Yu Xiang took a bath after planting those herbs. Lying in bed, she looked at the jade crown's hairpin that Shen Yuan Qi gave her.
Liu Lu was drying her wet hair with a cloth towel when she exclaimed, "Is this the gift from top scholar Shen? It's not even inferior to the one given by Lord Marquis, which can be seen how very attentive he is to Young Miss."
Laughing, Yu Xiang said, "I've long felt that he looks very familiar, but I never expect he is actually my elder brother. No wonder he is so handsome and in fact resembles me."
The corner of Liu Lu's mouth twitched, "He is several years older than Young Miss, shouldn't you be the one who resembles him. But it's rather strange too, you and the Marquis are not related at all yet there are five to six points of similarity in both your appearances. Truly remarkable."
Yu Xiang touched her cheek with a smug look, "I've said before that this is the similarity looks of the husband and wife."
A low laugh came from outside the door as the two talked when Yu Pin Yan reached out to lift the beads curtain. Tao Hong hurriedly stepped forward and spoke cheerfully, "Guye[1], you are back. Nubi will go make tea for you."
She lifted her foot to leave when Yu Pin Yan called out, "Wait, what did you just called this Marquis?"
Tao Hong blinked, her expression was extremely innocent, "Guye ah, what else to address you?"
Liu Lu covered her face and groaned but Yu Pin Yan's low laugh became boisterous laughter and not knowing what he was thinking that a small gold ingot was flipped out as he laughingly spoke, "This yatou[2]'s mouth is witty, here's your reward."
Eyes abruptly widened, Tao Hong received the gold ingot with both her hands and babbled non-stop, "Nubi thanks Guye's reward. Guye, come in please and take a seat. Wait a moment, Guye while Nubi go make tea in the side room ..."
Hand on her forehead, Yu Xiang's tone was listless, "Okay, you go quickly. There is no more reward even if you continue calling Guye, unless you want to get a burst chestnut[3] from me."
Tao Hong hastily covered her forehead and left like a wisp of smoke while Liu Lu retreated along the foot of the wall and shut the door before she went out.
Yu Pin Yan walked over to his younger sister's bedside and sat down before he spoke with a smile, "I always thought Liu Lu is smarter than Tao Hong but today I realized that I have made an error in judgment."
Putting the crown's hairpin back into the box, Yu Xiang snorted, "Both my yatou are very smart, otherwise would I settle on them?"
Yu Pin Yan picked up the cloth towel by the bedside table to continue drying her hair. Staring at the brocade box, he asked, "I've never seen this crown's hairpin before, who gave you?"
"A gift from Shen Yuan Qi. He asked Yu Si Yu to bring in on the day of jiji[4]." With one hand propping her cheek, Yu Xiang spoke expectantly, "Elder Brother, can I get to know him secretly? He is really good, even-tempered, talented, good looking and upstanding."
The smile on Yu Pin Yan's face vanished completely as he asked in a deep voice, "He is talented and good looking, but how did you discern about his temper and character?"
"You see, Yu Miao Qi caused the ruin of his, no, our family yet he never thought to retaliate even after he was conferred the top scholar title. It can clearly be seen that his character is utterly noble and unsullied."
"Since you are so eager to get acquainted with him, why don't I go inform Old Ancestor now asking her to send you back then I come to propose marriage?" Yu Pin Yan pressed his entire body on his younger sister and nibbled her slender neck as he spoke.
Yu Xiang immediately panicked and hugged her elder brother's strong lean waist firstly as she cried out faintly, "Don't go, don't go. It's soon the end of the year. Let us first allow the Old Ancestor to have a good year and put off the matter of acknowledging the ancestry in the coming year."
Yu Pin Yan did not answer. Kissing along her neck to her collarbone, he left several bright red marks on her. Yu Xiang moaned, her cheeks flushed uncontrollably while her eyes were dewy, like a kitten longing for its master's affectionate care.
