Chapter 34 No, two slaps.

"Leng Zhen?"

Leng Cuizhu immediately understood: "You want to kill me?"

The snake looked fierce, but it was actually quite docile, circling around her the whole time. It was impossible for him to do such a thing to her and Eun on his own. Even if Leng Zhen wasn't behind it, he was indeed just standing by and watching, letting the python surround her.

Leng Zhen was taken aback, pointed at the man beside her, and asked, "Who is he? What right do you have to bring this outsider into our house?"

Leng Zhen avoided the topic, which confirmed most of the facts for her.

Upon hearing this, You En chuckled softly, whispered something to Leng Cuizhu, then put down his sword and left the pavilion.

They're so close?

What if she abandons me and elopes with this man?

Could that Xiao Du from before be her child with this man?

The cold foliage was ashen.

His mind was filled with baseless fantasies.

He was terrified that his mother would one day abandon him. He hoped his mother's life wouldn't be as difficult as before, but he was also extremely afraid of her being well off.

If she grows up and becomes independent, she might fly away from this painful place on her own, leaving him alone to suffer here.

She slowly slipped out of his control; she became more and more vibrant, and he was heartbroken.

On what grounds?

They should rot and stink together. Why is she so radiant? Why does she no longer see him and Yin Yuan as the whole of her life?

He frowned and burst into tears, covering his face as he squatted on the ground, his shoulders hunched over.

The python beside him sensed its master's presence, nuzzled against his feet, and then climbed up his thin back.

Seeing this scene, Leng Cuizhu couldn't help but worry, and after hesitating to speak, she finally closed her lips.

The white snake coiled around Leng Zhen several times, climbed onto his shoulder, and used its tongue to lick the tears from his cheek.

"Hiss hiss hiss..."

"...Does it have a name?"

Leng Zhen ignored her, burying her head in her knees. After a long while, she finally answered, "Nuomi (glutinous rice)."

He had come back today to feed Nuomi, but unexpectedly he encountered Leng Cuizhu and the white-haired Taoist priest, who even tried to kill his Nuomi.

Leng Cuizhu tried to accept the fact that she had a python at home: "Then... you must have raised Nuomi for a long time, right? And you took good care of it. It looks plump and healthy."

"If you hadn't come back to visit it, it might have died of depression. Nuomi can't live without you."

As if it understood human speech, the white snake hissed incessantly after Leng Cuizhu finished speaking, and even used its shiny snake head to bump against Leng Zhen's neck.

“I…” Leng Zhen was speechless.

So, don't leave.

“If you can hide the glutinous rice, your mother can hide you just as well. No one will find out. If you don’t want to see Yin Yuan, we won’t see him or tell him.”

"OK?"

"mother……"

He was already sobbing uncontrollably, his head tilted back with two streams of tears streaming down his face, and he choked out, "Okay, okay, I won't leave."

As soon as she stepped down from the attic, a crow landed on her shoulder.

"Madam, how is it?"

Leng Cuizhu sighed, "Alas, I would like to stay, but..."

How could she possibly feel at ease with Leng Zhen in her current half-dead state?

What's more, he lives with a snake. Just now, the white snake crawled all over him, wrapped him up completely, and anyone who saw that scene would break out in a cold sweat.

Kids these days, why do they all like these kinds of pets? Cats and dogs are one thing... but to actually keep a white snake as a pet.

Afterwards, Leng Cuizhu found a free day and took Leng Zhen to see a doctor.

According to Leng Zhen, he dared not enter the city during his escape and hid in the deep mountains and forests. When he was hungry, he ate wild fruits and caught wild animals. When he was thirsty, he drank stream water and rainwater. He managed to keep his life alive for so many days and did not die in the wild.

But he merely survived. His life had taken a toll on his health, leaving him with various chronic illnesses.

“My lady, look, here, here, and here… all these are wounds from poisonous insect bites, they’re all festering and festering, you see?” The old doctor shook his head. “Oh dear, this is not easy to treat.”

"If you take medicine, you'll need at least six courses of treatment to remove most of the toxins from your body, but not all of them."

"Ah..." Leng Cuizhu twisted her handkerchief, "Then, doctor, how much will it cost in total?"

"It will cost at least ten taels of silver."

