Qinghe naturally understood what Qin Xiao meant.
Fate had brought her to this point, and there were some things she could no longer avoid.
All she hoped was that once he had taken her, he would keep her.
Since she would be serving him that night, it made sense to eat a little more. He was built like an ox. Even if he did nothing, his sheer weight could probably flatten her.
Still, the thought that she was eating not simply to satisfy her hunger but for what would come later made her cheeks burn.
Her face nearly disappeared into her rice bowl.
After washing the dishes with the remaining hot water from the stove, she went to the bathhouse and took a bath before returning to the bedroom.
Night had fully fallen.
Three oil lamps had been lit in the room. One of them she recognized as the lamp from the kitchen.
The room was bright enough to rival daylight.
Even the patterns woven into the bed curtains were clearly visible.
Qin Xiao had already removed his outer clothes. Wearing only a pair of loose shorts, he reclined against the headboard.
His muscles were thick and powerful, every inch of his body taut with strength. The hard lines of his physique looked as though they had been forged from iron.
Even though she had prepared herself mentally, the thought of what was about to happen made her ears turn crimson.
Her heart pounded so hard it felt as though it might burst from her chest.
She shuffled cautiously toward the bed.
Her gaze landed on an arm thicker than her thigh, and she swallowed nervously.
The fingers hidden within her sleeves dug into her palms.
“M-my hair isn’t dry yet. Please let me dry it a little longer.”
Her voice trembled.
Even a small delay was better than none.
She was afraid.
Back in the prince’s manor, she had often overheard the young servant girls gossiping outside their masters’ chambers.
They always said the first time hurt.
If the man was gentle, perhaps it would not be so bad.
But the man before her…
Nothing about him suggested gentleness.
The moment she finished speaking, the figure on the bed suddenly sat upright.
His gaze was as deep as a frozen lake, fixed on her like a wolf staring at its prey.
His heavy breathing rose and fell with his chest.
Like a mountain wind howling through the wilderness.
A powerful force seized her hand.
The next moment, she stumbled forward and landed in his lap, crashing into his hard chest and leaving her cheek numb.
Qinghe clenched her fists against her chest and shut her eyes tightly, unable to meet the scorching intensity of his gaze.
A rough palm slipped beneath her clothing.
The thick calluses brushed against her skin, leaving behind both prickling discomfort and strange numbness.
Her entire body tensed.
Grinding her teeth, she braced herself for whatever came next.
Just as his hand was blocked and his fingers began to press forward, a loud knock suddenly sounded at the courtyard gate.
“Qin Xiao, come out. Your mother wants a word with you.”
The woman calling herself his mother sounded angry and self-important.
Anyone could tell she had come to confront him about something.
Qin Xiao had been completely absorbed in the excitement of exploring a woman’s body for the first time.
The interruption instantly wiped away his pleasure, replacing it with irritation.
His movements halted.
Qinghe quietly released a breath of relief.
Without looking away from her, Qin Xiao shouted through the thin wooden wall.
“Whatever it is, tell me tomorrow.”
Qinghe wanted to remind him that it was his mother outside.
A son should greet his elders when they called for him.
But she didn’t dare.
From his tone alone, it was obvious that his mother was far less important to him at that moment than she was.
“Come out!”
“If you don’t explain yourself today, I’m not letting this go!”
Madam Qin shouted again.
Anger darkened Qin Xiao’s brows.
Reluctantly, he released Qinghe.
“Stay here.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
Qinghe gathered her clothes around herself and curled into a protective posture.
“Yes.”
The courtyard gate opened.
Madam Qin’s face was long and stern.
“I heard you spent six taels today buying a convict slave?”
“Qin Xiao, what am I supposed to say to you?”
“Your younger brother is preparing for his examinations. We haven’t even figured out where the money for his books and supplies is coming from, yet you spent such a huge amount on a woman!”
“Where did that money come from?”
“Did you catch more game? Why didn’t you bring any home?”
As she spoke, she lifted her skirt and attempted to step into the courtyard.
Qin Xiao immediately blocked her path.
Madam Qin stared at him in disbelief.
What was this?
Just because a woman had entered the house, his own mother wasn’t even allowed to take a look?
She wanted to see what sort of woman was worth six taels.
Qin Xiao seemed covered in frost.
One hand rested on the gate, ready to close it at any moment.
“I’m twenty-four years old.”
“You never arranged a marriage for me, so I found my own solution.”
“Is it too much to ask that I handle my own affairs without troubling you?”
“Since you contributed neither money nor effort, there’s no need for you to interfere. Please go home.”
Listen to that.
Was that any way for a son to speak to his mother?
He addressed her respectfully, yet there wasn’t a trace of actual respect in his voice.
Qin Xiao could never understand it.
