So, You’re the Henpecked One? 8

Chapter 8

The room fell into an almost bizarre silence. Sensing the atmosphere, Lin Zhao shrank back and said in a tiny voice, “If there’s any more, it’s the money you confiscated from me at the casino last time.”

That was at least three or four hundred coins!

Chu Xihuan looked up at her, a feeling of speechless frustration caught in her throat. Finally, she sighed and rubbed her forehead.

“Starting tomorrow, you will go out and find work. You can no longer be an idle loafer like before.”

Lin Zhao’s eyes widened, and she wanted to say something, but seeing Chu Xihuan’s expression, she silently swallowed her words and nodded dejectedly.

It was true. This house was no longer a place where she could just feed herself and not worry about anyone else. Perhaps it was time to find a proper job.

Seeing that she was being obedient, Chu Xihuan felt much better. “Of course, I will also find ways to get some work. I won’t put the entire burden on you.”

Lin Zhao nodded listlessly, her mind already worrying about what kind of work she could find, or rather, what kind of work she was capable of finding.

She had never done any proper work, and with her not-so-good reputation, it was unlikely that many people would be willing to hire her.

“Third, cut ties with your motley crew of friends.” As she said this, Chu Xihuan frowned in clear disapproval. After all, no one would want their partner to hang out with unsavory characters and pick up bad habits that would be impossible to break.

This time, Lin Zhao remained silent.

Not hearing a response, Chu Xihuan looked up at her. “What, are you unwilling?”

“All of them?” Lin Zhao’s face scrunched up. “Mao Xiaoyun is a good person. Can I not cut ties with her? She’s the girl who wanted to do the wedding night teasing earlier.”

The others were just fair-weather friends; cutting them off was no big deal. But Mao Xiaoyun was a true friend.

Chu Xihuan stared at her, and Lin Zhao held her gaze. Finally, Chu Xihuan looked away. “She can be on probation. We can see how she is.”

Lin Zhao was overjoyed. “She’s great! You’ll definitely like her!”

Chu Xihuan remained noncommittal and continued, “I am older than you. From now on, you must listen to me.”

Lin Zhao pouted and muttered, “Am I not listening enough already?”

Her whole demeanor was droopy and listless, as if someone had bullied her.

“Mm, not bad. This is something I can affirm. Keep it up in the future.” Chu Xihuan was quite satisfied with this point. She had originally thought that since this person had been hanging out with ruffians for so long, she would be difficult to handle, but she turned out to be surprisingly manageable.

Hearing her praise, Lin Zhao’s eyes lit up slightly, and she couldn’t help but smile.

Chu Xihuan pretended not to see her secret delight and continued, “Also, you are not allowed to use such crude language in the future.”

Lin Zhao paused at this, glanced at her furtively, and asked carefully, “What if I say it by accident?”

Having grown up in such an environment, sometimes things just slipped out before she even realized it.

Chu Xihuan smiled. “You can try.”

Lin Zhao pouted and, looking down, saw the nuptial wine. She couldn’t resist reaching out and gently poking it with her finger. “Aren’t we going to drink this wine?” she mumbled. “I’ve seen everyone else drink it.”

Her voice grew quieter toward the end, afraid that Chu Xihuan would think she was being difficult.

Seeing her like this, Chu Xihuan sighed inwardly but still picked up one half of the nuptial wine gourd and gestured for Lin Zhao to take the other.

The so-called nuptial wine was just a small gourd split in two. After drinking, the two halves would be joined back together and tied, symbolizing their union as one inseparable entity.

Lin Zhao’s eyes suddenly lit up. She carefully picked up the other half and looked at Chu Xihuan. Following her cue, they drank the wine together. The bitter, spicy taste filled her mouth, but Lin Zhao felt as if she had just drunk the best wine in the world.

Chu Xihuan took the empty gourd half from Lin Zhao and joined it with her own, carefully wrapping it with a red string. She then placed it in front of Lin Zhao. “Are you satisfied now?”

Lin Zhao smiled, her eyes fixed on the gourd. She then placed it in a small wooden box for safekeeping. “Satisfied, satisfied.”

She and Chu Xihuan had drunk the nuptial wine.

She really had a wife.

For some reason, Chu Xihuan found Lin Zhao’s almost solemn attitude a little amusing. “You’ve been busy all day. Aren’t you tired?” she finally said.

Having been up since the early hours of the morning getting ready, Chu Xihuan was exhausted.

Lin Zhao came back to her senses and looked at her, noticing the fatigue in her brow. “Are you tired? But you should eat something before you sleep, right?”

She hadn’t eaten anything since she woke up this morning. Chu Xihuan’s preparations had been even more complicated, so she probably had even less time to eat.

“No, if you’re hungry, you can eat. I’ll rest for a bit.” Since she didn’t have to entertain guests, Chu Xihuan wasn’t going to wait until dark. She opened the door and called for someone to help her wash up, wanting only to lie down in bed as soon as possible.

Lin Zhao opened her mouth to say something but ended up going out to find some food to bring back to the room, so that Chu Xihuan could at least have a bite.

When she returned, a screen had been set up in the room, but she could still hear the sound of water from the other side.

Lin Zhao’s face grew hot, and she felt a bit awkward, not knowing if she should leave.

