Chapter 345 Kneel Down and Sing Conquest
In the bridal chamber, Wan Caiyue sat uncomfortably because the bed, strewn with walnuts and peanuts, was poking into her.
"Sister-in-law, have something to eat first," Bai Ruozhu walked in, a smile playing on her lips, with a plate of dumplings.
"You must have been running around all day? No need to bother about me; sit down and take a rest," Wan Caiyue warmly urged Bai Ruozhu to sit on the bed, then remembering the discomfort, she quickly pulled up a chair for her.
Bai Ruozhu snickered, careful not to casually sit on the matrimonial bed.
"Go ahead and eat while it’s hot." Bai Ruozhu handed the chopsticks over to Wan Caiyue.
Wan Caiyue took the chopsticks and bit into one dumpling, apparently familiar with the custom, she said, "It’s raw."
"Yes indeed, let’s hope for a baby," Bai Ruozhu joined in the laughter.
Wan Caiyue was fond of the thoughtfulness with which Bai Ruozhu boiled the dumplings. They were slightly raw, but not uncomfortably so for Wan Caiyue to eat.
Bent over her tasks all morning, Wan Caiyue was truly hungry. She wiped the bowl clean of dumplings in no time.
"Sister-in-law, regain your strength. You’ll have a long night ahead. I should hurry out now to prepare dinner," chuckled Bai Ruozhu as she got up to collect the bowls and chopsticks.
After Bai Ruozhu left in a hurry, Wan Caiyue had a realisation of the meaning behind her words "You’ll have a long night ahead," her face flushing crimson. She argued with herself whether it was inappropriate of Bai Ruozhu, who just brought "birth-giving" dumplings to gesture towards the night’s events.
Only later did Wan Caiyue come to understand her sister-in-law’s ways - she was great, but she had a knack for teasing her and Zehao, causing them embarrassment and rapid heartbeats—they were always thrown off by her playful antics.
Bai Ruozhu returned to the kitchen smirking, her thoughts wandering to whether she should partake in the tradition of bedchamber pranks later that night, and how she doesn’t even have to step out of her room to eavesdrop on what was occurring beneath the courtyard walls due to the poor soundproofing.
Considering her clandestine amusement, Bai Ruozhu, your modern homebody with a slight naughty streak, was quite elated, successfully casting off her weariness from tending to the kitchen for the entire morning.
After taking a few bites of her meal in the kitchen, she went back to cooking dishes. Upon delivering the food, she noticed her elder brother and father had already consumed a significant amount of alcohol—it was unavoidable on such occasions.
Bai Ruozhu returned to the kitchen anxious. If her elder brother got heavily drunk and was unable to perform his marital duties, what was she to do? With that thought, she quickly fetched a small skillet to cook a hangover soup.
"What are you cooking, Ruozhu?" Jin Family’s matron asked curiously.
"A hangover soup. I’m just worried my brother would drink too much." Not daring to mention the implications of an incapacitated newlywed, she didn’t want to scare the women within the house.
"Our Ruozhu is really considerate. It’s indeed good to sober your brother up. He needs to be able to recognize the door to his bridal chamber," teased Mrs. Li, amidst hearty laughter.
The womenfolk in their humble cottages were rather open in their conversations. Even the usually reserved matron of the Jin Family chimed in, "Indeed, we can’t let the new bride be at a disadvantage."
The ladies around began to giggle, making Bai Ruozhu feel as if she had found allies in her mischief-making. She joined them, "I guess I won’t be disturbing the bedroom rituals tonight?"
"No need for that. You just need to listen out for any signs that your mother is about to have a grandchild," Mrs. Li laughed heartily.
To them, Bai Ruozhu, who was also married and had a child, wasn’t a subject of taboo. However, the moment Bai Lianhua returned, they suppressed their laughter and banter.
There was a prevailing belief in the countryside that more noise made during the bedroom rituals, the sooner they would be blessed with a grandchild. The situation was still bearable for Bai Ruozhu’s family, owing to their roomy house. But for poorer folks, with many members squeezed into a single room, everyone was privy to the couple’s night-time activities, leading to some very awkward situations.
As the saying goes, even mother-in-laws like to eavesdrop on such things, which made Bai Ruozhu curious whether her mother would be sneaking around to listen in on the night’s happenings?
The wedding banquet lasted till evening. Thanks to Bai Ruozhu’s efficiency and the help of Mrs. Li and the Jin matron, and even Lin Ping’er pitched in with dishwashing. Otherwise, the process would not have gone so smoothly.
Rubbing her sore waist, Bai Ruozhu didn’t feel like eating. As soon as she returned to her room, she sprawled on the bed, truly exhausted.
Lin Ping’er walked in cradling Dengdeng, who he placed next to Bai Ruozhu. With a worried sigh, he said, "Dear, you’ve worked too hard today. It’s all because of the Wang family. We cannot let them off easy this time!"
Bai Ruozhu was too tired to even keep her eyes open, she weakly responded, "Mother, let me rest a couple of days before dealing with them."
Lin Ping’er nodded, "You rest a while. I’m going out for a bit. When you’re hungry, call me and I’ll make you some sour soup noodles."
"Okay," agreed Bai Ruozhu, her eyes closing as soon as she finished speaking. She had fallen asleep.
Night fell heavily, and Bai Ruozhu slept soundly. She was exhausted from all the work of the day—it felt as though she cooked food for a month.
A tall figure quietly opened the window and hopped in silently.
The window remained open, casting moonlight on Bai Ruozhu’s sleeping face. Heart aching, he walked over. Unable to resist, he leaned down, gently kissing her dry lips. They had lost their usual softness; they had turned dry from her exhaustion – she was really tired.
Carefully, he licked her dry lips. He wanted to go deeper but didn’t want to wake her up. Suppressing his desires, he didn’t leave, but continued to lightly, slowly trace over her lips.
All of a sudden, Bai Ruozhu, seemingly in her sleep, made a small noise opening her mouth. Then, in her drowsy state, her lips moved to meet his. The building momentum led to the evolution of Jiang Yichun’s light kiss into a deep, entwined one.
It took a while for Jiang Yichun to notice that she was actually dreaming, yet she kissed with such abandon. Was she dreaming of him? Losing himself to that thought, he got distracted, which triggered Bai Ruozhu’s dissatisfaction. She took a deep breath, mumbling something unclear.
Was she sleep-talking? Jiang Yichun was both intrigued and distracted, as he let go of her now swollen lips to listen more carefully.
"I haven’t even played any bedroom pranks yet..." She mumbled unintelligibly. Jiang Yichun, however, heard it all too well, a grin breaking across his face. This woman was restless even in her sleep, wanting to take part in bedroom pranks even when she was so tired.
"Don’t disrupt my eavesdropping," came another musing from Bai Ruozhu, leaving Jiang Yichun laughing, almost spitting out his laughter. Old mother-in-laws eavesdropping was common, but listening to a little sister-in-law wanting to do it was a first for him.
Bai Ruozhu turned in her sleep, going from lying on her back to lying on her stomach. In the process, her arm unintentionally hooked around Jiang Yichun’s neck.
Tension instantly gripped Jiang Yichun’s body. At the same moment, from the window floated in the sound of Wan Caiyue in pain intermixed with low sobbing. No doubt, the first time must be painful.
Jiang Yichun stiffened. Whose idea was it to allow this type of sound to be loudly broadcasted—to mess with other people’s hormones at that time?!
Suddenly, the woman, whose arm was still wrapped around his neck, mumbled, "Jiang Yichun, if you’re mean again, I’ll drag you back and make you warm my bed and kneel down to sing ’Conquest’!"