這一夜初試雲雨，若是旁人，累到極致蒙上被子也就睡個人事不省。只是沈清軒從來就不是個寬心的人，心思向來重，往常飲了安神湯尚且睡不踏實，今夜身心俱疲，困得都睜不開眼，還是睡得輕淺，一夜淨做些怪異的夢——夢裡被追趕著，身後不知都是些什麼魑魅魍魎，攥著霍霍利器要殺他，他在夢裡倒是身手靈巧，狂奔不已，為自己輕盈的雙腿欣喜若狂，幾乎都不在乎有人要殺自己，正開心著，突然場景變幻，不知又怎麼回到了那年冰窟，周身都是刺骨的水，他雙手攀著一塊冰，皮肉都粘在冰上，就靠那層牢牢粘住的血肉支撐著全身力氣，讓自己不要滑進水中，他知道自己一旦滑進去，就再也起不來；又夢見娘親，似乎是在他的屋子裡，抱著剛出生的弟弟喊小心肝，他想過去拉開她，可是屋子裡一片漆黑，什麼都看不見，只有娘親身上幽然飄浮著檀香味道，在周邊繚繞不散……一夜都是這樣光怪陸離的夢，沈清軒盜了幾回汗，分不清自己是醒著還是睡著，直到窗外夜色都變了淺白，才恍惚著墜入沉睡，方得解脫。
這一睡，就睡到日上三竿，日頭都移到正中央了，都不曾醒。
他從來也不曾貪睡過，貼身婢女早早端著水盆用品侯在門外，往日裡她的腳步聲還未靠近房門，銅鈴聲就已清脆敲響，今日她等了許久，始終不曾聞得屋內響起銅鈴聲，不由心中起了疑竇，又擔心起他的身體，實在是病秧子多少年，萬一出了意外可擔不起，就自己悄悄推開廂房門進去了。
女孩五歲進了沈家，原是在沈母跟前伺候著，她來時年幼眉眼甜美，兼之口齒伶俐，沈母一直也未拿她當普通下人使喚，見自己兒子變故後性情孤僻，就將她送到沈清軒房裡，想著可給他做個伴，有個小孩子在身邊陪著，性格或許會開朗些，漸漸地女孩長到豆蔻年華，沈母端詳她也還識大體，為人謙和敦厚，就起了心思想將她給沈清軒做個偏房，有個一兒半女，雖是婢女所生，也是沈家血脈。
沈母這個心思，府中上下都知道，是以婢女的身份，在屋裡也非同一般。
沈清軒也清楚自己母親心思，只是實在對這一起長大的女孩沒有非分之想，也曾想過將話挑明，又覓不到合適時機，加上女孩畢竟伺候了自己十幾年，也算得上親近之人，不好傷人心。他也知自己確實孤僻，唯獨與她主僕一起長大，對她還和顏悅色些，更是無法狠心傷了她，所以一直只裝糊塗。
婢女並未意識到沈清軒的拒絕之意，只當沈少爺面皮薄，加上她是女孩兒家，不好說出口，所以這事就這麼一直拖下來。
近年沈母時常拉著女孩說些私話，言談間，這樁事也就提到日程上來了。
雖是偏房，也是沈清軒房內首次添人，算得上喜事，日子就定在年後，並沒有同沈清軒商議。但女孩心中知曉，言行上就多了些靦腆和矜持，也就多了些逾越。
她推開房門，室內空氣沉靜，光線裡浮動著些塵埃，寂靜無人聲，唯有撕成雪花的碎片撒在地上，仿佛昭示著屋內曾經有過那麼一場洶湧起伏。婢女看見滿地碎頁，心中跳了一跳，畢竟沈清軒雖然孤僻，卻從不喜怒於色，更遑論撕書這樣的事，從來沒有發生過。
小心翼翼踩著碎片走到床邊，床幃是放下的，內中光景影影綽綽，並不清晰。隱約可見床上的形狀並無異樣，床榻上的男人呼吸聲均勻，睡的沉。對她的到來一無所知。
婢女穩了穩心神，伸出芊芊玉手，揭開了床幃一角。眼角在內掃了一圈，白裡透紅的鵝蛋臉上頓時翻湧上血色，猶如三月嬌豔桃花。
那床上一片繁亂，繡花錦被上皺褶四處蔓延，顯是手絞出來的痕跡，帳中的空氣裡流動著一股難以言喻，卻本能叫人臉紅心跳的氣息，更有湖水綠的被面上已經乾涸的白痕，這裡曾發生過什麼，昭然若揭。
婢女轉身欲逃，卻又猛地煞住腳，心中想到這荒山野嶺，且床上只有沈清軒一人，怎麼可能會發生這般不堪的事情，就是私通，這莊中也無什麼模樣比她更好的丫頭，猶豫了片刻，她小心翼翼地揭開了沈清軒身上的被子觀看。
沈清軒並沒有想到會有人撞破這事，只是本來心細，完事後自己掙扎著穿好衣物才重新躺下，精力不濟，又甚少自己動手，所以衣物雖然穿的淩亂，卻還完整。婢女只覺得少爺的中衣亂的不像話，卻並未發現什麼大破綻。又酡紅著臉，將沈清軒下肢的被子扯起了一點，斜眼看去，只見衣衫完整就慌忙放下了。以為是沈清軒夜裡寂寞，自瀆造成的。可說到底，心中還是有一分疑竇，畢竟那床上痕跡，非沈清軒這樣一個癱子能輕易造出來。
實在無從猜想，又掩門退去。
沈清軒對此並無所覺，多少年裡頭一遭睡的如此深沉，連人都摸到自己榻上都毫無知覺，睜開眼時已是晌午，只覺身上疲乏酸痛，是很久都不曾感受過的疲倦，那是只有幼年時隨著阿爹去野地打獵奔波一天，方有的疲累。他已很多年沒有體味過這樣肉體的倦怠，甚至有兩分新鮮，仿佛重新活過一次。
躺了片刻，方才抬手搖鈴喚來丫鬟，倚在床頭用茶水清了目，又蘸了青鹽漱口，才洗了面吃了些東西，又躺回床上，閉著眼細細梳理前事。
