Chapter 505

Chapter 511: Domestic Life (Part 2)

What does this have to do with purity or whether the girl comes from a respectable family?

Lady Eleven grumbled inwardly, feeling a little frustrated, and couldn’t help muttering to herself, *"Lamenting, I gaze long at my sorrowful reflection, regretting that I urged my husband to seek rank and fame..."*

Had Luo Zhenxing not passed the imperial exams, given his character, whether the elder madam was alive or not, he probably wouldn’t have taken a concubine.

Though her voice was soft, Lord Xu, attentive to her, heard it clearly.

He was somewhat surprised.

Recalling her counsel when she first joined the household, and remembering how she had shed tears upon overhearing Zhu Anping and Seventh Miss’s private conversation, his lips curved faintly.

Lady Eleven seemed particularly envious of couples who could stay devoted to each other—even delighted that he had resigned his post and lived a quiet life at home.

His thoughts shifted, and he couldn’t help but look up to study his wife more carefully.

She was leaning over, tidying items in a wicker basket. Her slender fingers, with neatly trimmed nails, carefully folded socks and arranged the diagonal seams one by one. Her movements were graceful and unhurried, her expression calm and gentle. Suddenly, he remembered his childhood—waking at night to his wet nurse seated bedside, similarly unhurried as she worked on her needlework, smiling warmly as she handed him warm tea and patted him back to sleep. When he opened his eyes again, she was still there, holding freshly warmed clothes, waiting with a smile for him to rise... Life had been serene, yet deeply comforting—just like the feeling he had now.

It had been many years since he’d experienced such a sensation.

Lord Xu clasped Lady Eleven’s hand.

Under her questioning look, he found himself at a loss for words. So many thoughts rushed to his mind that he hardly knew where to begin.

Lady Eleven, however, smiled and said, *"Set your mind at ease, my lord. Early tomorrow, I’ll prepare the gifts for the new concubine and have them sent over with my elder brother..."*

When faced with unchangeable facts, one must vent their grievances and then learn to let go—lest they fester like rot in the soul. Besides, one man’s poison is another’s nectar.

Lord Xu nodded, hesitating as if he wanted to say more.

Was there something else she didn’t know?

Lady Eleven wanted to ask for details, but Xu Sijie, diligently tracing characters nearby, suddenly looked up and said, *"Father, Mother, I’ve finished..."* He then lifted the rice paper for Lord Xu and Lady Eleven to see.

Both of them smiled in unison, and Lord Xu even praised Xu Sijie: *"Well done. With more practice, you’ll write even better..."*

Xu Sijie looked at Lady Eleven, grinning like a sunlit sunflower.

Nanyong’s wife hurried over to take the child. *"My lord and madam should rest early..."*

Lady Eleven nodded. After Xu Sijie bowed, she had Qiuyu escort them out.

Lord Xu carried Jin Geer to the heated alcove to sleep before finally washing up and retiring for the night.

In the middle of the night, Lady Eleven felt her breath grew shallow and woke drowsily to the sensation of his hands tracing her body with tender exploration.

Opening her eyes, she realized Lord Xu had her tightly embraced against his chest, her face pressed to him.

No wonder she’d struggled to breathe.

*"My lord..."* She shifted slightly, discomfort melting into tingling warmth spreading through her.

Lady Eleven let out a soft *"Mm..."* and closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around Lord Xu’s neck, yielding to him.

But he wouldn’t let her bury her face against him—instead, he cradled her face, searching her gaze.

Her constitution was frail, and she seldom sought marital intimacies.

Xu Lingyi would observe her expression.

If she looked weary, he would usually withdraw immediately, letting his body gradually calm down. If she was merely flushed, he would continue caressing her gently until she was overwhelmed by the intimate atmosphere, surrendering herself to his embrace... turning their lovemaking into a banquet...

This time, however, Elevenniang buried herself in Xu Lingyi's arms, unwilling to lift her head.

"What's wrong?" Xu Lingyi had no choice but to kiss her temple and whisper soothingly.

Xu Lingyi's attitude toward Luo Zhenxing taking a concubine stirred a faint emotion in Elevenniang’s heart.

She had long understood how stubborn human nature could be—especially between men and women. Trying to make the other compromise in the name of love often ended in failure for most. Moreover, expecting Xu Lingyi, educated as a Confucian scholar-gentleman, to defy his upbringing was nothing short of a fool's dream. She also knew that when emotions overruled reason, people could endlessly compromise, yield, even lower themselves. Otherwise, why would so many abandon all their standards when meeting someone who stirred their heart?

It all came down to how deeply one felt for that person!

Elevenniang wanted to try keeping this man by her side.

With a heart full of consideration and tolerance. Just as he had set aside propriety to let the physician treat her with acupuncture when she was ill, or when he prioritized her life over family duty during the life-threatening delivery of Jin Geer...

Thinking of this, her nose tingled with emotion.

She buried her head even deeper.

Elevenniang didn’t want him to act based on her expressions anymore.

"You... always bully me..." She pressed herself tightly against him.

