CH 32

The serene night slowly gives way to a new day, and as the first light of dawn begins to spread, the world is greeted by the chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves. The sky transforms from a deep black to a soft shade of blue, and the morning dew envelops the lush greenery. 

A gentle breeze makes its way through the trees, causing the droplets of water hanging on the leaves to trickle down like a stream.

The birds perched on the branches, stretching their wings and chirping melodiously, as they took flight towards the higher position on the trees.

It was a sign that the day had begun and the world was waking up from its slumber. The city of Xijing slowly came to life, as people began their daily routines and the bustling sound of traffic filled the streets.

On a disheveled bed, three figures lay tangled. Among them, Shou was the first to wake up, feeling the weight of a slender leg on her belly. 

She realized that the others must have been tossing and turning all night.

Pushing away Bai Tang, taking away the hand wrapped around at her waist, and pulling back her legs, Shou rubbed her swollen temples, and as the skylight came in through the window, she shivered: "Wake up! We’re going to be late!.”

The highest tower in Xijing resounded with the chime of the magnolia bells, ringing three short notes and one long note. This was the signal for the common folk to rise from their slumber and start their day. 

Bai Tang, still groggy from sleep, gazed drowsily at the mess above her head, realizing that it was already time to wake up, but she was so sleepy that she might fall down and go back to sleep at any moment. 

At this time, Shou was pulling Rou with one hand and Bai Tang with the other, as she complained, “Get up!.”

…

The birds flapped their wings among the lush foliage of the trees, creating a lively chorus. 

The gentle breeze that came through the half-opened window carried the fragrant scent of the burnt-out gold stove and the blooming flowers in the white vase, filling the room with a pleasant aroma. 

Pei Xuan was in a state of excitement, as she held the girl who was sleeping soundly in her arms, feeling incredibly fortunate to have such a wonderful person in her life

As the morning bell resonated throughout Xijing, Pei Xuan covered Cui Ti's ears, not wanting the noise to disturb her sleep.

However, to her surprise, Cui Ti slowly opened her eyes and called out to her "Husband..." in a husky voice. 

The voice was provocatively hoarse, and Pei Xuan's ears flushed.

Cui Ti nuzzled her face against Pei Xuan's neck, too shy to look up at her.

As she woke up, the memories of last night's indulgence flooded back. Cui Ti vaguely recalled being a bit obsessed, shamelessly trying to win more love from Pei Xuan. Her breathing became labored, and suddenly her waist ached, and her legs felt weak. 

But despite the discomfort, she still longed to see Pei Xuan.

With the help of her eyes, she took in the sight of Pei Xuan’s expression. She saw her bright eyes and upturned lips, and assumed that she had a very comfortable night.

"Husband..."

She reached out to hold Pei Xuan's slender fingers. The wife’s shyness and intense love made Pei Xuan’s heart beat fast. But seeing her movement, Pei Xuan disguised her figure in a close-fitting gold silk soft clothes, and then boldly hugged Cui Ti tightly and whispered, "Wife~."

Cui Ti's chest was swollen, and her fingertips were grabbing the collar of Pei Xuan’s clothing, regretting that Pei Xuan didn't dare to be honest with her.

In contrast, she was left completely exposed without even a small coat to cover herself

For a while, Pei Xuan indulged herself and dared not be presumptuous again: "Should we get up?.”

"Okay!,” Cui Ti replied obediently.

The brocade quilt slipped off, and Cui Ti’s soft snow-like body was taken by Pei Xuan’s eyes. She was taken aback for a moment, then looked away secretly, and looked back sneakily, staring straight at the almost indistinguishable tooth marks around her chest.

"This is..." She leaned over and said with a guilty conscience, "I bit you?.”

"If not you, who else would it be?,” Cui Ti lowered her head, chastising.

Hearing her response, the upright Pei Xuan fell into a state of guilt, "Does it hurt?.”

As she brushed past there, Cui Ti trembled slightly and shook her head.

Pei Xuan let out a self-blaming "Oh" and her voice slightly hoarse: "I will pay attention next time."

She was always gentle and polite, never giving in to pleasure, and it made Cui Ti frustrated. She preferred if Pei Xuan bit her hard instead, as the pain of being bitten would be better than her meekness. 

