Chapter 14

Early in the morning, both Jiang Rou and Lu Yun’an had dark circles under their eyes. Jiang Rou’s were the most noticeable. Her skin was fair and radiant, making the dark circles look like she hadn’t slept all night yesterday.

In fact, Jiang Rou had hardly sleep at all the night yesterday.

At first, she simply closed her eyes out of boredom. Then, her eyelids grew heavy, and she couldn’t sleep. Finally, she managed to fall asleep, only to be woken up early by Jin Yue, following her instructions.

Jiang Rou sat in front of the dressing table and asked Jin Yue to cover up her dark circles. Only then did her skin appear flawless again.

She glanced coldly at Lu Yun’an, who was waiting for her not far away, almost asleep. Jiang Rou called out to him, but he didn’t respond.

Ignoring whether Jin Ju was holding a hairpin ready to put in her hair, she went over, her skirt trailing behind her.

Lu Yun’an opened his sleepy eyes, “What are you doing?”

Jiang Rou bent down and looked at him, asking, “Don’t you playboys stay up late?”

Lu Yun’an said, “……. “

Jiang Rou had stayed up late before. Although she was naturally beautiful, her skin the next day wouldn’t look as good as when she had a good night’s sleep. After that, Jiang Rou always tried to control herself and go to sleep early.

She needed to control herself and go to sleep early, mostly because of storybooks or because she occasionally felt like going out to play.

Lu Yun’an said, “I don’t stay up late. I’m different from them.”

Lu Yun’an was hesitating whether to tell Jiang Rou. Jiang Rou nodded in agreement, “You’re different from those playboys in the capital. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have agreed to marry you.”

Lu Yun’an said, “What do you mean?”

Jiang Rou said, “You’re not allowed to sleep.”

Lu Yun’an, who wanted to close his eyes and rest for a while, asked, “Why?”

Jiang Rou pointed to her unkempt hair, “Because I can’t sleep.”

Lu Yun’an was so angry with Jiang Rou that he jumped to his feet. What kind of logic was that? It was simply too much! Did Jiang Rou think he had no temper? She couldn’t sleep, so he couldn’t sleep?

Jiang Rou said, “Think about it, why didn’t we sleep well last night? It was all because of you.”

Lu Yun’an felt a pang of guilt for a moment, but Jiang Rou had already turned around and continued to put on her makeup.

Lu Yun’an said, “Because of me? Who was it because of at the beginning?”

Jiang Rou said, “Alright, stop arguing.”

Lu Yun’an said, “Tell me, who was it because of!”

Jiang Rou said, “Because of me.”

So?

The two of them locked eyes. Jiang Rou blinked, and Lu Yun’an was so angry that he turned around and sat back down.

Lu Yun’an said, “Don’t disturb my sleep.”

Jiang Rou said, “But I’ll be ready soon, and we need to have breakfast.”

Lu Yun’an said, “……. “

The two of them dawdled out of the Marquis’s Mansion, before dawn even broke.

Jiang Xuan got up, washed up, and had breakfast with Lu Shi. He was still thinking about how Jiang Rou had sent a message yesterday saying she would be back today. Seeing him looking out the window, Lu Shi smiled.

Lu Shi said, “How could she be back so early?”

They were still talking when Jiang Rou ran in from the courtyard, her skirt trailing behind her, “Father, Mother, I’m back!”

Lu Shi and Jiang Xuan hadn’t even reacted when Jiang Rou stood playfully outside their door, with Lu Yun’an behind her.

Spring was in full bloom outside. The morning breeze blew, and Lu Yun’an’s high ponytail and Jiang Rou’s bright sky-blue hair ribbon danced in the air.

Lu Shi smiled and walked over, “Why are you back so early?”

Her eyes were full of Jiang Rou.

Jiang Xuan also strode over. Before he could speak to his daughter, Lu Yun’an had already greeted him warmly.

