As Su Liyan spoke, she went to pour so hot water. Her husband had been busy all night; he must be exhausted.
She wanted to take good care of him and let him get so more sleep.
"Honey, don’t trouble yourself. I can get it," Lu Yuan said, reaching for the basin.
Su Liyan was still in her sleepwear, which could no longer hide her slowly swelling belly.
Seeing that he was handling it himself, Su Liyan went to the bronze mirror and began to comb her unbound hair.
Soaking his feet, Lu Yuan watched Su Liyan and said, "Honey, there’s no need to get up yet. We can just sleep in till noon."
"You should get so sleep. I’m going to get up."
"It’s fine. I’ve already left instructions. If your mother notices we aren’t up, soone will let her know. Just let hold you and sleep a little while longer."
Seeing how insistent Lu Yuan was, Su Liyan gave in.
She put down her comb and, with her hair still unbound, slipped back under the covers.
After quickly washing up and dusting himself off, Lu Yuan slipped into bed in a flash, pulling his wife into his arms.
Lu Yuan lay on his side, looking at Su Liyan’s face, one hand tucked under his head, the other resting on her waist.
Their faces were very close, each feeling the warmth of the other’s breath.
"Your figure is still so lovely," Lu Yuan said. "I’ll have so beautiful new clothes tailored for you soon."
"Mmm-hmm," Su Liyan murmured, snuggling closer. She buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around him.
"Let’s get so more sleep..."
「A few days later, after everyone was well-rested, the party finally reached the outskirts of Taiping City.」
"Finally back. This is my turf," Lu Yuan said as he set foot on the soil of Taiping City, taking in the familiar air of his hotown.
Lu Yuan, Su Liyan, and her mother decided to get out of the carriage. The weather was clear and they were close to ho, so they chose to walk the rest of the way.
It was Gu Ziye’s first ti traveling so far. The Northern weather wasn’t muggy like in the south, and the warm breeze felt wonderful against her cheeks.
Gu Ziye wandered about, gazing around at everything with great curiosity.
In Taiping City, upon hearing of Lu Yuan’s return, people from the Zhao Mansion and the County Magistrate’s Office hurried out to greet him.
From a long way off, Lu Yuan saw a large and imposing procession coming from the direction of Taiping City.
Song iqin rode out to et them, urging her horse on with a leather whip.
Ever since Lu Yuan had helped Song iqin break away from the Liu Family, no one in Taiping City dared to gossip about her anymore.
When Song iqin was about twenty ters away, she leapt from her horse and ran toward Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan was overjoyed to see Aunt Song run so far out to welco him.
He opened his arms, waiting for Aunt Song to throw herself into his embrace.
In her excitent, Song iqin’s strides were too wide as she neared him. With a stumble, she fell right into Lu Yuan’s arms.
Lu Yuan got a real feel of Aunt Song’s plush figure pressing against him.
Lu Yuan wrapped both hands around her ample bottom, lifted her up, and spun her around twice on the spot.
After two spins, Lu Yuan set Aunt Song back on the ground.
He whispered in her ear, "Aunt Song, it’s only been two months. You’ve gotten even more bountiful!"
The words finally registered with Song iqin, and she realized Lu Yuan was copping a feel of her bottom with his wandering hands, right in front of everybody.
Once steady on her feet, she gave Lu Yuan a light shove. "Hmph! So many people are watching," she said with a bashful pout. "Stop your groping, you lecher."
Su Liyan and the others pretended not to have seen a thing, though a few were snickering under their breath.
Song iqin looked at the people behind Lu Yuan and greeted them one by one.
Gu Ziye stood to the side, watching the scene unfold. ’Yuan... he’s so young. Why did he take such a mature woman as a concubine?’
She looked down at her own modest chest, then squeezed her small rear. ’Yeah, compared to her, I’ve got nothing to show for myself...’
Gu Ziye shook her head to clear it, pinched her cheek, and scolded herself internally: ’Yue’Er, oh Yue’Er, what are you doing comparing boobs and butts with his ’auntie’? Have you no sha!’
Song iqin led the group. Looking back at the accompanying Mansion Guards and servants, she raised her voice. "Everyone, please co to the Zhao Mansion! We’ve prepared several tables of food and wine. Let’s all get together and hold a welco feast for our young master!"
