Liu Mentang, being a virtuous wife, couldn’t allow her husband to sleep in such a smelly state. Seeing Cui Jiu’s displeasure, she treated him like a fussy child: “My lord, just lie down. I’ll wipe you clean. We’ve just changed the bedding, and the old ones aren’t dry yet. If we ruin these with the smell, we’ll have nothing to change into.”
Cui Xingzhou, from childhood to adulthood, had never been so bluntly told he reeked of alcohol. He slightly opened his eyes, glaring at Liu Mentang, and tersely said, “Get out!”
If a maid in the prince’s mansion had been scolded like this, she would have turned pale and scurried away. But Liu Mentang simply assumed her husband was having a drunken fit. Men, after all, tend to misbehave when drunk, and even her usually modest and polite husband was no exception.
She tolerantly ignored her husband’s rudeness but didn’t hesitate to press the hot towel against Cui Xingzhou’s face again.
She could guess why her husband was in a bad mood. Ending up in Lingquan Town was undoubtedly a significant blow for him. Losing a well-established family business would be frustrating for any man.
However, using alcohol to vent wasn’t a good solution. She wanted to comfort her husband, preventing him from bottling up his sorrows and resorting to alcohol for release.
“The alcohol outside is of unknown quality and harmful to health. Next time you want to drink, I’ll ask Li Mama to buy sweet potato wine from the town’s winery. I’ll warm it for you. With warm wine in your belly and a proper bed to sleep in, it’s much better than wandering the streets at night, filling your stomach with cold air.”
Mentang’s voice, like her appearance, was pleasing but not deliberately sweet. It had a slightly low tone, refreshing and comforting.
Cui Xingzhou, seeing that he couldn’t drive her away, closed his eyes and remained silent, allowing her to wipe him. He still needed her and didn’t want to arouse her suspicions.
Liu Mentang, noticing her husband had stopped moving, assumed he had taken her words to heart. She continued softly, “As for other matters, my lord needn’t worry. Everyone has their ups and downs. Even the emperor doesn’t have everything go his way all the time. Although our home isn’t as grand as in the capital, we’re not wanting for food or clothing. If managing the business tires you, we can rent out the shop and live off the rent. I’ve calculated that even without running the business, the rent alone if we’re frugal, would be enough for our needs… I can learn from the neighborhood women to take in some sewing work. Even if it doesn’t earn much, we could buy meat now and then. With no worries about food and clothing, you can relax and go out to play chess or visit friends.”
Her words made it sound as if a celestial maiden had descended to aid a poor cowherd. All troubles seemed to dissolve like in a myth.
Hearing her enthusiastic speech, Cui Jiu slowly opened his eyes, staring at Mentang as she massaged his calves.
Mentang felt self-conscious under his gaze and touched her face, asking, “My lord, what are you looking at?”
Although Cui Xingzhou’s drunkenness had slightly subsided, his body still felt lazy. Hearing Mentang’s question, he said, “No one has ever told me I could rest. It’s somewhat moving… A small household has its advantages…”
His words were half-true and half-false, but the feeling in his heart was genuine. His mother had been weak, and from a young age, he had to compete with his father’s concubines and half-brothers. After inheriting his father’s title, he had to contend with court officials who wanted to abolish his princedom and reduce his territory.
No one had ever told him to “take a rest, go play.” Instead, they always reminded him that if he fell, everything would crumble, and there would be no chance of a comeback…
For a brief moment, Cui Xingzhou envied Cui Jiu – although he was a fallen merchant who had married a dishonored woman. According to this Liu woman’s words, things weren’t so bad after all. This carefree life seemed even better than that of a noble family.
Looking up at the woman by the bed, her long braid resting by her ear made her appear particularly lively. Her warm smile and bright eyes seemed to hold the stars of the night sky…
It was good that she had lost her memory and couldn’t recall the filthy experiences in the bandit’s lair. Once this matter was settled, he would reward her with some silver. Whether she chose to remarry or enter a nunnery would be up to her…
With these thoughts, the effects of alcohol surged again. Cui Xingzhou closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
He wasn’t worried about this woman attempting to assassinate him. If she had wanted to, she’d had countless opportunities before. As Zhao Quan had said, a woman escaping from a bandit’s lair would be grateful to him, not eager to assist the villains by throwing her life away.
The next morning, as dawn broke, Cui Xingzhou opened his eyes to see Mentang sleeping sweetly in his arms. This further confirmed her gentle nature in his mind.
If he hadn’t been drunk, he wouldn’t have shared a bed with this woman for another night. Although her reputation had already been tarnished, she would eventually need to be entrusted to someone else. If word of what happened in this house spread, her path to remarriage would certainly be more difficult. However, if she were to marry far away, it wouldn’t matter much…
Cui Xingzhou was usually a very self-disciplined person. Nights like the previous one, where he went out on a whim, were rare.
Every morning upon waking, he would practice a set of martial arts exercises to loosen his muscles and bones. Over the years, he rarely skipped this routine unless he was extremely busy.
Having woken up early today, he naturally went to the courtyard to practice. Since it wasn’t a proper training ground, Cui Xingzhou chose a short first routine. His tall stature, extraordinary bearing, and the powerful wind generated by each punch made for an impressive sight.
