Chapter 31: Chapter Thirty-One

Xie Junling was not as unrestrained as Lu Bao'er; he was a man with a bit of a cleanliness obsession. At this moment, chili sauce stained the crimson hem of his brocade robe, and his face instantly fell.

A sharp-eyed maid wanted to step forward to help Xie Junling wipe it off, but having taken a clean wet cloth, she hesitated and dared not approach.

After waiting a while, her legs suddenly trembled for no reason, and she nearly knelt down. Though Xie Junling usually looked like a frail scholar, a single fierce glance from him could make people's hearts turn to ice.

Especially after hearing that Qingyao had harbored thoughts she shouldn't have, angering Xie Junling, she hadn't returned for several days; her natal family came to the Xie mansion, but the old granny quietly sent them away with a few taels of silver. What kind of master is this? He's clearly a King of Hell!

Even if the little maids harbored ill intentions, they no longer dared to serve Xie Junling, for who knew what he might misunderstand and then turn against them?

Lu Bao'er saw Xie Junling lower his eyes and say nothing, so she lifted her body to look toward him. It was only because chili sauce had stained his brocade robe that he was displeased; however, both the sauce and the robe were similar shades of red, making it not very noticeable.

Thinking this through, Lu Bao'er said, 'Husband, would you like me to help you wipe it off?'

'No need, I'll go change into another set of clothes.' Even if wiped, an oil stain would remain, and Xie Junling felt uncomfortable no matter how he thought about it, so he might as well just change.

Xie Junling returned to the inner chamber; he didn't like others coming and going in here, not knowing if it was due to strong possessiveness or something else, so he called the servants who had come to attend to him to wait at the door.

Xie Junling rummaged through the chest and found a moon-white, shimmering satin Hangzhou silk straight robe; when he intended to take another crane cloak, he inadvertently caught sight of a yellowish-brown prescription pressed under Lu Bao'er's dressing table.

Not knowing whether it was a valuable item or a letter, Xie Junling sighed, intending to help her tidy it up, fold it neatly, and put it back in the box, lest Lu Bao'er be careless and later, when she wanted something, couldn't find it and become flustered.

Who would have thought that not looking would be fine, but upon looking he was startled. Xie Junling had a slight understanding of medicine; after estimating the dosages of the ingredients in the prescription, he realized it was a recipe for contraceptive soup. Was this something Lu Bao'er had sought out herself?

The old granny would hardly overstep her bounds and arrange these without first asking his opinion; she naturally knew Xie Junling's limits and dared not pry recklessly.

Then it must be Lu Bao'er's own idea—how would she come to seek such prescriptions?

Speaking of marital relations, perhaps Xie Junling also felt a bit awkward; he gave a light cough, unsure what to think. He folded the prescription and placed it into his sachet. He merely felt that Lu Bao'er was still too young, and besides, after their marriage they had spent little time together, so getting close seemed inappropriate.

Moreover, to engage in marital relations without asking Lu Bao'er's wishes, relying solely on the marriage contract, would be overly offensive; besides, he was a gentleman who valued mutual affection and would never force Lu Bao'er.

Yet she had sought out this prescription—could it be that Lu Bao'er's affection for him was deep-rooted, yet she found it difficult to broach marital matters?

Xie Junling lowered his eyelashes, black and thick as a raven's feather, and pressed his lips together for a while, unsure what to say. He felt his lips and tongue dry; perhaps the indoor heating was too high, causing an indescribable sense of heat to course through his limbs.

He closed his eyes, stepped out of the bedroom, and let the winter wind blow on his face to cool him down. The snow in the courtyard had not been swept away completely, crunching underfoot. Xie Junling thus walked slowly toward the Flower Hall, occasionally lifting his eyes to catch sight of Lu Bao'er in the candlelight.

She was eating with gusto, meat oil staining the corner of her mouth, which she didn't bother to wipe, and the firelight made it gleam.

She behaved so unrestrainedly in the mansion, as if when she went out she still understood propriety well.

