Free Web NovelChapter 37: Chapter 23: The Bridal Chamber at Night
While Zhou Lian was washing up, Li Xiu went to the kitchen and made two bowls of shredded pork and egg noodles. He brought them into the room and saw her standing on the cattail hassock, having just finished. She heard the sound and looked up at him. Seeing Zhou Lian standing there so quietly, Li Xiu suddenly felt serene. It was as if time had stilled and his life was finally complete.
"Honey, you must be hungry. Have something to eat before you rest," Li Xiu said, his voice dripping with tenderness.
"Okay, I am a little hungry. The lunch dishes were all meat, it was too rich," Zhou Lian said without holding back. ’There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. He’s been my husband for two lifetimes; I can’t really bring myself to be overly polite with him.’
Li Xiu didn’t mind her directness in the slightest. ’Besides, this is my wife of two lifetimes. I know her temper better than anyone. Her bluntness means she considers me one of her own. In our past life, when she eventually started acting polite with me, it meant she’d long stopped seeing me as her husband. Now, I’d give anything for her to just order me around as much as she pleases.’
After they finished eating, he had Zhou Lian sit and rest on the bed while he quickly tidied up the room. Watching him work so efficiently, Zhou Lian smiled. "You know how to do housework?"
"It’s nothing difficult," Li Xiu said softly, continuing with his work. "Just a little effort."
’That’s true,’ she thought. ’Even in our past life, Li Xiu wasn’t like the other village men who wouldn’t lift a finger at home after finishing their work in the fields. He would come home and help with the cooking and the children.’
When he finished his chores, he saw Zhou Lian sitting with her head lowered. He knew she must be thinking about their past life again. He walked over, gathered her into his arms, and asked gently, "What’s on your mind?"
Zhou Lian snapped out of her daze to find herself in Li Xiu’s arms. She didn’t struggle. ’It is our wedding night, after all. In our last life, our daughter was conceived right after we got married. I want to see... I want to see if this man, who’s acting so different from before, will disappoint me again.’
When he felt no resistance from her, Li Xiu was overjoyed. ’She’s forgiven me, hasn’t she? She has!’ He gently brushed the sweat-dampened strands of hair from Zhou Lian’s face and placed a soft kiss on her flushed forehead before getting out of bed to fetch some water.
Listening to his retreating footsteps, Zhou Lian wearily opened her eyes. Her gaze was shadowed and uncertain. ’Is it him? It is. Did he come back, too?’
When Li Xiu returned with a basin of warm water, he saw the troubled look on Zhou Lian’s face under the lamplight. Their eyes met, and his heart sank. ’She’s suspicious again.’ He forced a relaxed tone and said, "Honey, you must be exhausted. Let your husband help you wash up."
"How are you so, so..."
Li Xiu gave her a subtle glance and said softly, "Honey, I made a special effort to learn..."
"Where did you learn it from?"
"From a book. I picked it out myself from the salvage station. If you want to see it, I can get it for you."
After helping her wash up, he quickly tucked her into the quilt. ’It’s too cold; she can’t catch a chill.’ He then got up, pulled a cloth-wrapped bundle from under the wardrobe, opened it, and took out two books. He handed them to Zhou Lian. "Honey, take a look. They have words and pictures. They’re great."
Zhou Lian took the books. They were old, with vertical text. She flipped one open and—well now. It was filled with clear, sequential illustrations. The facial expressions were perfectly visible, and there was descriptive text underneath each panel. SLAM! Zhou Lian snapped the book shut, threw it at him, and cursed, "You damned pervert!"
Her reaction delighted Li Xiu. He caught the book and said with a grin, "Honey, it’s not perverted when it’s for you. This is called marital affection!"
Zhou Lian snorted, pulled the quilt over her head, and stopped responding to him.
Li Xiu took off his clothes and slid under the covers, pulling Zhou Lian into his embrace. He sighed softly. "Honey, honey, you..."
