Red Bean Lives in the Republic of China - Chapter 48

Chapter 48

He Yunqin pulled back the quilt and climbed into bed, while Yu Hongdou stayed completely still. 

Suddenly darkness covered her, and she thought it was because his figure was blocking the light from the silver lamp on the nightstand. Her heart raced, but she tried to stay composed and flipped the page.

When she saw him getting closer, she randomly pointed at a word in the book and asked, “What does this word mean?”

He Yunqin glanced at it and replied, “Die prambel.”

His voice was rougher than usual, and he pronounced each word slowly. It felt like her heart was tickled by a feather. 

Suddenly, she felt she couldn’t breathe, and worrying he might notice her anxiety, she forced herself to look up at him. “What is its meaning?”

Light and shadows cascaded from above, highlighting her stunning features like flowing gold. He took his time studying her face, and after a brief pause, he answered, “‘Preface’.”

She also looked at him. 

His eyes reminded her of a dark ocean with massive waves at night. He captured her attention without a sound. It wasn’t until his breath was nearly against her ear that she lowered her gaze and pointed to another word: “What is this?”

He Yunqin stared at her finger absentmindedly, and replied, “Prgung – brand.”

A wave of emotions was coming on, and she felt stuck. She couldn’t keep focusing on the book’s pages. All she could manage was some light conversation. “How do you say ‘hello’ in German?”

“Guten Tag.” He snatched the book from her hand and tossed it aside. He flipped over and pinned her beneath him. Supporting her head with his hands, he gazed at her intently. “If you really want to learn German, I’ll teach you every night from now on.”

Yu Hongdou squirmed but it was no use, and she shut her eyes in embarrassment. After a moment, she murmured, “How are you going to teach me?”

His heart raced like crazy. His gaze slowly drifted down to her lips, as he whispered, “Küssen.”

“Küssen?”

He leaned down and kissed her, closing his eyes to enjoy her rich and sweet flavour. “‘Kiss’.”

***

Yu Hongdou woke up before He Yunqin the next morning. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was his face illuminated by the morning light. 

They were lying face to face. 

He looked peaceful while sleeping, and one arm wrapped around her waist.

This was the second time she found herself in his arms right after waking up. She wasn’t sure if he naturally liked to hold people while he slept, or if she just enjoyed curling up in his embrace. She lay there quietly for a while, lifted her head to check on him, and seeing he still had no plans to wake up, she decided to carefully move his arm off her and head to the bathroom for a shower.

Unexpectedly, when she moved, he frowned and suddenly opened his eyes.

When their eyes locked, she recalled how he had drenched her with sweat repeatedly last night. Her cheeks flushed. She shot him a disapproving look and shoved him away. After a struggle, she finally wore her slippers before heading to the bathroom. 

He Yunqin gazed at her retreating figure with sleepy eyes. As the door shut in front of him, he was momentarily taken aback, then tossed off the quilt and climbed out of bed.

When Yu Hongdou emerged from the bathroom, she found He Yunqin waiting outside. 

His hair was a bit tousled, he wore just pyjama pants, and his feet were bare against the floor.

Still a bit groggy, he looked up at her and snapped back to reality, saying, “Hongdou.”

Yu Hongdou felt a mix of shame and anger as memories of last night flooded back. ‘What a strange habit this guy has!’

It was one thing to tease her, but he also muffled her mouth to keep her quiet. She was already gasping for air and nearly choked a few times because of that.

After all, they were newlyweds, and the delicate sensations in bed were hard to articulate. Ultimately, it just turned into visible dissatisfaction on their faces.

He Yunqin had picked up on Yu Hongdou’s unhappiness and wondered if she thought he had been too mischievous last night and not considerate enough.

As she walked past him toward the dressing table, he pulled her back gently and asked in a soft voice, “What’s wrong?”

She looked up at him but remained silent.

 He thought for a moment and asked tentatively, “Are you still feeling uncomfortable?”

Yu Hongdou still ignored him.

“What if I just stay home with you today to relax instead of going out?” he asked after pondering for a while.

