“Not done yet.”
“Can’t you stop cuddling for so long every day?”
“Damn Su family guy, you won’t be happy for long.”
Little Zhizhi had already decided: after birth, she’d cling to her mother all day, giving that Su guy no chance at all.
Hmph.
A replaceable girlfriend—how could she compare to her mother’s only treasure?
Recently, the Su mansion had been decked out with festive decorations. The joyous atmosphere could be sensed from miles away.
According to Chunqiao, the servants’ rewards had increased lately—not only nourishing pills but each personal maid was allocated her own proper room.
An elegant name for such gifts.
All these were the young lady’s good fortune coming, and the servants shared in the wedding’s blessings.
In Su Liumeng’s chamber, bright red window paper had been pasted, and the bed was covered with a brand-new red quilt embroidered with soaring dragons and phoenixes.
I even saw a small square handkerchief secretly tucked into the cabinet.
It was the wedding handkerchief for the blood of first consummation.
Su Liumeng hid it, apparently not wanting me to see it.
Not wanting me to feel sad because of it.
I pursed my lips, standing in the room and gazing at the girl ahead.
On her arm was a silver-white bracelet.
With her cultivation fully suppressed, Su Liumeng didn’t sense another person in the room.
“Su Liumeng.” I couldn’t control my emotions and stepped forward to whisper.
She was startled, freezing as she closed the cabinet.
“What—are you doing?”
I took a few steps closer, seeing exactly what she was hiding, just as I had suspected.
After a brief silence, Su Liumeng suddenly rubbed my head and comforted me calmly, “It’s nothing. I actually don’t care about those things.”
“Because I probably won’t use them, so I planned to put them away.”
Seeing me sink into silence, Su Liumeng stammered, revealing her hand, “It’s okay, I still have some… I can just pretend and use those. It’s basically the same thing.”
Seeing my doubtful look, she seemed to misunderstand and quickly rolled up her sleeve, revealing a small, delicate plum blossom-shaped birthmark.
“Baby, look, this is my Guardian Seal. I’ve always upheld my feminine virtue.”
“You’re going to marry me, so I definitely won’t let you lose out.”
My voice was a little muffled, emotions swirling wildly as I hugged the girl tightly, resting my head on her shoulder.
Su Liumeng in her half-dragon form was quite a bit taller than me, but I could easily nestle my head up there.
“I’ll need it.”
“I definitely will.”
I looked up at her, and my words made her shiver, obviously not understanding my implied meaning.
I pressed my lips, wanting to cheer her up, so I performed a little show—lifting my skirt and spinning gracefully.
“Don’t overthink it.”
“All of me, everything, belongs to you.”
I didn’t reveal the truth directly.
I wanted to give her a real surprise on our wedding night.
A faint trace of disappointment appeared in Su Liumeng’s eyes, but she smiled obediently, “Okay, you’ll need it.”
Her body was warm, like a little furnace, very different from my often cold one.
It always made me habitually press my delicate body against hers to feel that pleasant warmth.
This was the result of dragon blood constantly boiling.
With my yin energy, we were like yin and yang—two completely opposite yet complementary forces, perfectly matched.
Heaven and earth made.
Those four words flashed through my heart.
I felt Su Liumeng’s gradually steady heartbeat and smiled faintly.
Taking her much larger hand in mine, I silently slipped my fingers between hers.
The girl’s deep feelings were fully concentrated in this silent gesture.
Su Liumeng placed me on her lap, massaging the discomfort in my shoulders.
My swelling was quite pronounced. Thanks to my previously thin figure, I looked okay, barely hiding it.
In reality, my old shoes didn’t fit anymore.
I used to wear size 33 shoes.
The wedding shoes prepared for me were custom-made size 34.
“Baby, can I massage your instep? It should be uncomfortable.” Su Liumeng acted casual.
Her intentions were obvious.
She’d been wanting to do this for a while. Who could refuse a pair of perfect little feet?
Su Liumeng, always up-to-date on online trends, was far ahead of my old-fashioned behavior.
“No thanks. Taking off shoes is a hassle. It takes half a day to put them on every time.”
I refused without hesitation. Su Liumeng’s regret nearly spilled over but reluctantly accepted it, suppressing her small desire.
No worries.
There’d be plenty of chances later.
“Will you still stay in your chamber lately?” I asked.
“No. The bridal chamber is ready. It’s not appropriate to rest there early. The freshest and newest things have to be saved for the wedding night. I’ll be staying elsewhere for the next couple of days.”
“What about me?” I raised a naive little face.
It was already December 16th, just four days before the bride-receiving day.
Su Liumeng thought for a moment and answered, “Go to the manor and wait. It’s almost wedding time. If you stay in the Su house all along, people will gossip.”
In ancient etiquette, the bride and groom couldn’t see each other before the wedding—there had to be certain taboos.
