NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4
It was the seventh day since Xia Rong got married. When he woke up, he found out that his husband was still asleep. Xia Rong gently moved the arm of Shen Xiangyan that was wrapped around his waist. This habit of his husband’s was quite something; every time he would sleep while holding him. If he tried to wriggle out at night, his husband, even in his sleep, would reach out and pull him back.
After sleeping like this for a few days, he gradually got used to his husband’s embrace, finding it sweet to sleep in his arms. However, every time he woke up in the morning, his husband was already awake. Today, he woke up early for once and saw his husband’s nostrils trembling slightly as he breathed in his sleep. Xia Rong mischievously pinched his husband’s nose. After these few days of being together, Xia Rong had almost figured out this person he married, who always treated him with tenderness and indulgence. This made him, who had hardly any presence while growing up in the Xia family, gain some courage. Well, for now, he limited himself to these little pranks on Shen Xiangyan.
Shen Xiangyan felt his breathing becoming difficult in his sleep, and when he woke up, he felt a small hand pinching his nose. However, he was willing to play along with Xia Rong’s mischief, pretending to have difficulty breathing. This made Xia Rong let go of his hand.
“Rong’er, are you trying to murder your husband early in the morning? Hm?” His voice, just waking up, still carried a sexy hoarseness.
Xia Rong buried his face in his chest, looking like he was playing dead and challenging his husband to do something about it. Shen Xiangyan found this culprit very amusing, and indeed, he couldn’t do anything about him. But this little rabbit needed some discipline; he couldn’t get away with everything. Shen Xiangyan lifted his little husband’s face and, seeing his embarrassed expression for being caught misbehaving, suddenly felt like kissing him. So, he did, kissing those soft lips as he pleased.
Xia Rong was startled by the sudden kiss, his cat-like eyes widening. Before he could react, the wet and slippery tongue intruded, making him lose his senses. Shen Xiangyan gently comforted him while sucking on his soft lips, whispering, “Darling, don’t be afraid, close your eyes.”
Although it was Shen Xiangyan’s first time kissing someone, men seemed to have an innate talent for such things. With one hand holding the back of his little husband’s head and the other embracing his slender waist, Shen Xiangyan didn’t stop, letting his tongue explore the other’s mouth. The faint sweetness mixed with the milky aroma intoxicated Shen Xiangyan. It was the taste of milk he specially prepared to nourish Xia Rong. Soon, he regained his senses, hooking onto the still retreating little tongue, gently teasing and licking it. Shen Xiangyan’s kiss wasn’t as gentle and harmless as he usually portrayed in front of Xia Rong; it was filled with a domineering possessiveness between their lips and tongues. Feeling the person in his arms weaken slightly due to the kiss, Shen Xiangyan’s hand on Xia Rong’s waist tightened, gradually deepening the kiss until Xia Rong couldn’t breathe, his face turning red from suffocation, before Shen Xiangyan finally let him go.
Struggling to catch his breath after being released, Xia Rong’s chest heaved heavily, his cat-like eyes blurred from the kiss. “Next time, when the husband kisses you again, remember to breathe, okay?” Seeing Xia Rong blushing, Shen Xiangyan couldn’t bear to tease him further. Seeing Xia Rong confused and dazed from the kiss, he felt both fondness and pity, so he approached and hugged Xia Rong, comforting him softly, “Shy? What’s there to be shy about with your husband? Be good, there will be more of this in the future…” Soothed by Shen Xiangyan’s gentle words, Xia Rong’s shyness gradually eased, trembling as he called out in the man’s arms, “Husband.”
Once both of them settled down, Shen Xiangyan personally picked up the clothes nearby and helped his little husband change. Xia Rong was exceptionally obedient, complying with every instruction, allowing Shen Xiangyan to dress him up to his satisfaction.
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In recent days, Xiangzilai’s business has been booming beyond belief. Even with Shen Xiangyan alone making incense, with Xia Rong assisting him, they began to struggle to meet demand. There were two main reasons for this. Firstly, Shen Xiangyan’s incense was well-made, with a pleasant and long-lasting scent, and a clever formula. Secondly, Xiangzilai dared to charge high prices for their incense, and their packaging had a significant advantage. Carved wooden boxes of incense pellets and cakes cost one or two silver coins, carved silver boxes cost five silver coins, and the white porcelain bottles of perfume were in such demand that they fetched twenty silver coins each.
Throughout history, women’s money was always the easiest to earn, and these items only gained in mystique with time. Wealthy women and even those who deemed themselves less affluent found the prices surprisingly reasonable, while those considered expensive were in high demand.
Shen Xiangyan had no immediate plans to hire more people to increase production. Instead, after three days of opening, he began to limit the supply of fragrances. He believed that those who bought the fragrances would use them, and as demand increased, Xiangzilai’s reputation would grow even more. This was a marketing model of scarcity that many in modern times understood well.
Yesterday, Shen An had delivered the income from the past few days, totaling five hundred taels. The majority of it, three hundred and twenty taels, came from selling sixteen bottles of fragrance. Perfumery was a lucrative business; after deducting costs, he was making an eighty percent profit. With this money in hand, Shen Xiangyan felt more confident. He wanted to hire someone to assist his little husband personally. Lately, he had been busy with blending fragrances, and most of the household chores were handled by Xia Rong. Well, he did help, but each time Xia Rong would complain that he ended up making more work for himself… Moreover, having one or two people to assist his little husband would provide him peace of mind when he needed to step out.
After Shen Xiangyan explained his requirements at the official’s place, the officials brought over more than twenty maidservants and twin sisters who were around eleven or twelve years old. Seeing the rows of people lined up, as it was Xia Rong who would be selecting, Shen Xiangyan let Xia Rong go down to choose two by himself.
Xia Rong finally stood in front of a pair of twin sisters. They were quite good-looking, and what was rare was that they looked almost identical. It might have been the first time Xia Rong had seen people who looked so similar, so he tugged at Shen Xiangyan’s sleeve and looked at him with eyes as watery as black grapes. Shen Xiangyan understood and asked, “Rong’er, do you want these two?”
Seeing Xia Rong nod, Shen Xiangyan asked a few questions on Xia Rong’s behalf, such as their names, ages, and whether they were willing to go with him.
The two twin sisters glanced at each other and excitedly agreed, saying in unison, “We’re willing!” The older one, who seemed a bit more mature, replied, “I’m He Xin, and this is my younger brother, He Miao. We’re both eleven years old.” Given their situation, missing this opportunity could mean being sold to a brothel. After all, identical twin siblings were quite attractive, and that would spell trouble for them. When the couple was willing to buy them, they naturally agreed. There had been others interested in purchasing them before, but they had turned them down upon hearing the price.
Normally, a maid of their age would cost five taels each, but they were asking for twenty-five taels together. Shen Xiangyan didn’t say anything and readily paid the amount. As long as Rong’er liked them, it was fine. The two twin sisters were overwhelmed with gratitude when they saw Shen Xiangyan was willing to pay for them and quickly expressed their thanks. Shen Xiangyan, holding Xia Rong, accepted their gratitude and instructed them to serve the master well in the future, which would be repayment enough.
Before departing, Shen Xiangyan also handed fifty wen to the official’s men, asking them to keep an eye out for any more refined courtyards for sale in town. The two-compartment courtyard they currently resided in was inadequate, being somewhat cramped. Moreover, with funds at his disposal, if a suitable option arose, he would contemplate relocating.