sovbooks Chapter 19 Warming the Bed
Chapter 19 Warming the Bed
"I'm leaving."
Liu Ma repeatedly instructed Xiangling, who had changed into a new dress, to take good care of Liu Feng before turning around and leaving, gently closing the door behind her.
The moment the door closed, Xiangling's body trembled slightly.
"Bang! Bang! Thump—"
Liu Feng shook his head and sat down. It was already past midnight, and Liu Ma was really good at talking!
Because of Xiangling's matter, Aunt Liu told him a lot about the rules and taboos of wealthy families, fearing that he would do such a rash thing again.
Liu Feng himself understood that he hadn't thought things through and had forgotten the customs and etiquette of wealthy families.
He leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the furnishings of the room, a mix of emotions swirling within him. He had never expected Jia Min to offer him a courtyard house so readily. Although it was only a right to reside there, this was Jinling City, where land was incredibly valuable, and it was a government office.
The courtyard is not large. There are three rooms facing south on the north side and a small kitchen at the east end, which is convenient for boiling water and cooking.
Liu Feng sighed softly. With such treatment, how could he possibly switch jobs? His gaze fell on Xiang Ling again, and he felt a mix of indescribable emotions.
The meaning behind Liu Ma's words just now was very clear: this girl would be his concubine from now on.
Although he was only a low-ranking official of the ninth grade, he was legally allowed to take a concubine, unlike wealthy families who could only secretly keep mistresses and maids.
But Xiangling was only thirteen years old, still a young girl, how could she bring herself to do that!
When Xiangling saw Liu Feng looking over, she quickly poured a bowl of tea and offered it to him with both hands: "Master, please have some tea."
Liu Feng took the teacup, took a sip, and said with a smile, "Don't call me 'Master,' you're making me sound old. You can call me Second Master."
When he registered as a migrant, he made up the identity of the second son for himself.
"Second Master." Xiangling lowered her eyes and secretly glanced at him.
Liu Feng looked at her and said, "Just settle in here for now. Once we find your parents, I'll take you home..."
Xiangling's face turned pale, and she knelt down with a thud, kowtowing and pleading, "Second Master! Second Master! Please have mercy and don't send me away! I'll do anything..."
"Get up. I'm telling the truth, I'm not testing you," Liu Feng said.
Xiangling's eyes were filled with fear: "I...I don't remember anything! Really!"
Liu Feng sighed silently. This girl was truly terrified of being kidnapped.
"Alright, alright, I won't kick you out. Get up now."
"Thank you, Second Master! Thank you, Second Master!"
Xiangling kowtowed again before getting up and saying, "I'll go get you some water to wash your feet." With that, she dashed out.
Liu Feng ignored her and began to plan how to climb up.
The dozen or so human traffickers we just arrested are being interrogated overnight in prison; they should be able to get some new leads. If we can follow those leads and take down one or two more hideouts, I'll definitely get promoted and become a ninth-rank official.
I will work hard and diligently from now on, and strive to reach the rank of sixth grader before retirement.
The fifth rank is the first major hurdle in officialdom, and someone like him would never be able to cross it without an extraordinary stroke of luck.
Xiangling returned with the foot-washing water, placed it at his feet, squatted down, and took off his shoes and socks.
Xiangling lifted Liu Feng's feet and placed them in a basin. She massaged Liu Feng's feet by pressing acupoints, saying, "As long as Second Master doesn't mind, I'm willing to serve you for the rest of my life."
Liu Feng smiled: "Not at all, not at all."
Xiangling smiled back, washed her feet, and then took a handkerchief to wipe Liu Feng's feet.
Liu Feng put on his shoes, walked around comfortably a couple of times, and said with a smile, "I'm not used to this. I'll do it myself from now on."
"These are all things I should do. Aunt Liu said I should take good care of Second Master, look after his daily needs, wash your clothes, help you bathe..." Xiangling's face grew redder as she spoke, and her voice became softer, "And also... warm the bed for Second Master..."
Taking a shower to warm up the bed?
Liu Feng choked on his saliva. This was just too corrupt!
Xiangling's cheeks flushed red, and she lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes tightly. The atmosphere in the room became subtle.
Liu Feng coughed lightly: "Well, it's getting late, let's go to sleep."
