Chapter 51

Chapter 51

As they were to consummate their marriage that evening, Su Qingruo spread out the bridal quilt he had brought all the way from Qiuping County.

At the time, Yun Zhangxie had suggested leaving it behind, saying they could buy new ones in the capital. But Su Qingruo, having few possessions of his own, had insisted on bringing this particular quilt.

When Yun Zhangxie returned to the room that evening, his gaze immediately fell upon the red quilt, and he couldn't help but let out a soft cough.

To be honest, this was indeed his fault. He had married Su Qingruo, yet was reluctant to let him go, and delaying the consummation for so long was truly improper.

Though still feeling a little shy, once they had both washed up, Yun Zhangxie proactively made his move.

Su Qingruo was gently laid onto the wedding quilt. He felt nervous, but not afraid.

He loved Yun Zhangxie and was willing to bear his children, so he naturally didn't resist his closeness.

Moreover, they had seen so little of each other lately, and he hadn't had many opportunities to be with Yun Zhangxie. Seeing him so close now made him quite happy.

His only regret was his inability to speak; otherwise, he would have called Yun Zhangxie "husband" aloud.

Before Su Qingruo could ponder further, Yun Zhangxie stood by the bed and began to undress.

He was a scholar, refined in everything he did, with an air of scholarly grace. Coupled with his handsome features, even the act of undressing was exceptionally elegant.

Su Qingruo watched, his face growing warm. He wanted to sit up and lower the bed curtains, but as soon as he began to rise, Yun Zhangxie gently pressed him back down onto the bed.

Yun Zhangxie lowered his gaze and said to him, "My dear husband, just lie back. Leave everything else to me."

By then, Yun Zhangxie was wearing only a simple white underrobe.

He reached out to pull down the bed curtains, then leaned over to unfasten Su Qingruo’s clothes.

Su Qingruo hadn't thought much of it before, believing that as Yun Zhangxie’s husband, it was only right for them to consummate their marriage and have children.

But as Yun Zhangxie lowered his head, his unbound long hair falling beside Su Qingruo’s face, he suddenly realized just how incredibly close they were.

Noticing Su Qingruo’s shyness, Yun Zhangxie considerately left some of his clothes on.

It was said that the first time could be a bit painful for a male spouse, so Yun Zhangxie took his time, coaxing and reassuring him.

"Don’t be afraid, husband. After the first time, it won’t hurt anymore."

They hadn't even begun yet, and Su Qingruo couldn't help but look bewildered at these words.

Did it hurt?

The young wives and husbands in the countryside all said it felt good.

Hearing Yun Zhangxie say this now made Su Qingruo feel a little afraid.

He covered his face with his hands, not wanting to look, wishing he could hide like a turtle in its shell.

But Yun Zhangxie, seeing this, did not let him have his way.

Yun Zhangxie lifted the hem of his clothes, had Su Qingruo hold it himself, and then pressed his entire body down…

The next morning, when Su Qingruo awoke, Yun Zhangxie had already returned to the academy.

Their academy had strict rules, and although Yun Zhangxie had wanted to ask for leave to stay with him…

Later, when the study attendant came to fetch him, Yun Zhangxie was too shy to let everyone know that he and Su Qingruo had consummated their marriage the previous night, so he followed the attendant back to the academy to study.

He made sure to leave Tian Sang behind, specifically instructing her to keep a close eye on Su Qingruo in case he felt any discomfort.

It was only then that Tian Sang learned that the young master and his husband had finally consummated their marriage.

He was quite pleased and stayed quietly by Su Qingruo’s side in the room.

When he saw his master awake, he brought warm water to gently wipe his face.

The previous night, Yun Zhangxie and Aunt Liang had helped Su Qingruo bathe.

Since he had already been washed, he didn't feel any strange stickiness upon waking.

But soon, memories of the previous night flooded Su Qingruo’s mind, and he slowly began to blush from head to toe.

He glanced at Tian Sang, who was attending to him, and understood that this must have been Yun Zhangxie’s arrangement.

Truthfully, at this moment, he would rather be alone than have someone wait on him.

By noon, Liu Shi also learned about his consummation with Yun Zhangxie and instructed Aunt Liang to stew a pigeon for him.

Liu Shi felt that Su Qingruo was still too thin.

A plumper, stronger male spouse would have an easier time carrying a baby to term safely.

That evening, Yun Zhangxie did not stay at the academy as usual; instead, he made the long journey back by carriage.

Since they had just consummated their marriage, he didn’t want Su Qingruo to overthink things; it was better to stay by his side.

When Yun Zhangxie returned, Su Qingruo was making a face as he drank a tonic.

After having pigeon soup at noon, Liu Shi had sent for a doctor in the afternoon, insisting that the doctor prescribe something to help him recover.

Fortunately, the physician was a woman. Upon discovering that he had just lost his virginity the day before, she prescribed some nourishing medicine without showing any other reaction.

Liu Shi had personally brewed the tonic, so Su Qingruo had to drink it whether he wanted to or not.

Just as he was reluctantly taking small sips with a pained expression, Yun Zhangxie returned with the study attendant.

Yun Zhangxie came straight to see him and was startled to find him frowning while drinking medicine.

"What’s wrong? Why are you taking medicine?"

Afraid of being misunderstood, Su Qingruo quickly got up, found paper and a brush, and explained the situation to him.

After reading, Yun Zhangxie smiled. "If you don’t want to drink it, then don’t."

Su Qingruo hesitated, furrowing his brows slightly. Since Liu Shi had personally brewed it, refusing might not be appropriate.

