FIMA Ch46: Red Sleeves Add Fragrance

Gu Siyuan picked up the wine jug on the table, poured two cups, and handed one to Xie Changyue: “Nuptial wine.”

Xie Changyue took the wine cup and took the opportunity to steal a glance at Gu Siyuan’s calm, indifferent face. He secretly curled his lip; others had said he thought highly of him, yet here he was with such an expression on their wedding night.

Gu Siyuan raised his eyes, met his cautious gaze, and suddenly extended his arm, signaling him to cross arms for the toast.

This was what one should do when getting married.

Since he had married Xie Changyue, he naturally ought to actively do everything a groom should do.

Their slender arms crossed and intertwined. The bit of fair, tender skin exposed at Xie Changyue’s wrist touched Gu Siyuan’s arm, instantly sparking a scalding temperature.

Xie Changyue recalled the firm sensation of these arms steadily gripping his thighs when carrying him earlier, and his heart fluttered. A soft “Mmph…” unconsciously slipped from his lips.

Gu Siyuan heard it and cast his gaze downward to glance at him.

Then, the hand hanging by his side suddenly reached out, grabbing the slender waist of the person in front of him. With a slight pull, he drew him into his embrace, letting him step onto his shoes.

Xie Changyue hastily reached out to grab his husband’s sleeve to steady himself.

“…”

Was his husband this impatient?

Just then, hot breath brushed past his ear, and a deep male voice sounded: “Standing taller like this, can you reach now?”

Gu Siyuan had assumed the sound he made just now was because he was too short and found it uncomfortable to forcefully stretch his arm.

“…” Xie Changyue.

His husband was certainly considerate.

Mm, he began to believe that this man, who looked like a centuries-old cold stone, might actually like him.

Gu Siyuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he downed the wine in one gulp.

The two were pressed incredibly close at this moment, their breaths seemingly intertwining.

Xie Changyue shot him a look, unwilling to admit defeat, and tilted his neck back to finish his cup in one go. However, the very next moment, the spicy sting made him stick his tongue out slightly.

Gu Siyuan quickly let go of him, turned around, and poured clear tea from the table.

In an instant, the warm sensations on his feet, waist, and arms all dissipated. Xie Changyue puffed his cheeks, somewhat regretting his deliberate display of competitiveness just now.

The two had just finished drinking their nuptial wine and hadn’t had time to say another word before “thump-thump” knocks sounded on the door.

The people on the Gu family’s side had heard that Gu Yang held his liquor very well at the Xie house today, drinking a large crowd under the table single-handedly, so they were eager to come and force drinks on him.

It was proper etiquette for the groom to go out and accompany the guests in drinking; Gu Siyuan couldn’t refuse.

Xie Changyue tugged at his sleeve and mumbled, “Drink less.”

Gu Siyuan nodded in agreement. After a thought, he raised his hand to press down on his shoulder, lowered his head to place a light kiss on his forehead, and said gently, “Rest assured.”

He had seen plenty of couples interact in the modern world; there was absolutely no problem.

“…” Xie Changyue’s neck flushed completely red.

H-How did it suddenly become like this? His husband’s personality was nothing like his cold and stern appearance.

Long after the man had left.

Xie Changyue was still sitting on the bed in a daze, his hands covering his rosy cheeks.

A little while later, the door was knocked on again, and a crisp female voice came through.

“Brother-in-law…”

Gu Qingqing walked in carrying food, smiling playfully: “Brother-in-law, Second Brother told me to bring this to you.”

Xie Changyue hurried forward to take it, thanking her softly: “Sorry for the trouble.”

Gu Qingqing shook her head, just looking at him with shining eyes: “Brother-in-law, you look so beautiful. No wonder Second Brother likes you so much.”

“…” Xie Changyue’s face grew even redder.

Everyone kept saying that.

Cough, cough, just based on their interaction earlier, he also felt his husband really liked him.

Since arriving at Huangyang Village, Xie Changyue’s appetite hadn’t been very good.

