Chapter 194
Chapter 194
That evening, Ji Hanyi bathed and freshened up before lying in bed to look through the dowry inventory Shen Si had given her.
She had only meant to skim it, but the farther she read, the wider her eyes grew.
In addition to the shops, residences, and Baoshan Tower that Shen Si had given her last time, there were sixty mu of paddy fields outside the city and two country estates. After that came a dazzling array of jewelry and fabrics, furniture and household wares, as well as writing implements for the study.
Every last detail had been considered. Nothing had been overlooked.
There was figured satin patterned with flowers of the four seasons, a Huanhua brocade quilt embroidered with the Hundred Sons motif, several complete sets of hair ornaments, amber, and jade pendants. Even at a glance, Ji Hanyi could tell that every item was of exceptional quality.
Her heart fluttered. She carefully tucked the booklet beneath her pillow, only to reconsider and lock it inside a casket instead. Then she lay back down and stared blankly up at the bed curtains.
Three more days passed. Ji Hanyi spent almost all her time at home without going out. Then, that morning, Shen Si arrived to take her to the Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence.
Before she left, Madam Gu held Ji Hanyi’s hand and quietly reminded her of many things. She told her to observe all the proper rules at the Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence. Although she had won the Grand Princess’s favor and would soon marry Shen Si, she still could not afford to make any mistakes there.
She added, “Your father used to say that one must know how to be content. Remember his words. Be neither arrogant nor impatient. Do not be greedy or demand what cannot be yours. If you can do that, it will not be too difficult for you to live a peaceful, smooth life.”
Ji Hanyi took every word to heart. Her eyes grew moist as she nodded gently.
Madam Gu gripped her hand tightly, tears filling her eyes. Then she pulled Ji Hanyi into an embrace and buried her face against her daughter’s shoulder, weeping softly.
After all, once Ji Hanyi left this time, she would be a married woman again by the time they next met. Everyone in the sprawling Shen Family estate came from an illustrious background, and Madam Gu had no idea what temperaments the women there might have. Ji Hanyi was still young. It was impossible for her mother not to worry.
Hearing her mother’s choked sobs, Ji Hanyi’s own eyes reddened. She spent a long while comforting her before finally managing to calm her down.
When Ji Hanyi stepped outside, Shen Si was waiting for her. He turned and saw her red-rimmed eyes, then silently walked over to stand beside her. Looking at Madam Gu, who had followed her out, he said softly, “Mother, don’t worry. I will take good care of Hanyi.”
Madam Gu had never once heard Xie Yuheng call her Mother. Now, hearing the word from Shen Si, her eyes filled with tears once more as she nodded.
After they climbed into the carriage and settled down, Shen Si asked Ji Hanyi, “Are you nervous?”
Ji Hanyi nodded honestly. “A little.”
She was not truly familiar with the Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence. She had only met the Grand Princess once before, and she had yet to meet the Marchioness of Cheng’an. Nor did she know what the rest of the household thought of her.
She would be staying there for two days, so she was indeed somewhat nervous.
Shen Si suddenly grasped her by the waist and lifted her lightly onto his lap. One arm supported her back while his other hand remained at her waist.
This was the first time he had held her like this. She looked soft and delicate, her figure supple and gently rounded, yet she weighed almost nothing in his arms.
He had clasped her wrist before. Her bones were fine, with just a hint of softness over them, though her wrist looked slender.
Shen Si had wanted to hold her this way for a long time. Thus, when he saw the dazed look in Ji Hanyi’s eyes and felt her trying to twist away, he was already prepared. He held her firmly in place and refused to let her move.
“Hanyi, be good.”
The moment his voice fell, the woman in his arms froze. Sure enough, she obediently stopped struggling.
Shen Si drew her slightly stiff body firmly against him and pressed her cheek to his chest. He gently brushed the tip of his nose over the crown of her head, then let out a deep sigh.
She was still so sweet and soft, so docile that once he had gathered her into his arms, he could hardly bear to let go. He had only held her for a moment, yet he was already acutely aware of the delicate fragrance clinging to her. It made him long to hold her as he slept at night. With such a soft body in his arms, he probably would not want to rise early either.
