Chapter 33 I Want My Mind Filled with Yellow Waste

Located to the east and south, it has frequent and close trade relations with neighboring small countries. Due to the plague, surrounding merchant ships have long been moored.

Foreigners staying in eastern Yunnan had to live in makeshift shacks. Fortunately, the local people were kind and honest, and many wealthy merchants donated money, clothing, food and other supplies, so the conditions were not as harsh as they had imagined.

Yu Wenxue observed the symptoms of the sick people: fever, rash, and aches and pains in the limbs. It was more like modern chickenpox than the flu.

In ancient times, when medical conditions were poor, a single outbreak of smallpox could cause a person to become terminally ill.

Just as she was about to step forward for a closer look, her arm was suddenly blocked.

Gu Yun Shen frowned deeply: "Drink it first."

Yu Wenxue couldn't help but pout: "Thank you."

After swallowing the sticky, brownish-red medicine, a bitter taste lingered on the tip of the tongue, refusing to dissipate for a long time.

She pinched her nose, tears welling up in her eyes from the bitter taste, and mumbled, "It's so bitter."

"You were quite bold when you came." Gu Yun Shen chuckled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He covered her head with the veil, took her hand, and dragged her straight into the house.

This place was originally an inn, three stories high. After the previous owner passed away years ago, it fell into disrepair. Later, it was taken over by outsiders, and the decor is filled with various exotic styles.

The door slammed shut, and the beaded curtain at the entrance was rolled up.

Yu Wenxue lifted her veil and muttered softly, "I haven't even seen Qingwan yet..."

As soon as she finished speaking, she was carried to the bed.

The bells by the bed curtains swayed slightly, making a clear, ringing sound with the movements of the two people.

The figure in front of her was getting closer and closer. Yu Wenxue stared at that face, unconsciously crumpling the quilt and swallowing.

At this distance, in this posture, could he be...?

"You're always disobedient."

Yu Wenxue opened her eyes again after she had closed them.

She's overthinking it; her mind is full of lewd thoughts.

Bad review!

"I..." He stammered for a long time, not knowing what to say.

You can't exactly say that she'll die if she doesn't finish the mission in half a month, can you?

Gu Yun Shen stared at her, not missing a single expression on her face. "Do you know how the military deals with deserters?"

His voice was calm, yet it concealed danger: "First-time offenders will be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and sent to the army to continue their campaigns; repeat offenders will be hanged."

That does sound really scary.

Yu Wenxue thought so.

But she wasn't a deserter; at most, she could only be considered an elopement.

She vaguely sensed something, but couldn't grasp it, letting the hazy thoughts drift away and disappear.

"If you don't behave next time, I will..."

“You can break my legs,” Yu Wenxue blurted out.

Gu Yunshen raised his eyebrows, clearly satisfied with her answer.

However, breaking her leg won't do; she's so afraid of pain, how could she bear it?

He would then use specially made chains to bind her ankles, so that he could sense her direction with every step she took.

"Not only will you break my legs, but you'll also lock me up so I won't run around, right?" Yu Wenxue sighed. A villain is a villain after all; she couldn't expect him to completely reform.

She looked at him for a long time, then smiled and said, "Okay, I promise you."

"But we'll have to wait half a month. By then, I won't do anything all day, and I won't go out even if you ask me to."

She was wondering where to go after leaving the Marquis's mansion. Since she had nowhere to go anyway, being a carefree, lazy bum was simply wonderful.

Gu Yun Shen remained silent, but his eyes held a hint of ambiguous emotion as he looked at her.

"Also, I want a vegetable garden, and a place to raise chickens. I can roast chickens during festivals. The ones you roasted last time were delicious."

"Let's plant another peach tree behind the artificial hill."

"The koi in the pond are too fat; they keep eating the smaller fish. Let's create a separate small pond to raise the smaller fish..."

After rambling on for a while, Yu Wenxue actually started planning her life after the mission was completed.

Seeing that Gu Yun Shen did not respond to her, she poked her finger: "But I won't just eat for free, I can draw pictures and sell them."

"You could also play the erhu. I've heard that many places hire people to play folk tunes. What do you think of me?"

Gu Yun Shen slowly asked, "Why half a month?"

“Because…” Yu Wenxue blinked, her mind racing: “There’s a plague going on now, you can’t just ignore all these suffering people, can you?”

After a long silence, Gu Yunshen replied, "Okay."

She agreed, and she couldn't go back on her word.

If it were based on his previous temperament, he would never have had the patience to play this cat-and-mouse game with her.

But now, it seems that things have indeed changed.

Perhaps Lu Qingsheng is right.

On the other side, Lu Qingsheng looked grave as he continuously adjusted the dosage of the medication.

This plague is not as simple as it seems on the surface; there may be someone stirring up trouble.

A figure in black climbed in through the window and asked dismissively, "What, kicked out by your little cousin?"

Gu Yun Shen sat in the chair, raised an eyebrow, and said slowly, "You talk too much."

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a familiar bundle on the table. He casually picked it up with his fingers, revealing the contents inside.

"This is what Miss Yu prepared for us, what's it called... a mask? It's similar to a veil." Lu Qingsheng smiled: "Now I know why you like her. I like such a good girl."

Sensing a sharp killing intent, he quickly added, "What I mean is, I wish she were my own sister."