他想那壞蛇實在太壞，也不知是生性如此，還是只對他一人使壞。若是生性如此也就罷了，倘若只是對他使壞——沈清軒自己紅了臉，埋頭在被中。前夜的褥子並沒有使人換下，依然是痕跡斑斑，仿佛氣息猶在，十分撩人。
他自己臊成一團，直到想起最後看見的那雙眼，冷若萬年冰山，任他火燒火燎，自巍然不動。情緒便冷落下來，又躺了片刻，迷迷糊糊欲再睡一場。願夢裡只留孟浪，再無其它。
第二天再醒來，精神恢復大半，重新坐回輪椅上，伏在案前讀書作畫，臉上一派恬靜，不顯山不露水。婢女在旁細心伺候著，硬是找不出一絲端倪。
她並不瞭解，眼前的沈家大少早已不是從前的主家，連續兩天都異樣的身體，時時刻刻提醒著他，曾有過那麼一晚的荒唐，荒唐的仿佛南柯一夢，夢裡他荒淫無恥到連沈清軒自己都不願想起。
只是經過一夜折騰過後，沈清軒的心情明顯恢復了，之前的焦躁沮喪都一併消失，仿佛讓那夜狂風暴雨般的情潮滌蕩乾淨。也是，他所有的希翼索求都曾被最大限度的滿足過，便沒有什麼不可開懷，可以再無一絲雜念，好好過自己凡人的人生。
周邊無人時沈清軒自己也會思索先前的不甘和此刻的安寧，不禁懷疑，莫非是獨身太久，陰陽失調憋成這樣？否則怎麼也理不清為何他得到肉欲的滿足，心中那只張牙舞爪的野獸就潛伏了回去。
沈清軒正式考慮成親之事。
沒有男人喜歡被另一個男人壓在身下，沈清軒自認也非天生斷袖，想起少年時還依稀傾慕過一位遠親堂姐，對方的音容都不記得了，卻始終記得自己六歲大點的小人兒，被自家阿爹打趣要不要訂下娃娃親時那種羞窘又雀躍的心情——懵懂年歲，稚嫩無知，即使被大人取笑，也抵不住看到對方就覺得歡喜。
那時他以為如花美眷，高官厚爵，便是自己的人生，無論如何，腳下定然正道堂皇。
如今這路可是越走越邪。沈清軒忍不住嗤笑一聲，想著可是邪門的很，和妖怪有了牽扯也罷，連龍陽之好都沾上了，且還快活得很。
他是真快活，雖是初經人事，生澀又不適，卻抵不住心甘情願，見到伊墨的臉都能滋生出無限喜悅與快活。
可他又不傻，連裝傻都做不到，一眼就看出伊墨的心不甘情不願，衣帶不解。將他送至巔峰就抽身離開，姿態高高在上，與其說歡愛，不如說更接近一場施捨。
何況一人一妖，一個有心一個無意，界距大到他甘心認輸，自知沒有彌合這條巨大鴻溝的能力。有些事情，莫說人，就是妖也無能為力。
自那夜過後，伊墨已經多日都不曾再來過。沈清軒眉眼含笑，透過窗戶從容地望著院中一叢正豔麗綻放的花卉，心中數著日期，他的生辰快到了，這兩天就要下山去，每年這個時候他都要回府與家人團聚。那就回去吧，來日娶妻生子，做他的沈大少爺，做一個再普通不過的渺小凡人。而不是戀慕著可望而不可及的那只蛇妖。
也是奇怪，想到此他也並不感到十分悲傷，只有些悵然若失，仿佛心頭空了一塊。卻也不悲不喜，似是認命。
五天后沈清軒坐上馬車，小廝們挑著些野物跟在後面，貼身的婢女陪同他坐在車內，車夫趕著棗紅馬兒，吆喝著，一行人浩浩蕩蕩下了山。途中沈清軒揭開門簾回身去看，只見那高聳入雲的山巒愈來愈遠，愈來愈遠，最後只見蒼鬱山峰，一半沒入雲霄裡，一半被近處景物擋住，沈清軒看了很久，最後果決地放下布簾，重新坐好，身體隨著軲轆的滾動微微搖晃，眼底沉靜如水，始終沒有任何動搖。
沈家府宅去年前剛剛翻修過，翹簷新瓦，風火牆高八丈，雖一年過去，卻依舊雪白，牆頂灰瓦簷，縫隙中連雜草都來不及生長，一派乾淨明亮。馬車沿著風火牆一路向東，又走了片刻，才轉到南邊小門，月形門拱，朱紅色新漆大門對開，正大敞著，門旁衣著光鮮體面的小廝丫頭立了兩排，居首站立的便是一身青衫長袍來迎接的老管家。
馬車停下，丫鬟揭開車簾，沈清軒坐在內沖著老管家綻開一道笑容，便伸出手來，搭著老人的肩頭，又叫兩個小廝攙扶著，下了馬車，坐在藤制小轎上。
車馬自有人牽去餵料，四個僕人擔著竹轎上的沈清軒，穿過不知多少重庭院、廳堂、走廊、通道，到了正廳院口了，才放下竹轎，換了輪椅，又有小廝推著，木軲轆碾著光滑潔潤的卵石鋪成的小道又穿了兩個庭院，才入了正廳。
沈老爺及夫人親眷等都在廳中候著，沈清軒月牙白的衣袍自樹幹後隱露出一角，才放下茶盞起身，迎了上去。
沈清軒所居南院，吃了晚飯，穿過庭院才回到自己的小樓裡，楠木小樓裡已經燈火通明，裡面傢俱擺設一一都換過新樣，一塵不染的在燭火下閃爍著乾淨的光澤。不再是山中別院的簡單小屋，而是重樓的設計，僅居室就有三重門，最裡面那重自然是沈清軒，中間那層是貼身丫頭們住的地方，廂房擺設也是光鮮別致，最外面則是夜裡起來燒水添茶的丫鬟居室。