When Mentang woke up and didn’t see her husband beside her, she naturally got up and looked out the window. Through the half-open shutters, she saw Cui Jiu finishing his routine, wearing thin clothes and covered in sweat.
Through his sweat-soaked thin shirt, she could see that although her husband was very thin, his muscles were well-defined. He certainly wasn’t a weak scholar!
She had always preferred martial arts to literature. Originally, she had enjoyed practicing martial arts herself, but now her limbs seemed too weak due to injuries, dashing her hopes of continuing.
She hadn’t expected her husband to also enjoy martial arts, and from the looks of it, he was quite good at it. This made Liu Mentang’s heart itch with longing.
Her husband had worked up a sweat, and the newly bought bathtub could finally be put to use. Li Mama, familiar with her master’s habits, had prepared hot water early without Mentang’s instructions. She had filled the tub, adjusted the water temperature, and even added some fragrant essence from an unknown source.
After finishing his routine, Cui Xingzhou could now enjoy a leisurely bath.
As Mentang got up to wash, she undid her long braid, gathering it over her shoulder to brush slowly. After a night’s sleep, her originally jet-black waterfall of hair had become wavy due to being braided, giving her a hint of an exotic dancer’s allure. This made her jade-like arms appear even more delicate as she brushed, and her slender waist peeked through her long hair, adding a touch of allure.
As Cui Xingzhou walked in, wiping his sweat, he deliberately glanced a few times at Liu Mentang, who was arranging her cloud-like hair.
Liu Mentang felt her hands were too clumsy, unable to arrange her hair well without Li Mama’s help. She tilted her head and smiled shyly at her husband. Her crimson lips, naturally red without any makeup, contrasted with her pearl-like teeth…
When their eyes met, Cui Xingzhou turned away and entered the small room adjoining the inner chamber, where Li Mama helped him bathe and wash up.
Seeing him go in, Liu Mentang breathed a sigh of relief.
She had been afraid her husband would call her in to serve him. Earlier when she saw him practicing martial arts, her heart had already been racing. If she had to serve him up close while he bathed… The very thought made her face hot enough to fry an egg!
While the master was bathing, Li Mama efficiently prepared the meal.
Breakfast was meant to be light yet exquisite, and the few dishes Li Mama prepared were beautifully arranged.
Besides a small bowl of braised eggs and meat, there were flat beans stir-fried with cured meat, steamed egg custard with shrimp paste, and the indispensable house specialty of the Cui family from North Street – dried radish. Served with thick rice porridge, it was quite palatable.
As the two sat down to eat breakfast together, Liu Mentang brought up the matter of opening their shop. Cui Xingzhou, sipping his porridge casually, said, “You can make all the decisions about such matters. I’ll be busy studying chess with my newly accepted master in the coming days and won’t be able to attend to these things.”
Such an excuse of neglecting family business for the sake of playing chess, if uttered by anyone else, would mark them as a wastrel son, deserving a severe scolding from their wife!
However, sitting before Mentang was a refined and strikingly handsome young man. Looking into his gentle yet profound eyes, such words of disregard for worldly affairs suddenly seemed reasonable.
Mentang also felt it would be too much to ask her husband, a man of such refinement, to deal with mundane matters of money.
Moreover, given that he had lost so many shops in the capital, it was evident he wasn’t skilled in business. Why trouble her husband unnecessarily?
Besides, she had nothing else to do. She could take over these trivial matters, sort them out, and then hand over the management to her husband.
Husband and wife are one in heart and mind; how could they distinguish between yours and mine too clearly? Thinking of how her husband had cared for her when she was gravely ill, that unwavering devotion was enough to move Mentang.
So, hearing Cui Jiu’s words, Mentang immediately agreed: “In that case, leave the opening of the shop to me. Does my lord have any relatives or friends here who should be invited to support us on the opening day?”
Cui Xingzhou didn’t take Mentang’s words to heart. He had been out for one night, indulging enough in frivolity, and it was time to return to pay respects to his mother.
Last night had been an all-night gathering, and his mother, who loved watching opera, must have stayed up late and would probably wake up late. If he returned after breakfast, the timing should be just right.
So, after quickly finishing his meal, he rinsed his mouth with tea and said, “There are no relatives or friends to speak of. Don’t bother with formalities. Just prepare a few strings of firecrackers to announce the opening with some noise.”
In the future, with Liu Mentang managing the business, she will have more opportunities to interact with people. If the rebels had any intention of reuniting with their wife, there would be plenty of chances for them to make contact.
Therefore, Cui Xingzhou was pleased to see Liu Mentang take charge of the shop.
However, Mentang took this matter very seriously. After some thought, she said, “Doctor Zhao must certainly come. I wonder who he has in his family? If he has children, we should prepare some honey-coated fruits for them, shouldn’t we?”
Cui Xingzhou, already standing up and dressing, didn’t look at her as he said, “He’s been busy lately and probably won’t be able to come.”
Liu Mentang walked over to help adjust his collar, hesitantly saying, “But yesterday, the doctor sent a servant to our house with a message, saying he must be informed when the shop opens. He even asked about the opening date. It’s just that we hadn’t set a date with you, my lord, so I couldn’t give him a definite answer…”
Cui Xingzhou’s gaze paused. He hadn’t expected Zhao Quan to be so reckless as to send a servant for this purpose yesterday.