Huai Zhi burrowed back under the covers, returning to her original spot, and reached out to grab the bellyband lying nearby to put it on.
But no sooner had she lain down than she heard Cui Jingci cough lightly behind his hand. At first it was just a few soft coughs, but then it grew more intense.
His illness was truly strange—nothing else seemed wrong with him, but he coughed severely and was prone to spitting blood. Could it be a lung disease? Yet it didn't seem like one, because his lungs appeared to be in fine shape—every time they kissed, he'd kiss her until she was breathless and overwhelmed.
Having witnessed him spit blood before, Huai Zhi was frightened at the sound. Worried something might happen to him, she immediately sat up and moved closer.
She patted his back while asking, "You… what's wrong with you again?"
Cui Jingci's complexion looked unwell. Huai Zhi asked, "Should I get you some water?"
Cui Jingci shook his head. Unexpectedly, he brought up the matter from earlier that evening again. "Huai Zhi, that scholar is just a thing of the past. I understand your difficulties. Perhaps the beginning of our relationship was indeed absurd, which made you feel it wasn't reliable."
Hearing him bring it up again, Huai Zhi hastily shook her head. "No, that's not true. I don't feel that way."
"I know Huai Zhi isn't that kind of person," Cui Jingci said. "Let the past be past. But what if Huai Zhi thinks of someone else in the future? My body is like this—unpredictable. Back then, when I barely escaped with my life from the northern frontier, the physicians all said I wouldn't survive much longer. Since Huai Zhi is afraid of my death, perhaps I should find you a new husband sooner."
Huai Zhi's heart had been rising and falling unsteadily since a moment ago. Upon hearing Cui Jingci's words, she immediately shook her head and pledged her loyalty. "No, I won't. I'm your wife. I won't think of anyone else, truly! I was just too scared back then…"
Cui Jingci ruffled her hair, his eyes carrying a hint of pity and compassion. That look deeply moved Huai Zhi. He said, "You won't be afraid anymore from now on. I'm here."
Huai Zhi was on the verge of tears again, but with her current state of undress, saying all this was too embarrassing. She held back her tears.
His reaction just now made her think he didn't want to tonight, so she thought she'd put her clothes on first. But the moment her hand reached out and touched the bellyband, she was already pulled into his embrace.
He whispered by her ear, "Huai Zhi, are you toying with me?"
Huai Zhi tried to dodge the breath he blew against her ear, which tickled her terribly. She said, "I'm not. I thought you were tired."
"I'm not tired. When it comes to consummating our marriage, I still have plenty of strength."
He held her from behind, pinched her chin, and invaded her mouth. He looked at her with eyes that could only be described as tender and affectionate, and only when she was about to suffocate did he finally release the breathless woman.
But then, while she was still dazed and disoriented, he delivered an unexpected warning.
"Huai Zhi, you must remember the words you spoke today. Otherwise, I will truly be angry."
Whether Huai Zhi heard him or not, she could only gasp for air in short, shallow breaths.
She was still carrying guilt toward him, and he had only said a few coaxing words, so in the end she would open her body to him completely without any hesitation, willing to cooperate no matter how wildly he played. Thus, Cui Jingci unceremoniously delivered all his desire to Huai Zhi, but fortunately, he still had some restraint—after all, there was only one Huai Zhi, and if she were broken, there would be no more.
He might never find another person so easily fooled and so spineless.
He had her sit up and take charge herself, and Huai Zhi obeyed even that.
But her stamina was truly lacking, and she was accustomed to dodging—she would try to escape whenever things got too intense. In the end, Cui Jingci had to grip her waist and take over himself.
Huai Zhi felt deeply ashamed; the shame on her body made her even more reluctant to make a sound. She held it in until her face flushed red, refusing to utter a single noise.
Afterward, Huai Zhi was utterly exhausted, without even the strength to move, lying sprawled on top of him, tears flowing from every part of her.
Cui Jingci patted her back to soothe her, his fingers tracing along her spine, her slippery skin like the finest silk satin. She flowed beneath his palm, and he could even feel her movement.
Cui Jingci encountered an unusual dilemma—if water were to flow toward him, how should he go about damming it up?