沈清軒慣了簡單生活，乍一回府，繁縟禮節還有些不適應，心中不耐，卻也沒表現出來，早早就叫人伺候著洗漱，完畢就歇息了。
第二日早早起床，給父母請過早安，到沈母房中時沈清軒留了下來，與母親談論婚事。
沈母早知他無心娶妻，原本已斷了這個念想，只道給他找個丫頭也就罷了。沒想到此番沈清軒自己提出來，大喜之下先去佛前燒了三炷香，又磕了頭，直念佛祖保佑，就歡歡喜喜的招人喚來沈清軒二娘，一起談論沈清軒的婚姻大事來，誰家女兒年華合適，誰家女兒性情妥帖等等。
沈清軒只笑笑，在紙上寫道：全憑母親做主就是。
一對姐妹談論了片刻，二姨娘突然道：“軒兒，你房中那丫頭，可想好怎麼處置了？”
沈清軒一愣，立時知道她提的是自己那貼身的丫鬟，思索片刻，也就同意了，寫道：
也可。
三天后事情就定下了，對方是同城王家小姐，小名喚惠娘，正是二八年華，門當戶對。
王家原本是大族，現今雖已沒落，到底瘦死的駱駝比馬大，加上王家門風一向正經，惠娘也是大家閨秀，模樣也曾見過，雖不是沉魚落雁，卻也溫柔可親。沈母就請媒人說成了親，緊跟著下了聘，喜日定在來年中秋過後。至於那丫鬟，就趁早娶過來添房也好，畢竟從小就待在身邊，早陪在枕畔，萬一王家小姐是個不容人的，也能占些上風，不至於被欺負。
至於納妾的日子，沈母道：“既是生辰之喜，不如喜上加喜。”
喜日就定在沈清軒生辰那天，用一頂小轎將那丫鬟從側門抬進來，就算給個名分罷了。
這話傳給沈清軒，沈清軒仍是笑笑，還是那句答覆：全憑娘親做主。
娶妻納妾之事，就這麼定了。
由始至終，沈清軒都沒有讓自己再想起山中，風華絕代的那個人來。
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This was the first time they had sex that night. If it were someone else, they would be so tired that they would just cover themselves with the quilt and fall asleep unconscious. But Shen Qingxuan has never been a carefree person. He has always been worried. In the past, he couldn’t sleep well even after drinking the calming soup. Tonight, he was exhausted both physically and mentally. He was so sleepy that he couldn’t even open his eyes. He still slept lightly and had strange dreams all night – he was being chased in the dream. There were some ghosts and monsters behind him, holding sharp weapons to kill him. In the dream, he was agile and ran wildly. He was ecstatic about his light legs and didn’t care that someone wanted to kill him. He was having fun when suddenly the scene changed. He didn’t know how he returned to the ice cave that year. His whole body was covered with freezing water. He was clinging to a piece of ice with both hands, and his skin and flesh were stuck to it. On the ice, he relied on the layer of flesh that stuck tightly to his body to support his whole body strength, so as not to slip into the water. He knew that once he slipped in, he