Her long hair was still half-dry, but she was already fast asleep.
Zheng Wei walked over and sat beside Shen Xiaoyan. Looking at Shen Xiaoyan's quiet sleeping face, a touch of tenderness flashed in his eyes, mingled with a hint of melancholy.
After sitting quietly for a while, Zheng Wei turned off the light and lay down beside Shen Xiaoyan.
In the darkness, Zheng Wei's gaze was still fixed on Shen Xiaoyan. He sighed again in his heart, lamenting that a large house wasn't always good.
In the past, the house was small, and the bed was small. After Shen Xiaoyan fell asleep, he could secretly embrace her.
But now, looking at the little woman, who was an arm's length away, Zheng Wei felt helpless.
Perhaps it was a psychological effect, but even in her sleep, she kept her distance from him.
After much deliberation, Zheng Wei gently shifted his body and finally lay down beside Shen Xiaoyan, embracing the little woman who made him hesitate so much.
"Finally, I've caught you."
Shen Xiaoyan's voice suddenly came out, causing Zheng Wei's arms around her to stiffen.
"You're not asleep?" After a long while, Zheng Wei spoke faintly, but his tone held little surprise.
"Naturally. If I were asleep, wouldn't it be inconvenient to catch you?" Shen Xiaoyan said as if it were obvious.
"How did you know?" Zheng Wei asked again.
"Oh, I saw handprints on your clothes," Shen Xiaoyan said after a pause.
Zheng Wei nodded in understanding, realizing how she had found out.
Fortunately, he hadn't turned on the light. Otherwise, Zheng Wei would have definitely seen the hesitation in Shen Xiaoyan's eyes.
There weren't any handprints at all. Zheng Wei was a very careful person. It was Luo Luo who had accidentally let it slip today.
"Aren't you going to let go yet?" Shen Xiaoyan lay there, afraid to move, and asked anxiously.
Zheng Wei's lips curved upwards. "Let go for what? You sleep."
Shen Xiaoyan: ...
If this was the outcome, then why had she waited until now to personally catch Zheng Wei?
But what should she say? They were husband and wife, and this was bound to happen sooner or later.
If she wasn't willing, there were countless people calculating this matter in unknown places. Wasn't Xu Xiao'e today just an example?
She didn't dislike Zheng Wei either.
Shen Xiaoyan felt that she should make Zheng Wei's heart solely hers. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to sleep soundly.
"What's wrong?" Zheng Wei felt the little woman in his arms stiffen for a moment.
Before he could even ask what was wrong, he felt his cheek being kissed.
The little woman, like a stealthy cat, after kissing his cheek, rolled away to the edge of the bed in a flash.
"Heh."
Zheng Wei chuckled softly and moved towards where Shen Xiaoyan was. With a stretch of his hand, he pulled Shen Xiaoyan back into his embrace.
"You think you can run after kissing me? It's not that easy," Zheng Wei's voice, slightly husky, reached Shen Xiaoyan's ears.
Due to nervousness and shyness, Shen Xiaoyan didn't detect the pleasure in Zheng Wei's tone and assumed he was unhappy.
She lifted her head from Zheng Wei's embrace, wanting to say something. Before she could speak, she felt a warm sensation on her lips.
It was only when her lips were licked that her brain reacted.
Was she kissed?
What should her reaction be now?
Shen Xiaoyan felt bewildered and at a loss. This was probably the first time she had been kissed in all her lives.
Shen Xiaoyan's dazed reaction seemed incredibly cute to Zheng Wei, and he unconsciously deepened the kiss.
It wasn't until Shen Xiaoyan felt like she couldn't breathe that Zheng Wei ended the long kiss.
"Sleep, you've had a busy day."
His husky voice seemed to deepen by another third. Shen Xiaoyan, feeling dizzy, agreed with a sound and closed her eyes, forcing herself to fall asleep quickly.
After an unknown amount of time, Shen Xiaoyan's rapidly beating heart finally returned to normal, and she gradually drifted into dreamland.
Zheng Wei, who had been holding her all along, finally closed his eyes.
The next day, when Shen Xiaoyan opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Zheng Wei's face, magnified countless times.
Realizing she was being held by Zheng Wei, Shen Xiaoyan woke up completely. Immediately, the events of last night flashed through her mind.
"You're awake? Want to sleep a little longer?" Zheng Wei had been awake for a while, but Shen Xiaoyan in his arms was still sleeping soundly, so he wasn't in a hurry to get up.
"Ah? No need." Shen Xiaoyan saw Zheng Wei open his eyes and look at her. She couldn't help but think of the kiss last night. She replied verbally and struggled to sit up.
Zheng Wei didn't stop her. He released his hold, allowing Shen Xiaoyan to sit up smoothly. However, the sudden emptiness of his arms made him feel a sense of loss.
But it's alright, he didn't want the little woman to retreat again, so he couldn't push too hard.
Until both of them had changed and washed, Shen Xiaoyan hadn't said a word.
She wasn't silent because she was angry, but because she didn't know what to say.
When they walked out of the main room, Shen Xiaoming was already in the yard playing with Old Hei and Hei Zi.
Today, Luo Luo and Bai Bai, unusually, hadn't run off and were now welcoming their new companions.
Alright, in reality, Luo Luo and Bai Bai were ganging up on the two puppies.
The two cats were quick, occasionally darting out to give the dogs a paw, and then quickly retreating.
Although the paws didn't have much force, the two puppies still felt threatened and invaded. They bared their little milk teeth and yipped at Bai Bai and Luo Luo.
Shen Xiaoming, as their owner, stood by laughing heartily. Seeing Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei come out, he said with a smile, "Sister, Brother-in-law, look, Old Hei and Hei Zi are angry. Hee hee..."
Shen Xiaoyan smiled and nodded. Ignoring Zheng Wei standing beside her, she went directly to the side room to prepare breakfast.
Zheng Wei knew that Shen Xiaoyan wasn't very willing to see him at the moment, so he didn't follow. He stayed behind to play with Shen Xiaoming and the four little ones.
After breakfast, the three of them sat together again to study and read.
These days had been busy, and they hadn't had time to study together. Most of the time, Shen Xiaoming was just reviewing what he had learned.
After studying for an hour, Shen Xiaoyan came out of the house.
She didn't need to take the imperial examinations, so she didn't need to study exceptionally well. As long as she could read and write and not be illiterate, it would be fine.
Walking all the way to the kitchen, Shen Xiaoyan prepared to make some plum soup.
Even though it was already autumn, the heat of the autumn sun was still quite strong. It was almost noon, so making some plum soup would help to clear the heat.
The ingredients for making plum soup had all been bought from the pharmacy earlier. Now, all that was needed was to put them in water and boil them.
Shen Xiaoyan sat by the stove, watching the fire burning in the stove, lost in thought.
All morning, she had been telling herself to pretend as if nothing had happened.
But even as she diligently practiced her calligraphy, she could still feel Zheng Wei's fiery gaze on her, which made her feel very uncomfortable.