Yang Haiyan found it a bit strange.

Qin Fang was unusually late today—he usually came back by this time, but today, he was still not home.

Yesterday, he came back earlier than usual, and now today, he was later than usual.

Could something have delayed him?

Just as Yang Haiyan was about to ask Aunt Fan to serve the food, she saw Qin Fang rush in. “What’s going on with you? Did something happen?” she asked.

When Qin Fang saw Yang Haiyan, he suddenly recalled the images in the booklet and felt his face heat up.

He quickly shook his head, “No, nothing.”

Yang Haiyan didn’t suspect anything. “Alright then, let’s have dinner.”

Qin Fang gave a quick nod, barely speaking.

He didn’t know why, but seeing his wife made him feel guilty.

After dinner, Yang Haiyan suggested, “Let’s go for a walk in the courtyard to help digest.”

This was their usual routine, so she didn’t think much of it.

When she noticed Qin Fang sitting still, she called out to him again.

But to her surprise, Qin Fang refused.

He didn’t dare to look up, afraid that Yang Haiyan might notice something strange.

The truth was, reading a booklet like that wasn’t considered proper, something no decent person would read.

Even though he had only glanced at a page, he already felt ashamed.

As a result, he couldn’t look at Yang Haiyan.

Every time he did, images from the booklet would flash in his mind.

Yang Haiyan didn’t notice anything odd. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Carefully, Qin Fang came up with an excuse, “There was a lot of work at the barracks today, I’m feeling a bit tired. I think I’ll go take a bath and rest.”

Hearing that he was tired, Yang Haiyan immediately expressed her concern. “Then go take a bath and rest. Do you want me to give you a massage afterward?”

Normally, Qin Fang would be overjoyed at such an offer, but today he wasn’t in the mood at all.

He pretended to be extremely tired and shook his head. “No need, I’ll just take a bath and then go to sleep.”

Yang Haiyan didn’t push him. “Alright then, I’ll go for a walk by myself.”

“Mm,” Qin Fang replied.

As soon as Yang Haiyan left for her walk, Qin Fang hurried to the bathroom.

But instead of immediately taking a bath, he sat there and pulled out the booklet, Gui Mi.

The moment he took it out, he felt as if he were doing something sneaky, so he walked to the door to check that no one was around before sitting back down.

At first, Qin Fang hadn’t fully understood what Gui Mi meant.

But now, as he flipped to the first page, it became very clear: Gui Mi referred to “Secret Techniques of the Boudoir.”

The first page of the booklet featured two anatomical drawings—one of a man and one of a woman.

Both figures were unclothed.

Although the drawings were somewhat crude, all the essential details were very clear.

Qin Fang had touched his wife’s upper body before, but he had never seen her lower body.

Seeing the naked female figure in the booklet was overwhelming for him. Just one glance, and his nose began to bleed.

Qin Fang covered his nose with his shirt and stared intently at the pictures.

He had never realized that a woman’s body could look like this.

He swallowed hard and turned to the second page.

Compared to the first, the second page showed things getting more intimate. Then came the third page… and the fourth page…

The booklet, only a dozen or so pages, depicted various intimate positions.

Qin Fang felt weak in his limbs—except for one particular part of him.

After dinner, Yang Haiyan walked for about an hour and then rested for another hour before taking a bath.

When she returned to the bedroom, she found Qin Fang already lying down.

But unlike his usual straight posture, tonight he was curled up.

Yang Haiyan approached the bed and touched his forehead.

No fever.

She sighed in relief, climbed into bed, and lay on the inside.

Once Yang Haiyan was lying down, she couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable as Qin Fang, usually facing her, had his back turned.

It felt like a wall had suddenly appeared between them.

She poked his back, “Husband.”

She knew Qin Fang was a light sleeper; even if he were truly asleep, just a little noise or her voice calling him would wake him.

But this time, there was no response.

Yang Haiyan, thinking he must be exhausted, didn’t press further.

She snuggled up behind him, her arm wrapping around his waist.

Although she hugged his waist with one arm, she found it quite enjoyable to sleep like this.

Qin Fang, however, was wide awake, his body stiff as a board.

Earlier, he had looked at the booklet in the bathroom and taken care of himself for a while, but his mind was still filled with images of Yang Haiyan’s bare body, and no matter what, he couldn’t fully release the tension.

Worried about taking too long in the bathroom, he came to lie down in bed.

The desire had somewhat faded, but now, with a slender arm wrapped around his waist, that suppressed craving surged again.

Qin Fang tried to hold back, but he couldn’t any longer.

He turned over and pulled Yang Haiyan into his arms.

Yang Haiyan hadn’t expected him to be faking sleep.

She placed her hands on his chest, “What are you doing?”

Breathing heavily, Qin Fang held her hands down, “Wife, I feel terrible.”

With their bodies pressed tightly together, she could naturally feel his arousal.

