Encountering Rain at West Lake

Rainy night. The clamor and agitation inside and outside the inn gradually subsided, leaving only the heavy rain and wind outside the window, which made the atmosphere in the rooms inside the inn even warmer and more peaceful. The firelight of the oil lamp flickered, illuminating the screen painted with peach blossoms and cuckoos. The screen stood in the center of the room, surrounding a large bathtub, and in the bathtub were the naked bodies of a man and a woman.

"...Her name is Lou Shuwan. The Lou family in Hangzhou mainly deals in porcelain, but they also have other businesses, with a wide range of interests. Over there, they are considered top-notch wealthy merchants, perhaps even more established than our Su family. Years ago, when Father took me out, I met her a few times and also met her father, a very capable man named Lou Jinlin. Oh, she also has two older brothers, one named Lou Shuwang and one named Lou Shuheng. I only met Lou Shuheng once, so I don't know what kind of person he is..."

The lamplight reflected on the delicate skin, making it look like smooth and exquisite porcelain. Su Tan'er tilted her head slightly, using a wooden scoop to pour warm water down her neck as she spoke softly. She was sitting in Ning Yi's arms, her limbs pressed together without any obstruction beneath the water.

Their relationship was naturally quite intimate at this point, but this kind of thing still made Su Tan'er feel a little shy. After all, in this era, it could be considered somewhat licentious for a newly married couple to go to this extent. However, being away from home, and with Ning Yi saying that it was getting late and they needed to get to sleep, so there was no need to bathe separately, she had to suppress her shyness and get into the tub with Ning Yi. But now it seemed that it might take even longer than expected.

They were already hundreds of miles away from home. The chance encounter with Lou Shuwan earlier was indeed somewhat beyond Su Tan'er's expectations, but she was ultimately happy. The two could not be considered close friends, but during their meetings a few years ago, Su Tan'er knew that Lou Shuwan was a rather independent woman, and the two were somewhat similar. At that time, she had set her sights on becoming a successful businesswoman, so she had a good impression of Lou Shuwan. Of course, when they chatted during the meal just now, she still seemed to be that independent and capable woman from before, although she vaguely felt that there was a slight difference, which was probably due to growing up.

However, her main purpose in saying these things at this time was not to introduce this like-minded friend to her husband in detail, but simply because she felt embarrassed in her heart, so she kept bringing up topics to keep herself from being aware of the situation. Therefore, when her husband's hand slowly caressed a sensitive part of her body in the water, she simply tilted her head back, gently bit her lower lip, and continued to speak.

"...This time, she also seems to be transporting goods south, probably similar to before. She's still managing the Lou family's business at this time. Sister Shuwan is very capable."

"Like you?"

"I'm not as good. I heard that everyone in the Lou family is very capable. Our Su family... well, can't compare."

Su Tan'er focused on thinking in a somewhat self-deceiving manner. Although her breathing had already become somewhat rapid, she deliberately acted perfunctorily towards what was happening underwater. Ning Yi, on the other hand, was focused on taking control of her body underwater, smiling and going along with her words.

"Don't you think..."

"...Hmm... It's good to run into acquaintances. I was originally planning to visit her when we go to Hangzhou this time. Husband, how about we go south together? We can modify our original plan to tour Taihu Lake... uh... is that okay?"

"Yeah, whatever you want. I'm not interested in Taihu Lake..." At this moment, he wasn't interested in anything else...

"I don't know if Sister Shuwan is married yet. I forgot to ask just now... Seeing that she can still come out to manage the Lou family's business, she probably isn't... unmarried, is she?"

She thought of some possibilities, tilted her head to look at Ning Yi, but didn't say them out loud. Ning Yi shrugged indifferently, not commenting on this. He knew it wasn't likely, because if it were, how could she not come out to greet them under those circumstances? However, there was no need to make a fuss about this kind of thing. Perhaps there were other reasons, but he didn't care what others were like.

"Whatever she's like, what I want to ask is, at a time like this, are you really interested in discussing other women with me, wife?"

Su Tan'er lowered her head, then giggled: "I'm... I'm already like this, husband can do whatever he wants, why do you have to be so domineering and force me? Isn't it enough to be submissive to you..." Su Tan'er was, after all, Su Tan'er, and she launched a non-soft, non-hard counterattack with a smile.

"Tsk, if you're just being submissive, I wouldn't get any sense of accomplishment. Where did the Su Tan'er who set the house on fire with a torch go? Do you want to resist a little? It's said that the more you resist, the more excited I get..."

