Meeting Xubai

Su Yuhe followed them upstairs. She pushed open the door and entered, hearing him before she saw him. "You two, leave us."

This was her first time coming upstairs so early, and she hardly dared move around.

"Come here."

Hearing a hint of grievance in his voice, Su Yuhe walked toward it. When she reached the bed, an excessively beautiful face appeared between the bed curtains.

His ink-black hair hung loose, and his luminous white skin resembled a flawless piece of fine jade. A pair of phoenix eyes lent a touch of allure to his noble air, his nose was high and straight, and his lips were full.

Xubai pulled her down to sit on the edge of the bed. He wore only white inner robes. The charcoal fire kept the room hot, and although Su Yuhe's pale yellow dress was not particularly thick, she had added a cloak and was now sweating from the heat.

He leaned against Su Yuhe's shoulder, his voice still thickly nasal. "What brings you here?"

While she was wondering how to put it, Xubai took her hand and placed it against his lower abdomen. "It feels uncomfortable."

Preoccupied, Su Yuhe instinctively withdrew her hand. She was still working out how to begin when Xubai turned her face toward him and pecked her lips in delight. "You even put on lip rouge today."

She shifted a little farther away and got to the point. "For some reason, constables knocked on my door this morning."

After she evaded him twice in succession, Xubai was a little displeased. "Mm. What offense did you commit?"

Su Yuhe took his hand. "They brought three slaves, saying some kind person had paid for them for me. Was it you?"

Seeing that he seemed unaware of it too, she continued her act. "You know perfectly well how I feel about you. Why buy three male slaves to test my feelings?"

"Male slaves?"

"Yes. You bought them, and you don't know?"

"It wasn't me." Xubai sat up straight. Already irritable, he grew even more so. "What sort of male slaves?"

Su Yuhe shifted farther away again. "How would I know? You had someone put them in my house. How would I dare be alone with them, let alone spare them another glance?"

"I was afraid you'd find an excuse to dump me!"

She spoke with such absolute conviction that she turned her back on him in anger, as though it had really happened.

Xubai moved closer and hugged her from behind. "You're not allowed to look at them!"

"Hmph. If you won't let me look, why send them over? I'll look all I want!"

"No! You're not allowed! You're only allowed to look at me!"

Seeing him grow agitated, Su Yuhe feared he would get too worked up to hear what she said and hurriedly turned to hug him. "Then take them back."

"It wasn't me."

Of course she knew he had not done it. She merely wanted him to help keep the three slaves. They could stay anywhere, so long as they did not live under the same roof as her.

"Then who could it be? You're the only person I regularly associate with. Who else could it be?"

Someone came to Xubai's mind. He buried his head against her neck and sniffed her scent. "Hurry up and send them away."

Su Yuhe laughed in exasperation. She had come to him to solve the problem, but he only wanted the result. "Where am I supposed to send them?"

Slaves bought from the authorities could not be traded, and every change of ownership had to be registered.

If she could not sell them on, was she supposed to abandon them in the wilderness?

Hurried footsteps sounded outside, and Lanxin knocked on the door. "Young master, your wet nurse is here."

Su Yuhe panicked and pushed Xubai away. Angered by her action, Xubai forcibly held on to her. "What are you panicking for?"

How could she not panic?

Wet nurses held extremely high status in wealthy households and could decide a great many matters. If his wet nurse saw an unrelated woman in Xubai's room, she would be the "lecher" who died for it.

Xubai spoke coldly to Lanxin. "So she's here. Tell her to wait downstairs."

"Young master, you've been staying at the estate for some time now. This servant has come to take you home."

A woman's gentle voice came from outside, and Su Yuhe grew even more desperate to pry his hands away.

Xubai wrapped both arms around her waist, refusing to let go no matter how she tugged at them. Displeased, he called outside, "Leave."

The woman outside hesitated briefly, then answered. Only after the footsteps receded did Su Yuhe relax.

"Are you that afraid of being seen?"

With difficulty, she turned within his embrace and hugged him back, explaining gently, "It would be bad for your reputation."

He did not accept that. With his arms hooked around her neck, his beautiful little face looked gloomy. "Who here would dare wag their tongues?"

Su Yuhe went along with him with a couple of perfunctory replies. Suddenly, his tone softened, and he pulled her hand downward. "It feels uncomfortable. Help me."

Her patron had spoken. She could hardly refuse.

She slowly lowered Xubai onto the bed and was about to massage him, but the moment her hand touched him, the youth sprang upright, wrapped his arms around her neck, and leaned into her embrace. "I don't want to lie down."

It would have been easier for her if he lay down, but since her golden thigh said no, then so be it.

What little experience Su Yuhe had with her hands had all come from him, so she knew very well how to make him comfortable. After some exertion, he went limp. Somehow, she displeased him again, and he bit her shoulder.

Her thick clothes kept her from feeling it. She had no idea how she had angered Xubai again.

She wiped her hands with a handkerchief, rather helpless. "What have I done to upset you this time?"

Even after she finished washing her hands and wiping him clean, he still said nothing.

He had always had this mercurial temper. He had been a little better before they got together, but now he was growing increasingly prone to anger.

Su Yuhe's stomach growled, so she turned the conversation to breakfast. "Stop being angry for now. If you don't have breakfast soon, it'll be noon."

He turned his head aside and carefully listed her faults. "I told you to slow down just now, but you wouldn't listen."

Had he?

She had not really noticed.

Su Yuhe only remembered him leaning over to kiss her. She had put on lip rouge today and did not particularly want him kissing it into a mess.

"I'll be sure to pay attention next time."

Only after hearing her promise did Xubai let the matter drop. Su Yuhe straightened her clothes. "Your wet nurse might have something to discuss with you. I'll head back first."

Xubai caught her hand. "Are you in such a hurry to leave because you want to go back and see those male slaves?"

Usually, when she visited, she stayed for a meal and some snacks before leaving.

Only last night, she had said she wanted braised pork hock. Now she was leaving without having a single bite. It made no sense at all.

The problem lay with those three male slaves. It had to be them...

Su Yuhe clasped his hand in return. "What are you saying? If I weren't avoiding them, why would I disturb your sleep so early? Our meeting already breaks propriety, and your wet nurse is waiting downstairs. How would I dare stay any longer?"

Xubai believed her, but he was still very unhappy.

"Bring them over. Go now."

"All right."

Su Yuhe went downstairs without encountering Xubai's wet nurse on the ground floor. She had only just breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her outside.

His wet nurse was only in her thirties and had never taken a husband, devoting herself entirely to the household's affairs. Su Yuhe had heard Xubai mention her and had met her twice, though they had never spoken.

Lanxin and Zhuxin went upstairs to attend to him. Liuxin stopped Su Yuhe as she was about to leave, her voice gentle. "Young lady, do you know the consequences of entering an unmarried man's private quarters?"

She was not a local and knew little about the rules of wealthy households. She only knew the consequences would not be good; exactly how bad, she was unsure.

Here in the countryside, she was used to seeing men out in public. The only young master of a wealthy household she had encountered was Xubai, who behaved even more brazenly than she did, so she had never looked into those rules.