Forbidden to Bully the Storybook’s Heroine – Chapter 96
by Little PandaThe Main Story Concludes
On the bed, which was covered with a great red wedding quilt, two snow-white figures were entangled together. Jiang Yao held her whimpering, sobbing little baby in her arms, a vein throbbing at her temple.
She cried this easily?
Jiang Yao was a little exasperated, but when she looked down and saw the girl’s red, swollen eyes, she sighed deeply. She held the sweat-drenched person and pulled the bell connected to the bed. A maidservant, who had long been waiting outside, entered carrying hot water.
The wooden tub was filled with hot water, and some cold water was mixed in. Jiang Yao patted the soft, white buttocks of the woman in her arms and spoke to her gently. “Shall we go wash up first, okay? You’re all sticky, isn’t that uncomfortable?”
Hearing that they were going to wash, Song Muyun instinctively shrank back, looking utterly pitiful. She said cautiously, “Just washing? Then you can’t touch me QAQ”
Jiang Yao was speechless.
Wonderful. She had so little credibility left in her own wife’s heart.
“Alright, alright. I won’t touch you.”
She agreed, but Song Muyun was not reassured. In a voice hoarse from crying, she added, “If you touch me, you’re a little puppy!”
…
How very cautious.
Helpless, Jiang Yao had no choice but to agree again. “Fine, fine, I’m a little puppy if I touch you. I won’t touch you. Can we go wash now?”
Only after she agreed again did Song Muyun nod slightly. She was lifted up, an arm under her legs and another around her waist. She carefully covered her chest, her eyes misty as if veiled in fog as she looked at Jiang Yao, a sight that would make anyone reluctant to bully her.
Muyun thought with a sense of grievance that she had been good enough to Jiang Yao, indulging her in everything. How could Jiang Yao bully her so frequently now? When they had first met, she had been so good and gentle to her. Now she was getting worse and worse!
The young lady huffed softly. As soon as she entered the wooden tub, she deliberately kept her distance from Jiang Yao, lowering her head to wash herself. Water vapor suffused her red lips, making them look moist and incredibly kissable.
Jiang Yao paid her no mind at first. They each washed themselves. Only after she had scrubbed her front did she scoot over with a grin and ask in a soft voice, “Yun’er, can you help me scrub my back? I can’t reach.”
“Oh, okay.”
She was still very obedient. Hearing Jiang Yao speak to her so softly, her heart—which had been incomparably firm in its resolve not to let Jiang Yao touch her—instantly softened.
She took the bath cloth and carefully scrubbed the other’s back. When she was done, Jiang Yao took the initiative to wash her in return.
The delicate young miss had been raised in the inner chambers her whole life; her skin was incredibly tender all over. The slightest force could leave a red mark. Jiang Yao helped her wash gently, not causing her any pain at all.
She abided by their agreement perfectly. She said she wouldn’t touch her, and she truly didn’t.
After helping her finish her bath, she picked her up again, and water cascaded from their bodies.
She was placed on the bed, which had been changed with a fresh set of wedding sheets. The dry, slightly cool wedding quilt enveloped her completely. Jiang Yao followed close behind, getting into bed and holding her. A breeze swept past her ear, the candle was extinguished, and only a gentle voice sounded in the room. “Time to sleep.”
Song Muyun’s eyes widened slightly. For some reason, she kicked Jiang Yao with a small, still-warm foot that had just come out of the tub.
Tonight is our wedding night. Aren’t you going to say something? You’re just going to sleep like this?
In the storybooks, they always have a lot to say on their wedding night!
Did Jiang Yao not want to talk to her?
In the darkness, Song Muyun grew inexplicably upset. Her eyes gradually filled with moisture. She hadn’t wanted to think about it, but she couldn’t help it. The more she thought, the angrier she became, and the more it weighed on her mind. She suddenly turned over, presenting her back to Jiang Yao.
This angry posture was a little too obvious. Jiang Yao opened her eyes, stunned. A moment later, she silently moved closer. “Why are you unhappy? Did I do something to upset you?”
