Having grown accustomed to the noble ladies of the palace, in An Sheng's eyes, A Mei was not considered fair-skinned, but the skin of a young girl in her blooming sixteenth year was firm and exceptionally smooth and delicate.
This girl's inner garments were always loose and comfortable, allowing his slender hand to travel unimpeded from her cheek, down her neck, and reach... The sensation there was truly tender and delicate, making An Sheng unable to resist fondling it carefully.
Apart from the cursory touch on their first wedding night, later when they shared a bed, it was mostly just hugging. This was also the first time An Sheng seriously felt a woman's softness, filling his heart with both subtlety and satisfaction.
Although An Sheng lacked that particular male organ, he knew far too much about the affairs between men and women, especially matters between eunuchs like him and women. Perhaps stimulated today by A Mei's thought of seeing him as a mother figure, beneath feelings of pity and fondness, An Sheng clearly sensed the unease and trembling of the body in his arms. Yet, to satisfy that secret possessiveness and cruelty in his heart, for a moment, he even wanted to disregard A Mei's will, forcibly strip away all her clothing, act as he pleased, and never let go no matter how much A Mei might weep.
But in the end, he couldn't do it. After all, she was the woman he had claimed as his own, his wife. He couldn't bear to hurt her.
An Sheng's fingers were long and slender. Perhaps from doing too many rough chores in the palace since childhood, even though his status had gradually risen in recent years, his palms were still covered with thin calluses.
At An Sheng's touch, A Mei's whole body stiffened. Her heart was timid, feeling both shy and afraid. A Mei didn't know why her husband was suddenly treating her this way... bringing an unusual... sensation. A Mei felt a bit ticklish, and strange, especially when her husband's hand pressed harder, the friction causing a slight, stinging pain. A Mei wanted to push away that large hand, but then she remembered this was her husband. Feeling both dependent and intimate, she dared not move recklessly. Only vaguely did she recall their wedding night, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.
After all, it was the skin of a maiden preserved for over a decade. A Mei was truly rubbed sore and hot by the thin calluses on her husband's palm and couldn't help but whisper softly, "Husband, please rub more gently. It hurts a little."
"Hurts?"
An Sheng raised an eyebrow. With a small gasp from A Mei, he exerted a slight force with his hand, directly tearing open the collar of A Mei's garment at her chest, exposing that pair of trembling, rounded curves.
An Sheng looked and saw they were indeed reddened. Fortunately, they weren't swollen. An Sheng inwardly marveled at the delicate tenderness of a woman's skin—he hadn't used much force, yet the marks were so obvious. In his heart, he also felt a somewhat twisted pleasure. Then, his narrow eyes fixed on this spot, observing it carefully. A Mei was young, and her past life of poverty and poor nourishment left her petite and thin, so these mounds, though rounded, were also small and dainty, utterly adorable.
"Hus... husband, what are you doing?" At this moment, A Mei's face was as red as if smeared with rouge. Since her wedding night when An Sheng took her virginity, naive as she was, upon later reflection, she wasn't completely ignorant. She naturally knew that intimacy between husband and wife was very close, and she usually liked to stay close to An Sheng. But this, this kind of situation left her somewhat at a loss.
An Sheng's hand stroked A Mei's cheek, his deep eyes unreadable. "This master is just looking. What, unwilling?"
A Mei was both shy and timid, her eyes flickering. "No, husband. It's just... it just feels so strange."
An Sheng's dark eyes flashed. "How is it strange?"
A Mei bit her lip. "It's just... A Mei doesn't know how to say it."
An Sheng was silent for a moment. He half-sat up, using both hands to strip A Mei's clothes off completely. Then, his hands wandered over her smooth, tender skin, while he changed his question: "This master touching you like this, do you find it repulsive or disgusting?"
Naked, A Mei was both shy and timid. When her husband's hand reached her waist, she felt ticklish. She shook her head, unable to help wriggling slightly. "It tickles, husband. Don't touch there."
An Sheng's eyes darkened and lightened intermittently. He lay on his side, pulling A Mei into his embrace. The body in his arms was soft and fragrant. An Sheng took a deep breath, his large hand sliding down A Mei's spine to the maiden's behind... The full, springy feel stirred An Sheng, and his hand grew a touch rougher. His sharp voice carried a hint of hoarseness: "Tell this master, does this master treating you like this make you feel disgusted?"
