On the bright red wedding bed, the two sat side by side, with only their hands overlapping.
Shen Qi understood the situation well. At this moment, not only could he hold her hand, but even if he wanted to do something more excessive, she could only endure it.
Her hand was fair and slender, but far smaller than his. Overlapping together, it appeared even more delicate.
Xie Yuduo, worried that she might be afraid, did not grip her hand tightly. Instead, he gently cupped it in his palm, occasionally touching it as he spoke to her.
“You’ve been busy all day. Are you hungry? There are some snacks in the drawer outside. I prepared them for you in advance.”
“No… I’m not hungry.”
In truth, she was hungry. She hadn’t dared to eat properly all day.
But now, with the red candles before her, the wedding quilt behind her, and her newlywed husband by her side, even if she were offered the finest delicacies, she wouldn’t be able to swallow them.
For a moment, silence fell.
Feeling awkward, Shen Qi thought for a moment and, imitating the tone her mother used with her father, expressed the appropriate concern for her husband beside her.
“You’ve been drinking. Why don’t you lie down first? I’ll… go pour you a cup of tea to help sober you up.”
“Alright.”
Though Xie Yuduo was slightly drunk, his mind was still clear. He gently released her hand, watching as she breathed a sigh of relief and walked toward the outer room, his eyes never leaving her for a moment.
How wonderful—she had truly become his wife.
…
Shen Qi walked to the outer room and picked up a red porcelain cup decorated with the dragon and phoenix double happiness pattern from the table, pouring a cup of hot tea.
After setting down the teapot, she vaguely felt that the outer room seemed different from how it had been during the day.
During the day, many female guests had come and gone to see the bride, some drinking tea, others eating sweets, and the commotion had never ceased.
Although maids occasionally came to clean up, it was inevitably a bit messy. But now, upon closer inspection, the tea set was new, the floor was spotless, and the chairs and tables that had been moved were neatly arranged.
Shen Qi took note of this. As she carried the tea back to the room, she carefully observed her surroundings and indeed found the bedroom tidied up as well.
Seeing her bring the tea, Xie Yuduo stood up to take it.
“Thank you!”
Perhaps thirsty from the wine, he expressed his gratitude and immediately began drinking.
Taking advantage of the moment he was drinking, Shen Qi dared to look up at him again.
He was very tall—she likely only reached his chin. His shoulders were broad, and his waist and abdomen were lean and strong, making the bright red wedding attire look very upright.
After finishing the entire cup of tea in one go, he breathed slightly heavily. It turned out he had a small mole on the side of his nose, adding a touch of delicacy to his handsome and refined features.
Not daring to look any longer, Shen Qi quickly took the teacup back and searched for something to say.
“I noticed that the chairs, tables, and teacups outside have all been tidied up. I suppose it was Yujing who did it. I must thank her properly tomorrow.”
Xie Yuduo smiled slightly and pulled her to sit down beside him.
“It was me.”
“You tidied up?”
“When I returned, you weren’t here. I had nothing to do, so I simply tidied up a bit.”
This was unexpected. Hearing this, Shen Qi smiled faintly.
“Then… I must thank you properly.”
Xie Yuduo tilted his head to look at her, showing a hint of drunkenness.
“Why thank me? I live here too. It’s only right that I do it.”
Shen Qi felt a bit shy under his gaze.
“Well… I live here too. If you didn’t do it, wouldn’t I have to? That’s why I’m thanking you.”
Seeing her playful and adorable demeanor, Xie Yuduo threw his head back and laughed.
“If that’s the case, then go take a look in the south room, and thank me all at once.”
The Xie residence was much more spacious than the Shen family's. This bridal chamber consisted of three east-facing rooms in the East Wing. The central hall was for receiving guests, the northern room was the couple's bedroom, and the southern room—Shen Qi had yet to visit.
Hearing this, she indeed headed toward the southern room.
The southern room was also lit, and just as spacious as the hall and bedroom, except a large screen divided the space in the middle. Against the wall stood two large chests—precisely Shen Qi's dowry. Rounding the screen…
Behind it was a brand-new bathtub, steaming with warm mist.
Beside it were arranged a washbasin for the face, green salt for cleaning teeth, a copper kettle for water, a pumice stone for scrubbing the back, a woven cotton towel for drying off, wooden clogs to wear after bathing, a copper lamp to ward off dampness, and a round lacquered bath stool adorned with tassels…
Everything was complete, and everything was new.
The Shen family courtyard was small, with brothers all living together, making bathing quite inconvenient. Shen Qi had always fetched water to wipe herself down, never having used such a complete set of items.
She wondered how this tall, bleary-eyed man had prepared so many things.
Turning around, she found Xie Yuduo had followed her and was standing behind her, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe. His phoenix eyes were slightly narrowed, and his profile under the lamplight was sharp and distinct, indescribably handsome.
He tilted his chin toward the Bride in her bright red wedding dress.
"You've been tired all day. Go wash up first."
This was the first time Shen Qi had been in such an intimate, enclosed space with a man other than her family, and she felt somewhat dizzy.
