She looked down and met his eyes that were slowly opening, filled with panic, uncertainty, and then embarrassment turning to anger.

Caught red-handed trying to cover up the “bed incident”, the culprit instead reacted like a frightened rabbit, scared into burrowing into the quilt.

Liu Changning spread her hands, thinking that being a woman these days… wasn’t easy.

She, a person of pure heart and few desires, had lived three lifetimes in total, and today she was afraid she would gain a reputation for being “eager for sex”.

Thinking of this, a bitter smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She tugged at the bulging brocade quilt and said flatly, “Get up!”

The bed board didn’t move at all.

“Husband, if you stay buried in the quilt, are you planning for your wife to personally carry you up?” Liu Changning said flirtatiously, imitating the tone that women in this world used towards men, according to the original owner’s memories.

“You dare!” The quilt was suddenly thrown back, and he looked over fiercely. But when his gaze met her jade-white fingers, the aura of righteous indignation on his body instantly collapsed.

He looked away, irritably rubbing the mole at the corner of his eye.

He opened and closed his mouth, a sense of guilt washing over him.

He had just become aroused over a woman who couldn’t perform, and now no matter how flirtatious she was, he couldn’t be so unreasonable. After all, it was he who had tried to force her! For a young man to try to force a woman who was unable to perform, it must be especially humiliating for them as female rulers.

Pei Yuanshao lowered his head, staring at the bed curtains with their hidden blue color. He opened his mouth and apologized in a muffled voice, “You… I wasn’t…”

Before he could finish speaking, the farm woman beside him took the initiative to admit fault first: “Breathing while buried in the quilt is bad for your lungs. It was my fault earlier. …I shouldn’t have held your hand. If you’re upset, I can promise you one condition…”

“Hm?”

“If you don’t believe me, I can swear an oath. If I ever have even the slightest improper thought towards Young Master Yuan in the future, I will suffer…”

The man who had been hanging his head suddenly looked up, interrupting her with a strange expression: “No need to swear, I believe you. ”

Finally, he gave her another complicated look, as if looking at a big fool, and said in a low voice, “I trust you completely, why would you need to swear? With your… condition of not being able to perform. If I return to… the city in the future, I could find a good doctor for you. That kind of problem, as long as you’re not afraid to seek treatment, it might be curable.”

Liu Changning looked at him suspiciously, seeing that his concerned expression didn’t seem fake.

She thought to herself, her convenient husband sincerely wanting to find a doctor for her was indeed considerate. However, her original body’s condition of cold qi entering the body could be cured with some medicinal baths and proper care, there was no need to see a doctor.

She gently declined: “There’s no need to trouble yourself, I know my own body best. With good care, it might heal on its own.”

Pei Yuanshao pressed his lips together, seeing her look so calm. As a man himself, he couldn’t continue to advise on such matters.

He gripped the quilt underneath him tightly, saying guiltily: “If you don’t want to, that’s fine. Tomorrow we’ll go to Butcher Wang’s house to buy some… um, lamb testicles to bring back.”

Liu Changning’s eyes suddenly widened: “Lamb… testicles?”

The man not far away nodded, with an expression as if she had never seen the world.

The surprised look on Liu Changning’s face grew even stronger. In this female-dominated world, not only could men give birth, but even… even sheep had changed species and become oviparous, laying eggs?

It was truly miraculous.

The two of them were talking past each other, but it did dispel the ambiguous atmosphere of the early morning.

—

When the village chief came to the door, Liu Changning and Pei Yuanshao were standing at the entrance of the kitchen, staring blankly.

The room was in disarray, the food they had bought a few days ago was all soaked by rainwater, and the rice was floating in water.

The two people, unaccustomed to worldly affairs, looked at each other, not knowing where to start.

Pei Yuanshao turned his head and asked her, “What should we do?”

Liu Changning opened her mouth, her usually calm and composed facial expression somewhat explosive. She pressed her lips together, a flash of bewilderment passing through her tea-colored eyes.

The sudden knocking sound from the door interrupted the silent atmosphere as the two stood facing each other.

They both turned their heads to look at the wooden door at the same time.

“Niece Changning, are you home?” A middle-aged woman’s voice came from outside the door.

Liu Changning frowned, walking past her convenient husband and stepping through the shallow puddles on the ground towards the door.

Pei Yuanshao, however, followed slowly behind her. She turned back in surprise to see the red-clothed, black-haired man lift his chin towards the wooden door, explaining in a pretend aloof manner: “What good can come from someone coming to the door so early in the morning? You have a weak constitution, and I do know some martial arts after all. If someone causes trouble, I can at least save you some face.”

Liu Changning’s expression froze slightly, a very faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips: “Thank you.”

The man, backlit, rubbed the mole at the corner of his eye and snorted coldly, his footsteps not stopping as he followed closely behind her.

—

The wooden door opened.

The large woman at the forefront of the door turned out to be the village chief of West Bridge Village upon closer inspection.

Liu Changning raised an eyebrow, looking over the visitor, and stepped forward to exchange greetings for a moment.

The village chief had a straightforward personality and directly stated her purpose for coming.

She then introduced the man behind her: “This person is named Guangjing. He will be staying at your house from now on. Although he is a young man, he can do some work. He probably won’t stay for long, as the war in the north is about to end. Niece, please be accommodating in the coming days.”

A trace of disgust flashed through Liu Changning’s eyes. Having a convenient husband at home was already very troublesome, and now another young man was coming.

But with the village chief speaking to this extent, she had no reason to refuse. She couldn’t turn away this refugee against the rules set by Jin Feng for the former empress.

Liu Changning glanced from afar at the man standing not far away with his head lowered. Although he was wearing worn-out clothes and looked disheveled, he was quite proper, standing straight with his hands at his sides.

While she was talking with the village chief, he didn’t show the slightest bit of impropriety. One look and she knew he was a person who observed etiquette.

Liu Changning reluctantly nodded. At least a well-behaved person wouldn’t cause trouble.

However, unexpectedly, her convenient husband, who hadn’t spoken until now, let out a cold snort. Seeing her turn her head to look at him, he narrowed his eyes threateningly and said: “Our family only has four mud-brick rooms. If he comes, you…”

He took two steps forward, his lips pressed against her ear, gritting his teeth and warning in a low voice: “You’re not planning to live with him, are you?”