Truth be told, Jiang Jingyi just couldn’t resist Ji Qiuyang’s composed demeanor. Seeing him look so restrained and aloof made her want to tease him. After teasing him and watching his face darken, she awkwardly added, “I take it back, I take it back.”
With a stern expression, Ji Qiuyang warned her, “We signed an agreement last night. I hope both of us will abide by it properly.”
Jiang Jingyi responded offhandedly, “Fine. But it’s not like I actually did anything to you, right? No need to be so scared.”
If she hadn’t mentioned it, it might have been fine. But as soon as she said it, Ji Qiuyang was instantly reminded of what happened the night before.
His expression turned grim, and he could no longer stay in the room. He pulled the door open and stepped out. If he stayed any longer, he was sure he’d lose his temper—this woman was too good at provoking him.
Outside, he ran into Lady Yun, who smiled and asked a question. Ji Qiuyang dared not tell the truth, brushing it off with a vague answer before hurrying away.
“The young couple seems to be getting along quite well,” Lady Yun couldn’t help but smile. She went to the door and knocked, “Sister-in-law, it’s me.”
Jiang Jingyi got up and opened the door, “Sister-in-law, what is it?”
Lady Yun was holding the fabric given by the He family. She smiled and said, “This fabric is quite nice. You should keep it to make clothes for Second Brother. Your elder brother and I don’t usually wear such fine cloth.”
“No need to stand on ceremony, Sister-in-law. It’s just some fabric. I still have some left here as well. You keep this to make clothes for Elder Brother and the two children,” Jiang Jingyi said. “Since I’ve married into the Ji family, we’re all one family. Besides, we haven’t separated households. Giving it to you isn’t giving it to an outsider. Please take it.”
Lady Yun replied somewhat sheepishly, “Then how about I make a set for Second Brother too?”
Jiang Jingyi smiled and nodded, “Alright, let’s do as you suggest.”
Lady Yun and Old Lady Ji both had good temperaments. Since Jiang Jingyi would be staying with the Ji family for a while, it was only natural to build a good relationship with them.
Ji Qiuyang went out and didn’t return until evening, coming back with Ji Dongyang. During dinner, he refused to even look at Jiang Jingyi.
The others thought the couple had quarreled and were afraid Jiang Jingyi might flip the table in anger. However, Jiang Jingyi was preoccupied with tomorrow’s return visit and didn’t notice their reactions.
After the meal, Jiang Jingyi returned to her room to rest, while the others left the table one by one. Clearing the table and washing the dishes proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Old Lady Ji called Ji Qiuyang into the inner room and whispered, “Did you quarrel with your wife?”
Ji Qiuyang immediately tensed, thinking Jiang Jingyi might have done something while he was out that afternoon. He quickly asked, “Did she do something?”
“She didn’t leave her room all afternoon,” Old Lady Ji said disapprovingly. “She may have done wrong in the past, but she’s married into the Ji family now. You should settle down and live properly with her. She doesn’t seem to have any bad intentions; perhaps her previous reputation was just rumors.”
But no matter how much it was rumored, it was a fact that Jiang Jingyi had thrown herself into his arms on the street and used every trick to force him into submission. Moreover, after observing her these past two days, he had also realized that Jiang Jingyi was indeed not a virtuous person. Whether she had ill intentions or not remained to be seen. But obviously, he wouldn’t say this to his mother.
Ji Qiuyang only replied, “I understand.”
Old Lady Ji continued, “I know you have your own ideas, but she’s just a young girl, not very old, and her family is well-off. Logically speaking, marrying into our family is marrying beneath her. You’re husband and wife. If others don’t understand her, you shouldn’t let her feel neglected. Make the most of your time at home to spend time with her. Understand?”
Hearing his mother’s earnest advice, Ji Qiuyang felt a wave of irritation. He kept his expression neutral and merely responded, “I understand.”
Ji Qiuyang left the inner room. By then, the eldest son’s family of four had returned to their room. The east wing was lit, and the cheerful laughter and conversation of the family of four sounded warm and lively. Glancing at the west wing, it was also lit, but thinking of the woman inside who never followed the rules, Ji Qiuyang felt a headache coming on.
