NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: My Wife's Unexpected Gift
Chapter 6: My Wife’s Unexpected Gift
The villagers showed the elderly merchant the way, and soon he departed with his cart. Everyone gathered in the ancestral hall stared in astonishment at the goods piled high on the two ox carts left behind. The new bride was certainly unusual.
The villagers exchanged bewildered glances. Where had Lu Yuan suddenly acquired such funds? Their confusion quickly turned to acidic commentary.
“Look at that snake girl,” one muttered. “Married for a day and already she’s bewitched Lu Yuan into such extravagance! Even white flour! Just wait—within half a year, she’ll have him selling the house itself!”
While the village buzzed with resentful speculation, Lu Yuan and Su Liyan sat in a mutton restaurant in town. Autumn had brought a chill to the air, making the steaming hot pot before them particularly inviting. Lu Yuan ate with uninhibited enjoyment, taking large portions with each bite.
Su Liyan perched uncomfortably beside him, casting nervous glances around the establishment. She had clearly never dined in such a place before, and the memory of her husband’s earlier spending spree only heightened her anxiety.
Her man was so impulsive—purchasing meat and white flour with casual abandon, promising such luxuries daily henceforth. What kind of lifestyle was this? Surely even the town magistrate couldn’t sustain such indulgences! The cost was astronomical. How could they possibly maintain a household this way?
Food expenditures were one matter—it was her husband’s money after all—but the fine cloth he’d purchased for her wardrobe was another concern entirely. The best silk, at three taels of silver per bolt!
“Brother,” she ventured timidly, “perhaps we should return the cloth? We still have fieldwork ahead… wearing such fine material would be wasteful.”
Lu Yuan didn’t look up, merely transferring a generous portion of meat from the pot to her bowl. “Nothing worn by you could be considered wasted,” he replied matter-of-factly. “Think about it—who are these clothes for? For my eyes, correct? And when I see you in beautiful garments, doesn’t that increase my affection? Don’t you want your husband to love you more?”
Su Liyan blinked, startled by his peculiar logic. After considering his words, she lowered her gaze shyly and responded with soft charm, “I do want my brother to love me more.”
Lu Yuan grinned broadly. “Exactly! Don’t worry—I’m not deceiving you. Our family has wealth beyond what we could possibly spend.”
Though his tone was light, his confidence was unmistakable. Su Liyan studied him with wonder, nodding slowly. While she couldn’t comprehend the concept of inexhaustible wealth, her husband’s certainty was reassuring.
As she contemplated this, Lu Yuan’s expression suddenly grew serious. “Also, who is the head of our household? Whose authority is final?”
Momentarily confused by the shift, Su Liyan nonetheless answered promptly, “My brother, of course. You’re the head of the family, and I follow your guidance in all things.”
Lu Yuan met her eyes. “Then from now on, simply heed your husband. No arguing, or there will be consequences.”
She caught the playful undertone in his warning, recognizing that his extravagance stemmed from affection. The realization flooded her with warmth.
“I understand, master,” she replied sweetly.
Lu Yuan shook his head slightly. “Master sounds too provincial. Brother is better.”
Evening found them returning to the village hand-in-hand, carrying their afternoon purchases. They had spent hours exploring the town market after their meal, securing various items that caught their fancy.
The town lay just across the bridge from Shigezhuang, making for a convenient journey home.
“We won’t hold our wedding banquet in the village,” Lu Yuan mused aloud. “First, we have no real relatives there, and second, there’s little pleasure to be found among those people. They’d only take advantage of our generosity without appreciation.”
He envisioned a magnificent celebration when they visited her family—abundant wine and meat for true guests. Why should ungrateful villagers enjoy such bounty for mere pennies?
Su Liyan was surprised by the mention of a banquet. In these troubled times, most common folk considered themselves fortunate merely to survive peacefully. She had come to recognize that while her husband had many virtues, financial restraint wasn’t among them.
Despite his claims of wealth, she felt obligated to guide him toward thrift. As his wife, preventing him from developing a reputation for wasteful spending was her responsibility.
Gently taking his arm, she suggested in a soft voice, “Brother, perhaps we might forgo the banquet? Those people have always mistreated your family. Why should they benefit from your generosity? We could save that money for ourselves instead.”
Lu Yuan dismissed her concern with a wave. “Don’t you have relatives there? Your second and third uncles? Together with others, we could fill a courtyard. While we should be prudent with our resources, some occasions warrant proper celebration.”
Seeing her husband’s determination to spend unnecessarily, Su Liyan prepared to protest further—but was interrupted by a sharp sound followed by her own startled gasp.
Lu Yuan regarded her flushed face with amusement. “Still challenging me? Shall I discipline you again?”
Mortified by the public swat, Su Liyan couldn’t meet his eyes. “Brother,” she murmured, “you’re terrible.”
Her captivating beauty in that moment of embarrassment filled Lu Yuan with adoration. His insistence on celebration wasn’t pretense or frivolous boasting. Having crossed worlds to find such an extraordinary wife, a proper wedding feast seemed only right.
Besides, with one hundred thousand taels of silver already in his possession—and the system promising more—financial concerns were genuinely irrelevant.
As they approached the stone bridge leading back to Shigezhuang, Lu Yuan’s expression suddenly hardened. Without explanation, he pulled Su Liyan in a different direction.
“We’ll enter the village another way,” he said tensely. “Not through here.”
Su Liyan, jarred from her contented reverie, gave him a puzzled look. They had crossed this very bridge that morning.
Lu Yuan’s mouth twitched with embarrassment. “A few days ago, I encountered a spirit on that bridge—a water ghost. I was nearly frightened to death.”
In truth, he had been frightened to death, quite literally. Having just secured such a wonderful wife, he had no desire to repeat the experience.
To his surprise, Su Liyan merely blinked at this revelation. “Don’t be afraid, brother,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’ll speak with it tonight and tell it to stop appearing before you.”
Lu Yuan stared at her, his face a portrait of bewilderment.
What? His wife possessed such supernatural abilities?
Could this be the hidden power behind her mysterious [Multiplier: 9]?