But right now, thinking that his husband, even while out drinking, still thought of him and specifically had his cousin bring him food…

Facing the large bowl full of rice and the messy pile of various meats and vegetables before him, Xie Changyue felt his appetite suddenly open up, able to eat it all.

After finishing the meal and waiting for about another hour or so, the commotion in the courtyard gradually died down.

A sound came from his door again; surprisingly, it was Gu Siyuan coming in carrying a wooden basin: “Come, wash your hands and face.”

Xie Changyue froze for a moment, then hurried up to him.

When he was in the Earl’s Mansion, although they had many maidservants, his mother would often personally bring water to serve his father’s washing up to show her affection. After returning to Huangyang Village, Liu Zhi would also serve Xie the Second this way.

But there had never been a man like Gu Siyuan who would do such a thing…

Xie Changyue hurriedly reached out to take the wooden basin: “H-Husband, I’ll do it.”

At first listen, Gu Siyuan didn’t realize the word “Husband” was referring to him.

Once he understood, he dodged Xie Changyue even more decisively, placing the heavy solid wood basin onto the stand with a thud, letting out a deep sound.

He looked at the fair, slender little guy beside him and said indifferently: “No need, I have strength.”

Looking at the man whose expression remained cold and stern, Xie Changyue suddenly felt that perhaps, just as others said, his fate really was exceptionally good.

Xie Changyue extended his slender fingers to wring out the cloth in the water, gently wiping his face and neck.

He had already bathed at the Xie house before leaving at dusk, so he only needed a casual wipe-down now.

As for Gu Siyuan, he had already cleaned up outside before entering the room, which was why not a hint of alcohol could be smelled on him.

Seeing that he had finished washing, Gu Siyuan carried the wooden basin back out, dumping the remaining water into the vegetable patch on the side of the courtyard.

When he returned, he conveniently dropped the latch on the door, locking it securely.

Xie Changyue turned his ear to listen to the sound, his white fingers gripping the bright red quilt beside him, involuntarily growing nervous.

Gu Siyuan, however, seemed oblivious to the atmosphere.

With a few light strides of his long legs, he reached Xie Changyue’s side and began unfastening his wedding robes while saying to him: “Alright, it’s time for us to consummate our marriage. We have to get up early tomorrow to serve tea; if we finish early, you can rest a bit more.”

“…” Xie Changyue.

Were other families’ husbands like this too?

Weren’t scholars supposed to ‘speak no evil’?

Mm… perhaps it was because his husband had too straightforward a personality, and loved him too much!

The candlelight was extinguished. Through the thin moonlight, layers of red clothing fell to the floor.

Trembling slightly, Xie Changyue was gently pushed down onto the bright red quilt.

Gu Siyuan originally thought that such intimacy without an emotional foundation would feel somewhat awkward in his heart. But the moment he touched that skin, as white as cold jade, an inexplicable sense of familiarity surged into his mind.

Next, almost without thinking, he exerted a slight bit of strength in his arms and cleanly pulled the smooth, cool body tightly into his embrace.

The sturdy kang bed, built of brick and stone, wouldn’t make a sound no matter how intense the movements upon it were.

Inside the room, there were only the intermittent, uncontrollable whimpers escaping from Xie Changyue.

The jade-like, snow-white body sank into the soft red cotton quilt, like a fragile white paper boat battered by wind and rain on a deep ocean. With Gu Siyuan’s every casual touch, he would let out a series of trills and shivers, even his fair, delicate insteps pulled taut.

And this highly sensitive reaction made one all the more fascinated and intoxicated, unable to stop.

He didn’t know how long had passed, but after one final, satisfied long sigh, the room finally quieted down.

Before falling into a deep sleep, Xie Changyue had only one thought in his mind.

Didn’t he say they’d finish early so he could rest early? But why did it seem like he just heard a rooster crowing outside?

…

Mu Xia clearly had foresight, knowing that once newlyweds started fooling around, there would be no restraint.

Therefore, when getting up the next day, he knocked on Gu Siyuan’s door ahead of time, reminding them not to miss the auspicious time to serve tea.

Gu Siyuan was naturally alert; he instantly opened his eyes and craned his neck to answer in acknowledgment.