Zhou Lian reached out and covered his mouth. ’He’s so shameless. He’ll say anything.’
Li Xiu gently took her hand from his mouth, kissed it, and said softly, "Honey, let’s go out for a stroll tomorrow. I have something nice to show you when we get back."
Zhou Lian rolled her eyes but didn’t answer. She snuggled into a comfortable position in his arms and closed her eyes to sleep. ’I have to visit the village elders tomorrow. If I don’t get some sleep, I’ll be exhausted, and that would be embarrassing.’
Li Xiu looked down and saw that she had fallen asleep, so he didn’t tease her anymore. He gently kissed her eyelids, closed his own eyes, and tried to sleep. But he was too excited to drift off.
’It’s no wonder. The wife I’ve longed for is finally in my arms—how could I possibly sleep? I yearned for her for over thirty years in my past life, and for another half-year since coming back. Now, I’ve finally made her mine. My greatest wish in this life has come true. I’m so thrilled I want to shout it to the world: my wife, the wife I’ve always dreamed of, is in my arms! She’s mine!’
’My wedding night in my last life was basically a disaster, wasn’t it? Those damn friends of mine horsed around for half the night. By the time they finally left, my wife was so exhausted and shy she could barely sit up straight. I couldn’t bring myself to be too rough with her. Besides, I was just fumbling my way through it all myself. At least I didn’t end up embarrassing myself in front of her.’
Gazing at his wife’s sleeping face in his arms, Li Xiu heaved a sigh of relief. The woman he had longed for across two lifetimes was finally his. The constant anxiety in his heart could finally begin to ease.
’Ever since I was reborn, I’ve spent every single day looking forward to making her my wife. Now, I’ve finally brought her home. We’ll be together for the rest of our lives. I’ll dote on her, spoil her, and make her never want to leave my side.’
’The way my father-in-law and three brothers-in-law acted today reminded me of just how cherished she is by her family. In our last life, the thing my father-in-law worried about most before he passed was her. He was afraid she wouldn’t have a good life. And she really didn’t.’
’This time, I’ll make up for everything I owed her in our last life. I’ll never again let her live as if she were a widow with a living husband. If a man doesn’t cherish his own woman, who else will?’
’In the later years of my past life, I saw how men in the city doted on their women. While I might not copy them exactly, having lived a whole extra life has taught me how to make my wife happy. I’ll protect her from mundane worries and let her live a simple, comfortable life, free from financial troubles.’
’In truth, it’s less about compensating her and more about the fact that I can’t live without her. I can’t bear the thought of days without her. I don’t even know if I could go on living if she wasn’t by my side. Just seeing her smile is the greatest happiness I could ever know.’
After a jumble of thoughts, Li Xiu smiled in the darkness. ’What’s the point of overthinking everything? It’s better to just wake up early every day, make my wife something delicious, and care for her until she’s fair and plump. Besides, my wife isn’t one to easily let things go, but as long as I treat her well, even with the memories of two lifetimes, she won’t be able to truly harden her heart against me.’
’But my wife is a little too perceptive. I’ll have to be more careful from now on to avoid letting any clues slip. Otherwise, with her all-or-nothing personality, our peaceful days will be numbered!’
Li Xiu thought with a mix of delight and worry, ’Having a wife this smart is a problem in itself! I’d better keep my cover tightly sealed and not get careless or cocky. Otherwise...’ Thinking back to the silent treatment his wife gave him in their past life, Li Xiu shivered. ’That would be a terrifying outcome!’
’Still, tomorrow is the bride’s formal meeting with the elders.’ Thinking of his parents and younger siblings back at the old family house, Li Xiu frowned. It was going to be a headache. He glanced down at his wife, sleeping soundly in his arms, and his heart eased. ’Whatever. As long as they don’t cause trouble for her, I’ll let them be. It’s not like it’d be the first time they’ve embarrassed themselves, anyway!’