I knew quite a few rules and nodded obediently. “Okay, I’ll bring my things to the manor and wait for you to pick me up.”
I suddenly smiled foolishly, “Su Liumeng, will you carry me in the sedan chair on the day?”
“Of course.” Su Liumeng flicked my nose. “You’re my bride. If I don’t carry you, who else? Are you expecting your own brothers to do it?”
“You don’t have brothers in your family, and you can’t lose face. So I have to do it.”
I leaned my head over, playing with the tassels on Su Liumeng’s waist.
“Baby, you’re amazing, thinking of everything.”
“Having you—I’m lucky.”
That was my highest praise.
Who else in the world could match Su Liumeng’s level?
Her meticulousness and reliability had made me deeply dependent on her.
I’d long realized I couldn’t leave her care.
Su Liumeng whispered in my ear, “The dowry I gave you is all secretly prepared by me. I haven’t told anyone in the Su family. If anyone asks, just say you prepared everything yourself to avoid others looking down on your status. It’s also to give you solid backing for the future.”
“The dowry totals one hundred eighty-eight chests, all packed full. It’s now stored in the manor’s private treasury, protected by a defensive formation. This key opens the formation. You must keep it safe.”
Su Liumeng placed a small crescent-shaped key in my little hand.
I looked at the sunlight shining through the window onto the tiny key and said sweetly, “Thank you, Baby.”
Not bad.
Who would have thought, I also had a dowry now?
Although I had no family, I had Su Liumeng.
She always arranged everything perfectly.
She—
Was also one of my only two family members.
I suddenly remembered something and asked worriedly, “Su Liumeng, your cold poison hasn’t flared up recently. I still want to be your antidote.”
I said this earnestly, with a bit of hope.
On one hand, I wanted to save my beloved; on the other, to absorb yin energy and improve myself—it was a win-win.
I had been looking forward to it for a long time, but Su Liumeng showed no signs of cold poison outbreak.
I was in the last stage of pregnancy. Carrying a big belly made cultivation inconvenient, so I paused my progress, planning to catch up after Zhizhi was born.
Some things couldn’t be had both ways.
“After absorbing dragon blood, my yang energy is strong enough to temporarily suppress yin energy’s rampage.”
“The cold poison that used to flare every month is now delayed to two months.”
“Alright.” I fiddled with my little hand. “Next time it flares, tell me in advance.”
“I will.”
Before leaving, I shared some warmth with Su Liumeng, then with Chunqiao and the two little maids, left the Su mansion through a small gate.
Su Liumeng accompanied me to the manor’s gate before stopping.
I looked at the girl before me; a flash of reluctance passed in my eyes.
In the midst of passionate love, I didn’t want to part even for a day.
But I also thought, since the wedding was near and it would be forever after, no need to fuss over a day or two of separation.
Holding her hand, before officially leaving, I casually brought up a topic.
“You know, you’ve been so busy with wedding arrangements but still found time to talk to me. That’s already a lot. Don’t worry about me; I’ll be good at the manor. Before the wedding, I won’t step out of the chamber or cause you any trouble.”
Then I recalled something.
“Su Liumeng, when Zhizhi made her move in the Su family, why didn’t any servant mention it?”
Su Liumeng thought and replied, “To avoid unnecessary panic, the Great Elder took the blame, saying he made a cultivation mistake, causing the cosmic anomaly. You don’t have to worry about Zhizhi being exposed early.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
The Su family had an old monster. The other two big families probably did too.
Zhizhi was only one person—she definitely couldn’t win against all of them.
I preferred to act low-key.
In my mind, Zhizhi was already very strong, even improving, but not yet invincible.
Meanwhile, deep within the consciousness, a certain little bundle sneered.
“You two better fight together.”
“Otherwise, it’ll be over before it even starts. Mommy thinks everyone’s made of paper, and can’t show my true strength.”
Late at night.
I hugged my favorite little blanket, staring at the dark night outside the window.
Recently, Su Liumeng had slept with me every night, but tonight I was alone and felt a bit restless, unable to fall asleep.
I quietly reflected on whether I had become more dependent on Su Liumeng.
Just then—
A meow came from the window.
I wasn’t wearing shoes. Barefoot, I stepped on the ground and opened the window.
Outside stood a girl I was glad to see, draped in a layer of wet dew, looking dusty from travel.
“Hurry and open the window, let me slip inside.”
The Su family’s strict rules forbade the couple from seeing each other before the wedding.
This time, Su Liumeng snuck out, risking a lot.
I opened the chamber window wider and watched her struggle to squeeze half her body in.
In my heart, a strange comparison surfaced.
“Su Liumeng, the way you’re sneaking in through the window is oddly comical.”
“Tell me—doesn’t this feel like a secret affair?”
Su Liumeng froze for a moment.
Avoiding servants, being cautious—it was actually a little thrilling.