Lu Wenyuan frowned slightly as he glanced at Lin Xiyue, but he didn’t say anything. As long as she behaved properly and treated his brothers and mother well, he naturally wouldn’t mistreat her in the future.
After dinner, Mother Lu cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, while Lu Yanqiu went into the room to help wash his elder brother.
Just as Lin Xiyue was wondering whether she should go check on the eldest brother’s injury, Mother Lu suddenly grabbed her hand and said,
“Xiaoyue, our family only has three rooms. I sleep alone in the woodshed. It’s small and messy there. If you sleep in the eldest brother’s room tonight, I’ll have the second and third brothers share a room. If you sleep in the second brother’s room, then the third brother can sleep with the eldest.”
Mother Lu’s words clearly meant: you don’t have a choice—you must sleep with one of them tonight.
Lin Xiyue thought to herself—there’s actually such a good thing? Sleeping in the same bed the first time we meet? Isn’t that a bit too fast?
“Mother, how about I sleep in that room instead? The bed there looks quite big.”
She pointed to the room she had rested in earlier that afternoon.
Mother Lu smiled and nodded.
“Alright. Since you want to sleep with the second brother, I’ll have the third brother sleep with the eldest.”
With that, Mother Lu went to make arrangements.
When Lin Xiyue realized that was Lu Wenyuan’s room, she suddenly felt nervous.
Th-this… why does it feel like drawing lots?
When Lu Wenyuan heard that Lin Xiyue would be sleeping with him, his brows furrowed even deeper.
“Mother, how about I sleep in the woodshed instead? You and Miss Lin can use my room.”
He still didn’t want to share a room with a stranger.
Mother Lu glared at him.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Xiaoyue is your wife. You’ll have to get used to it sooner or later. That’s settled. Now take Xiaoyue back to the room so she can wash up and rest.”
Night had already fallen, yet Lu Wenyuan still lingered in the courtyard, unwilling to return to the room.
Lin Xiyue sighed inwardly.
Alright… looks like I’m being disliked.
Touching her dry skin, even she felt a bit disgusted with herself. No wonder he wasn’t interested. With her bean-sprout figure, what man would find her appealing?
She didn’t bother trying to coax him. She herself was still depressed anyway.
So she simply returned to the room, washed up a little, and lay down to sleep.
With the way she looked right now, she didn’t need to worry about Lu Wenyuan getting any improper ideas. If anything, he might be the one guarding against her making a move.
Sighing, Lin Xiyue drank a little spiritual spring water, then rolled toward the inner side of the bed and quickly fell asleep.
Lu Wenyuan stood in the courtyard for a while. When he realized there was no movement inside the room, he finally walked in.
Just as he was thinking about how to start a conversation, he discovered that Lin Xiyue was already asleep.
She lay on the inner side of the bed, with a quilt placed between them as a barrier.
It was June or July, so the weather was warm enough that they didn’t need blankets. She had simply folded the quilt into a long strip and placed it in the middle.
Seeing that she had already fallen asleep, Lu Wenyuan was somewhat surprised by how carefree she was. But this arrangement conveniently avoided some awkwardness.
After tidying up, Lu Wenyuan sat at the broken wooden table and began reading.
Before he realized it, it was already late at night. Only when he was truly exhausted did he extinguish the oil lamp and go to bed.
He lay down at the very edge of the bed. He usually slept very still and rarely moved during the night.
But Lin Xiyue was a completely different story.
The bed, large as it was, wasn’t enough to contain her tossing and turning.
She had been used to sleeping on a soft mattress in her previous life, so this hard wooden bed was extremely uncomfortable. She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep soundly.
When Lu Wenyuan woke up the next morning, Lin Xiyue’s leg was draped over his, and one of her hands rested on his chest.
Seeing his slightly disheveled clothes, Lu Wenyuan immediately woke up fully.
At the same moment, Lin Xiyue turned over unconsciously and slowly woke up.
The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Lu Wenyuan hurriedly straightening his clothes.
Only then did Lin Xiyue remember—she had transmigrated.
This was the Great Sheng Dynasty, a completely fictional dynasty that had never existed in the history of her previous world. Moreover, the original owner had hardly left the village in her life—the farthest place she had ever gone was the town.
So Lin Xiyue knew almost nothing about this country.
Seeing that she had woken up and was staring at him in a daze, Lu Wenyuan said,
“Get up. Mother will probably call us to eat soon.”
It was the first time Lu Wenyuan had spoken directly to her.
Lin Xiyue couldn’t help but think—he’s already handsome, and his voice is this pleasant too. My future really looks promising.
Just as she was secretly admiring her luck, Lu Wenyuan suddenly looked at her seriously and said,
“You don’t need to worry about the matter of being a shared wife. We only agreed to it so our mother wouldn’t worry. If you’re willing to stay and take care of my elder brother, we will treat you with the respect due to a sister-in-law.”
“If you want to leave, we won’t force you. But while you stay here, I’d like to ask you to temporarily help take care of my elder brother and my mother. When I achieve success in the examinations, I will certainly not treat you unfairly.”
His words were both a warning and a promise.
So he was afraid she might cling to the three brothers.
Figures. How could such a good thing fall from the sky? I was just overthinking.
The duck that reached my mouth just flew away.
“Don’t worry,” Lin Xiyue replied. “I’m not someone who can’t read the situation. Since you’ve made things clear, let’s settle it this way—I’ll stay here temporarily and help take care of your family. I don’t ask for anything else. When the time is right, just let me leave.”
After all, she was the descendant of a traditional Chinese medicine family. Surviving in ancient times wouldn’t be difficult for her.
Not to mention she had that space.
Once she became familiar with the environment and saved up some silver, she would be free as a bird.
Lu Wenyuan was surprised by how sensible she was, but this outcome suited him well.
“Alright. It’s settled then. For the time being, I’ll stay at the academy. I’ll leave the household to you.”
He could have lived at the academy before, but he had worried about his family, so he returned home every day. Now that someone else could help take care of things, he could focus on his studies there.
After saying that, Lu Wenyuan left first.
Looking at the bright morning sunlight, Lin Xiyue stretched lazily.
For breakfast, Mother Lu prepared a simple coarse rice porridge. After eating a little, everyone went off to their own tasks.
Lu Wenyuan went to the academy.
Mother Lu stayed home to boil medicine and massage the eldest brother’s body.
Lu Yanqiu went up the mountain to dig wild vegetables, hunt, and gather herbs for the eldest brother.
The rabbit Lu Yanqiu had caught the day before had already been stewed by Mother Lu. When Lu Wenyuan left in the morning, she packed a portion for him to eat at the academy. Since Lu Yanqiu would spend the whole day in the mountains, she packed one for him as well.
Originally, a portion had been left for Lin Xiyue.
But Lin Xiyue said she would go up the mountain with Lu Yanqiu, so her portion was left for the eldest brother, Lu Jinghuai, to eat.