The next morning, the winter sun made a rare early appearance, casting its warm light across every nook and cranny of the Gu Mansion, making for a particularly pleasant atmosphere.
At seven o'clock sharp, Gu Jiangnian rose from sleep, carefully extricated his arm, and flexed it while sitting on the bed.
He glanced sideways at Jiang Muwan, still deep in sleep, and reached out with his foot to gently nudge her under the covers.
She stirred.
He nudged again.
She stirred once more.
It seemed as if he found some amusement in the silence of the early morning.
So he nudged her again.
Jiang Muwan responded with a kick, pushing his leg off the bed.
He behaved himself after that.
In the words of the elderly, Gu Jiangnian was just asking for it, asking to be set straight.
At half-past seven, the man, in his bathrobe, descended the stairs. In the living room, the servants were busy with their morning chores.