"Yes! Thank you, Madam Song!" the Zhao Family Guards who had traveled with Lu Yuan responded in unison.
At the gates of Taiping City, Constables from the Governnt Office were lined up in two rows to welco their Lord County Magistrate.
Lu Yuan saw the Constables and greeted them politely, inviting them to the Zhao Mansion for the banquet as well.
At the Zhao Mansion, Zhao Qiao’Er stood at the main gate, anxiously peering down the street...
’That sister of mine... she rode out to et our sweetheart and just left here all alone. The nerve!’ Zhao Qiao’Er thought, wringing her hands as she paced.
The large procession ca into Zhao Qiao’Er’s view.
Zhao Qiao’Er hurried out to greet them. "Sweetheart! Your auntie’s over here!" she called, waving a handkerchief.
Lu Yuan ran up to her. He steadied her with his left hand while his right hand went to her belly, which he began to rub in circles.
"Aunt Zhao," Lu Yuan said, "how is your belly already bigger than my wife’s? Aren’t you about two months behind her in your pregnancy?"
Zhao Qiao’Er wasn’t about to admit it was because she’d been eating too well during her pregnancy. She quickly found another excuse. "And whose fault is that? You’re the one who pumped full, so of course my belly is going to be big."
Lu Yuan let out a sheepish chuckle. ’So now it’s my fault for not being gentle enough?’
’With a physique like Zhao Qiao’Er’s, he had to put so effort in or he feared he wouldn’t be able to plant his seed at all.’
It was now noon and ti for lunch, so Zhao Qiao’Er led everyone into the mansion. Whatever else needed to be said could wait until after the al.
At the banquet table, Zhao Qiao’Er and Su Liyan sat on Lu Yuan’s left and right, respectively. Su Liyan’s mother sat next to Su Liyan, and Song iqin sat next to Zhao Qiao’Er.
Also at the table were Gu Gaoxu and Gu Ziye, as well as three other prominent figures from Taiping City.
Zhao Qiao’Er naturally recognized Gu Gaoxu.
But she didn’t recognize Gu Ziye, who was sitting at the sa table. In the rush to get inside, no one had introduced them.
Zhao Qiao’Er took the initiative. "Sweetheart," she said to Lu Yuan, "you haven’t introduced your Aunt Zhao to our new little sister here."
Lu Yuan saw his Aunt Zhao shoot a sidelong, suggestive glance at Gu Ziye.
Gu Gaoxu just chuckled at this, saying nothing and giving Lu Yuan a teasing look.
Gu Ziye, however, missed the implication completely. She just kept her head down, focused on her food. ’Mmm, mmm... this rice is so fragrant...’
Lu Yuan thought, ’So Aunt Zhao thinks I’ve brought ho wife number four.’
Lu Yuan gave a simple introduction, and Zhao Qiao’Er thought, ’Oh, another imperial relative. Well, who cares if she’s royalty. If our sweetheart takes a liking to her, we’ll just have to sneak her into the Zhao Mansion.’
As Lu Yuan’s "aunt" on the surface but his second wife in reality, Zhao Qiao’Er had a duty to help the main wife take in new concubines.
But no matter how bold and unconventional Zhao Qiao’Er was, she wouldn’t dare make a move on an imperial relative directly.
It all depended on her sweetheart’s intentions.
This ti, Lu Yuan noticed that the food served at the banquet was much tastier than what he rembered.
Upon further inquiry, he learned that his experints with hybrid rice had been a success. Many of the fruits and lons he had been cultivating had also borne fruit.
The fruits and vegetables Lu Yuan had been cultivating before he left weren’t plentiful, but there was more than enough for the household to eat.
They were indeed much tastier than the existing crops and fruits of the Divine Ling Empire.
If they were to be sold, even high officials and nobles would be scrambling over each other to buy them.
Since the cultivation was successful, Lu Yuan could now plant them on a large scale. Selling the surplus would naturally bring in a handso inco.
Most importantly, Lu Yuan could finally eat the kind of rice, flour, oil, fruits, and vegetables he was used to from his own ti.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Song iqin and Zhao Qiao’Er vied with each other to help Lu Yuan back to his room for an afternoon nap...
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