Mistaken Husband After Blindness

The texture of the fabric still lingered on her fingertips. Si rubbed her index finger and thumb together: "It's nothing... It's just that when I grabbed your sleeve earlier, it was the first time I felt such fine material. My fingers couldn't help but linger."

Her words sounded pitiful.

Yan Shuheng studied her face for a moment, unsure whether she was trying to cover up her earlier suspicions or if she truly had been living a difficult life since losing her memory.

He couldn't help but smile, adopting a tone that was both indifferent and caring: "I was thoughtless. Tomorrow, I'll buy you some better fabric so your hands can relax."

His warm breath brushed past Si's ear like a gentle breeze, causing her to shrink her neck slightly.

He seemed to notice her bashfulness and let out a soft chuckle before straightening up again, saying nothing more.

Seizing the opportunity, Si asked, "Did you use incense?"

He replied gently, "The place where I work often burns incense. Why, if I smell of it, am I no longer your husband?"

Si had guessed as much and felt relieved. She lowered her lashes, pretending to be both shy and annoyed: "You're always away from home, so it's only natural for me to be suspicious. I thought the scent might have come from some other woman."

"You think too much," the young man chuckled knowingly, as if aware that this was just an excuse she had come up with on the spot.

When he fell silent, Si finally felt a sense of familiarity returning, and her doubts gradually dissipated.

The surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of wind rustling through the leaves and the gentle lapping of water. They rode in silence, the horse leisurely making its way from the lakeside to the riverside. Yan Shuheng tugged on the reins: "There's a high pavilion by the river. Shall we go up and take a look?"

Look at what? She couldn't see anything right now.

This man was far from being considerate and clearly needed some training, Si thought to herself, secretly making up her mind.

He chuckled again, his tone enigmatic: "I thought that even though you can't see the scenery, you could at least enjoy the breeze."

Si was taken aback.

How did he seem to read her mind?

While she was still lost in thought, the young man had already helped her dismount. Si, however, remained distracted and didn't move for a while.

The young man tightened his arm around her: "Not coming down? Do you want me to carry you up?"

Si quickly struggled to get off the horse, then allowed him to hold her wrist through his sleeve as they climbed the steps one by one. She had never been here before and couldn't see her surroundings, but it felt like they had been walking for a long time without reaching the top. The higher they went, the stronger the wind became.

The sound of the wind rushing past made her feel as though they were on a steep mountainside, like the cliff in her dream, with trees below standing like inverted swords. One misstep, and she would be impaled through the heart. The more she thought about it, the more vivid and terrifying it became, and the more nervous she grew.

Yan Shuheng, being so careless, might let go of her hand. Si quickly grabbed his wrist with both hands.

Yan Shuheng teased her: "Are you this weak?"

Si didn't try to act tough: "I wasn't like this before I lost my sight. But now that I can't see, it's only natural to be afraid. Why don't you carry me up the mountain, husband?"

He gently teased her: "Who was it that said, 'Only by falling and feeling pain can you remember it more vividly'?"

"It was me, I said that," Si admitted. "But falling and getting hurt is one thing, falling to your death is another. This place seems really high..."

He turned his hand to grasp her wrist: "Don't be afraid. If you want to adjust, you'll have to walk it yourself."

His words stirred Si's determination. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to keep climbing.

In the end, her legs still gave out, and she was practically dragged up the mountain by him.

From a distance, it must have looked as though she was being forced up to the pavilion, pleading and resisting all the way.

When they finally reached the pavilion, Si crouched down ungracefully, hugging her knees: "It's too high..." Her trembling voice was almost carried away by the river wind.

Yan Shuheng gazed out at the vast river and joked, "You're blind. Why are you afraid of heights?"

Being blind makes it even scarier...

Si muttered to herself. She forced herself not to think about the images from her dream and groped for his wrist: "Husband, help me up. My legs are weak..."

"Hmm?" The man she was holding onto remained relaxed, his tone once again carrying that amused, teasing quality.

At this point, what did dignity matter? Si didn't care anymore. As she stood up, she grabbed his hand, this time without the barrier of fabric.

He didn't pull away but stiffened for a moment. Si took advantage of the situation, rubbing the back of his hand with her palm.

This was the first time she had consciously touched his hand. To her surprise, the skin on the back of his hand was smooth and warm, like fine jade, and quite pleasant to touch.

But Si was startled.

Wasn't Yan Shuheng a man of martial arts? Why were his hands as delicate as hers?

They seemed more like the hands of a pampered nobleman.

That couldn't be right...

The man she was holding seemed to sense her hesitation and tightened his grip on her hand.

It wasn't so much a hold as it was a restraint.

Yan Shuheng looked down at Si.

He was a head taller than her, and they were standing close enough for him to see the fleeting unease and confusion in her eyes.

He smiled softly: "Is there something wrong with my hand?"

His voice was as gentle and melodious as ever, even carrying an unmistakable tenderness and affection. But to Si, it felt inexplicably dangerous.

She recalled a scene she had once witnessed by a bamboo grove before losing her sight—a beautiful green bamboo viper on a high branch, eyeing a nest of fledglings.

The snake had slithered slowly along the branch, its movements lazy yet exuding a cold, beautiful danger. It had approached the nest without haste, circling it as if savoring its soon-to-be prey.

For no reason, Si thought of that image, and her hand trembled involuntarily.

The young man chuckled softly, his palm enveloping her hand completely as he leaned down to look at her.

"Why are you trembling? Did I scare you?"

