Chapter Seventy-One: What Are You Doing Again

Faced with her seriousness, Chu Chengjin was momentarily at a loss for how to respond. If she had spoken casually, it would have been easier to handle, but her earnestness left him uncertain.

“You don’t wish to divorce, then find a man you love and marry him?” Chu Chengjin’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, his expression gentle.

“Why would I want a divorce? I think my husband is quite good,” Gu Xiaoyao replied, not having considered the idea of separation.

“And what is so good about me?”

“Your face is quite pleasing. I very much enjoy looking at it,” she answered, her words so frank and sincere that Chu Chengjin found himself speechless once again.

He was well aware of his handsome features, but never before had a young woman told him so directly to his face that she liked the way he looked.

“It is my honor that my wife favors my face so,” Chu Chengjin said, a smile blooming on his lips, as radiant as a flower kissed by morning dew, dazzling to the eye.

Gu Xiaoyao looked at his smile and inwardly called him a devil; when this man didn’t smile, he was already striking, but when he did, he had the kind of allure that could topple a kingdom.

Thinking of her own sallow, thin face, Gu Xiaoyao could only comfort herself with the thought that her worth lay in her abilities, not her looks.

“You flatter me, husband. All right, take off your clothes—I’ll put medicine on your wounds.”

Feeling the heat of her gaze at his back, Chu Chengjin removed his clothing. Gu Xiaoyao’s warm fingers gently touched his back.

She felt the tension in his muscles beneath her fingertips, and a smile played at the corners of her mouth as she deliberately prodded him again with her soft hand.

Lying face down on the bed, Chu Chengjin felt the warmth of her touch and, truth be told, did not dislike it.

“I’ll apply the medicine now.”

She carefully dabbed the medicinal liquid onto his wounds, then leaned in and gently blew on them.

“These herbs aren’t hard to find in the mountains. I’ll gather more in the future and keep them at home, so your injuries can heal faster.”

One could never have too much medicine at home, and some herbs were not so easy to come by.

After tending to all his wounds, Gu Xiaoyao set the bowl aside and covered him with a quilt.

“Even if these wounds heal, I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you with the chores,” Chu Chengjin said, aware of his own condition—these visible wounds were hardly all that ailed him.

“I know you have more injuries than just these. It’s all right, I can manage the work. You just rest and recover.”

As Gu Xiaoyao turned to leave, she seemed to catch a whiff of the cool scent on his body, causing her to twitch her nose lightly.

Suddenly, Chu Chengjin, who had been lying on his stomach, rolled over and gently rested his fingers on her slender neck, pulling her down.

“Wife, do you find the scent on me pleasant?”

Caught off guard, Gu Xiaoyao was pressed close against him, and the cool fragrance that lingered around him instantly enveloped her senses.

Unable to suppress her curiosity, she gave a small struggle, then gave in, bringing her nose close to his neck and taking a gentle sniff.

“Sis, dinner’s ready. Is brother-in-law up yet…”

Gu Xiaoshu entered just in time to see his sister with her nose buried in her brother-in-law’s neck, sniffing curiously.

“Sis, what are you two doing?!”

Gu Xiaoyao turned back to see her brother’s astonished expression. She tried to remain composed, but the flush at the tips of her ears betrayed her.

“Nothing, I was just helping him with his medicine. Is dinner ready? Let’s go eat!”

Chu Chengjin noticed his brother-in-law’s gaping mouth and smiled at him, then leisurely put his clothes back on and prepared to get out of bed.

Gu Xiaoshu nodded in a daze, feeling that perhaps he had chosen the wrong moment to come in.