An Sheng fell silent.
The next instant, his dark eyes became incredibly deep. He stared fixedly at A Mei, a trace of a strange emotion flickering in the depths of his eyes.
Yes, strange. It was an emotion that had never appeared in An Sheng's eyes before, carrying an unusual gleam, and seemingly mixed with a bit of indescribable surprise and gratification.
A Mei met his gaze. Seeing the emotion she couldn't understand, a hint of bewildered helplessness flashed across her watery eyes, though she was not afraid.
She called out softly, "Husband?"
At this, An Sheng's lips slowly curled up into a smile. He gently grasped both of A Mei's arms, his posture relaxed as he leaned back against the chair, looking at her with apparent calmness.
A ray of sunlight slanted through the window, falling perfectly across half of An Sheng's face. A Mei watched as her husband's features slowly softened. Just then, the wind rustled the branches outside. Amidst the dancing light and shadows, An Sheng's face appeared even more gentle and deeply affectionate.
A Mei was momentarily dazed. As if lured in, she leaned closer, stretching her neck to slowly close the distance. She planted a soft, dewy kiss on An Sheng's lips before quickly pulling away.
An Sheng then spoke in a low voice, "A Mei, I am a bit surprised, but also very happy, because just now, you rejected me."
"You did very well."
"You must remember, in the future, unless forced by power and left with no choice but to bow your head, even with me, as long as you don't want to or aren't happy, you can always say no."
A Mei blinked, her previously confused eyes clearing up. Her heart felt warm and touched; she understood the meaning behind her husband's words.
However, the next moment, A Mei's face turned red.
She cast a shy glance at An Sheng, shifting her body unnaturally, and explained in a soft voice, "That's not it. It's not that I didn't want to. I really do like it when my husband kisses me. It's just that I applied ointment all over your face, and it wouldn't be good if it rubbed off."
An Sheng nodded in complete agreement. "Mhm, I know. You were afraid of rubbing the medicine off my face."
A Mei's small face grew even redder, and she was honest to a fault: "Well, it's not just that, Husband. I put on makeup powder today. If it rubbed off on your face, I'd have to wash it and reapply my makeup, which is too much trouble."
An Sheng suddenly let out a low laugh, his shoulders shaking slightly as he chuckled.
"What are you laughing at, Husband?" A hint of confusion flashed in A Mei's eyes.
An Sheng's eyes curved with a doting smile, his hands unconsciously and gently rubbing the soft flesh of A Mei's arms. "It's nothing. I just think my wife is always so inadvertently adorable."
Hearing this, A Mei didn't know what to say.
An Sheng stared intently at A Mei's small face again. Just as his hand reached out to caress her smooth cheek, he said, "In my eyes, even without any makeup, A Mei is the most beautiful."
Before his hand could even touch her, A Mei tilted her head and dodged it. "Ah, Husband, don't touch yet. I told you I have makeup powder on my face."
An Sheng froze, his face finally darkening slowly. After a good while, he gritted his teeth and said slowly, "My wife is naturally beautiful. I love your pure, unadorned look the most. A Mei, go fetch your makeup box for me. I'm going to smash it all to pieces right now!"
...
A Mei ultimately managed to save the makeup box she had recently purchased. However, under An Sheng's coaxing, she promised her husband that, from now on, she would no longer wear makeup at home unless she was going out.
Douzi was very happy today because school had actually ended two hours early.
Moreover, as soon as he returned to the manor, Douzi heard from the others that his brother-in-law was also home.
That made Douzi even happier. He liked his older sister and brother-in-law the most. His brother-in-law was usually busy, so chances to run into him were too rare. This time, he had to go and have a good chat with them. But he ran to the main hall, the study, and the garden, searching several places without finding his sister and brother-in-law.
Finally, Douzi had a sudden stroke of inspiration. He thought, could his sister and brother-in-law still be taking a nap? But they should be awake by this time. So, Douzi ran to the backyard bedroom where his sister and brother-in-law usually slept.
Eh, how come there are no servants in the courtyard at this hour?
Douzi muttered in his heart as soon as he entered the courtyard.
Finally arriving at the bedroom door, he was just about to knock when he heard some noise coming from inside.
It sounded like his sister's intermittent voice.
"Mmh..."
"Husband..."
Douzi couldn't hear clearly, but he felt that his sister's voice sounded as if she was somewhat uncomfortable.
Curious, Douzi wanted to continue leaning against the door to listen more closely. But immediately after, he was scooped up by someone. The next moment, a pair of large hands covered his ears, and then his whole body was jolted along with the sound of the wind rushing by...
Wu Da picked up Douzi and ran outward on his tiptoes, muttering under his breath, "Oh my, my little ancestor, what are you running around for? See no evil, hear no evil..."
...
