Ju Mu'er's whole body was burning hot, and she felt like she was about to melt. She heard a soft moan, and it took her a while to realize that it was her own voice.
Long Er reeked of alcohol, even his kisses seemed laced with it. Drunk, his movements were somewhat rough; he pinched her shoulder painfully and pulled her hair. Xi Guan poked Ju Mu'er's head, and a tug on her hair made her hiss in pain.
Long Er, lost in passion, paused for a moment upon hearing her cry of pain, seemingly not quite understanding, and continued to tear off her clothes. Layer upon layer of clothing, he grew increasingly frustrated, grabbing the collar and preparing to rip it. Ju Mu'er felt flustered by his actions, but when she felt a tightness in her chest, she quickly covered his hand and said, "Second Master, these clothes are very expensive."
Long Er froze, not reacting for a long time. Ju Mu'er reached out and touched his face; it was burning hot to the touch, and she gently stroked it.
"Very expensive?" Long Er repeated the question, stopping tearing her clothes but holding her tightly, unwilling to let go.
The two embraced without speaking. After a long while, Ju Mu'er patted Long Er and softly called out, "Second Master, you're drunk."
Long Er suddenly looked up, squinted at her for a while, then sat up unsteadily and said loudly, "I'm not drunk, I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."
Ju Mu'er couldn't help but laugh. Long Er pulled her up: "What, you still don't believe me? Come on, have a few more drinks with me and see who gets drunk first."
Ju Mu'er kept laughing: "Second Master, stop drinking, you're really drunk."
Long Er grumbled his dissatisfaction and even suggested adding a new rule to the family rules—no one is allowed to look down on the master.
Ju Mu'er suppressed a laugh, holding up the half-fallen ceremonial crown, and said, "Second Master is so majestic, who would look down on him? Please, Master, get my head out of this crown first!"
Long Er squinted at the ceremonial crown, finally remembering that he hadn't fully untied it for her yet. He shook his head and reached out to continue untying the crown. As he did so, he said, "See? You still have to rely on me when it matters."
"Yes, yes, it's all thanks to Second Master." Ju Mu'er praised him while enduring the pain of her scalp being pulled.
"Once you've untied it, you'll drink with me. I'll show you how I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."
Ju Mu'er sighed, "Second Master, why don't you rest early?"
Long Er chuckled, and the ambiguous tone of his laughter made Ju Mu'er blush.
"What's wrong? Are you in a hurry?" Long Er casually tossed the ceremonial crown to the foot of the bed, and with a gentle push, he pushed Ju Mu'er down onto the bed. His lips pressed against hers, and he murmured, "What's the rush? I'm right here, the night is long."
Ju Mu'er's face flushed red instantly, and she stammered, "Who, who's in a hurry?"
Long Er was still smiling when he kissed her lips and said, "I never expected my wife to be so passionate."
"You, you, don't talk nonsense. I'm not in a hurry."
"I like it when you're in a hurry."
"I'm not in a hurry."
"I like it when you're anxious but still stubbornly insist you're not in a hurry," Ryuji grinned.
Ju Mu'er was genuinely anxious after hearing what he said. They had only just entered the door, and the Second Master was already teasing her? Ju Mu'er gritted her teeth and said, "Second Master, I'm really not in a hurry. Let's drink. I'll drink with you slowly."
"Want some wine?" Long Er's voice trailed off as he pecked at her lips. "Why didn't you agree when Master asked you to drink earlier?"
"I was wrong. You can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, I shouldn't have spoiled the fun."
Long Er tilted his head to look at Ju Mu'er. She had applied rouge, and with her face flushed from his teasing, she had a shy, radiant beauty. He couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her again and again, eager to see her alluring figure when she was drunk. So he pulled her up, led her to the table, and poured her a glass of wine.
Ju Mu'er was afraid that Long Er would laugh at her for being in such a hurry to consummate the marriage, so she quickly tilted her head back and downed the cup of wine.
Long Er was a little dumbfounded. He thought she would refuse the wine glass and he would have to coax her to drink it, but he didn't expect her to drink so boldly. Long Er cleared his throat, thinking that he couldn't show weakness either. He poured himself a glass of wine and then downed it in one gulp. He even touched her glass with his empty glass and said, "I'll drink with you."
