Chapter Thirteen: The Night is Short

  Lu Qi listened and was stunned, this matter is indeed not easy to dissuade, he thought for a moment and smiled: "Ning Er, do you have a way to persuade my mother, teach me?"

  Ning Er shook her head and said calmly, "This is a major event for the Lu family, I can only support it and won't destroy it. Moreover, this matter was brought up by Young Master's wife, if I were to obstruct it, she would definitely harbor resentment towards me."

  Lu Qi was taken aback and asked in surprise: "Have you had a grudge against my sister-in-law?"

  Ning'er sighed softly: "The resentment was formed last night, when you and the young master went out, we three were talking together. The madam mentioned letting me become a concubine, I said everything would be up to the madam's decision. As soon as I finished speaking, the young master's wife immediately asked the madam to assign me to the young master's household, and the madam agreed. However, I disagreed and requested the madam to transfer me to your name instead. The result was that the young master's wife was very embarrassed, although she didn't say anything, but I knew she was extremely displeased."

  Lu Qi furrowed his brow, not expecting such trivial household matters to arise as soon as he returned home. Ning'er's self-inflicted injury was a result of her deep emotional connection with him since childhood, so why would his sister-in-law want her to do that?

  He added: "Sister-in-law is gentle and kind, she won't hold a grudge over this matter."

  "Ning'er said worriedly: 'You don't understand the heart of a woman. Although Mrs. Zhang is a virtuous and gentlewoman, women have always taken pride in their husbands' wealth and status. I refused to return to the main house and chose to belong to you instead, which would make her think that I looked down on Mr. Zhang's incompetence and refused to return to him because of it. With this mindset, even if she has a broad heart, she will still harbor resentment towards me. Therefore, I must not provoke her further. As Mrs. Zhang is in the same position as your future wife, if she were to speak ill of me as a greedy and opportunistic woman due to her grievances, your future wife would certainly look down on me. At that time, my situation will be very difficult.'"

  Lu Qi listened and felt annoyed in his heart, furrowed his brow and said: "Sister, why did you want him?"

  Ning Er smiled bitterly: "Don't you really know? It's been six years since Master Changshao got married, and Mistress Changshao has not yet given birth. As for me, it's naturally to bear children."

  Lu Qi nodded and said: "Don't worry, I'll find your sister-in-law to explain it to you when I have the chance."

  Ning Er exclaimed in surprise: "You mustn't do such a foolish thing, this matter is just a hidden grievance, if it's made clear, it will make the young mistress feel even more humiliated. You absolutely must not get involved in this, I'll think of a way to resolve it with sincerity."

  Lu Qi nodded, women's grievances always gave him a headache, and not intervening was the best course of action. He thought for a moment and asked in a gentle tone, "Ning'er, is there really no way to stop this blind date?"

  Ning'er fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly: "To be honest, I don't want you to marry now, and I'd like to put it off for some time, so that I can have the chance to give birth to children. If you marry a narrow-minded shrewish wife, even if I do give birth to children, your first wife will oppose me and I won't be able to get the status of concubine."

  Lu Qi thought for a moment, reached out and grasped one of her soft jade-like hands. Ning Er's body trembled as a blush rose to her cheeks and neck, and she heard his gentle voice say: "Sister, if you are not pregnant within a year, I will adopt a daughter and acknowledge you as her mother, giving you the title. As the male head of the household, if my mother does not strongly object, I will take care of this matter before getting married."

  Ning Er suddenly lifted her head in shock, staring at Lu Qi. Lu Qi's eyes were fixed on hers with a sincere and determined gaze. Tears blurred her beautiful eyes, then poured out like a fountain, falling onto her clothes. Her delicate body leaned against his broad chest, tightly clinging to him as she sobbed softly. Lu Qi lovingly wrapped his arms around her.

  "Sister, your body is so soft and beautiful, what should I do?"

  "You fool, have you been abroad for five years without finding a woman? Are you cheating on your sister?"

  "Sister, I've been abroad for five years, fighting every day. I was just a low-ranking soldier and didn't even have the qualifications to touch a camp follower, it's true."

  "You've really suffered, oh..."

  Lu Qi is a young man who has never been with a woman? Of course not, he indeed hasn't been with those half-dead prostitutes, but in his three or four years of bloody and desperate life in the military, under the cruel and violent environment, he had at least raped more than ten women, most of the time he was just following the crowd and had no choice, being isolated in the army meant that one could lose their life at any moment, the soldiers in the war were even more brutal than bandits, wherever they went, they would burn, loot, and rape, doing all sorts of evil.

