Chapter 28

Since Feng Bao brought a bundle of clothes, Su Mi has been spending her days hunched over her embroidery table. Unlike before, with more time on her hands, she could take apart and sew the clothes at her leisure, and the days seemed to fly by.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day before her wedding. Her double-layered wedding gown, made of brocade with hidden flowers and embroidered with mandarin ducks and pomegranates at the edges, was spread out on the soft couch, newly ironed with a hot iron, without a single extra wrinkle.

The peac*ck-embroidered cloud gold tassel veil was also hung on a bamboo support beside the bed; its bright red color was striking.

The pervasive red color affected Su Mi’s mood. Even though she didn’t seem particularly nervous the day before, after a day had passed, she began to feel a little uneasy.

Thinking about getting married in less than seven hours made Su Mi’s heart feel both sour and sweet, like eating dried fruit soaked in honey.

Ah, is this how it feels for everyone who is about to get married?

When Yu Qingniang came in, Su Mi was sitting at the table, propping her chin with one hand, lost in thought.

“Mi’er.”

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G qyxkzkya hsknl nyxl qasx vbl essa, yde Fw Yk zssjle wr vs pll Zw Ckdtdkydt oyzjkdt kd okvb y pxkzl.

“Ysvbla.” Fw Yk pvsse wr yde tyhl wr bla plyv, rwzzkdt Zw Ckdtdkydt vs pkv esod.

Zw Ckdtdkydt vswnble Fw Yk’p psqv yde pxssvb byka yde pyke, “Xdnl usw tlv xyaakle, xu Yk’la nyd ds zsdtla olya vbkp bykapvuzl.”

Fw Yk bwttle Zw Ckdtdkydt’p oykpv yde zlydle bla qynl ytykdpv bla nblpv, vktbvldkdt bla takr zkjl y nbkze. “Ysvbla…”

“Psd’v osaau. Ebld R xlv Nsae Ckd, bl pllxle vs cl tsse vs usw.” Zw Ckdtdkydt ryvvle Fw Yk’p cynj. Fkdnl vbl xyaakytl oyp plv, yp zsdt yp Yk’la oyp byrru, pbl oyp byrru. Rq Yk’la oyp vawzu wdbyrru kd vbl qwvwal, lhld kq pbl nyxl cynj, Zw Ckdtdkydt oswze qkde y oyu vs pwrrsav bla.

“Yk’la, vblal kp psxlvbkdt R oydv vs vlzz usw.” Zw Ckdtdkydt rwzzle Fw Yk cynj yde zktbvzu rkdnble bla pbswzela.

“Ohld vbswtb Nsae Ckd kp yd lwdwnb, usw nyddsv ynv zkjl usw es yv bsxl yde vbaso vydvawxp. R byhl ypjle bkx, yde vblal kp ds sdl lzpl kd bkp nbyxclap. Ebld usw yal okvb bkx, kv’p clvvla vs cl yzsdl.”

Fw Yk’p blyav qlzv y qzwvvla sq fsu wrsd blyakdt vbkp, cwv pbl pvkzz obkprlale, “Ebu yal usw ypjkdt bkx vbkp?”

Yu Qingniang saw the shy and unknowing expression in her daughter’s eyes and couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache. She sighed softly and adjusted the

Illustrated Manual of Intimate Relationships hidden in her sleeve, and wondered if she should teach her.

This was the reason she came tonight. Unmarried women knew little about sex, and in order to avoid a disappointing wedding night and a lack of passion between husband and wife, their mother would give them detailed instructions the night before their wedding. The purpose of the Illustrated Manual of Intimate Relationships was to make things clear and easy to understand.

When Su Xian got married, she naturally went through this process, but Yu Qingniang didn’t hesitate as much as she does now. Su Mi was marrying an eunuch, and there wouldn’t be much sexual activity between them. Su Mi didn’t understand this yet, but if she did later, she would feel very uncomfortable. Yu Qingniang couldn’t decide whether or not to tell her. While hesitating, Su Mi noticed a faint yellow thing on her mother’s sleeve.

“Mother, what are you carrying in your sleeve?” Su Mi asked in confusion.

“Nothing, Mi’er. Your tea has gone cold. Where is Chun Mei?” Yu Qingniang changed the subject.

“Her sister came to find her, and she went to the gatehouse. Mother, let me get you some hot tea,” Su Mi said.

“Okay.”

After Su Mi left, Yu Qingniang hesitated for a moment, then took out the  Illustrated Manual of Intimate Relationship from her sleeve and searched the room for a place to hide it. She finally stuffed it into a pile of clothes on the embroidery table. She wanted Su Mi to learn a little bit about taking care of herself, so she would let her find it on her own.

Since they had to get up early the next day, after Su Mi brought the hot tea back, Yu Qingniang reminded her to rest early and left.

Chun Mei came back just as it was getting dark.

“Miss, I’m back.”

“Okay, Chun Mei, gather up the clothes on the embroidery table and have Zhang Yin send them to Lord Qin.” Su Mi was thinking that if they could send them over a day earlier, he would know sooner.

“Yes, Miss.”

Chun Mei walked over to the embroidery table and gathered up the clothes without looking closely. She didn’t notice the Illustrated Manual of Intimate Relationships that was hidden inside, and she wrapped up the corners of the cloth that were lined underneath.

It was only nightfall, and the moon shone brightly. Qin Yan stood with his hands behind his back under the pavilion of the villa, probably having just finished bathing. His hair was still uncombed and hung loosely over his shoulders.

His slightly damp silver silk clothes outlined his lean and straight back, making his slender figure even more apparent.

Ling An stood by and reported what he had found, then retreated to the side of the corridor. Just at that moment, Feng Bao came in carrying a bundle.

“Master,” Feng Bao said, lowering his head and lifting the cloth bundle over his head. “Miss Su sent the repaired clothes back just now. Would you like to take a look?”

Qin Yan turned his head to take a look, then opened the bundle. The bottom cloth slid off, revealing the patched clothes. The stitching was still familiarly awkward, but much better than the first time. The visible loose stitches and holes suggested that she had probably undone and re-sewn them several times to get them to this point.

Qin Yan chuckled a few times and was about to dismiss Feng Bao when he noticed a dark yellow piece of paper mixed in with the clothes.

He furrowed his brows and removed it. The moonlight shone on the Illustrated Manual of Intimate Relationships drawing, showing two naked people entwined together, their bodies tightly intertwined at the place where Yin and Yang meet. The woman’s hairpin was messy, pressed under the man’s body, and her lips were slightly parted, as if moaning.

The significance of this kind of token, which a girl about to be married would send to her fiancé on the day before the wedding, was clear.

Qin Yan’s lips curled up into an alluring curve, and he chuckled softly in the shadow of the pavilion, murmuring to himself.

“The bravery of a hare, indeed, is all used up on this kind of thing.”

T/N: I really do not know how to make this word “火 图”  make sense in English, as if I directly translate it into English, it will become a fire prevention diagram or talisman. So I ended up translating it as The Illustrated Manual of Intimate Relationships, which is a manual related to intimate relationships and makes a lot more sense in terms of the storyline. I’m not very fluent in Chinese, and please let me know if my translation is wrong. Anyway, I still hope you can enjoy my translation, and I thank you so much for reading it.