Not only did the young lady not speak, she even nudged Jiang Yao with her elbow, leaving Jiang Yao completely baffled. She said in a muffled voice, “I’m not going to speak to you ever again.”
Jiang Yao was shocked. She quickly pulled the girl over to face her, demanding to know why. Just a moment ago, when they were bathing, everything had been fine. Why was she suddenly not speaking to her?
It was a bolt from the blue.
Only when she had turned the girl over to face her did she realize that the young lady had, at some point, started crying.
Moonlight filtered in through the wooden window. Jiang Yao’s eyesight was excellent; how could she not see the clear tears in Song Muyun’s eyes and the tear tracks on her face?
Her heart ached faintly, thinking she must have done something terribly wrong to make her feel so wronged that she cried.
Until, that is, her beloved, her voice choked with tears, aggrievedly accused her of wanting to sleep without saying a few heartfelt words.
Jiang Yao was speechless.
Well, that was sudden. I wanted to sleep early because I didn’t want to be a little puppy. Am I wrong?
I’m not wrong!
But my wife is crying. Why?
Jiang Yao wiped a hand over her face. She had to admit it: if her wife was crying, then any and every fault was hers.
“It’s not that I don’t want to share my heart with you. We made a promise, didn’t we? I’d be a little puppy if I touched you. I was afraid that if I said too much, I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. There, there, be good. Don’t cry.”
She lowered her head and captured the woman’s soft lips, then moved upward, licking away the crystalline teardrops from under her eyes one by one.
She thought with a sense of resignation, For the sake of my beloved woman, a little puppy it is. I can’t let her suffer such grievances just so I don’t have to be a little puppy.
Outside the door, the waiting maidservant wished her ears were deaf. She had listened all night to the whispered secrets of her Miss and Madam. The two of them had practically carved out their hearts to give to one another, holding nothing back.
The next day, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Song Muyun’s eyes snapped open. Seeing the misty light outside, she immediately tried to get up and get ready, shaking Jiang Yao awake in the process.
“Get up, stop sleeping. We still have to go pay our respects to Father and Mother.”
When she said the words ‘Father’ and ‘Mother’, Song Muyun couldn’t help but blush, as if she were very embarrassed.
She had called them ‘Uncle’ and ‘Aunt’ for so long; now she had to change her form of address.
Jiang Yao, having been roused from her sleep, was completely dazed.
She glanced at the sky outside, even more incredulous. She groggily sat up and threw her arms around Song Muyun, her voice still thick and blurry with sleep. “Why so early? Let’s sleep a little longer. We were up so late yesterday.”
At the mention of yesterday’s wild and lewd affairs, Song Muyun couldn’t help but turn red from head to toe, her cheeks radiating heat. She shook her head in refusal and shifted back a little, trying to get Jiang Yao to get down on her own.
Jiang Yao was met with sweet-voiced complaints from her wife, who insisted that if they were late today and displeased Father and Mother, she would never speak to her again.
She really wanted to say that her father and mother were both easygoing people and wouldn’t be displeased over such a small matter, but she couldn’t get a word out. Her neck felt like it was about to be shaken off, and all her sleepiness was shaken away with it. Helpless, she could only sit up straight. “Alright, alright, I’m getting up, I’m getting up. You have to keep talking to me in the future. If you don’t talk to me, my days will be so boring.”
Jiang Yao deliberately flattered her, coaxing the young lady until she was happy and beaming. With a smile, Song Muyun chose a long red dress. This was their first day after the wedding; naturally, they had to dress festively!
“You have to wear red, too.”
Not only did she wear it herself, she wanted Jiang Yao to wear it as well.
“Mm, alright. I’ll listen to you.”
After they had put on their magnificent long dresses, they sat before the bronze mirror to do their hair and makeup. The maidservants outside heard them getting up and entered in a stream, carrying basins for washing and cloths for wiping their faces. The very last one held a pair of scissors.