She couldn't voice out her thoughts, determined to be a virtuous woman and a good wife in front of Pei Xuan.

Bai Tang waited patiently for the door to open, and when it did, Pei Xuan, now in her normal attire, welcomed her.

"Come in,” she ordered.

The little maids walked around Cui Ti and Bai Tang who had sharp eyes noticed the red marks on Cui Ti's neck and understood what had happened and smiled knowingly.

Finally, the two masters of the mansion had come together, and the servants were happy for them.

The nurse who always stood by Mrs. Pei came to the courtyard and took away the genuine handkerchief, and Pei Xuan helped Cui Ti go out.

This is the first day that Cui Ti will become Mrs. Cui or Madam Cui.

After eating breakfast, Pei Xuan headed to the Imperial Academy for work, dressed in a dignified official robe, exuding grace and elegance as she walked. 

Watching her leave the house step by step, the color in her eyes began to fade away, and Cui Ti was left to see the endless abyss again.

With everyone busy, Mrs. Pei took the role of guarding her daughter-in-law and dedicated to initiate a conversation.

As the nourishing soup was brought over and Cui Ti drank it, Mrs. Pei's smile deepened. "From now on, you will live a good life. You are the young wife of the Pei family. After a few days of recovery, I will take you outside for a walk, where you might meet some good friends."

In the Pei family, exchanges between the people were not to be ignored. If it were an ordinary family with a blind daughter-in-law, they would have kept her hidden so that no one could see her.

However, this was the Pei family, and Cui Ti was Pei Xuan's wife.

Her name was officially entered into the family tree of the Pei family, where its weight held great significance. When Cui Ti went outside, she shouldered the honor and disgrace of the Pei family.

In her previous life, Cui Ti had been unwilling to socialize and had rejected her mother-in-law's kindness several times. One reason was that she did not want to embarrass Pei Xuan, and the other was that she did not know Pei Xuan's intentions. 

However, now in this life, she nodded, agreeing to make friends while accompanying her mother-in-law in a few days.

Meanwhile, at the Imperial Academy, Song Zizhen yawned repeatedly while Zheng Wuzhi sat in front of him, and Zheng Wuzhi looked up towards him, "Did you go pretending to be a ghost last night?.”

"Get lost!" Song Zizhen replied angrily. "I was so annoyed by my mother last night that I couldn't sleep at all! She said I am old and if I don't get married soon, she can only lie down in a coffin and dream of holding her grandson. Do you hear that? It's making me worried!.”

Zheng Wuzhi's heart was as hard as iron, and he showed no sympathy. "Then get married. With the Song family's status and your appearance, you’ll be able to find a wife, right?.”

"What do you know? Do you think everyone is like Pei Xuan, who can spot the girl he wants to marry at a glance?.”

After he finished speaking, Pei Xuan, who was sorting out books, smiled slightly: "I'm really lucky."

"Tsk! Are we really talking the same language?.”

Zheng Wuzhi laughed: "But that is the truth!.”

Song Zizhen squinted his eyes, and suddenly asked: "Pei Xuan, did you also pretend to be a ghost at night? Look at the bags under your eyes, tsk tsk tsk."

Pei Xuan threw him a blank stare and ignored his comment.

The Imperial Academy is a place where nobles and celebrities gather, and they are free to bustle in daily life. Taking advantage of colleagues walking out in twos and threes, Song Zizhen winked: "I’m wondering why Pei Xuan was so absent-minded all morning. It turned out that his heart was taken away by his wife. Who could have know that the youngest of us three would actually taste the fruit of forbidden pleasure, Zheng Wuji, are you feeling uncomfortable?.”

"Huh? Me?.”

“Obviously you, after all, you're the oldest.”

"..."

These words were hitting home as Zheng Wuzhi was speechless, he was really just an old virgin who devoted himself to studying.

Most men in Xijing were married in their 17th or 18th year. He was several years older than Pei Xuan, his talent was inferior to him, and he was left behind in marrying a wife. 

Realizing this, he gave Song Zizhen an admonishing look.