It was now the end of May, and the weather was getting warmer. The newly made thick cotton quilts had been stored in the wardrobe, and the two were only covered with a thin quilt to ward off the chill.

Thus, when Gu Siyuan lowered his head, he saw the little head quietly buried in his chest. His red lips were slightly parted, opening and closing, sleeping soundly.

His jet-black, soft, and fine hair was clumped together, spread over his shoulders and collarbones, with a few strands almost drifting into his mouth with his breath. He reached out to grab the hair and stroke it back, wanting to make him more comfortable. This movement, however, fully exposed Xie Changyue’s back to his eyes. The mottled purplish-red marks, contrasting with his tender, fair skin, looked incredibly pitiful and lovable.

Gu Siyuan frowned slightly, reaching out to caress the marks, remembering the frenzied chaos of last night.

He hadn’t known he was originally such an impatient, lustful person.

The person in his arms seemed startled by this movement; his little face rubbed against his chest, letting out a soft whimper: “No more… sleepy…”

A rare trace of embarrassment appeared on Gu Siyuan’s cold and stern face.

He gently shifted the person out of his embrace, got out of bed, put on his clothes, and tidied up.

After tidying up, Gu Siyuan carried the wooden basin toward the kitchen and immediately saw his Papa ladling out hot water.

Upon seeing him, Mu Xia instantly made a gesture, telling him to bring the basin over.

Gu Siyuan nodded and thanked him.

Mu Xia asked him again: “How was last night? Changyue must be very tired, he hasn’t woken up yet?”

Gu Siyuan was too embarrassed to answer.

Mu Xia smiled and didn’t press further.

A moment later, after returning to the room with the warm water, Gu Siyuan gently patted the person on the bed awake.

Xie Changyue sprawled in his arms like a mollusk, whining and humming, but entirely unable to open his eyes.

Gu Siyuan helped him put on his clothes; when told to raise an arm, he raised an arm; when told to lift his head, he lifted his head. He was quite well-behaved.

It wasn’t until a hot towel dipped in water was applied to his face that Xie Changyue sobered up a bit. Opening his eyes to look at this man with a cold expression and sharp brows, he also realized what he had just been doing.

As the new husband, not only had he not served his husband in washing up and dressing, but he had actually let his husband serve him…

Seeing that he had sobered up, Gu Siyuan said flatly: “Put your shoes on properly, it’s time to go serve tea.”

“Oh…” Xie Changyue hurriedly sat up straight, stretching his feet out to hook his shoes.

Both of them were all tidied up. Just a moment before they were about to step out the door.

“Husband.” Xie Changyue suddenly felt a bit nervous.

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, lowered his head to kiss him on the forehead, and grasped his hand tightly in his palm: “Alright.”

After saying that, he took his hand and strode out.

“…” Xie Changyue.

He really didn’t mean that, but holding his husband’s hand did make him less nervous.

When the two of them walked hand in hand into the Gu family’s main hall, the room was already full of people, including Gu the Third’s family who had specifically returned from the county town yesterday to attend the wedding.

Third Aunt’s family did business in the county town; she loved to talk and was good at it, becoming the first to tease: “The young couple’s relationship is just right; even for such a short walk, they have to hold hands!”

The others also chimed in with faces full of smiles.

Gu Siyuan remained expressionless as always, but the tips of Xie Changyue’s ears couldn’t help but turn slightly red, subconsciously drawing a bit closer to Gu Siyuan.

Gu Zhen watched Xie Changyue’s complete reliance and trust in his cousin, his gaze shifting, who knew what he was thinking.

Gu Siyuan and Xie Changyue offered tea around the circle, and coincidentally, Xie Changyue also took the opportunity to recognize and greet all these Gu family members one by one.

“Grandfather, have some tea…”

“Father, have some tea!”

“Papa, have some tea!”

With Gu Siyuan’s cold demeanor right beside him as a contrast, Xie Changyue’s smiling and affectionate manner naturally won everyone’s favor.

Mu Xia was especially satisfied. Originally, he had worried that a Ger raised in such a large noble household might be somewhat willful and delicate, and might not get along well with the family. Looking at him today, his son-in-law was not only beautiful and endearing but also extremely sharp and sensible.