Noticing his concern, Yun Zhangxie said with a smile, "It’s alright, I’ll talk to Mother about it. All medicine is a little toxic—even tonics can be harmful if taken excessively."

With that, Yun Zhangxie poured out the medicine.

Liu Shi’s intentions were good, and Su Qingruo’s body indeed needed nourishment.

If Yun Zhangxie didn’t have the Spirit Spring, such restorative medicine would indeed be beneficial.

But now, with the superior Spirit Spring in his possession, there was no need for such medicine.

As for Liu Shi, he would go and have a good talk with her. She wasn’t one to be unreasonable.

Seeing Yun Zhangxie pour out the medicine and then pull out a pack of pastries from his sleeve for him, Su Qingruo’s spirits immediately lifted.

"Have these first. I’ll go speak with Mother and be back soon."

With that, Yun Zhangxie went to Liu Shi and explained the matter of Su Qingruo taking the medicine.

Liu Shi had a good temperament and didn’t like to meddle. Seeing that Yun Zhangxie didn’t want Su Qingruo to take the tonic, she didn’t argue or take offense with her son.

Once Yun Zhangxie confirmed that Liu Shi agreed not to give Su Qingruo random tonics anymore, he remembered the issue with her eyes.

"By the way, Mother, have your eyes improved?"

He had sent her Eye-Brightening Pills a long time ago, but wasn’t sure if they had worked.

Hearing her son mention this, Liu Shi’s eyes lit up.

"If you hadn’t brought it up, I might have forgotten. Those two pills you sent were very effective. Before, my eyes weren’t good, and I couldn’t see clearly at night. After taking them, my eyesight got much better."

"I’m glad they helped. If I run into that doctor again, I’ll ask for a couple more."

Liu Shi chuckled. "Didn’t you say he’s hard to pin down? Such skilled physicians are often eccentric. You don’t even know where he is now—no need to trouble yourself over this for my sake."

Since there was no such physician to begin with—Yun Zhangxie had only made it up to justify producing the pills—he didn’t press the matter further, keeping his options open for bringing out more things in the future.

After chatting a while longer, Yun Zhangxie returned to Su Qingruo.

By then, Su Qingruo had already finished the pastries Yun Zhangxie bought for him.

Knowing Su Qingruo loved sweets but not wanting him to overindulge at night, Yun Zhangxie had only bought a few pieces on purpose.

Seeing they were all gone, he took out a handkerchief and wiped Su Qingruo’s mouth.

"I’ve been thinking—studying is important, but not as important as you. From now on, I’ll come back every day so I can spend more time with you."

Su Qingruo looked at him with concern.

Their academy was quite far. If Yun Zhangxie returned daily, wouldn’t that be exhausting?

Noticing his worry, Yun Zhangxie smiled. "It’s fine. Your husband’s health is much better now. This little effort is nothing to me."

Indeed, Yun Zhangxie’s health had improved significantly. Between the rich meals at the main household and secretly drinking Spirit Spring water, he’d visibly improved.

This hadn’t gone unnoticed by Su Qingruo—nor by the main Yun family household, who, seeing his improvement, had eased up on him.

Last night had been rough for Su Qingruo.

When Yun Zhangxie held him at bedtime, he had been tense—until he realized Yun Zhangxie only meant to embrace him, not take things further, and relaxed.

Having only had his first time the day before, and with them having done it twice, Su Qingruo was concerned about both his own stamina and Yun Zhangxie’s.

There was no hurry to have children. Su Qingruo felt they could take their time—there was no need to force everything in a single day.

The next morning, Yun Zhangxie set out for school at daybreak.

Hunter Chen, who usually had little to do, offered to drive Yun Zhangxie upon hearing he’d return daily.

This way, he could get out in the mornings and evenings for some activity.

With no errands to run and no chores like cooking or laundry, he had been going stir-crazy cooped up in the front courtyard.

Now that there was work to be done, he took on the job of driving the carriage.

After dropping Yun Zhangxie off, Hunter Chen bought some firewood on the way back.

The capital might be grand and prosperous, but everything cost money—even firewood, which had once been plentiful in the hills.

Tossing the firewood into the backyard, he bumped into Qing Shan.

She smiled at him, though the scars on her face made the expression a bit unsettling.

Noticing his gaze, she touched her cheek awkwardly. "Sorry if I startled you."

Hunter Chen shook his head. As a tough guy accustomed to gruesome sights, her scars didn’t bother him.

But knowing women cared about their appearance, he recalled a letter from a friend mentioning some new Beauty Cream.

Supposedly, it could beautify skin, remove scars, and reduce wrinkles. His friend’s beloved had even promised to marry him if he could get his hands on two bottles.

The cream was hard to find and pricey in Yuanzhou Prefecture. His friend had written to borrow money for it.

If the cream really worked that well, should he try to get some?

The Beauty Cream sold in Yuanzhou Prefecture was actually Yun Zhangxie’s own formula. During last year’s Provincial Examination, Yun Zhangxie had given some to the He family head.

After moving to the capital, the He family wrote requesting more, so Yun Zhangxie made more—about two hundred bottles’ worth—for them to collect in person.

Using a limited-supply strategy and marketing it as high-end, two hundred bottles would last the He family a while.

When the He family came for the goods, they paid him his cut from the previous batch.

They had a clear deal: the He family took care of packaging and selling, while Yun Zhangxie provided the formula and materials.

They divided the earnings 30-70, with Yun Zhangxie getting the bigger cut.

If not for being a scholar with limited connections—and his uncle and cousin’s delicate positions—Yun Zhangxie could have sold it himself.

But as it stood, he didn’t have the time or means, leaving the He family to benefit from the arrangement.