"Mingcheng, sister-in-law, you two have to finish this apple — every last bit!"
No one knew where Jinyuan had dug up so many wedding-night games, but she was certainly having the time of her life with them.
The newlyweds Mingcheng and Li Caixia were having a considerably less enjoyable time.
"Jinyuan, give me a break!" Mingcheng himself could take it, but he hated seeing his wife suffer.
From this day forward, this woman was the one who would walk through life by his side.
As her husband, he now bore the duty of protecting her.
"Last one, I promise this is the last game — come on, Mingcheng, hurry up!"
Zhao Baihui walked over and pulled Jinyuan down from where she stood on the table, dangling an apple on a string to torment the newlyweds.
"Mingcheng, get some rest. It's been a long day."
"Take the next few days easy — no need to get up too early tomorrow either."
Jinyuan cut in: "What the master means is that you two should get to work and give him a big bouncing grandson as soon as possible!"
The younger siblings all burst out laughing. Li Caixia's face flushed scarlet.
Zhao Baihui grabbed the apple and stuffed it into Jinyuan's mouth. This wild-mouthed girl — honestly. Sure, that was more or less what he had in mind, but you don't just come out and say it like that. Look how badly you've embarrassed the new bride.
"All right, all right, everyone out. Mingcheng gets tomorrow off, but the rest of you still have work!"
"I'll be checking for latecomers tomorrow — anyone who doesn't show up will answer to me!"
"Master, I don't have to go to work."
"Mingxin, are you talking back to me? Get over here — don't you dare run!"
Mingxin had naturally made the trip back from the northern capital for his eldest brother's wedding. Of all of them, he had the longest journey and the most grueling commute.
That said, Longcheng was currently laying several major trunk roads across the Central Plains, and before long the drive from the capital to Longcheng would take only two or three days.
With the master's word given, everyone rose, offered their congratulations to the newlyweds, and took their leave.
The couple finally had a moment to breathe.
"Husband, your family really is so close."
"We are. As you know, we were all orphans — taken in by the master."
"He raised us exactly as he would his own sons. If anything, even better."
"So in this life, if there is one person I absolutely must never fail, it is the master."
"Now that we are married, husband and wife are one. You need to be clear about where you stand."
"Husband, I understand. A woman follows her father while unmarried, and her husband once wed. I know this much at least."
A smile spread across Mingcheng's face. "My dear, the night is late. Let us put out the lamp and rest."
"Mm…"
Early the next morning, the couple rose at dawn all the same and made their way to Zhao Baihui's residence, intending to present him with a cup of tea as tradition required.
Mingming came to open the door, stifling a yawn.
"Brother, the master told you there was no need to rise early — don't you understand what he meant? He wasn't saying you shouldn't bring tea. He was saying don't disturb his morning sleep-in!"
Li Caixia was taken aback. Among all the powerful figures she knew of, this master of theirs was genuinely the only one she had ever known to sleep in quite this late.
Seeming to read his wife's thoughts, Mingcheng leaned close and said with a quiet smile, "You'll get used to it."
He turned back to Mingming. "It's fine — I couldn't sleep anyway, so I came early. We'll just wait in the sitting room."
Li Caixia nodded and followed Mingcheng inside to sit down.
A young girl came in carrying tea and refreshments. Li Caixia glanced over and immediately got to her feet.
She recognized this girl — one of the youngest among the Zhao household, Jinxiang, if she remembered correctly.
Why was she the one serving tea and attending to guests?
"Sister-in-law, please sit, don't stand on ceremony — help yourself to something. There's no telling when the master will be up."
Seeming to notice his wife's puzzlement, Mingcheng said with a smile, "The master prefers to handle ordinary tasks himself. He doesn't like troubling people, so there's not much waiting on to be done around here."
"Day to day, it's usually the younger ones who look after things."
"The master is far too kind-hearted. If he ever hired proper servants, you can be sure some of them would end up as brothers and sisters before long."
"We already have more siblings than we can keep track of."
"So aside from the younger ones, whoever among us has a day off and nothing to do takes turns coming over to help out."
"It's only right that we do. We can't let our good fortune make us forget our place."
"When we have children of our own, once they're old enough, we'll send them here to serve the master too."
"It is what we owe him. And it is our honor."
Li Caixia struggled to make sense of her husband's thinking — that people of standing should willingly take on the work of servants. She could not quite accept it.
This was the mindset that outsiders to Longcheng — even those who held power — found so difficult to change.
Mingcheng understood her reaction, but he could not accept it, and so he would gradually, gently bring his wife around to a different way of seeing things.
The people of Longcheng had no strong sense of social hierarchy. They did not sort the world into the high-born and the low.
There was one exception, and only one exception permitted.
Their master.