It wasn’t unusual to her, but just as she was about to ask more, Qin Fang buried his face in her neck, his voice low and hoarse with restraint, “Yanyan, I want to learn how to take off your pants.”

Yang Haiyan’s heart skipped a beat—she realized he had definitely been influenced by something.

Sensing her tension, Qin Fang, in a pitiful yet insistent tone, said, “Yanyan, let me learn! That way, I won’t be clumsy in the future.”

His curiosity was piqued by what he had seen in the booklet.

Yang Haiyan was stunned—learn what? Was this really something that needed learning?

Qin Fang was already making his move, “Yanyan, just let me practice.”

…

The next day, Qin Fang went to the barracks, feeling great.

Yang Haiyan, however, had been completely worn out by him the previous night.

What “learning to take off pants”? Not only had he taken her clothes off, but then he wouldn’t stop inspecting things, as if he were studying her body.

He didn’t enter, but her thighs were rubbed raw.

And the worst part was, this rascal even stuck his head down to look closely as if conducting some kind of research.

Just thinking about it made her want to die of embarrassment.

Today, Yang Haiyan didn’t feel like getting out of bed.

She just lay there, not wanting to see anyone.

At nearly thirty, she had never felt so mortified in her life.

For a woman, underwear was like the final layer of defense.

Once removed, it felt as if all her pretense had been stripped away.

Qin Fang was in an excellent mood as he headed to the barracks.

Before leaving, he subconsciously patted his chest.

Oh, right, he hadn’t brought the booklet.

He’d left it on the roof of the bathroom.

He had hidden it there because if his wife found it, it would be humiliating, and worse, she might think he was some kind of pervert.

It was safer to keep it in the bathroom, where he could take a peek whenever he wanted while bathing.

“Qin Fang!” Han Zhen was waiting for him at the family quarters’ entrance.

When he saw Qin Fang approaching, he mounted his horse.

Qin Fang gave a noncommittal grunt in response.

Han Zhen raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

For the past few days, Qin Fang had been giving him the cold shoulder, but today, he seemed in a good mood. “What happened? You seem unusually happy.”

Qin Fang lifted his chin proudly, “It’s a secret.”

He had discovered a new way to enjoy the marriage bed and was feeling quite pleased.

At least now, he could enjoy a little fun before their official wedding night.

“Psh…” Han Zhen looked at him dismissively, “Keep your secret then. By the way, my daughter smiled at me yesterday. She can recognize people now. She knows I’m her father and smiled at me. My daughter’s so smart!”

Qin Fang pursed his lips.

When he had a daughter, she’d be even smarter.

He was oddly confident in that.

Oblivious to Qin Fang’s jealousy, Han Zhen continued, “I need to start saving up money now. I want to prepare a big dowry for her. But you know what? I think it might be safer to find a son-in-law to live with us. That way, I can keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t bully my daughter.”

Qin Fang’s ears hurt listening to him.

From tomorrow on, he decided he’d start carrying some cotton balls to stuff in his ears whenever Han Zhen was around.

Han Zhen asked, “What do you think? Is bringing a son-in-law into the family a good idea?”

Qin Fang didn’t want to engage, but he responded anyway, “…No, it’s not.”

“Why not? What if my daughter marries off and gets bullied and I’m not there to see it?”

Qin Fang replied, “A live-in son-in-law has no prospects. Better not marry her off at all, just keep her at home, and you can take care of her for life.”

If he had a daughter, that’s exactly what he’d do—no way he’d let some random guy take his precious daughter away.

He wasn’t against live-in sons-in-law in general—he’d happily be one for his own wife’s family.

But if it involved his own daughter? No way. “Also, teach her martial arts. That way, no boy will dare bully her.”

Han Zhen thought about it and found some logic in Qin Fang’s words.

But then he asked, “You seem to have a lot of thoughts on this. Could it be that your wife is expecting? But even if she is, it could still be a boy.”

Qin Fang denied it quickly, “No.”

If his wife were pregnant, he wouldn’t feel at ease at all.

Han Zhen chuckled teasingly, “Well, keep at it! We both got married after leaving Baili Village, became centurions together, and now you’ve become a commander before me. But when it comes to having kids, I’m ahead of you. ‘Establishing a family and having children is part of settling down,’ as they say. You haven’t fully settled down yet.”

Qin Fang let out a yell and spurred his horse forward.

Han Zhen kept pace, not giving up, “By the way, remember the deer we hunted last year? Old Yang still has some deer tonic left. Want me to get some for you?”

Qin Fang wasn’t having it.

He urged his horse, Wushuai, to gallop faster.

But Han Zhen wasn’t done, “Hey, once you have a son, we can arrange a betrothal between our kids! That way, I can rest easy knowing my daughter will marry into a family we know well.”

Qin Fang shouted again and galloped off into the distance.