As soon as they stepped out of the train station, gusts of wind swept over them—so strong it felt like they could lift a person off the ground.
Xiao Cheng positioned himself in front of Lin Aiyun, his tall, broad frame giving her a reassuring sense of security.
“Young Master.”
Just then, a voice called out. Everyone turned to look and saw a middle-aged man in a black Chinese tunic suit. His features were dignified, his head slightly bowed, yet his back was ramrod straight—his bearing impeccable. Behind him stood two men in white shirts and black trousers.
The sight drew everyone’s attention. Zhang Wenhua secretly tugged at Lin Aiyun’s arm and whispered, “They look so grand. Xiao Cheng is certainly no ordinary man.”
While in Jiangming Province, they had kept things as simple as possible and cut down on formalities. Now that they were back in the capital, naturally some of those customs would resurface to varying degrees.
Lin Aiyun knew this was only the beginning. Once they reached the Xiao family’s old residence, everything there would challenge the perceptions of ordinary folks like them.
The grand courtyards, the intricate social etiquette—there would be a lot to navigate.
But this wouldn’t last forever. Once the new China was established, many rules would be redefined, and a wave of change would sweep across the nation.
Lin Aiyun’s lashes fluttered. She patted the back of Zhang Wenhua’s hand to reassure her. Just as she lifted her head, her eyes met those of the middle-aged man—dark and unfathomable, impossible to read.
On closer look, he bore a slight resemblance to Jiang Yan. Could they be relatives?
“Madam, greetings. This is my first time meeting you. I am the steward of the Xiao household, Jiang Guojun.”
Just as she had guessed—same surname Jiang. Lin Aiyun confirmed her suspicions, filing them away for now. She offered a light, friendly smile and said, “Hello, Uncle Jiang. I’m Lin Aiyun.”
Jiang Guojun nodded, withdrew his gaze, and, along with the two men behind him, took their luggage and led them toward the parking area. Three or four black cars were lined up neatly—quite an impressive display.
“Kangzi, I’ll sit with you.”
Before getting in, Lin Aiyun heard Xiao Juan’s playful voice and glanced back. Their relationship had progressed rapidly over the past few days—especially Xiao Juan, who had taken to pestering Lin Wenkang with questions about climbing mountains and wading in rivers. These were novel topics she’d never encountered before, and they often had her doubled over with laughter.
“Are you thinking of hearing about the time I fought Wang Ergou?” Lin Wenkang had been about to sit next to Dongzi, who was beside Jiang Yan. But when Xiao Juan called out to him, he turned around.
“Yes, yes!” Xiao Juan nodded eagerly, her gaze casually sweeping over the carriage, her smile never fading.
Hearing this, Dongzi’s eyes flickered. He loved a good story. He perked up his ears. “What’s this? I want to hear it too. Jiang Yan, move to the back.”
Jiang Yan’s expression didn’t change. He simply opened the car door, got out, walked to the rear vehicle, and pulled open the back door.
Xiao Juan dropped her gaze, stood still for a couple of seconds, then got into the car.
“Aiyun, get in.” Xiao Cheng shielded the top of her head with his right hand and reminded her gently. She snapped out of it, quickly bent down, and got into the car.
The capital was vast, and the Xiao residence was a good distance from the train station. The drive passed many buildings that would become famous in later years. Lin Aiyun sat beside Zhang Wenhua, the car window cracked open just a sliver. The two mother and daughter leaned into each other, gasping in unison from time to time, with Xiao Cheng offering timely explanations.
Having grown up here, he had an endless supply of interesting stories to share—lively and easy to understand.
In such a relaxed atmosphere, they soon arrived at the Xiao residence. As soon as she stepped out, Lin Aiyun felt Zhang Wenhua grip her hand a little tighter. It was no surprise—she remembered being just as stunned herself the first time she had come here in her previous life.
It was a classical courtyard house, with tall walls standing guard. Two stone lions at the entrance held spiritual pearls in their mouths, their large, imposing eyes watching over the four directions. Standing on the high steps and looking into the distance, one could see a stretch of red-tiled walls.
“The household has let go of many staff, so please forgive any shortcomings in hospitality,” Jiang Guojun said, gesturing for them to enter.
“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Zhang Wenhua and the others—who had spent most of their lives in the countryside—were at a loss for such formal speech. They simply waved their hands to show they didn’t mind. But no matter how well they tried to hide it to avoid embarrassing their daughter, a hint of awkwardness crept onto their faces.
“What hospitality? You’re not guests.”
“This is our home. Coming back to one’s own home means making yourself as comfortable as possible.”
“Father, Mother, let’s go inside first. We’ll have a meal and rest well after the long journey—none of us have had proper sleep these past few days.”