The two of them bickered in their spare time, and Pei Xuan finishing her work propped her chin up with one hand to look at the scenery outside the window.

She wondered what Cui Ti was up to at home. Perhaps she was absent-mindedly cuddling the rabbit, listening to Bai Tang's musings, or maybe thinking about her?.

The thought made her heart skip a beat as she recalled seeing the vulnerable and passionate Cui Ti for the first time last night. 

Although the fragrance on the golden stove was used to heighten a person’s desire, it would also reveal the true heights to it. Because of this, Cui Ti should love her a lot, right?

With that train of thought, Pei Xuan was glad that she had the foresight to put on the gold silk soft clothes in advance, otherwise her clothes would be stripped off…

She sighed secretly: ‘How long am I going to hide this?.’

Suddenly, Song Zizhen turned towards her direction, "Pei Xuan, do you want to drink together?.”

"I’m not going."

Song Zizhen raised his eyebrows, and poked Zheng Wuzhi on the side with his arm: "See, Xingguang has turned into a good gentleman and has stopped drinking."

It’s not that she doesn’t want to drink but…

As an elegant and refined alcoholic, Pei Xuan thought for a while and said, "I'll drink with you another day.”

"Okay! It's a deal!"

The trio exited the Imperial Academy in unison.

Pei Xuan's family servant brought a horse for her, and she mounted it before setting off along the lengthy street. As she traveled, she came across several boys engaged in a game of hide-and-seek. 

One of them covered his eyes and faced the big tree: "Have you hidden yet?.”

"Not yet!,” came the reply.

The children were running around, and Pei Xuan felt the aura of childhood in them.

When she was young, she seldom played with her peers and always loved to study and her interests were different from others.

Riding slowly down the long street on her horse, Pei Xuan took in the sights, showing her trust in the animal.

The children's laughter filled the air, but some people were questioning their companions for not explaining the rules of the game.

"You peeked!.”

"I did not, see?.”

"How did you know I was hiding here without peeking?.”

Pei Xuan couldn't help but chuckle at the unreasonable argument.

"But you just peeked!.”

"I did not!!.”

Their argument continued to escalate, and the voices of other children soon joined in. 

Pei Xuan smiled contentedly as she left, feeling happy just wandering around the streets.

As she continued, thoughts of Cui Ti flooded her mind, and she urged the horse to go faster. 

Also if she was lucky enough, they would ride horses and go out to eat plums, how great would that be? Even if they played hide-and-seek together, if she peeped, she wouldn't be annoyed.

Thinking of this, she scolded God who was so unfair to make her wife born blind.

"Glutinous rice cake! Glutinous rice cake! White and soft glutinous rice cake out of the oven!.”

The peddler's cries came to her ears, and Pei Xuan's thoughts suddenly went astray. 

She couldn't help but think of how the soft, white cakes were similar to her wife’s breast.

Realizing this, her face turned red and she felt slightly hot, but the heat was instantly blown away by the wind. 

Passers-by were amazed when they saw her.

Pei Xuan couldn't stop reminiscing about the previous night's tenderness, wishing she could go back towards the Xining Mansion so she could relive it. 

"Have some glutinous rice cake,” said the owner.

"Okay, I’ll take it."

Pei Xuan, who came back from the academy, held the reins in one hand and the delicious pastry in the other, her thoughts flickered and she didn't know where to turn.

"Young Master, what are you thinking?" Why do you look so happy?.”

Pei Xuan smiled provocatively: "I’m thinking about those cheerful boys just now."

The servant was at a loss, hearing her answer.

"I feel like I'm missing something…,” Pei Xuan suddenly remarked in a hollow tone.

Out of nowhere, this feeling crept up on her and she couldn't make sense of it even after pondering for a while.

Just as she was about to let go of the matter, a strong gust of wind blew in, stirring up thick smoke from a street-side shop's stove, blinding her momentarily.

Blinking her lashes a few times, Pei Xuan quickly wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. A tear trickled down from the corner of her eye, leaving her feeling both amused and frustrated that the wind came at the wrong time.

Her smile disappeared from her expression suddenly, and she was lost in thought. 

The servant asked, “Young Master, are you okay?.”

Pei Xuan realized she had misremembered something!