Chapter 7

As soon as Lu Junyu finished speaking, he lowered his head and sealed her sweet red lips with a kiss. Such a beautiful moment; speaking more would indeed spoil the atmosphere!

Li Hehua looked at the fire and focus in his eyes, smiled softly, pulled his head down, and kissed him. She didn’t favor a distant or overly intimate relationship between husband and wife; she hoped they could grow old together happily and fulfilled, making her second chance at life worthwhile.

The night felt both long and short. The two masters of the Lu household had different perspectives on this.

Holding his wife, Lu Junyu kissed the corner of her lips and whispered, “Hehua, it’s dawn.”

Li Hehua, still drowsy, muttered, “So sleepy, why is the night so short?”

She struggled to open her eyes and looked outside, confirming that it was indeed bright. This man, who had started to eat meat, was not willing to give up the meat at his mouth easily, especially the young man with vigorous blood, so she was disturbed for most of the night.

Lu Junyu’s face reddened slightly. He had indeed been somewhat reckless last night, but he disagreed with his wife’s complaint, teasing her, “You didn’t say that last night.”

Li Hehua rolled her eyes at him. Last night, she said the night was too long, all because of his incessant antics.

“Hey, don’t take advantage and act all smug.”

Lu Junyu chuckled softly, held her close, and whispered in her ear, “Yes, I also think the night was too short.” Immediately, his arm was pinched.

Li Hehua yawned, rubbing her eyes hard to clear her head. Seeing this, Lu Junyu covered her eyes and said, “Sleep a bit more. I’ll go see Mother first and explain to her. She won’t blame us.”

Li Hehua sat up, shook her head, and said, “No need. I can’t oversleep on my first meeting with Mother. She might think you married a lazy wife.”

Lu Junyu laughed, but seeing her struggling to dress with her eyes half-closed, he finally said, “I’ll help you get dressed. You can nap a bit more.” After all, he was partly at fault.

Li Hehua, without any shyness, handed him her clothes and closed her eyes.

Holding her clothes, Lu Junyu’s face flushed again. Although they were now husband and wife, they had been intimate at night, but this was his first time seeing her inner garments. After some studying, he carefully dressed her piece by piece.

Once dressed, Li Hehua was finally awake. She looked at herself in the copper mirror and smiled at Lu Junyu, raising her eyebrows.

“My husband, you are truly clever!” He had managed to get the buttons right after just one mistake, learning quickly from his initial error.

Lu Junyu glared at her.

Who was he doing this for? He was a scholar and a grown man.; if word got out, he would lose face.

But seeing her smile, he sighed. Well, the joys of the bedroom can’t always be as disciplined as reading books. Besides, after last night’s activities, discipline was out of the question.

Thinking of this, he felt his heart race again. Quickly turning around, he said, “Wife, I’ll go wash up first. Be quick; Mother is waiting for us.”

As the saying goes, the land of gentleness is the tomb of heroes. Just one day, and he was already thinking of slacking off. It looks like he had to leave early.

After combing her hair, Li Hehua, being a village girl, and the Lu family, not being a big household, didn’t need elaborate hairstyles. She simply braided her hair into a big plait and went to wash up.

Once both were ready, they walked together to the courtyard of Madam Lu.

The Lu house was a three-entry structure, a house Lu Junyu had bought after making some money. When they first arrived in Wangshan County, the Lu family only lived in two tiled rooms.

As Miss Lu grew older, and since men and women should not sit together after the age of seven, Lu Junyu built a wall and opened a floral curtain arch, creating an independent courtyard on the east side for his mother and sister. He stayed in the main room, facing south, to live, study, and handle family affairs.

As the elder, Madam Lu should have lived in the main room, but she insisted that since Lu Junyu was now the head of the family, he should move into the main room. She chose to live in the east wing.

Thus, the couple had to pass through the first door and turn into the floral curtain arch to reach Madam Lu’s residence.

Madam Lu was already seated in the main seat, with an eleven- or twelve-year-old girl standing beside her. This was Lu Furong, Lu Junyu’s sister, who had been dissatisfied with the bridal chamber antics the previous day.

Seeing the couple enter hand in hand, Madam Lu couldn’t hide her joy. She felt she hadn’t made a mistake; although Li Hehua was a village girl, her beauty was no less than that of any refined lady she had seen. Seeing her son always smile, she assumed he was satisfied. Once she had a grandchild, she could die content, having fulfilled her duty to the Lu family and her husband.

Lu Furong, seeing her mother getting excited and forgetting her previous words, secretly tugged at her sleeve. Her brother was destined for great things and couldn’t be held back by a village girl like Li Hehua. Last night, she and her mother had planned to give Li Hehua some guidance, but now her mother seemed to have forgotten all about it.

