again, when he suddenly heard a noise at the door. It was Xiao Que knocking, saying, "Madam, you said you wanted to take a bath. The cook has prepared a cardamom-scented soup, saying that it's perfect for warming up as the weather turns cooler in autumn, and it smells wonderful. Shall we go and bathe while it's hot?"

Xu Shirong was startled and woke up. Her face turned bright red. She pushed Yang Huan away and lowered her head to walk out.

Yang Huan saw that the beautiful woman was about to fall into his arms, and he longed to kiss her. Just when he was about to succeed, this little sparrow ruined the moment. He quickly grabbed her hand and said with a grin, "I want to wash too."

Xu Shirong turned around and smiled, "Then you go wash first. I'll boil the water again."

"I mean, wouldn't it be better if we washed together? It would save us the trouble of cooking..."

Seeing the lingering shyness in her eyes as she turned back, Yang Huan's heart stirred, and the words slipped out. The image of the two of them bathing together in a steaming, fragrant bath already appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help but swallow hard.

Xu Shirong initially thought he genuinely wanted to bathe Yu in that fragrant water, which was why she asked him to. Hearing this now, and seeing his Adam's apple bob and his lustful expression, she was momentarily stunned. If this had happened before, she probably would have been annoyed and immediately turned on him. But now, for some reason, although she felt a little annoyed, shyness probably made up the majority of her feelings. Afraid that he would notice and become even more persistent, she quickly masked her anger with a serious expression, saying, "I just gave you a nice look, and you immediately became ungrateful. If you say anything more, I'll kick you out of bed again!"

Yang Huan had only dared to tease her like that because of the lingering warmth of that fleeting kiss. Now, seeing her bright eyes sweeping over him, and remembering his previous painful experience, his lust immediately subsided by half. Still somewhat resentful, he muttered a low complaint, "You only touched me briefly; you should at least finish the kiss..."

Xu Shirong was embarrassed and scolded, "Say it again!"

Yang Huan finally realized that although the beautiful woman's face showed a hint of anger when she spoke, she was not really angry with him like before. He became bolder again and grabbed her hand, about to entwine it with her again, when he heard the sound of a sparrow outside the door. This time it seemed as if the sparrow had pushed the door open and entered.

There was a small partition between the inner room and the doorway, which required turning a corner to enter. Even if the door was open, you couldn't see inside. Xu Shirong quickly shook off his hand and headed towards the door without looking back, where she met Xiao Que in the partition.

"Madam is here. I waited for a long time without any response, and I thought she had gone out. I was just about to come in and see if she could. The hot water will get cold, so Madam should go and take a bath quickly."

When the little sparrow saw her, its face lit up with joy, and it kept talking nonstop.

Xu Shirong grunted and hurriedly headed towards the door. Xiao Que then noticed that she looked somewhat different from usual; her face seemed to have a faint blush. Just as she was wondering what was going on, someone suddenly emerged from the inner room, startling her. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was her young master. Before she could greet him, his face darkened, and he huffed, "You're getting more and more rude! Is this how you just casually enter your mistress's room? If you do this again, I'll deduct three months' pay!"

After scolding Xiao Que, Yang Huan chased after her, only to see the door of the house next door creak shut. He listened intently at the doorway for a while, faintly hearing the splashing sound of water inside, and a wave of melancholy washed over him, his mind wandering. Suddenly remembering something, he hurriedly turned to retrieve it.

Now, only Xiao Que remained standing in the room. She was fifteen or sixteen, an age when her heart was just beginning to stir with romantic feelings. If she had been scolded like this before, she would have at most pursed her lips in secret. But now, after a moment of stunned silence, remembering how much closer the two of them had seemed lately, and how they no longer slept in separate rooms at night as before, she suddenly understood. She realized that she must have caught the young master in the act, which was why he had scolded her so harshly. Her face immediately flushed red, and with a cry of "Oh dear!", she covered her face, lowered her head, and ran out.

After Xu Shirong finished bathing, she dried her hair, put on a pair of soft-soled embroidered shoes, and went to the bedroom. As soon as she entered, she saw Yang Huan already lying on the bed with his legs crossed, wearing an undergarment, and looking as if he had just taken a bath.

Yang Huan saw Xu Shirong enter and jumped up from the couch, beckoning to her with a smile. Seeing that her collar was fully covered and she was standing there looking at him warily, he shook his head and laughed, "Does my wife dislike me so much? Do you think I, Yang Huan, only think about that kind of thing?"

Xu Shirong was taken aback when he saw through her thoughts, and she couldn't help but chuckle. She used a hairpin to tie up her long hair, turned around and smiled, "What you're thinking is none of your business, you know it better than anyone else."

Yang Huan scratched his head and chuckled, "It's just that I've always been too honest. I've always been straightforward with you. I need to be more careful with my words and actions in the future, so as not to always be disliked by others."

Xu Shirong smiled slightly, casually picked up a book of poems, climbed onto the couch, sat against Yang Huan's side, pulled the quilt over her legs, and began to read by the light of the candle on the table in front of the couch. Before she had read more than a few words, Yang Huan had already come over, snatched the book from her hands, glanced at the words on the cover, and muttered, "Ben Shi Shi, Meng... Meng..." but couldn't pronounce the last character "Qi". Seeing Xu Shirong looking at him with a half-smile, he slammed the book onto the table outside, saying without even panting, "What's so interesting about this kind of rubbish book? It's not bad for waking up and making a sleepyhead."

Xu Shirong shook his head and said, "Others record events through poetry, mostly anecdotes and stories about Tang Dynasty poems, saying that poetry is created out of emotion, and every word is a gem. But you've turned it into something that makes people sleepy."

