On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Lin Zhen didn't intervene, just watched with a smile. When her brows furrowed slightly from exerting too much force, he stepped forward, gently grasping her hand that was gripping the shovel handle from behind, and guided her: "Slow down, like this... Use force on your wrist, and pry gently..."

His chest was pressed against her back, his warm breath brushing against her ear.

Murong Yan blushed slightly, but she obediently followed his guidance, feeling the warmth and strength of his palm, and with the help of his strength, she finally succeeded in loosening a shovel of soil.

"Success!" She turned her head to look at him happily, her eyes shining, as if she had accomplished something great.

"Well, Yan'er is really amazing." Lin Zhen praised her generously and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.

Next, the two worked together to place the sapling into the pit.

Lin Zhen held the sapling while Murong Yan filled the hole with soil. With utmost care, she shoveled the loose soil from the surrounding area into the hole. Occasionally, tiny particles of soil splashed onto the hem of her black robe or the trailing edge of the brocade felt, but she paid no attention, completely focused on the "great cause" before her.

Lin Zhen would help her gather the tail back to the center of the brocade felt from time to time to prevent it from slipping and getting covered in more dirt.

After filling the soil, Murong Yan's nose was already covered with fine beads of sweat, and she was breathing slightly. Lin Zhen took out a silk handkerchief and carefully wiped away the sweat for her.

Finally, it was time to water the trees. Murong Yan rushed to pick up the white jade kettle, but found it too heavy for her once it was filled with water. Lin Zhen then grasped her hand from behind, and together they lifted the kettle, slowly pouring the clear water over the sapling's roots.

The water seeps into the soil, making a slight sizzling sound, as if the saplings are drinking water happily.

The sunlight shines through the water droplets, reflecting a small rainbow.

"It's done!" Murong Yan put down the kettle, breathed a sigh of relief, and looked at the upright crabapple sapling with satisfaction, a sense of accomplishment rising spontaneously. She subconsciously wanted to clap her hands, but found that her hands were wearing velvet gloves, and they were slightly stained with mud.

She looked down at the scattered traces of mud on the cuffs and hem of her gorgeous black robe, then at the train of her robe, still gorgeous but with a hint of "labor" spread on the brocade carpet, and suddenly laughed: "Husband, do I look like a queen who sneaked out to play in the mud?"

Lin Zhen looked at her brilliant smile, her gorgeous clothes stained with mud, and her eyes that were particularly bright because of her labor, and he loved her very much.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms, not caring if his clothes would get stained with dirt. "Not like that. Like... a goddess who has fallen to earth, yet remains undimmed in her splendor, personally planting an entire spring for me."

Murong Yan was held in his arms, listening to his low and moving love words, her cheeks flushed and her heart felt as sweet as if it were soaked in honey.

She buried her face in his shoulder and muttered softly: "My husband only knows how to coax me..."

"From the bottom of my heart." Lin Zhen chuckled, lowered his head to find her lips, and kissed her gently.

Under the warm spring sun, a gentle breeze caressed the newly planted crabapple saplings, their tender leaves swaying gently. Not far away, a rich, heavy, inky phoenix robe mingled with an indigo cotton casual attire. A three-meter-long, jewel-studded train spread across the ground, creating a scene of ultimate luxury and warmth alongside the soil and saplings.

After a long time, Lin Zhen finally let go of her. His fingertips brushed across her slightly swollen lips, and his voice was hoarse: "Are you tired? Go back and rest?"

Murong Yan shook her head and leaned into his arms, her gaze still lingering on the crabapple sapling, her eyes full of longing: "Husband, when do you think it will bloom?"

"Next spring, the flowers will surely bloom in profusion," Lin Zhen affirmed. "Then I'll accompany Yan'er to drink wine and admire the moon beneath the flowers."

"Yes!" Murong Yan nodded vigorously, her eyes full of anticipation. She seemed to have already seen the scene of branches full of flowers next year.

As the sun set, Lin Zhen carefully helped her untie the jade pendant that held her train in place. The inky river spread out once again. He lifted her up horizontally and walked steadily towards the bedroom.

Murong Yan hugged his neck, looked back, and looked at the sapling that cast a long shadow in the setting sun. She said softly, "Husband, we must come to see it often."

"Okay," Lin Zhen promised, "Come every day."

