Chapter 8 The Wedding Night

Chapter 8 The Wedding Night

On the wedding bed, Jian Ru quietly clutched a handful of dried fruits—dates and peanuts—scattered by the bedside. The bed curtains were drawn, and red candles still burned, faintly illuminating the two wedding robes draped over the clothes rack outside.

The night was deep and quiet, with only the occasional distant bark of a dog that soon faded.

The person lying beside him was also still, only the soft sound of breathing audible.

Their shoulders weren’t touching, yet they were close enough that Jian Ru could feel the other’s body warmth permeating through the thin undergarments.

A faint, subtle fragrance lingered in the air, the same incense scent he had noticed when he met the Second Young Master at the estate.

Jian Ru’s gaze shifted from the two wedding robes to the red candle on the other side. Staring at the flame, he considered getting up to extinguish it.

He quietly released the handful of dried fruits he’d been holding and was about to rise when the person beside him stirred. Jian Ru, sensitive to the movement, instinctively tensed.

But the Second Young Master merely tugged at the quilt, pulling it up higher.

"Are you warm?" the Second Young Master asked. "My room is always kept quite warm, and the quilt is thick."

Jian Ru could feel the other’s gaze on him but was too embarrassed to turn and look. Instead, he stared straight ahead at the bed canopy and replied softly, "It’s just right. I prefer it warmer."

"That’s good," the Second Young Master said.

After these words, the tense atmosphere inside the bed curtains eased considerably.

"Have you eaten? Are you hungry?" the Second Young Master asked again.

Jian Ru answered, "No, Granny Jin already brought me something to eat."

"It's been a long day for you. You must be tired."

"Not tired. At home, I worked seven acres of land. During harvest time, I’d leave to work before dawn and not get home till sundown. I’d eat flatbread when hungry and drink from the stream when thirsty. I’m accustomed to it."

Hearing this, the Second Young Master praised, "You're quite capable. I also have some farmland, but my elder sister rented it out for me. I’ve never farmed it myself."

Jian Ru said, "You and I are different. You’re literate and skilled in medicine. Farming isn’t something you should be doing."

"There’s no such thing as who should or shouldn’t do what. My mother said I was very mischievous as a child, unlike my older siblings who could patiently study medicine. If I hadn’t often been sick and stuck indoors, forced to read medical books, I might have become a very capable farmer too."

Hearing this, Jian Ru couldn’t help but imagine the fair and handsome Second Young Master under the scorching sun, sweating profusely, slender and frail, holding a hoe to till the land. The image felt so incongruous that he couldn’t help but laugh.

His laughter prompted the Second Young Master to laugh as well.

Jian Ru turned to look at him. In the dim, hazy light of the bed curtains, the Second Young Master’s smile was exceptionally beautiful—his eyes curved, his lips red, his teeth white—leaving Jian Ru completely captivated.

He even felt an urge to reach out and touch the corner of the other’s mouth, but as soon as he raised his hand, he quickly caught himself and withdrew it.

The Second Young Master looked at him, his gaze briefly passing over the vibrant red sleeves of Jian Ru’s robe, and seemed to recall something. "That day in the cave, I was too ill to think clearly, but I vaguely remember you were wearing a woman’s wedding robe?"

At these words, Jian Ru’s face fell. He turned away, lowered his eyes, and remained silent.

The Second Young Master waited patiently. After a while, Jian Ru finally spoke, "The village was flooded. I... was thrown into the river to be the River God’s bride."

The Second Young Master was astonished. "I thought, like me, you had accidentally fallen into the water..."

Jian Ru shook his head and sighed, then recounted the entire story of being forced to become a sacrifice, including what happened after he returned home from the estate. However, he didn’t mention his past feelings for Jiang Maocai.

Partly because he felt it wasn’t appropriate to bring it up given their current relationship, and partly because Jian Ru was too embarrassed.

After hearing the story, the Second Young Master said angrily, "This is completely unjust! Instead of finding ways to control the floodwaters, they harm the children of ordinary families!"

