After everyone left, Jiang Yu stepped into the room.
“What was that person here for?”
Xiao Lingzhou, just out of the bath, wore only a light moon-white robe. His black hair hung loose, still damp at the tips.
Hearing her question, he lifted his eyes to look at her.
“The bridge in the village was washed away by the storm. The village head called for donations to rebuild it and wanted me to record each family’s contribution and oversee tasks during construction.”
“You agreed?” Jiang Yu asked, seeing his outstretched hand, and stepped forward.
Xiao Lingzhou picked up a dry cloth and gently wiped her hair. “We are all members of the village. Rebuilding the bridge benefits everyone. How could I refuse?”
Jiang Yu thought to herself that he would be leaving in less than a month.
He really didn’t need to concern himself with village affairs.
Yet he didn’t choose to stay indifferent.
That showed he still had a heart that cared for the people.
“Do you need my help?” she asked absentmindedly.
“No need. Only the village men are working on the bridge. It would be inconvenient for you. Stay at home.”
He dried her hair, placed the cloth back on the rack, and then, wrapping his arms around her from behind, rested his chin on her shoulder. “But during construction, I’ll need you, Ayu, to deliver lunch to me.”
Hearing his clear, pleasant voice and smelling the lingering scent of his bath, Jiang Yu’s body tensed. “…You’re my husband. Bringing meals is no trouble.”
“Mm…” His voice was slightly nasal, and he traced a path along her ear, his breath growing warmer against her neck. “Ayu, you’re so obedient.”
His arms encircled her shoulders from behind, and his hand cupped her chin.
Jiang Yu had nowhere to escape and could only let him kiss her intermittently.
Amid the exchange of breath, he shifted her body and tangled their tongues together.
When the familiar heat pressed against her lower abdomen, Jiang Yu shivered.
She hurriedly raised her hands to cover her chest, her heart racing like a drum. “I… I’m hungry.”
Xiao Lingzhou’s phoenix-like eyes softened. He leaned down to nibble her lips, then scooped her up horizontally toward their bedroom. “I’m hungry too. Ayu, feed me first, and then I’ll make a meal for you.”
His voice was hoarse, sultry, and a touch seductive.
Jiang Yu felt her mind drifting.
A remaining thread of rationality pulled her back.
Squirming in his arms, she said with a pout, “Xiao Lingzhou, I really am hungry. I’m not joking.”
No sooner had she spoken than she sank into the soft quilt.
Xiao Lingzhou leaned slightly, holding her hands over her, and whispered near her ear: “I’m even hungrier. Ayu, pity me…”
“Mm—”
Her words of refusal never left her lips; they were swallowed up entirely.
Just out of the bath, wearing only a thin outer robe and a light purple undergarment, it didn’t take long before her outer robe fell.
Xiao Lingzhou took the thin strap of her undergarment in his mouth, easily pulling it off…
＊
As morning mist cleared, sunlight dyed the mountain village in golden amber.
After the storm, not only had the village bridge been destroyed, but crops were also damaged.
Fortunately, Zhangjia Village was upstream, so the losses weren’t too severe, and they could survive on last year’s leftover grain.
Downstream villages were less fortunate.
Houses were flooded, and many lives were lost.
It wasn’t just the nearby villages that suffered.
The entire Yuzhou region faced heavy losses from this storm, leaving tens of thousands homeless.
After reviewing the disaster report, Xiao Lingzhou immediately sent a pigeon to the capital.
He instructed Xie Jinglan to submit a petition to the young emperor, volunteering to inspect the disaster in Yuzhou himself.
Inspecting the disaster was one reason.
Another was to prevent trouble in his final month there and, if possible, remove Empress Dowager Zhao’s hidden agents in Yuzhou.
As daylight brightened, Xiao Lingzhou rose early to wash and dress.
After breakfast, he knocked on the bedroom door to remind the still-sleeping Jiang Yu: “Ayu, I’m leaving. Remember to eat your meal.”
With a mouth full of sleepiness, Jiang Yu mumbled, “Got it, got it.”
Being disturbed from her dreams early in the morning, her voice carried a hint of annoyance.
Xiao Lingzhou smiled faintly and, holding an umbrella, stepped out.
It had been drizzling for several days, never a clear day.
After the school dismissed, he still needed to find time to meet villagers donating to the bridge fund.
Every donation had to be meticulously recorded.
So for these past two days, he left early and returned late.
Three days later, enough money had been raised to rebuild the bridge.
Taking advantage of clear weather, the village head called for each family to send one male member to start construction.
The sun blazed fiercely.
Xiao Lingzhou sat under a makeshift straw shelter, pen in hand, calculating today’s incoming and outgoing funds.
The fair and lovely Cui Ling approached with a bowl of tea, bashfully saying, “Sir, it’s hot. Have some tea to moisten your throat.”
Xiao Lingzhou glanced at the tea on the wooden table but didn’t raise his head. “Thank you.”
Cui Ling’s heart raced at the sight of his flawless, refined features. “No need… no need to thank me.”
Seeing that he ignored her, she boldly leaned closer, trying to make conversation. “Sir, your handwriting is beautiful. Could you teach Ling’er?”
Leaning too close, the overpowering scent of cheap perfume hit Xiao Lingzhou’s nose.
His handsome brows drew together, voice cold: “Miss Cui, I am a married man. Please stand back, lest someone see and gossip, which would harm both our reputations.”
Jiang Yu, who worked with makeup daily, carried only a faint floral scent—pleasant and delicate.
Cui Ling, however, wore a strong, pungent perfume that irritated him inexplicably.
Yet she didn’t read his expression, and in a sweet voice tried to press against him: “Sir, the innocent remain innocent. We’ve done nothing wrong. Who would dare gossip?”
As she leaned toward him, Xiao Lingzhou suddenly stood up, avoiding her.
Caught off guard, Cui Ling fell forward, hitting her chin on the chair and letting out a painful “Ouch!”
The village head, working with a group of men on the mud, heard the noise, put down his shovel, and walked over. “Cui Ling, what are you doing?”