By now, Ji Hanyi’s thoughts were hopelessly tangled. She sat on Shen Si’s lap, not daring to move a muscle.
Then Shen Si’s hoarse voice sounded above her. “Everyone at the Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence is very kind. I’ve spoken to Qin Che as well. He’ll ask his lawful wife to take good care of you.”
Ji Hanyi knew Qin Che was the Heir to the Marquisate of the Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence and had been Shen Si’s close friend since childhood, so she nodded.
Shen Si continued softly, “I hear we aren’t supposed to see each other for the last two days before the wedding. It’s considered a bad omen.”
Ji Hanyi knew of that custom, so she said, “Don’t worry about me, Lord Shen. I’ll be fine at the Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence.”
Shen Si’s hand tightened around Ji Hanyi’s waist.
Her soft, understanding reply only made him even more reluctant to let her go.
He gently stroked her back and murmured with a sigh, “My sweet Hanyi…”
Ji Hanyi stayed motionless in Shen Si’s embrace, her head lowered. His body seemed scorching hot, and the places on her back that he had caressed felt damp with a fine sheen of sweat.
Her mind was in utter chaos, like a hopelessly tangled skein of thread without a single loose end to grasp.
She wanted to reject this intimacy, yet it seemed she couldn’t bring herself to do so.
She felt as if an invisible thread were pulling her forward, as though she would no longer have any say in many of the things that lay ahead.
In a daze, she thought this seemed somewhat different from what she had imagined.
Resistance mingled with the feeling that she ought to accept it, leaving her so conflicted that even she didn’t know what she should do.
Shen Si had been watching Ji Hanyi’s expression the entire time. Seeing her lost in thought, he lowered his head and moved closer, his breath spilling over the back of her neck.
He very much wanted to seduce her, but he was too inexperienced, and his efforts seemed to have little effect. Seeing her sitting so properly in his arms, stiff-backed and solemn, he even began to doubt himself.
He rubbed her soft palm and slowly told her about the members of the various branches of the Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence, so she would know what to expect.
The carriage soon stopped outside the gates of the Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence, and Ji Hanyi’s taut nerves finally relaxed.
She had never experienced such intimacy before.
It was the first time she had ever sat on a man’s lap.
She couldn’t say what it felt like. She only knew that her heart was pounding and she was terribly nervous.
Ji Hanyi tried to move, but Shen Si kept her in place. He reached out to smooth the clothes at her waist, which he had rumpled slightly, before supporting her as she stood. Then, holding her hand, he helped her out of the carriage.
Qin Che and another young woman dressed in green were waiting outside.
The woman in green was very beautiful, with delicate features and skin as fair as snow. She did not look very old. She was probably Qin Fuyu, the Second Young Lady of the Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence whom Shen Si had just told her about. She appeared to be not yet fourteen.
The moment Qin Fuyu saw Ji Hanyi step down, she greeted her with great warmth, hurrying forward and calling sweetly, “Aunt Ji.”
Her voice was so soft and sweet that Ji Hanyi instinctively took a liking to her.
The form of address made Ji Hanyi pause, but a smile soon entered her eyes, and she softened her voice. “Second Young Lady Qin.”
Qin Fuyu came over and enthusiastically linked arms with Ji Hanyi. “When Aunt Ji came last time, Mother and I had gone to visit my maternal aunt. I only heard about what happened with Elder Sister from my eldest brother after we returned.”
“Aunt Ji actually passed every test my maternal grandmother set! I saw the porcelain plate you painted too. It was so beautiful. Can you teach me how to paint?”
Ji Hanyi had studied painting under her father since childhood and had also seen many works by renowned masters in Shen Si’s study. Her technique was accomplished, and painting came as naturally to her as drinking water. She was also more than willing to teach others, so she smiled and said, “Of course.”
Qin Fuyu immediately brightened. “Now that Aunt Ji is here, I’ll have someone to talk to. Let’s go inside. Mother is waiting for us.”