Chapter 37 "I'm the same kind of person as them..."

The warm sensation spread all the way to the spinal cord.

"Ah, I'm sorry..."

She hurriedly moved away, ignoring the ointment on her hands, and went to wipe the water stains on the man's cheeks. Unexpectedly, the plum-colored ointment made the man look even more disheveled.

"I didn't mean to... I'm sorry." Leng Cuizhu blushed deeply, and she almost had the urge to close her eyes and pretend to be dead and fall asleep.

She had never met a man who would willingly let a woman sit on his face; most of them were old lechers and rigid old men who wouldn't allow women to show any resistance.

Not to mention sitting on someone's face, which is a slightly insulting act.

Even if she were a dodder, she would have to think twice before doing such a thing.

She felt so rude, splashing water all over Eun's face without even asking.

But she really didn't do it on purpose.

She really just did it by accident.

Just now, when she ran over him, the man's nose rubbed against her, and his slightly parted lips... he almost licked her with his tongue.

The cold green candle flickers listlessly.

I should have bounced back more slowly.

She suddenly cried out.

How could she think like that? How could she think such a vulgar thing?

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing..."

"Why don't you sit back down?"

"Huh?" She looked up and saw the man's serious expression. "And what about you? Do you want me to sit like this and use my hands...?"

He pondered for a long time, his eyelashes still damp with water droplets.

"Yes, that's more convenient. Let's finish early and get some rest. Doesn't Madam have to practice the pipa tomorrow morning?"

"All right."

She was secretly delighted for a moment, then, with the man taking her hand, she slowly sat down.

The man kissed her with his lips, licked her with his tongue, and occasionally gently bit her with his teeth.

She couldn't take it anymore and soon collapsed on top of him, so ashamed that she put her wet hands behind her back and covered the man's eyes.

Her long eyelashes brushed against her palm, making it ticklish.

The next morning, Cuscuta prepared breakfast for her.

Fortunately, Eun had already left when the child entered the room, otherwise who knows how much noise it would have caused.

“Host, host,” he called to her as he crouched down in front of the bed, “it’s time to get up.”

"I pulled the weeds by the door and even cooked some corn for you, hurry up and get up." Seeing that she didn't respond, the dodder continued to call out, "I even listened to you and left some food at your son's room door, get up and take a look..."

Leng Cuizhu frowned, turned over, and went to sleep with her back to the dodder.

Dodder slumped weakly to the ground: "Where did you go last night? You're so sleepy, I couldn't wake you up no matter what I did..."

"I just went out and heard that a theatrical troupe is recruiting a pipa player."

Leng Cuizhu turned her head: "Where?"

She followed the dodder to the opera troupe that was recruiting people. At this hour, the troupe had not yet opened for business, and the gate was tightly closed.

Dodder wore her hair in a ponytail today, with a bright yellow ribbon fluttering in the wind.

Leng Cuizhu styled his hair, and the hairband was made from her belt. He always walked with a bouncy, unruly gait, and the long hairband would constantly hit her face, so she cut most of it off.

He crossed his arms and asked, "Are we just going to wait here?"

“Yes,” she said, finding a step to sit down and yawning, “Judging by the time, the door should open soon.”

"If we're running errands for a long time, we'll just find a stall outside for lunch and not go back to cook."

"Okay, okay!"

Upon hearing that they could eat something delicious outside, Dodder's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly. She sat down with Dodder on the steps, munching on the half-eaten ear of corn that Dodder had left.

After a while, the gate still hadn't opened.

"Can you kiss my cheek? After all, I helped you find a job, so you should thank me."

Without even blinking, she said, "Eat your corn."

"Oh..." Dodder looked down at the corn cob in his hand, and secretly moved closer to her, snuggling up to her.

A bright yellow hair ribbon draped down her shoulders, bathed in the gentle breeze.

She didn't care much.

When the opera troupe members came out to empty the spittoon, Tu Si Zi rushed forward, pressed down on the old man, and rattled off a long list of Leng Cui Zhu's virtues before finally revealing that he had come to apply for a marriage contract.

The old man wasn't in charge of that, but he agreed to talk to the foreman on her behalf, telling them to go back and wait, and come back in a few days to ask for news.

To thank Tu Si Zi, Leng Cui Zhu treated him to hot pot and bought him a spicy rabbit head, wrapped in oil paper, to eat at home.

"Do you want meat or vegetables? I'll cook them for you!"

The dodder seems to be very attentive today.

Has this child done something wrong behind the scenes again?

She wanted to ask Dodder, but seeing his beaming smile, she ultimately said nothing.

Perhaps this child is simply kind and easygoing, always so friendly to everyone.

A few days later, Leng Cuizhu got a job playing the pipa as accompaniment in a theatrical troupe. Her wages were paid daily, one hundred coins per performance.

The wages were far less than what Qi Yinyuan received, but at least they gave her something to do, which was better than staying at home all day as a stay-at-home wife for the rest of her life.

She told Leng Zhen about finding work, and although Leng Zhen didn't understand, she didn't say anything.

"So you're not going to cook lunch? And what about dinner?"

“Oh dear,” she clapped her hands, “I’d forgotten about that.”

Since returning from her wanderings, Leng Zhen has been taking care of her health, and all her meals are nourishing dishes she makes herself. If she were to take up a position in the opera troupe, there would be no one to cook for her. Although there is Tu Si Zi, Leng Zhen would probably get stomach problems if she ate Tu Si Zi's cooking too often.

"Then you'll go eat out?"

