Chapter 24 Suicide by Pine and Bamboo Pattern

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Taking a taxi? What kind of new language is this?

Literally, Wen Zhixu was truly afraid that Lin Xihe would whip his carriage with a willow branch.

His carriage had gleaming axles and was meticulously maintained; the ride was almost imperceptible. If she were to ruin it, he would definitely make her pay him back.

It was quiet all around.

Before he could think further, Lin Xihe's voice rang out again: "Wait for me for ten minutes! Don't go!"

The noisy footsteps were like a reckless gust of wind, and the surroundings returned to silence.

Wen Zhixu frowned slightly. Why did he so hastily agree to her absurd words?

Wen Qi and Wen Ba were nowhere to be found. Wen Zhixu got out of the carriage, hesitating whether to go back to the mansion to call the servants himself, but his steps were stopped by Lin Xihe's words "ten minutes".

How long exactly is ten minutes?

“It’s her business if she’s awful, it’s none of your business to interfere.” — Lin Xihe had actually overheard Wen Zhixu’s reprimand of the coachman.

Since it wasn't Wen Zhixu's idea, I'll reluctantly forgive him.

Lin Xihe opened the makeup box, where the letter of annulment lay quietly.

I heard that their marriage was arranged by their two mothers. But what about her elderly mother? Every time she mentions her, everyone around her silently falls silent.

Lin Xihe concluded that Wen Hongyuan had never discussed the annulment of the engagement with Lin Zhaoheng. Otherwise, given Lin Zhaoheng's stubborn nature, he would have gone to the Wen residence to demand an explanation long ago.

Therefore, the annulment of the engagement was proposed unilaterally by Wen Zhixu. However, after carefully examining the annulment letter from all sides, she discovered that it did not bear Wen Zhixu's personal seal.

She immediately broke down, muttering, "What's the difference between this and a divorce certificate without the official seal of the Civil Affairs Bureau...?"

Wen Zhixu was still waiting outside the mansion. Lin Xihe wiped Bubu's tail feathers with a handkerchief and asked, "Why don't I take you back? Your master is outside. Maybe he knows a veterinarian?"

Does Ningchao have veterinarians?

Bu Bu flapped its wings with all its might, and the soft feathers on its abdomen spread out completely, turning the whole bird into a round, fluffy ball.

"You really don't want to leave?" Lin Xihe was taken aback by its display of force. "Although Wen Zhixu is despicable, he is quite kind to small animals. You'll be the same way when you go home."

Bu Bu stretched its neck and let out a mournful cry: "Gah...!!!"

Mom, I can still be saved, Mom, don't give up on me!

“…Okay, okay, we won’t go back, we won’t go back.” Lin Xihe coaxed him gently for a long time.

Tender shoots of grass sprouted from the cracks in the bluestone slabs, and after a long while, the sound of footsteps approached from afar.

A pair of embroidered shoes with intertwined branches drifted into the afterglow of the text, their slanted shadows rippling lightly on the ground.

"Is this the ten minutes you were talking about?" He looked up with a cold face and saw that Lin Xihe had changed her clothes. She was wearing a white dress with a light green silk jacket over it. The eye-catching pearl hairpin was gone and replaced with a jade hairpin.

The water content is low, and the style is outdated. Is the Lin family poor? They actually give such vulgar things to their eldest daughter.

Noticing his raised gaze, Lin Xihe touched her hairpin and chuckled, "I was afraid the eagle would snatch my jewelry again, so I specially chose a fake one."

"..."

"Oh dear, I forgot, there are no fakes in our Great Ning Dynasty. They'll all be antiques a thousand years from now!" Lin Xihe, holding Qingwu's arm, lifted her skirt and got into the carriage.

Qingwu looked around but couldn't see the coachman, which struck her as odd: "Where is the coachman from the Wen family?"

Lin Xihe's head popped out of the car window: "Huh, the driver's off-duty?"

The once arrogant young master's lips were now taut and straight. He had no intention of telling Lin Xihe that he had dismissed the coachman on the grounds that he had driven recklessly and nearly injured someone.

Avoiding the scorching gaze, Wen Zhixu muttered "Sit still," then got into the carriage, the gleaming wheels making a soft, grinding sound on the ground.

Lin Xihe didn't find it strange that the young master was driving himself; in modern times, even domineering CEOs occasionally drive.

She patted the brocade cushion and felt that the interior of the carriage was spacious and elegant, far superior to the carriages of the Lin family. She exclaimed, "The Rolls-Royce of the Great Ning Dynasty!"

Lin Xihe leaned casually against the railing, while the maidservant stood stiff as a board. Noticing her fear, Lin Xihe comforted her, "Afraid Wen Zhixu will look down on you? A maidservant isn't worthy to ride in a carriage?"

Feudal society really is cannibalistic, Lin Xihe added, "I paid for his fare!"

