AYLS – Chapter 60

The bridal chamber… Lin Qiao had never thought about this at all.

What should she do? What should she do? Would it be too irresponsible to run away now?

Scared, Lin Qiao immediately jumped off the bed. “Is it too late if I go on a hunger strike now?”

Fat Cat shrugged.

Lin Qiao grabbed her hair again. Her carefully pinned-up hair was now a mess, and her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts on what to do.

Just as panic set in, the sound of crunching snow came from outside the door.

Gu Huayuan pushed the door open, carrying an iron kettle and a coal stove.

This little courtyard was an old house with no heating.

Lin Qiao was so nervous she didn’t even know where to put her hands.

“Come over and soak your feet,” Gu Huayuan said.

“No need,” Lin Qiao replied, “my feet are fine.”

“…,” Gu Huayuan gave her a strange look, then asked, “Are you just tired today?”

He placed a wooden basin by the bed, signaling for her to soak her feet.

Lin Qiao felt like crying but had no tears. Shivering, she placed her feet into the basin. After soaking for a while, she took them out. Gu Huayuan handed her a towel and, without hesitation, washed his own feet in it as well.

He then started talking about the house. “Here’s what I’m thinking: we probably won’t live here for many years, so I’m not planning on major renovations. For now, this will do.”

Lin Qiao murmured her agreement, her mind still in chaos.

Before, she could think, This house has nothing to do with me. Why is he telling me this? Now, she didn’t have that confidence. That stupid task Fat Cat gave her… she had no idea how to complete it now.

She didn’t even know when she could return. If it weren’t for having become somewhat used to life here from her previous days, she would have completely broken down.

Fat Cat was too cunning. If she had known from the start how difficult this world would be, she would have gone on a hunger strike immediately and stuck with it.

Now, she didn’t even have the courage.

While she was sulking, Gu Huayuan had already finished washing his feet, stepped out to fetch water, and returned shortly after, closing the door behind him and starting to undress.

Lin Qiao: “…!!!”

“W-wait!” she shouted nervously.

Gu Huayuan paused mid-undress, looking at her. “What’s wrong?”

“I—I just want to talk to you,” Lin Qiao stammered, pointing with her finger, unsure of how to explain.

During the bridal chamber, it seemed odd for the bride not to sleep with the groom. But… she really wasn’t mentally prepared.

If this were like playing a game before, the bridal chamber would just be the bridal chamber. But this world felt so real that it was no different from actually sleeping together.

The idea of sleeping with Gu Huayuan… felt awkward no matter how she thought about it.

Gu Huayuan smiled. “By the way, I have something to talk to you about too.”

He turned, opened a drawer in the dressing table next to the bed, and pulled out an iron box.

He placed it between them on the bed and opened it.

Curious, Lin Qiao looked inside. There were several stacks of money, neatly sorted by denomination.

“This is my savings from the past few years,” Gu Huayuan said.

Lin Qiao was astonished. “How do you have so much money?”

“I joined the army at fifteen. At first, the allowance wasn’t high, but the army provided for everything, so I barely spent anything. I saved every year. Later, when the allowance increased, I saved even more. After our wedding, we spent a bit, but there’s still eighteen hundred left, all for you.”

Then he pulled out a notebook. “This is my salary record. From now on, the army will send my allowance directly to you.”

Lin Qiao opened her mouth in surprise. “…For me?”

Gu Huayuan smiled. “Why so naive? Of course, you manage the money at home.”

Lin Qiao: “…So this is the legendary salary handover?”

Gu Huayuan truly intended to build a life with her.

Lin Qiao felt guilty and nervous, wringing her hands anxiously.

Gu Huayuan closed the lid, placed the box beside the dressing table, and took her hand. “I should have given this to you earlier, but I thought it would be more proper to do it today. From now on, our little family is officially established. My allowance is enough, so you don’t have to be frugal. You can wear new clothes, and buy snow cream too.” He considered this manageable.

“I don’t… I don’t,” she stammered, still unsure what being frugal meant.

“Of course, we shouldn’t waste either. As our family grows, we’ll need savings to ensure security.”