Jiang Yao raised an eyebrow. “What are you bringing scissors in for?”
The maidservant’s voice was crisp. “Has Miss forgotten? You are to cut your hair on the wedding night. A lock from you and a lock from Madam, which signifies the tying of the knot.”1
“I remember now.”
Jiang Yao took the scissors and deftly snipped a lock of her own hair. Then she looked at the madam by her side. “Will you cut it yourself, or shall I do it for you?”
“You can do it for me.”
The young lady turned, leaving her head of soft, silky hair for Jiang Yao.
Jiang Yao took the scissors and cut a lock of hair from an inconspicuous spot, then tied it in a knot with her own. Just as she was about to hand it to the maidservant, Song Muyun took her hand. After some searching, she produced a red scent pouch.
“Put it in here. I made it recently. Can you put it in here for me to keep, please?”
She wanted to keep their hair. To be wives bound by the tying of hair was the best wish for them.
This was a small matter, and if it could make her wife happy, Jiang Yao was naturally willing.
“Mm, you keep it.”
She gave the hair to Song Muyun and watched as she carefully tucked it away, her expression growing ever more gentle.
Unable to resist, she leaned down and lightly kissed the woman’s cheek, making her blush crimson again. Only then, in a cheerful mood, did she allow the maidservants to help them with their hair and makeup.
As the two walked toward the front courtyard, Song Muyun finally understood what the storybooks meant when they said one’s legs could feel as soft as noodles. She could barely walk on her own and could only lean against Jiang Yao, with an arm around her waist, to walk smoothly.
The two of them were pressed close together. To others, it looked like they were being incredibly intimate, but in reality, Jiang Yao was being lectured in a low voice.
Even with weak legs, Song Muyun insisted, “Later, in front of Father and Mother, you are not allowed to casually hold my hand, hug me, or speak for me. Do you understand?”
Jiang Yao knew she was afraid of leaving a bad impression on her father and mother. She nodded helplessly. “I know, I know. I know everything you’re saying.”
“And you’re not allowed to say embarrassing things like you used to.”
“Alright, alright, my baby. Stop lecturing me. Are you going to scold me first thing in the morning?”
“Who’s scolding you? I’m speaking to you very seriously. It’s the first day, and I want to appear more proper in front of Father and Mother.”
Song Muyun pressed against Jiang Yao’s arm and swayed it coaxingly. “Today is the first day after our wedding. Just spare me today and don’t embarrass me anymore, okay?”
Jiang Yao had no sense of shame. Even in front of elders, she acted as she did in private, always hugging and holding her, which made her very embarrassed.
Jiang Yao thought, What’s there to spare? I was going to indulge you anyway.
“Alright, I’ll listen to you. Don’t overthink it. Father and Mother have always liked you.”
When the two arrived at the front courtyard, Jiang Heng and Liang Qingyin were already waiting there. Even Jiang Huai had, for once, woken up early and was standing obediently beside Jiang Ru.
Although Song Muyun had lived in the Jiang Residence for a long time, this was the first time she was paying respects to Father and Mother as a daughter-in-law of the Jiang family. Thus, she was still a little shy, her cheeks tinged with a pink like peach blossoms.
A servant presented teacups, and she paid her respects and served tea to Jiang Heng and Liang Qingyin.
The two of them had long since come to accept their daughter’s “mirror polishing,” and seeing how well-behaved Song Muyun was and how sincerely she treated Jiang Yao, they were quite satisfied.
Moreover, she was also exceptionally talented in literature, completely unlike the other two who were always asking for a beating.
Mother Jiang smiled warmly and quickly reached out to help Song Muyun up, handing over a red envelope she had prepared. It was a thin packet containing silver notes.
No one told Jiang Yao to get up, so she got up by herself. Her casual, ill-mannered appearance gave Father Jiang a headache. He said in a deep voice, “You are a married woman now. You should learn more from your wife in your daily life. Don’t always be so ill-mannered. You’ll be a laughingstock outside!”
