When Nie Shuang found out that he was celebrating with the two concubines that night, she went to bed in a good mood. She wasn’t the type to chase after a man’s attention. Since she could rely on herself, why should she lower her dignity for someone else’s approval?

    Even though she had slept well during the afternoon, she drifted off to sleep the moment her head hit the pillow. The next thing she knew, she woke in total darkness, surrounded by the smell of alcohol. Her body felt heavy, and she felt the rough scrape of stubble brushing against the sensitive skin of her neck.

    “Ugh! Get off me!” 

    Nie Shuang pushed at the figure without opening her eyes. What was disturbing her sleep? Did the cats back home have such rough fur?

    Her hands fumbled around, only to hear a low groan near her ear. 

    Nie Shuang froze. She quickly remembered that she wasn’t in the modern world. But wasn’t the General supposed to be spending the night with the two concubines?

    Her soft earlobe was sucked, then she was kissed from behind her ear down her neck. The sensation was intoxicating, but Nie Shuang couldn’t forget how painful last night had been. 

    “General?”

    Song Qilin frowned. Even the way she addressed him lacked sweetness. He forgot that he had scowled when she called him dear husband earlier that morning. He continued kissing her, undeterred by her waking up.

    “Weren’t you supposed to stay with the two Yi Niang tonight? You must be drunk and in the wrong quarters”

    The wrong quarters? Her quarters was so isolated, if he hadn't come here on purpose, how could he have come to the wrong quarters? She was clearly trying to push him away. Anger flared within him, and he scraped his teeth roughly along her delicate neck, making her shiver.

    Realizing he wasn’t in the mood to talk, Nie Shuang knew he wouldn’t leave. She decided to bring up her father. 

    “Last night, you already fulfilled your promise to my father. Nie Shuang doesn’t dare to monopolize you. If you’ve been celebrating with the Yi Niang but still come back to stay with me, wouldn’t others think I’m selfish?”

    Already irritated, Song Qilin now felt a wave of real anger. If she didn’t want to be with him because she was still sore, she could have just told him. There was no need to mention the father-in-law he despised. He didn’t pull back—instead, his teeth bit into her skin, and his rough hands slipped into her clothes, grabbing her full breast. Nie Shuang gasped in shock, still unused to a man’s touch.

    “Nie Shuang,” his deep voice was magnetic. If he had spoken to her with affection, she might have melted under his words. But instead, every word cut like a knife.

    “Do you think I came to you because I’m fond of you? The concubines can still earn my favor, but you—Whatever title your father gave you, to me, you’re just a place for me to release my needs. Anyone in this household with eyes can see that.”

    Nie Shuang trembled with rage, her hand gripping his robe tightly. He was treating her like a mere prostitute, not a wife. She would remember this insult, but for now, it wasn’t wise to provoke him. She slowly loosened her grip on his robe.

    “I see...then do as you please, General,”

    She said, pretending to be sleepy, and made a show of closing her eyes, as if ready to go back to sleep. Her expression looked extremely innocent. The moonlight shone through and showed her beautiful face remaining serene, as though his harsh words hadn’t affected her at all. Song Qilin, on the other hand, felt agitated, and he also felt like a villain, as if he had just bullied a helpless woman.

    He got off the bed, dressed in the darkness, and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Nie Shuang let out a long sigh of relief. That was close. Her body was still sore, and if he had done anything tonight, she wouldn’t have been able to bear it. She knew she had to be patient to handle him. If she confronted him head-on, she would only end up losing.

    Aside from those in Lian Fang Quarters, no one knew that the General had visited Nie Shuang the previous night. Everyone assumed he had stayed with Zhang Yi Niang. 

    How unloved must the Young Furen be for the General to spend the night with his concubine after only one day of marriage!

    This morning, the food situation was even worse than the day before. Xiao Tong entered the room with a tray of breakfast, tears in her eyes. 

    "This is too much! Miss, look at this. Have you ever had to eat food like this when you were at the Nie family mansion?" 

    The breakfast consisted only of plain, watery porridge. It looked like they had deliberately served her just the rice water. The side dishes were nothing more than pickled vegetables and salted peanuts. Nie Shuang chuckled at Xiao Tong’s indignation. 

    "Don’t get angry. I don’t eat much for breakfast anyway. Besides, haven’t I already told you that I won’t let anyone mistreat you?" 

    Xiao San looked at her with worry. 

    "Young Furen, did the General visit you last night?" 

    The General had indeed come in the middle of the night but left after only a short while. Xiao San was unsure if anything had happened and was concerned that the General may have mistreated her young miss. 

    "It was nothing. He just wandered into the wrong room,"

    Nie Shuang replied with a smile. Xiao San’s face fell immediately. Even if the General wasn’t fond of her young miss, if he visited Lian Fang Quarters regularly, the other servants wouldn’t dare to treat them poorly. But hearing this, it seemed there was no hope of that happening.

    "The General’s manor has its reputation to maintain. They won’t dare treat us too badly,"

    Nie Shuang reassured the two girls. After finishing her breakfast, she called Xiao Tong over to give her some instructions. 

    "Xiao Tong, take my command token and leave the manor. Go to the finest restaurant in town and arrange for meals to be delivered—three times a day, for seven days. Tell them that the Young Furen favor their food and that we’ll be ordering regularly from now on."

    Xiao San frowned. 

    "Young Furen, though your dowry is substantial, spending like this seems excessive. And if you’re sending Xiao Tong to the best restaurant in town, surely you mean Tianfu House. A single meal there costs hundreds of taels. Isn’t that wasteful?" 

    Nie Shuang smiled. Money was the one thing she never lacked. Spending a little now would come back to her later. She had never made a bad investment in her life!

    "Don’t worry. I won’t be paying for this myself. Someone else will foot the bill soon enough. Oh! Since we’re short on servants and laborers here, you’ll have to take the trouble of cleaning and washing yourselves, right? Then, Xiao Tong, while you go to Tianfu House, stop by an agency and tell them the General’s manor is looking for new maids. Make sure they send a few strong ones for me to choose from. They don’t need to be sold permanently. I’m willing to pay them a monthly wage."

    Both Xiao San and Xiao Tong were bewildered by Young Furen’s extravagant approach to solving problems. Wouldn’t all her dowry be gone at this rate? But the confident look on their mistress face kept them from arguing. Xiao Tong, being quick and capable, took the command token and prepared to leave. Before she went, Nie Shuang reminded her, 

    "Don’t forget to tell Tianfu House to deliver the meals to the Young Furen’s quarters. You don’t need to pay for the food right away—tell them to bill me directly." 

    "Yes, Young Furen." 

    With that, Xiao Tong left to carry out her task.