The group returned home as darkness fell.
"Young Master, Young Master," Afu approached Shen Xuan, pulling a storybook from his embrace and handing it to him. "I bought this storybook in town. They say the stories in it are incredibly exciting and it's very popular in town recently."
"Overbearing Wife Lord Falls in Love with Me?" Shen Xuan read the title aloud, holding the book with a puzzled expression. "What a strange name. Have you read it?"
"I've read some of it today," Afu replied, his face flushing slightly as he scratched his head. "It's really good, just some parts are a bit—"
The sun gradually set in the west, casting golden rays upon Lu Yu. Shen Xuan looked up at Lu Yu's retreating back. Seeing that Lu Yu hadn't noticed him, he tucked the book into his embrace.
"I'll go back and take a look."
These kinds of storybooks were most appealing to young men, but society never allowed men to read such things. Moreover, some men were illiterate. If only men could be literate.
What was he thinking? Men would never be allowed to be openly literate.
Shen Xuan shook his head, dismissing the thoughts from his mind.
In the evening, Shen Xuan, as usual, lay in Lu Yu's arms, discussing the day's events with her. This had become their habit.
"Wife Lord, that storybook Afu bought in town earlier..."
Shen Xuan lay in Lu Yu's embrace, explaining about the storybook Lu Yu had discovered.
"And what does Xuan'er think of the story?" Lu Yu casually placed the storybook on the bedside table and looked down at him, asking.
"It's very good," Shen Xuan pursed his lips and finally shared his opinion. "The emotions written in it are very delicate. If only such beautiful love could truly exist in the world."
"Why wouldn't it? Such beautiful love is happening to you right now. Does my husband feel I'm not good enough for you?"
Lu Yu tightened her arms around Shen Xuan, drawing closer to his face, and asked with a smile.
"Of course not," Shen Xuan hurriedly retorted, then added softly, "Wife Lord is the best Wife Lord in the world. I can't love you enough."
Lu Yu burst into laughter. Shen Xuan, embarrassed, reached out to cover Lu Yu's mouth, not allowing her to laugh any further.
Lu Yu indeed stopped laughing. She savored the warmth of Shen Xuan's palm on her lips, then suddenly opened her mouth slightly and gently tickled Shen Xuan's palm with her tongue.
Shen Xuan jolted, quickly withdrawing his hand. He stood there with a flushed face, his heart pounding as if it would leap out of his chest.
A tingling sensation rose from the soles of his feet and spread throughout his body. Shen Xuan felt his entire body go weak, only the beating of his heart was strong, causing his soft body to tremble along with it.
"Wife Lord, how can you do that?" Shen Xuan pouted and mumbled.
Looking at the soft flesh peeking out on both sides of her husband's face, Lu Yu's hand itched uncontrollably. Following her own desires, she reached out and pinched it.
"Wife Lord!" Shen Xuan shouted with a flushed face, burying himself in Lu Yu's embrace and refusing to come out.
"Is my little darling angry?" Lu Yu called out a few times, but Shen Xuan didn't look up, merely muffled himself within her arms, only his red ears showing.
"How about this, Wife Lord will compensate you by telling you a secret."
Hearing there was a secret to be told, Shen Xuan's curiosity was piqued. He nodded repeatedly in Lu Yu's arms, as if saying, I'll forgive you if you tell me something good.
"Actually, this book... I wrote it!"
"Wife Lord wrote it?" Shen Xuan exclaimed, both surprised and delighted. He peeked out from Lu Yu's embrace, staring intently at Lu Yu's face as if to determine if Lu Yu was lying to him.
"Of course. When has your Wife Lord ever lied to you?" Lu Yu said proudly. "Look at who the author of this storybook is?"
"Yu Lu? Lu Yu?" Shen Xuan mumbled, then suddenly realized, "It really is you!"
"Wife Lord, you're truly amazing!" Shen Xuan excitedly threw himself into Lu Yu's arms again, rewarding her with a sweet kiss.
Lu Yu lay on the bed, opening her arms to steady Shen Xuan as he lunged towards her. She contentedly accepted the kiss and returned it.
As the night deepened, Shen Xuan slept soundly facing Lu Yu. Lu Yu, however, was somewhat sleepless. She recalled Shen Xuan's unconscious mumblings before falling asleep, "If only all men in this world could be literate."
She couldn't influence all the men in the world, but she could start with this town. If there could be a men's academy in town, allowing those men who yearned for knowledge and independence to learn skills and gain knowledge.
Perhaps then the status of men would improve, and fewer men would be confined to narrow spaces, leading them to place all their hopes on women for their entire lives.
With knowledge, comes power.
Looking at Shen Xuan's well-behaved and quiet sleeping face, Lu Yu's mind began to form an idea.
Also awake at this time was Afu.
He wondered how her body was doing now, if it still hurt, and if she had taken her medicine.
Afu lay on his bed, suddenly unable to sleep. His mind was filled with the image of Gu Yitong injured today, and he was too worried to sleep.
He forgot, Gu Yi must have been taking care of Gu Yitong all evening. How could she forget to take her medicine?
The more Afu tried to stop thinking about her, the more he couldn't help himself. His thoughts flowed like water, impossible to control. He tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
The longer her body took to recover, the more her family head would worry about her, and the less time she would have with the Young Master. Afu thought to himself.
Who exactly was worrying about her? Perhaps only the night knew, as even Afu himself was unaware.
The next day, Shen Xuan went with Lu Yu to town to look at houses. He asked Afu if he wanted to stay home or accompany him to town.
"I'll accompany the Young Master," Afu replied after a moment of thought, deciding to go to town with Shen Xuan.
And to check on her recovery, so that Yi'er wouldn't worry about her body every day.
Even Afu didn't realize that in just one night, the reason he worried about Gu Yitong had changed again.