Lu Yun’an said, “Father, Mother, we brought you some food. Come and have breakfast quickly. Father has to go to court soon, right?”

Jiang Xuan said, “Rou’er…..”

Lu Yun’an helped Jiang Xuan sit down, “Father, try this.” Then, he turned to look at Lu Shi, “Mother, you sit down too.”

Lu Shi said, “Ah, okay, okay.”

During the meal, Lu Yun’an was extremely enthusiastic. He had eaten before he and Jiang Rou left, but he didn’t eat much. He kept busy introducing the food they had brought back to Jiang Xuan and Lu Shi, showing concern for his father-in-law and mother-in-law.

When Jiang Xuan left the Jiang Mansion to go to court, he was still a little dazed.

When Jiang Xuan arrived at the palace and met the Dingyuan Marquis, the Dingyuan Marquis saw that Jiang Xuan was troubled. He walked past Jiang Xuan, and Jiang Xuan didn’t even see him. The Dingyuan Marquis felt even more guilty towards Jiang Xuan.

The Jiang family loved their daughter. Jiang Xuan must be worried about Jiang Rou now.

It seemed that Lu Yun’an was giving him a headache, and he was also giving Jiang Xuan and Lu Shi a headache.

The Dingyuan Marquis became even more polite to Jiang Xuan.

It wasn’t until the court ended and Jiang Xuan went back that he said to himself in confusion, “Is this what they call loving the house and the crow?”

Jiang Xuan then denied this thought, but then he thought he was right. He denied it because he didn’t believe his daughter, and he thought he was right because he didn’t believe his daughter.

The couple slept in the Jiang Mansion for the afternoon, then had dinner with Jiang Xuan and Lu Shi and chatted for a while. When they went back, it was dusk.

Jiang Xuan, Lu Shi, and Jiang Cheng stood outside the Jiang Mansion, watching the carriage drive away.

In the carriage, Lu Yun’an leaned against the soft cushion, using a fan to cool himself. “Was I enthusiastic?”

Jiang Rou said, “……. “

Jiang Rou moved closer. Lu Yun’an was startled and said smugly, “Well, we’re married now. They’re my father-in-law and mother-in-law. It’s only natural that I’m a little enthusiastic towards them.”

Jiang Rou said, “Don’t stop.”

Lu Yun’an said, “Don’t stop what?”

Jiang Rou pointed at Lu Yun’an’s fan.

Lu Yun’an said, “……. “

Jiang Rou sat comfortably in the carriage and tried to move closer to Lu Yun’an.

Lu Yun’an was furious. From the carriage, Lu Yun’an’s loud voice could be heard, “Jiang Rou!”

Finally, they returned to their courtyard. The two of them lay down on the couch, one after the other.

Jiang Rou instructed Jin Yue, “I want some plum juice.”

After that, Jiang Rou asked Lu Yun’an, who was lying next to her, “Do you want some?”

Lu Yun’an shook his head. Who would want plum juice? He didn’t like to drink it. He adjusted his position and continued to lie down.

Jin Yue opened the curtains and brought in the plum juice that they had brewed in their small kitchen. Jiang Rou lazily got up from the couch. She looked at the tempting plum juice, which had a sweet and sour aroma, and took a sip with a spoon.

It tasted exactly like the plum juice Jiang Rou had liked before.

The sourness was balanced with a hint of sweetness.

Jiang Rou said softly, “When I was in Jiangnan, when the weather got hot and summer came, my mother always liked to make this plum juice for us. Before I got married, Jin Yue learned a lot from my mother, including how to make this plum juice. My mother taught her.”

She added, “I should know how to make it too. I watched them make it.”

Lu Yun’an sat up alertly, “I asked you today if you wanted to stay at your family’s home for a day, and you said you didn’t want to. You said there were too many rules living with your eldest branch and your grandmother. You would have to get up early the next day to take me to greet your grandmother and meet the eldest branch, but you didn’t want to go.”