“We eat out twice a day, Mom. We don’t have that kind of money. Besides…” He looked down at the scars on his arm.

The cold green candlelight shone brightly.

At Leng Zhen's age, he would be concerned about his image to some extent. He was afraid that people would talk about his injuries and gaunt face.

"Why don't you go to the Yin residence for a meal? It's close to home, so it won't take long to get there and back."

"...The Yin residence?"

He stared wide-eyed in disbelief, as if he had heard something utterly bizarre.

"Madam Yin should be willing to help us. If she is not, Mother, please beg her."

After spending several time with Madam Yin, Leng Cuizhu could easily tell that Madam Yin was a woman with a sharp tongue but a kind heart. Moreover, Leng Zhen and Madam Yin had a past entanglement stemming from the theft incident.

It now appears that the theft was fabricated, entirely by Yin Yuan's machinations. Perhaps Madam Yin, feeling guilty, will agree to let Leng Zhen dine at the Yin residence.

"Madam Yin?" he asked breathlessly. "Are you very familiar with her? How did you meet? Has she ever said anything... baseless to you?"

"You don't want to?"

“No… I am willing to accept my mother’s arrangement, but…” His face was completely bloodless, almost ashen, “You and her…” His lips trembled, he hesitated to speak.

"What's wrong?"

"...It's nothing." He swallowed.

"Alright, I'll go to her residence later, after your father has retired for the night..."

Leng Zhen's strange reaction made Leng Cuizhu wonder whether Leng Zhen had actually stolen anything back then.

Surprisingly, Yi Yinwan had no objection to her arrangement, after all, it was just a matter of adding more chopsticks.

She repeatedly begged Yi Yinwan not to tell Yin Yuan about this, and not to let Leng Zhen and Yin Yuan meet.

“You should take better care of yourself,” Yi Yinwan said, sitting in front of the mirror, taking off her earrings and turning around. “Since you’re asking me for help because you need to go out and do business, I’ll take 30% of your wages as your child’s food expenses.”

“The people in the manor don’t eat coarse grains and drink cold water like you common folk. They are served delicacies every day. You’ve really gotten a good deal.”

No matter how outrageous Yi Yinwan's demands were, she nodded and agreed to them all.

Yi Yinwan is about the same age as her. Although she has never been a mother, she at least knows how to take care of people. With Leng Zhen by her side, at least she won't have to eat overcooked corn.

After discussing with Yi Yinwan, she followed the maid and quietly walked towards the back door, intending to leave the Yin residence through the back door so that she would not pass by the Jiangyue Residence where Yin Yuan lived.

But what I feared most came to pass.

"Ling Niang." The voice was very close.

She and the maidservant froze on the spot.

At midnight, the flowers and plants in the courtyard were enveloped in a damp, misty haze.

Standing in the fog, she saw the fleeting figure approaching and her hands broke out in a cold sweat.

Seeing that something was wrong, the maidservant abandoned her and ran away.

She didn't stop her, letting the little maid leave her there alone.

Yin Yuan passed through the fog and finally revealed his face.

His thin face was covered with damp mist, and the glistening tear troughs shone with tears that were brighter than his lifeless eyes.

He gazed at her, yearning for her with intense longing.

Are you here to see me?

"I..." She felt a chill run down her spine from the stare.

The backyard was so quiet it was almost mesmerizing. With Yin Yuan standing in front of her, she wondered if she was delirious and overthinking, and had encountered a vengeful ghost.

"Don't go."

His hand touched her earlobe, moving from the ear cartilage down to the earlobe, and fiddled with the earring.

"Stay here, at least tonight."

"Those vulgar men are not good enough for you."

“But… if you like, then treat me like one of them,” he said sullenly. “I’m the same kind of person as them.”

"You and them, you and me, are no different."

He lowered his head, slowly moved closer to her ear, pressed his lips and tongue against the high bone behind her ear, and kissed the soft hair at the back of her neck.

That kind of place was really too strange. Leng Cuizhu had never tried it before. She pursed her lips and her body went limp. She fell straight backward, only being stopped when the man grabbed her neck.

Moreover, it's unclear when Yin Yuan drugged her or when his hand pinching her neck touched some acupoint.

She felt extremely hot, her mouth was dry, and she was dizzy and disoriented.

In a daze, she really thought the man in front of her was You En, Dodder, or something else... Anyway, she couldn't see Yin Yuan's face clearly anymore, she only heard the voice gradually approaching and slowly getting closer to her ear.

"It's late, let's go back to our room."

She answered almost unconsciously, "Hmm..."

She was led along in the hazy fog, and after only a couple of steps, she collapsed completely into the man's arms.

The man wiped the moisture from her cheek with the back of his hand.

"You haven't smiled at me in a long time. Are those vulgar people taking my place? It seems you really like them..."

"But, at least for now, I'm the only one who can kiss you. No matter how much you and your lovers are involved, as long as you're alive, I'll have the chance to take advantage of you."

"If you don't like it, just close your eyes."

When Leng Cuizhu awoke, all she saw was darkness. She felt weak all over and her throat was so dry that she couldn't speak.

She managed to squeeze out a single syllable: "Water..."

After she finished speaking, her lips were pried open, and warm water was poured into her mouth.

Because she was lying flat, she swallowed quickly and choked on the water, coughing repeatedly.

"Cough, cough..."

She was immediately pulled up and made to sit down while people patted her back to help her catch her breath.

She coughed until her whole body trembled, and when she reached up to touch her chest, she suddenly froze.

Why isn't she wearing any clothes?