Emily couldn’t help but cry out in shock at the sight, and Stephen Clark seemed to realize things were going badly as well, so he threw himself to the ground. Almost at the same moment, the scissors missed by a few centimeters and plunged deep into the soil, the two handles still trembling slightly up and down.

“Get out! Remember what I said—from now on, there is not the slightest connection between me, Edward Clark, and you!” Edward Clark stood at the doorway, speaking coldly.

It wasn’t until he watched the other’s disheveled figure disappear from sight that he felt the bloodthirsty impulse in his heart gradually subside. Just now, he had truly intended to kill; if he hadn’t missed by chance, there would probably be a corpse in the courtyard right now. He took a few steps forward, bent down to pick up the scissors, and saw Emily standing dazed at the doorway, staring at him. He couldn’t help but sigh.

“Since that beast had evil intentions toward you, why would you hurt yourself with the scissors? There’s no need to go to such extremes to prove your innocence, is there?”

“I, I…” Emily hadn’t expected her husband’s first words not to be an accusation, and was left speechless in surprise. After a long while, she finally lowered her head and mumbled, “Father taught me that for a woman, starving to death is a small matter, but losing her chastity is a big one…”

“Nonsense!” Edward Clark couldn’t help but sneer contemptuously when he heard this so-called golden rule, revered by countless men in ancient times. “Most women who lose their chastity do so because they have no choice—that’s because their families failed to protect them, and outsiders have even less right to judge. If you had the scissors, you should have stabbed him! What’s the point of hurting yourself? Besides, did you lose your chastity?”

“No, no!” Emily shook her head like a rattle drum, hastily clarifying, “Because he’s harassed me several times, whenever you’re not home, I sew up my clothes with needle and thread and keep scissors ready just in case…”

“Well, there you go!” Edward Clark placed his hand solemnly on his wife’s shoulder and said, “Emily, let’s not talk about the past anymore. From now on, I’ll teach you some self-defense moves. If he dares come again, you give him a good beating! As a woman, you can’t be too weak, or you’ll always be the one to suffer when something happens. Remember, if anything happens, I’ll take care of it!”

Hearing her husband’s words, the gloom in Emily’s eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a bright sparkle. She nodded vigorously. Suddenly, as if remembering something urgent, she dragged her husband into the house, shutting the courtyard and room doors tightly behind them.

Edward Clark was completely baffled, but then saw Emily deftly snip open the tightly sewn seams on her clothes with the scissors. Next, she loosened her garments, and in no time, a perfect body was revealed before him. In an instant, he felt a rush of heat surge to his head, and his breathing grew heavy.

“Ying… Emily, what are you—what are you doing?”

“Ah Feng, father-in-law has already spoken to me several times. Three years without consummation is enough grounds for divorce, but you’ve always refused to share a bed with me. Today, I’m giving you my pure body!”

With a thud, Edward Clark nearly collapsed to the ground, and his nosebleed gushed out uncontrollably. He never imagined that trying to build a relationship would lead to this outcome. From his wife’s logic, Emily’s thinking was quite correct—only the husband could truly verify her virginity. However, it was broad daylight!

Chapter Ten: The Appointment with Dongpo

In the end, Edward Clark couldn’t resist the allure of Emily’s tenderness. With such beauty before him, he was no Liu Xiahui, that paragon of self-restraint—there was no way he could remain unmoved. Only in the moment of their union did he truly believe in his wife’s innocence. Wasn’t she even more inexperienced than he was?

After their passionate lovemaking, sunset arrived in the blink of an eye, yet the kitchen stove at home was still cold. Emily wanted to get up and cook, but as a first-timer, her whole body was sore and exhausted, so she could only let her husband fuss over her, feeling sweet inside.

As a modern, model husband, Edward Clark had studied countless recipes in the past, but faced with the limited ingredients at home, he could only settle for fried rice with eggs. When he brought out two big bowls, he saw his wife’s eyes go wide, as if she’d seen a monster, and he couldn’t help but find it amusing.

“Stop staring and eat!” he said, dotingly tapping her cute nose and placing a bowl of fried rice on the wooden table in front of her. “Just make do for now. Once you’re feeling better, I’ll take you to the night market at Zhouqiao!”

“Really?” Emily was still young—though already a married woman, she was as girlish as ever. “You’re not allowed to lie!” Suddenly, she remembered her husband had gone to play cuju today and quickly asked about the result.

“We won, I guess…” Edward Clark really didn’t want to talk about the match, so he just brushed it off. “Anyway, I’ve already got four strings of cash as a reward, and the remaining ten should come soon. Life at home won’t be so tight anymore.”

The young couple was chatting happily when an untimely knock sounded at the courtyard gate. Helpless, Edward Clark had to put down his chopsticks and go open the door. What he saw left him stunned for a moment. The visitor was none other than Samuel Adams, dressed in plain robes, with a blue-cloth sedan chair not far behind and two young attendants standing respectfully by.