But no matter how troubled he felt, he couldn’t spend the night in the courtyard. After getting bitten by mosquitoes twice, he had no choice but to push the door open and go inside.
Yingtao had been using a cotton cloth to dry Jiang Jingyi’s hair. When she saw Ji Qiuyang enter, she curtsied and turned to leave.
Jiang Jingyi had just bathed, and her hair was still wet. Originally, Yingtao had been drying it, but with Yingtao gone, Jiang Jingyi had to do it herself.
Women’s hair was long and thick at this time. While lush, dark hair was certainly beautiful, washing and drying it was nothing but a hassle.
Jiang Jingyi glanced at Ji Qiuyang with dissatisfaction and said, “Can you help?”
Ji Qiuyang instantly understood what this woman was up to and refused without hesitation, “What kind of behavior is that?”
With that, he picked up his clothes and went out to the bathhouse to wash up.
Jiang Jingyi scoffed, “Old-fashioned.”
Ji Qiuyang shot her a glare and left. When he returned, Jiang Jingyi was still drying her hair.
Noticing that his hair was also wet, Jiang Jingyi said, “How about this: I dry your hair, and you dry mine?”
Ji Qiuyang, exasperated, simply ignored her.
Ignoring her was one thing. As Jiang Jingyi sat by the window waiting for her hair to dry, she grew bored and softly hummed a modern pop tune. But to Ji Qiuyang’s ears, the melody sounded rather indecent. Unable to bear it, he interrupted her, “You mustn’t sing such tunes.”
Jiang Jingyi paid him no mind and even sang more sweetly. The original host’s voice was naturally lovely—soft and delicate as she pleased. Since Ji Qiuyang told her not to sing, she deliberately sang even more melodiously, like a hook tugging at Ji Qiuyang, who wanted nothing more than to cover his ears.
Fortunately, Jiang Jingyi’s hair dried quickly, and she finally stopped singing. Ji Qiuyang quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Jiang Jingyi pretended not to notice his reaction. She gathered her hair and prepared to sleep. At that moment, Ji Qiuyang’s hair was still damp. Looking at his profile, Jiang Jingyi couldn’t help but marvel—what a handsome man.
With his hair neatly tied up, paired with his aloof and untouchable expression, he exuded an aura of complete restraint. But now, with his hair down and loose, he seemed much softer, making Jiang Jingyi’s heart itch a little.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Ji Qiuyang stood up, spread the rush mat on the floor, and laid out the bedding. Recalling the mishap from last night, he moved the rush mat slightly outward, ensuring that even if Jiang Jingyi rolled off the bed, she wouldn’t land near him.
Seeing this, Jiang Jingyi raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She turned and got into bed to sleep.
Ji Qiuyang watched as she slept peacefully and finally felt some relief. By the time his hair dried, the night was deep. He hadn’t slept well last night, but surely tonight he could get a proper rest.
Unfortunately, he woke up again in the middle of the night. By the moonlight streaming through the window, Ji Qiuyang glanced at the bed. Sure enough, the woman with no sleeping manners had already draped her feet over the edge of the bed, though her head was still on the pillow. He had no doubt that with one more turn, she would definitely fall off.
Ji Qiuyang closed his eyes, trying not to look at her. But those fair, delicate feet seemed to possess a magical power, suddenly appearing before his eyes. He opened his eyes abruptly and glared at those feet, having to admit that Jiang Jingyi’s feet were pale and quite lovely.
Do not look at what is improper, do not look at what is improper!
How could a man look at a woman’s feet? Only someone like Jiang Jingyi would be so careless as to not wear socks while sleeping. But before sleeping, she had still been covered by a thin quilt. Once asleep, who would remember what state they were in?
As Ji Qiuyang was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a sound. He turned his head and saw Jiang Jingyi shift, as if about to turn over…
If Ji Qiuyang hadn’t seen it, it would have been one thing. But having seen it, he couldn’t bear to watch her actually fall off the bed. He moved two steps closer to the bed, still debating whether to push her back inside.
