I inherited my grandfather's Tang Dynasty assets.

Chapter 11 A Girl's Thoughts

Only then did Chen Yue realize that he had forgotten something: he hadn't prepared toiletries. Although it was winter, he could barely tolerate not showering for a few days, but not washing his face, feet, or brushing his teeth was absolutely unacceptable.

"Have Zhao Xiong bring the things over tomorrow. Let's make do for tonight."

Chen Yue wasn't sleepy at all at this hour. Just then, Wang Xian brought over some books, so he picked one up and started reading by candlelight.

After watching for a while, Chen Yue suddenly realized something was wrong. Yes, it was too quiet. Where did Zhao Qimei go?

As soon as he turned around, he saw that the little girl was already on his bed, and had even taken off her coat, lying straight.

"Seventh Sister, what do you mean by this?"

Chen Yue was somewhat bewildered.

Zhao Qimei slowly turned her head to look at him, her face flushed and her eyelashes trembling slightly, and said.

"Young master, didn't you want Seventh Sister to serve you while you rest?"

Chen Yue was no naive young man who had never experienced such things. Seeing the girl's shy expression, he knew exactly what she was thinking: she wanted to serve him in bed.

If she were in her early twenties, it would be fine, but she looked only twelve or thirteen. In Chen Yue's eyes, she was just a primary school student, and he really didn't have any of those thoughts.

He stopped himself in his tracks, worried that if he spoke too bluntly, he might hurt her pride.

In ancient times, women valued chastity more than life itself. Now, she willingly offered herself to serve the emperor, but was heartlessly rejected. What if she took her own life? Isn't that how it's always portrayed on TV?

So after thinking for a moment, he changed to a more tactful way of saying it.

He said it with a smile.

"Seventh Sister, you've misunderstood me. I meant for you to sleep on the desk, not what you think."

"As a cultivator, I must never have sexual relations with a woman under the age of 18, otherwise my cultivation will be completely destroyed, and I will die and my cultivation will perish."

Zhao Qimei, who had been looking dejected, immediately became terrified upon hearing the second half of the sentence. She even forgot that she was only wearing a small undergarment and sat up abruptly.

"Young master, it was Seventh Sister's fault. I'll come down right away."

Chen Yue turned his head away.

"It's alright, ignorance is no excuse. Hurry up and get dressed; after all, you've helped warm my bed, haven't you?"

Zhao Qimei quickly dressed and came to his side, standing timidly, clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands, looking down at her toes, not daring to look at Chen Yue.

It's so embarrassing.

"It's getting late, go to sleep. When you return to the village tomorrow, tell Zhao Xiong to prepare some toiletries for me."

"Um."

Although it was still early, he had gotten up at four o'clock to come to the Tang Dynasty, and after reading those books, he had been successfully hypnotized and was feeling quite sleepy.

I took off my coat and went to bed, but my hair was a real problem, and it was inconvenient to remove it.

When Liu Boyan gave him the table and chairs, he also gave him a mink cloak, which was very beautiful. He told Zhao Qimei to wear it to bed, otherwise she would definitely freeze.

Chen Yue quickly fell asleep and even started snoring softly. Zhao Qimei turned around quietly and peeked at him with a blush on her face.

She stretched out her hand, casting a large hand shadow in the candlelight, and playfully made various movements on the wall beside the bed. The charcoal stove in the room made a "sizzling" sound, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

It is just as the poem describes: "The candlelight flickers on the wall, the moon sways gently, a leaning arm rests on the desk, a cool breeze stirs. The lamp in the orchid-scented room is dim, the inkstone burns softly, and the sound of charcoal sparks echoes through the long night."

Despite the completely unfamiliar environment, Chen Yue slept soundly and even had a wonderful dream in which he became a proper lord in the Tang Dynasty.

He had many wives and concubines, surrounded by women, and drank with the ancients in history books.