Jiang Yao was speechless.
Her father now found her far less pleasing to the eye than Muyun.
Fine. In any case, she was her wife. She could stand to be a little wronged.
Jiang Yao huffed but didn’t argue with her father.
She turned and led Song Muyun to pay their respects to Second Uncle and Second Aunt.
Second Uncle Jiang’s daughter also enjoyed literature and calligraphy, so he had a favorable impression of scholars. When he heard Song Muyun’s greeting, he gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, but he still seemed a bit distant. Compared to him, Second Aunt was much more enthusiastic. She smilingly pulled a red envelope from her sleeve and insisted on stuffing it into Song Muyun’s hands, praising her profusely and demanding she accept the red envelope, which she claimed didn’t contain much money.
Song Muyun initially didn’t want to accept it, but Jiang Yao had already taken it for her. That thick-skinned person saw nothing wrong with it at all and even cheerfully stuffed the red envelope into her hands.
Jiang Huai was watching eagerly. Seeing that it was almost his turn, he couldn’t help but shout, “Jie, I heard that on the first day of marriage, the saozi has to prepare a gift for her younger brother-in-law. Where’s my gift?”
“Shut up, stop shouting. I didn’t even get a gift, so why should you?”
Jiang Yao raised an eyebrow disdainfully. The next moment, her wide sleeve was tugged. She turned her head and saw her wife looking at her with a warm and gentle expression. “Since you’ve called me saozi, of course there’s a gift. I heard you’re still studying, so I’ve prepared a set of the Four Treasures of the Study (the Brush (Bi), Inkstick (Mo), Paper (Zhi), and Inkstone (Yan)) for you. I’ll have someone send it to your courtyard later.”
Jiang Huai was speechless.
Stunned. Incredulous. It was a well-known fact in the capital that he neglected his proper duties. He had only practiced martial arts for a while before to beat that guy surnamed Lin. The brush and ink were absolutely the things he hated most in his life!
You could have given me anything, but you give me the Four Treasures of the Study?
Jiang Yao, however, couldn’t hold back a pfft of laughter. She wrapped an arm around Song Muyun’s waist and praised her for giving such a good gift. The young lady gave the back of her hand a sweet, shy pinch, the meaning in her watery autumn eyes perfectly clear: no touching.
Muyun was extremely reserved; even a simple arm around the waist in front of others was enough to make her embarrassed.
Jiang Yao said nothing and obediently withdrew her hand. It was only the first day, after all. She could indulge her a little.
She could hold her again when they got back.
She could see Jiang Huai’s displeasure but couldn’t very well ask him on the spot if he didn’t like it and what he would prefer. For now, they had to leave it at that.
When it was Jiang Ru’s turn, Song Muyun beckoned a maidservant over. The maidservant was holding a pearl head-and-face ornament set.2 “This is a meeting gift for you.”
Jiang Ru was startled. “This is too valuable, I can’t accept it. Jiejie?”
She looked at Jiang Yao in confusion, hoping Jiang Yao would speak to her saozi. However, Jiang Yao only said, “Just take it. It’s a token of your saozi‘s goodwill. She’ll be upset if you don’t accept it.”
Song Muyun also looked at her with bright eyes, clearly hoping she would accept it. Jiang Ru hesitated for a moment before ceasing her refusal. She thought to herself, Father recently acquired a fine sword. Jiejie likes swords so much, I’ll give it to her.
The family had breakfast together. Right now, the only one in the entire family who looked at Song Muyun with displeasure was Jiang Huai. He secretly glared at Song Muyun several times because of that set of the Four Treasures of the Study, feeling indignant. Why does my cousin get precious jewelry, while I get the Four Treasures of the Study? It’s completely useless, and I can’t even sell it for much money!
He could cry from anger.
But he didn’t realize that Jiang Yao had caught every one of his glares. Jiang Yao spoke impatiently, “The brush, ink, paper, and inkstone your saozi gave you are all of the highest quality, worth a thousand gold. What are you feeling so wronged about?”
