Song Chu: Dad, if you don't work hard, how can I just lie down and relax?

Chapter 10 Hehe, hehe

The red candles flickered with a dim yellow light, casting long shadows in the bridal chamber.

The house was very simple, even shabby. It was not appropriate to be extravagant during the national mourning period, and Han Tong's family had just moved to the capital. Apart from a canopy bed, an eight-immortal table, two chairs, and a few porcelain vases, there was nothing else. Wang Jun sat on the edge of the bed, not knowing where to put his hands and feet.

Looking at the unfamiliar young girl in front of him, he was honestly about the same age as his granddaughter. The thought of consummating their marriage filled him with a mix of emotions: helplessness, absurdity, excitement, and eroticism. He was at a loss for what to do.

The girl was so young that he felt a little embarrassed.

Han Ling'er held up a fan to cover her face, but after a while, seeing that Wang Jun didn't come to take it, she put it down herself.

"My husband."

"Huh? Ah~"

"My father married me off to win over my husband. If he dislikes me, that's understandable. He must be a very capable man."

"Since they're so capable, it's understandable that they harbor resentment and anger after being forced into this marriage by my father. I can understand that."

Wang Jun quickly shook his head and said, "No, no, I have no resentment at all. The young lady is young and beautiful, while I... I already have such a grown son. It is the young lady who has been wronged."

"I wouldn't call it feeling wronged. I don't understand the relationship between my husband and my father. I am a concubine's daughter, born out of wedlock. My father made me marry, so I had no choice but to marry. Now that I'm married, I can only devote myself to you."

It's not a matter of willingness or unwillingness; there's simply no other way. I imagine my husband feels the same way. Regardless, since you are now my husband and my father's son-in-law, the whole world knows from today onwards. There's no other way. But I wonder if my husband is willing to live with me?"

"Young lady, you are right. What's done is done, and there's no turning back. To talk about 'willingness' anymore would be pretentious. Although we've just met, you are in the prime of your life, while I am already old."

You are the daughter of a high-ranking official, while I am but a wandering swordsman. You are immensely wealthy, while I am penniless. You are as beautiful as a flower, while I am of average appearance. Since we are already engaged...

I really shouldn't be so sentimental; I should just live a good life with the girl.

Han Ling'er lowered her head and bit her lip.

"Um... my wedding dress is quite thick, and it's a bit tiring to wear. How about... my husband helps me take it off? It'll be more comfortable that way."

Wang Jun paused for a moment, then gave a soft "hmm" and reached out to unbutton his shirt.

The red candle was still burning, and the candle wax dripped onto the candlestick, condensing into tiny wax flowers. Moonlight shone through the window and spilled onto the floor, like a layer of white frost.

"Um...do you have any maids to accompany you in your dowry?" Wang Jun suddenly asked.

"Oh? My husband, you don't mean... you prefer the three of you together?"

"Oh no, no, no, it's not that. I... I have a rebellious son, you know? This son is not very filial, lacks virtue, disrespects his elders, and is quite precocious. I suspect he's eavesdropping outside the door right now. I'm a little embarrassed, could you please have your maid go and chase him away?"

Han Ling'er: "…………"

........................

Let's leave aside what happened that night for now; before we knew it, it was the next morning.

After waking up, Wang Jun glanced at his real, adorable wife beside him, tiptoed out of bed, dressed, and, not wanting to wake her, quietly opened the door and went out.

He saw Wang Lu leaning against a pillar in the outer room with a cold smile, staring at him with ill intent.

Wang Jun blushed: "Why are you awake so early?"

Wang Lu: "How does it feel to be an old ox eating tender grass? Tsk tsk, and you even chased me away. You really didn't waste your youth, huh? What's that saying on the internet again? 'Three years of blood money, death sentence is not unjust'?"

Oh dear, my poor mother, now that she's an old lady, all she cares about is her little girl. Is she so happy here that she doesn't want to go home?

Wang Jun's face turned even redder. He quickly closed the door, somewhat embarrassed and angry. He first cursed, "You little brat," and then said:

"Past life and present life, Zhuangzi's dream of a butterfly, are essentially two separate lives. The past life is the past life, and this life is this life. Whether we go back or not, we must live this life well and not waste our youth."

Wang Jun grimaced and made a face: "You've lived up to your youth~ You've become so artistic after sleeping with young girls."

Wang Jun became increasingly annoyed, but instead of cursing, he said very seriously, "Your father was sixty-four years old in his previous life. If it weren't for this opportunity, how many more years would I have lived? And would I even have a quality of life?"

Since time remains unchanged when we return from this time travel, isn't this extra lifetime of time simply an extra one for me? What's wrong with saying I should cherish my youth?

It's not that I don't want to go back. Reaching the highest official rank is no easy goal, and it's definitely not something you can rush.

My body is thirty years old now. What's wrong with a sixty-something-year-old man enjoying the prime of life that a thirty-year-old body brings me? What's there to laugh at or feel guilty about? As for your stepmother…”

"Yi~~~~~" Wang Luzhi pouted.

"Ahem, as the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. We have two lives, but we still need to make some distinctions. You're still a little too young. In a couple of years, it'll be time to find you a wife."

He paused, then added, "Let me tell you about an even younger one."

"Me? I don't need a wife. It's not like I don't have one. I'm absolutely loyal to my wife, unlike you."

Besides, it can't be too small, that's weird. I'm not Epstein's army, no way, I'll have psychological issues."

"Seventeen or eighteen, that's fine. Any younger and you'll really feel the psychological burden. Honestly, a second marriage without children is okay too. Sixteen or seventeen is still considered a child. For a woman, twenty-four or twenty-five is just right."

"You're only eleven or twelve. If you're looking for someone who's twenty-four or twenty-five, are you looking for a wife or a mother? Why don't you just wait another ten years or so until you're twenty-four or twenty-five yourself?"

"Ah, that's not necessary. Marriage is a matter of parental arrangement and matchmaker's words. I'll listen to you. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Anyway, this is ancient society, where concubines are allowed."

"Yes, it's legal to take concubines."

"hey-hey."

"hey-hey."

"Prostitution is also legal."

"That's not it. Prostitution was illegal in the Northern Song Dynasty, but entertaining guests was legal. There were no places in the restaurants where you could solicit prostitutes, but if you got along well with a hostess and she agreed, you could take her home or something. Once you left the restaurant, whatever you did was consensual, and the government wouldn't interfere."

"It's just about enacting a legal law."

"Um."

"Doesn't your wife at home care either?"

"Um."

"hey-hey."

"hey-hey."

The father and son exchanged a smile, their unspoken understanding unspoken.

Suddenly the door behind me creaked open.

Han Ling'er, dressed in a plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), was startled to see the two people at the door. She asked curiously, "Husband, and... Lu'er, what are you laughing at?"

The smiles on the father and son's faces froze instantly.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. Come on, let's have breakfast."