Everyone seated was family, and being rural folk, there wasn’t so much restraint.

After serving the tea, everyone sat down to eat breakfast.

The Gu family’s conditions were better than other families in Huangyang Village. Except during the deep winter, they basically had three meals a day. Of course, they still couldn’t eat anything particularly good.

However, quite a few dishes were left over from yesterday’s wedding banquet, so the table was more abundant this morning.

Besides the customary large basin of mixed-grain porridge and large basin of coarse flour steamed buns, there were also three reheated hot dishes: pork crackling with cabbage, stir-fried string beans, and the like.

Xie Changyue’s appetite in the morning was always average, and having eaten extremely full last night, after drinking a bowl of mixed-grain porridge, he couldn’t finish the bun he had been given.

He subconsciously cast his gaze toward Gu Siyuan beside him, saying with a beaming smile: “Husband still has to study later; I’ll give my bun to you to eat!”

Gu Siyuan gave a light glance, immediately seeing through his intentions.

However, he still smoothly picked up the bun with his chopsticks. Food was precious in farming households, and not a single bit could be wasted.

He took the larger half for himself and left a small half for Xie Changyue. Don’t be fooled by the fact that his stomach was full from porridge now; there was still a whole morning ahead. If he didn’t eat something solid, he’d be hungry in a little while.

Xie Changyue was very satisfied with this. He tore the bun into small pieces and stuffed them into his mouth bit by bit.

Seeing the two of them even sharing a steamed bun, the others couldn’t help but chuckle softly again. It seemed this marriage was truly a good match; they had never seen such a good relationship.

After finishing the meal, they saw off Old Master Gu the Third’s family at the door as they headed back to the county town.

Gu Siyuan then took Xie Changyue’s hand and, following Mu Xia and Gu the Second, went to sit under the eaves of the east wing.

Next was their family’s time.

Gu Siyuan opened the window and, bathed in the morning sunlight, stood by the desk practicing calligraphy. Occasionally, when he grew tired, he would look up and see his three closest people.

Mu Xia was pedaling the loom, Gu the Second was still making rattan crafts, and Xie Changyue was chatting with the two of them on the side.

Not long ago, the family had just transplanted the cultivated rice seedlings into the fields. Right now, there wasn’t much to be busy with, aside from occasionally going to the fields to catch bugs and check the water levels.

Every branch of the family was busy earning their own private savings.

In previous years, Gu the Second would have gone with Gu the Eldest to work on the manors near Wuqing County town.

But recently, thanks to Gu Siyuan, they were making far more money—and with much more ease—by selling various small rattan crafts than they would doing labor. Naturally, Gu the Second didn’t go anymore; only Gu the Eldest went by himself.

And regarding this point, Li Xiangtao, who had originally become extremely amiable toward their Second Branch because of the bride-swap matter, couldn’t help but throw out a few sour remarks again.

Watching the rattan weaving, Xie Changyue thought back to the little lion Gu Siyuan had asked the matchmaker to bring him back when they were first arranging the marriage.

Hmph, his husband was really wicked.

However, since both his husband and Father knew how to do rattan weaving, he wanted to learn too.

He looked at Gu the Second and Mu Xia, saying coquettishly: “Father, Papa, I also want to learn to make this and earn money for the family?”

Hearing this, Mu Xia smiled, looked at his white, tender, and smooth hands, shook his head gently, and made a few gestures.

Xie Changyue couldn’t quite understand, but fortunately, Gu the Second explained in time: “These rough chores will ruin your hands; they’re not good for you to do. Your Papa is asking what you normally know how to do; just doing those things will be fine.”

Propping his white, tender chin, Xie Changyue frowned and thought carefully.

When he was in the Earl’s Mansion, aside from reading and writing with his teacher, he also learned account management and embroidery.

However, he didn’t like embroidery in his heart, so he only learned it passably. What he preferred was fiddling with those flowers and plants in the garden, and then making rouge pastes and the like.

But countryside families didn’t seem to plant flowers.

