Time Traveling: the Only Beloved Husband

Ever since the family hired two servants, Xia Rong found himself with more free time. He used to do chores like laundry and tidying up the rooms, but now whenever he tried to do something, the two little servants would beat him to it.

Nowadays, Xia Rong spent his time either playing with the little bunny or eating and sleeping. Well, even his snacking habits were under the control of his husband. His snacks were limited every day. It wasn’t intentional on his part; those snacks were just so delicious, and he couldn’t help eating too much. Then when it was time for a proper meal, he couldn’t eat, and his husband would catch him. Since then, his snack intake had to be arranged by his husband.

Xia Rong lifted his head, his watery eyes fixed on He Miao and He Xin standing beside him. He Xin was more assertive, while He Miao was gentler and more accommodating. He Miao, being looked at by his master like this, shook his head helplessly and said, “Master, you’ve had your limit for today. Young Master doesn’t allow you to eat more, and there’s nothing I can do.”

Xia Rong blinked his eyes, not looking at He Miao. Ah, he had clearly said before that he could eat as much as he wanted, but his husband must think he’s eating too much. Looking at the last piece of osmanthus cake left on the plate, Xia Rong licked his lips pitifully, glanced at the sky, there was still a whole afternoon left, he might as well wait a bit longer before eating.

Shen Xiangyan saw Xia Rong lazily sunbathing in the courtyard when he came out of the fragrance room. He knew the little guy must be bored these past few days, especially with his food intake restricted. However, this glutton couldn’t control himself. Snacks were fine, but if he didn’t eat his meals properly because of them, how could it be allowed? Thinking for a moment, Shen Xiangyan went to study. He had asked Xia Rong before and knew that his father had taught him how to write when he was around, but since his father had passed away early, Xia Rong had only learned a little, and there were many characters he didn’t know.

Shen Xiangyan, having the memories of the original host and with Fengyu’s language being similar to traditional Chinese, could understand the characters, though his handwriting wasn’t the neatest. He fetched a book about the customs and culture of Fengyu, along with a few storybooks, then returned to the courtyard, scooping up Xia Rong and seating him on his lap, starting to read aloud to him. It served him well to go through it again himself, and he could also teach Xia Rong any characters he didn’t know.

Well, he wouldn’t admit that this was blatant flirting. Xia Rong was light, sitting on him for an extended period wasn’t a problem. Besides, after spending so much time together, Xia Rong had also picked up his scent. It was faint, a hint of white orchid that could only be smelled when they were very close. It was a fragrance he had grown accustomed to in his past life, and what excited him was the idea of gradually imprinting his scent on someone else. This subtle erosion of another person’s senses left Shen Xiangyan unable to resist.

The two enjoyed a rare afternoon together. Even though Xia Rong couldn’t indulge in too many snacks, Shen Xiangyan specially brewed herbal tea for him. A white porcelain teapot sat on a small shelf, heated from below by a small candle, ensuring that the tea remained hot. With Shen Xiangyan reading to him beside, Xia Rong felt content. In Xia Rong’s little life, these few days married to Shen Xiangyan were the happiest.

Shen Xiangyan still cooked dinner that evening, but He Xin had already helped with the preparatory work, significantly reducing his cooking time. Shen Xiangyan was a practical person. His life in the orphanage and his subsequent struggles in society had hardened his heart to some extent. The outward gentleness and politeness were just a layer he had adapted for survival.

Thus, even though he suddenly found himself in this time and space, Shen Xiangyan could adapt well to life here. He didn’t make foolish decisions like buying people and then talking about equality as he had in his previous life. Even in his previous era, true equality wasn’t a reality, let alone here.

For Xia Rong to easily enter his heart, there were important prerequisites. Firstly, he had married him. In Fengyu, a place similar to ancient China, when a woman married, she became a part of her husband’s family. It wasn’t like the era Shen Xiangyan came from, where divorce was easy. Here, being a husband’s person in life and death wasn’t just a saying. This made it easy for Shen Xiangyan to consider Xia Rong as belonging to his territory from the beginning.

Furthermore, though Shen Xiangyan had never loved anyone, Xia Rong was indeed the type he would like. Simple, warm, unaffected by the injustices of past lives, shining with a beautiful sunlight that Shen Xiangyan had long lost. Holding Xia Rong, Shen Xiangyan thought he would do his best to spoil and love him, ensuring that those things he had lost would forever exist in Xia Rong.

For dinner, Shen Xiangyan prepared mapo tofu, vinegar-glazed cabbage, sweet and sour spare ribs, and Kung Pao chicken, along with fish soup that he had been simmering since morning. The soup only contained fish, ginger, scallions, and a little salt. Slowly simmered all day, it was specially made for Xia Rong. Watching Xia Rong drink half a bowl of milky-white fish soup, Shen Xiangyan handed him the chopsticks, satisfied.