Xu Lingyi adored Elevenniang's rationality in handling matters, her wit in speech—never meekly submissive, yet never aggressively argumentative. He even enjoyed the playful schemes she played when insisting on her own ideas. In his leisure, he loved spending time with her, watching her pout, blush, or fume in front of him.

Hearing her words, he chuckled softly and asked, "How have I bullied you? You can't wrong me..." Yet his fingers sought the pearl at her core, teasing it gently.

Normally, Elevenniang would push at him indignantly, crying out "Xu Lingyi..." in flustered protest. But this time, she let out a soft moan. Though her body tensed, her breath quickened as she sought the warmth of his chest.

Her tender lips brushed against his scorching skin like oil flung onto fire, igniting his body with a wordless blaze.

His fingers threaded through her hair, spread like silk over the crimson pillow, cradling her head.

Her face, flushed with a blush, tilted up, her closed eyelids trembling faintly.

"Moyan..." He pressed his forehead to hers.

Elevenniang said nothing, only blushed deeper, opening herself to willingly receive him...

Xu Lingyi gasped, his movements urgent yet tender...

Daybreak was just tingeing the sky when Xu Lingyi awoke.

Elevenniang lay spent and drowsy in his arms, her skin like polished jade beneath his touch. He couldn’t resist stroking her softly for a while.

Feeling the movement, her eyelids fluttered slightly, though they didn’t open. She whimpered, "Xu Lingyi..."

Her voice was faint and small, like a kitten’s whimper.

The same tone as her helpless moans beneath him.

The corners of Xu Lingyi's lips curled into a smug curve as he murmured back by her ear.

Elevenniang shifted closer into his embrace and sank back into sleep.

Xu Lingyi sat up slightly against the headboard, toying absently with her locks, fanned like silk over the embroidered pillow.

Just like that, Elevenniang didn’t wake up.

Lord Xu bent down and kissed her forehead.

Whenever Elevenniang was completely exhausted or suddenly disturbed from sleep, she would call his name, and upon hearing his response, she would fall back into a deep sleep. It was as if his mere presence reassured her, allowing her to entrust everything around her to him.

Lost in thought, Lord Xu found himself staring at her peaceful, sleeping face.

It felt like ages ago that she had already been like this... Thinking back carefully... even during their early days of marriage, though she might have been uncomfortable, she had never feared him... If she was afraid at all, it was only of what he might do to her, not of him as a person...

As his mind wandered, he paused slightly.

Elevenniang wasn’t the type to blindly obey, yet she had never doubted him. After all, their first meeting was in the courtyard, where he was caught in an affair by Eldest Miss...

What did she think of him?

Lord Xu’s hand gently caressed her face.

Disturbed from sleep, Elevenniang frowned slightly and turned her head away.

Lord Xu stopped his touch.

Slowly, her delicate brows relaxed, and a soft, spring-like smile bloomed at the corners of her lips.

Without realizing it, Lord Xu smiled too.

He’d really liked Elevenniang yesterday.

Suddenly, she had treated him with a new intimacy and trust... No matter what he did or how, she just trembled and took it... Unlike before, when she would only yield after understanding everything.

The thought flashed through his mind, and he instinctively tucked the already tightly secured blanket around her.

His gaze inadvertently fell upon the purplish-red mark he had left on her collarbone.

Last night’s wild passion flared up in his mind like a lantern, unbidden.

His throat grew dry, his throat bobbing, and his hand began tracing the graceful curves of her body... Meanwhile, his thoughts drifted to the few secretly stashed erotic books in the house... He couldn’t recall where they were stored... Some of the illustrations had got him hot and bothered as a boy... Perhaps he could try them with Elevenniang... Though he wondered if she might shove him off the bed... If the maids outside heard the commotion, they would likely pretend nothing happened and push him back into bed...

The image of Elevenniang, fuming but helpless, surfaced in his mind.

He couldn’t help but chuckle, his resolve deepening.

"Mo Yan, Mo Yan..." He called her name softly by her ear.

Elevenniang woke with a start, murmuring a groggy "Hmm?" before Lord Xu entered her once more.

The fullness made her whimper softly, and it took a long moment before her furrowed brows finally relaxed.

Her thoughts were foggy.

Was this the third or fourth time...?

When Xu Sizhun came to pay his respects to his mother, he sensed something unusual in the room.

Though both his father and mother wore smiles, his mother’s seemed somewhat stiff, unlike his father’s, which radiated warmth from the corners of his eyes, gentle as spring sunlight.

Xu Sijie tugged at Xu Sizhun’s sleeve.

Quick-witted, Xu Sizhun asked nothing and, after responding to his father, left the room with Xu Sijie.

"Mother is ill!" Xu Sijie immediately said to Xu Sizhun. "She hadn't gotten up yet when I went to greet her this morning..."

Xu Sizhun was startled: "Is it serious? Has a physician been called..."

Xu Sijie said, frustrated: "Song Mama said there's no need to call a physician, resting for half a day will be enough!" He added, "I mean, who gets sick and doesn't call a physician?"

Xu Sizhun thought for a long while before saying: "How about... we tell Grandmother after class? If Mother is too embarrassed to call a physician, once Grandmother agrees, then there'll naturally be no hesitation..."

Xu Sijie brightened up at this: "Right, let's go tell Grandmother..."