Chapter 97: Ginger The two men glared at each other with cold eyes.

From August to September, Shen Changfeng's daily activities became extremely simple. He spent most of his time out fighting bandits and bandits. What little free time he had was spent either entertaining Lin Meizhu or deliberately angering her. He cherished the time he had alone with her, immersed in immense joy and a sense of unreal happiness. He even secretly inquired about the wedding etiquette and customs in Jingzhou. He was very excited and planned to propose marriage to Chen Huisheng when he returned.

Lin Meizhu gradually became anxious, and she also counted the days silently, but the person she was waiting for was not Chen Huisheng.

This day was no different from any other; the weather was beautiful, neither too hot nor too cold. Shen Changfeng took the dogs for a stroll. Since Lin Meizhu refused to go out today, he decided to just go home early to be with her. As they reached Little Lotus Seed Alley, they heard the sound of carriages and horses ahead. Looking up, they saw several attendants carrying boxes and packages into the house.

Lin Meiju was standing at the door with a smile on her face, the kind of smile that was relieved and joyful. She reached out and took the luggage from a young man.

They said nothing, just looked at each other deeply. With just one look, they understood all the thousands of words and hidden emotions conveyed by the other party.

Chu Qi looked at the smiling Lin Meizhu, and his restless heart gradually settled down. He said softly, "Let's go in."

Lin Meizhu agreed, and when she turned around, she saw Shen Changfeng standing there in a petrified state. She silently withdrew her gaze and slammed the door shut before he could speak.

Inside the house, Chuqi took the tea handed to him by Lin Meizhu and said to her, "I received the letter you asked Tuesday to deliver to me halfway. I have already sent the guards over, and no one can do anything. Once everything is settled here, I will go with you to meet them..."

Lin Meizhu was stunned for a moment, nodded and said okay, and asked: "Chuqi, are you hungry? I'll go cook."

I just asked this question once.

Chuqi remained calm and said, "Let me do it. What do you want to eat?"

Lin Meizhu followed him and said hesitantly, "Maybe, I'll cook more. I agree..."

Chuqi paused in chopping vegetables, then brought the knife down heavily with a "swish" sound and said, "Please invite the guest to my home for dinner. I will thank him in person."

Shen Changfeng stared at the two pairs of bowls and chopsticks on the dining table, his eyes almost spitting fire.

Two shallow-bottomed celadon bowls with lotus blossoms were placed opposite him, a pair that looked like a perfect match, so dazzling, so abrupt. Against their backdrop, the plain white porcelain bowl with water patterns on Shen Changfeng's side seemed out of place.

He had never known that the family had sets of dishes and chopsticks. Lin Meizhu had never mentioned this to him, and she had always used leftovers for him.

He looked towards the people in the kitchen.

Lin Meizhu didn't look at him. Chuqi finished the last dish, then untied his apron and handed him a towel to wipe his hands. Chuqi hung up the apron and turned to say something to her.

Shen Changfeng couldn't hear anything because the rain was so loud. He only saw Lin Meizhu smiling happily, with two deep dimples on her lips.

He squeezed his eyes shut, the image of the two of them staring at each other affectionately resurfacing in his mind, and the bitterness in his heart surged again. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm; this Hongmen Feast had only just begun.

Lin Meizhu came to the hall first. Shen Changfeng looked at her steadily, with questioning, anger and unwillingness in his eyes, but if you look carefully, you can find that there is more grievance in it: Aren’t you going to explain?

Shen Changfeng wanted to stand up, but Lin Meizhu poured him a glass of wine and said, "Let's eat."

Chuqi sat down on the right side of Lin Meizhu, sitting in the upper seat, raised the wine cup, and said to Shen Changfeng: "Thank you for the care of the eleventh during this period of time, I will toast you on her behalf."

Shen Changfeng remained motionless, lightly lifting his eyelids, half-smiling, and asked, "Which one of her are you? I'm helping her out of pleasure, do I need you to thank me on her behalf?"

Chu Qi smiled and asked, "What identity would you be more accepting of?"

"You!" Shen Changfeng suddenly pulled the corner of his mouth, raised his wine glass, and said in a sharp tone: "Speaking of which, I should thank you. As the saying goes, an elder brother is like a father, and the principles and moral principles cannot be abolished. Thank you for taking care of Meizhu all these years. Thank you for your hard work."

Chu Qi's face darkened: "What qualifications do you have to say these things to me!"

Shen Changfeng's pupils suddenly turned cold, and he emphasized his tone, "I don't have the qualifications to be your equal!"

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense. The two men glared at each other with cold eyes, and the dining table between them was shaking slightly.

Lin Meizhu put down her chopsticks and asked, "Do you still want to eat?"