would never be able to get up again. He dreamed of his mother again. It seemed that she was in his room, holding his newborn brother and calling him darling. He wanted to go over and pull her away, but the room was pitch black and he could not see anything. Only the faint scent of sandalwood lingered on his mother’s body… He had such bizarre dreams all night. Shen Qingxuan broke out in a sweat several times and could not tell whether he was awake or asleep. It was not until the night sky outside the window turned light white that he fell into a trance and was relieved.
I slept until noon, when the sun had moved to the center of the sky, but I didn’t wake up.
He never overslept too much. His personal maid would wait outside the door early with a basin of water and supplies. In the past, the bell would ring before her footsteps approached the door. Today, she waited for a long time, but never heard the bell from inside the house. She couldn’t help but feel suspicious and worried about his health. He had been a sickly person for many years, and she couldn’t afford an accident . So she quietly opened the door of the wing room and went in.
The girl entered the Shen family at the age of five and originally served Shen’s mother . When she came, she was young with sweet eyes and eloquent. Shen’s mother never treated her as an ordinary servant. Seeing that her son became withdrawn after the accident, she sent her to Shen Qingxuan’s room, thinking that she could keep him company. With a child by her side, her personality might become more cheerful. Gradually, the girl grew up to be a teenager. Shen’s mother looked at her and found that she was sensible, humble and honest, so she thought of giving her to Shen Qingxuan as a concubine and having a son or daughter. Although the son or daughter was born to a maid, he or she was also the blood of the Shen family.
