Chapter 317: Newlyweds
Chapter 317: Chapter 317: Newlyweds
Although her cousin’s words were partly in jest, Zhi Wan’s heart settled considerably.
That’s right. The second branch of the family had long since moved out, and the Old Madam had been sent by her aunt to a villa to rest, under the pretext of needing quiet.
Now, her aunt was in charge of the entire vast estate. There were no longer any busybodies to point fingers, so naturally, no one would dare to speak ill of her again.
Lu Zhan picked her up and carried her to the wardrobe to choose her clothes.
Looking at the dazzling array of outfits in the wardrobe, Lu Zhan asked in a warm voice, "Which one do you want to wear?"
Faced with all the beautiful clothes, Zhi Wan found it hard to choose.
Her aunt had bought all of these for her.
Every single one was exquisitely made and beautifully styled.
Zhi Wan looked over them all but couldn’t make up her mind.
She blinked, wrapping her arms around Lu Zhan’s neck. "Why don’t you help me choose, Cousin?"
"What did you call me?" Lu Zhan looked at her teasingly.
"Cousin," Zhi Wan said, surprised and confused. "Isn’t that what I’ve always called you?"
"That was before. We’re husband and wife now," Lu Zhan reminded her. "Hmm? What should you call me now?"
Hearing this, Zhi Wan finally understood. Her face flushed slightly, and leaning against the crook of his neck, she called out softly, "H-Husband."
Saying the word "Husband" felt incredibly strange.
Even though the man before her was indeed her husband now.
Her cousin had become her husband, and she, his wife.
This change in roles made her feel bashful, but more than that, her heart was filled with sweetness.
She buried her face in her cousin’s chest, listening to his strong, powerful heartbeat, and her own heart suddenly felt a new kind of flutter.
What Zhi Wan didn’t know was that her voice was already naturally soft. When she called him "Husband" with such shyness, the sound was utterly captivating.
Hearing it, Lu Zhan’s heart leaped, and his arms around her suddenly tightened.
’He suddenly regretted teasing her.’
To distract himself, he hastily pulled an outfit from the wardrobe and pressed it into Zhi Wan’s arms. "Just wear this one."
Zhi Wan took it and gave him an odd look. "What were you thinking? You want me to wear white on a joyous day like this?"
Lu Zhan had just grabbed it randomly. At her words, he finally noticed he had picked out a white dress.
He cleared his throat and retorted, "What’s wrong with white?"
Zhi Wan gave him a look that said it all. "On any other day, of course. But today is my first day as part of the family. We have to serve tea to your parents soon. Wearing all white is just too inauspicious."
At this, Lu Zhan had no choice but to pick out a bright red one for her. "How about this one?"
Zhi Wan reached out and took it. "This one will do."
Lu Zhan set her down. "Go on and change. I’ll wait for you outside."
"Mhm." Zhi Wan nodded.
After she finished changing, Shuang’er came in to help her with her hair.
Seeing her reflection in the mirror, her hair now done in the style of a married woman, Zhi Wan paused.
"Miss, you look so beautiful," Shuang’er praised.
If the young miss was a budding blossom before, she was now a peony in full bloom.
Exquisite and noble, a beauty beyond compare.
Zhi Wan snapped out of it and gave her a playful glare. "You’re such a smooth-talker!"
Shuang’er giggled. "I’m just telling the truth! When you go out like this, you’ll definitely steal the Young Master’s heart."
Zhi Wan’s face grew warm at her words. She feigned annoyance and said, "You’re getting naughtier by the day. In a few days, I’ll have to marry you off and let Jiang Shi handle you."
Sure enough, at the mention of Jiang Shi, Shuang’er shut her mouth and said no more.
Zhi Wan chuckled and pinched her blushing cheek. "We’ll see if you dare to tease people again."
Shuang’er quickly begged for mercy. "I misspoke, alright? Please forgive me, Miss."
Zhi Wan laughed. "Alright, I’m just teasing. Go find your Brother Jiang."
"Miss!" Shuang’er stomped her foot in annoyance.
Zhi Wan left the room with a smile.
