宅男的天堂

Upon hearing that it was the last room available, the two of them were taken aback.

The waiter looked at them with confusion, “What are you two hesitating about? I ain’t bragging, but with the New Year approaching, all the inns are doing quite well. With the unexpected heavy snowfall today, many out-of-town businessmen have been stranded in our town. If you keep being picky, you won’t find a place to stay!”

They’d understood that rooms were scarce all along their journey, but… this seemed somewhat inappropriate.

A hint of conflict emerged in Xiao Liulang’s brows.

As for Gu Jiao… She didn’t feel conflicted at all. They were a legally married couple, so what’s the big deal about sharing a bed? Besides, it was not her who wanted to sleep with him. They were simply out of rooms, right?

However, she still played along and showed an equally troubled expression, which made her appear even more agreeable.

Most of the time, Xiao Liulang was a man prone to gentleness rather than severity. The way she hung her head, like a harmless little rabbit, subtly exuded a sense of compliance.

At this point, insisting on dragging her frail figure through the snowstorm to find another inn seemed too harsh.

Xiao Liulang steadied his mind and said, “Alright, we’ll stay.”

The waiter led the two to a room on the second floor.

The room, being the last available for good reason, was small and gloomy. Considering the snowy weather, however, the inn offered them a pot of charcoal for heating free of charge.

The room cost two hundred wen.

It normally cost a hundred wen, but the price had been raised for the New Year period.

After placing the charcoal, the waiter left, informing them that they could dine in the grand hall or request for food to be delivered to their room.

Oh, they even have room service here, Gu Jiao was pleasantly surprised.

However, Gu Jiao didn’t dine at the inn. As she perched on the window sill, she salivated at the sight of an Osmanthus Cake stall across the alleyway.

She realized that she had slightly changed from her past life. For instance, she used to dislike sweet and hot flavors, but now she was drawn to Osmanthus Cake and Pickled Vegetables.

“Do you want Osmanthus Cake?” Xiao Liulang, who was beside her, noticed her drooling.

Gu Jiao nodded, “Hmm.”

Truth be told, Gu Jiao wasn’t that greedy, or at least not as greedy as Xiao Liulang saw her. But after spending this time together, Gu Jiao had discovered a fact: he seemed to find it hard to resist when she acted obediently.

Xiao Liulang took Gu Jiao out of the inn.

The snowfall outside had intensified, but the wind had died down, creating a serene beauty as the snowflakes gently fell to the ground.

Amidst the snowy scenery, Xiao Liulang appeared even more handsome, attracting unblinking gazes from passersby.

In the morning, Gu Jiao had reminded Xiao Liulang to wear an extra overcoat. Unfortunately, she had forgotten her own advice when they went out. Furthermore, her petite form was indeed more susceptible to the cold compared to her past life. As such, her shivering was entirely genuine.

Xiao Liulang, walking in front, turned around and glanced at her, then took off his overcoat and handed it to her.

Her eyes widened as she looked at him innocently, seemingly not comprehending his intentions, “Huh?”

Xiao Liulang opened his mouth, his brow furrowing. Exuding a touch of helplessness, he reluctantly draped the overcoat over her.

The overcoat retained his warmth and emitted a faint, pleasing fragrance.

Gu Jiao blinked her watery eyes, “Thank you.”

Her voice was soft and sweet.

It even caught her off guard.

Xiao Liulang didn’t respond, but Gu Jiao noticed that he had slowed his pace.

Oh, he’s actually waiting for her now?

When they reached the stall, they discovered that, apart from Osmanthus Cake, it also sold steaming hot Tangyuan (sweet rice dumplings).

Gu Jiao’s eyes gave away her excitement, they were almost glowing.

Xiao Liulang ordered two bowls of rice wine Tangyuan and sat down with Gu Jiao.

Gu Jiao requested for an additional poached egg.

The stall owner assumed it was for her and poured it into her bowl. However, when the Tangyuan was served, Gu Jiao scooped up the poached egg with a spoon and transferred it into Xiao Liulang’s bowl.

Coming from a poor background, they rarely ate out. Seeing Gu Jiao hand over her only poached egg to him, Xiao Liulang’s eyes revealed a hint of complexity.

“Sir, another poached egg, please.”

His voice was low and moist, evoking a chillier sense amid the snowfall.

The vendor had been touched by the young couple’s affections and deliberately cooked a larger and prettier poached egg.

Gu Jiao quietly poked the bright yellow poached egg with her spoon.

It’s just that… she really doesn’t like poached eggs…

After finishing the Tangyuan and poached egg, they returned to the inn; Gu Jiao carrying a box of Osmanthus Cake.

The initial plan was to buy the Osmanthus Cake, but after consuming a bowl of Tangyuan and a poached egg, she was completely stuffed.

The room wasn’t particularly cold with the charcoal heating. After removing the overcoat, Gu Jiao called the waiter for some hot tea.

The waiter asked if they needed hot water.

Gu Jiao requested for some.

After washing up, the two of them prepared to rest.

As there was only one bed and due to the freezing temperature, sleeping on the floor was not an option. Therefore, they each took a quilt. In this freezing weather, one quilt would not suffice; they needed two.

Gu Jiao couldn’t sleep due to the cold; her hands and feet were icy.

Listening to Xiao Liulang’s breathing, she knew he wasn’t asleep either.

“Um…” Gu Jiao wanted to call him, but it dawned on her that she hadn’t formally addressed him, nor had he addressed her, up until now. Just as if they were uncertain about the true nature of their relationship.

Married? No.

Friends? No, neither.

Lovers… No, definitely not!

In the end, Gu Jiao still decided to reluctantly call him her husband.

“Husband.”

It was the first time she had addressed him this way and her voice slightly faltered.

Xiao Liulang didn’t respond for a while, probably stunned by this sudden form of address.

After a long pause, he finally asked in a low voice, “What’s the matter?”

“Are you cold?” Gu Jiao asked.

“Are you very cold?” Xiao Liulang counter-asked.

“Yes.” Gu Jiao’s thin voice echoed in the night, laced with a slight nasal sound due to the cold.

Xiao Liulang hesitated for a while before finally sharing half of his quilt with her.

In the spirit of sharing, Gu Jiao covered him with half of her quilt, resulting in a complete sharing of their quilts.

The young man’s body was like a furnace, radiating warmth.

Gu Jiao immediately felt a lot warmer.

Xiao Liulang froze, deliberating whether to kick this uninvited guest out of his quilt.

“Husband, I’m not cold anymore.”

The young girl’s voice was soft, tinged with a trace of cute satisfaction.

Xiao Liulang… couldn’t bring himself to kick her out anymore.