Time Traveling: the Only Beloved Husband

For days on end, Xia Rong had been eyeing the fruit on the cherry blossom tree in the courtyard, eagerly awaiting the day when they could be picked. This morning, as soon as he got up, Xia Rong leaned against the window to peek into the courtyard. Due to the light rain last night, most of the fruit on the tree had taken on a rosy hue, standing out against the green leaves.

Seeing this sight, Xia Rong couldn’t contain his excitement. He quickly summoned He Xin and He Miao to assist him in grooming, and after a hasty breakfast, he started bustling about with the servants in the courtyard.

First, Xia Rong picked most of the fruit from the tree. Then, he carefully removed the calyx and stem from each fruit and washed them clean. The cleaned cherry blossoms were then boiled in a large pot. Three times, an appropriate amount of sugar was added, and they were heated over low heat until the skin of the fruit cracked.

Afterward, the cooked fruit needed to be placed in a sealed ceramic jar to marinate for an entire day. Finally, they were drained with a colander to remove excess syrup, and left to air dry naturally until ready to be eaten.

Xia Rong looked at the two jars of cherry blossom fruit that wouldn’t be opened until tomorrow, already imagining the delicious taste of the preserved fruit. It would be sweet with a hint of tanginess, making his mouth water at the mere thought. Unable to resist his cravings, he decided to satisfy his hunger with a piece of pine nut candy for now.

Back in the room, Xia Rong looked at the half-finished men’s undershirt on the embroidery frame and continued sewing. Xia Rong wasn’t very good at sewing; most of what she knew she had learned by herself. For example, playing chess was just to pass the time, and over time, she became proficient at it. As for sewing, she had little interest in it, and since no one pressured her to learn, she wasn’t very skilled at it. Making small purses or fan cases was manageable, but making clothes was a bit challenging for her.

However, with someone on her mind, this sewing activity took on another meaning. She wanted to see him using the purse she made, wearing the clothes she made.

The clothes worn outside needed to be exquisite since they were meant to be seen, but as for the clothes worn inside, she wanted to give it a try. Although she had good intentions, looking at the slightly misshapen undershirt she made herself, Xia Rong couldn’t help but feel a bit resentful. If her husband dared to dislike the clothes she made, she wouldn’t make them for him anymore, hmph.

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Shen Xiangyan and his entourage hurried home through the night, arriving at their residence well past midnight. Fortunately, in the prosperous and enlightened Fengyu Kingdom, there was no curfew in place. Otherwise, traveling at such a late hour would have been impossible. Knocking on the door, Lao Feng, who was responsible for keeping watch that night, was puzzled by the late arrival. Upon opening the door and seeing that it was their master returning, he greeted him excitedly and ushered him inside.

The master had returned, so the Madam could finally rest assured. Ever since the master went south, not only the Madam but also this group of servants had been eagerly anticipating his return. Hearing the commotion at the gate, several guards who were also on duty were alerted, and soon all the servants in the house knew that the master had returned. Shen Xiangyan quickly asked them to keep their voices down so as not to disturb Xia Rong, who had already fallen asleep. The servants then lowered their voices.

After Shen Xiangyan had organized the seven or eight carriages and the accompanying personnel upon their return to the Begonia Courtyard, he didn’t forget to clean himself of the dust accumulated during the journey before quietly returning to the main house.

Opening the sky-blue smoke gauze curtain embroidered with lotus leaf patterns, in the dimness, one could see the person she had been longing for lying on the rosewood bed inside. He seemed to be sleeping uneasily, with a slight furrow between his brows. The blanket only covered his waist, and the pillow that should have belonged to him was held tightly in his arms.

Shen Xiangyan looked at the person on the bed, and the void in his heart was instantly filled. He couldn’t help but sigh contentedly in his heart, even the exhaustion from days of travel disappeared in an instant.

Not wanting to wake the sleeping young man, Shen Xiangyan leaned down and kissed Xia Rong’s lips gently. Then he carefully climbed onto the bed. What surprised him was that as soon as he lay down, Xia Rong turned over, throwing away the pillow he had just held tightly and snuggling into his arms. In the darkness, Shen Xiangyan raised an eyebrow, feeling the warm body in his arms, which made him feel completely at ease. He relaxed his body a bit and hugged the person in his arms. Eventually, despite the exhaustion from days of sleep deprivation, he fell asleep.

In his drowsy state, Xia Rong seemed to sense a familiar scent nearby, instinctively feeling it was more attractive than what was in his arms. Though he wasn’t one to easily change his preferences, he couldn’t resist the familiar allure. He decisively discarded the pillow in his arms and embraced the better option. That night, Xia Rong slept unusually well, completely unaware that his unconscious actions had unexpectedly won him extra points in his husband’s eyes.

When Xia Rong woke up in the morning and found himself being held in someone’s arms, he was startled at first. But when he realized it was his husband, it brought him a great surprise. When did his husband return? Why didn’t he notice it immediately? Xia Rong felt regretful for not realizing his husband’s return sooner.

