Time Traveling: the Only Beloved Husband

After Doctor Li left, Shen Xiangyan wrapped Xia Rong in a blanket and carefully placed her back on the bed. Without saying a word, he gently ran his hand through her hair. Xia Rong sensed that her husband was upset, so she obediently rested her head on his shoulder, letting him stroke her hair.

“Rong’er, can you tell me about the incident when you fell into the icy water at the age of ten?” Shen Xiangyan’s voice was softer than usual, but there was a hint of something unsettling. Although Xia Rong sensed the unease in her husband’s tone, she couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.

But since it was something her husband wanted to know, Xia Rong earnestly began to recall, “When I was ten years old, several children around my age came to our house, including a few twins like me. We were chatting and having snacks indoors when someone suggested playing on the ice pond in the backyard of the mansion and asked if I wanted to join.” Xia Rong felt a bit embarrassed as she continued, “I didn’t have many playmates back then, so when they invited me, I happily went along with them.”

“In fact, it had only snowed twice that year, so I suppose the ice on the pond wasn’t very thick. At first, everyone was having fun, but then things got out of hand. People started falling, and when I saw that, I tried to avoid it, but someone suddenly pushed me from behind, and before I knew it, the ice beneath me cracked.” Xia Rong shuddered involuntarily as she recalled the bone-chilling coldness, an experience she never wanted to endure again.

Shen Xiangyan, seeing Xia Rong in this state, reached out and hugged her tightly. Xia Rong nestled into Shen Xiangyan’s embrace and continued speaking softly, “Actually, I think I knew who pushed me. Before I fell, I saw a cloak made of fox fur rolling on the ground. It was a special design, with mauve-colored fabric and high-quality white fox fur.” Xia Rong paused before continuing, “That cloak was specially made for my eldest sister to wear that day. I remember many people praised her for it. I think my eldest sister probably just meant for me to take a little tumble, but who knew the ice wasn’t very solid, and I ended up in such a mess.”

“You mean none of the servants intervened when you all, young masters and misses, wanted to play on the ice in the backyard?” Shen Xiangyan furrowed his brows, asking the most crucial question. While the young masters and misses might not have known, the servants should have been aware that the ice on the pond wasn’t solid.

Xia Rong chuckled softly at her husband’s question, remembering how they had avoided the servants. Somehow, recalling the image of the young masters and misses avoiding the servants dispelled some of the lingering chill from earlier. “We specifically avoided the servants. If they had known that a bunch of young masters and misses wanted to play on the ice, they would have been terrified.”

Shen Xiangyan paused for a moment, then nodded in understanding. If this had been a premeditated plot, Xia Rong might not have survived. Though his eldest sister might not have intended to harm Xia Rong fatally, her actions were still despicable. Thinking of this, Shen Xiangyan closed his eyes. Xia Rong was such a restless soul; he couldn’t predict when she might inadvertently fall into his hands.

Shen Xiangyan didn’t want Xia Rong to dwell on these old matters any longer. Understanding the situation was enough to put his mind at ease. Changing the subject, he picked up a tangerine from the small table beside the bed and started peeling it for Xia Rong. The sweet aroma of the tangerine filled the air, and Xia Rong had developed a recent fondness for them.

After sharing a tangerine, Xia Rong became even more reluctant to get up, snuggling closer to her husband. The blanket on her, combined with the warmth radiating from her husband, made her feel cozy and lazy. Shen Xiangyan happily indulged her, taking a scroll of poetry and prose and lying down on the bed with his wife in his arms, reading.

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Since that day, for over a month, due to the herbal baths and medicine consumption, the young master started emitting a faint herbal fragrance. Shen Xiangyan held his husband’s small body, surprisingly not disliking this scent. Instead, he felt an indescribable sense of tranquility.

In the Fengyu Kingdom, eunuchs were no different from men in appearance, but their stature tended to be petite, their figures softer, and their skin fairer and smoother. Though their facial features might not resemble those of women, they still appeared gentler than ordinary men.

