The Overachieving Little Husband of the Top Scholar’s Household - Chapter 95: Husband

Chapter 95: Husband

Qiu Huanian’s palms grew warm.

A subtle heat radiated from their clasped hands, spreading like a tide through his entire being and rising to his eyes, where a sudden rush of emotion gathered.

This was the most profound romance Du Yunse had ever offered him—made all the more poignant by its quiet sincerity, free from embellishment or artifice.

Qiu Huanian drew in a shallow breath.

“All right.”

Du Yunse smiled, like frost melting from a bamboo leaf.

“Brother Hua, wait for me here tonight. At the appointed hour tomorrow, I’ll come to bring you home.”

Qiu Huanian responded softly, “Did you buy this little courtyard?”

“Yes. Jiu Jiu will stay with you tonight.”

Jiu Jiu was Du Yunse’s younger sister by blood but had long been family to Qiu Huanian. After severing ties with the Qiu clan, she had become his kin in every sense.

For the sake of tradition, the couple had to spend the night apart before the wedding.

As Du Yunse walked from the main residence to the gate, he turned back repeatedly, each time lingering a moment longer.

Leaning against the doorframe, Qiu Huanian couldn’t help but smile.

“Go on,” he said, cheeks flushing, “you’ll need your strength for tomorrow’s ceremony.”

He quickly closed the door.

Du Yunse stood before the tightly shut door, warmth flooding his chest.

Soon after, Jiu Jiu arrived with Coral.

Qiu Huanian pinched her cheek affectionately.

“You’ve grown so clever, even keeping it all hidden from me.”

Jiu Jiu grinned. “Brother wanted to surprise you, so we all kept quiet.”

“Come look, Brother Hua. The wedding robes and jewelry for tomorrow—we chose everything ourselves.”

“According to custom, we should’ve prepared a dowry for you. But Brother said, ‘What’s in this house is all Brother Hua’s—there’s no need to divide it,’ and that giving a dowry would only diminish it.”

“So, I brought your money box instead.”

She hauled out a large walnut chest.

Qiu Huanian had never been strict about money—he trusted the household implicitly. The location of the money was known to all, though few ever touched it.

Inside the chest were deeds to the lands and homes in Du Village, property titles in Xiangping Prefecture, shops and estates in both the prefectural city and the capital, and even the thirty acres recently granted by the emperor to Du Yunse.

There were also eight hundred taels in silver notes, the combined earnings from the Six Staples shop and recent commendations.

“All of it has been officially recorded,” Jiu Jiu said, “and now it belongs to Brother Hua. Your dowry.”

Love is reciprocal. Qiu Huanian had treated Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng with near-boundless generosity, giving them confidence and security. So they had no attachment to money.

They knew everything they had was earned by Brother Hua—and that he would never leave them lacking.

Qiu Huanian smiled as he closed the chest.

“Without realizing it, we’ve become quite wealthy.”

They weren’t on par with the great houses of the realm, but compared to the average land-owning family, they lacked for nothing.

Du Yunse, once a nobleman with little wealth, now had assets placing him among the elite of the scholarly world.

Qiu Huanian asked, “How did you send the invitations? I never heard a thing.”

“We quietly invited the important guests ahead of time. The rest received notices just today. Brother said, ‘It doesn’t matter if they come—we just want them to know.’”

Qiu Huanian laughed—that was so like Du Yunse. Focus on what matters; forget the rest.

“Who did you invite in advance?”

“Guess?”

“The Zhu brothers, Xinbai, Auntie and Second Aunt, the Shu family, Wei Li, Yuan Ruo and Yuan Jia, Bing Qi and Bing Ba…”

He listed his acquaintances from the past half year.

“No wonder Xinbai kept dragging me off to look at jewelry last time I visited the Zhu family.”

Jiu Jiu chuckled. “He was the first to know. He helped a lot—inviting you over gave us time to prepare.”

“You guessed half,” she teased, “but you missed just as many.”

“That many?”

She remained mysterious.

Qiu Huanian smiled. “Then I’ll wait for the surprise tomorrow.”

That night, he lay alone in a strange bed, tossing and turning.

The anticipation kept him wide awake. Thinking of the night to come, he buried his face in the pillow, heart pounding.

He couldn’t speak to Jiu Jiu of such things—he could only keep them to himself.

As dawn broke, he stirred, instinctively calling for Du Yunse before remembering he wasn’t there.

Soon, Meng Yuanling and Su Xinbai arrived, followed by Wei Li.

Su Xinbai, now over five months pregnant, was carefully helped inside by Dian Mo.

The household buzzed with activity as Qiu Huanian was dressed in his wedding attire, his hair arranged and face lightly dusted with powder.

His red birthmark glowed naturally, needing no adornment. His fine features—rosy lips, porcelain skin—were themselves ceremonial.

Once dressed, he sat carefully on a chair, lifting the hem of his robe to avoid creasing the fine fabric.

Meng Yuanling teased him with a mischievous glint.

“When Brother Yunse comes to fetch you, how many hurdles should we set?”

“What if he fails? What if he can’t claim our Brother Hua?”

Qiu Huanian smiled. “Make it impossible. I want to see him try.”

“…That’ll only come back to bite us,” Meng Yuanling muttered.

Su Xinbai chuckled.

Qiu Huanian turned to him. “Are you sure you’re well enough to be here?”

“I’ve been much better lately,” he said. “I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”

Their chatter was interrupted by the sound of wedding music outside.

Coral peeked through the gate. “He’s here! The groom’s here!”

Firecrackers crackled at the gate in long bursts.