Finally, she gritted her teeth and sat down in the room. There was a screen, so she couldn’t see anything anyway. Besides, she and Chu Xihuan were already married. Was there any need to leave?

As she ate on one side, Chu Xihuan washed away the day’s fatigue on the other. The two of them were surprisingly harmonious.

Perhaps considering that it was their wedding day, Chu Xihuan wore a red inner robe after her bath and saw Lin Zhao eating.

To be honest, Lin Zhao’s table manners weren’t particularly elegant, but they weren’t crude either. In fact, she made the food look so delicious that Chu Xihuan couldn’t help but wonder if it was really that good.

“You’re done? Come and have a bite, so you don’t wake up hungry.” Lin Zhao pointed to the spot opposite her. “These were set aside beforehand. I haven’t touched them.”

Chu Xihuan paused for a moment before sitting down opposite her, watching as Lin Zhao continued to bury her head in her food.

“Have you not eaten in a long time?” Chu Xihuan asked suddenly.

Lin Zhao really looked as if she had been starving for days.

“Huh?” Lin Zhao looked up and quickly swallowed the food in her mouth. “I guess so. It’s been a long time since I’ve had plain rice and such good food.”

Eating plain rice meant using more rice, and she always had to be frugal with her supply, so she mostly drank porridge.

Chu Xihuan looked a little confused. “How have you not eaten these in a long time? Do you usually not eat well?”

In Chu Xihuan’s mind, loafers like Lin Zhao were usually the most selfish, living for the moment and eating well without a care for the future. She had guessed that Lin Zhao might not be that extreme, but she hadn’t expected her to be so frugal.

Lin Zhao fell silent at her words. “I don’t have enough money to eat well,” she finally said quietly.

Although she could earn some money to cover her expenses with her cheating skills, she didn’t go to the casino often and didn’t win big, as she was afraid of being caught.

Hearing her say this, Chu Xihuan didn’t press the matter further. She picked up her chopsticks and looked at the food in front of her. Compared to the food at the Chu residence, it was not as delicate or beautiful, but seeing Lin Zhao eat with such gusto, Chu Xihuan still picked up a piece of vegetable and ate it slowly.

It was ordinary, not particularly amazing.

It seemed that the food in front of Lin Zhao was more fragrant.

Chu Xihuan thought with some disinterest. After a few bites, her hunger subsided, and she stopped eating. After rinsing her mouth, she said to Lin Zhao, “You eat. I’m going to sleep.”

With that, she walked toward the bed, lifted the only wedding quilt, and lay down with a yawn, her eyes half-closed.

Lin Zhao was so captivated by the casual charm she exuded that she forgot to eat, her mind filled with only one thought.

Why does this person have to be so good-looking?

So good-looking that even at her worst, you couldn’t bring yourself to hate her.

“When I’m done, can I sleep on the bed?” Lin Zhao asked tentatively. Although she wasn’t very smart, growing up in her situation had made her keenly aware of certain things.

She could feel that her relationship with Chu Xihuan was not like that of ordinary newlyweds. Chu Xihuan showed no shyness toward her new wife, but was so composed that it made her feel a sense of panic.

She was afraid that Chu Xihuan didn’t truly see her as her wife, especially since she had married her for a reason.

“Where else would you sleep?” Chu Xihuan said with her eyes closed.

Since she had married Lin Zhao, it was only reasonable for them to sleep together. Although they had no feelings for each other yet, she couldn’t bring herself to take Lin Zhao’s bed and make her sleep elsewhere.

“Nowhere else! I’ll sleep here!” Lin Zhao replied quickly, her eyes shining. Her heart seemed to settle, no longer feeling so adrift and uneasy.

Chu Xihuan really is planning to live a life with me~

“Hurry up and eat. After you’re done, wash up and rest early,” Chu Xihuan said casually, turning over to face the inside of the bed with her back to Lin Zhao.

Lin Zhao was overjoyed and ate even faster. After she finished, the maids from the Chu family quickly came to clean up, and even the water for her bath was already prepared.

Lin Zhao was very uneasy with this kind of treatment. She was used to being alone, and now that someone was doing these things for her, she felt she didn’t deserve it. Was this what people meant by not being fated for a life of luxury?

Even though she was anxious, the unfated Lin Zhao forced herself to be patient and scrubbed herself down once more before daring to change into clean clothes and approach the bed, her heart pounding in her throat.

She stiffly got into bed, and the distance between them instantly closed. She could even smell the faint fragrance from Chu Xihuan beside her.

Her face turned completely red.

It was the first time she had been so close to someone.

Thinking that this was their wedding night, it seemed a little wrong to just go to sleep.

She turned to face Chu Xihuan and tentatively poked her shoulder with her index finger.

“Are you asleep?”

Chu Xihuan was already very sleepy. Even with her poking, she didn’t want to bother with Lin Zhao, hoping she would take the hint and stop.

Lin Zhao pouted quietly. She could clearly feel that Chu Xihuan was not yet asleep.

“Can I kiss you?”

Lin Zhao’s thoughts were simple. They were married, and it was their wedding night. A kiss was only natural, wasn’t it?

Otherwise, it just didn’t feel real.

All of Chu Xihuan’s sleepiness vanished in an instant.

“…”

**

Author’s Note:

Zhaozhao: [Please][Please]

Xixi: [Cracking Up][Rolling Eyes]