"It's nothing, the wind is just too cold," Si murmured in response. She pretended to be affectionate, turning her hand in his palm to touch his palm in return.

Her fingertips brushed against a few rough, hardened areas—calluses, thick and unmistakable.

Without a doubt, these were the hands of someone who had wielded swords and drawn bows for years.

The river wind blew past, dispelling the doubts in Si's heart. She suddenly realized that this was the first time since their marriage that they had held hands so intimately, skin against skin. The sound of the wind faded, and all she could feel was the texture of his palm.

Rough yet warm.

Though he was usually the one who was more easily flustered, Si felt her own cheeks might be turning red. She wanted to pull her hand back immediately, but she had a stubborn streak when it came to certain things, always feeling that showing weakness meant losing or being controlled.

So she suppressed her embarrassment and gently rubbed her fingertips over the calluses on his palm.

Her movements were slow and light.

Like a cat's lick, they stirred a tingling sensation.

Yan Shuheng's hand stilled.

He looked at her, but unfortunately, the lady's eyes were covered, and he couldn't see her expression. All he could sense was a childlike curiosity in her touch.

For a moment, he even thought that she wasn't testing or confirming anything, but simply indulging in a bit of mischief.

Yan Shuheng was at a loss.

He had been repeatedly teased by this young woman, several years his junior.

He had always thought of her as an innocent, frightened rabbit, only now realizing that he had been blind to her true nature.

Perhaps, even two years ago, she had been deliberately provoking him.

Yan Shuheng laughed again, though silently. The movement of his laughter caused his breath to shift, and Si caught it. His laughter only fueled her competitive spirit, and she lightly scratched the softest part of his palm with her nail.

The young man abruptly pulled his hand back and whispered in her ear, "Had enough fun?"

"Not yet—ah!"

Her unfinished words turned into a scream as a strong arm wrapped around her waist. Si was spun around swiftly, her back pressed against the railing of the pavilion, her upper body forced to lean backward over the edge.

The river wind whistled past her ears. Below her seemed to be an abyss, with roaring waves and the thunderous sound of water crashing against rocks, overwhelming and deafening.

The fear of falling from a cliff in her dream became all too real, and Si couldn't stop her legs from trembling.

The man in front of her held her tightly, his arm around her waist firm and unyielding, his upper body leaning forward to press her further back.

He was clearly punishing her.

Si was caught between a rock and a hard place. She wasn't used to being so close to him and instinctively leaned back: "Husband..."

"Are you scared?" he asked softly.

Of course, she was scared! Si shivered. Behind her was only a waist-high railing, and her waist was supported by just one hand. If he let go, she would fall into the raging waves and rocks below...

She clutched the front of his robe, pressing her forehead against his chest, and without hesitation, admitted defeat: "I'm scared... Husband, I'm scared. I won't tease you again..."

Her voice trembled as much as her body, and the wind made her sound even more guilty.

"Since when have you been teasing me?"

He chuckled softly, though he didn’t pull her away from the railing, he tightened his arm around her waist.

Only then did Si realize that in her panic, she had confessed everything. There was a big difference between his suspicions and her own admission. The former could be twisted into a baseless accusation, but the latter was undeniable proof.

She struggled to defend herself: “...It wasn’t intentional teasing. We’re husband and wife, yet you’ve rarely taken the initiative to hold my hand. I adore you, so I’ve always wanted to get closer to you. But now that you’re so angry, I realize you don’t like others touching your hand...”

Yan Shuheng smiled. They had already shared a bed—how much closer could they get? His tone was gentle but carried a hint of implication: “Madam, you provoked me, and now you think a few words can smooth things over? Is there such an easy way out in this world?”

His words left Si momentarily dazed.

An indescribable sense of familiarity washed over her, accompanied by an inexplicable fear and a faint trace of guilt.

But why should she feel guilty? She had merely touched his hand. Even if he exaggerated her “misdeed,” such a small matter shouldn’t make her feel guilty.

It was far from being considered provocation.

“You’re distracted again. What are you thinking about?”

He interrupted Si, his voice carrying an ambiguous tenderness, completely different from before.

Si found him strange.

Her momentary illusion was also strange. She shook her head to dispel the distracting thoughts: “I was thinking about you.”

“What about me?”

After a brief silence filled with their own thoughts, Si spoke first: “I was wondering why you’re making such a big deal out of this. I only touched your hand, and you scared me like this.

“Could it be that I’ve wronged you in the past?”

Yan Shuheng chuckled softly: “Yes.”

His words sounded half-truthful.

Si decided to play along, asking half-jokingly: “Could it be that you’re blaming me for not saving you back then?”

She rarely mentioned her past with the swordsman, and Yan Shuheng seized the opportunity: “I don’t remember. Why don’t you tell me, Madam, how exactly did you fail to save me back then?”

The affectionate term “Madam” gave Si a bit more confidence, and she quickly changed her mind.

She couldn’t tell the truth now. Instead, she had to use this chance to explain, or else the fact that she had once left him injured without helping would become a thorn in their marriage. She feigned remorse: “Back then, when I saw you on the brink of death, I wanted to save you immediately. But I was just a young girl—what if you repaid my kindness with malice? That’s why I hesitated. As soon as I returned that night, I regretted it. I even dreamt of your injured state. The next day, after much deliberation, I decided to take the risk.”

At this point, Si seemed too ashamed to face him, pressing her cheek affectionately against his chest to hide the look in her eyes.

But then she heard him laugh indulgently: “So that’s what it was. I thought you were referring to the time you used me.”

Si looked up in shock: “What are you talking about?”