Chapter 147: The Wedding Night
Kou'er responded and ran off with quick, light steps.
Zheng Sanniang pursed her lips in a smile, then walked into the courtyard and pricked up her ears to listen. Hearing no sound from the main room, she grinned silently and turned to enter the woodshed, where she caught an old hen, slaughtered it, and set it to stew on the stove.
Before long, Yu Wei returned. Seeing the main room's door tightly shut and Xuemei squatting on the ground picking vegetables, she was about to greet her when Xuemei, hearing the noise, looked up and called out, "Sister, Sanniang said that Ninth Master and Madam have been exhausted preparing for the wedding and finally have a chance to sleep in. She told us not to disturb them."
Ninth Master and Madam still haven't woken up?
Yu Wei nearly blurted out the words when she saw Zheng Sanniang appear at the kitchen door, holding a cleaver, and ask, "Yu Wei, is everything settled at the Sun residence in Bensi Alley?"
"Everything's settled!" Yu Wei replied. Zheng Sanniang beckoned to her, "Come, I made three-delicacy dumplings today. Give me a hand."
Yu Wei glanced at the tightly shut door of the main room, then at Zheng Sanniang's resolute expression, and finally went to the kitchen.
Inside the inner chamber, Fu Tingyun let out a long sigh.
She had been raised with the discipline of "rising at dawn," so sleeping until the sun was high felt like laziness. Though she had no elders above her, it was still her first day as a bride, and she couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.
Her whole body ached.
She couldn't help but twitch her lips.
This Zhao Ling—he only knew how to be rough!
The thought flashed through her mind, and her face immediately burned.
But it was also her fault. Hearing his hoarse voice whispering "darling" in her ear, feeling him lose himself because of her, her heart softened. Not only could she not bear to refuse him, but even the discomfort in her body seemed insignificant... She let him indulge recklessly. In the end, just seeing his satisfied expression made her body react strangely... as if pressing tightly against him brought her immense joy.
At this thought, she turned over in embarrassment.
Aunt Six had once said that while men found pleasure in such matters, women mostly found pain.
At first, she had felt some pain, but later, her mind had grown hazy... filled only with Zhao Ling's satiated expression. How could she remember anything else?
Fu Tingyun felt her face grow even hotter.
A pleasant masculine scent enveloped her, and a deep, slightly hoarse voice murmured in her ear, "Awake?" A warm, wet tongue gently licked her shoulder. "Does it still hurt?"
Right where the bite mark was.
Fu Tingyun's mind flooded with memories of last night's breathless gasps and entanglements... Overwhelmed with shyness, she stammered, "N-no, it doesn't hurt!"
Zhao Ling gazed at her rosy, dawn-like cheeks and didn't believe her.
A flicker of guilt passed through his eyes as he lightly traced the bite mark. "Darling, I won't do this again."
Fu Tingyun froze, turning her head to look where his fingers lingered—a clear set of teeth marks.
He... he was talking about the bite?
She had thought...
Her face burned.
Then she wondered—when had he bitten her?
She remembered his initial recklessness, but later, whenever she felt even slightly uncomfortable, he would kiss her until she was dizzy... Had he bitten her then?But it didn't seem to hurt much.
Fu Tingyun lifted her gaze to see a flash of regret cross Zhao Ling's face.
"It's nothing, really," she hurriedly reassured him. "I don't feel any pain at all. It's just my skin—sometimes when I bump into things, if it doesn't leave a mark, that's fine, but if it does, it tends to take a while to fade..."
Zhao Ling recalled how during their desperate flight, no matter how difficult things had been, she had never once complained.
Was she trying to comfort him?
A pang of guilt tightened his chest as he pulled her into a fierce embrace, burying his face against her shoulder. "Sweetheart..." he murmured, though words failed him when it came to expressing his remorse.
Sensing his unease, Fu Tingyun thought he was making too much of it. She wasn't made of glass—hardly so delicate... Besides, she could tell that despite his outward calm last night, he had actually been rather flustered, as if he had never experienced such things before... How could she blame him for accidentally hurting her?
She gently returned his embrace and whispered, "Let's get up, shall we? It's almost time for lunch." Then, teasingly, she added, "You might not be hungry, but I certainly am."
Dwelling on this further was pointless. From now on, he would simply treat her with the utmost care.
Zhao Ling couldn't help but smile faintly.
Silently, he thanked the Bodhisattva for bringing her into his life... Their hearts were so perfectly attuned to each other!
With a quiet "Mm," Zhao Ling sat up and reached for the undergarments tossed aside earlier. "Let me help you dress."
"N-no, that's alright!" Fu Tingyun's face flushed crimson as she snatched the garment from him, clutching the edge of the blanket as she sat up and wriggled into her clothes beneath the covers.
Zhao Ling watched with admiration, savoring her shy, delicate charm—until he noticed her expression stiffen slightly.
"What's wrong?" He immediately leaned closer. "Are you in pain somewhere?"
"N-no, nothing!" She averted her gaze, too embarrassed to lift her head.
A sticky wetness had seeped between her thighs... The previous two times, he had helped clean her... Near dawn, exhausted and half-asleep, she had yielded when he grew restless again... Then she had dozed off... Naturally, she hadn't been able to attend to anything else afterward.
"Could you call Zhenzhu in for me?" she murmured. "Let her help me freshen up."
Zhao Ling's eyes brightened eagerly. "I can help you!"
Fu Tingyun recalled the burning intensity of his gaze when he had washed her before, and a shy glimmer flashed in her eyes. "Don't," she whispered, wrapping herself tighter in the blanket.