Lin Qiao nervously ground her teeth. “W-why… will the family grow?”

Gu Huayuan smiled and looked at her, then bent down to kiss her.

Lin Qiao’s eyes widened in panic, feeling a warm breath meet her face.

Her lips were met by his soft, warm ones…

Before long, Lin Qiao felt her clothes being undone.

Terrified, she bit Gu Huayuan on the mouth and pushed him away.

Gu Huayuan’s face turned bright red, his lips hot. He touched his mouth and looked at her in surprise. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

“I—I still wanted to ask you something.” Lin Qiao was nervous at first, but suddenly she thought of something and straightened up with confidence. “You don’t love me, so I’m not going to kiss you.”

“……”

Lin Qiao pouted, getting angrier the more she thought about it. To complete the mission, besides showing off love to make others envious and being in sync mentally, was love really part of it?

The mission wasn’t completed yet, so Gu Huayuan definitely didn’t love her.

She thought, I don’t even know when I’ll be able to go back, and you’re still thinking about kissing.

Gu Huayuan wiped his face. Seeing her flushed cheeks, he couldn’t get angry. “We’re already married.”

“Marriage without love isn’t happy,” Lin Qiao said sadly.

A woman’s heart is really as unpredictable as June weather. At that moment, Gu Huayuan had completely run out of thoughts.

He had known that she’d be nervous today, which was why he had submitted his wages earlier—to give her some happiness and a sense of security.

But it turned out, it didn’t help at all.

Comrade Lin Qiao simply didn’t follow the rules.

Love…? How could revolutionary men and women talk about that? “Comrade Lin Qiao, some things shouldn’t be said so directly.”

The hint was obvious enough.

But Lin Qiao wouldn’t buy it. “Why can’t I say it? We’re married. Can’t even talk about love? Anyway, you don’t love me, and you still want to kiss me. I don’t want to kiss; I want to sleep.”

Saying that, she backed onto the bed to avoid him.

Gu Huayuan didn’t take it seriously. Could a wedding night really be ruined?

Although he and Comrade Lin Qiao were in an arranged marriage, they had had freedom in love first. At least, he thought they had been courting for a long time, and she had been eager and supportive when they got married.

So there was no coercion here.

He attributed Lin Qiao’s actions to her nervousness.

Probably no one had taught her.

Gu Huayuan sighed and climbed onto the bed.

Lin Qiao said, “Wait, wait, wait, maybe we should date properly first.”

Gu Huayuan said, “Comrade Lin Qiao, I…I love you.”

Lin Qiao: “……”

Gu Huayuan moved closer. Being on the bed made it convenient, and Lin Qiao’s breathing grew a bit uneven.

“I don’t believe you. You never said it before; you’re just placating me. You say you love me, but when did you start loving me?”

Lin Qiao was being unreasonable, but inside she was extremely flustered.

Gu Huayuan wiped the sweat from his forehead, helplessly negotiating, “Shall we talk about it later?”

“See? I knew you were just placating me.”

“……” Gu Huayuan sighed, thinking, is everyone’s wedding night this difficult?

“I liked you from early on.”

“How early?” Lin Qiao didn’t believe him.

“…From the moment we first met.”

“What? I don’t believe it. Back then, you didn’t even agree to marry me.” Lin Qiao got fired up. She recalled how, at the beginning, Gu Huayuan had been so resolute in refusing, making her think she had no hope and even go on a hunger strike. Even so, he hadn’t compromised; otherwise, she would have known the outcome earlier.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She punched the bed in frustration.

“I had a good impression back then.” Gu Huayuan felt a little guilty himself. Before meeting her, he had thought that if there were no feelings, he would just find a job for his unseen fiancée in the county and help her find a suitable partner.

Of course, that was only before meeting her. After seeing her, that thought disappeared.

Hearing that he had had feelings from the very first meeting, Lin Qiao was elated. She forgot about the nervousness of the wedding night and teased Gu Huayuan, “See? You contradicted yourself. You didn’t want to marry me at first and kept delaying. It’s only because I have a good temper. If it were someone else, you’d still be single. Serves you right.”

