Chapter 38: Chapter Thirty‑Eight

Morning light shone onto the carved lattice door, a thin layer of light refracted into the window paper as thin as a cicada's wing, lighting the floor tiles inside and casting a yellow gleam.

Xie Junling woke first; he was about to move when he saw Lu Bao'er clinging to his lapel like a kitten, her limbs wrapped around him like an octopus, impossible to shake off.

Lu Bao'er had kicked her own blanket who-knows-where; at this moment her arm bore a large expanse of fair skin, cool to the touch, thoroughly chilled.

He sighed deeply, took off his inner robe, and let Lu Bao'er keep hold of it, allowing him to slip away without waking her.

Xie Junling recalled an amusing anecdote: there once was a cat lover whose favorite cat slept curled against his side; when he had to attend to something suddenly and couldn't bear to disturb the cat, he simply tore his robe away, leaving the corner the cat clung to for the cat.

Wasn't Xie Junling then just another such cat lover? Going to such lengths for Lu Bao'er shows he favors her.

The outdoor servant, who knew the time Xie Junling woke, saw his bare chest and exclaimed, "Sir? What…?"

Bracing against the biting wind, Xie Junling took the clean clothes the servant brought, let others help him dress, and after washing up and eating, he went to the Hanlin Academy in his usual sedan chair.

By the time Lu Bao'er woke, the sun was already high. She stirred lazily, noticed she still clutched a white inner robe, and wondered, "Isn't this Xie Junling's?"

Her face flushed crimson; Liu Xiang, hearing the rustle, entered the inner chamber, and Lu Bao'er, feeling guilty as a thief, hid the robe behind the cushion.

It's natural for spouses to undress before each other, yet Lu Bao'er felt terribly embarrassed. She and Xie Junling hardly seem that intimate yet, do they?

Usually in bed, Xie Junling remained impeccably dressed, his collar and lapels always neatly bound by his garment's ties, never revealing a sturdy male chest.

Why did he suddenly take off his clothes last night? Lu Bao'er puzzled over it, then thought perhaps she was too alluring, making it possible for Xie Junling to lose his composure for a moment; she blamed herself for being too beautiful.

With that thought, Lu Bao'er no longer blamed Xie Junling. Ordinary men sharing her bed could hardly be paragons of virtue like him; after all, she is extraordinarily beautiful.

At that moment, the exceedingly lovely Lu Bao'er gazed in surprise at a table of breakfast in the Flower Hall and asked the old wet‑nurse, "Why does the mansion have jade‑face cake?"

The old wet‑nurse smiled, pursing her lips: "A while ago I noticed the mistress liked this pastry, so I asked the cook to make it; little did I know the master also gave an order. Seeing the master and servants all urging for the sweet cake, Cook Ye hurried to steam it up."

Lu Bao'er heard the wet‑nurse say that Xie Junling had bothered Lady Ye for her sake, and she felt delighted, biting into a soft jade‑face cake and thinking, "Since my husband shows such concern for me, I'll be magnanimous and not hold it against him for his nocturnal indiscretion."

Naturally, Xie Junling, then at work in the Hanlin Academy, had no idea of this; he wondered whether, if Lu Bao'er knew he had undressed merely to avoid disturbing her sleep, she would be moved to tears, throw herself into his arms, and proclaim him the best husband in the capital.

Heck, it's obvious—these are just Xie Junling's foolish daydreams, not fit for polite company.

－－－－－－Off‑topic note－－－－－－

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