Both he and his brother had come from the same mother’s womb.
So why was he always treated differently?
His younger brother wanted to study.
Their parents immediately sent him to an academy and never allowed him near farm work.
Qin Xiao had wanted to study too.
They had simply told him he wasn’t suited for it.
Yet whenever his brother practiced calligraphy, Qin Xiao could learn the same characters after seeing them only twice.
At sixteen, he had joined the army.
He had returned only now, at twenty-four.
Eight full years.
Every bit of his military pay and rewards had been sent home.
His mother had always said she was saving it for his future marriage.
But when he returned…
There was nothing left.
His money had been used to build a large brick house for the family.
His younger brother had a bedroom.
A study.
Even a room reserved for his future children.
There was just one thing missing.
A room for Qin Xiao himself.
Had they all assumed he would die on the battlefield and never come back?
He had seen through everything.
His heart had gone cold.
He no longer wished to earn their affection.
Instead, he had purchased this abandoned house and repaired it himself, preparing to live independently.
Unfortunately, the law did not allow a son to formally separate from the family before marriage.
Madam Qin softened her expression and spoke with false concern.
“It isn’t that I don’t want to arrange a marriage for you.”
“I just thought that once your brother becomes a Xiucai scholar, our family’s status will rise.”
“Then we could find you a much better wife.”
“With a scholar for a younger brother, girls would be lining up for you.”
“There’s no need to rush.”
A bitter smile tugged at Qin Xiao’s lips.
One day, a conversation between his parents had drifted over the wall of the Qin family’s new house and reached his ears.
The words had felt like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head, extinguishing the last spark of hope he had for familial affection.
His father had said:
“We should arrange a marriage for our eldest son. It won’t look good otherwise.”
His mother had replied:
“And spend money on it?”
“If he gets a wife, won’t all the money from his hunting end up supporting her?”
“I say we delay it as long as possible. Once the second son passes the examinations, we’ll find the eldest someone barely acceptable and split the family apart.”
“Don’t let that brute of an eldest son benefit from the second son’s success.”
The moment Qin Xiao heard those words, he had turned around and left.
The two wild rabbits he had intended to give his parents as gifts ended up in his own cooking pot instead.
Now, faced with his mother’s false concern, he felt only bitterness.
The pain was gone.
“I like the one I chose.”
“I’m very satisfied.”
“You don’t need to worry about it.”
“Anything else?”
“If not, I’m going to bed.”
His mother immediately shoved a hand against the gate before he could close it.
“Yes, there is.”
“Your brother’s academy fees are due again next month.”
“It’ll cost two taels.”
“Your father and I are a little short on money right now. How about you cover it for us?”
Qin Xiao’s response was immediate.
“If you can’t afford it, then maybe he should stop studying.”
“I need to live my own life too.”
“Am I supposed to starve myself just to support him?”
With that, he slammed the gate shut.
Ignoring the curses coming from outside, he turned and walked back into the house.
His younger brother had passed the county-level qualifying exam at thirteen.
Now he was nineteen.
Year after year he sat for the Xiucai examination and failed every time.
Qin Xiao knew the examination was difficult.
But consistently ranking near the bottom was another matter entirely.
Maybe his brother wasn’t cut out for studying after all.
Why continue wasting money every month?
When Qin Xiao returned to the bedroom, he found the young woman sitting on the bed, curled into herself.
Her small head was buried against her knees.
A curtain of dark hair concealed her face completely.
Only her narrow shoulders were visible.
And they were trembling slightly.
Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders.
Shy and delicate, she resembled a begonia blossom blooming on a branch, something he could pluck with a simple stretch of his hand.
The irritation from earlier quickly disappeared, swallowed once more by another kind of desire.
He wanted to live for himself now.
He was done suppressing his own wishes.
Quickly removing his shirt, he strode to the bed.
In moments, he had stripped away most of her clothing, leaving only a thin pair of undergarments.
Humiliation and nervousness flooded Qinghe.
She wrapped her arms around herself and lowered her head.
Her long hair slid over her slender shoulders, concealing much of her chest.
She hugged her knees tightly, as though clinging to a lifeline.
Qin Xiao stood there, studying her like a priceless work of art.
Every muscle in his body tightened.
His throat bobbed heavily.
She was beautiful.
Her figure was graceful, her skin glowing softly beneath the warm lamplight.
Her features were exquisite and breathtaking.
Unable to meet his eyes, she curled into herself timidly.
Pitiful.
Fragile.
The sight stirred an unfamiliar urge within him.
An urge to bully her until she cried.
The mattress dipped.
His mountain-like frame moved closer, carrying an overwhelming warmth.
The instant his rough palm touched her back, the burning heat in his eyes abruptly faded by half.
“Injured?”