Одна улыбка может обрушить город

Глава 29

Xu Shirong glanced at him sideways and snorted, "I doubt you have the guts."

When Yang Huan saw that there seemed to be a hint of reproach in her eyes as she spoke, he felt as if she was coaxing him. His heart fluttered, and he couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Yes, yes. Don't worry, my wife. We'll sleep in the same bed from now on. You can do whatever you want me to do. I would never dare to do anything against my own will."

Xu Shirong rolled her eyes at him when she heard him start to talk so glibly again. She then mentioned what she had been thinking about and told him that if he couldn't wait, she would go back to Qingmen County first.

Yang Huan had finally managed to coax her into letting him sleep in the same bed with her. Although nothing much had actually happened, he had at least gotten a taste of intimacy, and he felt a surge of excitement, even more so than when he was having affairs outside. Now, he certainly didn't want to go back alone first, and naturally didn't offer to wait for her. Xu Shirong knew he was in a playful mood, so she gave him a few instructions and then went to Madam Lu's place first.

As Yang Huan watched her departing figure, he muttered to himself, "One must endure for a moment in order to plan a greater scheme."

When Xu Shirong arrived at Madam Lu's place, she found that Madam Lu was much better than yesterday, though she still looked somewhat weak. She chatted with her for a few minutes, then helped her drink her medicine and lie down. Around noon, Yang Huan rushed in, shouting, "The groom has been arrested! They found a lot of silver in his bundle. He confessed that his younger brother had also been sold into servitude at the Huang family's house, but was beaten for a trivial matter and died from poisoning. He harbored resentment ever since. So, he took this opportunity to pour kerosene on him, tied him up, and burned him to death. He escaped only two miles outside the city before being caught!"

"Tell me where that money came from, and who orchestrated it?" Xu Shirong asked.

"Before he could even speak, he was beaten to death on the spot."

Xu Shirong frowned slightly as she recalled what Xu Jinrong had said yesterday.

"It's a miracle that God has finally opened his eyes. He was indeed murdered. Although it's bad luck to die here, it's still better than being burned to death in my house."

Madam Lu didn't care about the coachman's life or death. Hearing that someone had taken the blame, she felt much more relaxed, and her complexion improved considerably. When Magistrate Lu returned in the evening, he was already able to get out of bed and walk around. Magistrate Lu was naturally happy and drank a few more cups of wine with Yang Huan before letting him go.

Yang Huan returned to his room, pleaded a few times, and repeatedly assured her before he was finally allowed to get into bed. At first, everything was indeed fine; he only occasionally brushed or touched her, which he always claimed was unintentional. Xu Shirong didn't pay much attention at first and tolerated it a few times. But when he seemingly unintentionally placed his hand on her waist again, she finally couldn't bear it any longer. Her brows furrowed, and she was about to tell him to get off, but Yang Huan mumbled something, rolled over, and naturally withdrew his hand, then began to snore loudly. The next morning, Yang Huan looked energetic, while she herself felt a bit sickly, yawning constantly.

The author has something to say: "It's only been a few months, and you're already making such a fuss! It's as if I forced you. I didn't tie you up, so go out and have some fun!"

Xu Shirong turned over and faced inward, ignoring him completely.

Yang Huan stared blankly at her back, his face flushed with anger. He snorted, jumped off the bed, and slammed the door shut behind him. His footsteps faded into the distance.

Xu Shirong was genuinely tired and annoyed by Yang Huan's noise. Now that Yang Huan had driven him away, she felt a strange sense of frustration and lost all sleepiness. She tossed and turned in the darkness, unable to fall asleep.

I don't know how much time passed, but just as a hazy drowsiness was creeping in, I suddenly heard light footsteps outside, followed by the sound of the door being gently pushed open. Then, someone lifted the low-hanging curtains and sat down on the edge of my bed, remaining silent for a long while. Only the soft breathing of the two of them could be heard.

"What are you doing back here?"

Xu Shirong finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"None of the young women suit my taste."

After a long pause, Yang Huan said something in a muffled voice.

"Naturally, nothing in the capital suits your taste. If you really can't stand it, you should head back now; it's only a month's journey. You can also bring two back with you, so you won't be thinking about them again next time."

A moment of silence.

"Jiaoniang..."

Xu Shirong did not respond.

"Jiaoniang..."

Yang Huan called out again and tentatively moved closer.

"I'm listening."

Xu Shirong replied somewhat impatiently.

"I...I just took a stroll in the garden..."

Receiving no response, Yang Huan moved closer and whispered, "I really didn't want to make you angry... I just feel like you're always giving me the cold shoulder, and I don't know what I've done wrong. If I've really offended you, just tell me what's wrong, and see if I change..."

He was very close; Xu Shirong could already feel his warmth. She tried to push him away, but her hand had just touched his arm when he grabbed it. She tried to pull her hand back, but he held it tightly, and she couldn't break free even after several attempts.

"Jiaoniang, I want to lie down next to you and sleep with you, just lie down next to you, and do nothing else. If you don't believe me, tie my hands up too, just like that governor who was burned to death today."

Yang Huan, perhaps sensing that she was about to get angry, suddenly let go of her hand and whispered something in her ear.

