The old Madam finished her medicinal meal and, with Zhou Mengdie’s support, returned once more to the front hall.
Everyone stood up in unison as soon as they saw her.
“Sit, all of you, sit,” the old Madam waved her hand and walked to the main seat.
The elderly woman was already in her eighties, but she was neither hard of hearing nor visually impaired. Her body was strong and sturdy, and her voice remained firm and powerful.
Because there had been many guests at yesterday’s wedding, she hadn’t had the chance to properly talk with her youngest granddaughter-in-law.
Today, meeting her again, she grabbed Qiao Shuran’s hand and showered her with praise without restraint.
Words like “sensible,” “composed,” “beautiful,” and “my grandson is truly blessed” came out one after another…
At the end, she even didn’t forget to ask about her health: “That brat is like a house catching fire late in life—you’ll have to bear with him. If he ever bullies you again, come back to Grandmother. I’ll stand up for you.”
“Okay, okay,” Qiao Shuran responded obediently, though she felt a little embarrassed inside.
The two of them truly were grandmother and grandson—talking about such blush-worthy things so casually, as if they were asking whether she had eaten.
It made everyone in the room cover their mouths and laugh.
“Old Madam really knows a lot—she even knows about a house catching fire late in life!”
“How could I not know?”
The old Madam threw peanut shells at them. “He already turned thirty—of course he’s an old house catching fire.”
“Yes, yes, I’m an old house, an old ox, alright?” Zhou Yannan leaned lazily against his chair back.
When facing the old Madam, he was rarely this gentle.
Qiao Shuran suddenly felt that she wasn’t so afraid of him anymore.
At the evening banquet, there were even more people.
Uncles, aunts, and collateral relatives of the Zhou family were all present.
Even though she had already met them during the wedding yesterday, Qiao Shuran suddenly felt like she had face blindness.
Facing so many elegant and dignified women, she simply could not tell who was who.
Fortunately, Zhou Yannan disliked trouble. With a single instruction, he canceled the tea and toast-paying ceremony entirely.
Everyone just sat in their seats and ate as they pleased.
Qiao Shuran sipped small bites of chicken wings while secretly sighing: having authority really was nice!
Whatever he said went. No one dared stand up and criticize them for being impolite or disrespectful.
Otherwise, after a full round of toasts, she wouldn’t even get to eat any hot food.
But she had already eaten quite a lot at lunch and actually didn’t have much appetite now.
The old Madam, however, was afraid she felt restrained, so she kept using serving chopsticks to pile food onto her plate. “Young people should eat more. Look how thin you are—how can your body be healthy like this?”
“Thank you, Grandmother, it’s alright.”
She thanked her while trying to stop her, but the old Madam’s enthusiasm could not be refused.
Soon, her plate was piled into a small mountain.
Qiao Shuran was in a dilemma.
To eat—she couldn’t manage it.
Not to eat—it was the old Madam’s kindness, and wasting it would be rude.
So she could only furrow her brows and slowly force bites into her mouth.
Just as she was struggling, the man beside her reached over, took her plate, and swapped it with his own.
Warmth suddenly spread through Qiao Shuran’s heart. “Thank you.”
“No need.” The man’s expression did not change.
“…”
Looking at the empty plate in front of her, Qiao Shuran let out a long breath and felt that the rumors outside weren’t accurate.
This man… actually had quite the gentlemanly manners. Not as terrifying as people said.
After dinner, the old Madam insisted they stay at the house.
“Don’t go back to the wedding room tonight. Just stay here in the old residence. It’s too far to travel in the dark.”
“No, Grandmother, we’ll go back now,” Zhou Yannan said, with no intention of staying.
There were too many people here. Too noisy. He preferred quiet.
Seeing the newlyweds preparing to leave, the relatives immediately chimed in.
“Oh, newlyweds should stay alone. It’s better that way.”
“Exactly, there are too many of us here. We’ll disturb their honeymoon.”
Zhou Yannan curved his lips slightly and did not object.
After bidding farewell, he took his wife’s hand and left, getting into A Wen’s car.
In the back seat, the two sat side by side. The atmosphere was indescribably ambiguous.
Both seemed to tacitly understand what would likely happen next.
After all, the unfinished “task” of the wedding night still had to be completed.
For some reason, Qiao Shuran actually felt a faint anticipation.
Perhaps it was because she had heard too many things from her aunt before—about the indescribable pleasure between men and women.
Or perhaps it was because the man beside her was simply too perfect in appearance and physique to resist.
Whatever. He was her husband anyway—why not enjoy him?
Thinking this, her anticipation grew even stronger.
The car drove smoothly and stopped half an hour later in the villa area of Yuelan Bay.
As soon as it stopped, a maid hurried over to open the door respectfully.
“Mister. Madam.”
“Mm.”
Zhou Yannan got out and turned to help her. “How are you feeling tonight? Anywhere uncomfortable?”
“I feel fine. Nothing uncomfortable,” Qiao Shuran replied, her face already flushed all the way to her neck.
The man glanced at her earlobe, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips. “Then let’s go upstairs.”
“Okay.”
Qiao Shuran was not a shy person.
“I’ll go take a bath first. I’ll be quick.”
Upstairs in the bathroom.
“Tonight must not bring a fever again… tonight must not bring a fever again…”
Qiao Shuran curled up in the bathtub, silently praying.
Before, she had never been in contact with a man’s body, so she didn’t understand anything about it.
But after last night’s kiss and the teasing in the afternoon, she had gradually begun to taste something indescribable.
It made her mind dizzy—addictive.
If tonight she could see but not have it again, then… it would be torture!
Thinking of this, she quickly rinsed off the foam and wrapped herself in a bathrobe.
When she came out, the bedroom was empty. Zhou Yannan must have gone to the adjacent bathroom.
She took a deep breath and walked over—but the man was still nowhere to be seen.
Only a maid was crouched on the floor, packing luggage.
“Where’s Mister? What are you doing?” Qiao Shuran’s heart sank.
She stepped forward a few steps—indeed, the suitcase contained Zhou Yannan’s clothes.
“Where is he going?”
“I don’t know. A Wen asked me to come up and pack,” the maid said, looking up. “Mister is downstairs.”
“I see.”
Qiao Shuran turned and rushed downstairs.
Zhou Yannan was standing on the balcony answering a phone call, the ends of his hair still dripping wet.
But he was already fully dressed in a suit.
He must have just finished bathing when he received some urgent news and changed clothes to leave.
Hearing her footsteps, he ended the call and looked over.
“Sorry, there’s an issue with a shipment in Hong Kong. I have to go there.”
“You go ahead,” she said.
Although there was a faint sense of disappointment in her heart, she would not interfere with his work or ask about his schedule.
Seeing that she had nothing else to say, the man put away his phone and walked over.
Seeing her originally bright expression dim slightly, he felt a little reluctant.
Logically, there was still enough time. If they did it before he left, it should still be fine…
But he was never someone driven by lust. A few days didn’t matter.
After a moment’s thought, he still patted his wife’s shoulder gently.
“The night wind is cold. Go upstairs early and sleep.”