He curled his fingers, looking at Mu Xia with some embarrassment: “I know how to tend to flowers and plants.”

Mu Xia and Gu the Second were stunned for a moment, not knowing what to do.

Right at this moment, a cold, deep voice came from the window beside them: “Skilled with flowers and plants?”

Xie Changyue turned his head abruptly, nodding vigorously at his husband.

The flowers and plants in his hands all grew very well, even better than those of the gardeners specifically hired by the Suining Earl’s Mansion. Perhaps it was because he was inherently a farmer’s child.

Gu Siyuan set down his brush and ink, walked around the door and came out, handing Xie Changyue a cloth bag.

“These are some seeds I obtained recently. According to the merchant, they came from overseas. I just don’t know what they are. If you have time, you can help me plant them and see.”

Xie Changyue reached out to take it, immediately opening the cloth bag to take a look, and then couldn’t help but exclaim: “Wow, so beautiful! I can’t believe there are seeds that look like this, brilliant yellow, just like… just like crushed gold?”

Both Gu the Second and Mu Xia were farmers, possessing a natural fondness for crop seeds. Hearing this, they couldn’t help but lean in to take a look.

Afterward, they were also somewhat pleasantly surprised.

“How are these seeds so good-looking? If they bloom into flowers, who knows what they’d look like?”

“Indeed, where have you ever seen seeds like this?”

Xie Changyue pinched the cloth bag tightly in his hand, raised his little fist, and made a solemn pledge to Gu Siyuan: “Husband, rest assured, I will definitely work hard to grow the flowers and not waste such beautiful seeds.”

Mu Xia and Gu the Second also nodded vigorously.

“…” Gu Siyuan.

He quietly looked at these three family members, thinking inwardly: There’s no need to anticipate what the flowers will look like; they’re even worse than foxtail grass. But the fruit will definitely surprise you.

Although his memories regarding the previous two worlds had become very blurry, the lottery rewards obtained after finally completing the missions were still saved in the system.

The rewards won from the lottery could all be brought to other worlds.

In the first world, he drew a Spatial Usage Card, but he hadn’t ever used it.

In the second world, what he drew was a batch of grain seeds, and the opportunity was just right.

It was now summer, and there were enough vegetables in the fields to eat—even an excess that rotted—so they didn’t lack that little bit of vegetable plot.

Therefore, after a discussion, Old Madam Gu agreed to demarcate a small area in the vegetable patch behind their house for Xie Changyue to plant his flowers.

Because it was his first time seeing this seed.

Unfamiliar with its habits, Xie Changyue divided it into several portions for processing.

A portion of the seeds was planted directly into the ground; a portion was soaked alternately in warm and hot water first; and another portion was preserved with plant ash. In case these seeds weren’t meant for this season, he could continue trying in autumn and winter.

Watching the little guy bustle about, Gu Siyuan thought to himself: He does indeed have some talent for nursing seedlings.

After the seeds were planted, Xie Changyue cared for them so much that he wished he could go check on them eight hundred times a day.

Gu Siyuan looked at his small figure running back and forth, feeling quite speechless, and beckoned for him to come inside.

Xie Changyue obediently sidled over.

Gu Siyuan asked him: “Do you know how to grind ink?”

Xie Changyue nodded, his smile radiant: “Of course.”

Saying this, he slightly rolled up his robe sleeves, proactively stood to the side of the desk, and picked up the inkstick, beginning to grind it finely.

Gu Siyuan nodded, very satisfied with this person’s obedience.

He resumed writing.

What he wrote wasn’t anything complicated, just the texts that had to be memorized for the imperial examinations.

The original owner’s scholarship was average. Although he had studied many books, he had only swallowed them whole without digesting them. Let alone thoroughly understanding them or drawing inferences, he couldn’t even manage many of the key memorizations.

So Gu Siyuan took advantage of this farming break to copy the previous books from beginning to end. On the one hand, to deepen his impression through memorization, and on the other hand, to practice his calligraphy style.

After grinding ink for a while, Xie Changyue’s wrist became a bit sore, so he used his peripheral vision to watch his husband write.

