Good looks couldn’t be eaten, and Liu Ye’er wasn’t as focused on appearances as Yu Qian’er.
Liu Ye’er was quite envious of Yu Qian’er. She was lively and mischievous but lived happily. If she married the big dark fellow, they would surely be a perfect match. That big dark fellow wouldn’t dare mistreat Yu Qian’er, if only for the sake of the young lady. In the future, if they had a son and received favor, they might even be freed from slave status. Even if they couldn’t take the imperial examinations, it wasn’t impossible to become a minor official.
But to be a concubine for the young master? Liu Ye’er felt a bit gloomy. If the young master could spare her a glance when passing by, Liu Ye’er might be a little more willing.
But it never happened.
Liu Ye’er had long since grown accustomed to it. No one would notice a little maid like her in the shadow of her mistress.
Liu Ye’er was well aware of Ji Cheng’s methods and abilities. She had watched how Ji Cheng left Ling Ziyun, and how she was forced to marry into the Shen family. If it were Liu Ye’er herself, she would surely have been resentful and unwilling. Even if she couldn’t cause mutual destruction, she would at least have made a fuss. But her young lady didn’t.
Her young lady always managed to find the best way to survive in adversity in the shortest time possible. Her ability to turn things around was admirable. Now, who could tell that she had once been ruthless enough to try to kill her current husband?
Liu Ye’er knew that her young lady would surely thrive in the Shen family. As for herself, if she married the young master, it would just be a title. She could never surpass her young lady, and Liu Ye’er was content with this. But what about her children? She didn’t want her children to always be inferior to others.
Liu Ye’er was a bit older than Ji Cheng, and she also longed for youth, especially for a handsome young gentleman like Shen Che. His every move exuded endless charm, and just a glance could make a girl’s heart race.
Unfortunately, Liu Ye’er had been with Ji Cheng for a long time and had learned her rationality. She could see that the relationship between her young lady and the young master was very deep. On the surface, they were cordial and even loving, but the bed sheets were clean every morning.
Because Liu Ye’er washed Ji Cheng’s bed sheets herself every day, not allowing anyone else to do it. Even if others wanted to pry, they couldn’t overcome Liu Ye’er’s loyalty.
Loyalty aside, Liu Ye’er had no desire to be caught in the crossfire between her young lady and the young master’s divine battle. Moreover, the young master had never spared her a glance.
Yu Qian’er waited for Liu Ye’er’s response but received none, so she shook Liu Ye’er’s arm and said, “Sister, say something! This is such a great blessing, others can only envy it.”
Liu Ye’er’s face turned cold as she said, “If it’s such a blessing, why don’t I give it to you?”
Yu Qian’er fell silent at this, sticking out her tongue playfully. “You don’t want it, do you? Then you should tell the young lady, otherwise, if she makes up her mind, it’ll be too late.”
Liu Ye’er glanced at Yu Qian’er, suspecting there was more to her words.
Yu Qian’er dropped her pretense now, smiling sheepishly, “I was indeed testing you earlier.”
Liu Ye’er gave Yu Qian’er’s head a light smack, saying, “You’ve learned to be naughty too.”
Yu Qian’er hugged Liu Ye’er’s arm and shook it, saying, “I’m just concerned about you, sister. We’ve grown up together, what kind of relationship do we have? I was afraid you hadn’t seen things clearly, so I wanted to test you.”
Liu Ye’er laughed and asked, “What haven’t I seen clearly?”
Yu Qian’er said, “Although people outside say our young master is unrestrained, I don’t think that’s the case. Look at the two sisters in the house, Nishang and Yuyi. They’re not particularly outstanding in looks, and the young master doesn’t treat them any differently.”
Yu Qian’er’s words were a bit unfair. While Nishang was indeed ordinary, Yuyi could be considered pretty. Of course, compared to Ji Cheng and her maids, they did seem a bit plain.
“And look at us, has the young master ever given us a second glance? Sister, have you noticed that every time the young master comes, his eyes are only on our young lady?” Yu Qian’er said.
Liu Ye’er understood Yu Qian’er’s meaning now. Despite her young age, she was quite perceptive. Whether she truly liked the big dark fellow or not was beside the point, but at least she had let Ji Cheng know that she had someone else she liked.