Madam Lu, reminded by her daughter, finally remembered her task for the day. She cleared her throat softly and nodded to the maid, saying, “Let’s begin.”

The maid, Qiufeng, quickly handed tea to Lu Junyu and Li Hehua.

The couple knelt down together, bowed to Madam Lu, and said, “Mother, your son and daughter-in-law offer you tea.”

Madam Lu, not making things difficult, smiled and placed two red envelopes into their hands, saying, “Good, good, such a wonderful son and daughter-in-law. May you soon bless me with grandchildren so I can be at ease.”

Li Hehua blushed symbolically, lowering her head in a show of shyness.

Lu Junyu said earnestly, “Mother, you have worked tirelessly for me and the Lu family all these years. I will never forget your kindness.”

Then he added with a smile, “Rest assured, Mother, my wife and I will give you a grandchild soon.”

Although his mother was gentle and kind, she provided warmth and motivation for him. Without her and his sister, he wouldn’t have had the drive to strive for success. All his efforts were for his family’s well-being; otherwise, even if he reached the pinnacle of his career, it would be meaningless if he were alone.

Li Hehua echoed, “I am the same as my husband.”

Seeing Lu Junyu’s filial demeanor, she wondered if he was just a mama’s boy or genuinely filial. Maybe she was happy too early.

Madam Lu personally helped them up, saying, “Good, good. Hehua, my life was saved by your mother, and I promised her I would treat you like my own daughter, so don’t feel restrained. We are all family, and you can speak freely.”

“Yes, Mother,” Li Hehua replied gratefully.

Madam Lu held her hand, saying, “Good, good, such a clever girl. Furong, come and greet your sister-in-law.”

Lu Furong, seeing her mother charmed by the prospect of a grandchild, had forgotten all her previous intentions. About to speak, she saw her brother’s stern face and immediately forgot everything, bowing to Li Hehua and saying, “Furong greets sister-in-law.”

Li Hehua took her hand, saying, “Sister, we met yesterday. Like my husband, you are very beautiful.” She then handed her a red envelope.

Lu Furong secretly thought Li Hehua was quite unrefined, only knowing how to compliment appearances. Could her talented brother truly like her? She had her doubts.

But with her brother present, she dared not act out and sweetly said, “Thank you, sister-in-law.”

Li Hehua knew from yesterday that this Lu family girl wasn’t satisfied with her. She had indeed married above her station, but so what? She was now her sister-in-law. If this brat dared to misbehave, she wouldn’t mind showing her a kitchen knife..hehe.

Lu Junyu watched as Hehua chatted with his mother and sister, their laughter growing louder. He sipped his tea, thinking: his wife was adapting to the Lu family faster than he expected. Maybe he could loosen his grip a bit more.

After a while, he looked up and smiled.

“Mother, wife, it’s getting late, and mother must be tired. Let’s not disturb you any longer. We can visit again when we have time.”

Li Hehua stood by his side, respectfully saying, “Okay.”

Madam Lu understood and said, “Alright, you two go back. Hehua, you should rest too; you must be exhausted from yesterday.”

Li Hehua blushed, thinking Madam Lu was probably referring to the tiring wedding ceremony, but her mind couldn’t help but drift to last night. To avoid further embarrassment, she quickly said, “Yes, I’ll listen to you, Mother.”

After they left, Qiufeng massaged Madam Lu’s forehead, whispering, “Madam, you should rest. You haven’t slept well these past few days.”

Lu Furong pouted, “Yes, Mother, you’re too excited.”

Madam Lu frowned and said, “Enough, Furong. Don’t overthink things. Didn’t you see how unhappy your brother was? Do you want to make him angry?” She had noticed her son’s displeasure earlier. Since he liked his wife, there was no need to be an annoying mother-in-law. If he fell out of love, they’d deal with it then. Unfortunately, Furong, being spoiled, was clueless about reading people.

Thinking of this, she continued, “Furong, you are not to go out these next few days. Finish the embroidery you’re working on.”

Lu Furong, not daring to upset her brother and mother, reluctantly returned to her own courtyard. Madam Lu shook her head and went inside.

In the main house, Lu Junyu, seeing the dark circles under Hehua’s eyes, carried her to bed, saying, “Sleep now. Tomorrow, we need to return to Li Village.”

On the third day after marriage, Li Hehua didn’t want to look tired when she visited her family, so she closed her eyes immediately.

When she woke up, Lu Junyu said calmly, “Some elders from the village are here. Let’s go and meet them.”