Even with Xiao Shan's utmost caution, Xue Niang was startled awake. However, in such a compromising situation, she gritted her teeth and tried her best not to make a sound.
Yet, his rough hands still hurt her, and she couldn't help but let out a soft moan, her body trembling.
Xiao Shan quickly looked up and saw Xue Niang clutching the bedsheets, her butterfly-like eyelashes fluttering incessantly. The alluring crimson quilt only made her skin, as if sculpted from ice and snow, emit a lustrous glow. A blush spread across her cheeks like mist, captivating his gaze.
Xiao Shan swallowed, his heart pounding.
Alas, the spring night is too short; the sun hangs high.
"Xue Niang, eat something before you sleep again."
He knew how rough last night had been and that Xue Niang's body couldn't withstand his torment. Suppressing his desires, he carefully brought the prepared pork rib soup from the small table, testing its warmth.
Xue Niang struggled to sit up, leaning against him. She drank the soup spoon by spoon from his hand.
"Your maid is quite clever, knowing to conceal your beauty. No wonder Qu Linglong said her medical skills were superb. How did she achieve this, leaving not a single trace?"
Xiao Shan stared at her left cheek, marveling.
"Are you sure the lotus on your back grew on its own, and not something she conjured with medicine?"
If she could make something grow on a face, she could surely make flowers bloom on a back, couldn't she?
"Don't you dare speak nonsense again! Qing He grew up with me, she's an important family member. If you doubt her, I won't speak to you anymore!"
"No, no, I wasn't doubting. I was just talking nonsense. I deserve a beating." Xiao Shan, knowing when to yield, quickly pleaded for forgiveness.
Xue Niang huffed. After eating a flatbread and drinking a bowl of soup, she regained some strength.
"I want to bathe."
She recalled how hot she had been last night and how long they had been at it, feeling rather uncomfortable.
"No rush, rest first. I wiped you down last night, you're clean! We'll bathe later when I heat up the kitchen. It's getting cold now."
Faced with Xiao Shan's bluntness, Xue Niang shyly buried herself again.
She didn't want to deal with him.
This man was wicked. Last night, she had almost been tormented to death, and her body still felt like it wasn't her own.
Xiao Shan didn't leave the house for three full days. A man who had just tasted intimacy was terrifying, especially a robust man like him.
A few youngsters who had gone to eavesdrop outside their house late at night were injured in the leg by stones thrown from an unknown direction.
It was undoubtedly Xiao Shan, given his ability to pierce a palm from a hundred meters away. Merely injuring them was considered lenient, scaring everyone away from trying again.
As the gossiping villagers outside were speculating if Xiao Shan's wife was too weak to get out of bed from his torment, the door of the Xiao family's house finally opened.
As usual, Xiao Shan first went to the mountain to carry a bundle of firewood. On his way, he dropped some off at Granny Hua's house.
Then, he went to fetch water. The villagers were no longer as afraid of him as before. Moreover, Xiao Shan now appeared more amiable, so many greeted him.
"Brother Xiao, hunting every day is quite dangerous. Why not buy some land to cultivate? We're planning to sell land, and I can give you a good price!"
A villager ran up to Xiao Shan upon seeing him.
The truth was, every family in the village was struggling, and they had no spare money to buy land. Only Xiao Shan could afford to spend money, right?
Xiao Shan pondered. In reality, the taxes were too high, and after handing over the harvest, there was hardly anything left. Buying land seemed pointless, but he could buy a small plot to grow some vegetables.
Therefore, he didn't refuse, "I'll consider it."
"Alright, Brother Xiao, if you've made up your mind, just go to the village chief." The villager said happily.
When Xiao Shan carried the water home, he saw Wang Xiulan coming out of his house with a dazed expression.
He frowned. He felt it hadn't taken long to fetch water and hadn't locked the door. Xue Niang was still asleep! He wondered if she had been woken up.
"Xiao, Brother Xiao is back."
Wang Xiulan saw Xiao Shan, her eyes darting around, not daring to look at him. "I, I brought you some homegrown pumpkins. Xue Niang, she, um, is awake."
"Mm."
"Heh heh, heh heh, I'm leaving."
Wang Xiulan lowered her head in embarrassment. She had seen Xiao Shan go to fetch water and realized the Xiao family's door was open. So, she took a few pumpkins and went to deliver them. Who would have thought that after calling out a few times inside, she only heard a response from the bedroom?
That must be Xue Niang. Wang Xiulan hadn't thought much of it and went in.
Who would have imagined she would see a celestial being, still sleepy-eyed, just getting up, wearing only a bright red undergarment and staring blankly?
She was startled, thinking Xiao Shan had remarried. Then, she realized it was Xue Niang.
The red marks on her neck and arms bloomed like plum blossoms against her fair skin.
Wang Xiulan, being a woman of experience, immediately blushed.
This, this, this, she really shouldn't have barged into their room.
"Xue Niang, I, I left a few pumpkins in the kitchen. You can make porridge. Um, I'll leave now, I'll come again another day."
Wang Xiulan smelled a pleasant fragrance from the house and saw Xue Niang's alluring, languid posture. Even as a woman, her heart pounded. Let alone a virile man like Brother Xiao.
Three days to be able to go out, that's quite good.
Oh my! As soon as she left, she bumped into the returning Brother Xiao. This was truly mortifying.
Wang Xiulan hurried away.
Xiao Shan entered the house and poured the water into the缸. He went into the bedroom to check. Xue Niang had indeed woken up and was already dressed, carefully getting off the heated bed.
Three days! She finally understood why Xiao Shan had built such a large heated bed; no matter how much they rolled, she couldn't fall off!
He had promised to let her recuperate, but it was all nonsense. When night came, he was no longer the same.
"Are you alright?"
Xiao Shan stepped forward to help her, but Xue Niang punched him a few times. "It's all your fault, you've made me a laughingstock!"
"Which couple isn't like this? What's there to laugh about?"
"No one saw them!"
"It's my fault for not locking the door."
Was this about not locking the door? Wasn't it his late-night antics that made her wake up so late?
"You're not allowed to fool around anymore. If I say no, it's no. Don't cling to me like a dog! Do you hear me?"
How dare she compare him to a dog?
The little woman still didn't know his strength.
Xiao Shan muttered inwardly, but outwardly he said obediently, "I hear you. Come, eat first. I've stewed black chicken and mushroom soup, your favorite."
Seeing that he had somewhat listened, Xue Niang didn't say anything more. Her stomach was already growling, and she had no time to bother with him.
Xiao Shan clung to her because as soon as she stopped, she would start overthinking, always believing he would harm her or bring her misfortune. Only when they were occupied did she stop thinking wildly.
What misfortune? These past few days, he had been as energetic as if he had taken a divine elixir, walking with vigor and even stronger than before!