Chapter Thirteen: I, I shall attend to you while you sleep, Miss.

Even in the dead of winter, she wore very little. Underneath her inner garment was only a bodice. She glanced behind her; good, the young man was standing with his back to her, his gaze not wandering in the slightest. She leaned over to test the water temperature—it was just right. Quickly stripping off her inner garment and trousers, she stepped inside. As the hot water caused her pores to relax, she squinted in comfort, resting her fair, porcelain arms on the edge of the tub.

Hearing the splashing behind him, Xie Changzhi dared not turn around. "Miss Cheng Yuan, is the water temperature suitable?"

It was perfectly fine, but Cheng Yuan felt a bit mischievous and didn't want to let him off the hook just yet. "It's a bit too hot. Could you fetch some cold water? Just a little will do."

Receiving his orders, Xie Changzhi felt an immediate sense of relief and hurried out the door. He returned in a flash with a ladle of cold water, only to freeze in his tracks. Cheng Yuan’s thick, dark hair cascaded down her back; her shoulders, smooth as jade, and her fair arms were glistening with water, and wisps of steam rose into the air. For some reason, Xie Changzhi felt a surge of heat rush straight to his head.

"What’s wrong? Why aren't you coming over?"

Cheng Yuan turned her head. Her face was flushed from the steam, her clear eyes like a warm spring, and her small, red lips were particularly striking. His gaze drifted downward, falling upon her slender, alabaster neck.

Xie Changzhi snapped to his senses, spun around immediately, and began bowing repeatedly, stammering apologies. In his panic, he spilled more than half the water from the ladle onto the floor.

Cheng Yuan arched a brow. "Xie Changzhi, are you doing this on purpose? Never mind not adding the cold water, but spilling it on the floor? If you aren't willing to help, just leave and send your younger brother instead."

The latter part was a lie, of course, but Xie Changzhi took it seriously. He instinctively started to turn around, then forced himself to stop. "No, I—I will go fetch another ladle."

He strode out, and Cheng Yuan finally burst into suppressed laughter. Suddenly, a large ladle of cold water was poured directly over her head.

Cheng Yuan: "..."

"Ahhh, Xie Changzhi!! Why did you pour cold water on my head!"

Shivering from the cold, Cheng Yuan hurriedly moved to the other side of the tub, submerging herself up to her nose, with only her round, almond-shaped eyes visible.

Xie Changzhi kept his eyes tightly shut. He let out a gasp, fumbling toward the tub, apologizing profusely. "My apologies, Miss Cheng Yuan! I was counting my steps as I walked in, I forgot that was where your head was! I’ll go fetch a ladle of hot water, I’ll pour it on the other side—wait, Miss Cheng Yuan, where is your head?"

Cheng Yuan was nearly driven to laughter by frustration.

"Never mind, just get out."

Fortunately, she had always preferred hot water, and though it wasn't as scalding as before, it was enough to finish her bath. As for Xie Changzhi, he had better stay wherever it was cool!

Unable to see her but hearing the note of irritation in her voice, Xie Changzhi opened his mouth, then hung his head and quietly exited the room. Hearing the door latch, Cheng Yuan quickly began to scrub herself clean. Though her home was poor, she had plenty of clothes. After putting on her inner garment, she opened the wardrobe and picked out a red-and-green patterned set, laying it on the bedside.

As she turned to move the tub, there was a knock at the door. "Miss Cheng Yuan, I’ve come to pour out the water."

Cheng Yuan was surprised; she had assumed he would have gone back to his room to sleep. She hadn't expected him to be waiting by the door, listening for her. Her heart softened involuntarily. "Come in."

Perhaps it was the dim light of the night, but Cheng Yuan felt that the rims of Xie Changzhi’s eyes looked a bit red. However, he quickly carried the tub out, and she let the matter drop. Just as she was about to close the door and blow out the candle, Xie Changzhi stood at the threshold once more.

"What is it?" Having had a warm bath, Cheng Yuan was in a good mood. Seeing him silent and red-eyed, she spoke tentatively, "Did your father and brother give you trouble again?"

Xie Changzhi spoke slowly, and Cheng Yuan waited patiently. "I... I will serve Miss Cheng Yuan to bed tonight."

After saying this, it felt as though an eternity had passed. He kept his head bowed, not daring to meet her gaze, his earlobes burning red. He hadn't been married before his exile, but he knew that on the night of a wedding, certain things were expected. Although he was a live-in son-in-law and there had been no ceremony, surely the expected rituals should still apply? After all, he had nothing to offer but his looks; perhaps that was why Miss Cheng Yuan had chosen him.

Cheng Yuan remained silent. Xie Changzhi bit his lip nervously, his thoughts spiraling, until she finally spoke. "You... you should get some good rest tonight. We have things to do tomorrow. That, that matter, there’s no rush."

After saying this awkwardly, Cheng Yuan slammed the door shut, looking rather like she was fleeing in a panic. In the darkness, Xie Changzhi slowly looked up. The flush faded, and a flicker of disappointment crossed his dazed eyes.

On a wedding night, if a husband does not touch his wife, it means he does not like her. Did Miss Cheng Yuan not like him either? It made sense—he had no family standing now, only a face that was passable, and perhaps it was only because he was passable that she had no further intentions toward him. It was his own fault for being presumptuous, thinking that the slight favor she showed him during the day meant she was truly fond of him, and holding onto that hope.

Xie Changzhi returned to his room, feeling utterly dejected. Inside her room, Cheng Yuan was so embarrassed she wanted to slap herself for teasing him earlier. *It’s all your fault! Look what you’ve turned the poor boy into!* She vowed never to do it again.

Neither of them slept well that night. By the hour of the rabbit (5-7 AM), Cheng Yuan was already up. It wasn't that she loved early mornings, but she had gone to bed before seven the night before, tossing and turning, unable to lie still. Combining that with her excitement for the day's shopping, she gritted her teeth and rose.

After listening to Cheng Zhi's instructions—nodding and murmuring in agreement—Cheng Yuan watched as Xie Changzhi picked up two carrying baskets behind her, obediently replying to Cheng Zhi before following her out.

"This child, I don't know who she takes after," Cheng Zhi sighed, watching their backs with a touch of worry, though he felt slightly comforted seeing Xie Changzhi walking by her side.

The village had only two ox-carts, both belonging to Auntie Wang’s family. Uncle Wang made two trips to the county seat every day, morning and evening, costing two coppers per person each way. Most villagers chose to walk, as four coppers could buy four steamed buns. But since Lianshui Village was nearly twenty kilometers from the county, Cheng Yuan couldn't bear that hardship. She handed the four coppers to Uncle Wang and boarded with Xie Changzhi.

There were only two or three other people on the cart, and Cheng Yuan greeted them politely. They were surprised by her newfound courtesy but didn't ask questions. They stole glances at her new husband—Xie Changzhi. Dressed in new clothes, he really did look like a fine young man.

The ox-cart swayed slowly through the snow for nearly an hour before the sign for "Qingshui County" came into view. "An hour, right here," Uncle Wang instructed.

As soon as Cheng Yuan stepped off the cart, she headed straight for the street, her eyes gleaming.