Stepping out of the bathroom, Shang Yinyin walked back into the bedroom to find Xie Quanzhou already lying in bed, waiting for her. As she shut the door behind her and their eyes met, a deep blush rushed to her cheeks.
“Tomorrow I’ll head over to the village committee to get a certificate, and then we’ll head into town to sort out our marriage registration,” he told her softly.
“Okay… sure…” she mumbled, stepping over with an awkward gait.
“Let’s get some sleep then,” he said, lifting the edge of the blanket and shifting aside to make room.
A momentary wave of disappointment washed over her—she had half-expected him to…
“I’ll blow out the lamp,” she muttered.
“Mhm,” he acknowledged.
Once she snuffed out the oil lamp, she felt her way across the darkness and slid under the covers. The next second, a pair of strong arms banded around her waist. Her heart hammered against her ribs, and a sudden wave of heat radiated through her body.
“Yinyin, I’ve missed you so much~” His husky whisper right against her ear instantly seized her heartstrings.
“Quanzhou~” she breathed his name, prompting him to murmur, “How used you to call me?”
“Quanzhou… ge!” Her breathing hitched, a tickling warmth spreading across her skin as she pressed both palms against his chest.
Her words sent a jolt through him, instantly amplifying his desires. “Yinyin, you’re an adult now. Can we tonight?” His voice was gravelly and strained as he fought to keep his restraint intact.
Her head spun with a dizzy haze, but common sense quickly snapped back into place.
“Quanzhou, wait—we can’t. This bed creaks, it’s not appropriate,” she whispered, suddenly remembering that the old wooden frame groaned loudly at the slightest movement, easily heard through the thin partition walls.
“I reinforced it earlier. It’s fine, it won’t make a sound,” he murmured. When they had first returned to the room earlier, he had noticed the wooden slats groaning, so he had quietly fixed the frame just in case.
She found herself entirely out of excuses.
Pressing close against her, he let his warm breath feather across her earlobe. He was a red-blooded man, and since they had already gone through the motions of a traditional marriage, this was only natural.
“Mhm~” A soft, involuntary hum slipped past her lips.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as his searing breath fanned her face. One hand cupped the back of her head while the other anchored her waist. He pressed a flurry of deep kisses downward, sliding her light sleeping top off her shoulders. The summer heat combined with the heavy, ambiguous air turned the bedroom into a stifling furnace.
Just as things were about to cross the final threshold:
“Quanzhou, stop.”
A sudden wave of warmth in her lower abdomen made her panic, and she instinctively pushed him back. “My period just started.”
He froze, his surging passion instantly cooling into concern. “Does your stomach hurt?” He had witnessed how excruciating her cramps could get during those days of the month.
Embarrassed, she shook her head. “It doesn’t hurt right now. You go to sleep, I need to use the latrine.”
“I’ll go with you,” he offered immediately.
“No need, I just need to change my pad.” Throwing on her clothes and relighting the lamp, she rummaged through the cabinet for a sanitary belt, practically bolting out the door without daring to meet his eyes. She never could have anticipated her period timing itself quite like this at such a crucial moment.
While she was gone, Xie Quanzhou pulled his clothes back on, stepped outside to splash cold water on his face, and waited by the bed for her return. She hurried back moments later.
“Are you really sure it doesn’t hurt?” he pressed anxiously.
“Really, it doesn’t hurt at all. Let’s go to sleep,” she mumbled, keeping her eyes firmly averted.
Seeing her distress, he insisted, “No, let me get up and brew some brown sugar water for you.”
“I’m genuinely fine, please don’t get up. There’s no brown sugar left in the house anyway, and we shouldn’t drink ginger soup this late at night,” she pleaded, catching his arm to stop him.
Hearing that there was no brown sugar left, a flash of deep heartache crossed his features.
“I’m okay, really,” she consoled him. “Once I fall asleep, it won’t bother me. If you keep getting up, neither of us will get any rest.”
