Huai Zhi entered the room and, seeing Cui Jingci there, called out to him.
He sat there, chin resting on his hand, warm lamplight falling sparsely across his brows and eyes, lending him a certain softness. Cui Jingci asked her, "Have you had your evening meal at home?"
Huai Zhi countered with a question of her own. "Have you eaten?"
Cui Jingci nodded, saying he had, and Huai Zhi nodded as well, saying she had too.
Cui Jingci said gently, "You must have been tired out all day outside. Go wash yourself first."
The scent on Huai Zhi was very clean. If the fragrance of noble maidens in the capital was that of fresh, tender flowers, then the scent on Huai Zhi was like the smell of green grass? He did not know how to describe it—he only knew that after Huai Zhi had returned for a visit, the scent on her had become somewhat murky. It must have been picked up from a pile of garbage, and to Cui Jingci, it was unpleasant to the nose.
Huai Zhi did not catch the hint of distaste in Cui Jingci's words. She only thought him quite considerate. She had indeed worked up a sweat at the Huai residence—the place was cramped and small, with poor air circulation, stifling enough to be unbearable. Her skin felt sticky and uncomfortable, so she heeded Cui Jingci's words and went in to wash.
When she came out, she was drying her damp hair. Even the cloths for drying hair in this household were extravagantly precious. Huai Zhi pinched the soft cloth between her fingers, her mind still occupied with the events at her natal home today.
She thought that perhaps Cui Jingci's reminder had been right—she truly could not keep associating with them in the future. Just going back once today had brought all sorts of probing and prying. They had accepted so many betrothal gifts and still found it insufficient, wanting to take even more from the Cui family.
Huai Zhi was not so blindly filial as all that. Even if she owed anyone anything now, it was not them.
Just then, Cui Jingci behind her suddenly spoke. He asked, "When you went back today, what did you all talk about?"
Caught off guard by his sudden question, Huai Zhi was momentarily startled, but quickly replied, "They only asked whether I was doing well here."
Huai Zhi did not even dare turn around, did not dare look at Cui Jingci's expression. Her family truly was a source of shame.
Cui Jingci let out an "Oh?" and asked again, "And what did you say?"
Biting her lip, Huai Zhi said, "I said I was doing very well—especially that the young master is a good man."
Truly, aside from the pain of the first night, she felt there was nothing amiss.
Cui Jingci was a rather good person. Though he was ill, Huai Zhi could tell that he treated others with kindness. Toward her—a wife who was not much to speak of—he was also good and considerate.
No one had ever treated Huai Zhi this way before. She felt that even if she worked like a beast of burden for him for the rest of her life, it would be worth it.
Cui Jingci walked to her side and took the cloth from her hands. His long fingers worked through her hair as he dried it for her. Huai Zhi saw the face of the person behind her in the bronze mirror before her. The corners of his lips curved up slightly, yet his brows were lightly furrowed, as though he were somewhat displeased.
He said, "Huai Zhi, you've addressed me wrong again."
Thinking he was a little upset, Huai Zhi immediately called him again, her ears turning red.
Hearing this, Cui Jingci smiled. He took her wrist and led her to the bed.
He looked at Huai Zhi seriously and said, "Let's try again."
Huai Zhi knew exactly what he was talking about, and her ears immediately turned red. Was he thinking about doing that again? Huai Zhi truly couldn't understand it—he was a sickly man, so why couldn't he just lie still and sleep like a good patient? Why did he think about such things every single day? A man could be ill, but why couldn't that part of him behave itself?
Were all men just like this?
Besides, he clearly wasn't very good at it—he'd finish after just a couple of thrusts. Huai Zhi even wondered whether he actually got any real pleasure out of it.
But Cui Jingci treated her well, and she didn't want to hurt his pride over this. She was even more afraid that if she told him he wasn't up to the task, he'd worry himself to death over it.
Anyway, since he wasn't very capable, it should probably end quickly like last time, with just a few perfunctory movements. Huai Zhi decided not to think about it any further.
Cui Jingci had barely finished speaking when he saw that Huai Zhi had already stripped off all her clothes, leaving only her belly band on. The corner of his mouth twitched.
She was even quicker than he'd expected—he hadn't even finished his sentence.
Cui Jingci didn't start right away. He sat on the edge of the bed and let out a sigh. He looked at her, those peach-blossom eyes of his both heartless and full of affection, and said, "Huai Zhi, my health isn't good, and I'm not young anymore either. In years past, I was always devoted to official duties and married quite late. But I want to leave behind a child. I think that even if I pass away one day, you'll have a child to rely on."
There was an ice chest in the room, and a faint chill seeped up from the floor. The exposed skin on Huai Zhi's body felt a bit cold, and she couldn't help but rub it with her hand.
So that's why he insisted on doing it despite his weakness—he wanted a child.
So the reason he'd been so eager to marry was also for the sake of having a child?
She heard him say it was also so she'd have a child to lean on. She couldn't tell whether it was true or false, but thinking it over carefully, there was indeed some sense to it. His body was failing on the inside—who could say he wouldn't pass away one day? Leaving a child behind for her was a good thing.
Besides, even if Cui Jingci didn't die, they should still have a child.