The table stopped shaking immediately.

Lin Meizhu added a piece of meat to Chuqi and said, "Chuqi, eat more."

Chuqi nodded and also picked up some food for her. He raised his head to the dark-faced gatekeeper who was frozen opposite him and said, "Master Chen, you are a guest. There is no need to be restrained. Eat more... Ah, I almost forgot. Eleven said that you can't get used to the food of Jingzhou. It's true. We are strangers to each other. How can we get along? If this goes on for a long time, it will only harm others and not benefit yourself. Master Chen should have realized this principle long ago."

Shen Changfeng snorted coldly and smiled meaningfully: "Eating habits and tastes can be adjusted and accommodated, but some people's preferences are determined from the moment they are born."

Lin Meizhu paused while picking up the food, frowned slightly, and glanced at Shen Changfeng.

Chen Changfeng held her eyes tightly, slowly tilted his neck back and drank the wine, swallowing his high and straight Adam's apple. Then he leaned back in his chair, relaxed his shoulder bones, hooked his index finger around his collar and tugged lightly, revealing his firm and smooth muscle lines under the slightly loose lapel.

He stretched his legs under the table, the tip of his shoe brushing against her toes as her skirt swayed gently. His lips, wet from the wine, gleamed with water. Shen Changfeng leaned closer to Lin Meizhu again, grinning mischievously, and asked, "Mei Niang, isn't that right?"

Chu Qi's heart was ablaze with fire. This man was so shameless! He actually dared to flirt with Lin Meizhu in front of him!

Shen Changfeng smiled provocatively, but Lin Meizhu did not get angry or embarrassed as expected. On the contrary, the expression on her face became colder.

The smile quickly shifted to Chuqi's face.

Lin Meizhu didn't look up at Shen Changfeng, her tone was still calm, "If you have anything to say, let's talk after we finish eating."

Shen Changfeng couldn't eat. He had been feeling uneasy from the beginning. When he heard these words, he became even more restless and had a vague sense of foreboding.

He looked at the two people talking and laughing opposite him, and he felt like he was drowning in a sea of ​​jealousy. He couldn't get a word in at all because they were speaking Lingnan dialect.

Soon after arriving in Jingzhou, he learned Hubei dialect, and along the way, he also mastered Henan dialect. He even knew Japanese, because as a child, knowing that Li Jieyi would go to sea, he always imagined that she would take him there one day. He also had a basic understanding of the languages ​​of the Western Regions. But he didn't understand Lingnan dialect.

He picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth, chewing it vigorously, but the spiciness almost made him cry - it was a piece of ginger.

He felt like the piece of ginger, mixed in with the other dishes. They looked the same, but ginger was just ginger. People felt unlucky when they caught it while eating, just like him. Even with a changed status, he still wasn't welcome. A sense of loneliness crept in, and that feeling reappeared. He didn't belong in the "we" that Lin Meizhu had defined. He was a guest, an outsider, not a part of this family.

He doesn't understand Lingnan dialect.

Shen Changfeng stretched his neck and swallowed the ginger. What's wrong with ginger? It's used in so many places. Ginger has great uses, and Shen Changfeng also has great achievements.

However, he no longer wanted to eat this meal. He drank glass after glass of cold wine. Then he heard Chu Qi suddenly pause and asked him in official language: "Master Chen, is the food I cooked not to your taste?"

Shen Changfeng's lower eyelids were already red, and his throat felt like it was on fire. He said, "I'm afraid you'll poison me."

Chu Qi chuckled, "If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't have the chance to show off these clumsy tricks here."

Shen Changfeng smiled with his sinister white teeth and said, "Who do you think is faster, your poison or my knife?"

Both of them had reached their limit of patience. Just as they were about to overturn the table, Lin Meizhu stood up and said, "I have a few words to say to Village Master Shen."

Shen, village, master.

Shen Changfeng's heart skipped a beat. The ominous feeling that had been lingering in his heart since Lin Meiju locked him out of the door suddenly became stronger.

Chuqi agreed and added, "I'm in the room. If you need anything, call me."

Shen Changfeng's thoughts were in a tangle. He didn't even bother to refute Chu Qi. He was chatting with Lin Meizhu, what could possibly happen? Could he hurt her? But no matter what he thought, the polite and distant voice of "Master Shen" in his ear was extremely clear, constantly attacking his eardrums like needles.

Lin Meizhu filled Shen Changfeng's glass with wine, raised her own glass and said, "Master Shen, thank you for putting aside the past grudges and helping me." After that, she drank the wine in one breath.

Shen Changfeng's face was tense. He stared at her face and asked, "What do you mean? What do you think of me? Do you want to throw me away after you're done with me?"