“What’s the use of it being worth a thousand gold? I don’t know how to use it! You might as well have given me two fierce fighting crickets!”
Jiang Yao and Song Muyun were speechless.
“Are you sick? Who would want to buy you those crickets? If you want them, go buy them yourself. Neglecting your duties all day.”
Liang Qingyin also chimed in, “Yun’er’s gift is excellent. You should be studying and practicing calligraphy in the residence. What crickets? How could a new saozi give her younger brother-in-law crickets as a gift?”
Song Muyun pursed her thin lips and whispered to Jiang Yao, “Does your brother really dislike my gift? I can give him something else…”
“Don’t. No need. He just likes those crickets and wolf-dogs. Where would you find those? You might as well just give him some silver and let him buy them himself.”
Jiang Yao knew her own brother all too well.
Father and Mother Jiang also only praised Song Muyun for her thoughtful gift.
The young lady lowered her head, but a hint of understanding flashed in her eyes.
And so, when Jiang Huai returned to his courtyard, he did not receive the set of the Four Treasures of the Study that he so detested. Instead, he received two thousand taels in silver notes.
Jiang Huai was shocked. Jiang Huai swore he would never speak ill of his saozi again!
His saozi was beautiful, kind-hearted, and the best person in the world. From now on, not only would he not say a bad word about her, he would beat up anyone who dared to!
In Hengwu Courtyard, the remaining set of ink treasures could only be kept by Song Muyun for her own use. She was just dipping a wolf-hair brush in ink and about to write when Jiang Yao walked over and patted her soft, perky bottom. “Write on my lap?”
It wasn’t just Song Muyun who was clingy; sometimes Jiang Yao would be clingy with Song Muyun, too.
The young lady shot her a coquettish glare. “How can I write characters while sitting on your lap?”
She always stood when writing large characters like these.
Seeing Jiang Yao frown as if she didn’t understand, she put down the wolf-hair brush and picked up a storybook from the side. “Never mind, I can write tomorrow just the same.”
Then she obediently sat on Jiang Yao’s lap. Jiang Yao’s arm wrapped around her slender waist, and she leaned against her chest, opened the storybook, and looked up. “Let’s read a storybook together.”
This way, she could laze about in her arms. It was rare for Jiang Yao not to be practicing her martial arts or seeing friends, but to be willing to hold her properly and just be with her.
Jiang Yao lowered her head, her red lips brushing against Song Muyun’s soft, tender cheek. “Alright, let’s read together.”
Song Muyun liked bright places and disliked being sheltered from the wind on all four sides, so the windows were always open. The study had two windows, both wide open. A gentle breeze blew in from outside, lightly caressing the thick, silky hair of the woman inside.
The women were in an extremely intimate relationship, holding each other tightly as if they would never be separated in this lifetime.
At some point, a woman’s faint, sweet moans began to sound from within. A maidservant passing by the window faintly heard it and subconsciously turned to look, only to see her Miss feeding Madam grapes. Their posture was so intimate that she didn’t dare look any longer.
The maidservant quickly lowered her head and walked away. Jiang Yao held her little wife, who was limp all over, having just been spent once. The sweet and sour juice of the grapes filled both their mouths. She took a handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe the fine beads of sweat from Muyun’s forehead. Her dark hair was also stuck to her brow. She kept her eyes closed and didn’t speak, as if utterly exhausted.
Once the sweat on her head was wiped clean, she regained her strength. She suddenly sat up, wrapped her arms around Jiang Yao’s neck, and bit down.
Jiang Yao couldn’t help but hiss. She heard her precious baby still shouting fiercely, “I’ll bite you to death, you bad person, you bastard!”
She rarely said such “dirty” words. It stunned the person she was speaking to for a moment, who then quickly began to chuckle softly. “If I’m a bastard, then you’re a nine-egg.3 We’re always the same.”