Hearing him mention bathing, it struck her as somewhat frivolous, and she grew momentarily willful.
"You've been tired all day too. Why don't you go first?"
Unexpectedly, Xie Yuduo nodded seriously.
"Hmm, that works too."
With that, he began to undo his own bright red wedding attire.
The action startled Shen Qi. She immediately turned away, covering her face, which elicited a low chuckle from Xie Yuduo.
"What, you don't want me to go first anymore?"
Only then did Shen Qi realize he was deliberately teasing her. Flustered, she waved her hands and turned back, only to have him seize the opportunity to catch her hand, holding it in his own and gently brushing it against his lips.
"Be good, go wash up. You'll feel better afterward."
With that, he released her hand, turned, and left, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.
The hand he had kissed felt as if it were on fire.
Seeing that Xie Yuduo had truly left, she finally relaxed slightly. Carefully, she removed her clothes one by one, first testing the water temperature with her pale, lotus-like calves before immersing her entire body in the warm water.
The water must have been drawn not long ago, as it was still comfortably warm, and indeed made Shen Qi feel much better.
The taut string of her nerves gradually loosened a little.
Given his tall, imposing stature and years spent away from home, Shen Qi had assumed he was a rough man. She hadn't expected him to be so meticulous, remembering even the smallest details.
Shen Qi pondered to herself—well, it made sense. Having been out on his own for so many years, he would indeed need to be constantly vigilant and attentive in all matters.
…
After a long while, Shen Qi finished washing, dried herself, changed into the prepared red silk nightgown, and used a cotton towel to dry her washed hair until it was half-dry.
Returning to the bedroom, she found that Xie Yuduo had already tidied the bed and bedding.
Seeing Shen Qi approach, he pulled her to sit down again.
"Rest for a while. I'll go wash up."
"Ah…"
Shen Qi hesitated, her words trailing off.
"Hmm? What is it?"
The man, who had just taken a step, paused.
"That water… I've already used it. Maybe… maybe you should change it."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Shen Qi regretted them.
It was already late at night, and being able to take a hot bath was a luxury. How could she possibly ask for more water to be heated and changed?
She quickly tried to make amends.
"What I meant was, the water has turned cold, and it wouldn't be good to bathe in it."
Xie Yuduo smiled.
"Perfect timing. I drank some wine today and was just thinking of taking a cold bath. Thank you for your thoughtfulness."
Seeing him actually go, Shen Qi hurriedly took off her shoes and hid herself under the bright red brocade quilt, her heart racing with anxiety.
The thought of such a strong, tall man using the water that had touched her body to wash himself made her feel an inexplicable tingling sensation all over.
How strange.
Xie Yuduo washed quickly and returned to the bedroom wearing close-fitting sleepwear.
In the bridal chamber, his bride was completely hidden under the brand-new red brocade bedding, lying on her side facing inward, with only her satin-like hair visible.
She was probably shy, and perhaps a little afraid too.
Xie Yuduo thought to himself, then tossed aside the cotton towel, lifted the quilt, and climbed into bed. Instead of teasing her right away, he leaned against the pillow and spoke to her gently.
"I heard from your eldest brother that your name is Shen Qi?"
"Mhm."
She didn't turn around, and her voice was timid, not as natural as when they had spoken side by side earlier.
Still, even though her voice was soft, she dared to reply.
"And your childhood name is Yue'er?"
"Yes, because I was born on the fifteenth day of the eighth month… when the moon is full, so I was called Yue'er."
"Oh, so yesterday was your birthday. I saw it on the birth chart that was sent over."
"Your birthday is… the twelfth day of the fourth month. I remember it too."
Hearing that she remembered his birthday, Xie Yuduo felt a surge of joy. He turned on his side and looked down at her back.
He was patient.
"Then you must also know that my name is Xie Yuduo."
Shen Qi peeked half of her face out from under the bedding.
"I know."
"Yuduo—the 'Yu' from 'Yu Huai' and the 'Duo' from 'Jin Duo.' Give me your hand, and I'll show you how to write it."
Shen Qi was indeed coaxed into turning around. She extended her slender hand and let him slowly trace the two characters on her palm.
After he finished, Shen Qi memorized them. Instead of turning back, she took his hand and carefully wrote her own name stroke by stroke.
"Shen Qi—the 'Qi' from 'Qi Luo.'"
The bride's slender fingers slowly traced across his palm, bringing a tingling sensation, but even more so, an unbearable itch.
She lay under the bedding, her soft hair cascading over her shoulders, writing each stroke with care.
But Xie Yuduo wasn't looking at his palm—his gaze remained fixed on her face.
Finally, the characters were written, but Xie Yuduo didn't let go of her hand. Instead, he took the opportunity to clasp it firmly in his own.
Her hand was delicate and soft, much smaller than his, making him want to squeeze it tightly.
This time, he couldn't resist.
Shen Qi struggled slightly but didn't pull away, so she let him be.
Her heart was beating as fast as a little drum.
She desperately tried to recall the contents of that little booklet in her mind.
Damn it, she had stayed up until midnight reading it last night, but now her mind was completely blank.