He was so angry he coughed twice.

Jian Ru thought about getting him some water, but the Second Young Master asked instead, "Do you know what happened to the two who escaped?"

Jian Ru said, "No, but," he sneered, "they’ll be back eventually."

"Zhang Jiao’s family may be poor, but she’s never known real hardship. They don’t have much money. Just three meals a day would be trouble enough, not to mention Zhang Jiao often falls ill. Every time she gets sick, they’ll need to spend money on doctors and medicine, and she's the clingy type too. No matter how capable Jiang Maocai is, he won’t be able to handle the expenses."

Jian Ru inadvertently spoke his mind, feeling a sense of satisfaction as he did. But after finishing, he realized his tone sounded unpleasant and worried the Second Young Master might think him unkind.

He secretly glanced at the Second Young Master’s expression but saw no trace of disgust. Instead, the other breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Those two committed evil deeds. They'll get what's coming to them sooner or later. Thankfully, you survived a great calamity. You'll have good fortune from now on."

Hearing that the Second Young Master didn’t seem to mind his words, Jian Ru breathed easier.

The Second Young Master continued slowly, "Granny Jin mentioned you cried on the way from the village to the estate. Were you... still unwilling to leave?"

Jian Ru wondered if the Second Young Master had sensed something in his words—what exactly this "reluctance" referred to.

He stammered, "I... I..."

Just then, the quilt beside him was lifted slightly, rustling as a warm body turned over.

Jian Ru looked over and saw the Second Young Master had turned onto his side, facing him.

The Second Young Master said, "From now on, I’ll take good care of you."

Jian Ru’s face flushed instantly. Worried that the redness would make his scar look even more frightening, he turned away again, looking toward the outer side of the bed.

But the hand he had resting on the bedding was gently grasped and held in the young man’s palm.

"Do you know my name?" the man beside him asked softly.

Jian Ru kept his eyes on the flickering candlelight outside the bed curtains and nodded. "You... are called Li Jintong."

The Second Young Master asked again, "What should you call me?"

Jian Ru bit his lip and spoke a bit awkwardly, "Jin... Jintong."

The Second Young Master seemed to smile. "That’ll do," he said, but still seemed somewhat unsatisfied. He paused. "And what else?"

Jian Ru wasn’t slow; he understood. He called out, "Hus... husband."

"Yes," the Second Young Master responded.

Jian Ru shyly bit his lip, feeling the hand holding his loosen its grip. Just as he began to feel a sense of emptiness, the young man braced himself on one elbow and was half-lying over Jian Ru.

Jian Ru quickly put a hand against the other’s chest, urgently saying, "I... I should extinguish the candle first..."

But the Second Young Master’s elbow didn't seem to bear much weight, yet his half-weight kept Jian Ru pinned, unable to move.

At this moment, Jian Ru’s mind was racing. On one hand, he was preoccupied with the still-burning candle; on the other, the positions and methods Granny Jin had explained to him during the day flashed chaotically through his mind.

Jian Ru trembled slightly from nervousness, so embarrassed he was close to tears.

The Second Young Master buried his face in the crook of Jian Ru’s neck, his breath warm against Jian Ru’s skin.

"Sorry," he said, his voice huskier than normal.

Jian Ru's eyes, fixed on the flickering candle flame, flickered slightly, not understanding why the other had suddenly apologized.

The Second Young Master said, "Tonight was meant to..." He trailed off mid-sentence, and Jian Ru couldn't resist turning back to look at him.

Instead, the Second Young Master whispered in his ear, "Fetch someone..."

"What?" Before Jian Ru could process the words, he felt a sudden, heavier weight collapse onto him as the Second Young Master went completely limp, slumped over his body.

Jian Ru froze for a moment before snapping back to reality. Frantically, he struggled to push the man off and lay him on the bed. Looking closer, he saw the Second Young Master's eyes tightly shut, his face flushed an unnatural red—he had already passed out.