He didn't think much about it. Once she had recovered her strength, he carried her off to wash her clean.
Ever since marrying Cui Jingci, Huai Zhi had been waking up later and later. Many times she slept until the hour of Chen before rising, and if the previous night had been particularly intense, waking at the hour of Si was not unheard of.
Just like today—the sun hung high overhead before Huai Zhi finally stirred awake in bed.
She thought of last night, then looked down at the state of her body, sitting in bed for a good while before she came back to her senses.
How did it come to this?
Every time, Huai Zhi would be half-coaxed and half-tricked into it beforehand, regret it deeply in the midst of it, and then wake up the next morning questioning her life all over again.
Sigh.
Setting aside whether Cui Jingci could take it, she really couldn't handle it anymore.
If only she could get pregnant sooner—being pregnant right now would be a blessing to Huai Zhi.
And so a few more days passed. Cui Jingci was exceptionally energetic every day. Because of the scholar incident, Huai Zhi felt guilty toward him and went along with his antics, but by the end, she was so depleted of energy that she even started drinking medicinal tonics to replenish herself.
Huai Zhi sat before the bronze mirror and noticed her complexion looked terrible—faint dark circles under her eyes, traces of his kissing and nibbling at the corners of her lips that looked slightly swollen, and even some red marks on her neck.
How wicked. Huai Zhi's guilt toward Cui Jingci gradually faded away completely amid those intimate acts.
Time passed unhurriedly, and before she knew it, it was already past mid-August. Huai Zhi had no lessons today, and Teacher Fu wouldn't be coming, so she timed her departure and went out.
Before leaving, she covered herself up thoroughly—in the middle of the hot weather, she even wore a gauze veil.
Today she went to the brothel to visit an old acquaintance.
Huai Zhi went straight to the back door of the brothel with practiced ease.
A person was guarding the courtyard at the back door, and Huai Zhi recognized him.
"Xiao Deng, it's me, Huai Zhi." Huai Zhi stepped forward, lifted her hood, and revealed her face.
Xiao Deng was the head tea-server of this brothel, tasked with serving tea and water to the patrons. During the day, when there was nothing to do, he would also take on the duty of guarding the door.
Seeing Huai Zhi, there was clearly a hint of joy in his eyes. He said, "Huai Zhi? Ming Xi said you got married and wouldn't be coming anymore."
Huai Zhi said, "Why wouldn't I come?"
Xiao Deng said, "Ming Xi said you married into a wealthy family, so you shouldn't come to a place like this."
Huai Zhi handed Xiao Deng some of the snacks she'd brought from the Cui household while saying, "She's talking nonsense. My legs are my own—I can go wherever I please."
Xiao Deng was short, only fifteen or sixteen years old. She took the snacks from Huai Zhi, beamed with delight, and led her inside.
Huai Zhi and Ming Xi had once lived on the same alley. The way they'd met was actually quite amusing.
Back then, Huai Zhi's family used to sun-dry rice in the yard. Her parents had gone out to work, and her grandmother had gone out to gossip, leaving only her and her younger brother at home. Her brother got sleepy, so she coaxed him into a nap, and then she dozed off herself. When she woke up, she found it had started raining at some point, soaking all the rice.
Huai Zhi got a beating for it. Huai Yuan cursed at her, calling her a debt-collecting demon, and in his anger said he wouldn't raise her anymore, kicking her out of the house in the middle of the night. That day, Huai Zhi wandered the streets in the pouring rain, huddled under the eaves, not daring to move. She'd already resigned herself to sleeping on the streets and begging for a few days.
But Ming Xi heard the commotion from her house, took her in, and let her sleep in her bed.
It took Huai Yuan several days to cool down before he sent Meng Yan out to find her and bring her back home.
At that time, Huai Zhi was only ten years old, and Ming Xi was thirteen.
Two years later, Ming Xi was sold into a brothel by her father, who had gambled recklessly and couldn't pay his debts, so he sold his daughter instead.
Ming Xi hadn't originally been called Ming Xi—her name was You Qin. After going to the brothel, it was as if she'd become a different person, so her name naturally had to change too. She was very beautiful, and the madam had probably taken a liking to her at first, giving her the name Ming Xi.