When Xu Shirong saw that he was holding her hand tightly, she was about to scold him, but he was amused by his nagging words and couldn't help but smile.

Yang Huan was incredibly perceptive. Although he couldn't see her expression clearly in the darkness, he noticed that she hadn't uttered any more harsh words and hadn't kicked him away like before. He was overjoyed, but dared not show it. He quickly went downstairs, retrieved his pillow, and lay down outside her. Perhaps she was genuinely tired from her stroll, for soon she began to snore softly.

Xu Shirong, who had been tense all over, gradually calmed down when she heard his soft snoring. As his snoring grew louder, fearing he was having trouble breathing, she gently nudged his head. Yang Huan made a purring sound like a puppy, rolled over to face her, and the snoring stopped immediately.

Xu Shirong smiled slightly, moved a little further inside, and finally fell asleep.

Yang Huan usually slept like a log, never waking until late morning unless someone woke him. This morning, he suddenly opened his eyes and saw that the sky outside the window was still faintly blue, indicating the first light of dawn. Seeing that it was early, he yawned and was about to turn over to go back to sleep when he suddenly noticed the beautiful woman beside him lying facing outwards, fast asleep. His sleepiness vanished instantly. He rested his chin on his arm and quietly observed her. Her face was smooth and delicate, her eyes closed, her long eyelashes slightly curled, and a strand of hair clung to her cheek. The more he looked, the more pleasing she became. He noticed the strand of hair trembling slightly as it moved with her breath, and on a sudden urge, he gently reached out and brushed it aside. Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, he suddenly paused. His eyes followed down her neck and saw that the collar of her white silk undergarment was slightly disheveled, revealing a delicate apricot-colored undergarment underneath, which faintly exuded a snowy, sweet fragrance.

Yang Huan stared blankly for a moment, swallowed hard, and his hand involuntarily moved downwards. Just as it touched the soft silk robe, he suddenly remembered Jiao Niang's methods and abruptly withdrew it. His eyes, however, couldn't bear to look away. He stared for a while longer, then reached out again, secretly hooking his fingertips around the robe and pulling it down slightly, revealing a glimpse of her skin. His eyes burned and his heart pounded. As the saying goes, lust knows no bounds; he felt it wasn't enough. He glanced up discreetly and saw she was still unconscious. His courage grew, and he reached out again, about to pull the robe down further, when he suddenly saw her eyelids flutter slightly, her eyelashes trembling as if she were about to wake up. Startled, he quickly closed his eyes, his hand instinctively resting between them on the bed.

Xu Shirong was never a deep sleeper, but she was indeed quite tired yesterday, and after being bothered by Yang Huan, she fell asleep late, which is why she was sleeping so soundly. She vaguely felt someone touching her, her eyelids twitched a few times, and she finally woke up. Sitting up and looking down, she noticed that her robe was hanging low at the chest, half of it exposed, and she immediately became suspicious. Turning to look at Yang Huan beside her, she saw him still fast asleep, snoring loudly and occasionally grinding his teeth, which puzzled her further. Perhaps she had slept poorly last night, she thought, shaking her head. She then covered her robe, afraid of waking him and him trying to get closer, and quietly stepped off the bed, lifting the curtain.

A few days ago, when she woke up, Yang Huan was still asleep on the bench, so she had changed her undergarments herself in the tent. Seeing that he was still fast asleep in the tent, she felt relieved and went outside to change.

Yang Huan pretended to be asleep, but his ears were perked up, listening intently to her movements. He was initially a little uneasy, afraid that his earlier actions would be discovered. When he heard her quietly get off the bed, lift the curtain, and go out, he knew he had gotten away with it and breathed a sigh of relief. He turned his head and looked at her back through the curtain. But what he saw through the latticework of the curtain was that she had taken off her outer garment, wearing only the same pale yellow persimmon calyx-patterned bodice he had seen earlier, bound only by a thin rope at the back, revealing her complete nakedness.

Yang Huan's mouth was dry from eavesdropping, and he wished she would turn around so he could see her again. But in the blink of an eye, he saw that the beautiful woman had already changed her clothes, tied her skirt, and gracefully left through the door.

Xu Shirong went out to wash up and returned. Thinking that Madam Lu had been frightened and ill in bed yesterday, it would probably take some time for her to recover. So she wanted to come back and tell Yang Huan that she needed to wait until she was fully recovered before returning to Qingmen County. As soon as she stepped into the room, she saw that he was not still fast asleep as usual, but sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze, as if he had something on his mind. She was a little surprised, so she casually said with a smile, "You got up so early today. It must be like the sun rose in the west."

Yang Huan glanced at her and saw that she looked refreshed and cheerful with a smile in her eyes. He was stunned for a moment, but he didn't dare to admit that his mind was full of erotic thoughts. He just pretended to stretch and stood up, saying, "Sleeping in bed last night was really much more comfortable. When I woke up, I didn't even know where you were."

Xu Shirong laughed and said, "When have you ever not woken up later than me? You make it sound like you couldn't sleep at all the nights ago."

Yang Huan chuckled and moved closer, saying, "My wife, I kept my word last night. I slept right next to you, and I was very proper, not even glancing at you twice. You can rest assured now, right?"

Xu Shirong glanced at him sideways and snorted, "I doubt you have the guts."