"Why are you awake so early?"
Shen Xuan was staring at the light, floating box with a puzzled look when he heard his wife's voice. He withdrew his hand and turned to face Lu Yu.
"You, the weather is so cold in the morning, and you don't wear more clothes." Lu Yu sighed helplessly and dotingly, then walked to Shen Xuan's side and draped her single garment over him.
Shen Xuan felt the weight of the clothes on his body, still carrying the warmth of Lu Yu's hands, and lowered his head slightly.
Lu Yu saw the red, swollen mosquito bite on the back of his neck and couldn't help but smile, "I didn't expect you to be more attractive to mosquitoes than I am. No wonder the mosquitoes didn't bite me last night; they all flocked to you."
Seeing Shen Xuan's confused eyes, Lu Yu smiled and reached out to touch it, "It's here."
This caused Shen Xuan to shiver, and only then did he feel the itch. Thinking of the touch just now, his face instantly turned red to the roots of his neck. He couldn't help but reach out and scratch where Lu Yu had touched.
"I, I didn't notice." Shen Xuan then turned himself into a quail, shrinking his head, too embarrassed to look up.
"I'll get some ointment for you to apply, or you'll be uncomfortable for days."
Seeing her little husband standing there motionless, Lu Yu mischievously reached out and touched Shen Xuan's mosquito bite again. She chuckled triumphantly as Shen Xuan shivered from her touch.
Shen Xuan's ears also turned red at a visible speed.
Afraid of teasing him too much, Lu Yu quickly took Shen Xuan's slightly cool hand and led him inside.
After settling Shen Xuan by the bed, Lu Yu went to get the ointment she usually used. She returned quickly, sat behind Shen Xuan, and insisted on applying the medicine for him.
Her excuse was: the mosquito bite was on the back of your neck, and it's inconvenient for you to apply the medicine yourself.
In reality, it wasn't inconvenient at all; he could reach it with his own hand, but his wife insisted on helping him.
Given her assertive demeanor, Shen Xuan eventually compromised.
Seeing Shen Xuan sitting by the bed with a look of "I can't win against you," Lu Yu's desire to tease him arose again. "Don't worry, I'll apply the medicine gently."
It's not that I'm afraid you'll be too rough. I wish you'd apply it more vigorously. Shen Xuan muttered to himself.
The cool ointment made Shen Xuan flinch, but he quickly returned to his calm state, pretending nothing was happening.
As the ointment gradually melted, Lu Yu's warm fingers rubbed against his skin, and he could occasionally feel her warm breath on his neck.
Shen Xuan clenched his fists tightly, pursed his lips, and suppressed his heart, which was beating as fast as a frightened deer.
The difficult process finally ended. Shen Xuan wanted to ask about the return gift, but he didn't know how to start, afraid Lu Yu would overthink it.
Lu Yu stood up and met Shen Xuan's hesitant gaze. Recalling his confused expression when he was standing in front of the box earlier, she guessed what he wanted to ask.
Lu Yu didn't want their conversations to always be based on her guesses. They would be living together in the future; they couldn't communicate like this every time.
For a moment, the room was extremely quiet. One person was lowering his head, thinking about how to ask, and the other was waiting for him to ask.
"Wife," his voice was small, and if it weren't for the quiet room, it would have been inaudible.
"Hmm?" Lu Yu's expectant gaze fell on him without concealment, and her gentle tone dispelled Shen Xuan's suppressed tension.
Shen Xuan looked up at Lu Yu's encouraging gaze, gritted his teeth, and decided to rephrase his question, "Wife, we don't need to prepare so much for the return gift."
"So much? Xuan'er, you're not trying to say that, are you?" Lu Yu's voice held a hint of teasing.
It seemed he still didn't dare to ask her directly about everything, even though she wouldn't blame him.
Xuan'er? It was strange and made him blush to hear his nickname from someone other than his family, yet it also made him feel at ease.
"Xuan'er, you want to ask why the return gift box is so light, don't you?"
Being called out, Shen Xuan stammered, "No, that's not right, it's, but I didn't mean that, I..."
"Sigh..." Lu Yu was truly exasperated, her facial expression a little stiff. She sat back in her original position, maintaining a reassuring distance from Shen Xuan to avoid making him too nervous.
"Don't be nervous. We are husband and wife; you have to trust me. If you have any questions, just say them directly. Don't worry."
Perhaps it was Lu Yu's comforting words that worked, or perhaps her voice made him feel at ease.
"I, I was just curious about what was in the box to make it so light. I didn't mean for you to bring back so much. What the return gift is naturally up to you to decide," Shen Xuan mumbled softly.
Lu Yu's throat tightened. She both loved and hated her husband's cautious demeanor, but looking at his appearance and expression, she felt only tenderness and heartache.
"I haven't even said what I think you mean, and you've already jumped to conclusions. Of course, I wouldn't misunderstand you."
"Your family treated you badly, so naturally, I can't give them good things. But I can't let you be embarrassed, so I came up with this plan."
Lu Yu winked mysteriously at Shen Xuan and leaned close to his ear, whispering softly, her breath making Shen Xuan's ears feel warm.
"Patriarch, Main Husband, it's time to eat!" Afu was busy in the yard, and before finishing her tasks, she started calling out to them. She urged them to come out and eat, as they couldn't be late for the return visit, or people would talk.
"Coming, coming!" Lu Yu responded, then leaned closer to Shen Xuan, "Main Husband? You let him call you that?"
Seeing Shen Xuan's discomfort, his eyes not knowing where to look, Lu Yu smiled triumphantly and quickly walked out of the room.
Her hair brushed against Shen Xuan's face, making him feel itchy. As Shen Xuan turned, he quickly lowered his head and rubbed it with his hand, following behind Lu Yu, ready to go eat.
The cool breeze outside dispelled the blush on Shen Xuan's face. Fortunately, Afu was busy and didn't have time to pay special attention to him, otherwise, Afu would surely have spoken in surprise, and he wouldn't have known how to respond.
It's all that damned mosquito's fault, all its fault.
Shen Xuan was lost in his own world, constantly blaming the mosquito. The expression on his face was evident. The intimate scene between them just now kept replaying in his mind. He sat at the table, wishing he could bury his head in his bowl.
"Afu, you should eat with us. There are only the three of us here, no need for formalities."
Afu glanced at Shen Xuan. Seeing that he kept his head down and made no move, she was momentarily unsure how to react. She could only nod along with Lu Yu and awkwardly sat down next to Shen Xuan.
"Alright, let's eat quickly. I'll go to the clinic tomorrow to get some mosquito-repelling herbs, so the mosquitoes don't bother you anymore." Lu Yu patted Shen Xuan's arm. Lu Yu spoke at the right time, easing the solemn atmosphere at the table.
"Wife, today is Xuan'er's return visit day, we...?" Zhao Liu, while helping Shen Mu change her clothes in the room, casually brought it up, testing Shen Mu's attitude towards it.
"Return visit?" Shen Mu only then reacted. She had completely forgotten about it these past two days. Yet, Zhao Liu, not knowing how to read her mood, insisted on bringing it up.
"He still has the nerve to return? After doing such a thing. You are not to prepare anything. Do I need to ask you about such matters? You're becoming more and more useless."
Shen Mu flung away Zhao Liu's hand that was tidying her collar, glared at him, and turned to leave.
She had initially liked Zhao Liu because he was understanding and could read her mind. But now, just like Li Ning, he said things she didn't want to hear, causing her annoyance.
Zhao Liu watched Shen Mu's retreating back and let out a cold laugh, thinking about what she had just said.