After the meal, Shen Qi followed Yu Zhong and Yujing back to the East Courtyard. She had just entered the East Wing when she heard someone knocking at the door. Hurrying to open it, she found it was the maid Chunliu.
Chunliu said she had already heated water and had delivered it to the rooms of the Eldest Master, Eldest Young Lady, and Third Young Lady. She asked when Second Young Mistress would like to use it so she could bring it over.
Shen Qi thought to herself that she didn’t know when Xie Yuduo would return, and she was afraid the water might cool down.
“Second Master hasn’t returned yet. You’ve been busy all day—go and rest first. When I need it, I’ll fetch it myself.”
Chunliu then left.
Shen Qi paced around the East Wing a couple of times, carefully examining every corner of the room. As she did, she casually gathered the intimate sleepwear she had hung to dry in the bathroom, folded it neatly, and placed it by the bedside.
Turning around, she opened the wardrobe and took out the clothes she planned to wear the next day, setting them aside as well.
Just as she was about to make the bed, Shen Qi suddenly recalled the embarrassing events of the previous night, and her heart began to race again.
If she made the bed too early and Xie Yuduo saw it upon his return, wouldn’t it seem as though she were too eager?
Given that he loved to tease, she was afraid she’d become the butt of his jokes again.
With this in mind, she simply gathered the half-spread bedding and put it back exactly as it was.
Having made up her mind, Shen Qi realized there was nothing else to do at the moment. She quietly opened the window and peeked outside, noticing that the lights in the main house and the West Wing were already extinguished.
Since everyone seemed to have gone to sleep, she decided she might as well take a bath first. She picked up the copper kettle and went to the adjacent East Side Room to fetch hot water.
She had just made two trips when, on her third trip back into the room, Xie Yuduo returned.
Seeing Shen Qi carrying the large copper kettle, he hurried over in a few quick strides and took it from her hands.
“Why are you carrying this? Why didn’t you wait for me to come back?”
Shen Qi smiled sheepishly.
“I was just idle and wanted something to do. It’s not heavy anyway.”
Xie Yuduo poured the hot water into the bathtub and, seeing the steam still rising, immediately took her hand and examined it carefully.
“Good, you didn’t get scalded. From now on, wait for me to come back before doing things like this.”
Shen Qi couldn’t help but laugh.
“Since when have I become so delicate? I used to do everything myself at home.”
“That was before you had me. Now you do.”
Hearing these words and watching his tall, straight back as he walked ahead of her, Shen Qi felt a warmth in her heart and no longer felt embarrassed.
Xie Yuduo quickly finished fetching the water and urged Shen Qi to go wash up first.
This time, Shen Qi didn’t refuse. She turned and headed to the bathroom. Knowing he was just on the other side of the wall, she carefully closed the door before quietly undressing.
As she soaked her entire body in the comfortable hot water, Shen Qi gently washed her fair arms when a strange question suddenly popped into her mind.
“Has he… like me, ever seen those strange little picture books?”
She supposed not. Otherwise, why would his movements have been so clumsy at the very beginning last night?
But if he had never seen them at all, then his innate ability to figure things out was… truly remarkable.
Could it be that some people are naturally gifted in such matters?
Shen Qi pondered this for a while before snapping back to reality, feeling her face grow warm. She quickly splashed some water on her face, shook her head vigorously, and tried her best to drive this absurd thought from her mind.
Perhaps distracted by the matter, when she emerged from her bath and put on the wooden clogs, she wasn’t paying attention and bumped her calf against a stool.
“Ouch!”
“What happened?” came an immediate response from outside.
“N-nothing.”
Footsteps approached quickly. Before Shen Qi could react, Xie Yuduo had already opened the door.
Their eyes met—one fully dressed, the other completely naked.
In an instant, her face flushed even redder than her bruised calf.
“I accidentally bumped my leg.”
Although last night, he had already seen everything, it was different from being fully exposed like this—wet and utterly bare.
Seeing Shen Qi’s deep embarrassment, Xie Yuduo tried to spare her discomfort by averting his gaze. He stepped forward first, picked up the cotton towel for drying, and handed it to her.
Shen Qi immediately took it and wrapped it around herself, barely covering most of her body.
Xie Yuduo supported her arm, helping her sit steadily on a nearby stool. He then crouched down and examined her fair calf. Fortunately, it was only a superficial scrape, with no bleeding.
In the dim lamplight, the contours of his profile were clearly visible in the faint glow. The stubble on his chin added a touch of rugged sharpness to his refined features.
As he lowered his head to inspect the injury, he caught the faint, lingering scent of her after the bath—a subtle, damp fragrance tinged with intimacy.
A vague, indescribable flutter stirred within him. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, but fearing he might startle Shen Qi, he forced himself to speak naturally.
“There’s some bruise ointment up front. I’ll go get it and be right back.”
“No! Don’t go. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
It still hurt a little, but if she let her husband go to the shop in the middle of the night for medicine, Shen Qi feared she’d be too embarrassed to face anyone tomorrow.
Xie Yuduo gently rubbed the skin around the scrape.
“Mm, be gentle.”
Almost instinctively, Shen Qi recalled saying the same words last night—over and over, murmuring until her voice grew hoarse—
Instantly, she felt all the blood in her body rush to her face.
Xie Yuduo seemed to think of something as well and let out a soft chuckle before shifting the topic to ease her discomfort.
“These wooden clogs are tricky to wear. When I first wore them, I stumbled quite a few times too.”
“Mm… I… I’ll get used to them after wearing them more.” Shen Qi’s voice trembled slightly.
Seeing her nervousness, Xie Yuduo couldn’t resist teasing her.
“What are you afraid of? Do I look like I’ll eat you?”
Shen Qi’s cheeks flushed pink. Noticing the depth in his gaze and the slight curve of his thin lips, which seemed to betray a barely concealed desire, she turned her head slightly to avoid his eyes.
“N-no, I’m not afraid of anything.”
Yet, his warm breath soon drew closer.
“Don’t be afraid. I’ve already seen everything last night.”
His voice was low and smooth, like a subtle temptation.
For someone so refined and proper, his words were unexpectedly soft and provocative, wrapping around her like a whisper that tingled her temples and ears.
Before Shen Qi could react, he stood up, extended his long arm, and scooped her into his embrace, carrying her horizontally toward the bedroom.
Shen Qi’s body was suddenly lifted into the air before settling into his firm hold. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck, just as she had on their wedding day.
Their wedding was only yesterday.
Yet to her, it felt like a lifetime had passed.
As they moved, the cotton towel around her gradually slipped with each step, but at that moment, she could hardly care.
This time, he carried her effortlessly as well, striding a few steps before gently placing the person in his arms into the soft bedding.
Huh? Didn't she not make the bed herself?
Shen Qi had no time to ponder further, noticing the cotton towel on her body had loosened a bit more, almost unable to cover her fair skin.
She hurriedly scrambled into the covers, hiding herself completely, before tossing the half-damp cotton towel back to him.
Xie Yuduo reached out with a large hand, caught it effortlessly, and walked away with a smile.
However, this time, he washed up even faster than the night before.
Even so, by the time he slipped into the covers, Shen Qi had already neatly put on her own pajamas.