The heavy stone that had long weighed on Zhang Shi’s heart finally settled, and she immediately began asking in detail.
“Your father mentioned that his uncle’s household has concubines. Does his family have a tradition of taking concubines? Over these past few days, have you noticed any maids he seems fond of? And has he ever mentioned wanting to take concubines in the future?”
“No, no, no!”
Shen Qi denied repeatedly, shaking her head like a rattle drum.
Zhang Shi breathed another sigh of relief, then asked a crucial question.
“He doesn’t believe those vile rumors on the streets, does he?”
Shen Qi knew her mother was referring to the rumor about her being a “husband-killer,” but when suddenly brought up, she couldn’t be entirely certain.
“Well… we haven’t discussed it.”
Zhang Shi nodded. “Not discussing it means he doesn’t care, which is good.”
Shen Qi felt a twinge of nervousness again. “Mother, do you think… those vile rumors… aren’t true, right?”
Zhang Shi tapped her daughter’s forehead. “Silly girl, you never believed such things before. How come you’ve grown foolish after getting married? I could make up a whole basketful of such nonsense in just one morning. If everyone believed it all, wouldn’t I be the Goddess of Mercy?”
Shen Qi glanced at the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva on the altar, with its kind and gentle expression, and felt her mother’s words made perfect sense. Finally, she felt somewhat reassured.
Her sister-in-law walked over, handing Shen Qi freshly washed fruits, and said with a smile, “The three men outside are all dead drunk. You certainly won’t be leaving tonight.”
Shen Qi snuggled into her sister-in-law’s arms, acting coy. “Of course not. I’ve long prepared to stay at home today. I was hoping they’d get drunk early so you and brother couldn’t chase me away.”
Her sister-in-law laughed and nudged her, urging her to quickly take her drunken husband back to the room to rest.
Shen Qi obeyed immediately.
Naturally, the couple stayed in Shen Qi’s old boudoir from before her marriage.
Everything in the room remained exactly as it was before she left, and after her mother’s meticulous cleaning following the wedding, it looked even tidier.
The bed was the same one she had slept in since childhood, with the familiar bedding she was long accustomed to. Hanging from the bed curtain were the star-shaped flowers she had woven from yarn as a child.
Everything was just as she liked it.
Except for one thing—there was now an extra man she loved in her bed.
Shen Qi’s bed was too small. Xie Yuduo’s tall frame occupied most of the space as soon as he lay down. She had to remove a pillow to barely make room for his drunken form to lie flat.
After tidying up, Shen Qi sat by the bed, gazing at him intently.
His sword-like brows were slightly furrowed, his cheeks flushed, and his lips parted slightly. His long eyelashes trembled faintly with each deep, drunken breath.
He was a very handsome man, and Shen Qi felt deeply content.
As the sun dipped westward, Xie Yuduo slowly awoke from his drunken stupor.
The bed was too small. Shen Qi was curled up under his arm, sleeping soundly, though she was perilously close to tumbling off the edge.
Seeing his wife’s adorable sleeping face, Xie Yuduo longed to kiss her again.
Unfortunately, the space didn’t allow it. He tried to curl himself inward, hoping to shift her closer.
The moment he moved, Shen Qi woke up, murmuring groggily, “Hmm? You’re awake?”
Xie Yuduo nodded, gesturing for her to move toward him. Unexpectedly, she lost her balance and nearly tumbled off the bed.
Fortunately, he was quick to react, grabbing Shen Qi with his long limbs and pulling her safely back onto the bed.
With that, Shen Qi was instantly wide awake.
Xie Yuduo held her in his arms and chuckled, "This bed is a bit too small." He glanced around and added, "But I like it very much."
He buried his nose in the slightly exposed collar of Shen Qi's clothes and murmured, "Because it smells like you."
Shen Qi felt ticklish from his actions and giggled foolishly.
"Pah, it's not small at all. I've slept in it since I was little, and it's always been spacious. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for growing too big."
Xie Yuduo seemed to think of something, and his muffled laughter grew louder and louder.
It took Shen Qi a moment to catch on, and she blushed, wanting to hit him. But he grabbed her hand, flipped her over, and pinned her beneath him. With a breath smelling of alcohol, he kissed her hard.
"I've wanted to do this for a long time."
Shen Qi struggled fiercely underneath him, but afraid of being heard by her family, she could only exert her strength quietly. Unexpectedly, this kind of resistance only fueled Xie Yuduo's tipsy excitement, and his movements flowed smoothly, becoming even more unrestrained…
After both of them had expended considerable effort, they lay panting side by side on the bed, catching their breath.
Shen Qi touched her messy hair—now she would have to comb it all over again.
Once the sweat had dried, Shen Qi sat at the dressing table and asked him, "How come you weren't drunk last time you came to my house?"
Xie Yuduo stood by the bed, tightening his waistband. "Which time?"
"What do you mean, which time? The time you delivered the betrothal gifts, of course."
"Oh. That time, I had something on my mind, so naturally I didn't drink much."
"Huh? What was on your mind?"
"Of course, I was afraid that if the betrothal gifts seemed too few, you'd think I lacked sincerity and wouldn't agree to marry me."
Shen Qi burst into laughter and joked, "Well, at the time, I didn't think they were too few. But now I realize, hmph, they really were so few—truly lacking sincerity."
Xie Yuduo, now tidied up and in high spirits, felt playful. He stepped forward, picked up his wife, and spun her around, making her gasp softly in surprise.
"It's too late now! No regrets allowed. From now on, wherever you go, I'll go too. I won't leave your side for a single step."
Shen Qi skillfully wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed again. "I should be the one saying that."
"Whether you say it or I say it, it's the same. We're bound together now, and it has to be for a lifetime."
"Well, you'd better think carefully. Now that you're in my home, this is my territory. If you dare disobey even a little, I'll kick you out!"
Xie Yuduo kissed her hard and pretended to furrow his brow.
"At Madam's command, I dare not disobey."
This made Shen Qi laugh for a long time.
During dinner that evening, her mother laid down the rule that the men were not to drink any more alcohol. Shen Qi's father finally had the chance to ask his son-in-law about his family's livelihood while sober.
Xie Yuduo explained everything in detail, holding nothing back from his father-in-law except for the extra silver he earned on the side.
"So, the annual turnover of the Herbal Medicine Shop is around three thousand taels of silver?"
"Yes, probably a bit more."
"And the net profit is about one thousand taels?"
"Roughly."
The Shen Family's wool shop earned at most ten taels of silver a month. Over a year, even at its best, it wouldn't exceed a hundred or so taels. After deducting the family's living expenses, not much was left.
The earnings from the Xie Family's Herbal Medicine Shop truly astonished Shen Qi's father.
He thought to himself, no wonder the Xie Family was a wealthy household. It explained how his son-in-law could afford such an extravagant new carriage, which had once again drawn the envy of the neighbors.
Shen Qi feared that if her father continued questioning, Xie Yuduo would be exposed. Her heart was pounding with anxiety, and she kept urging the two of them to eat more.
Xie Yuduo watched her from across the table, guessing at her hidden little thoughts, and couldn't help but let out a low chuckle.