Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 149: Husband

Even though Liu Yu was reborn, in the end, aside from the theories she had learned and the jade pieces and some training she saw during matchmaker Hong Niangzi’s classes in her previous life, she had no real experience with actual combat. She couldn’t withstand this kind of stimulation. Overwhelmed by the intense pleasure, tears welled up uncontrollably, and her mind went blank, only recalling Hong Niangzi’s words about those with exceptionally strong physiques being rare, one or two in a thousand.

Liu Yu still remembered Hong Niangzi’s meaningful smile at that time, “Meeting one is a blessing; the pleasure is endless.”

In her daze, she called out Lu Chengxiao’s name, her voice soft and melting to the bone.

Accompanied by suppressed or uncontrollable sobs that were not quite cries.

Lu Chengxiao couldn’t take it either, his mind’s string snapped, forgetting to consider Liu Yu’s feelings. With a heavy breath, he indulged himself.

Only then did Liu Yu realize that Lu Chengxiao had been holding back the previous night. However, she couldn’t think of anything more; her mind was completely blank.

When the cloud and rain dissipated, Liu Yu’s body was as soft as mud, completely devoid of strength. She fell into a deep sleep and was only woken up by Lu Chengxiao in the late afternoon, just before dinner time. As she moved slightly, she realized that the bed sheets had been changed.

Thinking of the bed sheets, her face blushed deeply, the redness spreading from her face to her ears and neck. She covered her eyes, too embarrassed to face Lu Chengxiao.

The only fortunate thing was that Lu Chengxiao didn’t let her continue sleeping. Otherwise, if she missed the first meal of the day on her wedding day, she wouldn’t know how to face the teasing looks of Chen Shi tomorrow.

Lu Chengxiao chuckled, hugging her. He didn’t know her reaction would be so intense. Stroking her back, he whispered, “Get up and have dinner, then I’ll bring water in for you to bathe and relax, okay?”

Liu Yu couldn’t refuse. She was just annoyed at how fiercely he bullied her in the afternoon. She bit his shoulder in retaliation.

It wasn’t serious, just a bit painful, but Lu Chengxiao playfully begged for mercy, and they entangled on the bed for a moment before getting up.

They wore the same clothes from earlier in the day. The inner garments were a mess, but the outer clothes were still presentable after some smoothing. As they finished fixing their hair, they heard footsteps outside; the three younger ones had come to call them for dinner.

Liu Yu and Lu Chengxiao hurried out, thinking they were hiding it well. However, Lu Shuang, who was unmarried, didn’t notice anything, but Chen Shi and Qin Shi, who were experienced, immediately saw the amorous glow in Liu Yu’s eyes.

Knowing that the young couple was in the honeymoon phase, Chen Shi didn’t keep them for long. After dinner, she sent them back, even shooing away the children who wanted to stay. The kitchen had also prepared hot water early, letting Lu Chengxiao fetch it himself.

Liu Yu felt that her mother-in-law and sister-in-law could see through everything, making her blush deeply. Even after leaving the main hall, her face was still hot.

Lu Chengxiao held her hand, watching her expression for a while before whispering in her ear, “We are husband and wife; no one will laugh at us. Mother will only be happy.”

Liu Yu glared at him, her voice low, “You’re still talking? No more messing around during the day.”

Her glare had no real threat. Lu Chengxiao, enjoying her coquettish anger, laughed even more and, seeing the time, whispered in her ear, “Does that mean we can now?”

Liu Yu, angry, wanted to hit him, but he dodged quickly, teasing her until the corridor echoed with their laughter.

Hearing this from the inner courtyard, Chen Shi couldn’t help but smile.

Lu Shuang, looking envious, whispered to Chen Shi, “Mother, do you think I can find such a good match too?”

Chen Shi chuckled, pinching her daughter’s cheek, “Such bold words.”

Lu Shuang insisted, “Why not? I’m the same age as third sister-in-law. I know there have been matchmakers inquiring about my marriage, right? Mother, don’t marry me off carelessly. I want someone who treats me well, like third sister-in-law.”

Chen Shi laughed, “Listen to yourself! Do you think I’m a stepmother, marrying you off carelessly?”

Lu Shuang laughed, hugging her mother’s arm and acting spoiled, “No, my mother loves me the most.”

Chen Shi, amused by her daughter, did consider her marriage. Among her three sons, the eldest, Chengzong, and his wife, Yulan, were loving but not as passionate as the third couple. The second son, Chengzhang, and his wife had feelings but not to the extent of Chengxiao’s devotion to Liu Yu.

Among Chen Shi’s three sons and one daughter, Chengzong and Chengzhang took after Lu Xun, with regular features that were not particularly striking. However, Chengxiao and Shuang’er were different. They inherited the best traits from both her and Lu Xun, making Lu Shuang exceptionally good-looking. Naturally, Chen Shi wanted her daughter to marry someone who would cherish her and keep her close to his heart.

Thinking for a moment, she said, “Marriage is half fate, half effort. I promise you, when discussing your marriage, you will meet and approve the match yourself, okay?”

Lu Shuang nodded thoughtfully. Fate was indeed elusive.

After dinner, Liu Yu and Lu Chengxiao returned to their room. Seeing the desk, Liu Yu slapped her forehead, “I forgot about this.”

She hurried to find the money pouch Lu Chengxiao had given her in the afternoon, containing all his savings. After searching, she couldn’t find it.