As she spoke, her movements were too large, and she accidentally spilled the medicine she was brewing, which unfortunately landed on the little dog puppet that Gu Yun Shen was wearing.

"Noisy." The smile in Gu Yun Shen's eyes faded, replaced by a certain stern demeanor.

The puppet was covered in a foul smell, so he carefully took out a handkerchief to wipe it clean, gently stroked it, and then hung it back up.

*

After settling everything in, Yu Wenxue went to find Lin Qingwan immediately.

After not seeing each other for several days, the two girls hugged each other tightly, tears streaming down their faces.

Lin Qingwan removed the cotton cloth from her face, revealing that her originally pretty face was slightly red from the sun.

She took Yu Wenxue's hand, her eyes reddening, "I thought we'd never see each other again..."

Lin Qingwan only learned about Yu Wenxue's sale the day before.

In her heart, the old lady had always been a dignified, kind, and sensible person.

No one would have imagined that they would be doing such a filthy business in private, and countless poor girls have suffered because of this.

"Look at me, I'm perfectly fine now." Yu Wenxue spun around. "But I was really scared. Thank goodness the Second Young Master arrived in time..."

Lin Qingwan smiled knowingly: "Look at you, calling him 'Second Young Master' this and 'Second Young Master' that. I think you came along because you can't bear to leave him, right?"

Yu Wenxue paused for a moment: "I can't bear to part with you."

Lin Qingwan smiled without saying a word, just as she was about to say something heartfelt, when she was interrupted by a broken Central Plains accent: "Miss Lin, could you give me some more Atractylodes lancea?"

The man who spoke had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a tall stature; his indigo eyes shone like stars.

Yu Wenxue glanced at him curiously, and the man quickly returned her a polite smile.

Lin Qingwan quickly rummaged through the medicine cabinet and pulled out several cloth bags, handing them to him. "Here you go."

Thank you.

After he left, just as Yu Wenxue was about to speak, the man returned, revealing his neat teeth: "Miss Lin, I would like some more Sichuan lovage."

"good."

"Miss Lin, do you still have Poria cocos?"

......

After going back and forth three or four times, until she was sure the person had no intention of returning, Yu Wenxue hurriedly asked, "Who was that?"

Lin Qingwan: "His name is Wu Yu. He is a merchant from Jiaozhi. Many of his men have been infected with the plague and are forced to stay here. He comes here occasionally to help out."

Wu Yu was more speechless.

Yu Wenxue knew this person. In the original book, this foreign man once tried to drug Lin Qingwan and have a one-night stand with her. Fortunately, Gu Rongting arrived in time, which prevented a major disaster.

No wonder I disliked this person at first sight; it turns out this was all premeditated.

No, it seems she should strike first.

Yu Wenxue was on high alert, and her protective instincts for love immediately kicked in. Not giving Wu Yu any chance to take advantage of her, she went out that very night with her pillow, intending to sleep with Lin Qingwan.

Before he could even step across the threshold, he was stopped by the guards at the gate: "There are orders from above that outsiders are not allowed to stay with other people."

"Please have some self-respect, young lady."

"My lord, I came from a safe place. Could you please make an exception for me?" Yu Wenxue said ingratiatingly.

The guard, looking straight ahead, said without changing his expression, "I'm sorry."

"Please pretend you didn't see me, just this once, I beg you."

"Feel sorry."

"......"

This must be a bot! It only says this one sentence.

The stalemate continued, and Yu Wenxue hung her head, looking as if she had lost her parents.

I wonder when Gu Rongting will receive the letter. If he doesn't come soon, his sweetheart will be snatched away!

"What are you doing here so late?" Gu Yunshen was dressed in official robes, and compared to his former youthful demeanor, he had become more composed.

Yu Wenxue's eyes lit up, and she quickly leaned closer, lowering her voice: "I want to live with Qingwan, could you please put in a good word for me?"

She reached out and gently shook his sleeve. "Please."

The girl's eyes sparkled, and Gu Yun Shen's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

“Lord Gu,” the guard said respectfully, “this young lady comes from Shuozhou. I am worried that she will not be able to adapt to the environment here, so I cannot let her in.”

“I’m really healthy.” Yu Wenxue hid behind Gu Yunshen and winked at the guard.

Don't worry, she has powerful backers!

The guard kept his eyes straight ahead, pretending not to see.

After exchanging a few words, Gu Yun Shen beckoned to her: "Come with me."

Yu Wenxue followed, clutching her pillow.

He walked so slowly that she could easily keep up with him.

Upon reaching the room from earlier that day, she obediently asked, "Second Young Master, do you have any secret path to lead me there?"

"No." Gu Yun Shen took the pillow from her arms and said calmly, "He's right, it's indeed not safe to live together."

"But we're together during the day too..."

Gu Yun Shen stood ramrod straight: "Go sleep at my place."

Yu Wenxue didn't react at first, and nodded blankly: "Hmm...hmm?"

"And what about you?"

“We came from Shuozhou together, so we can sleep together.” Gu Yunshen said this without batting an eye: “Miss Yu, the situation is serious right now, so please consider the bigger picture.”

Author's Note: Xiao Gu: If you dare leave, I'll lock you in the dark room.

Daughter: That's great! I want to be a salted fish!