Chapter 2.1

‘Putting a child in through the foot?’ Matchmaker Lin should go to hell!

If her mother hadn’t died before explaining such adult matters, she wouldn’t have had to secretly ask Matchmaker Lin about it a few days ago! She couldn’t believe that old woman casually lied to her, causing her to insist on not taking off her shoes even while drunk last night, guarding the wrong place!

The warning that “alcohol makes people lose control” was too true! Now, she finally knew where children came from! She feared that after last night, there might already be a baby in her belly! But that wasn’t the biggest problem; she worried about whether she had said anything she shouldn’t have last night.

While the maid was combing her hair, she secretly glanced at her “husband”; there were also two middle-aged servant women stripping the blood-stained sheets with satisfied expressions. Were they planning to show off that evidence of last night’s revelry to others? If they found no bloodstains today, would it mean she’d have to hang herself? Such terrifying family rules! Rich people had more issues than cows had hairs. Heavens! She still had to go and greet the elders today! Who knew how difficult they’d be? Could she handle it?

Only after she had changed clothes and the servants had left did her husband take her hand, speaking gently, “We’re just meeting the elders and getting to know some people, nothing more. In the future, we only need to dine together at supper; we don’t have to spend time together otherwise.”

She glanced at the bedsheets.

“They’re not going to hang those sheets up in the city to announce it to everyone, are they?” Her worries were many, but the most embarrassing was the bedsheet.

Qi Tianlei burst out laughing and suddenly pulled her into his embrace!

Li Yuhu hurriedly tried to push him away. She wasn’t used to this kind of physical intimacy, especially since he wasn’t truly her husband, just her “actual” husband… oh, what a pitiful situation! Qi Tianlei didn’t let her go; he was stronger than she expected! How was it possible? Could a sickly man be so strong?

Just as she was thinking this, he stole a kiss from her!

What was worse, she froze! Allowing him to kiss her as he pleased, forgetting to resist. At least she could slap him, but if she accidentally killed him, it would be bad! So she didn’t dare push him too hard, and for some reason, she felt weak and unable to muster her strength.

“You’re so beautiful, Bingyan.” He particularly emphasized the last two words, and she flinched, pushing him away.

“Don’t like this name? Would you prefer if I called you by your childhood name, Yuhu?”

She hated how bright his eyes were! She avoided his gaze, stammering, “In private, I’d prefer if you called me Yuhu.”

“Alright, then in private, I’ll call you Yuhu.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and led her outside.

For a moment, Yuhu was dazzled by the luxurious and beautiful scenery, overwhelmed by the intricate carvings; even if it was artificial, it was so exquisitely done that it was flawless!

“Jichang…new…” she softly read the black and gold plaque above the entrance to the garden, recognizing only a few characters.

“Jichang New Garden,” he read it out for her. “When we come back, I’ll show you around; the garden is vast, with different features in every part, worth seeing.”

She could only nod. What else could she do? She could only doubt her ability to appreciate poetic and picturesque scenes.

Sigh! She truly wasn’t born to be a noble lady!

Letting her “husband” lead her through one archway after another, then across a white nine-bend bridge, they finally reached the main hall of the front courtyard. In fact, she spent more time observing him…

He might not look very strong, but he wasn’t weak either; at least he walked a long distance without showing any signs of fatigue, only maintaining a pale complexion that made him “seem” very weak. The loose white robe without a belt added to his frail appearance. Ha! He, “frail”? “Frail” enough to “violate” her last night!

Damn it! Her purity was inexplicably ruined! She had unknowingly become a “married” woman! He even caused her pain! Why did becoming a wife hurt? Moreover, she practiced martial arts, so her body was much stronger than the average person’s. Why did it hurt? Even now, she felt discomfort. She suspiciously asked him, “Did you secretly hit me last night?”

He abruptly stopped.

“What?”

Feeling more and more uneasy under his gaze, she raised her chin, determined not to let shame take over. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten everything just because I was drunk last night! At least my body still hurts now! What do you say about that?”

He displayed that mischievous look again! The same look she saw early in the morning that made her feel hot and uneasy!

“It won’t hurt in the future!” He seemed to be holding back laughter, making a promise.

Li Yuhu put her hands on her hips.

“You think I’ll be stupid enough to let you have another chance to hit me?” No way! If not for his supposedly frail condition, she would have punched him long ago!

Qi Tianlei smiled, holding her waist as they walked again, his eyes filled with curiosity and affection.

“You’re such a cute little thing! I’m so glad I married you.”

His blatant confession stunned Li Yuhu. This man was too bold! He dared to speak so frankly… glad to marry her? Calling her cute? No one ever thought the rough Li Yuhu could be cute!

Pretty? Maybe; but cute? That was debatable! She even cursed him daily, hoping he’d kick the bucket soon!

Entering the main hall, it was already crowded. But what caught Yuhu’s attention most was how her husband suddenly appeared very weak! Simply put, he hid the sharpness in his eyes, replacing it with drowsiness, adding a touch of lifelessness, looking as if he might expire at any moment! No one found this surprising, except Yuhu, whose jaw almost dropped to the floor.

“Tianlei, you seem to be in good spirits today,” Qi Tianlei’s mother, Madam Qi, said with a smile.