Earlier, Xie Junling had worried that the old granny's strictness would make the studious Lu Bao'er suffer greatly. Yet when it came to etiquette, she needed no instruction; she naturally bore the bearing of a lady from a prestigious family, unlike Xie Junling, who had been taught propriety from childhood by his mother, a legitimate daughter of the Gu family, and later donned the guise of a poor scholar.

He was full of lies, yet he had encountered the forthright Lu Bao'er. Xie Junling often felt a sense of not fitting in with her.

Perhaps he was timid, or perhaps he feared Lu Bao'er's contemptuous gaze. After all, he was a lovechild born of his mother and a servant, no one had expected his birth, and even everyone wished to strangle him in his swaddling clothes.

Now Xie Junling studies and enters officialdom solely to climb high; only by standing high can he avoid being bullied. Is this base? Though his belly is full of ambition, he pretends to be indifferent to fame and fortune—he is truly a hypocrite.

Xie Junling looked at Lu Bao'er sitting and eating dishes in the Flower Hall, and suddenly a timid feeling arose. Lu Bao'er was a rare innocent maiden; Xie Junling kept her by his side, occasionally glancing at her, as if he could find some excuse to extricate himself. He cherished Lu Bao'er, so he wanted to secure a good life for her.

To say Lu Bao'er is timid would be less accurate than to say Xie Junling is timid. He fears that rashly approaching Lu Bao'er would tear away that fig leaf of modesty. If Lu Bao'er were afraid of him, wouldn't he then have no face to speak to her?

Xie Junling again took out that prescription from his sachet and examined it carefully. He thought: Lu Bao'er had sought out this prescription; she must be prepared. If he refused her, would it not hurt the young maiden's heart?

What should be done, then? What exactly is she thinking?

If Lu Bao'er were older, had opened her mind, and had these thoughts?

If that were the case… then this prescription shouldn't be used either. Medicine is three parts poison; he doesn't want her to drink these contraceptive soups.

Xie Junling's thoughts turned a hundred times, and he walked into the Flower Hall.

Upon arriving, he dismissed the servants and sat opposite Lu Bao'er. Seeing Xie Junling so solemn, Lu Bao'er also set down her chopsticks and softly asked, 'Husband, what's wrong?'

Xie Junling gave a light cough, fearful of hurting the young lady's dignity, then from his sleeve took out a prescription, carefully moved it before Lu Bao'er, and asked in a hoarse voice, 'What is this?'

Was the contraceptive-soup prescription given by Ye Qiying discovered by Xie Junling? Lu Bao'er's cheeks instantly burned red; she felt embarrassed and wished she could find a crack in the ground to disappear into.

Would Xie Junling misunderstand her as being lustful and clever, craving his body day after day? Although Xie Junling indeed had some appeal, she was no lecher! Cough, cough, cough! How should she clarify?

Lu Bao'er racked her brains for a while, then suddenly spoke solemnly: 'Husband, you've misunderstood!'

'Hn?' Xie Junling gave a light hum, wanting to hear her continue.

'This prescription is not prepared for me; it is I who prepared it for my husband.'

'What?' Xie Junling's brows knit tightly, his voice turning harsh, 'Say it again!'

Lu Bao'er, unaware that she had angered Xie Junling, still nodded earnestly and said, 'I feared that husband would seek that sort of thing, taking some concubine maids to try a novelty, yet not knowing to avoid it.'

So I gave husband this prescription, reminding those pretty maids to take the medicine. After all, a son born of a concubine must not precede the legitimate heir; lacking legitimacy and seniority, this is the root of familial chaos!

Lu Bao'er spoke these words with righteous fervor, sounding impressive, yet unknown to her, Xie Junling's anger had already flared. He had thought Lu Bao'er also harbored feelings for him, but little did he know she merely wanted to push him onto others.

Xie Junling sneered, 'Well, well, Lu Bao'er!'

'Husband, don't praise me; this is what I ought to do.' Lu Bao'er felt a hint of shyness. Alas, what to do if a wife is too virtuous? Being praised by her husband every day!

———————Side Note———————

Lu Bao'er: Husband, husband, am I gentle or not? Considerate or not?

Xie Junling: Today is another day I've been made sick by my wife's anger.

Dengdeng wants to beg for a recommendation ticket~~With tickets comes candy duck~~