Jin Yu’s face stiffened, unsure whether from his words or actions. Despite often hugging and kissing Su Xi, she had never reached inside someone’s clothing to touch them. A hint of anger crossed her face.

Would he do such an indecent action if someone else were holding him?

As Xiao Lian’s hand wandered on Jin Yu’s body, she grabbed it and lowered her voice, “Sleep.” If he were Su Xi, she would pin him down and teach him boundaries. She had always cherished her men, and now she was being teased by an immature child.

Xiao Lian came to his senses, blushing and withdrawing his hands. “I… I didn’t mean to…”

“Sleep,” Jin Yu repeated.

“Oh,” Xiao Lian mumbled, leaning into her embrace, feeling a sweet warmth inside. He sweetly nuzzled against her, “Why does putting my hand on you feel so warm?”

Jin Yu held Xiao Lian’s cold hand, finding it amusing. Any cold hand would feel warm against heated skin. How could his hand be so cold?

Xiao Lian, exhausted, soon closed his eyes in Jin Yu’s embrace, murmuring, “Finally held in your arms…” With a slight smile, he nestled closer, “I want a baby too, if you give him one…” He wanted to be like his brother, to be cherished and loved.

He had always wanted to provoke her, to make her pay attention to him, not wanting to be ignored.

Xiao Lian had long thought about this but never expressed it to anyone, even Jin Yu. He could only secretly wish and silently watch her intimacy with Su Xi, hearing rumors of her romantic entanglements. His brother was her man, but he had no status to hope for her affection. Occasionally, he tried to attract her attention with words and actions, even briefly.

Jin Yu tucked her stray hair behind her ear. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“It’s not nonsense…” Xiao Lian murmured, his closed eyes opening slightly before blinking and closing again, pretending nothing had been said. Finding a comfortable spot in Jin Yu’s embrace, he fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up, all of this would be forgotten; he would return to being the immature child in their eyes, perhaps just calling her “Jin Jiejie” to solve his troubles.

Jin Yu watched Xiao Lian in her arms, gently stroking his cheek, her eyes filled with worry. Finally, she sighed and covered them both with a blanket.

#

In a corner of the Jin residence, Dao’er crouched, shivering in torn clothing. Tears rolled down his face as several servants and attendants stood nearby, mocking him.

“What are you doing?” An authoritative, angry voice suddenly rang out.

Unsteady footsteps faded away, leaving a few servants before footsteps approached again. Daoer raised his tear-stained face, looking pitiful. “They want to sell me to a brothel, I don’t want to go…” His voice was choked and hoarse, trembling violently.

The steward knelt in front of him, using a handkerchief to wipe the tears rolling down his face. “It’s okay now, no one will hurt you again.” She noticed Daoer’s bruised arm, already scarred.

Daoer’s eyes welled up with tears again as he cried. Ever since those people found out that the young master would leave with the young lady, he had been constantly bullied. Not wanting to worry the young master before leaving, he endured the physical and emotional pain while packing his things.

#

Shortly after Xiaolian fell asleep, Jinyu placed him on the bed and covered him with a blanket. Only in bed could he eliminate fatigue effectively. These “foolish” people didn’t know how to take care of themselves, always making others worry.

The wheels were still rolling, and Jinyu slightly lifted the curtain to check the sky. There were still several days of journey ahead.

She turned back and quietly looked at the sleeping people, feeling sorry for making them follow her.

When Jinyu let down the curtain, she caught a glimpse of the bright red cloth strip fluttering on the carriage cover and soon got up to leave.

.Author’s Note: Initially, I thought some readers might not like having Yunmei with them, so I set him aside. However, I’ll increase his screen time as he seems to be liked. The upcoming parts will focus more on Yunmei and Xu Yisu. It’s an NP story, and I’ll adjust the roles based on preferences. Next, we’ll explore the emotional integration of several characters.

If Xiaolian were gone, things would be simpler. He wouldn’t be troubled, Jinyu wouldn’t be bothered, and I wouldn’t have this conflict. I can’t bear to completely eliminate him.

Please leave comments and support. I might do an extra update today for motivation. Recently, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed.

Yunmei’s Spring

Jinyu approached Yunmei, who was asleep on the soft couch. She softly asked the servant in charge of his care, “When did he fall asleep?”

“Reporting to the master, Young Master Yunmei cried silently for a while before falling asleep.”

Jinyu lowered her eyes and whispered, “Is that so?”

When Yunmei drowsily opened his eyes and saw Jinyu, he joyfully sat up and threw himself into her arms, his eyes welling up, “Wife…” He hadn’t seen her for several days and thought he was dreaming.

Jinyu stroked Yunmei’s back, “I’m right here.”

“Yes, yes…” Yunmei’s eyes misted over, crying and then laughing, “Wife came to see Yunmei. What about the others?” He thought her visit meant she had accepted him. Though feeling aggrieved, he was happy that his wife would come to see him.

Jinyu’s eyebrows slightly raised. Yunmei had always been served by others, and she teased, “So, do you want me to personally take care of you?”

“No, no…” Yunmei shook his head in a panic, holding Jinyu’s hand. He felt his face flush and lowered his head, feeling unsure where to place the hand that held hers.

Weariness filled Jinyu’s eyes as she quickly lifted a corner of the blanket and got onto Yunmei’s bed.

Seeing Jin Yu sharing the same blanket, Yun Mei’s cheeks blushed. His long eyelashes trembled as he lowered his head. “Wife… wife master, I… I… we can wait until tonight…” But it seemed the wife master would not be with them then.

Jin Yu smiled softly, pulling up the blanket and quietly embracing him. “Don’t overthink it. I just want to sleep here for a while.” She often fell asleep easily by Su Xi’s side, but here, she would try to remain aware. Recently, she had been sleeping too deeply, which made her uncomfortable. She feared that this sweetness might end in betrayal, recalling the blood rain, terrified screams, and corpses of the past.

Jin Yu closed her eyes and fell asleep. After rebirth, she had planned for revenge but was no longer living numbly. She now had people she wanted to protect, and as long as they were safe, she was satisfied. She didn’t want to lose this warmth she once thought was an illusion.

Held in Jin Yu’s embrace, Yun Mei smiled shyly. This was the first time the wife master had held him and the first time sleeping beside him. So this was how it felt—warm bodies softly pressed together. Yun Mei looked at Jin Yu’s face, observing her for the first time. She had changed a lot. His trembling hand caressed her face, feeling the warmth of her skin. He thought if he hadn’t become attracted to her over these two years, he might not have noticed her at all.

Before, he had only seen her devotion, sometimes feeling slightly annoyed. Now, he found himself inexplicably drawn to her, willing to sink into her embrace.

Suddenly, Jin Yu opened her eyes, quietly looking at Yun Mei. Startled, Yun Mei withdrew his hand, his cheeks burning red. He avoided her gaze, his eyelashes trembling. “I… I won’t disturb you… sleep slowly…”

Jin Yu grasped Yun Mei’s hand. “You sleep too.”

The blush on Yun Mei’s cheeks deepened as he leaned into her embrace. “Are you very tired?”

After a long silence, he felt disappointed when he realized Jin Yu had already fallen asleep.

A faint smile appeared on his face as he nestled into her embrace, closing his eyes.