Shen Xiangyan buried his face in the neck of his spouse, who had finally gained a bit of flesh, rubbing against it until Xia Rong cried out that it tickled. It felt so good; having a bit of flesh to hold made cuddling even more comfortable.

Glancing at the sky, realizing it was already mid-morning, Shen Xiangyan patted the person still clinging to him. “Time to get up.”

Xia Rong responded with an “Hmm,” but as Shen Xiangyan finished dressing and still didn’t see Xia Rong getting up, he teased, “What’s this? Still want to stay in bed?”

Xia Rong buried his face deeper into the blanket and mumbled, “Husband, could you leave for a moment? I’ll get up soon.”

Shen Xiangyan sensed something was amiss and sat back on the edge of the bed, intending to pull away the blanket covering Xia Rong. However, Xia Rong held onto it tightly, causing Shen Xiangyan to worry about Xia Rong’s unusual behavior. Not willing to leave Xia Rong in this state, Shen Xiangyan tried to take the blanket away to see what was wrong. “Rong’er, what’s the matter? Let go of the blanket and let me see.”

Xia Rong, unable to hold onto the blanket any longer, was on the verge of tears. “Husband, could you please leave first?” Seeing Xia Rong’s insistence, Shen Xiangyan reluctantly agreed to leave first, though he couldn’t shake off his concern. After a while of no movement from inside the room, he grew even more worried and quietly returned, slipping inside.

To his horror, he found the bed empty, with traces of blood on the slightly lifted blanket. Panicked, he flipped the blanket aside and saw bloodstains on the bed. Worried sick, Shen Xiangyan disregarded any potential anger from Xia Rong and was solely focused on the possibility of his spouse being injured. Peeking behind the screen, he found a bashful Xia Rong hastily putting on pants, alongside several moon message bands. Well, those were used during their time in Kui Shui, if Shen Xiangyan recalled correctly.

Xia Rong was mortified beyond words. Just as he was about to get up earlier, he realized something was off. After finally managing to get Shen Xiangyan out, he hurried to finish up, but being inexperienced, he ended up being clumsy. And then, his husband walked in on him.

Shen Xiangyan was momentarily stunned before he regained his composure. Ah, it wasn’t an injury; it was just Shuang’er’s normal physiological response. That’s good, that’s good. He realized that this was probably Xia Rong’s first time experiencing this, as he hadn’t seen him react like this before when they slept together. It seemed that the treatments prescribed by Doctor Li had been effective during these days. Seeing Xia Rong standing there, blushing and feeling a bit awkward, Shen Xiangyan, the thirty-year-old uncle in his heart, immediately switched into a dual mode of parental care and husbandly love towards his beloved.

Treating this situation as similar to when a woman first arrived in Kui Shui should suffice. It should all be quite similar. Worried that Xia Rong might not understand it being his first time, Shen Xiangyan bravely went over some basic knowledge with his spouse. Don’t ask him how he knew; in that information-rich place in his previous life, he naturally learned some basic facts. Mainly about avoiding cold and the importance of rest.

He held Xia Rong’s hand and gently guided him back to bed. “Alright, that’s about it. Rong’er, you need to rest well these few days, okay? Now, you lie down for a while, and I’ll go get breakfast for you. Let’s have it in bed today. What would you like to eat?”

Xia Rong covered himself with the blanket and thought for a moment before replying, “I want vegetable congee made by Husband.”

“Of course, Husband will make it for you. It’ll be ready in a little while.” After patting Xia Rong’s head affectionately, Shen Xiangyan added, “If you need anything, just tell He Xin and He Miao to find me, okay?”

Hearing Xia Rong’s voice from under the quilt confirming, Shen Xiangyan finally left the room and headed to the kitchen. Before leaving, he couldn’t help but instruct He Xin and He Miao to guard the door. If anything seemed amiss with the lord, they were to send someone to call him immediately.