Holding Xinyue horizontally in his arms, both of them stripped down to just their underpants, Xinyue, having removed the thorn from her flesh, returned to her clingy nature, hugging Yun Ye’s neck and not letting go. At the height of passion, she made purring sounds like a cat. Holding a fragrant body in his arms, with two soft mounds rubbing against his chest, the wine he’d just drunk seemed to go to his head—Yun Ye felt like he was about to explode.

This was Xinyue’s first time, so naturally he couldn’t be rough with her. As an experienced person, he knew a woman’s interest needed to be cultivated. They loved through sensory perception, unlike men who could be sufficiently stimulated visually.

For the first time, he discovered Xinyue’s skin had almost no flaws. Gently touching her earlobe with his lips, her fair body immediately took on a rosy hue, trembling slightly. Viewing a beauty by candlelight—this was the best environment, and also an excellent environment for nurturing desire.

Xinyue squinted her eyes, curling up in Yun Ye’s embrace as if wanting to completely melt her body into his. Not knowing how to vent, she just held Yun Ye tightly. He casually removed their underpants, placed Xinyue on the bed, lowered his head to take her earlobe in his mouth, and pressed his body down…

Not knowing how much time had passed, Xinyue, limp as a dead fish, let out a long breath before coming back to herself. Sweat flowed down from her breasts. Just like that, the two sticky people embraced again.

Outside the door, the old grandmother had specially not brought her walking stick today. After listening for a while, she returned to her room to sleep with beautiful dreams of holding a great-grandson, still instructing the maids outside the door to serve well. She didn’t believe Master Xin would come today to ruin things.

The red candle formed a blossom, tears flowing down. Fully awake, Xinyue looked worriedly at the white silk. The bedsheet showed patches of red, but the white silk remained pristine as before. What should she do? Tomorrow the old grandmother would look at it. She was very worried.

“Tomorrow, just give Grandmother the bedsheet—won’t that do?” Yun Ye didn’t care much. He loved Xinyue, not that protective layer even sows had.

Xinyue buried her head in his embrace, continuously bumping his chest with her head, saying repeatedly: “I’ll be laughed to death, laughed to death by Aunt and Auntie. They’ll mock me for being lewd. What should I do?”

“I can testify to that—indeed lewd. However, I like it very much. If you were even more lewd, it would be even better.” Xinyue wouldn’t agree. Her hand slapped his bare bottom with loud smacks.

Yun Ye suddenly jumped off the bed, took scissors from the basket, cut the bloodstained bedsheet into various shapes, then pinned them to the white silk with a needle. After some trimming, if he added branches, it would become a painting of red plum blossoms in snow.

He told Xinyue his plan. As a result, his great creative idea was mercilessly ignored, receiving only a two-word critique: “Vulgar.” After speaking, she carefully pressed the white silk under the pillow.

After doing intimate things multiple times, the physical exhaustion was great. Besides, they’d done it more than once. First Xinyue’s stomach rumbled, then Yun Ye’s stomach also gurgled. Only then did these two pitiful yet sweet people remember they hadn’t drunk their nuptial cups. The whole day, Yun Ye had only drunk one jar of sweet fermented rice wine sent by the kind-hearted servant, plus a belly full of liquor. Xinyue had it worse—she’d only eaten two bites of half-cooked wontons. Now both of them were hungry.

Their lower bodies were sticky and they couldn’t wear underpants. Xinyue also didn’t want to put on clothes without bathing. Hugging a blanket, she sat on the bed looking at the food on the table, drooling. Yun Ye leaped up. At times like this, the man should step up. Bare-bottomed, he got off the bed, brought up a plate of roasted suckling pig, tore off a hind leg and handed it to Xinyue.

Having never had this kind of experience, Xinyue happily received it, her small mouth tearing at it quite forcefully. The meat on the pig’s mouth had the best chew. Brothers should kiss first. An entire suckling pig went down their bellies in no time. Yun Ye got down again, brought over a teapot, and they drank mouth-to-mouth to their hearts’ content. Xinyue also didn’t use a teacup, drinking straight from the spout. The warm tea went down, and the two held up their greasy hands, using cloth napkins to wipe them. Who would have thought this stuff was very sticky and wouldn’t wipe off? Xinyue suddenly asked Yun Ye: “When you grabbed the pig just now, did you wash your hands?”

Yun Ye shook his head. They were starving crazy—who still cared about such things? Seeing Yun Ye shake his head, Xinyue suddenly went mad. Her greasy hands slapped loudly on Yun Ye’s body. Thinking she was joking around, Yun Ye also wasn’t to be outdone and used his greasy hands to slap Xinyue’s bottom too. Somehow, while slapping, the two stuck together again…

The rooster crowed the first time—still early. Yun Ye opened his eyes and pulled the blanket over Xinyue properly. Just now could be called a spring light leak. The rooster crowed three times, and Yun Ye had the thought of wringing all the chickens’ necks in the house. The rooster didn’t crow a fourth time. Apparently some good person helped him wring the chicken’s neck. The Yun family’s servants were truly thoughtful.

The sun climbed to the mountain peak. Sunlight drilled in through the window cracks, shining on Xinyue and making her feel irritated. Habitually about to get up, she discovered Yun Ye was sleeping beside her, one hand still grasping one of her breasts. The pain in her lower body told her she had become a woman for the first time.

A cry of alarm came from Yun Ye’s new room. Xinyue buried her head under the blanket, her round bottom exposed outside—purely taking care of the head and not the rear. Sleeping in on the first day of marriage—how could she go out the door?