"What?" Leng Zhen sprang up from the couch. "Ten taels?"

"You old quack! You don't need ten taels of silver, are you robbing me?"

The old doctor's eyes widened: "Hey, child, how can you talk like that? I'm talking to your mother, what are you doing interrupting? You have no right to speak here!"

"You're so stingy with money. When you're out having fun, why don't you think about how hard your mother works to earn money? You only start to worry about money when you get bitten by bugs and your skin is all rotten, crying and begging your mother to take you to the doctor."

The old doctor waved his hand and said, "I've seen plenty of cases like yours. If you want treatment, get it done; if not, just leave."

"I'm not getting treatment! I'm not going to die anyway."

Leng Zhen got up and left.

Leng Cuizhu quickly grabbed him and advised, "Zhenzhen, it needs to be treated, it absolutely must be treated. No matter how expensive it is, we must get it done so that it doesn't become a chronic condition."

When Leng Zhen was little, he would get a headache when it was cold because he washed his hair with ice water in winter. Every night when he had a headache, he would come to her crying, and she would always get out of bed and massage his head.

She kept blaming herself, thinking that if she had money to buy dry firewood, she could boil water and Leng Zhen could wash her hair with warm water, and she wouldn't have such a headache now.

Now that she is wealthier than before, she doesn't want her family to suffer from poverty anymore.

She took out silver coins one by one from her purse and stuffed them into the old doctor's hand.

Leng Zhen stood to the side, her struggling hands drooping, her eyelashes drooping, and tears streaming down her face.

After the prescription was filled, Leng Cuizhu and Leng Zhen strolled around the streets for a while. Leng Cuizhu handed the medicine packet to Leng Zhen and said, "You should go back first. Your mother has to go to the Yin residence to take care of your father and won't be back tonight."

“You’ll be home alone, so make sure to lock the door,” she said, taking a few coins out of her purse. “Dinner is up to you. If you don’t want to cook at home, use this money to buy some steamed buns or rice cakes… Make sure you take your medicine and get plenty of rest.”

He pouted and asked, "When are you coming back?"

After saying that, he was filled with remorse: "That's not what I meant... Mother, I'm sorry. I've cost you so much money."

“So,” she wiped the tears from Leng Zhen’s cheek, “don’t run around like that.”

“Back when Yin Yuan redeemed me from the building, I wasn’t even worth ten taels of silver. You weren’t worth much before either. After all this, your value has increased several times over.”

If it were in the past, she would have comforted Leng Zhen and said it was alright.

"Nothing's wrong? Ten taels of silver is indeed a lot," she said truthfully.

It cost her more than ten taels of silver to raise Leng Zhen from a soft lump of flesh in her belly to this size.

And her life, her soul.

He'll pay for this someday.

When Leng Cuizhu returned to the Yin residence, she happened to see a carriage belonging to someone parked at the gate, and a woman in red got out.

She didn't pay much attention and entered the mansion through a side door.

Yin Yuan has been feeling better these past few days, so she pushes him around the yard.

She entered the room and saw Yin Yuan sitting in a four-wheeled carriage wearing a fox fur coat, and she gave a perfunctory bow.

"My lord."

"Where did you go?"

He stared at her without blinking.

"I'm going home to shower and change."

"Isn't this your home?"

"No, it is your and your wife's home. I am just an outsider."

“…Hmm.” He closed his eyes and fiddled with the beaded string in his hand. “Push me out.”

In the warm spring of March, the scenery in the mansion was delightful, with flowers, trees and shrubs in full bloom, and fragrance permeating everywhere.

Leng Cuizhu lowered her eyes and listened to the birds chirping in the trees, feeling relaxed and content.

Looking at the beautiful spring scenery, Yin Yuan's face was even darker than when he was indoors.

Not only was his face gloomy, but his whole being was like that. Although he had a cold and aloof appearance, he inexplicably exuded a musty aura. Even his silver fox fur coat looked like a listless, damp moss.

Occasionally, a few maids and servants would pass by, but they would all lower their heads and walk quickly, not daring to say anything more to the master.

Yin Yuan: "It's too sunny, I want to go back."

Leng Cuizhu was squatting down to look at the small, off-white flowers on the ground, unaware of the man's request.

What a tenacious flower! Growing in the cracks of rocks, it still manages to produce so many.