Most of the people Huai Zhi had encountered were crude and vulgar. Even if some had schemes and calculations, they'd already leaked everything through their words. She would never have known that a person could dress up their intentions so beautifully with words that she couldn't detect a thing.
He was extraordinarily handsome, and with that worried expression on top of it, attacking from all sides at once—how could Huai Zhi possibly think things through carefully?
Cui Jingci could even plan ahead for her sake, worrying that she might suffer if she became a widow in the future. She thought that her impulsive decision to marry Cui Jingci hadn't been such a foolish thing after all.
She lay down on the bed, those round eyes looking at him with a watery sheen. Her voice was soft as she said, "I'm willing to bear a child for you, my lord."
He'd only said one pretty sentence, and Huai Zhi had already opened her body to him. Looking at his simple, naive wife, Cui Jingci's gaze couldn't help but grow deep and dark.
Foolish woman—a few sweet words and she was already dizzy with delight. Didn't she know what honeyed words hiding a blade meant? One sentence from him and she was moved and believed it as truth? Truly a village woman who couldn't even read—so stupid, so easy to deceive.
Cui Jingci reached for something and brought it over. Huai Zhi thought it felt like oil, and she asked him, "Why do you need that? Oil is for stir-frying."
Cui Jingci said, "It's not the kind of oil you eat. Anyway, using this will make it less painful for you. You were in a lot of pain last time, weren't you?"
Hearing him say this, Huai Zhi didn't continue asking, but seeing him lower his gaze and stare at her until her face flushed hot—even without the oil, she felt somehow damp—she felt a bit embarrassed, and extended that slender little arm to cover her face, unwilling to look anymore.
He began. Perhaps having learned from the failed experience last time, he wouldn't miss the spot again.
Indeed, it wasn't as painful this time. Unlike last time, when even a single movement from him nearly made her faint.
Huai Zhi had only eaten a few mouthfuls of rice at home that evening. She had clearly been hungry, yet now she inexplicably felt extremely full.
A sensation she couldn't name or describe gradually spread through Huai Zhi's body—she couldn't understand what this fullness was.
He… why was he so urgent?
Huai Zhi felt this was completely different from the very first time. Wouldn't he get too worked up like this and something go wrong?
The flesh on her body was jumping and bouncing about, and she couldn't help but reach out to shield herself.
The veins on Cui Jingci's forehead pulsed. Noticing her action, he sneered inwardly—pointless gesture, what could she possibly cover with that?
His wife seemed to enjoy self-deceiving actions, still hiding and covering even in such a state.
Cui Jingci's gaze fell upon her chest, and suddenly he asked another question that made one tremble with shame. He stared straight at her and asked, "Why… is that place… not thin?"
She was so thin everywhere else, so why was there a place that wasn't?
Wouldn't his child in the future eat better than him?
Huai Zhi flushed even more deeply all over at his question, but hearing his tone, it didn't seem like he was teasing—he was probably just curious.
She bit her lip and turned her face away, saying, "I don't know either."
Cui Jingci suddenly applied a bit more force. Caught off guard, Huai Zhi let out a few sounds from her throat before she could stop herself.
Huai Zhi hadn't wanted to make such noises. At that moment, everything seemed to overlap—like when she was a child sleeping at home and would hear unspeakable sounds in the middle of the night. It seemed to follow the same sequence: first a clattering of bumping noises, then other rustling sounds.
After it was over, Huai Zhi collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion, unable to move. Compared to Cui Jingci, that "frail one," she looked like she'd given out first.
Her eyes were slightly wet as she looked at Cui Jingci's expression, tearful and glistening, as if someone had bullied her to death.
A hint of grievance could still be heard in her voice—she seemed to be accusing him: "Aren't you supposed to be incapable?"
Cui Jingci looked at her, lowering his gaze to stare at that small mouth of hers—bright red, her lips seeming swollen.
His voice was somewhat hoarse as he softly countered, "When did I ever say I was incapable? My body may be weak, but that place isn't."
Huai Zhi felt he was twisting things. The way he'd been the first time, and now—how was he like a different person? What on earth had he gone through in just a few days?
But suddenly, Cui Jingci bent over the edge of the bed and coughed violently, his face turning red from the effort. Huai Zhi was startled, scrambling up from the bed in one motion, and went to fetch him water in her bare state. After drinking, Cui Jingci finally recovered somewhat, though his complexion was still terribly pale.
Seeing him like this, Huai Zhi assumed it was because he'd exerted himself too much just now. She didn't dare ask further—in such a situation, there was really no need to continue asking anyway.
She asked, "Are you alright? Should I call for a physician?"
Cui Jingci shook his head, eyes lowered, and said, "My body—please bear with me."
"I understand." Huai Zhi, afraid that Cui Jingci might die, said with reddened eyes, "But you must be more careful next time. You moved too forcefully."
Forcefully?
Cui Jingci thought, is that what counts as forceful? He looked down at Huai Zhi, taking in the woman before him—her head nearly buried in her chest, bare-skinned, still bearing some marks he had left on her.
He curved his lips almost imperceptibly and said, "Alright, I'll be mindful."
Cui Jingci thought, though Huai Zhi was lowly, she was fragile. She was still very thin now—he would need to fatten her up a bit.