  The night is short, a young and vigorous man, seeing the soft jade skin of a beautiful woman, his animal nature is greatly aroused. A lonely person for many years, at the prime age, facing the accumulation of emotions from a young man, plus the promise that will determine her happiness for the rest of her life, she gratefully shows off her charm, and with all her might welcomes the passion of spring/love, on the bed they passionately love each other for half an hour before stopping.

  After a satisfying meal, Lu Qi collapsed onto the bed like a deflated balloon, fast asleep. Ning's cheeks were flushed with pleasure, her eyes shining like silk threads. She struggled to get up and fetched a soft towel to gently wipe away the sweat from Lu Qi's body, her expression a mix of shyness and tender care. Suddenly, her hand stopped moving, and her gaze drifted off into a daze as memories of the past flooded back.

  She was born into a family of eighth-grade officials, and at the age of 15, she fled with her parents from the war-torn Central Plains to Shouzhou. Unexpectedly, after arriving in Shouzhou, she was sold by her ruthless father. She was bought as a gift for a high-ranking official who controlled heavy troops. The official first accepted her, but later gave her away to Lu Qi's father. At that time, she was fortunate not to have fallen into prostitution and became a concubine with a good reputation in the official family. Unfortunately, good times did not last long. Lu Qi's father's army was defeated, and he lost one arm and one leg. What's more frightening is that he also lost his sexual function due to a back injury from an arrow. This young and beautiful concubine was equivalent to being widowed while still alive.

  The Lu family was very good to her, and Mrs. Lu always treated her like a biological sister, taking care of her. After the Lu family moved from Shouzhou to Shijie County, Mr. Lu suggested several times that she remarry, but she refused to leave because she cherished the harmony and kindness of the Lu family and feared encountering misfortune if she remarried.

  When Lu Bo was dying, he said sorry to her and asked Lu Mu to take care of her like a sister or daughter. Lu Mu agreed and had always been good to her, but did not allow her to show her face in public because the world was not peaceful and feared being harassed by shameless people. Therefore, she mainly took care of Lu Qi and Xiao Yan, sweeping and washing household chores.

  She is thirty-one this year, at this age she felt the fear of having no children, looking at the poor situation of Lu's family, she knew that she should find a way out, but she also remembered the kindness of Lu's mother, and actively asked to be sold as a concubine, while seeking a way out, she repaid the Lu family, just finalized the buyer, Xiao Qi unexpectedly returned home in glory.

  Lu Qi's return turned the Lu family's fortunes around, reversing all their difficulties and decline. Perhaps it was her voluntary repayment of kindness during the Lu family's most difficult times that moved Mrs. Lu, who came up with the idea of using a local custom to make her the concubine of the next generation of Lu family males. She agreed, and for the sake of the feelings in her heart, she made a reckless choice and chose Lu Qi.

  She gazed at Lu Qi, who was asleep, with a gentle and soft expression, smiling sweetly like a little girl. Tonight, she had to sleep with Lu Qi; if she missed this opportunity, her fate would change, for she was already a concubine without autonomy. If Lu Qi didn't consummate their marriage soon, she would have to obey another man at any moment. Her previous attempt to leave the bed was just a ruse, a pose to lure him in. If Lu Qi didn't stop her, her next move would be to fall to the ground and cry, using tears to awaken his affectionate heart.

  That night, her heart was put at ease. With this wild and exciting experience, she believed that Lu Qi would not abandon her for several years to come. She had a beautiful vision of the future. Her greatest hope now was to get pregnant as soon as possible and regain her status. She understood that it was impossible to stop Lu Qi from marrying his official wife, so she did not hope that Lu Qi would only belong to her. Since she could not stop it, she could only hope that Lu Qi's future official wife would be a kind and tolerant woman.

  A streak of morning light crept through the window gap into the bedroom, Bang! Bang! Bang! Three knocks on the door broke the silence in the room, and a couple on the bed suddenly sat up.

  "Who's there?" Lu Qi asked in surprise.

  "Seventh brother, it's getting late, mother has something to look for you, hurry up and go over." The gentle female voice outside the door was his sister-in-law, Zhou Yue'er.

  Lu Qi's face suddenly felt hot, and the sunlight from the window seemed to be already at its peak. He responded with a "yes" and hastily got out of bed to get dressed. Ning'er also helped him put on his clothes while blushing beautifully. After hurriedly finishing dressing and checking his appearance, Ning'er whispered some words in his ear. Lu Qi nodded and smiled as he went to the door, opened it, and greeted his sister-in-law with a bow. Under her gentle smile, he walked out with a flushed face, feeling slightly embarrassed.