Chapter 17: The "Irritable" Wife Loves to Dote on People (17)

Seeing that Su Qiruo had already pushed the two chairs together, Yun Zimù's eyes flickered.

"Wife... come to bed and sleep too!"

Yun Zimù said with pursed lips. He believed that his Wife certainly wouldn't force him to do anything right now; even if she truly wanted to, he perhaps wouldn't want to refuse anymore.

This was his Wife; his body would belong to her sooner or later, so what did it matter whether they had formally married or not?

However, the moment he thought about how he was merely a husband she had bought, and that he had not yet performed the wedding rites with her, a wave of bitterness welled up in Yun Zimù's heart.

His father had been bought back by his mother as well; he could only be a concubine for his entire life and never enjoyed a single day of good living until his death.

He was much luckier than his father. Although his Wife had not performed the wedding rites with him, she had no other men and treated him with great affection.

"Never mind, I'm afraid you won't be used to sleeping with me and won't rest well tonight. It's only for one night anyway; we're going home tomorrow. I'll just make do here for the night."

Su Qiruo scratched her head, refusing him reluctantly.

She wasn't afraid of anything else, only that her beastly nature might flare up and she wouldn't be able to resist "doing this and that" to Yun Zimù. If that happened, the relationship they had so painstakingly maintained would collapse once again.

Yun Zimù pursed his lips and looked at Su Qiruo. Suddenly, he turned around, climbed onto the bed, and pulled the bed curtains shut to lock himself inside, his movements seamless.

*Is he angry?*

Su Qiruo found it strange. She couldn't understand what on earth he was angry about. Where had she done something wrong to upset her little husband again?

Yun Zimù cursed him a "blockhead" inwardly and climbed into bed huffily. He felt he was becoming increasingly bold, even daring to lose his temper with his Wife.

He truly was becoming a bit spoiled!

It was all because his Wife spoiled him.

But even after he had thick-skinned enough to say such words, she still rejected him. How could he not be angry?

"Zimù, if you need to get up during the night, just call me, and I'll light a lamp for you."

Su Qiruo didn't forget to say a word to the person on the bed before sleeping, but the person inside didn't even give her an "mm."

Su Qiruo lay on her side, curled up, feeling so agitated that she couldn't sleep.

With money, she could start a small business. She wanted to make this money grow so that in the future, when she took Yun Zimù out, they could live in a grand house—the kind with side rooms and soft couches—so she wouldn't have to sleep on a hard chair anymore.

The unworthy Su Qiruo hadn't even dared to dream about when she might get to sleep in her little husband's bed, yet here she was, planning all this instead.

If Yun Zimù knew her thoughts, he would surely give her a cold shoulder again.

Was she supposed to make a man take the initiative in such matters?

*Stupid blockhead!*

When she woke up in the morning, Su Qiruo felt sore all over. After a long stretch, she went to wash up. After breakfast, the two of them rented a carriage to head home.

Yun Zimù meticulously categorized the items they had bought last night; these were all things they had bought for Lu Dasheng, Lu Qimei, and Lu Ziping.

After all, those people had helped him that night, so he had to show some gratitude.

"I'll invite them over for dinner tonight, so we can just deliver these things at the same time."

Seeing that Yun Zimù was busy tinkering with the items and ignoring her, Su Qiruo spoke up to break the silence in the carriage.

"This piece of cloth is to be returned to Sister Lu's brother-in-law, you must remember that!"

Yun Zimù nodded gently, repeating the instructions for the pile of things that included the extra piece of cloth.

"Alright, I definitely won't forget."

Su Qiruo smiled with such doting affection that it turned Yun Zimù's face red.

The carriage did not enter the village, only dropping the two of them off near the old locust tree at the village entrance.

Carrying large and small bundles, with a beautiful little husband following behind, Su Qiruo suddenly felt a sense of fulfillment.

After delivering the gifts and inviting them to their home as guests, the three of them were astonished.

"Sister Qiruo, you really are someone who knows how to live now! After the house was repaired, it actually feels like a new home!"

Lu Qimei joked as she looked at Su Qiruo's house.

Su Qiruo placed the freshly cooked chicken on the table and smiled. "You'll know what it means to 'know how to live' once you get married."

"Seeing how happy you and Sister Dasheng are, I want to marry a husband as soon as possible."

Lu Qimei pouted, looking at Su Qiruo with an envious expression.

People always said women should stay away from the kitchen, but with Sister Lu's brother-in-law cooking and Sister Qiruo helping, wouldn't such a life be much more interesting than sitting around waiting for a husband to serve you?

Lu Qimei suddenly felt a sense of admiration for Su Qiruo; Sister Qiruo was truly a woman who knew how to find happiness.

"Next year, Auntie Lu should start looking for matches for you. When that time comes, remember to prepare plenty of wedding candies!"

As soon as Su Qiruo finished speaking, she suddenly froze.

Recalling the contents of the books she had read in her previous life, she seemed to understand Yun Zimù's thoughts a little.

Was he... concerned about not being formally married?

Because his biological father had been a husband (concubine-status), he needed a wedding and a marriage contract to prove his status as a primary husband.

Yun Zimù—so his knot in his heart had been here all along.

It was as if her meridians had suddenly been cleared; many things that Su Qiruo couldn't figure out before were now perfectly clear.

Since her predecessor hadn't had the luck to marry such a wonderful Yun Zimù, then she, Su Qiruo, would wait until she was settled, give him a real home, and protect him well.

Lu Qimei rarely blushed, pursing her lips as she said, "My mother said if I can be hardworking enough to save up the bride price this year, she will find someone to arrange a marriage for me next spring."

Ever since Lu Qimei had brought back those five taels of silver last time, her mother had praised her for a long time, saying that if she worked hard, she would arrange a marriage and engagement for her next year.

"That's a good thing! Once you start a family, you'll need a way to make a living. You can't let your husband and children go hungry, can you?"

Su Qiruo nodded in agreement; she felt the Village Chief had a point.

Although Lu Qimei's family lived slightly better than average village households, they couldn't just sit around consuming their savings until they died!

Her six brothers had all married off, so there likely wouldn't be much income for the family in the future. The Village Chief was hoping Lu Qimei could be more capable!

"Sister Qiruo, then could you see if you can take me with you the next time you go into the mountains? I can be your assistant..."

Lu Qimei looked at Su Qiruo expectantly. The only way to make money she could think of right now was to have Su Qiruo take her along.

Yun Zimù, who had come over to deliver the food, happened to hear Lu Qimei's words. He couldn't help but turn his gaze toward Su Qiruo, waiting for her to speak.

His Wife had promised him that she would never go into the mountains again.

How could Su Qiruo not know Yun Zimù's thoughts? Since she had promised him, she would never break her word.

"Since Qimei mentioned it, I actually do have something I want to discuss with you sisters. Although there are treasures in the mountains, they are indeed dangerous. I plan to start a small business of my own in the future; I wonder if you sisters would be interested in working with me?"

As soon as Su Qiruo's voice fell, the plate in Yun Zimù's hand also landed on the table.

(End of Chapter)