Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Broken, broken sleeve?

While packing her things, Leng Cuizhu found the pipa she used in the brothel.

"My lord, look!"

She gently plucked the strings: "My lord, do you remember? The first time we met, I was carrying this pipa. I never expected to find it in the wardrobe; I had completely forgotten that I brought this chicken-wing wood pipa back with me."

The pipa is covered with the marks of time; most of the strings are rusted, and the painted lotus blossoms on the soundboard have faded.

Holding her pipa, Leng Cuizhu felt at peace, as if she had returned to the days when she played the pipa and made a living, her heart fluttering.

She was so young then, only sixteen years old, the age of blossoming youth.

She was introverted and had few friends in the building, so she didn't get many customers. Half of her income depended on Yin Yuan, and her sisters often envied her for having such a generous customer.

Although Yin Yuan wasn't the kind of VIP who spent lavishly, he was still very generous.

Moreover, Yin Enke was handsome and had a refined manner. He never laid a hand on her or forced her to do anything.

He would simply sit quietly on the couch, listening to her play the pipa and sing. Occasionally, on holidays, he would send her bouquets and jewelry, and ask the madam for leave to take her out of the building for a stroll.

They released lanterns together and admired the moon. Even now, Leng Cuizhu still thinks those memories are beautiful.

No matter how many guests there are, none can compare to his unwavering devotion.

"I remember, my lord used to love hearing me sing about the Qinhuai River."

Her fingertips traced the soundboard of the pipa, plucking the strings: "Let me sing for you again, my lord."

Yin Yuan sat in the armchair, resting his chin on his hand: "The strings of this zither are rusty, let's throw it away."

"My lord..."

"Be careful with your hands."

Leng Cuizhu smiled and dragged a stool in front of him, sat down, and placed the pipa on her knees.

She looked up at the man through the pipa.

The music was beautiful and gentle, like floating mist and warm greenery, lush and moist.

"I have a love story to tell you all."

Her delicate fingers traced a line across her chest, and she narrowed her eyes, a smile playing on her lips: "Gentlemen, please be quiet, please calm your minds..."

The man grabbed her swaying clothes, clutching them tightly in his palm, and the fabric clung to his slightly protruding wrist.

She moved her hand to pluck the strings, dodging the attack.

"The Qinhuai River flows gently, from the time of Pangu to the present day."

She turned her gaze to him and reached out her hand, letting the man pull her forward until she fell between his legs.

"Does my lord still wish to hear more?"

Yin Yuan lowered his eyes, brushed the strands of hair from her cheek behind her ear, and removed her hairpin.

It was still early, and sunlight streamed in, bathing her fair skin and bones. Her dress bunched up at her waist, and her white legs, held in the man's well-defined hands, were still trembling.

The rustling of clothes mingled with the creaking of the chair back.

The rooster looked around as it entered the room, and upon seeing this scene, it suddenly jumped up.

"Giggle giggle giggle giggle giggle!"

Then he fell to the ground and couldn't get up.

Leng Cuizhu gasped and buried her face in Yin Yuan's clothes, her voice timid: "What is it?"

The man covered her legs with his outer robe.

"...Where did this chicken come from?"

"chicken?"

Leng Cuizhu raised her head.

The rooster lay sprawled on the ground, its eyes rolled back.

"Host, your husband is gay! How could he... how could he... no one told me this was a straight-to-gay plot... I really don't know what to do."

Yin Yuan was heartless and wanted to cut the rooster's throat, but Leng Cuizhu pleaded repeatedly before sparing the rooster's life.

She really wanted to know her own fate, and Leng Zhen's fate, so she placed the rooster in a pile of straw, hoping it would wake up.

"I'll keep watch for you, you go and rest."

The crow looked up at the starry sky and said, "It's very late."

Leng Cuizhu: "Don't fight with him."

No, it won't.

"But……"

No, it won't.

It took the crow a long time to persuade her.

"Then, I'm leaving. You must keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't die again."

She dusted off her dress and got up to go back inside.

Yin Yuan is staying at her place again tonight.

Over the years, Yin Yuan had not been very close to his wife at home, and Leng Cuizhu did not dare to ask him directly. She could only figure out some things by observing the number of times Yin Yuan visited her.

The two haven't been getting along very well these past few days since moving. Yin Yuan keeps coming to her place, and he always wants her to come with him. When he asks her to come, he doesn't talk to her much, he just sits beside her without saying a word.

"Would you like to hear more music, sir?"

She wasn't very sleepy, so she took out a pipa from the cabinet.

Yin Yuan sat at the table with a cup of hot tea in front of him.

He rubbed the jade ring on his finger: "Hmm."

Leng Cuizhu sat beside him, and this time she didn't sing in the soft Wu dialect, but played the elegant and refined music.

In the heat of the moment, she made a mistake and cut her hand, blood splattering onto the strings, leaving rust and bloodstains.

"ah!"

She stared blankly at the blood on her finger, when her hand was grabbed.

"It should be thrown away." Yin Yuan sighed.

He opened his lips, then closed them again the instant his lips touched his fingertips. He let go of his hand in a daze and wiped the blood off the back of his hand with a handkerchief.

"Aren't you going to wash up yet?"

"Hmm... okay."

Leng Cuizhu then withdrew her hand, which had been frozen in mid-air. The back of her hand, which had been grasped, was still warm, carrying the fragrance of fine bamboo leaves that lingered on her fingertips.

She covered the wound on her fingertip and left the room.

There was a lot of chattering in the courtyard, but there was definitely no sound of fighting.

"Who else are you but Big Brother? Aren't you afraid I'll report you and send you back to your original world?"