Yang Huan, mocked by her, didn't even blush, only glancing repeatedly behind her. Xu Shirong found it strange, turned around, and saw a new pillow behind her back. Pulling it out, she saw that the pillow was made of extremely luxurious velvet brocade and dogwood-patterned brocade, with colorful embroidery at the four corners. It looked exquisitely beautiful, and was stuffed full. She couldn't help but laugh, "You waved me over just to show me this pillow? It's nice, but it's a bit too ornate. I'm not used to it."

Yang Huan said with a grin, "Smell it and see."

Xu Shirong followed his instructions and brought the scent close to her nose, and was surprised to smell a delicate fragrance.

Seeing the surprise on her face, Yang Huan said earnestly, "This pillow is filled with petals of three flowers: rose, osmanthus, and daphne. They were all picked when the flowers first bloomed in the early morning dew. Even after drying in the shade, their colors remain vibrant. They were first placed in a blue gauze pillowcase before being stuffed into this embroidered cover. My elder sister, the Imperial Concubine, mentioned this when she returned home for a visit. She said she always slept on this pillow. Even if there were a small mountain of sandalwood carved from whole pieces in the room, no matter how fragrant the sandalwood was, it couldn't compare to the lingering fragrance of this flower pillow. I've noticed you often complain about not sleeping well at night, probably due to your restlessness. When I sent a messenger back to the capital last time, I specifically asked my mother to go to the palace and ask my sister for a pillow like this. Sleeping on it will not only smell the fragrance and feel the softness, but it will also clear your mind and dispel evil spirits. I'm sure you'll be able to sleep well from now on."

Xu Shirong looked at him in surprise. Sometimes she couldn't sleep well at night, not because of restlessness as he claimed, but simply because having someone like him as a pillow beside her in her most private bed made her feel awkward, and she subconsciously became wary. Seeing his earnest expression now, a warmth suddenly rose in her heart. She hugged the pillow to her chest, took a deep sniff of its scent, and then smiled, saying, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness."

Yang Huan smiled smugly, his eyes darting around, and suddenly he slipped a foot under her blanket and kicked her foot. Xu Shirong was startled, thinking he was going to be mischievous again. Just as she was about to kick his foot away, she suddenly touched something warm. When she kicked it, it seemed to be rolling around under the blanket. She paused for a moment, then lifted the blanket to see that it was a silver incense burner with gold-painted and intricate designs.

She had seen this silver incense ball in her home when she was a child. In the Qing Dynasty, wealthy families always had incense burners, specifically used to scent clothes and bedding. This silver incense ball was particularly ingenious; its outer shell was a sphere covered with openwork patterns for releasing the fragrance. Inside were two concentric rotating rings, and within those rings was a small bowl connected by a bearing. After placing the incense balls, incense cakes, and charcoal in the small bowl, no matter how the incense ball rolled, the small bowl would always remain level and balanced, preventing the incense and charcoal from spilling out. She remembered that when she was little, her mother would place this in her bedding every winter night, saying it would warm the bedding and release a subtle fragrance that lingered throughout the night, making it perfect for a girl. Later, her mother fell ill and passed away, her youth was cut short, and she went away to study alone; she no longer had that kind of sentiment.

Upon seeing the round, warm incense ball again, Xu Shirong was pleasantly surprised. She picked it up and examined it from all angles. She could already smell a faint fragrance and felt a warm sensation to the touch, which meant that the incense ball inside the small bowl had already been lit.

Seeing how much she liked it, Yang Huan was overjoyed and laughed, "Look at you, it's like you've found a treasure! Although it's exquisite, it's not particularly rare. Women from wealthy families in the capital all use it. Haven't you used it before? Why do you seem to be seeing it for the first time now?"

Xu Shirong smiled and changed the subject, saying, "When I left the capital last time I came here, I handled all the luggage, and I don't think I saw this thing. Where did you find it?"

Yang Huan smiled and said, "The climate here is different from that in the capital. Once winter and autumn arrive, it becomes damp and cold to the bone. I was afraid you wouldn't be used to it at first, so I specially asked the messenger to send a message to my mother, asking the most skilled craftsman in the capital to make one and send it along with the flower pillow."

Xu Shirong touched the fragrant and warm silver ball, glanced at Yang Huan, opened her mouth, and for a moment didn't know what to say.

Seeing her eyes sparkle, Yang Huan grinned and said, "When it gets colder in a few days, this thing won't be of much use anymore. You can just hold me while you sleep. It'll be warmer than any stove."

Seeing that he had been speaking seriously for once, but then revealed his true colors again at the end, Xu Shirong couldn't help but laugh. She took the flower pillow and gently hit him in the face, spitting out, "You're so shameless."

Yang Huan snatched the flower pillow and laughed, "Not only is your face thick-skinned, but your body is too. Feel it if you don't believe me." He then shamelessly leaned against her, looking like he was begging for her attention. Xu Shirong tried to push him away, but he insisted on getting closer. The two playfully wrestled on the bed for a while, until finally Xu Shirong reluctantly lowered her guard and, with a mix of coaxing and cajoling, blew out the lamp. They then wrapped themselves in blankets and went to sleep.

In the empty courtyard outside the house, night had fallen, and the first autumn rain of Qingmen County had begun to fall, pattering softly on the stone steps. Inside, wisps of warm fragrance wafted through the draped curtains. Xu Shirong fell asleep with a sachet of flower petals as her pillow, even her dreams unfolding amidst the pervasive floral scent, a shower of colorful petals falling like rain…