Huai Zhi would sometimes go to the brothel to visit her, though not often, because every time she went, Ming Xi would shoo her away, saying the place wasn't clean. When she had free time, they could play outside instead, not in the brothel.
Ming Xi was especially good to Huai Zhi. Sometimes her patrons would bring her interesting trinkets, and since she had no interest in them, she'd save them up for Huai Zhi to play with. Every time they met, knowing Huai Zhi never had enough to eat, she'd bring her delicious food. Even the fact that that surnamed Sun fellow was no good—that was Ming Xi who told her.
She said she knew Huai Zhi was naive and easily fooled by her own family, and that they'd probably praised him to the skies to trick her into marrying him as a concubine.
Xiao Deng led Huai Zhi to find Ming Xi.
But Ming Xi was with a client.
Huai Zhi heard the sounds from inside and knew exactly what was happening.
Xiao Deng scratched her head and said, "Sister Ming Xi seems busy. Huai Zhi, why don't we wait over there for a bit?"
Huai Zhi asked, "Why does it happen even during the day?"
Xiao Deng said, "Maybe he stayed over from last night, and when morning came, they got in the mood and went at it again?"
Huai Zhi said, "But it's already getting late…"
Xiao Deng said, "They do it whenever they want—they don't care about such things. It happens all the time."
Huai Zhi and Xiao Deng waited outside for a while until the door opened and a man came out. Xiao Deng nudged Huai Zhi and said, "You can go in now."
Huai Zhi snapped back to her senses and looked up just in time to see the man's retreating back. She said in a low voice, "Let's wait a bit longer."
Xiao Deng knew what she was waiting for—she was waiting for Ming Xi to clean herself up. Xiao Deng said nonchalantly, "Sister Ming Xi doesn't care about that anyway. Even if you watched them do it right beside her, it wouldn't matter."
Huai Zhi couldn't help but shoot him a glare before going over to Ming Xi.
Once inside the room, Huai Zhi closed the door behind her. The air inside was stuffy and carried a stale, pungent odor, so she cracked the door and windows open a sliver.
Ming Xi was still lying on the bed in the same position, legs spread wide apart. When she saw Huai Zhi come in, she glanced up without much reaction, then simply closed her legs and sat up. She didn't even have the desire to put on clothes, casually grabbing a blanket to drape over herself.
A trace of post-coital satisfaction still lingered at the corners of her brows. She looked at Huai Zhi and asked, "Why did you suddenly come? Didn't I tell you to come here less often? Besides, given your current status, it's not appropriate for you to be here."
Huai Zhi asked, "What status is that?"
Ming Xi said, "The eldest young mistress of the Cui family?"
Huai Zhi was struck speechless, choking on her words for a long moment before finally managing to squeeze out, "No one knows anyway."
Ming Xi was born with a certain allure—her features naturally carried an air of charm, her figure tall with long legs, beautiful in every way. When Huai Zhi was little, she thought Ming Xi was the most beautiful older sister she had ever seen.
Huai Zhi found the smell in the room truly unpleasant, so she stuck her head out the window to take a few breaths of fresh air. Then she pulled her head back in, turned to look at Ming Xi, and said, "I want to buy out your contract."
Ming Xi was stunned for a moment, then laughed, clearly not taking the words to heart. She said, "You're that rich now? Your sickly husband treats you that well?"
Huai Zhi took off her veiled hat and silk scarf, showing Ming Xi the marks on her body, and said very bluntly, "We do it often. He's not like a sickly man."
Last night, Cui Jingci had again been careless with his strength, going on for a long time, leaving red marks all over her neck, and her lips were a bit swollen too.
Ming Xi pulled her over to take a look, then clicked her tongue and said, "Can't tell from looking at him, but he's pretty rough. Though—isn't he supposed to be sickly? Where does he get the strength for all this?"
Huai Zhi said, "I don't know either, but he really is sick. I saw him spit blood with my own eyes."
Ming Xi shrugged and said, "Who knows? Even if he spat blood, it might not be real. You can hide a blood pack in your mouth and spit it out whenever you want. I think a sickly man wouldn't have that much strength to leave you looking like this. Besides, have you ever seen a sickly man who can indulge in pleasure day after day without a care? I've certainly never seen one."