Ning Yi was talking nonsense, but Su Tan'er had already blushed when she heard him mention setting the house on fire, even more than when she was pulled into the tub. Although that was a grand undertaking that she had planned for a long time before gritting her teeth and doing it, it was really too shameful. After it happened, Ning Yi and she had a tacit understanding not to mention it. It was the first time it had been used as a joke. After a moment, she pursed her lips: "I'm done washing, I want to sleep." She reached out of the tub to get a towel.

She didn't dare to stand up completely to get it, only turning her back to Ning Yi and reaching out. She reached several times before finally getting it. She heard Ning Yi laughing behind her: "That's right, the water's almost cold." Then, Su Tan'er suddenly felt her body lighten.

"Ah..."

She cried out softly as the lamplight flickered and two bodies suddenly stood up out of the water. Su Tan'er was held in Ning Yi's arms, her legs hooked around his waist. She was completely naked, her skin exposed to the air like that. For a moment, she closed her legs and instinctively wanted to curl up. She had nowhere to grab, but didn't dare to spread her arms out too much. After a moment of panic, she finally had to cling to Ning Yi's body, feeling embarrassed for a long time, and hugging the towel in her arms.

"Put me down," she said softly.

"I won't." Ning Yi had already walked out of the tub with a smile, carrying his wife towards the bed like that. Su Tan'er glared at him unhappily, biting her lip. However, it was not the first time the two had seen each other naked, and having adapted to the situation, she unfolded the towel and tried to wrap it around her body. When Ning Yi put her on the bed, she remembered that the water stains on her body hadn't been wiped off, and then Ning Yi reached out and turned her over, resulting in another soft cry, this time almost with a sob.

The towel covered the front of her body, but not the back. Suddenly lying face down like this gave her the feeling that she was naked and allowing Ning Yi to admire her. Moreover, in this situation, she wouldn't feel embarrassed if she was lying on her back and being seen, but lying face down felt really lewd. Fortunately, Ning Yi then pulled the towel and wrapped her up, then turned her over again.

"I'll be right back," Ning Yi said, returning to the tub to wipe his body. Su Tan'er lay there quietly, looking at his figure and sighing. In that case, wouldn't it really feel like she was being submissive? Then, she saw Ning Yi blow out the light and the silhouette of his figure walked towards her.

She closed her eyes, deciding that if she was going to be submissive, then she would just be submissive and ignore him.

Thunder and rain, darkness, familiar warmth approached, removed the towel, and then, gently opened her body...

*********************

After the storm, the air was fresh and the eye could see only fallen leaves and broken branches.

This was the scene in Changzhou the next morning. Looking out from the inn to the street outside, the branches and leaves of the trees were blown all over the ground. The thunderstorm had stopped sometime, and the air was still full of moisture, but overall, the storm had passed, and it looked like it would be a clear and sunny day again.

When Lou Shuwan came to say hello, Su Tan'er had already gotten up, washed, and dressed. Today, she was wearing a simple dress with a combination of moon white and lake green, with a pearl flower hairpin in her hair, giving the feeling of a warm and happy little woman.

Ning Yi got up a little later than her – he was usually disciplined and always got up earlier than others, but this morning he found it quite interesting to lie in bed and watch Su Tan'er dress up. Su Tan'er, seeing that he kept looking at her, wrung out the towel when she was washing her face and went over to wipe his face several times, almost as if she were treating a child.

After she had finished washing and dressing, she squatted by the bed and looked at him, resting her chin on her hands, and said very softly: "Husband doesn't follow the rules, acts arbitrarily and recklessly, doesn't know how to be shy, like a child."

Ning Yi laughed. It was the first time he had heard such a comment. In fact, Su Tan'er was beautiful and playful at this time, and really looked like a child. So he hooked her nose with his finger: "The rules don't care about these things, you're just making it up."

"Husband is like a child," Su Tan'er repeated with a smile, actually feeling like a child every time she was in Ning Yi's arms.

However, both of them were young at this time, and both were like children.

After saying a few words in a low voice, Lou Shuwan came to knock on the door. When the door opened, Ning Yi was still in bed. Because of this, Ning Yi decided to dislike this Lou Shuwan for a few days, although it was inevitably arbitrary, but a third wheel was always annoying.

Although he jokingly thought about disliking her for a few days, he naturally wouldn't have any prejudice in his dealings with her. They stayed in Changzhou for a day, and when they left on the third day, Lou Shuwan and the others had become traveling companions. They moved some goods onto the painted boat, and also introduced the maids and stewards around them. As for a scholar who was with her, his name was Lin Tingzhi. His relationship with the others was unclear, but he was temporarily going back to Hangzhou with them, so he was considered a freeloader. It was said that he was also a talented scholar in Hangzhou.

On the other hand, after learning about Ning Yi's status as a live-in son-in-law, Lou Shuwan didn't think much of him, so she openly monopolized Su Tan'er along the way...