Liu Ye’er sighed, thinking that despite considering herself attentive, she wasn’t as calculating as Yu Qian’er.
While Liu Ye’er was pondering how to subtly express her intentions to Ji Cheng, Ji Cheng had already fallen asleep. Entertaining guests from noble families, where every word and action had to be carefully considered, was more exhausting than anything else, naturally making it easy to fall asleep.
In the morning, when the first ray of sunlight shone through the curtains onto the bed, Ji Cheng blinked her eyes and habitually started rolling in bed with the blanket, preparing to get up.
However, after rolling halfway, she encountered a warm obstacle.
“This habit of yours before waking up hasn’t changed,” Shen Che’s laughing voice sounded near Ji Cheng’s ear.
Ji Cheng’s eyes flew open, and she retreated a bit, “Why are you here?”
Shen Che was wearing only his undergarments, his collar loosely revealing a small patch of chest. He seemed to have gotten a bit darker, and his flesh appeared more toned.
“Weren’t you sleeping upstairs?” Ji Cheng hastily added.
“I was busy until midnight last night, and I was too lazy to make the bed. Besides, your bed is big enough,” Shen Che said as he lifted the blanket to get up.
Due to the height difference, Ji Cheng, lying on her side in bed, found her gaze falling directly on Shen Che’s hips.
How to put it… it was majestic.
Ji Cheng almost choked on her saliva as she averted her eyes.
Shen Che bent down to look at Ji Cheng, “Why is your face suddenly so red?”
This man was truly shameless. That thing was right in front of Ji Cheng’s eyes, and she could only curse her wide field of vision, as even when she turned her head, she could still catch a glimpse from the corner of her eye. Ji Cheng’s neck was almost twisted trying to avoid it, but unfortunately, the young lady’s skin was still too thin. She couldn’t learn to tease Shen Che back, and as she was feeling awkward and unsure how to respond, she felt Shen Che’s hand touch her forehead.
“You’re not feverish,” Shen Che said, with undisguised amusement in his voice.
Ji Cheng angrily swatted Shen Che’s hand away, her face red as she muttered, “You… shameless.”
“How am I shameless?” Shen Che sat down next to Ji Cheng again, handing her the cup he was holding in his other hand.
Ji Cheng quickly took a sip, trying to cool down.
“It’s just a normal morning reaction. It would be the same even if you weren’t here,” Shen Che said in a casual tone as if discussing the weather.
Ji Cheng flipped the cup over, pouring all the water onto Shen Che’s “weather.”
Perhaps because it happened so suddenly, even someone as skilled as Shen Che didn’t react in time to dodge. The thin undergarments were soaked through, and actually, Ji Cheng was the one at a disadvantage. She wanted to cover her eyes with her hands, afraid of getting a sty, but since she was the instigator, she couldn’t lose face.
Shen Che didn’t react as dramatically or distortedly as Ji Cheng had expected. He just smiled faintly and said, “Didn’t sleep well? You can’t even hold a cup properly.” Shen Che took the cup from Ji Cheng’s hand, walked to the table to set it down, and then began to undress leisurely by the table.
Ji Cheng could tell from Shen Che’s actions that something was off. It looked like he was going to take off his pants too. “Hey, what are you doing?” she asked.
Shen Che replied, “These are all wet now, it’s uncomfortable to wear them. I need to change into something clean.”
Ji Cheng jumped out of bed with lightning speed and grabbed Shen Che’s waistband to prevent him from being indecent. Shen Che teased her, trying to snatch the waistband back.
Just as the two were entangled, they heard the door creak open. “Young Madam,” Yuyi’s voice sounded from the outer room. Shen Che turned sideways to block Ji Cheng’s body, and the incoming Yuyi only saw Shen Che’s bare back.
Yuyi’s face immediately turned as red as a monkey’s bottom. She stammered, “This servant… this servant…” Before she could finish, she quickly ran out again.
Ji Cheng only realized how disheveled she was when Shen Che held her in his arms, skin against skin. In the hot summer, she had only worn a belly band and thin silk pants to sleep.
Most critically, the ties of her belly band had come loose at some point, and Ji Cheng was too embarrassed to lift her head from Shen Che’s embrace.