Shy and timid, A Mei shrank in An Sheng's embrace, her face red as if about to drip blood. She spoke softly, "No, how could it be disgusting? A Mei belongs to her husband. Husband can treat A Mei however he wishes."
"However I wish?" An Sheng was slightly taken aback, repeating the phrase, savoring the words in his mouth.
"Husband." A soft voice came from his chest.
An Sheng looked down at A Mei in his arms and saw the young girl gazing at him timidly. "Is husband touching A Mei because he likes A Mei?"
An Sheng's breath hitched, and his heart seemed to stop for a moment. Those pitch-black eyes seemed to hold endless vortices. After a brief silence, he slowly opened his mouth: "You are this master's woman. This master naturally touches as he pleases."
"Oh." A Mei felt a vague sense of disappointment in her heart. But thinking that her husband had always been tough-talking yet soft-hearted, she naively believed that her husband acted this way precisely because he liked her. Her heart felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey. However, her thoughts soon drifted away, remembering how later that time her husband had hurt her, and how she had even bitten and injured him. A Mei felt a bit afraid, thinking to herself whether her husband was going to do that again. She spoke plaintively, "Husband, last time A Mei was in so much pain. Could you be gentler this time?"
An Sheng naturally wanted to do something. Although a eunuch could not perform the conjugal act, if he could vent through other means, it would bring pleasure and satisfaction to his heart.
A Mei was young, pure-hearted, and knew very little about the affairs between men and women. An Sheng naturally couldn't bear to be rough with her. Just as An Sheng, who had been thinking of simply holding his wife and sleeping, suddenly heard A Mei asking him to be gentle, his expression became quite remarkable for a moment. His tone, unusually, carried a trace of hesitation: "A Mei, you want this master to use his hands on you?"
A Mei blinked in confusion. Last time, wasn't it with his hands? What else would he use if not his hands? Wait, suddenly, as if enlightened, A Mei remembered that box An Sheng had shown her when they first married. She let out a startled gasp, then tightly covered her mouth. Remembering the objects in that box, A Mei finally understood everything.
A Mei's thoughts were completely transparent, and her actions naturally caught An Sheng's attention.
"What's wrong?"
As soon as An Sheng finished speaking, he saw A Mei in his arms looking at him with both grievance and reproach. "So husband wanted to bully A Mei from the very beginning."
An Sheng's eyebrows shot up high. "When has this master ever bullied you?"
A Mei, both aggrieved and accusatory, gestured with her hands the shape of a box. "That... that box husband had A Mei take... right after we got married. It was for... for bullying A Mei."
An Sheng was amused by A Mei's pitiful little expression. His two hands wandered restlessly over the smooth, tender skin in his embrace. "Well now, this master never imagined this silly girl would finally catch on."
A Mei felt awkward and twisted her body, trying to break free from An Sheng's embrace, saying, "A Mei won't pay attention to husband anymore."
An Sheng sensed A Mei's intention and tightened his arms, his expression darkening. "What, are you trying to ignore me now?"
A Mei froze, not daring to move.
An Sheng was both angered and amused by this girl. "Let me ask you, have I ever truly bullied you?"
A Mei thought it over carefully, then lowered her head and spoke softly, "N-no, you haven't."
An Sheng snorted, his tone feigning annoyance. "Then why are you acting so wronged around me? You are my woman. Not only will I protect you myself, but if anyone else dares to bully you, I'll take their life!"
His words were both domineering and filled with an unspoken affection. Hearing them, A Mei felt an inexplicable joy in her heart. Thinking of her own overly sensitive behavior just now, she felt somewhat embarrassed, yet also happy at her husband's tolerance towards her. She reached out and hugged An Sheng back, cooing sweetly, "Husband, A Mei was wrong. Husband is the best to A Mei. Please don't be angry with A Mei."
An Sheng gave a noncommittal hum in response.
As the evening grew cooler, An Sheng casually pulled over the quilt and carefully wrapped it around A Mei, who wore not a stitch.
Then, as usual, he drew her into his arms and slowly closed his eyes. "Sleep now. We have a long journey tomorrow."