Xiao Qiu pushed open the door, her face full of curiosity. Seeing bare Yun Ye holding bare young lady and comforting her, she turned her back and said: “The old grandmother said that yesterday the young master and young mistress were busy all day, so she specially instructed that young master and young mistress can go a bit later to pay respects to Grandmother.” After speaking, she put down the water basin, wanting to serve Yun Ye and her young lady in washing.

“Alright Xiao Qiu, you may go. My wife and I need to bathe. Have them prepare hot water—that’s all. We don’t need your service here.” Since Yun Ye didn’t want her, he wouldn’t let her get involved in extremely private matters, to avoid making it difficult for Xiao Qiu to marry in the future.

Xiao Qiu stubbornly served her young lady. It was just that the usually fragrant young lady now had a strong roasted suckling pig smell drilling into her nose. Could it be that married women would have this smell?

After bathing, Xiao Qiu supported the mobility-impaired Xinyue following behind Yun Ye to pay respects to the old grandmother. Although the sun had risen eight zhang high, Yun Ye still maintained a calm and breezy appearance. Only Xinyue almost turned to run.

The familiar courtyard, familiar people—she felt everyone was mocking her. The servants’ humble smiles fell in her eyes and completely turned into naked ridicule. Xinyue was about to cry. If Yun Ye hadn’t fooled around while bathing, perhaps they might have been earlier.

The whole family was waiting for them. The old grandmother smiled like Maitreya Buddha. Aunt and Auntie whispered to each other. Yiniang was full of curiosity. Runniang was curling her lip. Daya still sat quietly without speaking. Several little ones rested their chins on the table waiting to eat.

Yun Ye was thick-skinned, ignoring several sisters showing strange smiles at him. Generously, he paid respects to Grandmother. Usually forthright Xinyue’s voice at this time was as low as a mosquito. Finally, she handed the white silk to the eldest aunt. The eldest aunt was always heartless. With one glance, she smiled and said: “Oh, this painting is strange. Add some branches and it’s a picture.”

As a result, Grandmother snatched it away, even striking her back several times. Then she unfolded the white silk again, seemingly very satisfied, instructing Auntie to put the white silk in a wooden box. In the future, when entering the family register and adding incense to the ancestral hall, it would still be used. Now Grandmother managed the Yun family genealogy—whether or not to include someone required her approval. The old woman was extremely serious about this matter. Until now, not one branch of the Yun family had obtained the old grandmother’s recognition. In her words: “The Yun family would rather have few people than those who just make up numbers. Future descendants must each be good men with responsibility. Adding those fence-sitters will only bring trouble.”

The old grandmother pulled Xinyue into her arms, comforting her for a long time before letting her stop crying. From her bosom, she took out a wooden plaque engraved with “Yun Clan Xinyue,” four characters. Hanging the plaque on Xinyue, only then did she say: “Silly child, why cry? You and Ye’er have deep feelings—Grandmother is only happy. Seeing you harmonious and beautiful is my Yun family’s blessing. How would I blame you? Don’t mind your aunt—she’s just brainless. Wearing this plaque, you’re the Yun family’s chief grandson’s wife. In this courtyard, who dares mock you? Watch me not break her legs.”

At this time, Yun Ye and several little ones had already started eating. You feed me a spoonful, I feed you a spoonful—eating lively. Runniang was the most meddlesome, smelling Yun Ye, then leaning on Xinyue to smell, then asking Yun Ye: “Brother, did you and sister-in-law sneak roasted suckling pig?”

With this question, Xinyue couldn’t survive again. She lowered her head eating rice grain by grain. Yun Ye retorted: “Who was it yesterday fawning over Uncle Qin? I’ve doted on you for so long, yet you don’t pick fish bones for me. Tsk tsk, the way those fish bones were picked—I can’t compare. Grandmother, has Second Sister ever picked them for you? The Qin family’s second young master is no good thing, teasing my sister until she loses her soul. This won’t do. After returning to the Academy, I’ll give him a good working over for a while.”

This embarrassed Runniang into anger, yet she didn’t dare offend her brother. What if he really went to torment Qin Shuang? Caught in the middle, she wouldn’t survive. Grandmother patted Yun Ye’s head and said: “Is this how you act as an older brother, bullying your own sister? But Brother Shuang is also not bad. If it can work out, Grandmother doesn’t object. The Qin family are kind people. The eldest is marrying a princess—marrying the second isn’t bad either.”

Runniang had always been a very opinionated child. The Qin family’s second son Qin Shuang and his brother Siye often came to the Yun residence. The eldest had a wooden personality and had long been set to marry a princess, so naturally he wouldn’t have thoughts about other women. Only the second was a troublemaker, sent by the old Duke to the Academy for re-education. For some reason, Runniang had taken a fancy to Qin Second, and Qin Second also seemed to have great affection for her. Two fourteen-year-old little ones whose personalities hadn’t even stabilized yet—hastily settling the marriage now, if there were changes in the future, Runniang wouldn’t even have tears to cry.

“Grandmother, though Qin Second’s personality is lively, his nature is still kind. Your grandson doesn’t object either. If there are no major changes after two years, it won’t be too late for us to consider this match. After all, the Qin family hasn’t made a sound. There’s no need for the Yun family’s daughter to eagerly push forward, lest we lower our status.”

Hearing Yun Ye’s words, Grandmother nodded in agreement. The eldest aunt also said good. She understood what kind of temperament her own daughter had. Only Runniang, face red, lowered her head without speaking.