Chapter 974 - 416: Newlyweds
Yueyao’s biological clock was very punctual, and she woke up as soon as it was time. As she woke up, Yueyao felt uneasy, and as she raised her head, she saw the large head of An Zhichen.
People who practice martial arts are very alert, and as soon as Yueyao moved, An Zhichen woke up, holding her, he said, "It’s not dawn yet, go back to sleep!"
Yueyao glanced outside and roughly knew what time it was. Yueyao wanted to get up but felt helpless, so she closed her eyes and continued to sleep.
When she woke up again, An Zhichen was no longer beside her. Yueyao saw the sunlight streaming through the window into the room. Yueyao asked loudly, "What time is it?"
Upon knowing it was near noon, Yueyao got up to dress. An Zhichen walked in from outside, smiling as he said, "If you’re still tired, sleep some more."
Yueyao glanced at An Zhichen, turned her head, and continued to dress. An Zhichen thought of yesterday’s events and smiled.
Nanny Hua came in and said, "Miss, the herbal bath is ready, you can go for a wash." This herbal bath was specially prepared by Nanny Hua, generally, people with family background would give the bride a soak the morning after, as it is beneficial for the bride’s body.
Yueyao got dressed and hurried to the clean room. An Zhichen was left behind, laughing, thinking that his wife being too shy is not good, she needs to be more relaxed.
After the herbal bath, Yueyao came out to have lunch with An Zhichen. The lunch was delicately prepared. The kitchen maid knew Yueyao preferred vegetarian dishes, while An Zhichen liked meat, so she made four meat dishes, four vegetarian, and a soup.
Yueyao noticed An Zhichen eating only meat and couldn’t help but add some vegetables to his plate, "You can’t just eat meat, you have to eat vegetables too." Always eating rich food is not the way to health.
An Zhichen looked at Yueyao, nodded, and casually added a piece of fish to Yueyao’s bowl, "Just eating vegetables won’t do either, look at you, you’re too thin."
Upon hearing this, Yueyao was embarrassed. With her figure, she was definitely considered plump among women, or rather robust, yet now she was told she was thin.
After lunch, An Zhichen took Yueyao out of the room. They came to the courtyard, An Zhichen said, "I’ve thought a lot, and I don’t know what to plant in the Main Courtyard, I’ll leave it to you to decide."
The Main Courtyard was empty, with nothing there, it seemed a bit desolate compared to Lanxi Courtyard and Begonia Garden. Yueyao thought for a moment and said, "I would like to plant a Bodhi tree, what do you think?"
An Zhichen turned his head sharply, thinking that since Yueyao had married him, she should no longer be contemplating becoming a nun.
Xiang Wei, standing behind, seeing An Zhichen’s attitude, instantly understood what he was thinking, chuckling to herself, it seemed now not only she was worried the lady would become a nun.
Yueyao looked at An Zhichen’s expression and quickly understood, smiling, she explained, "In Sanskrit, Bodhi means enlightenment and wisdom." Actually, Bodhi mainly serves to calm the mind and encourage contemplation.
An Zhichen complied with Yueyao’s wish, "If you think planting a Bodhi tree is good, then let’s plant a Bodhi tree!" Quickly, he needed Yueyao to give him two children, so she wouldn’t entertain thoughts of becoming a nun.
An Zhichen took Yueyao to the backyard. The backyard of the An Mansion was only a quarter the size of Begonia Garden, yet, chrysanthemums were planted in the backyard, and an osmanthus tree was transplanted.
An Zhichen, seeing Yueyao’s smiling face, said, "If you don’t like it, we can remove all of these and plant whatever you like anew."
Yueyao shook her head, "I quite like it." Though not beautiful, it showed that An Zhichen was truly attentive.
The afternoon sun was gentle, the two stood under the osmanthus tree, their shadows stretched long. The wind blew, leaves gently falling, landing on both of them.
An Zhichen gently brushed the leaves off Yueyao’s shoulders.
Yueyao gazed blankly at An Zhichen, not knowing why, but she felt warm all over, as if the sunshine had reached her heart, dispelling all shadows.
An Zhichen noticed Yueyao staring at him blankly, a bit surprised, "Is there something on me?" An Zhichen never imagined Yueyao was entranced by looking at him.
Yueyao gently shook her head, "Let’s go look at the front!" Though the back garden is small, with some tidying up, it could be made very beautiful. However, it required a lot of work, not something that could be accomplished overnight.
It took half an hour for Yueyao to look over the entire mansion, then she returned to the Main Courtyard. An Zhichen said, "Yueyao, what kind of furniture do you want in the study and the studio?" The bedroom was furnished, but the studio and study were empty.
Yueyao mentioned that she had a set of rosewood furniture, "Once I finish handling things in the next few days, I’ll move those pieces over. If it’s not enough, we’ll add more."
An Zhichen smiled, a set of rosewood furniture would cost at least tens of thousands of silver. Yueyao’s dowry calculated over twenty thousand pieces of silver, he had truly married a little wealthy lady: "Once the study and studio are furnished, I’ll have your books and scrolls brought over."
Yueyao nodded.