"Mind your own business, understand? She is my host, and she lives in my world. It has nothing to do with you. Her fate is none of your concern!"

"Yeah, but I did get involved, and I even found her before you did."

"You can't do anything about it, you can't even see her. It's not a good thing to be scared of her son."

"What do you know! Her son is no good; he doesn't know anything about animal welfare!"

"And her husband... Since you feel so sorry for her, why don't you try to stop him? Can you stop him? In a few days, her husband will be having an affair with her son. What do you think her reaction will be when she finds out? She won't be able to live with herself. The two men she loves most will end up together. What can she do?"

"She is not as cowardly as you think."

"But the plot forces her to be cowardly!"

"So, it's better to have a short pain than a long one. If she had known all this sooner, she would have suffered less and wouldn't have continued to treat that man as her true love and her precious son as her little darling."

"Instead of spoiling her like you have, keeping her in the dark!"

"Didn't you say she wasn't a coward? Then let her know the truth and let her try!"

"No, it's not the right time yet. She's not ready."

"...What's your relationship with her? Why are you meddling in everything?"

"It doesn't matter."

Leng Cuizhu couldn't hear clearly. After washing her hands, she walked to the haystack, where a bird and a chicken immediately came to greet her.

The crow couldn't stop the chicken: "Host, your husband is gay!"

"Your son is gay too!"

"Cut sleeve?"

Confused, she unconsciously touched the scar on her fingertip: "...Don't joke around."

She knew what "cut sleeve" meant.

She had seen men like that before. In the past, in brothels, the madam kept several male prostitutes to serve the wealthy and powerful. She didn't understand why, but it was true. High-ranking officials and nobles always had some secret fetishes that ordinary women couldn't satisfy; they needed to have sex with men to feel excitement.

She didn't believe her husband was that kind of man; they already had a child together.

Zhenzhen couldn't be it either; she didn't believe it, she couldn't bring herself to believe it.

"He'll start to like your son in a few days!"

The rooster jumped up and down in a panic: "I'm not joking, believe me, believe me, host!"

"What did you say?"

Leng Cuizhu was stunned for a moment: "Are you talking about Zhenzhen?"

"It's true."

The crow turned its head away: "This is your fate."

"You are indeed his host. He didn't lie. It was I who was... I'm sorry."

The rooster chimed in, "Yes, yes, I wasn't lying! Your husband and your son are a couple!"

"Those two are a couple! Your husband will be sleeping with your son in the future!"

"……What?"

Instantly, her blood rushed to her head, the metallic taste of blood spread from her throat to her palate, she spat out blood, tilted her head back, trembled, and fainted.

"Host! Host—"

Dry straw surrounded her, pricking her skin with a rustling sound. The shouts in her ears gradually faded.

When she regained consciousness, Leng Cuizhu was already on the bed, wrapped in a warm quilt, and drowsy.

However, it wasn't her bed.

"Zhenzhen?"

The man sat by the window, the wind rustling through the bamboo curtains, causing the strands of hair at his temples to flutter slightly, and a bittersweet smile playing on his lips.

His coarse cloth robe was still stained with dirt, and the earthy smell combined with his lifeless eyes gave off a chilling aura.

Leng Cuizhu was momentarily out of breath.

"Where am I...?"

"My room."

He put the glass jar by the window on the ground, pulled back the bamboo curtain to let the snowflakes drift in: "Mom, are you crazy?"

Recalling what the system had said, she frowned and curled up on the bed.

“Zhenzhen…”

"What's wrong?"

"Mother, are you cold?" He closed the bamboo curtain again, opened the wardrobe, and took out a quilt.

He covered her with a blanket, tucked the corners in, and sat back down on the wooden chair.

Leng Cuizhu didn't know what to say, and looked down at the glass jar on the ground.

The jar was filled with water, and a pearl-like object floated in the murky liquid, carrying a few strands of red as it moved up and down.

"Mother, why did you faint in the haystack?"

She wiped the blood from the corner of her lips, her voice low and hoarse: "I accidentally tripped and fell."

"Is it something very private? You're lying to me."

Leng Zhen straightened her robes, the hem of which covered the jar on the ground: "I just examined you, and you have liver qi stagnation and blood rushing upwards."

"Who made you so angry?"

She sniffed: "...Where is your father?"

She asked again, "What time is it now?"

"Yin hour".

Leng Zhen paused, then said, "I sent Yin Yuan back."

"You and him..."

Before she could speak, she covered her face and burst into tears, unable to utter a single word.

Why was it like that?

All her hopes and expectations shattered suddenly. She had always known that the person she loved most had hurt her the most. But... her entire life consisted only of her husband and son. She had tried so hard; she longed for a harmonious family.

Her love was in vain, and her hatred vanished. She was just a pale, bloodless female corpse, emaciated and soaking in water. Before the tears of pain had dried, new tears were already flowing.

What happened between him and me?

Leng Zhen panicked: "Mother, why are you crying?"

"What's wrong? Did he bully you? Did he make you angry?"

"I knew it..."

He knelt down by the bedside, took Leng Cuizhu's arm, and whispered comfortingly, "Mother, it's alright."

"I'll go see him tomorrow. You get a good night's sleep and don't think about anything else."

Suddenly, she looked up: "Let's run away."

"Take advantage of the moving day and run away, run away to a place where no one can find us, just the two of us. Just like I promised you before, I will never have anything to do with your father again... You must not have anything either, never."

"real?"

"Mother, are you serious?"

His lifeless face lit up, he grinned, and his eyes sparkled.

"Mother, I've been waiting for this day for so long."