He was someone who had read books, so he roughly knew that what was being written was from the Classic of Poetry. Coincidentally, among the Five Classics, he had only learned the Classic of Poetry before stopping. He had only heard a few sentences of the other four classics; those were things only scholars would learn.

“Oh!”

But what amazed him was that his husband’s calligraphy was truly extraordinary.

Probably for the sake of the imperial exams, the font used was the most square and upright Guange style. At first glance, it appeared elegant and proper. Yet, amid the horizontal and vertical strokes, the left and right sweeping lines, a personal style threatened to overflow the paper—iron strokes and silver hooks, with a hidden sharpness, making even this cheapest yellow mulberry paper seem noble.

Xie Changyue couldn’t help but marvel again: “This handwriting is truly beautiful!”

He had seen the handwriting of his former father and eldest brother, Shen Changye, in the Earl’s Mansion, but neither could match his husband’s. Even that widely praised Xiao Jingchuan was merely on par.

However, his husband’s calligraphic style was clearly still quite green, with immense room for future improvement and growth. He would surpass Xiao Jingchuan by a wide margin.

Gu Siyuan’s lips curled up slightly, and he handed the brush to him: “You write a few characters too.”

After seeing his husband’s handwriting, Xie Changyue felt a bit timid.

But indeed, since arriving at Huangyang Village, he hadn’t touched a brush for a long time. He extended his fair, slender palm, taking the calligraphy brush and gripping it, a long-lost feeling welling up in his heart.

In the past at the Earl’s Mansion, he studied alongside the Gers and young ladies of the estate, learning Ouyang Xun’s regular script and the hairpin small regular script—delicate, compact, exquisite, and elegant.

But at this moment, he stared at the characters beside him for a few glances.

When he set pen to paper again, although it was still Ouyang Xun’s regular script, one could easily tell he was intentionally mimicking Gu Siyuan’s style, revealing a bit of uninhibited pride amidst the elegant grace.

Gu Siyuan examined it for a moment and nodded earnestly: “Not bad.”

Xie Changyue was also very satisfied. He hadn’t expected that not only was he not out of practice, but he even seemed to have made some progress.

However…

“The wind and rain are cold and chill… Now that I have seen my lord, how could I not rejoice?” Gu Siyuan’s deep, magnetic voice softly recited beside his ear: “You’ve studied the Classic of Poetry very well, and your mood seems quite good too.”

The tips of Xie Changyue’s ears instantly flushed red.

But this poem truly represented his genuine feelings recently.

His life had suddenly turned upside down, and his heart had once been desolate and sorrowful. Yet, because he met his husband, because of his husband’s feelings towards him, all those worries and anxieties instantly vanished like fleeting clouds. How could he not be happy?

In the courtyard, Li Xiangtao had just finished threshing the soybeans. She returned hugging a huge armful of soybean stalks, muttering curses under her breath.

Actually, although threshing soybeans was tough on the shoulders, it was work she had grown accustomed to doing over the years, so it was nothing much.

But watching Gu the Second help Mu Xia thresh them just now made her feel somewhat uncomfortable in her heart. Her own husband worked himself half to death at the manor, while Gu the Second earned more just by weaving those broken rattan vines, and could even help with the chores inside the house. Hmph…

Gu Zhen happened to come out of his room and was about to step forward to help her take them.

Li Xiangtao hurriedly dodged him: “Zhen-er, no need for you. You’re a scholar; how can you do these rough chores?”

Saying this, she hurriedly ran a couple of steps and tossed the soybean stalks into the pile at the corner of the wall.

When she looked up, she saw the open window of the east wing. In front of the desk, Gu Yang and Xie Changyue were leaning close together, heads lowered, talking about who knew what, and Xie Changyue’s face was completely red.

She remembered that Gu the Second’s money-making rattan weaving idea had come from Gu Yang, which made her feel uneasy again. She gave a cold snort: “He was never as smart as my Zhen-er to begin with, and yet he’s this unfocused, dragging his husband along to fool around. Who studies like this? And he even says he wants to take the exams next spring… Heh, if he can pass, I’ll see a ghost.”

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