Qingwu: "..." Young Master Wen will be even angrier.

A richly dressed young man sat in the coachman's seat, attracting the attention of passersby. The imposing carriage slowly came to a stop.

An arm hung from the riverside window of Xianqing Tower. This person was Xie Qi, the grandson of Xie Yan, Wen Zhixu's mentor.

Lin Xihe had just jumped off the carriage and looked back curiously when Wen Zhixu stepped forward and neatly blocked her view.

A large shadow fell over her, and the young master who had always kept his distance from her now stood in front of her like a human wall.

Lin Xihe was slightly taken aback, her gaze just landing on the pine and bamboo pattern on his front.

Here, this is your fare.

"Need not."

This guy is so eager to meet up with his drinking buddies that he doesn't even want the money.

"I won't ride for free." Lin Xihe took out her purse.

"Wen Er!" A frivolous voice came from behind.

Xie Qi, who had just been on the second floor, somehow caught a glimpse of Wen Zhixu. With a shout, he flashed to the front of the car.

"Hurry up and leave." Wen Zhixu shouted at Lin Xihe.

Lin Xihe was determined to argue with him, so she grabbed his hand and insisted on stuffing the fare into his hand.

The moment their fingertips touched, a tingling sensation seemed to rise, and a strange heat surged up Wen Zhixu's five fingers. Only when his palm touched the cool silver ingot did the heat dissipate.

The exorbitant fare! An old farmer leaning against his oxcart, waiting for work, stared wide-eyed.

But the person who asked for the money acted like a big spender, saying with great arrogance, "Keep the change, the extra is a tip!"

"Wen Er, who is that girl?" Xie Qi was not tall, and Wen Zhixu blocked him on the other side of the carriage. Even when he stood on tiptoe, he could only see a corner of her skirt.

Wen Zhixu glanced at him sideways: "Meddlesome."

"You're really something, you can even make money off girls!" Xie Qi's eyes lit up. "It's your treat today, let's go for drinks!"

"Don't even think about it." Wen Zhixu tucked the silver into his sleeve and ignored him.

"Did you eat firecrackers?" Xie Qi, being shameless and itching for a fight, put his arm around Xie Qi's shoulder. "Come on, the new spleen-shrinking drink from Xianqinglou is just what you need to cool down."

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Lin Zhaoheng was worried that his beloved daughter would faint upon seeing blood, so even though it wasn't the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, he couldn't wait and immediately sent someone to lead her across the Three Bridges to cross the calamity and cure her illness.

Just as the Lin family steward had prepared the carriages, he saw his young mistress board the Wen family carriage and drive away in a cloud of dust.

It's impossible to catch up now.

Lin Xihe darted onto the Floating Wave Bridge in a few steps. The bridge railing was low, and she leaned slightly forward.

The shimmering waves blurred her face and the memories of her past life.

On this bright and sunny day, the young men and women of Shengjing City gathered in the tea garden to enjoy tea.

The teahouse is several stories high. During the day, one can enjoy panoramic views of the Floating River from the railing, and at night, climbing to the top is also an excellent place to admire the moon and stars.

The teahouse waiter knocked on the door for the third time in a private room on the second floor overlooking the river.

The servant, carrying a carved lacquer tray, said with utmost care, "Young Master Xie, look... this is a gift from the eldest daughter of Lord Zhao's household, specially presented to the Second Young Master."

On the tray were a pair of celadon teacups, accompanied by four dishes of fresh seasonal fruits.

Xie Qi looked at Wen Zhixu by the window and laughed, "Wen Er, we haven't even ordered yet, but three rounds of food have already arrived. My stomach really can't handle this."

"Refund it." Wen Zhixu didn't even flinch, staring at Fubo Bridge. "Don't refund it? You go and entertain that inexplicable Miss Wang."

"It's Miss Zhao!" Xie Qi choked on his words. "I'm not a prostitute!"

Wen Zhixu glanced back at him: "Putting aside gender, with your appearance alone, you probably wouldn't even be able to get a waiter job in a brothel."

Xie Qi looked like he was ready to fight Wen Zhixu to the death.

Wen Zhixu ignored Xie Qi and stared back at the direction of the bridge; the girl had been standing on the bridge for a long time.

Xie Qi followed his gaze and suddenly said out of the blue, "I heard that the Taoist priest jumped off the bridge."

The Taoist priest threw himself off the bridge and committed suicide; the whole city knew about it.

"I heard there's a vengeful ghost lurking under the bridge, one that even the Taoist priest couldn't defeat. Just how ferocious must it be?" Xie Qi added. "Nobody dares to walk there anymore, so why are people still venturing up there? Are they just thinking of doing something stupid?"

Wen Zhixu frowned. That fool had been standing motionless on the bridge for a long time. What exactly did she want to do?