Chapter 11: Casting Flirtatious Glances at the Blind Man

The day before the wedding, the Jiang residence closed its doors and celebrated Jiang Nian’s birthday with much cheer.

Due to the custom that the bride and groom must not see each other before the wedding, Pei Jiuru did not come to the Jiang residence, but the birthday gift still arrived in Jiang Nian’s hands. It was a jade ruyi scepter, exquisitely crafted with superb quality, which Jiang Nian liked very much.

Early the next morning, Jiang Nian heard the voices of Lady Jiang and the maid Lüzha in her dream.

“Today is the great wedding day, and you’re still sleeping so soundly!”

“Madam, don’t be angry. I called the young lady five times, but she didn’t wake up…”

Lady Jiang pulled hard, and the figure on the bed sat up halfway.

Jiang Nian, still groggy, glanced out the window; the sky was clearly still dim and dark.

“Mother, what time is it? It’s not yet the auspicious hour. Let me sleep a little longer.”

“Good child, get up quickly!”

Jiang Nian closed her eyes and let Lady Jiang and Lüzha pull her up. She felt like a marionette being manipulated by strings.

Only when a sharp pain struck her face did Jiang Nian suddenly awaken.

Lüzha chuckled slyly: “Madam was right; the moment we start the makeup, the young lady will surely wake up!”

Since Lüzha was to accompany Jiang Nian to the new residence, she felt no sadness, but Lady Jiang could not smile at all.

After a moment, Lady Jiang looked at her daughter, dressed in bridal attire and exquisitely made up, reluctance thick in her voice: “Nian Nian has grown up and is getting married…”

Jiang Nian raised her hand to wipe away her mother’s tears and comforted her: “Mother, don’t be sad. Pei Jiuru has no elders in his family, no siblings, and except for his silver, which won’t belong to me, what difference is there between him marrying into our Jiang family and any other arrangement?”

Besides, they had agreed to divorce three years later, and the child would take her surname.

“Mother, the new residence is very close, so I will definitely come home often for meals!”

Lady Jiang quickly held back her tears: “That’s true, but you can only say this to me. Don’t embarrass him by saying such things in front of Jiuru.”

“I understand.” Jiang Nian held her wedding fan, and as she spoke, she lifted it to cover her face.

The auspicious hour had arrived; the wedding procession and joyous music reached the gates of the Jiang residence.

Dressing the bride, the bride’s farewell tears, boarding the sedan chair, alighting, stepping over the fire basin, mounting the saddle, bowing in the jade hall, entering the bridal chamber—

The grand wedding ceremony proceeded without interruption.

Jiang Nian felt neither the excitement nor nervousness of a new bride, nor any reluctance. It was as if she had merely immersed herself in the process of a wedding ceremony—nothing more.

Once in the bridal chamber, she sent Lüzha to guard the door, then removed her makeup, bathed, and fell into a deep sleep.

The Jiang family was small and humble, and the Pei family was newly arrived, so Jiang Nian and Pei Jiuru’s wedding was not overly extravagant. As dusk fell, Lüzha received word from the front courtyard that the guests’ banquet had concluded and the guests were dispersing. After waiting a short while, she guessed the new groom had finished bathing and then quietly returned to the bridal chamber.

“Miss, wake up, the groom is coming.”

“Mm…” Jiang Nian replied softly.

Lüzha rolled her eyes and whispered, “Miss, Hongrui just brought the gift list. I looked carefully, and there’s even a gift from Miss Xiao of the Marquis of Yongning’s residence.”

Jiang Nian opened one eye and, with Lüzha’s help, weakly propped herself up. “What did she send?”

“A ‘Blooming Prosperity’ folding screen. It looks festive and sincere—no strange undertones.”

“Value?”

“About five hundred taels.”

“Truly the daughter of a marquis’s family…” Jiang Nian knew well that Xiao Ru’s kindness surely had ulterior motives.

Just as the two finished speaking, a noise came from the door. Lüzha immediately released her grip and slipped out.

As Pei Jiuru entered the bridal chamber, he saw Jiang Nian’s languid appearance—her eyes half-lidded, her black hair loose, one shoulder exposed. He quietly withdrew his gaze and asked, “Are you going back to sleep?”

“No, just a drink of water.”

Jiang Nian gathered her robes and lazily rose, barefoot stepping down from the bed.

She seemed thirsty for a long time. After pouring a glass of water, she boldly tilted her head back and drained it.

Pei Jiuru noticed a string of water droplets sliding down the outside of the cup, tracing down her slender neck into places he could not see.

In his peripheral vision, he also caught sight of her fair feet.

Then, Pei Jiuru realized these were the cups used for the wedding ritual of drinking the nuptial wine together.

But there was no wine pot on the table.

He glanced around; the bridal chamber had everything but no wine pot or ritual implements.

He understood: their wedding was a transaction. The ceremony before everyone’s eyes could not be omitted.

But the nuptial wine and the hair-tying ritual—Jiang Nian had no intention of participating.

Very well; he had no desire for it either.

“It’s late. After you finish your water, rest,” Pei Jiuru said as he went to the bed and picked up a soft pillow.

Jiang Nian was stunned. She had deliberately worn little, even trembled while drinking. After all that, this man still wanted to sleep in a separate room!

It was like throwing flirtatious glances at a blind man!

She had studied the experiences of her predecessors in full, so where had she gone wrong?

“Are you going to sleep apart from me? On the first night of our marriage, if news of this got out, how would you have me explain it to my parents?”

Pei Jiuru recalled the first rule of their agreement and nodded: “Reasonable. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“The bed is large enough.”

“You?” Pei Jiuru was somewhat puzzled by Jiang Nian’s thoughts.

Jiang Nian gritted her teeth and took a chance. She stood on tiptoe and kissed Pei Jiuru’s lips lightly.

Like a dragonfly skimming water, but Pei Jiuru suddenly stepped back two paces.

Jiang Nian watched his retreat in surprise, her heart a storm. “Are you… serious?”

“Jiang Nian, our marriage is just a transaction. You really want to be with me… why?” Pei Jiuru was puzzled.

He hadn’t realized they needed to sleep separately. She didn’t want to drink the nuptial wine or perform the hair-tying ritual. He thought Jiang Nian only wanted a nominal marriage.

But then she kissed him… Thinking of her earlier words about being deeply captivated by his looks, his expression darkened.

After a moment, Pei Jiuru examined Jiang Nian carefully.

Jiang Nian found herself at a loss for words. She certainly couldn’t say outright that she wanted a child…

After a pause, she earnestly revealed part of her true feelings: “Since we agreed to live well together, with no love and no intimacy between us, this transaction is rather unstable…”

Seeing Pei Jiuru deep in thought, she pressed on: “But this must be mutual. You decide. If you don’t want it, have Lüzha bring you another thick quilt. You can sleep on the floor tonight, and tomorrow I’ll arrange a soft bed for you.”

With that, Jiang Nian turned and lay down on the bed, neatly covering herself with the quilt.

She stared at the red window curtains, thinking the man had decided to sleep on the floor, when she saw him, holding the soft pillow, walk slowly toward the bed.

Jiang Nian shifted further inside.

The man slowly removed his clothes and climbed onto the bed.

But Jiang Nian noticed he only covered himself with the quilt and said nothing.

The space between them was wide enough to fit another Lüzha.

Well, who asked her to be so full of theoretical knowledge? Then she would take the initiative once.

She was going all out.