Everyone in the mansion knew what Mother Shen was thinking, so as a maid, she was treated very differently in the house.
Shen Qingxuan also knew his mother’s thoughts, but he really had no improper thoughts about the girl he grew up with. He had thought about making it clear, but he couldn’t find the right time. In addition, the girl had served him for more than ten years, so she was considered a close person, and it was not good to hurt her. He also knew that he was indeed a loner, but he grew up with her as a master and servant, and he was more friendly to her, and he couldn’t hurt her cruelly, so he just pretended to be confused.
The maidservant did not realize Shen Qingxuan’s refusal. She just thought that Young Master Shen was shy and since she was a girl, it was difficult for her to say it out loud, so the matter was dragged on.
In recent years, Shen’s mother often took the girl aside to talk privately, and during the conversation, this matter was brought up on the agenda.
Although it was a concubine’s room, it was also the first time that Shen Qingxuan had someone in his room, which was considered a happy event, so the date was set after the New Year, and Shen Qingxuan was not discussed with him. But the girl knew it in her heart, so she became more shy and reserved in her words and deeds, and also transgressed a little.
She pushed open the door, the air inside was quiet, some dust was floating in the light, there was no sound, only the torn pieces scattered on the ground, as if indicating that there had been a turbulent ups and downs in the house. The maid saw the broken pages on the ground, and her heart skipped a beat. After all, although Shen Qingxuan was a loner, he never showed his emotions, let alone tearing up books , which had never happened before.
She stepped carefully on the debris and walked to the bed. The bed curtain was drawn, and the scene inside was dim and unclear. She could vaguely see that the shape of the bed was normal. The man on the bed was breathing evenly and sleeping soundly. He was unaware of her arrival.
The maid calmed herself down, stretched out her delicate hands, and lifted a corner of the bed curtain. She glanced around, and her oval face suddenly flushed with red, like a beautiful peach blossom in March.
The bed was in a mess, with wrinkles all over the embroidered quilt, evidently caused by hands twisting . There was an indescribable scent in the air in the tent that made people blush and their hearts beat faster. There were also dried white marks on the lake green quilt. It was obvious what had happened here.
The maid turned around and tried to escape, but suddenly stopped. She thought to herself that this was a desolate mountain and there was only Shen Qingxuan on the bed. How could such an unbearable thing happen? Even if they were having an affair, there was no maid in the manor who looked better than her. After hesitating for a moment, she carefully lifted the quilt on Shen Qingxuan and took a look.
Shen Qingxuan didn’t expect anyone to catch him, but he was careful by nature. After the incident, he struggled to put on his clothes before lying down again. He was exhausted and seldom did things by himself, so although his clothes were messy, they were still intact. The maid only felt that the young master’s undershirt was extremely messy, but she didn’t find any major flaws. With a blushing face, she pulled up the quilt on Shen Qingxuan’s lower limbs a little, glanced at it sideways, and saw that the clothes were intact, so she hurriedly put it down. She thought that Shen Qingxuan was lonely at night and masturbated himself. But in the end, there was still a doubt in her heart. After all, the marks on the bed could not be easily made by a paralytic like Shen Qingxuan.
There was really no way to guess, so he closed the door and left.
Shen Qingxuan was unaware of this. It was the first time in many years that he slept so deeply that he didn’t even feel someone touching him on the couch . When he opened his eyes, it was already noon. He just felt tired and sore, a tiredness he hadn’t felt in a long time. It was the tiredness he had only felt when he went hunting with his father in the wild all day when he was a child. He hadn’t experienced such physical fatigue in many years. It was even a bit fresh, as if he had lived again.
After lying there for a while, he raised his hand and rang the bell to call the maid. He leaned against the head of the bed, cleared his eyes with tea, rinsed his mouth with green salt, washed his face and ate something. Then he lay back on the bed and closed his eyes to carefully review what had happened.
He thought that the evil snake was really evil, and he didn’t know whether it was just like that by nature, or if it was just evil to him. If it was just like that by nature, it would be fine, but if it was just evil to him – Shen Qingxuan blushed and buried his head in the quilt. The mattress from the previous night had not been changed, and it was still stained with marks, as if the breath was still there, which was very tempting.