Gu Huayuan stayed silent for a moment, realizing he shouldn’t say more. Otherwise, Comrade Lin Qiao might fly off the handle, and there’d be no time for the wedding night. So he leaned in and kissed her again.

Lin Qiao: “……”

As Gu Huayuan began to undo her clothes, she said, “No, no, no. This kind of thing has to be mutual. You haven’t even asked if I love you. We can only do this if we love each other.”

Gu Huayuan lifted his head. “No need to ask. I know, if a woman doesn’t love a man, how could she willingly marry him?”

“……” How could one respond to that? Lin Qiao started whimpering.

So miserable… Her wedding night not only couldn’t go back, but she had to sleep with someone. Too miserable.

Fat Cat advised her, “You’ll have to experience it sooner or later, after all, it’ll be a long time before you go home.”

“Shut up! You’re peeking at these mosaic things too, you pervert!” She blocked him and continued crying softly.

Gu Huayuan kissed her tears. “Why are you crying?”

“You’re bullying me.”

“How is this bullying?” Gu Huayuan’s voice was hoarse from holding back.

Lin Qiao pressed her lips together and cried. She could restrain herself in front of Fat Cat, but in front of Gu Huayuan, all her discomfort and grievances came out.

Gu Huayuan really had no solution either. Even though he wanted to, he could only hold back and asked, “Comrade Lin Qiao, is there anything else upsetting you?”

Lin Qiao teary-eyed looked at his face. He was really nice, with a physique she liked, good features, though rough skin.

When he kissed her, it felt like his skin was coarse.

If she thought about unwillingness… she wasn’t really unwilling. After all, this was a game world, and she had known Gu Huayuan for a long time, and they were married.

But she still felt a little uneasy.

She had thought she could go back and hadn’t considered dating Gu Huayuan.

And now, without even dating, she had to sleep with him…

Too unromantic.

She looked at Gu Huayuan pitifully, “Then you have to properly date me. Love me, love me a lot. Take me on dates.”

Anyway, once she left, Gu Huayuan would forget her, so it wouldn’t really be deceiving his feelings.

Gu Huayuan: “…Alright.” What exactly was Comrade Lin Qiao thinking?

After replying, he was about to kiss her again.

Lin Qiao blocked him. “Wait, wait—also, from now on, whatever I say, you have to listen. You have to think the same way I do.”

“…Think the same way?”

“I don’t know either. Just whatever I usually think, you have to agree with it. Your opinions have to match mine.”

“…Fine.” Anyway, Lin Qiao had no ill intentions.

He tried to kiss her again, only to be blocked once more.

“…”

“And also, you have to learn skincare. You have to apply snowflake cream with me.”

She just liked people with nice skin.

“…” Gu Huayuan didn’t agree to this at first. Sweat was forming on his forehead. “Why do I have to apply this?”

“Your skin is too rough, it hurts me when you rub against me. This one, you have to agree to.” Lin Qiao was firm.

Normally, Gu Huayuan would also be firm about these things, but the timing of Lin Qiao’s demands was too special—there was no time to waste. He relented. “Clam oil okay?”

Lin Qiao thought for a moment. “That works too.”

“Anything else?”

Lin Qiao thought carefully. It seemed like there was nothing else—she could handle showing off their love on her own.

No sooner had she finished speaking than Gu Huayuan pressed down on her.

…

As for whether Lin Qiao had ever been curious about tasting forbidden fruit, of course she had.

She hadn’t tried it herself, but she had heard the girls talk about it—things like “dog’s waist” or “power engine,” descriptions that sounded almost mythical.

But her father was strict about these things, she didn’t have the courage, and there was no suitable partner around—so she simply hadn’t tried it.

Now, finally, she did. And she found that the taste was actually pretty decent.

Gu Huayuan’s technique wasn’t exactly skilled, but it was strategic. Every move he made, he observed Lin Qiao’s expressions and mood.

Then he would cautiously test, feeling his way step by step.

Once Lin Qiao felt comfortable and satisfied, he would then address his own needs.

Afterward, Lin Qiao didn’t feel any more pleasure; instead, she felt exhausted and kept whining in protest. At first it was just moaning, but later it came with tears.

All her tears were kissed away.