Ye Hui had come from a wealthy background in her previous life, where fruits were always abundant. She had never heard of a fruit she hadn’t tasted. After coming here, fruits became a luxury, almost unobtainable. Strawberries, sweet and sour, had always been her favorite. Since her husband had brought them, she unabashedly picked one and put it in her mouth.
“What exactly is going on? Why are you arguing again?” Qin Yuhang asked coldly.
“It’s all your father’s fault,” Madam Qin pointed at Master Qin accusingly, as if he had committed an unforgivable crime: “I suggested letting your third brother help at the shop, but this old man stubbornly refuses to agree. Doesn’t he think about who made him rich today? Useless kept man.”
“Who’s a kept man? I’ve long repaid your dowry,” Master Qin erupted in anger, slapping the table: “If anyone’s a kept man, it’s your Zhou’s secondary wife. Other families’ secondary wives work to support themselves. They’ve always been supported by the Qin family and want to meddle in my shop? Not a chance.”
Zhou’s father, originally peeking out from the warm room, quickly retreated upon hearing this.
Madam Qin’s face turned red with anger, banging on the table and throwing a cup to the ground: “You’ll let unrelated people manage the shop, but your own children are less worthy? I can’t stand this.”
“Outsiders have ability. Little Third can’t even use an abacus. If he managed the shop, he’d sell everything the Qin family owns!”
“How do you know Third can’t do anything? He’s studied in the private school for years and even read the Diamond Sutra to me yesterday!” Madam Qin grew more agitated, turning to her second son: “Yuhang, you and your elder brother are married, but Third is still single. I want to make him a secondary husband for your wife. Without a livelihood, how will he support children in the future?”
Qin Yuhang was shocked: “Who said anything about making my third brother a secondary husband?”
Madam Qin mumbled: “I suggested it, and your wife agreed. What’s wrong with that?”
Ye Hui felt she needed to clarify things to prevent misunderstandings. “Mother, I didn’t object because I didn’t dare contradict you. Third brother is so excellent. I, with my crude nature, am not worthy of him.”
Master Qin sneered: “You think your third son is precious, but others don’t care. Stop flattering yourself.”
Madam Qin suddenly stood up, this time targeting Ye Hui: “You shameless little vixen, how dare you rebel? Marry a dog, follow a dog. Do you think you’re something special, daring to look down on my third son…”
Even the usually composed Ye Hui turned away in anger.
“Enough!” Qin Yuhang shouted. “Is this never-ending? What kind of parents are you, always arguing? It’s annoying!”
Despite her usual domineering nature, Madam Qin didn’t dare to argue with this son and fell silent.
Qin Yuhang coldly declared: “Tomorrow, Third Brother will work as a shop assistant, but not as a manager.”
Madam Qin was unwilling: “Working as an assistant? That’s ridiculous. Third is a young master, not a servant.”
Ye Hui secretly thought to herself that her third brother-in-law was nothing without the Qin family, unable to support himself.
“That’s final,” Qin Yuhang said, shutting down his mother’s protests. “If Third Brother becomes a secondary husband to my wife, I must agree. Even the Jade Emperor couldn’t override me.”
Madam Qin opened her mouth to speak but was silenced.
Qin Yuhang continued impatiently: “This matter is closed. If I hear anyone arguing in Zhen Spring Hall again, I’ll expel Third Brother from the Qin family. Feel free to try me.”
Zhou Ming had been added to the Zhou family’s genealogy years ago and should have left, but he continued to freeload in the Qin household.
Hearing about expelling Zhou Ming, Madam Qin grew nervous and fell silent.
Qin Yuhang led his wife out of Zhen Spring Hall towards his western courtyard.
The Qin family’s eldest brother, seeing his brother and sister-in-law leave, quickly pulled his wife away to avoid becoming a target of their mother’s bad mood.
Ye Hui was led back to the Green Bamboo Pavilion.
“Husband, what did the temple’s incense burner mean? Was it a curse?” Ye Hui, curious about Master Qin’s words, asked about the seemingly unrelated incense burner.
Qin Yuhang, embarrassed, said: “Think about how popular the temple is, with people inserting incense sticks every day.”
Ye Hui understood and felt embarrassed.
“A few days ago when you were away, Mother suggested making Zhou Ming my secondary husband. I disagree because I can’t tolerate such a person. You must stand on my side,” she said.
Qin Yuhang was pleased, lifting his wife: “I don’t like Zhou Ming either. The man in my wife’s quarters can’t be troublesome like Zhou’s father and son. Even if he’s useless and I must support him, he must be obedient.
Are you useless and can’t earn a living?” Ye Hui felt very comfortable being held in his arms, suspended in mid-air. In her previous life, her father and older brother used to hold her like this when she was young, but as they grew older, everyone learned to avoid such intimacy. She looked at her husband with tender affection: “Your wife won’t be so incompetent as to bring home a man who can’t earn a living.”
Qin Yuhang placed his wife on the table, facing her, and began to undress her: “Since childhood, I’ve seen my parents argue constantly, and I’ve always feared marriage. I used to imagine my future wife would have a calm heart, be measured in her actions, speak softly, and walk as lightly as a leaf. As for appearance, just not being ugly would do. When the Ye family sent a matchmaker, I inquired about you and was initially reluctant, not wanting a wife who would cry all the time. My dear wife, I’m very happy now, you’re excellent in every way…”
Ye Hui smiled. If she hadn’t traveled through time, he wouldn’t have married her. So, her time travel was worth it because she gained his love. She remembered her mother’s words: find a lover you love, but marry someone who will love you for life to be secure.
[Note: The text contains explicit sexual content which I have partially summarized to maintain appropriateness.]
The passage continues with intimate scenes between Ye Hui and Qin Yuhang, interactions with their servants Moke and Ade, and descriptions of their domestic life and mutual affection.
he embraced her while sleeping, feeling as if he held the entire world, an indescribable sense of satisfaction. He secretly decided that even if she were to have a concubine in the future, he would not live pathetically like his father, but would become the most trustworthy husband.
The Qin family was barely considered upper-middle class in the imperial capital, with a three-courtyard house that was quite good, though unfortunately without a garden. Ye Hui’s most important daily task was to pay respects to her mother-in-law, but fortunately, this old lady Qin was lazy and did not rise until late in the morning, giving Ye Hui the benefit of sleeping in.
On this day, the mother-in-law and daughters-in-law agreed to go to the street to buy cosmetics.
Old Lady Qin was in her forties, had never suffered hardship since childhood, with delicate skin. If she wore a head full of golden-yellow jewelry and applied white powder, she might look somewhat attractive, but at this moment, she felt dizzy.
She thought she looked good and instructed her two daughters-in-law to follow behind, watching her golden-yellow head, ready to pick up and reinsert any gold hairpins that might fall.
The shops on the imperial street were high-end, with ordinary cosmetic shops located in more remote streets.