He was humiliated until he remembered the last pair of eyes he saw, which were as cold as an iceberg, standing still despite his burning desire. His mood calmed down, and he lay down for a while, half asleep, wanting to sleep again. He wished that only Meng Lang would remain in his dream, nothing else.
When he woke up the next day, he was more than half refreshed. He sat back in his wheelchair, bent over his desk, reading and painting, with a calm expression on his face. The maidservant carefully waited on him , but could not find any clues.
She didn’t understand that the eldest son of the Shen family in front of her was no longer the head of the family as before. His strange body for two consecutive days reminded him all the time of the absurd night he had once had, so absurd that it seemed like a dream. In the dream, he was so lewd and shameless that even Shen Qingxuan himself didn’t want to think about it.
But after a night of tossing and turning, Shen Qingxuan’s mood obviously recovered, and the previous anxiety and depression disappeared, as if the stormy emotions of that night had washed away everything. In fact, all his hopes and demands had been met to the greatest extent, so there was nothing he couldn’t be happy about, and he could live his mortal life without any distractions.
When no one was around, Shen Qingxuan would think about his previous unwillingness and the peace he felt now. He couldn’t help wondering if it was because he had been single for too long that his yin and yang were out of balance. Otherwise, he couldn’t understand why he was satisfied with his carnal desires, and the beast in his heart would go back to its original state.
Shen Qingxuan officially considers getting married.
No man likes to be pinned down by another man. Shen Qingxuan considers himself not to be a born homosexual. He remembers that when he was a teenager, he had a vague crush on a distant cousin. He could not remember her voice or appearance, but he always remembered the shy yet excited feeling he had when his father teased him, at the age of six, about whether he should have an arranged marriage with her. He was young and naive, and even if he was laughed at by adults, he could not help feeling happy when he saw the other person.
At that time, he thought that beautiful women , high positions and noble titles were his life, and that no matter what, he would be on the right path.
Now this road is getting more and more evil. Shen Qingxuan couldn’t help but sneer, thinking that it was very weird, it was involved with monsters, and even the good of Long Yang was involved, and it was still very happy.
He was really happy. Although he was a virgin and felt awkward and uncomfortable, he could not help but do it willingly. Seeing Yi Mo’s face made him feel infinite joy and happiness.
But he was not stupid, and he couldn’t even pretend to be stupid. He could tell at a glance that Yi Mo was unwilling and his clothes were untied. She sent him to the peak and then left, with a condescending attitude. Rather than love, it was more like charity.
Moreover, there was a gap between a man and a demon, one intentional and the other unintentional, so great that he was willing to admit defeat, knowing that he had no ability to bridge this huge gap. There were some things that even demons, let alone humans, could not do anything about.
After that night, Yi Mo had not come for many days. Shen Qingxuan smiled and calmly looked through the window at a bunch of flowers in the yard that were blooming beautifully . He counted the dates in his heart. His birthday was coming soon. He would go down the mountain in the next two days. He would go back home to reunite with his family at this time every year. Then go back, marry and have children in the future, be his eldest son Shen, and be an ordinary and insignificant mortal. Instead of admiring the unattainable snake demon.
It was strange, he didn’t feel very sad when he thought of this, just a little lost, as if there was a hole in his heart. But he was neither sad nor happy, as if he accepted his fate.
Five days later, Shen Qingxuan got on a carriage, and the servants followed behind with some wild animals. His personal maid accompanied him in the carriage. The driver drove the red horse and shouted, and the group went down the mountain in a mighty procession. On the way, Shen Qingxuan lifted the door curtain and turned around to look. He saw that the towering mountains were getting farther and farther away, and finally only the lush peaks were seen, half of which was submerged in the clouds and half was blocked by the nearby scenery. Shen Qingxuan looked for a long time, and finally resolutely let go of the curtain and sat back. His body swayed slightly with the rolling of the wheels, and his eyes were as calm as water, and he never wavered.