“Letting go of some staff was due to special circumstances. It’s nothing serious—no need to worry too much.”
Xiao Cheng’s words soothed their uneasy hearts as newcomers. Zhang Wenhua breathed a sigh of relief—at least from his current behavior, he showed no trace of looking down on them, nor had his attitude toward them changed upon returning to the capital, nor had he turned his back on them.
So in her heart, she grew more and more satisfied with her son-in-law.
Jiang Guojun also realized he had misspoken. After apologizing, he led the group into the courtyard. Zhou Jin, Dongzi, and the others all had their own homes to return to, so they helped carry the luggage to the entrance and then took their leave.
From the moment she stepped over the high threshold, Lin Aiyun’s heart had been pounding rapidly. She stared intently at every plant and tree in sight, mentally matching her memories from her previous life with the present. Though there were minor differences, for the most part, nothing had changed.
The plane trees that filled the front courtyard stretched out their lush, verdant branches—layer upon layer of leaves, gleaming green. Walking beneath them, a gentle breeze brought waves of coolness.
Following her memory, Lin Aiyun instinctively started walking toward the direction of the bedroom she and Xiao Cheng had shared in her previous life—but she stopped after two steps, realizing it was inappropriate.
Earlier, Xiao Cheng had said they had a lot of things, and the rooms were close together, so they had decided to drop off their belongings in their room first.
Because he was introducing the courtyard’s layout to Zhang Wenhua and the others, Jiang Guojun had stopped at the junction of the corridors and didn’t continue leading the way. Lin Aiyun found herself at the front—and among the three corridors branching off in different directions, she accurately chose the correct one.
It was a bit too coincidental for someone visiting for the first time to find the right way so easily.
A little guiltily, Lin Aiyun looked back—and met Xiao Cheng’s dark eyes, which flickered with a hint of surprise. Fortunately, she reacted in time and asked, “Is it this way?”
“Yes.” Xiao Cheng paused for a moment, then nodded and took over the lead.
Though the master had been away for a long time, the room was spotless—clearly cleaned regularly. After putting down their things, they escorted Zhang Wenhua and the others to their respective rooms, briefly unpacked, and had dinner together in the dining hall before each retiring to their quarters.
By the time all that was done, dusk was approaching.
Xiao Cheng held Lin Aiyun on his lap as they sat in a chair by the window. Seeing she wasn’t very sleepy, he began telling her about the current staffing situation at the Xiao residence.
In each of the four directions—east, south, west, north—there were three large rooms and two small ones.
Following the favorable feng shui layout of facing south, the southern rooms were used as reception halls. The north housed the rear courtyard and living quarters: one room for Xiao Cheng and Lin Aiyun, one for Xiao Juan, one for Zhang Wenhua and Lin Jianzhi, and one small room that had been expanded for Lin Wenkang.
The east side served as guest quarters, mostly vacant for now. The west side held the kitchen, storage rooms, and servants’ quarters. Setting aside past arrangements, the current staff included one cook, one elderly man in charge of purchasing ingredients, and two women for cleaning and sweeping the courtyard.
As for the steward Jiang Guojun, he lived in one of the eastern rooms, separate from the main family.
“Uncle Jiang is a longtime member of the household, having served under my father—he’s something of a senior elder figure. But he can be stubborn about some things. I plan to buy him a house before the New Year and give him a sum of money for his retirement. From then on, we’ll manage household affairs ourselves.”
Xiao Cheng rubbed his chin against Lin Aiyun’s neck. She nodded, having no objections on that front, but asked about something else: “Jiang Yan and Uncle Jiang…”
“They’re father and son.”
So that was it.
At the mention of Jiang Yan, Xiao Cheng’s eyes narrowed. He suddenly remembered all the undercurrents he’d observed between Jiang Yan and A-Juan these past days, and a headache began to form. He had warned Jiang Yan once before to stay out of A-Juan’s sight, but this time, because most of his trusted men had been reassigned to Jiangming Province, he’d had no choice but to arrange for Jiang Yan to escort A-Juan safely here.
That had broken his own rule.
As expected, given the chance to interact, the entanglement was inevitable. He had turned a blind eye, too busy with other matters to intervene. But now that they were back, he had to put a stop to whatever was brewing between those two.
A-Juan was no longer young—it was time to let her meet her betrothed. He’d heard that young man had recently made a great contribution on the front lines and earned another promotion. Young and promising, with a bright future ahead. Once the situation stabilized and there was less fighting, he would be a good match.
“Do you want to manage the household affairs? If so, after the banquet, I’ll have Uncle Jiang show you the ropes. If not, I’ll handle it.”
