Yuanbao lay beside her bed on a reclining chair made of phoenix-tail bamboo.  “I’ve missed this chair so much,” she sighed, “I even wanted to secretly move it back to the General’s mansion. Even the largest and most comfortable bed can’t compare to how well I sleep on this.”

“No need to sneak it,” Yu Zhiguang replied, “Just have Wei Xiang move it back when we leave.”

“Miss, why don’t you stay a few more days before returning? You’re not eating or sleeping well at the General’s mansion, and you’ve lost weight.  Father and Mother must be heartbroken to see it.”

“Who says I’m not eating or sleeping well?”

“The cooks at the General’s mansion are simply rough in their skills. The bathhouse is too far away, inconvenient in the rain. And the dressing mirror in the bedroom…”

Yuanbao had grown up with her since childhood.  Even if Yu Zhiguang didn’t complain, Yuanbao could tell what she liked and disliked.

Yu Zhiguang sat up, covering Yuanbao’s mouth. “Don’t say these things again.”  What Yuanbao was complaining about wasn’t really the General’s mansion’s fault.

That day, Uncle Cao had brought everyone to meet her and introduced the servants of the General’s mansion. She had paid special attention to the cook in the large kitchen; he was about Uncle Cao’s age, a veteran cook from the army who had been discharged due to injury.

“The cook’s cooking habits haven’t changed after all these years, which means the General’s tastes and preferences are like this. The General is usually out early and back late; the mansion is no different from an inn.  Except for the wedding, there’s no need to renovate the hot spring room.”

“As for the height of the dressing mirror, it’s a trivial matter. It’s my problem,” Yu Zhiguang lay back down. “I don’t seem to be ready.”

She wasn’t ready to live in the General’s mansion for a long time.

Her mother had said that how you live your life depends entirely on your mindset.

Three days after her marriage, she didn’t manage the household, didn’t ask about family matters, and the seals on her dowry chests remained unbroken, all piled up in the west wing of the General’s mansion. Even something as simple as buying a new mirror from the East Market, she hadn’t done it.  She seemed to be wholeheartedly waiting to return home and continue being the carefree Yu family daughter.

Yuanbao seemed to understand, yet didn’t fully grasp it. “When will Miss be ready then?”

Yu Zhiguang turned over. “I don’t know.”

Outside her boudoir’s beaded curtain hung a string of small, exquisite wind chimes.  Whenever someone walked by, moved, or opened the door forcefully, the wind would cause them to make a faint sound.

In this moment of contemplation, the wind chimes rang.

It was late; the maids wouldn’t disturb her at this hour.

Yu Zhiguang called out, “Is it Sister-in-law or Mother? Come in quickly.” The wind chimes continued to ring, swaying incessantly outside the shell-gilt beaded curtain, as if someone was playing with them.

The person hesitated before entering. “It’s me, Xue Shen.”

Yu Zhiguang instantly clutched the smooth bedding.

She wasn’t ready to face Xue Shen, and she never expected to see him here, in her boudoir, a place where no outsider had ever set foot. Although in the eyes of her parents and siblings, Xue Shen was a man who could enter without any qualms.

The shell-gilt beaded curtain shimmered with faint light as it swayed.

“Can I come in?”

“You, don’t move yet.”

Xue Shen truly didn’t move.

Yu Zhiguang breathed a sigh of relief, jumped out of bed, and instructed Yuanbao to bring her an outer garment to put on. Her hair wasn’t yet combed, falling softly and lightly on her shoulders.

Separated by a curtain.

Her nominal newlywed husband said to her, “Now you can.”

Xue Shen, whose hands were accustomed to wielding a sword and bow, parted the delicate beaded curtain, which would break with a single tug, stepped inside, and his gaze fell on her face. Yu Zhiguang wasn’t as panicked as she had been when she had bumped into him yesterday, but she still maintained her usual caution around him.

“My elder brother said he would accompany me to tour the Yu residence, but he led me here, and now he’s gone.”

“Your elder brother must have misunderstood that we were having a quarrel.”

Yu Zhiguang lowered her head.  She saw a pair of brand-new pointed black leather boots pacing casually in her room, as if inspecting the place, walking several circles before stopping in front of her.

“Then you weren’t quarreling with me?”

“…No.”

“I want to take a look around the Yu residence.”

“General, allow me to quickly tidy myself up.”

Yu Zhiguang continued to stare at his shoes.

Xue Shen said nothing and stepped back out.

Orchid halls, flower shadows, clear pools of blue, secluded withered lotus…

Yu Zhiguang led the way, taking Xue Shen almost everywhere in the Yu residence.

As dusk fell, Yuanbao called them back to the main hall for dinner. “Madam asked me to remind you that dinner should be served early; the Yu residence is quite far from the General’s mansion.”

This was her mother’s way of hinting that she couldn’t stay.

Thinking of their parting, Yu Zhiguang felt downcast. She heard Xue Shen suggest from behind, “Things are busy at the military camp these days. I won’t return to the mansion. Why don’t you stay for a couple more days before going back?”

“Really?”

Yu Zhiguang instantly forgot her fear and turned to look at him.

The setting sun’s golden light shone on Xue Shen’s deep, narrow eyes.  A certain emotion flashed in his dark eyes, but before she could discern it, it disappeared.

At this moment, Yu Zhiguang finally noticed that Xue Shen had specially tied his hair with a jade crown and changed into a wide-sleeved robe with a sash, with a jade pendant hanging from his waist, a common accessory for young gentlemen.  His military physique was outstanding, and even the wide-sleeved robe couldn’t conceal it. This attire made him look even more unrestrained and elegant.

Yu Zhiguang stayed at the residence for three days, until her mother started urging her to leave.

“Which girl stays for so many days after returning home?  If people didn’t know better, they’d think you two were fighting right after the wedding.” Her mother tapped her forehead. “You agreed to this marriage yourself. I think General Xue is quite thoughtful. Go back and live a good life. If he dares to bully you, you can come back here again without any hesitation.”

Yu Zhiguang couldn’t stay any longer.  After repeatedly reminding her sister-in-law to let her know when she gave birth, she boarded the carriage Wei Xiang had sent to pick her up.

At the General’s mansion, the masons who had been coming and going for renovations had left.  Whether the renovations were completed or for some other reason, everything seemed much cleaner and more comfortable.

Yu Zhiguang remembered the dowry chests still locked in the storeroom and instructed Yuanbao, “Go to the bedroom and get the dowry register. Wait for me in the storeroom.”

She headed towards the storeroom, passing the martial arts field, and heard the heavy breathing of a man and the sharp whistling sound of weapons being swung.