FBC -Chapter 288 Sweet Affection

Mu Junyan gently held the person in his arms, kissing along her jade-like neck as if she were a rare treasure.

The cicadas droned endlessly in the summer night, making the heat roll and churn. Because Gu Hua had given birth prematurely, no ice chests were placed in the room.

Inside the red silk canopy, passion burned fiercely.

Gu Hua had underestimated Mu Junyan’s stamina. She tried to escape several times, but the bed was only so big—no matter what corner she fled to, she was easily pulled back by the waist.

Amid their hazy, muddled night, at some unknown moment, it began to rain outside.

On the bed, the two were drenched in sweat, bodies slick and damp. Neither of them bothered calling for water again and again.

More precisely—Gu Hua had no face left to call for water.

How could this man still not be satisfied?

Gu Hua didn’t know when she actually fell asleep—or if she had even slept at all. When she was stirred awake again, or perhaps never truly slept, she blinked her blurry eyes open only to find the person beside her still restless.

Gu Hua didn’t even have the strength to swear anymore.

“It’s still early. Go back to sleep.”

Mu Junyan brushed a kiss against her earlobe, his words unexpectedly gentle.

“I really can’t anymore…”

Gu Hua’s voice was soft and weak—completely drained.

Mu Junyan’s heart ached, but he still pinched her cheek and scolded, “From now on you’re joining me for morning training. With a little body like this, how can you endure me?”

That sentence made Gu Hua snap her eyes open in outrage.

What—he disliked her small build?

He wanted her to train her body just so he could wear her out?

Seeing faint anger in her misty gaze, Mu Junyan hurried to coax her: “I’ve just missed you too much. And besides—since we already have a pair of children, shouldn’t we give them a few younger siblings to play with?”

Gu Hua was furious and suddenly grabbed his arm and bit down.

And she bit hard.

In the past, even when he pushed her too far, she didn’t dare bite him. Now things were different—she wasn’t afraid anymore.

Mu Junyan grimaced from the pain, yet found her kitten-like fury even more adorable. He winced and laughed at the same time.

Gu Hua tasted blood in her mouth—she knew she had broken the skin. She felt a pang of guilt and released him.

She glared at him fiercely. “If you want more children, go find someone else. Don’t try to sweet-talk me.”

Seeing she misunderstood, Mu Junyan quickly pulled her into his arms. “Nonsense. In my lifetime, only you can tame me. I will have only one wife—and that’s you.”

Gu Hua stared at him.

She should’ve been touched, but with him spouting line after line… what was she supposed to say?

“You… I… Are you blaming me? Obviously it was you…”

She bit her lip, unable to continue.

Mu Junyan chuckled, rubbing his high nose against her delicate one before kissing her pink lips.

“What about me?”

Gu Hua was too flustered to speak and simply shut her eyes tightly, refusing to respond.

Morning light seeped in softly. With a beauty in his arms, Mu Junyan felt desire bubbling up again—but he restrained himself for her sake.

After some teasing and snuggling, the two finally called for water to bathe.

Mu Junyan carried Gu Hua straight to the washroom.

Gu Hua was too embarrassed to lift her head.

He gently lowered her into the bathing tub. She curled up shyly, not daring to look up.

Mu Junyan rubbed her head, amused. “What haven’t I seen before? We’re going to grow old together.”

Gu Hua looked up at that, the steam around her, her long lashes catching droplets of water.

Mu Junyan crouched down, took her slender hand, and brought it to him.

“We’ll watch each other get our first strand of white hair, then grow old together. From your first wrinkle to a face full of them… no matter how you look, you’ll always be my most beautiful wife.”

Gu Hua’s eyes reddened.

Mu Junyan kissed along her fingers one by one, then up her arm. The ticklish sensation made Gu Hua pull back instinctively.

Water splashed around the tub.

This bath was only getting less and less decent.

Seeing that it was almost time to greet the Old Madam, Gu Hua withdrew her hand and protested, “Hurry and let me finish bathing! I have to go greet Mother!”

Mu Junyan caught her hand again, unsatisfied, and pulled her into his arms, kissing her neck as he murmured:

“Mother said the Mu family doesn’t have strict rules. Greeting elders depends on sincerity, not fixed times.”

Gu Hua was exasperated beyond words.

At last, he let her go. She washed quickly and stepped out of the tub on shaky legs.

