Chapter Eighty-Seven: First Kiss

That evening everyone drank in high spirits. Compared with the mansion of the imperial duke, Gou Ye felt far more at ease in this sort of atmosphere. Reclining in his chair and watching the laughter and merriment around him, he suddenly thought of his former life in the modern world. After his grandfather passed away, he had been left entirely on his own, spending his days hunched before a computer screen, doing nothing but typing and more typing. He had only two friends nearby, and in an entire year the number of times they went out together could be counted on one hand. Whenever festivals came and every household blazed with lanterns and joyous voices, Gou Ye would stand at the window and watch. How he had longed for a day when his own home might be so lively. He had never imagined that such a wish would be granted to him in this era.

After the banquet, Yun Niang was a little tipsy. Supported unsteadily by Gou Ye, she returned to her room. Whether she meant it or not, when Gou Ye tried to help her onto the bed, he stumbled, and the two of them fell together onto the mattress in an embrace.

They stared into one another’s eyes. The room was so quiet that the sound of their breathing could be heard. The atmosphere instantly turned strange and delicate. Looking at Yun Niang’s exquisite face, perhaps emboldened by wine, Gou Ye, who had only ever dared to imagine such a thing before, leaned in with unusual boldness. Yun Niang was a little afraid, yet also carried a trace of anticipation. Slowly, she closed her eyes.

At last Gou Ye gathered his courage, shut his own eyes, and pressed his lips to hers. Neither of them had any experience. Time seemed to stand still. They did not move, only touched lips to lips. Tentatively, Gou Ye imitated the scenes he had seen on television and cautiously slipped out the tip of his tongue. From that moment on, there was no turning back. Unable to restrain himself, he kissed Yun Niang fiercely, the sensation so wet and tender, so soft and pleasing, that it swept through his whole body like an electric current.

They remained intertwined for a long while. In the end, Gou Ye still did not go any further or do anything improper. The two of them sat up, breathing hard. Yun Niang’s cheeks were as red as a ripe apple. She pressed a hand to her chest and worked hard to steady her racing heart. Gou Ye, too, was experiencing this for the first time; he felt both excited and nervous. His first kiss at the age of twenty-one had finally been accounted for.

“Well, Yun Niang, you should sleep early. I’m leaving.” Sensing the awkwardness in the air, Gou Ye turned to go.

Just then, Yun Niang grabbed his sleeve without even looking back. “Brother Gou Ye, I don’t want you to leave. Y-you can stay here. But we’re not allowed to take off our clothes, and you can’t have any improper thoughts or put your hands on me.”

Gou Ye felt a surge of secret delight. He had not expected a parting moment to bring such an unexpected blessing. At the same time, he was surprised by Yun Niang’s boldness that day. On ordinary days, she would even blush at being held a little longer, yet today she could say such things.

Neither of them said anything else. They took off their shoes and lay down one after the other. Yun Niang, too shy to look at Gou Ye, turned away, though she did not sleep. Her bright eyes kept blinking restlessly.

She could feel a large hand slowly reaching from behind and holding her tightly. Even that simple embrace was enough to satisfy Gou Ye. For him, this was already a great step forward. Then he gently turned Yun Niang toward him, and once again they faced one another. Unable to control their restlessness, the two young people kissed deeply again.

No one knew how long they kissed, but Gou Ye still did not do anything further. Though his body was in torment, his heart also held a beautiful expectation. It would be better to leave the rest for their wedding night. The two of them kissed until they were tired and drowsy, then huddled together and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, when Gou Ye was still half-dazed, he seemed to forget that he had fallen asleep in Yun Niang’s room. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Yun Niang gazing at him with playful, wide eyes.

“Brother Gou Ye, you’re awake.”

The quilt was soft, the bed comfortable. The feeling of being enveloped in such tenderness was truly wonderful. Gou Ye drew Yun Niang gently into his arms and kissed her forehead very softly.

“My little wife, what time is it now?”

Yun Niang giggled and burrowed a little deeper into his embrace. “Brother Gou Ye, it’s already noon. I woke early and saw that you were still asleep, so I didn’t disturb you.”

Gou Ye fondly stroked her hair, feeling an indescribable contentment. So this was what having a family felt like. Gou Ye, who had been single for more than twenty years, felt as if he were dreaming. Then Yun Niang suddenly said, “Brother Gou Ye, don’t keep crowding me like that.”

Gou Ye’s face instantly turned red. In a flash of embarrassment, he scrambled out of the quilt. With such an atmosphere, and his own morning vigor rising unchecked, he could hardly control the strange reaction in his body. “I’m going to make you breakfast,” he blurted out, then hastily put on his half-finished shoes and fled the room in a rush.

Yun Niang lay shyly under the covers, and thinking of Gou Ye’s embarrassed state just now, she could not help but laugh softly. For a man, some thoughts were entirely normal. Yet Gou Ye had been able to restrain himself and had not done anything improper at all. To Yun Niang, that was deeply moving.

When Gou Ye arrived at the dining hall, he found that Xiao Die had already prepared breakfast. It filled the whole table and was quite a feast.

“Xiao Die, where are Da Li and the Guo brothers?”

Xiao Die turned around and, as always, curtseyed to him before replying, “They went out early this morning. They said you had entrusted them with an important matter.”

Gou Ye understood and was very satisfied with their efficiency. He sat down at the table. “Yun Niang will be coming down a little later. I’ll finish eating and then go to the study to write the manuscript. Please tell her for me later.”

Of course Xiao Die knew that Gou Ye had slept in Yun Niang’s room last night. She could not help letting out a quiet little laugh, which left Gou Ye extremely embarrassed. He quickly ate an egg, grabbed a steamed bun, and hurried out of the dining hall.

At present there was nothing especially pressing. Gou Ye planned to finish writing the Chronicle of the Immortal Eagle and the Heroic Companions today. Thinking back, this book had accompanied him for more than two full months, and now it was about to reach its final chapter. He could not help feeling a faint reluctance. Thinking of the vanished crowds in front of the bookshop, his heart ached all over again. He would no longer see those fanatical expressions on people’s faces, nor hear someone casually call out to him in the street, “Lord Gou the Hero.”

All of it was thanks to the husband and wife of Magistrate Qin. Gou Ye could only hope that Da Li and the others would have a smooth journey, and he also wished for good news from Gu Shen as soon as possible. Yet he was also quite curious: the recent calm was so complete that it actually made him somewhat unaccustomed to it, and left him with a faint sense of unease.

Gou Ye took a hard bite of his steamed bun and simply stopped thinking about the troubles that vexed him. He ground the ink, picked up his brush, and plunged once more with full concentration into his manuscript.