It was because she hadn't been able to refuse his playful grin that he had gotten his way last time—claiming to help her wash, only to sweep her back into bed before she was even dry...
Now that it was daylight, she absolutely couldn't agree to it again.
Though disappointed at the thought of that intoxicatingly fair skin, Zhao Ling knew that if he truly helped her bathe, whether he could restrain himself was another matter entirely. Still, he hesitated a moment longer before finally making up his mind. Slipping on his undergarments, he rose from the bed. "I'll call Zhenzhu for you."
Only then did Fu Tingyun relax.
Once freshened up, she styled her hair into an elegant Peony bun, adorned with a southern pearl hairpin and a gold-inlaid mutton-fat jade "Everything as You Wish" hairpiece, completing the look with a pair of delicate gold earrings.
Zhenzhu, who had helped her dress, couldn't help but exclaim, "Madam, you look absolutely stunning."Today was her first day as a married woman, so she ought to dress more festively.
Fu Tingyun smiled and put on a red gold-patterned lined jacket before heading to the main hall.
But Zhao Ling was nowhere to be seen.
Just as she was wondering where he was, Kou'er walked in with a cheerful smile.
"Madam," she curtsied to Fu Tingyun, "Lord Mo has woken up, and Ninth Master went to see him. He said he'll be having lunch with Lord Mo in the south hall and asked you not to wait for him."
Fu Tingyun nodded.
Kou'er entered the inner chamber to tidy up the room with Zhenzhu.
With nothing else to do, Fu Tingyun went to the kitchen.
Zheng Sanniang, Yu Wei, and Xuemei were all there.
"Madam, please sit down," Zheng Sanniang said while continuing to slice pickled radish without pause. "I've stewed some old hen soup with ginseng and goji berries. Have a bowl first." She motioned for Xuemei to serve the soup.
Yu Wei, who had been tending the fire by the stove, set down the firewood, wiped her hands, and cleared the small square table in the kitchen.
Fu Tingyun began discussing matters about Bensi Alley with her. Learning that Master Lu had gone early to handle everything, she nodded and said, "Later, prepare a gift box with four items and go there again. Tell them it's my instruction to thank Madam Sun and her daughter for their great help. Let them know I'll personally visit to express my gratitude after a month."
Yu Wei acknowledged the order.
Xuemei had already brought over the ginseng and goji berry hen soup.
After taking a sip and finding it exceptionally delicious, Fu Tingyun instructed, "Ninth Master and Lord Mo are in the south hall. Take some soup to them as well."
Zheng Sanniang interjected, "Ninth Master will be hosting Lord Mo in the south hall later. There's no hurry to send it over now."
So this was a special treat just for her!
Fu Tingyun didn't mind and, after finishing the soup, went with Yu Wei to the storeroom to take stock of their belongings.
Xuemei asked Zheng Sanniang, "Why not give some to Ninth Master and Lord Mo?"
Zheng Sanniang shot her a glare. "Madam has endured hardships and needs to nourish her body well to bear a healthy young master." She added, "From now on, keep your eyes open and buy plump, large hens whenever you see them!"
Xuemei gave a vague "Oh" in response.
Meanwhile, Fu Tingyun looked at the neatly arranged dowry with satisfaction and smiled at Yu Wei. "It seems Madam Li is also a very kind and virtuous person."
Yu Wei smiled. "Naturally. Otherwise, Mr. Zhao wouldn't have asked Madam Li to be the auspicious woman for this side."
After a moment's thought, Fu Tingyun said, "Prepare two more gift boxes with four items each. Besides the one for the Chen family's eldest daughter-in-law, we should also send one to Madam Li."
Yu Wei cheerfully agreed.
After lunch, Fu Tingyun asked Zhenzhu to instruct Zheng San to prepare a carriage for Yu Wei. But Zhenzhu returned to report, "Third Master Zheng has escorted Lord Mo back to his residence."
Would they have to hire a sedan chair or carriage for Yu Wei to deliver the gifts?
That would make the Zhao family seem too impoverished.
As Fu Tingyun was pondering this, Zhao Ling walked in.
"Mo Yi lives in the Second Alley near our home. Zheng San will be back in half an hour at most."
Fu Tingyun felt relieved.
Zhao Ling then discussed with her, "How about we visit Four Happiness Alley tomorrow?"
It was customary to return to the bride's family three days after the wedding.
Though she was no longer a daughter of the Fu family, Zhao Ling still respected them.
Though Fu Tingyun longed to let her mother know she had married well, the memory of her father slapping Zhao Ling made her shake her head. "Just have Yu Wei go. That will suffice."Zhao Ling, however, said earnestly, "A-Jun, if you're not afraid of me offending your father and brother, let's go back for a visit. I think your mother must be very worried about you."
He referred to her father and brother as "your honorable father" and "your honorable brother," but called her mother "mother-in-law."
Fu Tingyun thought of how timid her father and brother had been that day, and suddenly felt relieved.
Indeed, what was there to fear?
If not for concern about her, could her father have dared to raise a hand against Zhao Ling?
As long as she stood firm, what did Zhao Ling have to worry about?
"Alright, let's go see Mother," she said with a spirited smile, raising her eyebrows. "But you'd better not act like a weakling."
"Don't worry!" Zhao Ling laughed. "As long as you don't blame me!"
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Dear sisters, the character "肁" is pronounced the same as "Zhao" and is indeed very obscure. It was provided by one of our sisters in the extra roles thread... O(∩_∩)O
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(End of Chapter)
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