Qiu Huanian lowered his veil. The world darkened; only his own hands remained in view.

Du Yunse’s voice echoed from outside, and his heartbeat quickened.

The fetch-the-bride challenges had been set in advance: poetry, archery, riddles, drinking games.

Du Yunse, adept in both civil and martial arts, cleared every trial without pause, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Clad in scarlet robes, he finally entered the bridal chamber, halting before Qiu Huanian.

From under the veil came a quiet voice.

“One final test. Pass it—and I’m yours.”

“Ask away, Huanian.”

Even if she asked him to scale fire and blade, he would not falter.

Qiu Huanian extended his hand.

Du Yunse took it instantly, decorum be damned.

“Tell me—who am I?”

A curious question, and the onlookers were puzzled. But Du Yunse’s expression didn’t change.

He clasped the hand tighter, gaze unwavering.

“You are Qiu Huanian. The man I met on the eve of Qingming last year. The one I marry today.”

Qiu Huanian smiled beneath the veil. He had passed.

Meng Yuanling mumbled, “That’s it? That easy?”

Su Xinbai laughed softly. “They speak a language all their own.”

Du Yunse knelt. With help from the others, Qiu Huanian was gently lifted onto his back.

He had carried Qiu Huanian many times before—but never like this.

Qiu Huanian clung to him as firecrackers burst anew.

Chun Sheng and Jiu Jiu handed out candies to the crowd as the couple made their way to the main house.

At the entrance, Qiu Huanian stepped from the sedan chair, crossed a brazier and saddle, and—hand in hand—he and Du Yunse entered the main hall.

There, before the ancestral tablets of Du Yunse’s parents and Mei Xueer, they completed their bows: to heaven and earth, to their elders, and to one another.

For the rest of their lives—through calm and storm—they would walk together.

…

After the ceremony, Qiu Huanian did not linger in the bridal room. Once Du Yunse lifted the veil, the two went out together.

This was not a wedding of first encounters; there was no need for elaborate formality.

The two courtyards were brimming with guests. The smaller one hosted those without seats in the main area.

Qiu Huanian was stunned to see familiar faces.

“Aunt Fuyue? Aunt Qiuyan? Sister Liuhua? Xia Xing? And you brought Yun Kang and Youge too?”

Meng Fuyue smiled. “Yunse’s letter invited us. With the harvest done, we thought—why not come?”

Four-year-old Youge, now healthy and fair, looked nothing like the starved boy from a year ago.

Qiu Huanian tousled his hair. “Do you remember me?”

“You’re the big brother with candies,” he replied.

Wei Liuhua sighed. “This child…”

Qiu Huanian laughed. “There are more candies now. Stay longer—try them all.”

In total, around forty people had been personally invited. Another ten tables hosted new acquaintances and well-wishers.

Though invitations had only gone out yesterday, every household had sent gifts—none dared snub the new Jieyuan.

Jiu Jiu handled the guestbook. The tally of gifts was staggering.

Though much would be reciprocated in time, the sight alone left many wide-eyed.

As night fell, the banquet wound down.

Married elders performed the traditional rites of preparing the wedding bed before quietly departing.

The candles burned bright, casting a rosy glow behind gauze curtains.

Du Yunse approached, slowly undoing Qiu Huanian’s robes.

“You must be tired. Let me help you rest.”

Qiu Huanian stopped him.

“Is that truly all you mean to do?”

Du Yunse didn’t answer. His gaze said more than words ever could.

They shed their finery and shared wine from connected cups.

In the dim light, they moved to the bed.

Du Yunse’s beauty took on a different edge now—like a wolf cloaked in the robes of a prince. Qiu Huanian felt his throat go dry.

Trying to seize control, he asked, “You haven’t done this before, have you?”

Du Yunse raised a brow. “And you have?”

“Of course not!” he retorted, cheeks burning.

“But this is our home. You should listen to me.”

Du Yunse lowered his eyes, lips curved.

“Then teach me, Brother Hua.”

His words rang loud in Qiu Huanian’s mind, awakening a library of scandalous knowledge.

He straddled Du Yunse’s lap, pressing against the hard lines of his chest.

Du Yunse smiled indulgently, letting Qiu Huanian tug at his collar and trace downward.

But just as he reached a sensitive spot, Du Yunse grabbed his wrist and flipped him beneath him in one swift motion.

His composure was gone—sweat glistened on his brow, eyes dark with want.

Qiu Huanian whispered into his ear, voice teasing and light:

“Husband—it’s our wedding night. What are we waiting for?”

A moan escaped his lips.

Clothes fell away; kisses rained down like a storm.

Qiu Huanian trembled, his neck arched, pale and exposed like a swan in surrender.

Du Yunse’s arms tightened, as if to draw him into his very soul.

Qiu Huanian clutched at his back, nails leaving streaks behind.

Du Yunse, pained, slowed—but Qiu Huanian urged him on.

As the end neared, Du Yunse tried to retreat—but was stopped.

“You took the medicine,” Qiu Huanian gasped.

“The first time… let it in.”

He sealed the rest with a kiss, branding Qiu Huanian with his scent.

Spent and drowsy, Qiu Huanian curled into his chest, feeling like molten honey.

Du Yunse rose to fetch warm water, but Qiu Huanian clung to him like ivy.

“The night is long, husband. Let’s do it again.”

Du Yunse’s gaze darkened.

“You’re still healing.”

“Then check me,” he coaxed, voice soft and sweet. “Check again.”

That was the final straw.

With one look, Du Yunse lowered himself once more.

All night, the red bed curtains fluttered, and the two lovers tangled like silk.