Ji Cheng’s heart was racing, and Shen Che’s wasn’t beating slowly either. Ji Cheng heard Shen Che take several long breaths, then watched as he wrapped his just-removed white silk undergarment around her.
“Don’t worry, I won’t touch you when you’re not willing,” Shen Che said, biting Ji Cheng’s earlobe before gently pushing her away.
Ji Cheng cursed inwardly upon hearing this. It sounded nice, but why was his hand gripping her waist so tightly? And why did he bite her ear?
Ji Cheng hurriedly hid behind the screen, only coming out after she had changed her clothes. By then, Shen Che was already fully dressed, with his hair tied up with a jade crown.
Liu Ye’er knocked on the door outside, and Ji Cheng responded before she pushed the door open to attend to her. Seeing Shen Che seated wasn’t surprising, but she hadn’t expected Ji Cheng to be already dressed.
“Young Lady, why did you get up by yourself?” Liu Ye’er asked curiously.
The blush on Ji Cheng’s face hadn’t fully faded, and she hardly dared to look at Shen Che. Avoiding Liu Ye’er’s eyes, she didn’t know why, but even though he was fully clothed now, the image of him shirtless earlier kept floating before her eyes.
Those broad shoulders, that lean waist, and those abdominal muscles like blocks of tofu all displayed a strength completely different from a woman’s softness. Ji Cheng had never really looked at Shen Che seriously before. Back then, she truly felt ashamed, so ashamed that she didn’t even want to open her eyes.
Now, whether it was because she had grown older or because of the marriage, with fewer mental barriers, she had some strange feelings that she couldn’t express to anyone.
At the same time, Ji Cheng wasn’t the only one having such feelings. Yuyi leaned softly against the wall in her room, her mind full of the scene she had just witnessed.
That man was wearing only white silk trousers, even his feet were bare, and his skin seemed to glow. It was completely different from the rough, dark bodies of other men Yuyi had seen.
As a child, Yuyi had seen her father’s bare chest when he chopped wood in the summer. Growing up, she had occasionally seen the shirtless servants practicing martial arts in the mansion. She had always thought men’s bodies were rough and ugly.
This was the first time she felt that a man’s body could be just as attractive as a woman’s.
“Yuyi.” Nishang’s voice sounded from outside the room.
Yuyi was startled and quickly tidied her hair before responding, “Coming.”
As Yuyi was being led away, Ji Cheng was in the lowest flower hall of the Nine Li Courtyard, listening to the reports from the household managers. When they heard a commotion, everyone’s eyes swept over.
Yuyi’s mouth was gagged, and she was being carried out by two burly old women. Ji Cheng watched impassively. She was also angry about the morning’s incident, but given that Yuyi was Shen Che’s maid, she hadn’t acted rashly.
That morning, Yuyi had indeed been too anxious. She had waited for so many years, and now approaching twenty, she was desperate to accomplish something. Especially with the new mistress entering the household, so beautiful and charming, she was truly afraid that by the time her young master lost interest in the young madam, she would be old. So she sought opportunities every day.
That morning, as Yuyi was waiting in the corridor outside the main room, she heard a commotion inside, as if there was an argument. She thought this might be her chance and, disregarding all rules, burst in, hoping to mediate and make a good impression on Shen Che. She was truly afraid of not showing her virtues.
However, things didn’t go as planned. That scene not only made Yuyi weak in the knees but also made her heart as sour as squeezed green tangerine juice. Before she could even process her feelings, when Nishang called her out, she was met by two burly old women. No one even listened to her explanations.
Ji Cheng hadn’t expected Shen Che to deal with Yuyi so quickly, causing her to have an irrepressible smile at the corner of her lips. She had to admit it felt quite satisfying.
Dealing with Yuyi seemed to have a deterrent effect. Ji Cheng was still familiarizing herself with these household managers, and hadn’t even implemented the customary “three fires of a new official,” yet they were all answering and responding with utmost respect, without causing any trouble.
“Second Sister-in-law is truly capable. It’s only been a few days, and these formidable old hands are as obedient as toothless dogs under your command, wagging their tails with joy,” Li Rui said, suddenly appearing at the entrance of the flower hall, standing by the doorpost.