Xiangling blushed even more, said "Second Master, wait for me for a moment," and then ran out.
Liu Feng looked bewildered. What are you waiting for?
A short while later, Xiangling returned, her hair loose and her shoes changed, clearly having washed up. She closed the door, bolted it, and ran into the bedroom with her head down.
"Hey! Hey..." Liu Feng chased after him inside. You're sleeping in the bedroom, where the hell am I supposed to sleep?
As soon as Liu Feng entered the bedroom, he was completely dumbfounded.
Xiangling ran to the bedside, took off her clothes without saying a word, and before Liu Feng could react, she crawled into the quilt, covering her head tightly with the blanket.
Liu Feng stood there stunned, his face full of astonishment. He thought to himself, "Good heavens, is this some kind of forced marriage?"
He hesitated for a moment before slowly walking forward and patting the blanket: "Um, where am I sleeping?"
Xiangling didn't answer, but moved further inside.
Liu Feng still didn't dare get into bed, and asked again, "When are you leaving?"
A soft, trembling voice came from under the covers: "I...I'll warm the bed for Second Master..."
"I don't need a warmer bed, you can sleep in the east room."
"There's no bed in that room," Xiangling replied listlessly after a long pause.
Liu Feng was at his wit's end; he couldn't very well sleep on the floor by himself!
I'll sleep then, who's afraid of who!
He gritted his teeth, quickly took off his coat, and crawled into bed.
Hey, it smells pretty good in bed.
Xiangling's heart was pounding like a drum next to him, and Liu Feng couldn't help but laugh.
After a while, Xiangling finally timidly peeked out half of her head, her dark eyes secretly glancing at Liu Feng beside her.
Just then, Xiangling met Liu Feng's smiling gaze, and like a startled little rabbit, she immediately shrank back.
Liu Feng chuckled and teased her on purpose, turning over and placing his hand on her.
Xiangling's body stiffened abruptly, then she began to tremble uncontrollably, her breathing becoming erratic.
Liu Feng instantly lost interest and turned his back to her, saying, "Go to sleep."
Soon, only two slightly heavy breaths remained in the bedroom, rising and falling gently inside the bed curtains.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiangling cautiously peeked out and whispered, "Second Master...Second Master, are you asleep?"
"How can I sleep if you keep yelling like that!" Liu Feng said irritably.
Xiangling mustered her courage and turned over, looking at the back of Liu Feng's head: "The candle... the candle isn't out yet..."
"If it's not extinguished, why don't you go brag about it!"
"I...I'm afraid of the dark."
Helpless, Liu Feng had no choice but to get out of bed and grope his way back into bed in the dark. While crawling under the covers, he accidentally bumped into Xiang Ling, startling her into a scream. Enraged, Liu Feng slapped her on the bottom, and she immediately quieted down.
Once she was sure Liu Feng wouldn't really do anything to her, Xiangling grew bolder: "Second Master, please change my name."
"Change your name? Why?" Liu Feng turned over, but it was too dark in the tent to see her face clearly.
Xiangling remained silent for a long while before softly saying, "Please change it for me."
Liu Feng was sleepy and too lazy to ask further questions, so he casually uttered two words: "Xiangling".
Xiangling?
Xiangling silently repeated the words a few times in her heart. Listening to the snoring beside her, a sense of security she had never felt before welled up in her heart, and she slowly closed her eyes...
"Clap clap clap!"
"Clap clap clap..."
"Who!" Liu Feng suddenly opened his eyes.
"It's me, Aunt Liu!" Aunt Liu's voice came from outside the south window. "The magistrate is looking for you, it's urgent!"
Liu Feng lifted the curtain and saw that it was still pitch black outside.
What urgent matter could there be in the middle of the night? Could it be that they've uncovered new clues in prison?
Thinking of this, Liu Feng was no longer sleepy at all.
Xiangling woke up too. Knowing that Aunt Liu was outside the window, she wasn't afraid of the dark anymore. She climbed out of bed, turned on the light, and then came back to help Liu Feng get dressed.
Liu Feng glanced at her subconsciously; she was too thin.
He waved his hand and said, "Go back to sleep, you don't need to serve me." After saying that, he got dressed and left.
As soon as Liu Feng left, Xiangling didn't dare blow out the lamp. She lay back down on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Suddenly, she felt that God was starting to favor her again...