Chapter 115:
“…” Xie Wanning’s eyelashes trembled, her face flushed with shame, yet she stubbornly refused to speak.
Until her wrist was gripped by him, slowly probing downward.
“…No no no,” this time she reacted very quickly, hastily withdrawing her hand before it touched anything, her tongue as if scalded, swiftly saying: “Don’t do this.”
Pei Yuqing also paused.
Her reaction clearly showed she knew what he wanted to do, nowhere like a young lady who knew nothing.
In an instant, that dark red stain on the skirt hem flashed before his eyes.
Those absurd speculations flooded his mind once again.
Xie Wanning was utterly embarrassed when she felt a hand appear on her shoulder, and in the next instant, she was pulled into his embrace.
She was startled, thinking he wouldn’t let it go, mustering all her strength to struggle free, but he held her tightly.
“Be good, I won’t do anything, just let me hold you for a bit.”
Xie Wanning: “…”
She suspected she had misheard, how could she detect a choked tone in his voice, as if he was about to cry.
…No need to go that far.
Just afraid of seeing marks left by another man on her body and not planning on consummation, so aggrieved he was about to cry?
Or afraid she didn’t want him anymore?
She had faced the fierce Lu Ziyan without yielding or being swayed by wealth, yet she couldn’t harden her heart against this man who was shy, aggrieved, and now pretending to cry for her.
Even though he was clearly much older than her.
Xie Wanning thought for a moment, lifted her hand to gently pat his shoulder, cautiously saying: “…You’re not going to cry, are you?”
The man stayed silent, merely carefully nuzzling the side of her neck.
“…” Xie Wanning fell silent.
…Really that upset?
After hesitating for a long while, just as she was wondering if she should be understanding of her husband and make some sacrifice, the head on her shoulder lifted.
Pei Yuqing’s eyes slightly reddened at the bottom, yet his emotions had calmed; he gave her a slight smile, “Did I scare you?”
Xie Wanning gently shook her head, her nose tip tingling; this man was clearly suffering himself yet still trying to comfort her.
Pei Yuqing leaned down to plant a kiss on her forehead, smiling: “Even like this, you still won’t let me move to the study?”
Xie Wanning: “…”
Unwilling to even touch hands, yet insisting on sharing the same room—truly putting him in a difficult spot.
She was quiet for a few breaths, then heard him say: “I’ve been really busy lately. Wait until this busy period passes, and with your permission, I’ll move back, alright?”
The most important part was those four words: ‘with your permission.’
Both knew that once she allowed him to move back, it meant defaulting to consummation.
Xie Wanning thought this arrangement was quite good.
Just…
She frowned: “I don’t want to be too far from you.”
In these few days since marriage, she had already gotten some understanding of Duke Pei’s Mansion layout; his study was in the front courtyard, a good distance from Xuan Hua Courtyard. Once he moved to the study, it would be hard for her to even see him.
Her words brought joy to Pei Yuqing’s heart, so he gazed at her with a smile, “You want me to stay?”
“…” Xie Wanning choked, saying: “How about this: Xuan Hua Courtyard already has a study. You can tidy it up and live there, how about that?”
“This way, when you’re busy, I can grind ink and add fragrance for you; you can see me every day, which helps cultivate our couple’s affection. We can admire the moon and scenery together, dine together, and stroll hand in hand.”
She made it sound so wonderful; Pei Yuqing listened with shining eyes, his heart scorching hot from her words about ‘cultivating couple’s affection,’ almost not wanting to leave at all.
Why move to the study? With soft warmth in his arms, and her so soft-hearted, as long as he applied the right remedy and coaxed a bit more, they would naturally reach that step sooner or later.
But since he had already said it, and she was willing to cultivate affection with him, he wasn’t in a rush for the moment.
Besides, it was late tonight; no reason to move to the study overnight, or the servants below would think they had quarreled.
The next day upon waking, the small study in Xuan Hua Courtyard was tidied up. From this day on, the two lived next door to each other, just not sharing the same bed.
Regarding this matter, Pei Yuqing had no intention of hiding it, so the news reached Princess Duanyang’s ears within two days.
Newlywed couple, right in the heat of affection, yet sleeping in separate rooms…
Princess Duanyang’s fine brows furrowed slightly as she looked at the confidant granny who came to report, asking: “Has this news already spread in the manor?”
Granny Zhou gently shook her head: “The servants in the Young Lord’s courtyard are all very disciplined, only leaking a hint to this servant. What do you think…”
“If it’s only letting you know, that means Changqing has no intention of hiding it from me,” Princess Duanyang pondered for a moment, saying: “Keep this matter tightly under wraps, don’t let anyone from Yu Shu Zhai catch wind of it.”
The Pei Family eldest branch lived in Yu Shu Zhai.
If that orphan and widow learned her son had a hidden illness and was already living separately from his new wife, their recently quelled ambitions might come roaring back.
Granny Zhou respectfully acknowledged, her face showing a hesitant expression.
“Married for many days, not even consummated yet, now separate rooms… regarding offspring, perhaps… Why not summon the Young Lord’s Consort…”
“No,” Princess Duanyang said: “Let the young couple handle their own affairs. I won’t interfere in Xuan Hua Courtyard matters.”
Her own son’s health was frail; as his mother-in-law, what right did she have to set rules for her daughter-in-law.
Let alone mentioning offspring.
After all, she was a noble lady from the Marquis’s Estate, not from some small family to be casually manipulated.
In Princess Duanyang’s view, for a Xie Family daughter to swallow such grievance showed she was an extremely sensible and good young lady.
Thinking this way, not only did she have no intention of summoning her daughter-in-law for a talking-to, she instead ordered the storehouses opened, selected a few satisfying items, and sent them to Xuan Hua Courtyard.
Xie Wanning looked at the red coral tree in front of her that Granny Zhou praised endlessly, her eyes bright: “Out of the blue, why did Mother think of giving me all these things?”
Granny Zhou slightly curtsied, smiling: “The Princess worries you might not be used to the manor after just marrying in, and sent this servant to tell you: if you’re free, you can go to Maple Garden to chat with her.”
As for these rare items, of course they expressed the mother-in-law’s satisfaction and fondness for her daughter-in-law.
Pei Yuqing at the desk revealed a knowing smile at the corner of his lips, simply setting down his brush and turning his line of sight to the young lady bending over to admire the novelty.
“Wanwan,” his gaze gentle and lingering, softly said: “Have you heard this saying?”
Xie Wanning turned to look at him, “What?”
Pei Yuqing smiled leisurely: “Love me, love my dog.”
As soon as the words fell, Xie Wanning was stunned for a moment, her face soon flushing slightly red as she glared at him with feigned anger.
With a crowd of servants still in the room, including the personal granny from Princess Duanyang at Maple Garden, and he said such lovey-dovey words in public.
The sight of the two flirting fell differently in Granny Zhou’s eyes.
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