Yu Pin Yan's eyes darkened profoundly. His large hand pushed her blouse aside and kneaded her smooth rounded shoulder. The breath puffed out of his nose was scorching with fiery heat. At this moment, Tao Hong walked in casually with a pot of tea and seeing the two entangling with no distinction between them, she shrieked out an 'ah' and fled.
Thanks to her professionalism, she did not smash the teapot.
Rolling over, Yu Pin Yan sat up and carefully gathered the collars of his younger sister's clothes. His thumbs scraped over her attractive cleavage and said gaspingly, "I just mentioned her wittiness and she becomes so stupid in a blink of an eye."
Yu Xiang collapsed on the bed with laughter at these words.
Liu Lu chased after Tao Hong and asked for the tea tray. She then knocked cautiously on the door and only entered after hearing the permission. After pouring the tea for the two masters, she took out an exquisite small medicinal bottle and reminded, "Young Miss, it's time for the massage."
Yu Xiang's legs need to be massaged once a day to keep the muscles active. As Tao Hong is strong, this is usually done by her but she was scared away this time and Liu Lu could only take her place but she did not expect the Marquis to take the medicinal bottle and said, "Let me do it. You retreat first."
Liu Lu stiffened and refused to leave, "Lord Marquis, Young Miss' pants need to be rolled up in order to massage her legs." So, it's improper to look.
Yu Pin Yan looked askance at her with a smile, "I used to massage Xiang'er legs until she was fourteen, don't I know that?"
Looking at the cold face and scorching eyes of the Marquis, Liu Lu then looked at her uncaring master and could only leave after she curtsied
The underground heating kept the room warm while two braziers were placed beside the bed, so the temperature was extremely pleasant like a warm spring day. Yu Xiang was wearing only a ruqun[1] and a smock. The white socks on her feet had long been taken off and ten small rounded pink toes were slightly curled up, appearing extremely adorable.
As she is completely numb below her kneecap, the pair of jade feet looks more delicately small compared to other people's and just a soft grip, they are actually not even half the size of a palm. Yu Pin Yan rubbed her fair in-step with one hand while the other kneaded her rounded toes and felt somewhat fond of them that he could not tear himself away. After he had kneaded enough, he placed her two little feet together and lowered his head to kiss each of her feet.
Yu Xiang was happy inwardly but her mouth wilfully refused to forgive and pretended to be angry, "If I can move my legs, I am sure to kick off your front tooth and see if you will tease me again!"
Yu Pin Yan laughed deeply, "This can also be called tease? It's still early."
Under Yu Xiang's ruqun was a pair of light yellow bloomers. The bottom of the bloomers were fastened into bowknots by the silk ribbons and looked very delicately cute. Yu Pin Yan undid the bows as he spoke and pushed the legs of the bloomers all the way up her crotch when his smile gradually faded while two clusters of flames that were amazingly bright seemingly ignited within his eyes.
His younger sister's legs have grown a lot in just one year which are straighter and more slender than he remembered. They are also smoother than jade and the soft white skin was like melted sheep's fat that made people want to take a big bite and savor the tempting taste when they were placed on the golden camellia embroidered bedding.
For a moment, Yu Pin Yan practically forgot how to breathe but he quickly adjusted. Pouring the herb-scented essential oil in the medicinal bottle onto his palm, he rubbed it evenly before massaging inch by inch along his younger sister's leg. When he reached the hideous knife-wound scar on her kneecap, there was not the least bit of teasing thoughts in his mind anymore as he asked dumbly, "Do you feel anything here?"
"No sensation." Yu Xiang shook her head with an indifferent expression.
He continued massaging her calf and asked if there was any feeling every inch of the way but in return, it was always the shaking of her head. When he finally reached her toes, his face was already very gloomy and he spoke firmly, "Don't worry Xiang'er. Elder Brother will definitely bring Great Master Ku Hui back to heal your legs."
Yu Xiang has been paralyzed for two lifetimes and has already gotten used to it. Besides, it was only the calves that were numb in this life as she can roll over and sit up on her own. So, she was a little indifferent about it, "We haven't found him after searching for five years. Perhaps Great Master Ku Hui has perished while crossing the sea." Seemingly aware that those words amounted to a curse, she hurriedly put her palms together and recited 'Amitabha Buddha'.