Unable to resist, Xia Rong touched and felt her husband’s body all over, making sure that he was truly back and not just a figment of her dreams. Her smile never left her face, and she happily kissed her husband’s chin several times, but it still wasn’t enough. She was on the verge of teasing Shen Xiangyan further.

Shen Xiangyan, awakened by the disturbance despite not having enough sleep, rolled over and firmly pressed the restless Xia Rong under him. With one hand and one foot, he pinned Xia Rong down, his voice hoarse as he ordered, “Go to sleep.”

Unable to move, Xia Rong realized at this moment that her husband’s eyes were dark and bruised, a sign of many days of sleep deprivation. Feeling sorry for him, Xia Rong obediently stopped moving and soon fell asleep again with her husband.

By the time they woke up again, it was already past dawn. When Xia Rong woke up, she found a jade pendant around her neck. The jade felt warm and smooth to the touch, clearly not an ordinary piece.

“Do you like it? This is a rare warm jade. Wearing it is good for your body, so don’t take it off in the future,” Shen Xiangyan said. The milky-white jade pendant complemented Xia Rong’s skin beautifully, but Shen Xiangyan quickly looked away. Okay, he admitted that even a normal man couldn’t resist such teasing early in the morning.

Xia Rong didn’t notice her husband’s discomfort and stared at the jade pendant for a long time. A beautiful smile curved her lips. “Rong’er likes it very much. Thank you, husband.”

Shen Xiangyan gently patted Xia Rong’s head. Since it was already late in the day and they didn’t allow the servants to attend to them, Xia Rong personally helped Shen Xiangyan straighten his clothes. They chatted about their experiences during their time apart—Shen Xiangyan shared anecdotes from his journey, while Xia Rong talked about her daily activities at home. The slight distance that had emerged during their month apart vanished in an instant, and they became even closer than before.

Finally, Shen Xiangyan couldn’t resist asking, “Rong’er, have you missed me during these days?”

Xia Rong held onto her husband’s hand, reluctant to let go, her eyes filled with indescribable dependence. “I missed you every day. When you left, you didn’t wake me up, and when I woke up, I found you were gone.” Xia Rong’s voice grew more plaintive as she spoke, and she made a request, “Husband, please don’t leave for so long in the future. Rong’er can’t bear it.”

Shen Xiangyan felt guilty about leaving without saying goodbye, but at that time, he just couldn’t bear to see the sorrowful look in Xia Rong’s eyes. He was afraid that if she looked at him like that, he wouldn’t be able to leave.

Gently wiping away the tears from his distressed little husband’s eyes, Shen Xiangyan couldn’t help teasing, “Where did this little crybaby come from? Crying like this, it’s really pitiful.”

Xia Rong didn’t appreciate being teased as a crybaby and quickly stopped her tears, huffing, “I’m not a crybaby! Anyway, husband, you’re not allowed to leave for so long in the future.”

After not seeing each other for over a month, the little husband was already starting to act stubborn. Shen Xiangyan chuckled and quickly agreed, “Understood, I won’t leave for so long in the future. And even if I have to go out, I’ll take you with me, how about that?” After this experience, he had learned his lesson. In the future, even if he needed to go out, he could consider bringing Xia Rong along.

“Really?” Xia Rong’s round cat-like eyes widened in anticipation, waiting for her husband’s confirmation.

“Of course, when has your husband ever lied to you?” Shen Xiangyan held the little husband’s soft hand and led him to the main hall. “Come on, Rong’er, let’s see what gifts your husband brought for you. I brought you many gifts along the way, see if you like them.”

In the main hall, the boxes unloaded from the carriage last night were all there. Shen Xiangyan instructed the servants to move the spices brought back this time into the fragrance-making workshop, and then he had the three large boxes of gifts prepared for Xia Rong brought out.

Xia Rong curiously opened the boxes, revealing various items inside. There were not only several sets of colorful clothes with Jiangnan characteristics, but also two boxes of jewelry that he could use, as well as many interesting trinkets, ranging from vases and ornaments to masks and clay figurines, almost everything one could imagine.

Xia Rong looked through the items one by one, almost feeling overwhelmed. As he looked, he couldn’t help but choke up quietly. Seeing these things, he could feel that his husband had been thinking of him all along the way, otherwise he wouldn’t have collected so many things for him.

Seeing the little husband about to shed tears again, Shen Xiangyan quickly spoke up, “You said you’re not a crybaby, but if you don’t like the things your husband brought you, then we might as well throw them all away. There’s no point in keeping them if you don’t like them.” He gestured as if he was going to have the servants take the items away.

Xia Rong knew her husband was teasing him, so he quickly grabbed Shen Xiangyan’s sleeve and shook it, smiling through his tears. “Rong’er likes them, we can’t throw them away. Whatever husband gives me is mine.”

“Well, if my husband likes them, then let’s keep them for Rong’er to play with,” Shen Xiangyan said, instructing He Xin to have the items packed up and sent back to the Begonia Courtyard, leaving them for Xia Rong to enjoy later.