The Shen family mansion had just been renovated last year, with new tiles on the eaves and a fire wall eight feet high. Although a year had passed, it was still snow-white. The gray tiles on the top of the wall had no time for weeds to grow in the gaps, and it was clean and bright. The carriage went east along the fire wall for a while before turning to the small gate in the south. The moon-shaped arch and the newly painted vermilion door were facing each other and were wide open. There were two rows of servants and maids dressed in bright and respectable clothes standing beside the door, and the one standing at the head was the old butler who came to greet him in a green robe.
The carriage stopped and the maid opened the curtain. Shen Qingxuan, who was sitting inside, smiled at the old butler, then stretched out his hand, put it on the old man’s shoulder, and asked two servants to help him get out of the carriage and sit in the rattan sedan chair.
The carriages and horses were led away with feed, and four servants carried Shen Qingxuan on the bamboo sedan chair through countless courtyards, halls, corridors, and passages. When they arrived at the entrance of the main hall , they put down the bamboo sedan chair and replaced it with a wheelchair, which was pushed by another servant. The wooden wheels rolled over the smooth and clean cobblestone path and passed through two more courtyards before entering the main hall.
Mr. Shen, his wife and their relatives were all waiting in the hall. Shen Qingxuan’s crescent-white robe was barely visible from behind the tree trunk before he put down his teacup, stood up and greeted them.
Shen Qingxuan lived in the south courtyard. After dinner, he walked through the courtyard and returned to his small building. The nanmu building was already brightly lit, and the furniture inside had been replaced one by one. It was spotless and gleamed cleanly under the candlelight. It was no longer a simple hut in the mountain courtyard, but a multi-story building. There were three doors in the living room alone. The innermost one was naturally Shen Qingxuan, the middle one was where the personal maids lived, and the wing rooms were also decorated in a bright and unique way. The outermost one was the maid’s room for getting up at night to boil water and add tea.
Shen Qingxuan was used to a simple life. When he first returned home, he was still a little uncomfortable with the complicated etiquette. He was impatient in his heart, but did not show it. He asked someone to help him wash up early, and rested after finishing his work.
He got up early the next day, greeted his parents good morning, and when he arrived at Shen’s mother’s room, Shen Qingxuan stayed and discussed marriage with his mother.
Shen’s mother knew that he had no intention of getting married, and had given up the idea, thinking that she would just find him a maid. Unexpectedly, Shen Qingxuan brought it up himself this time, and she was overjoyed and burned three incense sticks in front of the Buddha, kowtowed , and prayed for Buddha’s blessing. Then she happily called for Shen Qingxuan’s second mother to discuss Shen Qingxuan’s marriage, which daughter was of the right age, which daughter had the right temperament, etc.
Shen Qingxuan just smiled and wrote on the paper: It’s all up to my mother.
The two sisters talked for a while, and the second aunt suddenly asked, “Xuan’er, have you thought about how to deal with the girl in your room?"
Shen Qingxuan was startled, and immediately realized that she was referring to his personal maid. After thinking for a moment, he agreed and wrote:
Also acceptable.
The matter was settled three days later. The other party was a young lady from the Wang family in the same city. Her nickname was Hui Niang . She was in her twenties and a perfect match for him.
The Wang family was originally a big family. Although it has declined now, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. In addition, the Wang family has always been serious. Hui Niang is also a lady from a noble family. She has seen her appearance before. Although she is not as beautiful as a fish or a geese, she is gentle and amiable. Shen’s mother asked the matchmaker to arrange the marriage, and then the engagement was made. The wedding date was set after the Mid-Autumn Festival next year. As for the maid, it would be better to marry her as soon as possible to add to the room . After all, she has been by her side since she was a child. If Miss Wang is not a nice person, she can have the upper hand and will not be bullied.
As for the day of taking a concubine, Shen’s mother said, “Since it’s a birthday, why not double the happiness."
The wedding day was set on Shen Qingxuan’s birthday. The maid was carried in from the side door in a sedan chair, just to give them a status.
When this was passed on to Shen Qingxuan, Shen Qingxuan still smiled and replied the same way: It’s all up to my mother.
The matter of marrying a wife and taking a concubine was settled.
From beginning to end, Shen Qingxuan never allowed himself to think of the stunningly handsome man in the mountains.
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