When she returned to the bedroom, the palace servants had already prepared warm water and perfume, and carefully brushed away the fine dust on her black robe, especially the train, which was cleaned and cared for extremely gently to ensure that the precious silk threads and gems were intact.

After showering and changing her clothes, Murong Yan changed into another dark black nightgown with a simpler style but still embroidered with golden phoenixes and a train. She leaned on the soft couch by the window, looking at the vague outline of the newly planted crabapple tree in the twilight outside the window, with a sweet smile on her lips all the time.

Lin Zhen brought a cup of warm milk and honey tea and fed it to her.

"Husband," she suddenly asked softly, "when we are old, will this tree also grow up?"

"Well, it will grow very big, and when it blooms, it will look like a pink cloud." Lin Zhen described.

Murong Yan imagined that scene and leaned into his arms with peace of mind: "That's great."

The moonlight gradually rises outside the window, gently enveloping the newborn hope.

Inside the window, the ink-colored phoenix rests in the arms of the lover, and a dream full of flowers about the future is planted in his heart.

......

It is not easy to grow a garden full of books.

The next day, the late spring afternoon sunlight shone through the layers of tender green branches and leaves in the Regent's Palace Garden, becoming gentle and mottled, casting tiny golden spots on the ground.

On the land that was loosened the day before yesterday, the crabapple sapling has already stood upright, its tender green leaves swaying gently in the breeze, exuding vitality.

Murong Yan did not rest in the warm room as usual, but came to the garden again.

She was still wearing the dark black robe with a hundred phoenixes in it. The extremely deep background color was less sharp and more calm and graceful under the soft light filtering through the gaps between the leaves, as if it were an ancient jade gently caressed by time, absorbing the light but revealing a subtle luster of dark blue and dark purple from within.

On the robe, the one hundred phoenixes embroidered with countless rare silk threads appear less aggressive under the mottled light and shadow, and the luster of their wings flows more restrained and soft, as if they are taking a peaceful rest in the inky cloud brocade universe, and the gems on the phoenix eyes reflect warm star-like light.

Her enormous trumpet sleeves were untied, falling naturally at her sides, the black pearl tassels at the cuffs unmoving. And the massive, three-foot-long, ink-colored, jewel-studded train, seamlessly integrated into the robe, wasn't spread out on the brocade felt. Instead, she gathered it, somewhat unskillfully, in circles, stacking it in her arms to minimize drag—a new technique she'd learned to ease her movement in the garden. Though still clumsy and heavy, it was proof of her dedication to her "labor."

Even so, the luxurious jewel-studded edge of the train inevitably fell to the ground, and together with the pair of white brocade soft shoes on her feet, it gently rubbed the edge of the wet soil.

Lin Zhen was already there. He had changed into a more comfortable indigo-colored coarse cotton shirt, with his trouser legs rolled up, revealing his sturdy calves. He was holding a small jade hoe, carefully loosening the soil and weeding around the crabapple saplings. His movements were focused and skillful, a stark contrast to the majestic regent in the court.

Murong Yan stood quietly by for a moment, watching. The sunlight filtered through the branches, casting moving spots of light on the phoenix pattern on her black robe. She looked at Lin Zhen's focused profile, at the tiny beads of sweat on his forehead, and a strange warmth welled up in her heart... a hint of eagerness to try.

She coughed lightly.

Lin Zhen looked up at the sound and saw her standing in the shadows of the trees in her gorgeous attire, her heavy black train folded across her arms. She looked both regal and adorable, and he couldn't help but smile, "Why are you here, Yan'er? Even though the sun is shining, I'm tired from standing for so long."

"I'll come and see it," Murong Yan pointed at the crabapple seedling and said softly, "and... also come and see my husband."

As she spoke, she took a step forward and tentatively reached out her hand from under her flared sleeves to a small pure gold spray bottle placed on a small white jade table beside her. The bottle was filled with prepared flower fertilizer and water.

"I...I'll water it?"

Lin Zhen's smile deepened. He put down the jade hoe and walked to her side. He did not hand her the watering can immediately, but first naturally took out a silk handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped away the non-existent sweat beads on the tip of her nose - perhaps it was just a slight redness caused by the sun.

"Okay, Yan'er will pour it." His voice was low and gentle. "Be careful, the pot is a bit heavy."