Jiang Shiyue had always been a giant in thought but a dwarf in action.
In the end, she was so overcome with shyness that she broke free from Gu Yian's hand, got up, and ran out under the eaves. She picked up two buckets, intending to go to the kitchen to ladle water for a bath, but was stopped by Gu Yian, who had followed her.
"You go get your clothes. I'll prepare the bathwater for you."
The red marks on Jiang Shiyue's wrist were so obvious; how could he bear to let her do the work?
He had to admit, he'd discovered that Jiang Shiyue's skin was truly delicate; a light touch was enough to leave a mark.
Jiang Shiyue was happy for the break. At his words, she turned back to the room and took her pajamas and undergarments from the wardrobe.
Remembering that Gu Yian didn't have any pajamas, she also picked out two sets for him from the System's shop.
When Gu Yian brought the bathwater into the washroom, he didn't see Jiang Shiyue. A thought occurred to him, and he returned to the bedroom to find her holding two sets of clothes, her ears slightly red.
Hearing the noise, Jiang Shiyue looked up, stood, and stuffed the pajamas into Gu Yian's arms. "I bought you two sets of pajamas today. See if they fit."
Before Gu Yian could say anything, Jiang Shiyue grabbed the change of clothes she had prepared earlier and rushed into the washroom, as if she would be trapped if she didn't leave immediately.
Gu Yian stood stunned for a long moment before the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.
Jiang Shiyue had bought him clothes.
And they were pajamas!
He hurriedly took the clothes from his arms and saw two sets in different styles. Both were short-sleeved shirts and shorts, and the fabric felt quite comfortable to the touch. They certainly weren't cheap.
Gu Yian subconsciously looked in the direction Jiang Shiyue had disappeared. What had he ever done to deserve marrying someone like Jiang Shiyue?
He just wondered if the money he had given her before was enough.
It seemed he still had to find a way to earn money; he couldn't let the burden of earning a living fall on Jiang Shiyue's shoulders.
She had married him to live a good life, not a hard one. He couldn't let her life get worse after marrying him. How would he ever explain that to the Jiang family?
Besides, he and Jiang Shiyue had only held a banquet and hadn't registered their marriage. Even the banquet had consisted of just two lonely tables, mostly filled with people from the Educated Youth Institute. From his side, only Hu Tianyou had come.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt he had let Jiang Shiyue down.
He retracted his gaze, carefully placing one set of pajamas in the wardrobe and the other on the bed.
When Jiang Shiyue returned to the room after her bath, she saw Gu Yian sitting on the stool, his eyes dim and lifeless, lost in thought.
She waved a hand in front of him. "What are you thinking about so intently?"
Gu Yian snapped back to reality. Seeing Jiang Shiyue's dripping wet hair, he stood up and grabbed the towel she used specifically for her hair from a nearby rack. "Let me dry your hair for you."
He led Jiang Shiyue to sit on the edge of the bed while he stood before her, gently drying her hair.
Jiang Shiyue's legs were originally dangling over the side of the bed. Seeing that Gu Yian was serious, she didn't refuse and found a more comfortable position.
Gu Yian's lips curved into a faint smile. "I'm only gentle with you."
Although he didn't think of himself as gentle, if Jiang Shiyue said he was, then gentle he would be.
Jiang Shiyue's heart skipped a beat. She had previously thought Gu Yian was a dull man who couldn't say sweet things, but it turned out he was more than capable.
Turning her head, she happened to see their two silhouettes on the wall. It suddenly reminded her of scenes in novels where the male lead blows the female lead's hair dry. It was probably just like this, a perfect picture of peaceful, beautiful years.
Jiang Shiyue felt the temperature in the room slowly rising, especially when Gu Yian's hands occasionally brushed against her ears. Her whole body felt like it was on fire.
Taking a deep breath, she waited for her heart to calm down a little before suddenly asking, "What if I get used to you drying my hair for me in the future?"
Gu Yian's hand paused for a fraction of a second before he resumed his task. "As long as I'm here, I won't let you dry your own hair."
Although drying Jiang Shiyue's hair was a form of torture for him, it was a blissful torture he would gladly take on forever.
Jiang Shiyue merely raised an eyebrow at his words. "That's easy for you to say. Don't get impatient and stop after a few days."
After all, a man's words could only be half-believed. Right now, they were as close as could be, but after a while, he would probably get tired of it.
When that time came, forget drying her hair; even being in the same room with her would probably be a form of torture for him.
Gu Yian stated with conviction, "I won't."
If he could, he would even dry Jiang Shiyue's hair for a lifetime.
Thinking of the pajamas Jiang Shiyue had given him, Gu Yian couldn't help but sigh silently. He said with a serious expression, "Yueyue, you don't have to buy me such expensive things in the future. It's a waste to have them on me."
Jiang Shiyue pressed down on the hand he was using to dry her hair, turned around, and looked up at him, frowning. "Why would you think that?"
Besides, the two sets of pajamas weren't expensive, only a few yuan.
And that money was what Gu Yian had given her before, so it was like he was spending his own money.
But his words were somewhat unsettling to Jiang Shiyue. What did he mean, a waste?
Just how low was this man's self-esteem?
Gu Yian tried to look away, but Jiang Shiyue saw through his intention. She immediately stood up, looking down at him from her superior height. She cupped his face with both hands, not allowing him to evade her gaze in the slightest.
He pressed his lips together, met Jiang Shiyue's eyes, and stammered, "I… I just feel like I'm not good enough for you, and I don't deserve to wear such nice things."
Jiang Shiyue laughed in exasperation. "What do you mean, not good enough for me? What do you mean, you don't deserve it?"
Before Gu Yian could answer, Jiang Shiyue asked again, "Are you not a person?"
This was the first time Gu Yian had ever seen Jiang Shiyue so angry. He couldn't help but swallow, weakly replying, "I am."
If he weren't a person, how could he have married Jiang Shiyue?
"We're all normal people with two eyes, one nose, and one mouth. What's all this talk about being good enough or not?"
"Besides, we're already married. If you're not good enough, then who is? Liang Zeyuan?"
At the mention of Liang Zeyuan's name, Gu Yian reacted as if by reflex. "He's even less worthy!"
Hearing this, Jiang Shiyue finally felt a little better. Otherwise, Gu Yian would have angered her to death sooner or later.
She placed her hands on Gu Yian's shoulders. "You need to remember, it's perfectly natural for a wife to pick out clothes for her husband. There's no such thing as being good enough or deserving it."
"I bought them for you, so you wear them. Don't stand there whining."