Before long, An Zhichen’s attendant, Ah Kai, came looking for him, Yueyao saw him off, then went to bed for a nap.
Xi Yu and a few others gathered to whisper, all speaking good things about An Zhichen. Xiang Wei walked over and tapped each of their foreheads: "Whether he’s good or not depends on his future actions. It’s too early to praise him now." Unless one is dissatisfied with the marriage, which newlywed couple isn’t like honey mixed with oil?
Yueyao woke up at the early of the Shen hour, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw An Zhichen, startling her. It wasn’t that Yueyao was timid, she just hadn’t adapted yet.
An Zhichen smiled and said, "You’ll get used to it over time."
After Yueyao got up, she asked Xi Yu to bring over the two garments she made for An Zhichen: "I made these based on memory, see if they fit. If not, we can make adjustments."
An Zhichen was somewhat surprised. He put on the clothes; they were neither too big nor too small, fitting perfectly: "They’re just like they were custom-made."
Yueyao smiled.
Xi Yu chimed in from the side, "The Master doesn’t know, the young lady has sharp eyes. Once she sees something, she remembers it clearly." What wasn’t said was that her drawings were almost like the real person, without any difference.
Yueyao playfully scolded, "Mind your own business."
Xi Yu smiled and took a tray outside.
Yueyao asked about the Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion. Even though he was adopted, An Zhichen was still the biological child of Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion, so they definitely had to visit.
An Zhichen was in a good mood, but when Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion was mentioned, his expression soured: "No rush, we can talk about it after you return home." To be honest, An Zhichen genuinely didn’t want to go to Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion, but he knew they had to make the visit.
Seeing this, Yueyao said, "You don’t have to worry about me, I can handle it." Since the uncle and aunt from the separate household didn’t live together, it was enough to maintain superficial courtesy, so there was nothing to worry about.
After thinking about it, An Zhichen said, "Yueyao, in the future, don’t associate with the people from Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion. If they invite you, don’t go." The Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion was chaotic, and An Zhichen was afraid that they’d be tainted by their messiness.
Yueyao had heard from Xiang Wei about the happenings in the Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion, including the Second Master’s issues with his cousin. She nodded gently, "Don’t worry, even if we have to go, I’ll go with you."
Yueyao talked to An Zhichen about some internal affairs, and An Zhichen remembered something, turned around, and went out. He came back shortly, carrying a brocade box which he handed to Yueyao. Inside the box were all of An Zhichen’s belongings.
An Zhichen said with a smile, "Besides these, I also have earnings from a seafood business partnership in Haikou, which brings in twenty to thirty thousand a year. So, there’s no need for you to save silver for me." An Zhichen didn’t want to use Yueyao’s dowry. No matter how wealthy his wife was, as a man, he wouldn’t spend his wife’s money.
Yueyao looked at the things in the brocade box and laughed, "Xiang Wei said you’re poor. If she saw these assets of yours, she surely wouldn’t say that again." Although An Zhichen wasn’t as rich as her, he was by no means poor. Aside from the business in Haikou, his other properties also brought in five to six thousand a year, which was sufficient for the two of them.
An Zhichen knew Xiang Wei’s background, and hearing this didn’t bother him.
Yueyao also shared her plans with An Zhichen: "In a couple of days, Nanny Deng will send over the six maids she’s trained. As for the coarse maids, I plan to buy them outside." The current issue wasn’t about the maids but rather about the house servants and guards.
An Zhichen smiled and said, "You don’t have to worry about that, I’ll take care of it."
Yueyao initially intended to manage household affairs, but An Zhichen told her to rest: "There’s no rush, we can handle it slowly after you return home."
They couldn’t just sit quietly without talking. Yueyao knew that talking about painting and calligraphy wouldn’t interest An Zhichen, so she smiled and said, "Tell me about your experiences in Haikou. I heard the sea not only has storms and waves but also pirates."
An Zhichen picked some interesting stories to share with Yueyao.
Yueyao listened intently, occasionally asking An Zhichen questions. Seeing Yueyao’s interest, An Zhichen talked more enthusiastically.
The conversation continued until it was time for dinner.
At night, Yueyao was worried An Zhichen might not be satisfied like the previous day. Surprisingly, An Zhichen did nothing but hold her to sleep.
Yueyao sensed An Zhichen’s desire, but seeing he made no further moves, An Zhichen gently said, "Don’t move, if you do I might not be able to hold back." They were to return home the next day, and if Yueyao lacked energy and became a laughingstock, given her pride, she would surely be annoyed.
Yueyao realized it was because of the return home the next day, and felt a bit moved, "Thank you, husband."
This term of endearment made An Zhichen feel completely relaxed: "You’re silly, between husband and wife, there’s no need for thanks!" Yueyao’s response was much better than he had anticipated.
That night, it was Xi Juan and Ruo Xiao who kept watch outside. Keeping watch was generally for the master’s needs during the night, so it was convenient to have someone outside. But unless there was a special situation, Yueyao normally slept through until morning, so keeping watch wasn’t tiring.
The two heard the silence from the room and fell asleep themselves.