Mu Junyan personally dried her and draped a robe around her before calling the maids to dress her.

Outside, the rain began again.

Gu Hua finished dressing and, afraid of being late, had Dong Hua hold an oil-paper umbrella under the corridor while waiting for Mu Junyan.

After half a quarter-hour, footsteps sounded. She turned and saw him standing under the eaves in a sapphire-blue straight robe—looking at her as she looked at him.

She had made that robe herself.

She knew Mu Junyan only ever wore black. When she had asked him why, he said he often got injured—black didn’t show blood.

At that moment, she had felt heartbroken for him.

So regardless of his preferences, she made him many brightly colored robes.

She didn’t expect him to wear one today.

And he looked extremely handsome.

Mu Junyan approached with a smile, taking the umbrella from Dong Hua with one hand and holding Gu Hua’s hand with the other.

“Do you like it?”

Gu Hua’s eyes sparkled.

“I do. It’s made by my wife, every stitch full of love for her husband.”

Gu Hua pressed her lips together shyly, her cheeks turning pink. “When did you learn to talk so sweetly?”

Mu Junyan lowered his head to look at her. “I’m telling the truth. Hua’er, having you is my greatest blessing.”

Gu Hua’s eyes turned red. She tightly held his large hand. “Marrying you is mine. Whenever I see you, I feel at peace. No matter what hardships I faced before, I have the courage to forget them.”

Mu Junyan bent and breathed in at the top of her head. “From the first moment I saw you, I knew this little girl would be entangled with me. I just didn’t expect it to be like this.”

Gu Hua smiled and rolled her eyes at him. “Good thing you mistook me for Gu Wanru back then. Otherwise, who would you have married me to?”

Mu Junyan said solemnly, “I did it on purpose. I could tell Gu Wanru’s gaze was nothing like yours. But I didn’t want to risk losing you, so I betrothed you to Mu An. Unfortunately…”

Gu Hua quickly interrupted, “Let’s not talk about the past. They’ve received the punishment they deserved. In the end, everything came full circle—we were meant to be. Let’s go, Mother and the children must be waiting.”

The two walked together beneath the umbrella through the rain.

Gu Hua glowed with a smile, telling him all the things she’d accomplished with pride these days.

Mu Junyan didn’t say a word—he simply watched her radiant face, her lips opening and closing, her skirt swaying gently. Her smile shone like sunlight.

It didn’t matter what she said.

What mattered was that she was beside him.

His Hua’er had blossomed from a bud to full bloom.

Not quite a girl, not yet fully a mature woman—every expression charming to the extreme.

Under Mu Junyan’s orders, craftsmen worked day and night. Even skilled soldiers from the Mu Army joined to help.

Not just them—craftsmen among the people of Ju Prefecture also contributed.

Gu Hua complained that he was making soldiers do unnecessary work, but he said he didn’t want construction mess to disturb her too long, so they needed to finish quickly.

The expansion of the prince’s residence, originally expected to take three months, was completed in one.

By the time they left for Dali on the first of October, the entire residence was finished.

Mu Junyan said he would choose an auspicious day for the housewarming ceremony.

Gu Hua thought he had become strangely fussy.

Walking hand in hand through the drizzle, chatting and laughing, they eventually reached the Old Madam’s courtyard.

Inside, the old lady and the babies were making cheerful, lively noises, filling the room with joy.

When Gu Hua and Mu Junyan entered, the two babies learning to crawl on the couch turned their heads at the same time.

Mu Junyan startled, rushing over in a step and supporting both little heads with his hands. “Ah! Don’t twist your heads like that!”

The Old Madam laughed. “They can lift their heads now.”

“Ah? Really? Yesterday they only lifted them for a moment.”

The Old Madam smacked him lightly. “When you were their age, you were already sitting on the ground watching your father practice martial arts.”

Mu Junyan carefully withdrew his hands, smiling. “Was I that amazing?”

Gu Hua giggled. “Like father like son. These two are just as impressive.”

As the room filled with chatter, Zhou Zhilan burst in excitedly.

“Zhou Chunyu has arrived!”

“He’s here? Finally.” Gu Hua smiled at her.

Zhou Zhilan blushed under Gu Hua’s gaze and added quickly, “Also—your two younger brothers have arrived as well.”

Gu Hua was shocked. “Ah? How did the two of them come?”