“Alright, let’s rest then. If you’re still feeling off tomorrow, we’ll head into town and stock up on brown sugar,” he compromised, blowing out the lamp and pulling her into his arms as they settled in.
After a long silence in the dark, she murmured, “Since I’m on my period, I don’t really want to go out—the flow is always heaviest the first couple of days.”
“Then we won’t go out. I’ll get up early tomorrow to check the markets and pick up some extra meat. I can make you a poached egg and meat broth, or simmer a nice soup.” In his eyes, every nourishing dish available wanted to be prepared and fed to her.
A fond smile touched her lips; the man was simply too endearing.
“Stop talking, I’m going to sleep now,” she mumbled, firmly closing her eyes.
Somewhere in the haze of sleep, she could have sworn someone was pressing gentle kisses to her face, but she figured it must have been a dream.
Dawn broke to the sound of crowing roosters. As she stirred and began to roll out of bed, Xie Quanzhou padded over softly, cupping her cheek. “Go back to sleep, darling. I’ll make breakfast and wake you up later.”
Rubbing her bleary eyes, she mumbled, “I can’t, there’s too much work left around the house. We have to finish planting the peanuts this morning, and start harvesting the wheat by this afternoon.”
“It’s fine, I’ll take care of all of it. You’re not feeling well today, so you need to rest properly,” he soothed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Go on back to sleep.”
Yielding to his words, she let her head sink back into the pillow.
Meanwhile, Xie Quanzhou rose early, bought groceries in the village, whipped up breakfast, and took care of all the morning chores. When Chen Cuihua stepped outside to water her vegetable plots at dawn, she was surprised to find Xie Quanzhou already tending the stove.
“Auntie, breakfast is ready,” he called out, spotting her returning from the yard.
“Alright.” Setting down her tools, Chen Cuihua turned to wake the two girls.
“Auntie, Yinyin isn’t feeling well today, so she won’t be going out to the fields. Let Niannian stay home to keep her company. I’ve already arranged for some of the village uncles to help out with the harvesting—we’ll get it wrapped up in no time,” Xie Quanzhou intervened smoothly, cutting off Chen Cuihua before she could reach the bedroom.
“That’s fine, then,” Chen Cuihua muttered, making no objections.
After ensuring Chen Cuihua was served her meal, Xie Quanzhou left a brief note for Yinyin, donned his straw hat, grabbed his farming tools, and headed straight out to the fields to tackle the wheat harvest.
When Shang Yinyin finally woke up hours later, she glanced at her wristwatch and gasped, “It’s ten o’clock!” She scrambled out of bed.
Changing into her clothes, she stepped out into the courtyard to find Niannian happily humming a tune while sorting vegetables.
“Sis, you’re awake?” Niannian greeted cheerfully.
“Mhm, why didn’t you wake me? I slept in so late, Auntie’s going to yell at me,” she worried, wondering how she could have slept for so long.
With a knowing grin, Niannian replied, “What are you talking about? Brother-in-law specifically said you were having a rough time with your period and told me to stay home to keep you company while I prepped lunch.”
“Did he really say that?” Shang Yinyin asked skeptically.
“Of course! Brother-in-law treats you so well—just like the old days.” Niannian rolled her eyes in playful envy. “Honestly, Sis, you don’t know how lucky you are. Oh, that’s right!”
Niannian gestured toward the kitchen. “Go wash up quickly. Brother-in-law said that the moment you woke up, I should brew you some brown sugar and poached egg water so you wouldn’t feel so miserable. Hurry up and brush your teeth, then help me prep—we have to cook for ten people today.”
Immersed in a warm haze of marital bliss, Shang Yinyin froze at the mention of ten people. “Ten people? Are we hosting guests?”
“What guests! Brother-in-law hired villagers to help us bring in the wheat harvest, so of course we have to cook meals for all the uncles and aunts helping out,” Niannian explained while stoking the kitchen fire.