Ju Mu'er nodded. Long Er refilled their glasses and called out, "Cheers!"
Ju Mu'er tilted her head back and finished the cup. Long Er was already quite drunk, and seeing her drink like that only fueled his competitive spirit. He thought he couldn't lose to her, so he also downed his cup in one gulp.
The two of them then took turns drinking, one glass after another, in a drinking contest.
That night, Long Er's last memory was of Ju Mu'er's rosy cheeks smiling as she asked him, "Second Master, would you like some more?" He, feeling dizzy and lightheaded, replied rather defiantly, "Yes!"
Then, he woke up. When he opened his eyes, he found that it was already broad daylight.
There was some noise outside the door, which meant it was time to get up and wash. The maids didn't dare to disturb them, so they waited outside the door.
Long Er opened his eyes and it took him a while to realize he was drunk. He was wearing a rumpled wedding dress and lying asleep on the wedding bed covered in peanut shells. Ju Mu'er, also wearing a rumpled wedding dress, was curled up beside him, fast asleep.
Long Er's head throbbed. He recalled what had happened and suddenly sat up. Had he been arrogant and reckless again, falling into Mu'er's trap?
He turned to look at Ju Mu'er, who was sleeping soundly with rosy cheeks, looking very delicate and delicious.
But the more delicious it looked, the stronger Long Er's resentment grew. On their wedding night, on their wedding night, he'd actually drunkenly fallen asleep in a drunken frenzy?
Long Er forcefully pushed Ju Mu'er up. Ju Mu'er said groggily, "Dad, I want to sleep more."
"I am your husband." Long Er was furious.
"Husband, I want to sleep more." Ju Mu'er replied quickly, without even opening her eyes.
Long Er poked her forehead: "Sleep, sleep, sleep, all you ever do is sleep."
Ju Mu'er seemed to wake up a bit after being poked, and started rubbing her eyes.
Long Er got angry at her dazed look and blamed her. If she hadn't provoked him, he wouldn't have drunk so much and wasted his wedding night. He asked gruffly, "Where's your husband?"
Ju Mu'er pointed at him: "Here he is."
"You still remember?"
"Remember."
"Hmph." Long Er crossed his arms and watched her sit up, then asked, "Want to drink more?"
Ju Mu'er had come to her senses by now, and quickly lowered her head to obediently reply, "If Second Master wants me to drink with you, I will drink."
"You're teasing me again, aren't you?"
"No, no."
"Is there anything you wouldn't dare to do?"
Ju Mu'er looked like a dejected wife. "I sincerely dare not."
"real?"
"I remember the first rule of the family."
So obedient? Something's definitely up. Long Er narrowed his eyes, trying hard to recall how she was drunk last night, but he couldn't remember at all. Something seemed off, but what exactly was it?
Long Er, not expecting this, simply stopped thinking about it and asked her again, "Does your head hurt?"
Ju Mu'er was about to shake her head, but then she remembered that Long Er must have a headache, so she changed her mind and nodded, replying, "It hurts."
Just like him. Long Er felt a sense of relief.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. A maidservant asked softly if her mistress was getting up to wash. Long Er was about to answer when he suddenly remembered that he was still wearing his wedding attire. How embarrassing it would be if the maidservant saw him like that! He hurriedly took off his outer robe, threw it on Ju Mu'er, and lowered the bed curtains before letting the maidservant in.
Ju Mu'er chuckled to herself as she hugged Long Er's clothes inside the tent, mentally reciting the family rules. No teasing or mocking the master, no making him feel bored, she had to obey everything he said, and she wouldn't do anything to displease him… As she recited, she couldn't help but laugh out loud. The master was truly wonderful; she wanted to spend her whole life with him.
Ju Mu'er's laughter sent chills down Long Er's spine. He felt increasingly certain that something had happened the night before.