While he was hesitating, Jiang Jingyi did indeed move. His heart leaped into his throat, but then he saw Jiang Jingyi roll over—toward the inside of the bed.
Ji Qiuyang let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief, returned to the rush mat, and lay down, feeling a vague sense of loss.
And then he spent another half the night unable to sleep.
Jiang Jingyi, carefree and unburdened, rested very well. When she woke up, she was surprised to see Ji Qiuyang still lying on the rush mat, not yet up. Thinking about today’s visit to the Jiang family to face a house full of monsters and demons, Jiang Jingyi felt refreshed. Having slept well last night, she was full of energy today. But as she pulled the door open and stepped out, she found Lady Yun, Old Lady Ji, and the others were already up.
Noticing her emerge, Lady Yun pursed her lips and smiled at her. The look in her eyes gave Jiang Jingyi a bad feeling, could it be that they thought the newlywed couple had been so… energetic last night that they’d gotten up late?
Jiang Jingyi gave an awkward smile. Yingtao fetched water to help her wash up. It was only then that Ji Qiuyang emerged from the room, dark circles under his eyes.
Perhaps it was her imagination, but Jiang Jingyi felt that the way Ji Qiuyang looked at her today was off, as if she had done something to wrong him.
A man’s heart was as deep as the ocean. Even a kind woman like her couldn’t fathom the thoughts of this ancient man.
Catching Jiang Jingyi’s gaze, Ji Qiuyang was instantly reminded of the past two nights. Uncomfortable, he averted his eyes and went to wash up as well.
After breakfast, Yingtao helped Jiang Jingyi change into the outfit she had specially chosen yesterday, then applied makeup to create a pitiful, delicate look. Only then were they ready to go.
For the return visit, gifts were naturally required. Old Lady Ji was worried. Their family were farmers, and only because Ji Dongyang and his wife ran a small business was the household a bit better off. But compared to the Jiang family, they were still far behind. Moreover, after spending most of their money on the wedding, they could hardly put together a decent gift for the return visit.
Old Lady Ji had been fretting about this since yesterday, but this morning, she steeled herself, took out some silver, and said to Ji Qiuyang, “Go to town and buy some meat, get some wine, and buy a package of pastries. When you get to the Jiang family, apologize properly. It’s not that we don’t value this, it’s just that our means are limited.”
Ji Qiuyang understood his mother’s meaning. But this was the state of the Ji family, and being able to take out these two taels of silver now was already a stretch.
Before he could respond, however, Jiang Jingyi entered and said, “Mother, no need to trouble yourself. Aren’t there eggs at home? Pick a few eggs, that’ll be enough to show our intentions.”
Old Lady Ji exclaimed, “That won’t do! We may be poor, but we can’t disregard propriety like that.”
Jiang Jingyi replied indifferently, “It’s fine. My father is wealthy; he definitely won’t mind these things.”
“But…” Old Lady Ji hesitated, “It just won’t look good.”
Jiang Jingyi smiled without answering and signaled Ji Qiuyang with a glance before stepping out.
They took the money, but whether to actually buy something or not was up to them. Besides, she could see that Old Lady Ji, though a country woman, understood propriety. Even though the daughter-in-law’s dowry wasn’t insignificant by rural standards, she never thought of touching it. Yet, she worried that the Ji family’s circumstances might embarrass their daughter-in-law, so she did her utmost to prepare.
Jiang Jingyi understood, and so did Ji Qiuyang.
So, Ji Qiuyang took the money and, sharing an unspoken understanding with Jiang Jingyi, left the house with her and Yingtao.
Only when walking on the muddy path did Jiang Jingyi can’t help but complain. She was, after all, the daughter of a landlord’s family. Getting married with only one servant was one thing, but why hadn’t she asked for a carriage or donkey cart for transportation?
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Ji Qiuyang frowned and glanced at her but said nothing.
Yingtao considerately leaned over and whispered, “Young lady, at the time, didn’t you say that since you were marrying the young master, you wanted to share his joys and hardships, so you didn’t want one?”
Jiang Jingyi’s head immediately began to ache: It wasn’t me! I didn’t! Don’t make things up! I’m not that kind of person!
**