Yu Hongdou’s gaze shifted, and after a long pause, she quietly asked, “Why did you cover my mouth last night…”

Hearing that, He Yunqin felt his face heat up. ‘So that is what is bothering her. How could I explain?’ He always found her voice soft and nice, and last night it was even more sweet and alluring. The first time she had moaned beneath him, he lost it.

So in the second and third rounds, he was cautious about rushing things. As soon as he sensed something was off, he covered her mouth to stop himself from losing control if she made a sound.

Now he realised he had only thought about his own pleasure last night and hadn’t considered her feelings at all.

She looked at him with her bright eyes, clearly waiting for him to explain. He knew he couldn’t just brush it off, so he touched his nose and leaned in to whisper something in her ear.

Yu Hongdou’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘So that was the reason…’

Seeing she was calming down, He Yunqin asked, “Are you still mad?”

Yu Hongdou was too shy to respond. She quickly pushed him away and walked over to the dressing table. She grabbed her jewellery, leaned over the mirror, and put on her earrings. Her eyes wandered as he continued to watch her from behind. She stomped her foot and urged him, “Aren’t we supposed to go to Inspector Wang’s place? Hurry up and get ready so we can head downstairs for breakfast.”

He Yunqin finally came to his senses and went into the bathroom.

After they finished breakfast, the two made their way to the gate of He Mansion. 

He Yunqin turned to Yu Hongdou and asked, “Fuhua Lane isn’t too far from here. Would you prefer a car or a bike?”

During the month-long wedding preparations, Yu Hongdou had nearly forgotten about He Yunqin’s bicycle. “Your bike has a wire on the back. It ripped my pants last time, so I’m not sure I want to ride it.”

He Yunqin, amused, pulled her towards the bike, and squatted down to inspect it closely. “There shouldn’t be any iron wire this time. If you’re skeptical, feel free to check it yourself.”

Yu Hongdou reached out and felt around, and sure enough, the seat was perfectly fine. ‘Could it be that He Yunqin had fixed the bike after what happened last time?’

She felt a surge of happiness. There was no way she could believe she had no part in this. So, she eagerly hopped onto the back seat and exclaimed, “Let’s go!”

Noticing her enthusiasm, He Yunqin’s mood brightened instantly, as clear as the blue sky above. He glanced at her and said, “Alright, then sit tight.”

And off they went on the bike.

The servants mowing the lawn over there noticed what was happening and they were taken aback. It wasn’t the first time the second young master had taken his bike out, so they were used to it. But they didn’t expect the second young lady he married to be as quirky as he was. Instead of taking a car, she chose to ride the second young master’s bicycle. And with her smiling so brightly, it was clear she had genuine feelings for him.

The women of the He family upstairs were a bit surprised by this sight.

He Lanzhi smiled and said to Mrs. He, who was grinning back at her, “Second brother and his wife really seem to get along well.”

Mrs. He chuckled and replied, “There’s no one else in Shanghai who would put up with Lao Er like this. It’s no wonder he enjoys it so much.”

He Yunqin sped out of the He Mansion on his bicycle. After a bit of riding, he playfully asked Hongdou, “Are you going to learn the German word for ‘bicycle’?”

He Yunqin rode the bicycle fast, and Yu Hongdou, worried about losing her balance, was about to wrap her arms around his waist. But then she remembered what happened last night and felt her cheeks heat up. She snapped, “I don’t want to learn.”

“Then I’ll teach you tonight.”

She quickly shot back, “Don’t even think about studying at night.”

“So when will you be ready to learn?”

“I’m not learning German.”

“Oh,” he said slowly, “Who was just carrying my German dictionary in the room?”

Hearing that, Yu Hongdou let out a small snort, lifted her chin with pride, and declared, “I can figure it out on my own, so I don’t need your help.”

“Are you saying you can learn quicker by yourself than I can teach you?”

Yu Hongdou didn’t respond.

He Yunqin smiled quietly, feeling really happy. He still couldn’t tell if he was in love with Yu Hongdou or not. All he knew was that being with her made him feel relaxed and free, even without any conversation.

When they reached Wang Peter’s apartment, he was changing his clothes and getting ready to head out.

After glancing at them, he said, “You guys showed up just in time. I was about to head to the Keyu Theater to meet Bai Fengfei. Want to join me?”

End of chapter 48

Have a nice day!