Pouring a little more essential oil, Yu Pin Yan prepared to massage a second round when his tone carried some hints of frigidness, "If he's dead, then I will truss up Divine Doctor Pu. Isn't he unbending? Then I'll inflict him with all 33,600 kinds of tortures and see if he will still be unyielding."
Yu Xiang silently lit a candle for Divine Doctor Pu and placated, "Don't. Divine Doctor Pu is known as 'Preserve a Life', who even the Emperor is counting on him to preserve a life. You must not do that. Let's search for one more year and it is fine if we can't find him. Anyway, I stay home all day and you carry me wherever I go, so it really doesn't matter whether I can walk or not."
Hanging his head low to massage conscientiously, Yu Pin Yan did not respond while his expression could not be clearly seen.
Yu Xiang was indeed afraid that he would really go after Divine Doctor Pu, so she had to change the subject, "Speaking of which, all along it was Elder Brother who massaged my legs until I was fourteen years old and Elder Brother's skill is so much better than Tao Hong's, so why did you suddenly refuse to massage me anymore?"
Only then did Yu Pin Yan raise his head with lingering love brimming his deep eyes, his voice was also particularly low and hoarse, "Because after the last massage, Elder Brother had wet dreams. Can look but cannot eat, so might as well don't see."
If an ordinary girl heard these provocative and erotic words, she would be bashful to death but Yu Xiang is a brazen girl who is a little shy at first, yet after getting used to it, she is actually even more open than Yu Pin Yan. In her previous life, she had never come into contact with the opposite sex other than her twin brother, so naturally never been in love but now that she has experience this feeling of overflowing sweetness, she can't stop herself and even treated this as a secret realm that she has to keep exploring.
Her bright eyes were filled with self-gratification hearing those words. She pointed at her slightly pouting red lips and tempted him, "You like me so much ah? Then why aren't you coming over to kiss me?"
Yu Pin Yan laughed softly. Scorching hot by her openness, he held nothing back for her. If the first half of his life was full of misery and massacre then the extremely colorful bright little woman in front of him is precisely the only bright color and sweetness in his gloomily dark life. He approached slowly, opening his mouth to take the soft luster red lips when the red lips retreated the moment before his lips touched hers.
"What's the matter?" His Adam's apple bobbed and felt intensely parched.
"Let's change the way we kiss." Yu Xiang pushed her elder brother's handsome face away. Looking left then right, she twirled a long strip of malt sugar from the bowl and bit it between her teeth then spoke ambiguously, "Come kiss me."
Being in love for the first time in her two lifetimes, she is like a child who just obtains a novel toy that she constantly looks for a happier way to play. Not only does she request all sorts of quirky ways to get along, but she can also employ hundreds of methods to kiss.
Yu Pin Yan can't love her shamelessness enough but with the malt sugar in between, he really didn't know how to kiss her and had to ask dumbfoundedly, "With something in your mouth, how can Elder Brother kiss you?"
"I bite this end while you the other end and we nibble on it until we kiss each other then. Why are you so stupid?" Yu Xiang spoke and poked his mouth with the malt sugar that she had between her teeth at the same time.
Seemingly awakened and enlightened, Yu Pin Yan laughed then snapped and munched on the malt sugar before finally nipped the tormenting minx into his mouth. A different taste from the usual sweetness exploded amidst their entangling tongues and countless fireworks instantly discharged endlessly in their mind.
Yu Pin Yan's eyes were red as he clutched his younger sister's waist firmly, wishing he could just devour her along this incomparable sweetness. After the kiss, Yu Xiang wrapped her arms around his neck and kept asking, "Is it sweet? Is it sweet ..."
Sweet, the whole person seemed to have soaked in the sugar water that he couldn't wait to drown himself in it. Yu Pin Yan pecked her swollen red lips and smiled happily.