Song Muyun was both shy and angry. She opened her mouth to bite the other’s neck again, but she didn’t use as much force as the first time. Her teeth landed on the woman’s delicate skin. She wanted to bite down hard, but in reality, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. In the end, she just ground her teeth against her skin resentfully, scraping it a little red but not even leaving a mark.
A moment later, she released her, an aura of grievance radiating from her entire body. She glared at Jiang Yao with red-rimmed eyes. “Someone almost saw us just now. You bad person, you don’t dote on me at all.”
This kind of thing should clearly only be done in bed. What was she doing, always doing this and that outside? The maidservant had glanced at them just now; she must have heard something.
She clearly knows I’m sensitive and can’t hold back.
The young lady felt very wronged. Jiang Yao began to coax her with natural, practiced ease. “It was my fault for being too hasty. I forgot to close the windows. I’ll definitely remember next time, okay?”
“How can there be so many next times? You’re too much.”
“Alright, no next time then. It was my fault. But it’s not that I don’t dote on you. I do. When you cry, my heart aches. Don’t cry anymore. If you’re really angry, just bite me a couple of times to let off some steam, how about it?”
She offered her hand to Song Muyun’s mouth, but it was slapped away. Then, she threw herself back into Jiang Yao’s arms, her voice carrying a soft, hoarse, and deliberately fierce sob. “I don’t want to be seen by others. I’m yours, for your eyes only.”
She clung to Jiang Yao, kissing her.
Their two red lips met, and Jiang Yao was as gentle and pleasing as could be. Gradually, she stopped crying, until the person by her ear promised her, “Alright. Only I can look at you. I won’t let anyone else look, other than me.”
Jiang Yao placed a kiss on Song Muyun’s snowy neck, leaving a mark like a plum blossom. “Don’t be angry anymore. I’ll coax you.”
“I’m not angry. As long as you don’t show me to others in the future and always keep me by your side, I won’t be angry with you.”
Her expression was very serious. Jiang Yao was taken aback, afraid that the silly girl really thought she was going to show her to others. She explained, “It’s not that I was going to show you to anyone. I didn’t even take off your clothes, and I covered your face. They couldn’t see anything. I won’t show you to others. No one is allowed.”
Song Muyun fidgeted, feeling inexplicably happy. Her wide sleeves fell, revealing slender, white arms with faint red marks, which wrapped tightly around Jiang Yao. Her voice was full of certainty. “Jiang Yao, we will always be together.”
Jiang Yao looked down, her eyes full of gentleness. “We will. We’re already married. No one can separate us.”
It was early summer. The sun was not yet fierce, merely casting a golden, brilliant glow over the courtyard. The bright light also fell through the window. The two, who had been entangled together, had at some point separated. One was holding a brush, practicing calligraphy, while the other sat lazily, grinding ink for her. It truly had the feeling of zithers playing in harmony.4
The author has something to say:
The main story is finished~ scatters flowers scatters flowers
Wuwuwu, it got locked, so I could only make some changes. You all will have to make do and read it.
Tomorrow I’ll write the extras! A suffering Muyun is reborn to the time she entered the Jiang family and takes the initiative to seek Jiang Yao’s protection~
Footnotes
- The phrase ‘jiefa’ (结发), literally ‘to tie hair’, means to get married. It comes from a tradition where a newlywed couple cuts a lock of each other’s hair and ties them together to symbolize their lifelong union.
- A ‘toumian’ (头面) is a full, matching set of hair ornaments, which could include hairpins, combs, and other decorative pieces.
- The original insult is ‘wangbadan’ (王八蛋), literally ‘turtle eight egg’, a common curse for ‘bastard’. Jiang Yao’s playful retort is ‘wangjiudan’ (王九蛋), swapping ‘eight’ for ‘nine’ to make a nonsensical but affectionate term, implying they are a matched pair.
- An idiom, ‘qinsè hémíng’ (琴瑟和鸣), describing a harmonious and happy marital relationship.
Finished! It was nice reading this and it was a fairly easy ready, and thank you for the translation as always!