Lin Meizhu shook her head. "No, I'm truly grateful to you. If it weren't for your hard work, I wouldn't have been able to find him so quickly."

Shen Changfeng's eyes gradually became bloodshot, and his voice was filled with indignation: "So? I found someone for you, and you want to settle the money with me and make a clear break with me, right?"

Lin Meizhu poured herself another glass of wine and said calmly, "It's just returning to the way it should be."

Shen Changfeng's hands clenched tightly, the veins on the back of his hands twisting. Originally, what was it originally like? Why was it like this? What had happened in the meantime?!

"Everyone has witnessed what you have done for the people. This second glass of wine is also a sincere toast to you. I know that Master Shen has great potential. In the future, you will surely achieve great things, rise to a high position, and be granted a title of nobility or a position of prime minister... I think that Master Shen should not linger here for trivial matters, and should not limit his vision to a small Jingzhou. He should plan for his future as soon as possible..."

Shen Changfeng's anxiety became more and more obvious, and the urge to destroy was clamoring. He didn't want to listen to these nice words at all, because he knew that this was not what Lin Meizhu really wanted to say.

Lin Meizhu poured another glass of wine and said, "I have let go of the past. I sincerely wish... I hope that Village Master Shen can let go of it soon."

A voice sounded in Shen Changfeng's heart: It's finally here.

He was in a state of panic, his face tense to the extreme. "What on earth do you want to say?"

Lin Meizhu said, "I have a humble request. This matter is just a piece of cake for Village Master Shen, but it concerns the rest of my life."

"I want you to leave Jiangling County. Leave Jingzhou, and leave me."

Shen Changfeng suddenly felt like laughing. It was just a piece of cake! What a piece of cake! She knew clearly that he loved her deeply! He was obsessed with her, thinking about her so much that he was almost going crazy, but she said that leaving her was just a piece of cake!

Shen Changfeng's arrogance suddenly rose, and he said firmly: "I can't do it."

"Then I will leave." Lin Meizhu looked directly into his red eyes and said firmly, "I will leave Jingzhou."

Hearing the determination in her words, Shen Changfeng's breathing suddenly stopped.

He knew exactly how much Huishengtang meant to her. She had poured her heart and soul into it, building it from scratch, establishing a firm foothold in Jiangling County and earning a reputation in Jingzhou. It was her pride, her asset, the source of her confidence. Leaving now would mean shattering everything and starting from scratch. Yet, she was willing to give up everything she had built, simply to avoid him and not see him.

No, I'm afraid it's not that simple.

Shen Changfeng met Lin Meizhu's calm yet resolute gaze, recalling her conversation with Chuqi. He feared this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather a long-term plan. If he continued to follow her on the migration, she would continue to move. She would remain in hiding, perhaps even concealing her identity and living in seclusion. She would be forced to wander the roads, unable to live a peaceful life.

Why has it come to this!

Shen Changfeng suppressed the urge to roar, his voice hoarse as if stained with blood, "Why? Give me a reason."

Lin Meizhu replied, "Since the day I left the palace, I have not thought about marriage again. Whether it's you or anyone else. I will not marry anyone else, you can rest assured."

Shen Changfeng curled his fingertips weakly, exhaled with a trembling breath, his throat full of difficulty: "Lin Meizhu, Lin Meizhu, even today, do you still think that everything I do is driven by desire?"

Lin Meizhu fell silent, staring at the cold food, her irritation growing. Shen Changfeng approached her, slowly raising his hand to caress her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. His voice was stern as he said, "Did someone tell you something..."

Lin Meizhu turned away and interrupted him: "No! It has nothing to do with other people!"

Shen Changfeng gritted his teeth: "Then why!"

Lin Meizhu's voice also became hurried: "It's because of you! I can't give you what you want!" She closed her eyes weakly and said, "All I want is the most ordinary life. Please let me go."

Do you want to live the most ordinary life, or do you want a life without him?

Shen Changfeng looked at Lin Meizhu's frosty face and felt his heart ache.

He couldn't bear to see her give up her career and become a nameless mediocre person. He couldn't bear to see her move her family and risk being robbed by bandits. Moreover, things were different now. He was no longer the lone Shen Changfeng. He had a new mission and responsibility. He couldn't abandon the brothers who had entrusted their lives to him for the sake of love.

Lin Meizhu's move was a steady and accurate one that hit his vital point.

After a long silence, his figure gradually merged into the twilight.

He flexed his stiff fingers, raised the wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp. The acrid taste burned through his throat and into his chest, choking his internal organs into a ball. He closed his eyes tightly, swallowing back the bitterness in his heart, and said, "I promise you."

Lin Meizhu's face did not show any relief after being persuaded. She said in a low voice, "You know what will happen if you go back on your word."