But her sister-in-law wasn’t an outsider; telling her was surely harmless.

Because she had let it slip, Xiang’er didn’t linger after dinner. She just cleared the plates and bowls and left.

But not long after, she returned with two plates of pastries: one was a plate of cloud cakes, and the other was plum cake.

"Mother said you had a tiring day, Sister-in-law, and didn’t eat much for dinner. She was worried you’d get hungry tonight, so she had me bring some snacks over ahead of time."

Xiang’er put the things down and vanished in a flash.

Chen Wanqing thought about her mother’s lesson from yesterday, and then about Mrs. Zhao’s meaningful reminder. Suddenly, her heart began to race, and her cheeks burned.

Remembering the rites of conjugal union, all thoughts of being "unable to give birth" flew out the window.

Right now, Chen Wanqing had no time for deep thought. ’Is my inability to conceive just a rumor Wanyue made up, or does she have X-ray vision? Or can she see the future and somehow knows I can’t bear children?’

’Forget it. I’ll puzzle over this later. For now, I need to figure out how to get through tonight.’

She thought and thought but couldn’t come up with anything, and only succeeded in making herself sleepy.

Chen Wanqing wanted to wash up, but with all the recent weddings in the village, families would hire a master chef to cook at their homes, setting up tables inside, in the alleys, or in the open space by the door.

The Zhao Family had a large open space in front of their house, so most of the tables were set up outside. However, people would inevitably come inside, either to get some hot water or use the latrine. If she went out, she would surely run into strangers, which wouldn’t be appropriate.

But it was very uncomfortable to leave her makeup on.

As she was mulling it over, a loud commotion suddenly came from outside.

Chen Wanqing heard Mr. Zhao exchanging pleasantries with De’an and Second Uncle. He must be seeing the guests off.

’I want to go out, but I can’t find a reason, and I have no idea what I would even do out there right now.’

She stayed cooped up in the room until it finally grew quiet outside.

The door suddenly pushed open from the outside, startling Chen Wanqing. She was holding a book, but her mind was a million miles away.

She sat up straight and looked up. Sure enough, she saw Zhao Jing.

Zhao Jing was carrying a bucket of hot water. He asked, "Did I startle you, coming in so suddenly?"

"No," Chen Wanqing lied. "I heard your footsteps just now."

"That’s good."

Zhao Jing chuckled lightly and said to Chen Wanqing, "There’s hot water ready in the kitchen. If you’d like to bathe, I can bring the tub in as well."

Chen Wanqing hurriedly refused, "It’s too late tonight, I won’t take a bath. Just washing my hands and face will be enough. Jing, you should go attend to your own things. This is more than enough hot water for me."

"Alright. I’ll go help Mother clean up then."

"Should I go too...?"

"You don’t have to. You’re the new bride. Just rest after you’ve washed up."

After speaking, Zhao Jing turned and left.

Only a faint scent of alcohol remained, lingering in the air. It soon drifted to Chen Wanqing’s nose, making her let out a loud sneeze.

Chen Wanqing hadn’t actually planned on bathing tonight. For one, it was indeed too late; for another, she had just bathed yesterday.

In the winter, she usually bathed once every five days, simply giving herself a sponge bath the rest of the time.

There was a brazier in the room, but it had been there for a while, so it wasn’t giving off much heat anymore.

Chen Wanqing took off her wedding dress, quickly washed her hands and face, then took a basin from her dowry, filled it with water, and wiped down her body before hurriedly putting on her clothes.

’It’s so cold.’ A chill crept over her, and Chen Wanqing had a sudden, bad feeling.

’Don’t tell me I’m getting sick.’

If she caught a cold and came down with a fever, she wouldn’t be able to face her parents during the bridal homecoming visit the day after tomorrow. It would also reflect poorly on Zhao Jing.

With this in mind, when Zhao Jing came back to empty the water, Chen Wanqing asked, "Jing, does the family have any pills to ward off a chill?"

Hearing this, Zhao Jing’s expression changed, and he strode over to her.

When he had entered the room earlier, he had caught her rich, feminine fragrance, along with the hint of scented cream. That scent alone was enough to make him conjure a complete picture in his mind.

He’d been so flustered he hadn’t dared to spare her a second glance.

But now, he not only looked, he even anxiously reached out to touch her forehead.

Because he had just washed his hands with cold water, he was afraid of chilling her, so he abruptly pulled his hand back and pressed his own forehead against hers instead.

By the time Zhao Jing realized what he was doing, their skin was already touching, their breaths so close they could feel them.

He only had to lower his head slightly to see her long lashes fluttering like a butterfly’s wings and to smell the fragrance on her cheeks, which was even more alluring than he had imagined.