Waking up groggily, Chen Yue stretched and rubbed his eyes. It was already bright outside. Seventh Sister wasn't in the room, but there was a sumptuous feast on the table.

With a creak, Seventh Sister walked in carrying a wooden basin.

"Young master, you're awake."

She looked like she had been busy for a long time.

"Hmm, what time is it? Didn't you sleep well?"

Sleeping in his own bed is certainly comfortable, but the little girl would lie on the desk. Back when he was in school, he often slept on his desk during lunch break. It was okay for a short time, but after a while, his back would ache.

There was nothing he could do; there was only one bed here. He didn't mind the little girl sleeping in the bed with him, but she was, after all, a girl from a feudal dynasty.

While the Tang Dynasty was indeed inclusive and open, this mainly referred to the upper class; the common people were still relatively conservative.

Seventh Sister brought the water to him, shook her head and smiled.

"No, Seventh Sister is sleeping very well and it's very warm. I get up at 3 AM every day, so I'm used to it."

As he spoke, he looked up and glanced outside.

"It should be almost 9 AM now."

Chen Yue nodded. That would be around eight or nine o'clock. Goodness, he slept for more than ten hours straight. He must have been able to sleep a lot.

The wooden basin contained hot water that Seventh Sister had just boiled, as well as "toothbrush wood" for brushing teeth. In the Tang Dynasty, there were no toothbrushes, so some people would rub the wood with their fingers or break it into fluff for convenience.

Ordinary people mostly use willow wood, while toothwood is a precious wood with a special fragrance and is expensive.

The toothbrush was made of coarse salt, and there was also a piece of soap for washing the face, which was quite elaborate.

Before dawn, Zhao Qimei got up and returned to the village. Wang Xian had rested in the village the night before and asked her carefully about what happened last night when he learned that she had returned.

Upon learning of Chen Yue's needs, he immediately sent someone to his own Qingshui Xiaozhu to fetch these items, which were all things he used daily.

Although these people do not farm or work, they never lack money, not because of the meager monthly allowance given by the imperial court.

Whether it was him, Huang Fengzhi, or Lu Xiu, they all came from very wealthy families, and many people wanted to get to know them, especially businessmen who often gave them money under various pretexts.

If you can't even make ends meet, what's the point of being a hermit?

Although these things were good in the Tang Dynasty, Chen Yue really wasn't used to them. He decided that next time he came, he would bring a toothbrush and toothpaste, which he could also sell in Chang'an.

Ordinary people can't afford it, but it will certainly be sought after by high-ranking officials and nobles.

After Seventh Sister helped him wash up and get dressed, he sat down at her request to have breakfast with her. It was also specially sent by Wang Xian to Chang'an to buy and deliver the breakfast.

There was mutton soup, large meat buns, and food similar to roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), and the taste was not bad.

"You didn't come home last night. Did your family ask you anything?"

With a large meat bun stuffed in his mouth, Chen Yue casually asked a question.

"They asked, and I said that the young master asked me to stay, so they didn't ask any more questions. They just told me to serve him well and not to be careless in the slightest."

Zhao Qimei's face was slightly flushed as she spoke; she looked young, but she was already 15.

According to the "Tang Code Commentary", women reached the legal marriage age of 13, but that was during the Wude era.

In the past, the Sui Dynasty had just been overthrown, and the country was in turmoil, resulting in many deaths. The Tang Dynasty urgently needed to replenish its population.

In the first year of the Zhenguan era, Li Shimin changed the age to 15 and encouraged women in the common people to get married at that age.

A few months ago, her stepmother even discussed this matter with Zhao Lin, wanting to marry her off to the son of a butcher in Chang'an.

She had already talked to him about matters between men and women. It was an arranged marriage, and Zhao Qimei had resigned herself to her fate.

But now, her heart had been quietly set on Chen Yue last night. Although she had never met the butcher's son, no matter what, he could never compare to the young master.

Therefore, she understood the implication in Wang Xian's words: if Chen Yue had that need, she had no choice but to comply.