“Yes, Mother,” Qi Tianlei blinked at her, startling Yuhu greatly! Without giving her time to recover, he had already guided her to stand before the central seat where an old woman with a dragon-headed cane, her hair entirely silver, sat with an imposing presence.

Yuhu had never seen such an old woman with such formidable authority! She was terrifying!

“Come, Bingyan, this is the Grand Madam.”

A servant handed her a tray with several cups of hot tea. With her husband’s prompting, Yuhu lowered her head, stepped gracefully, and curtsied before the Grand Madam.

“Grand Madam, please have some tea.”

The Grand Madam smiled with satisfaction, picking up a cup and saying, “Good.” Then she couldn’t help but glance at her grandson. “Tianlei, if your body can’t handle it, sit down and rest. Don’t force yourself.”

“I understand. I can manage. Come, this is Mother.” Qi Tianlei introduced her to every member of the Qi family.

Besides the Grand Madam and Mother-in-law, there was also Second Mother, and Aunt Ke, who returned home after her husband’s death. Then came those of the same generation, all of whom had to call her “sister-in-law.” First was Second Mother’s daughter, a beautiful and quiet sixteen-year-old girl named Qi Yansheng. It was clear she was of lower status due to her illegitimate birth and being a girl. Next was the lecherous and slippery cousin Master Ke Shizhao, a good-for-nothing! Then there was Cousin Miss Ke Mudan, who was quite pretty but rather mean. The girl named Chun Ya was an orphan brought by Aunt Ke, the orphan of Ke’s younger brother. Finally, there was Second Mother’s niece, Wang Xiangping, who had a delicate appearance, clearly not a noble lady, and of low status.

Honestly, Yuhu couldn’t remember all these people at once, but one person left a deep impression on her.

He was Liu Ruoqian, who stood by the door with an amused expression, as if he had nothing to do with all of this.

He was handsome and carefree, with an indescribable rebellious aura; not that he looked like a bad person, but he certainly didn’t fit in with the rest of the household. However, he seemed to put people at ease, and he was special to Qi Tianlei! Just one look, and Yuhu understood this.

“This is Liu Ruoqian, a famous doctor and wanderer, my sworn brother,” Qi Tianlei introduced.

“You don’t have any complaints, do you?” Liu Ruoqian asked, raising an eyebrow.

Qi Tianlei responded with a special smile, and there was a unique understanding between them that passed through their eyes.

Yuhu didn’t quite understand, but when she glanced over, she saw a mix of pity and schadenfreude in Ke Shizhao’s eyes.

Was there something here that she didn’t understand?

They had lunch together at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion in the new garden, with the servants dismissed to a distance. Yuhu couldn’t help but ask her “husband,” “What exactly is wrong with you? Why do you sometimes suddenly become very weak? And at other times, you seem perfectly normal?” Although she wasn’t very literate, it didn’t mean she was stupid. This man either had some sudden illness or was a great actor!

Qi Tianlei thoughtfully poured her a cup of sweet wine, not as strong as last night’s daughter’s red, but he loved seeing her slightly tipsy expression.

“This is plum wine, try it, it’s very good.”

“Hey! You with the surname Qi!” she called him rudely, her tone threatening! Considering all the bad things he did to her last night, she had no time to play the part of a gentle lady! Besides, she felt relaxed only when facing him; there were no guards up, and her true nature showed. Pretending was easy for a while, but if she had to keep up the act day and night, she would collapse! It was better to let the third young master Qi see her true self, rather than having loopholes everywhere.

“My dear wife, if you don’t mind calling me husband or Tianlei, I won’t call you Bingyan, how about that?”

A certain cunning glint flashed in his eyes, as if he had discovered something. She couldn’t stand him calling her “Bingyan”! Anyone else could call her that, but not him! After all, he was her most intimate person now, and she couldn’t bear him looking at her with strange eyes while calling her by another woman’s name! It felt like a bucket of cold water extinguishing her inner excitement! But calling him husband? How strange! Her mother used to call her father “old scoundrel” or “deadbeat,” but such crude terms didn’t fit this elegant man. He was really too good-looking! She had never seen such an outstanding man. What should she call him? Alright! Calling him Tianlei seemed more appropriate.

“Do you really have an illness?”

“Do you wish for my early death as well?”

With just a blink, the previously gentle and smiling third young master had put on a look of desolation and sorrow. The spring breeze stirring the water behind him, coupled with his pitiful and desolate figure, was truly tear-inducing!

This scene left Yuhu stunned and flustered! She hurriedly waved her hand, “Hey! That’s not what I meant! I—I hope you live longer than Peng Zu and cause trouble for a thousand years like a plague!”

What to do? The man was now crying on the table! His trembling shoulders showed he was struggling to hold back his sobs, not wanting others to know! What to do? She had no experience comforting people!

“Hey! Qi Tianlei! It’s ugly for a grown man to cry! Others might think I hit you, don’t cry! I’m not full yet, are you going to make me lose my appetite? How embarrassing!”

“I said he’s laughing, not crying!”

A lazy voice came from outside the pavilion. Li Yuhu turned abruptly, seeing Liu Ruoqian with a bamboo flute, leaning against a banyan tree, dressed in black. He had a teasing smile on his face.