Xiao Cheng’s well-defined fingers toyed with her fingertips as he lazily brought his mouth to her ear. Whether intentional or not, his lips brushed against her earlobe again and again, soon tinting it a delicate pink.
At his words, Lin Aiyun—ticklish—laughed and dodged to the side, while also seriously considering the matter. She had managed the household in her previous life too, so it wouldn’t be difficult. After a moment of silence, she nodded and said, “Well, I don’t have anything else to do right now anyway. I’ll give it a try first—if I can’t handle it, I’ll hand it back to you.”
“You’ll definitely do great. I believe in my wife.” Xiao Cheng’s narrow, handsome eyes curved slightly. His gentle praise made her unable to resist curving her lips too, and she said with a coy reproach, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll turn the whole house into a mess?”
“Then let it be a mess. This is our home—the mistress can do whatever she wants with it. I have no complaints.” Xiao Cheng chuckled lightly, completely unconcerned.
“You said it yourself.” The moment the words left Lin Aiyun’s mouth, she felt her earlobe being drawn into a warm, wet mouth, gently nibbled. She let out a soft hiss, a faint blush creeping across her fair face.
He hummed in response, his burning palm lifting the hem of her clothes without permission.
“Xiao Cheng!”
“Call me ‘husband.’ What kind of newlywed wife calls her man by his full name all the time? That’s not sweet at all, hm? Don’t you agree, wife?” Xiao Cheng raised an eyebrow in dissatisfaction, his other hand turning her head to face him, his gaze dark and intense.
The window behind them was still open. Tendrils of cool air slipped through the gap, making the soft skin exposed to the air tremble. She was shocked by Xiao Cheng’s boldness—the blush spread from her cheeks to her ears, her neck, her collarbone…
“Someone might come. Let’s go inside.” Lin Aiyun tried to pull her clothes back down while pushing his head away with her hand. But before she could finish, she was scooped up and placed on the spacious daybed nearby, which was covered with a thin blanket—so it wasn’t uncomfortable.
Her breathing suddenly grew heavier. Feeling Xiao Cheng’s fingertips move to a different spot, she bit her lower lip and hurriedly called out, “Husband, husband.”
Her voice carried a tremble, no different from the plane leaves drifting in the wind outside the window.
To appease him, she called out twice in a row. Xiao Cheng took a deep breath and didn’t speak, but the look in his eyes was intensely captivating—his deep gaze brimming with undisguised delight. He pecked her lips several times before lifting her in his arms and carrying her inside.
Pushing aside the hanging blue curtain, there stood a large wooden bathtub filled with steaming hot water.
On the train over the past two days, with limited conditions, they’d only managed to wipe down quickly. Though she didn’t smell, her skin felt sticky and uncomfortable, which was why she’d resisted intimacy earlier.
Now Xiao Cheng stripped himself bare first, then began unbuttoning her shirt. Lin Aiyun’s words of refusal hovered at her lips but ultimately stayed in—they hadn’t been intimate for days, and after his teasing just now, she was a little eager too.
Xiao Cheng was quick. Soon, they were both sitting in the bathtub together.
“I used to soak alone in here. Who knew that after going out to treat an illness, I’d come back with a soft, sweet wife to soak with?” His murmured words carried a hint of laughter, clearly in high spirits.
Lin Aiyun sat in front of him, her thick lashes fluttering. She picked up a bar of soap and began lathering her arms, soon covered in a thin layer of foam as the scent wafted into her nose.
“Put some on me too.” Xiao Cheng’s gaze lingered on her snow-white skin, his eyes darkening, the corners tinged with a thin red. His voice began to grow hoarse.
“Give me your hand.” After saying that, she turned around to face him. Their eyes met—she was always the first to lose in these staring contests, because this rogue Xiao Cheng made his desires abundantly clear with his eyes in moments like this, completely unlike his usual inscrutable self.
What a two-faced act!
Xiao Cheng obediently extended his arm—it was twice as thick as hers, the contrast between their skin tones stark. Her palm, slick with soap, felt incredibly smooth as it rubbed against him. In that instant, his breathing grew ragged.
But she, head lowered and oblivious, let her small white hand creep upward, reaching his collarbone and Adam’s apple.
“Wife, let me help you too.”
At his limit, Xiao Cheng grabbed her under the arms and lifted her up. Lin Aiyun let out a startled gasp as she found herself perched on the wide rim of the tub. He gripped her waist, veins bulging on his arms, steadying her so she wouldn’t fall. His lips traced downward along her waistline.
“I’ll make sure… it’s clean.”
He looked up, his deep eyes churning with desire, darker than the evening sky outside. Waves of scorching heat rolled off him.
That ambiguous word—did it mean “lick”?
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