The newlyweds had a lot of free time on their first day of marriage. Aside from having lunch with the families of Long Da and Long San, they returned to their own courtyard to rest. Ju Mu'er snuggled under her blanket, snoring soundly. Long Er, however, was very unhappy because he had missed his wedding night due to excessive drinking the previous night. He paced back and forth restlessly, feeling increasingly distressed that he wouldn't be able to make up for the loss until the evening. Finally, he decided to go to the library to look at the account books to calm himself down.
The night before, everyone had made quite a ruckus, and many of the servants and guards were still suffering from hangovers. Some people were huddled in a corner of the corridor, discussing who could hold their liquor best. Long Er, with his sharp ears, overheard a bit. He suddenly realized what was happening, turned around, and went back inside.
Ju Mu'er was still asleep. Long Er stared at her sleeping face for a long time before calling a maid to bring in wine and dishes.
Ju Mu'er smelled the aroma of wine before she even opened her eyes. She thought for a moment, then sat up.
Then she heard Long Er ask, "Mu'er, I didn't have a chance to ask you last night, how is your alcohol tolerance?"
Ju Mu'er answered cautiously, "It's alright."
Long Er reached out and pinched her earlobe: "Then why didn't you tell me beforehand that you could hold your liquor well when you drank with me last night?"
"Second Master didn't ask."
Why didn't you stop me from drinking?
"Second Master won't allow it."
"So, you're saying that losing our wedding night was your fault?"
Ju Mu'er's face suddenly turned bright red. Long Er leaned over, bit her lip, and asked, his lips close to hers, "Tell me, what about my losses?"
Ju Mu'er was so embarrassed that she didn't know what to say.
"You owe me money." Long Er said in a demanding tone, pinching her earlobe again.
Ju Mu'er cried out in pain, rubbing her ear as she retorted, "Then I also suffered a loss. My husband only cared about pulling me to drink, who can I complain to about this?"
“Tell me.” Long Er squeezed in next to her and said, “Go ahead and tell me, I’m listening.”
What did Ju Mu'er have to say? She sniffed and changed the subject: "Husband, have you prepared wine and dishes? Would you like to have a few more drinks with me?"
"That was what I was thinking. But I've changed my mind."
Ju Mu'er's heart pounded, and blood rushed to her face. Long Er pushed her down and pressed her onto the bed: "I originally wanted to see how much you could drink, but there's no rush now. I've decided to collect the debt first before discussing anything else."
Ju Mu'er was extremely embarrassed and subconsciously said, "It's not dark yet."
"Can you see me?" Long Er asked.
"cannot."
"Then it will be dark."
Long Erye's shamelessness made Ju Mu'er both embarrassed and amused. She bit her lip, but Long Erye lowered his head and kissed her lips, probing into her mouth.
His large hand slipped inside her clothes and touched her skin. Ju Mu'er gasped for breath, feeling a series of tremors where his palm had touched her.
Master Long was burning with desire. He couldn't wait to throw off his clothes and take her hand to his body. Ju Mu'er couldn't see it, but she closed her eyes in embarrassment, though her hand obediently roamed over his body. She heard his increasingly heavy breathing and felt a little smug at being able to influence him.
Long Er's movements became rougher; he increased the force of his caresses and tried to tear at her undergarment. With a "ripping" sound, Ju Mu'er let out a soft cry.
Long Er lowered his head and bit her small breast, humming, "Could this one be expensive too?"
What a petty, resentful brat. Ju Mu'er rubbed his head, suppressing the moans aroused by his actions. After a long while, he released his mouth, and she said, "That still cost money, didn't it?"
Long Er was stunned for a moment before realizing she was referring to the undergarment. He then bit her hard in anger, and amidst Ju Mu'er's cries of pain, said, "I will earn the money back."
Ju Mu'er was both amused and afraid of the pain, and she softly clung to Long Er, saying, "Second Master, it hurts."
"If you upset me, you'll suffer the consequences." That's what he said, but the fingers that reached for her tender spot moved gently and cautiously.
Ju Mu'er shrank back nervously, and tried to make conversation: "Second Master, actually, I have a really good alcohol tolerance."
"Um?"
"One thousand and one cups without falling over."
"..."
48. Deep Affection, Day and Night