Jiang Rou didn’t answer Lu Yun’an. She just lowered her head and looked at the plum juice in the bowl.

Jiang Rou thought back to her time in Jiangnan. There was a jujube tree in her courtyard. When the jujubes were ripe, she would stand under the tree with tools and pick jujubes to eat.

When it was hottest in the summer, she liked to drink chilled plum juice, but her parents wouldn’t let her eat cold things. She would secretly drink it. Once, during her period, she even drank two bowls, and then her stomach ached.

After that, Jiang Rou never dared to eat cold things during her period. As for other times, she still couldn’t help but indulge her cravings.

This plum juice was warm. Jiang Rou took another sip. It would be even better if it were cold plum juice.

Jiang Rou stirred the plum juice with her spoon and sighed.

Lu Yun’an tapped the table with his fan, “Jiang Rou.”

Jiang Rou looked up at him, a little disdainful, “What?”

It was plum juice that Jiang Rou liked to drink, plum juice she had liked since she was a child. Now that she was married, his mother even taught them how to make it. Jiang Rou had even asked him if he wanted some, and he refused. She must be even more uncomfortable now.

Lu Yun’an said, “I want some too.”

Jiang Rou looked at him strangely, “Didn’t you say you don’t drink plum juice?”

Lu Yun’an said, “I…”

Lu Yun’an lay down with his back to Jiang Rou, not wanting to talk to her. He said, “Even if you ask me to drink it, I won’t.”

Jiang Rou pulled at her skirt, got up from the couch, stood next to Lu Yun’an, and bent down to look at him.

Lu Yun’an was about to turn over and ignore her.

Jiang Rou stood on the couch, laughing hysterically, “Hahahahahaha.”

Lu Yun’an said, “Jiang Rou!”

Jiang Rou said, “It’s really hard to imagine that you’re the playboy they talk about. Is there some kind of misunderstanding?”

Lu Yun’an said, “……. “

The more Jiang Rou thought about it, the more she felt it must be a misunderstanding. The playboys she had met before she returned to the capital, even the good ones, weren’t like Lu Yun’an.

Jiang Rou said, “Tell me, is there some kind of misunderstanding?”

Jiang Rou pulled at her skirt again, walked around the couch, and sat back in her own place, facing Lu Yun’an. She took a slow sip of the plum juice with her spoon, “Lu Yun’an?”

Lu Yun’an said, “From now on, even if you beg me, I won’t drink your plum juice!”

Jiang Rou said, “Really?”

Lu Yun’an said, “Heh.”

Jiang Rou said, “If you don’t want to drink it, I won’t force you. But I want to drink something cold. Do you have any ideas?” She said dramatically, “You can’t even do this little thing, can you?”

Lu Yun’an looked at her without saying anything.

Jiang Rou said, “It’s okay. If you can’t think of a way, it’s okay.”

Lu Yun’an was so angry that his temples were throbbing. He said, “Just wait!”

Lu Yun’an quickly got off the couch. He put on his boots and was about to go out. He walked a few steps before he realized something. He turned back and saw that Jiang Rou was still diligently drinking her plum juice.

Jiang Rou said, “Husband, what’s wrong?”

Lu Yun’an said, “……. “

This time, Lu Yun’an didn’t need to climb over the wall to go out. He was going to leave through the main gate of the Marquis’s Mansion. He strode forward.

Chen Jiu was stunned when he saw Lu Yun’an, then quickly ran to catch up.

In the past, Chen Jiu served Lu Yun’an and followed him out. Since Lu Yun’an got married, Chen Jiu hadn’t followed him out much these past few days.

Chen Jiu said, “Second Young Master, you’re going out to buy supper for Second Madam, right? I’ll go with you.”

Lu Yun’an turned his head to look at Chen Jiu incredulously.

What did he mean, he was going out to buy supper for Jiang Rou?