Yin Yuan: "Ling Niang".

She still did not look up.

Maybe they didn't hear it, or maybe they did but couldn't be bothered to pay attention.

A servant boy was passing by when Yin Yuan called him over.

"What kind of flower is this?"

"Your Excellency, these flowers are..."

"Shovel them all up." Yin Yuan said expressionlessly. "Such unsightly wildflowers are not allowed in the manor."

Is Yin Yuan's poor physical health leading to a distorted mentality?

Leng Cuizhu stood up: "Master, let me take you to another place for a stroll, so as not to spoil the scenery."

She pushed Yin Yuan to the edge of the pond, parked the four-wheeled vehicle on the rocks by the pond, and went to admire the koi in the water.

"Ling Niang".

"Ling Niang".

“Ling Niang…”

She took out the leftover white bread from her pocket, tore it into small pieces, and fed it to the koi.

Seeing the food, the koi all rushed out, scrambling for the few crumbs on the surface of the water.

It seems that no one feeds these fish regularly.

The way those fish ate reminded her of dodder.

I wonder how Tu Si Zi is doing now. What if she's sleeping naked in the haystack again and Leng Zhen finds her? Will the two kids start fighting...?

"Are you Lord Yin?"

Leng Cuizhu turned her head away.

The woman in red moved closer to Yin Yuan, followed by two maids.

The woman had exquisite makeup and a small mole on the tip of her nose, making her look no more than twenty years old.

She smiled and said, "I am Mimi, sent by Lord Chen Xun. He injured his leg in a fall from his horse yesterday and is currently bedridden at his residence. He was thinking of you and sent me to inquire after your well-being."

Leng Cuizhu frowned and remained silent.

Lord Chen is really keen on official social interactions... This Miss Mimi looks young, she must be Lord Chen's sister.

Or perhaps a concubine, and the two women are of similar age.

"This must be your wife, right? She is indeed as beautiful as a fairy."

Mimi smiled at her, seemingly mistaking her for Madam Yin.

"Hmm." Yin Yuan's eyes seemed to be looking somewhere, or perhaps not at all, as if he were simply lost in thought. "I'm fine."

"...Why aren't you leaving yet?"

"Lingniang, let's go back."

Leng Cuizhu ignored him.

She was curious about what this girl, Mimi, was up to, and she felt that Mimi looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place who she resembled.

"Lord Chen sent me to invite you to a small gathering at your residence in three days. It would be best if you could bring your wife. At that time, Governor Wang and Salt Merchant Li will also be attending, and they will also be bringing their wives."

Yin Yuan didn't even blink: "I'm not feeling well, I can't go."

Mimi still smiled and said, "Alright, then my lord, please take good care of yourself."

"What about Madam? Would you like to go? The ladies will be gathering together to enjoy tea and flower arranging. If you wish to go, the master will surely agree, as you are a loving couple."

“Ah…” Leng Cuizhu didn’t know how to respond.

She was mistaken for Madam Yin, and Yin Yuan offered no explanation. If she went to the banquet anyway, Madam Yin would surely kick her out of the manor when she found out.

Yin Yuan: "She's not going either."

Miss Mimi returned home disappointed.

On the way back to her room, Yin Yuan suddenly asked her, "Do you really want to go?"

"Whatever you say, sir, is fine. I have no particular opinion."

He actually explained, "...those few are only thinking about how to siphon more money from the national treasury. If you go there, you'll be associated with them."

"The relationship between officials and businessmen in this county is deeply entrenched; it's best to keep to yourself."

Leng Cuizhu naturally did not believe his words.

If Yin Yuan were truly as upright and honest as he claimed, he wouldn't have been stabbed dozens of times by Leng Zhen in revenge.

Seeing that she was still in low spirits, Yin Yuan said, "I can take you as a concubine, and you can manage the household just like Yi Yinwan."

She was a little unsure what to say.

"Lingniang, how is it?"

"Does my lord still remember?"

A smile graced her pale face, her light brown eyes gleaming, growing ever darker, an unfathomable depth.

"What I said to my husband in the thatched hut that day."

She said that if you like it, you should obey her like a dog.

Yin Yuan remembers.

She even slapped him.

No, two slaps.

One on each side.