Lu Zhan was standing right outside. Hearing footsteps, he turned to look.
He had always known his cousin was beautiful, but seeing her dressed as a new bride, he couldn’t help but be taken aback.
In the blink of an eye, the demure young woman had gained the mature charm of a wife.
But this transformation only made her more exquisitely beautiful.
As soon as Zhi Wan drew near, Lu Zhan took her hand.
"Let’s go." Lu Zhan appeared calm and collected, but his grip on her hand tightened slightly.
Zhi Wan didn’t notice anything unusual about him.
The moment she stepped outside, her gaze was captivated by the courtyard’s layout.
This was Qingyun Residence, formerly her cousin’s dwelling.
Now, however, it was their newlywed home.
In her dreams, she had been to her cousin’s bedroom, but only the bedroom. She never knew what the courtyard outside looked like.
In reality, she had never once set foot in his courtyard.
’So this was his courtyard. It’s so large and spacious.’
The courtyard had bamboo groves, a pavilion, and a small pond. On a grassy patch nearby, a swing had even been set up.
Seeing the swing, her gaze froze for a moment.
’She couldn’t imagine someone as serious as her cousin using a swing.’
Seeing her gaze fall upon the swing, Lu Zhan knew what she was thinking.
"Your doting mother-in-law had that built for you," Lu Zhan explained gently. "She had someone dig the pond, too. There are some fish in it. She said that when you’re bored, you can feed the fish or use the swing."
Zhi Wan was stunned. "Mother had all this done for me?"
"Mhm, the courtyard didn’t look like this originally," Lu Zhan said.
Zhi Wan could just picture her mother-in-law busying herself with redecorating the courtyard.
Her mother-in-law had actually asked her opinion before, whether she wanted a separate courtyard to live in.
’She did like Yaoguang Pavilion; after all, she had lived there for five years.’
’But because Lu Lan had killed Aunt Xu there and framed her for it, her mother-in-law found it inauspicious and had Yaoguang Pavilion sealed.’
’Of course, even if it wasn’t sealed, she wouldn’t have dared to live there.’
Later, her mother-in-law reconsidered, deciding it was better for a married couple to share a courtyard, and so she had his Qingyun Residence renovated to be their new home.
"Mother redecorated your courtyard like this, you don’t have any objections, do you?" Zhi Wan blinked and asked deliberately.
Lu Zhan pulled her shoulder tighter. "As long as you’re happy, I have no objections to whatever Mother wants to do."
Zhi Wan had known he would agree, but hearing him say it himself was something else entirely.
Zhi Wan was delighted.
’Actually, there was another reason her mother-in-law had her move into his courtyard. Her mother-in-law had said it was best to keep a close watch on a man so he wouldn’t have the chance to stray.’
’Of course, she didn’t believe you could really keep watch over a man who was determined to stray.’
’Even if you watched him at home, he would always find opportunities outside.’
’But from what she knew of her cousin, he didn’t have a wandering eye right now.’
’But it was hard to say what might happen in the future.’
’Because people’s hearts are fickle.’
’No one could control the future. All she could do was live well in the present. And... she needed to save a lot of Silver. That way, even if he had a change of heart, she wouldn’t have to be afraid.’
"What are you thinking about?" Lu Zhan asked, confused to see her smiling one moment and frowning the next.
Zhi Wan gave him a long, searching look. "Cousin, from now on, your salary is to be given to me for safekeeping. Also, if you have social obligations, you must report them to me beforehand. And if there’s nothing to do at the Government Office, you are not to linger outside after your shift. You must return home immediately."
Lu Zhan: "..."
"You don’t agree, Cousin?" Seeing him stay silent, Zhi Wan’s heart sank a little.
’They were just married, and he was already refusing to indulge her?’
’It’s true what they say. Once a man gets what he wants, he stops cherishing it...’
Lu Zhan saw the sparkle in her beautiful eyes visibly fade, and his heart clenched. He held her close and placated her, "Whatever you say, goes. I never meant to disagree."
"Really?" The light returned to Zhi Wan’s eyes.