After dinner, and after seeing the two masters to sleep, He Miao lay on the bed, leaning towards his brother who was lying beside him. “Young Master is really good to the Master. I’ve never seen anyone pamper their husband like this.”

“Yeah, but who doesn’t have concubines and mistresses? It looks good now, but who knows how long this will last. Sigh, with the Master’s gentle nature, I don’t know what will happen in the future,” He Xin always thought more than his younger brother.

“The Young Master spoils the Master so much, maybe he won’t take concubines in the future,” although He Miao said this, he knew it was unlikely. Now that the Xiangzilai Fragrance business was booming, even a servant like him knew the Shen family would have a bright future. The possibility of the Young Master not taking concubines would be slim.

“Seeing how much the Young Master loves the Master, these things probably won’t happen in the short term. Even if they do, the Young Master will remember these years and won’t let anyone bully the Master. Anyway, as long as the Master treats us well, we just need to serve him well.”

Before falling asleep, He Miao thought it would be great if the Master could have a child soon. Unfortunately, as twins, the chances of getting pregnant were much lower than those of women. 

Meanwhile, Xia Rong, sleeping in his husband’s arms, had no idea that the two servants at home were worrying about his future. But for Shen Xiangyan, there was no issue with their concerns. In his lifetime, he would only have Xia Rong as his wife. He cherished Xia Rong so much, how could he bring another person into their lives to cause trouble?

So, in the blink of an eye, a month passed, and this day marked Xia Rong’s return to his family’s home. In Fengyu customs, it was customary for newly married women to return to their parents’ home for a visit one month after marriage. On this day, the couple not only paid respects to the bride’s parents but also brought along return gifts. Shen Xiangyan had already arranged the return gifts. Although he didn’t like the Xia family, this was Xia Rong’s return home ceremony, and he didn’t want Xia Rong to be underestimated. In addition to the customary rooster symbolizing “good luck and good fortune,” they also prepared various meats, fish, wines, candies, pastries, silk fabrics, some Xiangzilai fragrances, and even two bottles of rare perfume, all in pairs and wrapped in red paper to signify the union of husband and wife for a hundred years.

A few days ago, Shen Xiangyan had someone build a carriage according to his specifications. It didn’t look much different from a regular carriage on the outside, but inside, it was much more comfortable than the average carriage. After experiencing a hired carriage before, Shen Xiangyan found it uncomfortable. Later, he had one prepared in his own household. Nowadays, a carriage was similar to a modern car and could be used for a long time, so it wasn’t considered a waste.

Shen Xiangyan and the two servants loaded the return gifts onto the carriage and set off together towards the Xia family’s home.

The Xia family was involved in the silk trade. However, ever since this business fell into the hands of Xia’s father, Xia Xueliang, it had been declining day by day. Xia’s wife, Li Lanzhi, came from the Li family of Suzhou as the youngest daughter of a collateral branch. The Li family had produced a high-ranking official in the past, so they were considered a family of scholars and intellectuals. This was the most important reason why Shen’s father arranged this marriage for Shen Xiangyan. Shen’s father originally thought that a daughter raised in such a scholarly family wouldn’t be lacking in any aspect. Unfortunately, Shen’s father never imagined that after he was gone, the Xia family would behave so outrageously.

Shen Xiangyan couldn’t help but wonder if there was anything good about the Xia family’s daughter. After all, this marriage arrangement must have been discussed to some extent with Xia Ji, and seeing how easily Xia Rong agreed to marry, it was clear that Xia Ji didn’t oppose it when he learned of it. Shen Xiangyan couldn’t appreciate the act of sacrificing one’s own brother for one’s own benefit.

When Shen Xiangyan and Xia Rong arrived at the Xia residence, they weren’t greeted by Xia’s father or mother. Instead, they were led to the front hall by a servant and had to wait for a cup of tea before Xia’s father, Xia Xueliang, came out casually from inside.

Xia Xueliang, in his forties, had a slightly out-of-shape figure. As soon as he entered, he vented his anger at the servants, scolding them for not promptly informing him of Xia Rong’s return, but there was no real blame in his tone. Shen Xiangyan enjoyed watching this spectacle, but Xia Rong, on the other hand, felt extremely uncomfortable. He knew his family was like this, and he had grown accustomed to their neglect, but seeing his husband endure this treatment alongside him made Xia Rong feel terrible. In that moment, the last trace of affection he held for his family faded away.

Their time together had allowed Shen Xiangyan to understand what Xia Rong was thinking just by looking at him. Shen Xiangyan discreetly patted Xia Rong’s hand as a gesture of comfort, silently indicating that everything was okay.