Lu Chengxiao, leaning against the bookshelf, watched her search with amusement before opening a drawer and handing her the pouch, “I put it away in the afternoon.”

That afternoon, naturally, referring to after Liu Yu fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion.

Liu Yu blushed, realizing how distracted she had been, even forgetting about a stack of silver notes. Lu Chengxiao, loving her shy look, resisted pulling her into his arms.

He wasn’t being a gentleman; his usual self-control was nearly gone with Liu Yu. After the intense afternoon, he didn’t dare tease her further.

Lowering his eyes for a moment, he smiled, “Want to see how much is inside?”

Since he had given it all to her, naturally, she would check. Counting the silver notes, Liu Yu was surprised, “One thousand taels? The four hundred taels for the house haven’t been paid?”

Lu Chengxiao’s eyes brightened, even showing his dimples, “It’s paid. On my way back from Zhejiang, I traded and bought goods, earning more. Including the previous savings, there were nearly fourteen hundred seventy taels. After buying the house and paying taxes, I kept some on me. The rest is here.”

Liu Yanping didn’t have that much money when he returned home. But Liu Yu quickly realized her second brother had spent a lot on her dowry, so he couldn’t trade as much as Lu Chengxiao. She murmured, “No wonder trading is risky, but it also earns faster than running a shop.”

Lu Chengxiao smiled and said, “Not everyone can make such a big profit. We actually used our capital to the fullest on this trip. Whenever we converted our money, we exchanged it for locally produced goods and then sold them at ports where we could get a good price. We never rested, rolling money into goods and goods into money, buying and selling over a dozen times to achieve these earnings.”

Liu Yu also started calculating for him, saying, “I’ll keep this money for you. You should think about your next steps. Will you use this money for more trading or take out a portion to invest in some stable business?”

Lu Chengxiao nodded. “I discussed it with your second and third brothers. We might go on one or two more trips to accumulate more capital. Then we’ll consider starting a business in the county. We can hire someone to manage it, so we won’t be delayed. As for what kind of business, it will likely be related to textiles, but we haven’t decided yet.”

There was no need to open a textile shop in the county, as it would compete with his elder brother’s business. Lu Chengxiao’s ambition was in Yuanzhou City. However, newly married, he didn’t want to shift his business there just yet. Even if he entrusted the business to someone else, he would need to oversee it initially. Since trading often kept him away, when he returned, he wouldn’t want to be separated from Liu Yu. So, for now, he put this plan on hold.

Liu Yu didn’t know his thoughts. Hearing about accumulating more capital through a couple of trips and then starting a business in the county, she nodded. “That’s good. My second and third brothers used their earnings from the last two trips to fund the embroidery workshop and provide for my dowry, leaving only about three hundred taels in capital. It’s not easy to start anything significant with that.”

The embroidery workshop was fine, as half of it belonged to the Liu family. She would work hard to earn more for her natal family. However, when her elder aunt added two hundred taels to her dowry, Liu Yu didn’t want to accept it. But her second and third brothers just laughed, saying it was worth it if they could earn it back in one trip.

Lu Chengxiao guessed what she was thinking just by looking at her expression. He had seen the list of dowry items from the Liu family, which had astonished everyone in his family. The Lu family’s betrothal gifts were substantial, but the Liu family’s dowry was even more generous. They had given two hundred taels, and the Liu family matched it, making the total dowry four hundred taels.

Lu Chengxiao had been doing business with Liu Yanping and Liu Yan’an for a long time and knew how much they had earned. They should have had similar savings to his, but most of it went to their sister Liu Yu.

Honestly, seeing how well they treated Liu Yu made Lu Chengxiao appreciate them even more.

Holding Liu Yu’s hand, Lu Chengxiao said softly, “Don’t worry. Your second and third brothers may not have much capital now, but when they collect fabric in the future, I can still help them get more from my grandparents’ and aunts’ villages. Along with Liu’s village, they can make a good profit in a couple of trips.”

On their second trip to Zhejiang, the Liu brothers had little capital. Most of the fabric, except for what came from Liu’s village, was credited under Lu Chengxiao’s name from his grandparents’ and aunts’ villages. Without his help, Liu Yanping wouldn’t have made so much money.

Liu Yu understood this well. She wrapped her arms around Lu Chengxiao’s neck and softly thanked him.

With his wife clinging to him, Lu Chengxiao naturally embraced her. He had no other thoughts, just feeling a profound sweetness and tenderness from head to toe.

Unable to stop smiling, he whispered into Liu Yu’s ear, “I’m your husband; there’s no need to thank me.”

His voice was soft and tender, filled with unspeakable affection. This call of “husband” made both their eyes smile, even though they couldn’t see each other’s expressions while hugging, the sweetness was mutual.

Liu Yu slightly pulled back and gave Lu Chengxiao a light kiss on the cheek, smiling, “Thank you, husband.”

Her voice was low and intimate. Watching her, Lu Chengxiao’s Adam’s apple visibly moved up and down.

Seeing this, Liu Yu quickly stepped back with a smile and turned to put the money pouch into her dowry chest.

Lu Chengxiao noticed that the box she took was different from the one she mentioned earlier containing the dowry silver, but he didn’t ask further.

Clearing his throat, he said, “Take out the clothes you need for bathing. I’ll fetch the water so you can soak and relax.”

Seeing Liu Yu nod in agreement, he stole a quick kiss on her cheek before leaving the study with a smile and heading out.

Liu Yu touched the spot where he had kissed her, her smile growing wider. She quickly lifted her hand to suppress it.

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