Father's Order

Whenever Madam Qin encountered a problem she couldn't solve, she would retreat to the small Buddhist temple, burning a few sticks of incense and copying a few pages of scriptures. In the past, she prayed for Liu San's health, but now she prayed for Ru Ren to marry far away.

She had always known that her daughter was not close to her, but she did not want to be separated from her. She kept delaying because she was afraid that Master Liu would use her daughter's marriage as a bargaining chip, a tool to satisfy his selfish desires.

She knelt down and kowtowed again and again. The last letter from home was still placed in the drawer under the Buddhist shrine.

"I beg you, Mother, to let Ruren stay with my daughter... I beg you, Mother, to let Ruren suffer the same pain I suffered..."

When Madam Qin finished bowing reverently, Aunt Qingfang was already standing at the door, announcing, "Madam Fan is here."

Since becoming pregnant, Fan Ninghua has lost a lot of weight, her complexion sallow, and her breath weak. She bowed, greeted Madam Qin, and asked, "I've been feeling really bad lately, and I've been suffering from severe morning sickness. Could you please have a doctor come and see me more often?"

Qingfang handed the account book to his wife for review.

Madam Qin flipped through a few pages and said, "Your doctor has come five times this month, which is quite a lot."

"But I feel really uncomfortable." Fan Ninghua covered her heart with her hands, her facial features twisted as if she was about to cry.

Mrs. Qin couldn't bear to see a woman cry. She would get upset if she saw it. She didn't want to look at her. She stared at the account book and asked, "What did the doctor say?"

"The doctor said: The fetus is not yet full term and looks unstable."

"Women often experience discomfort during childbirth, so you don't have to worry. Since the fetus is unstable, it's appropriate to ask the doctor to come more often." Mrs. Qin impatiently threw the account book to Qingfang and asked her to send Fan away quickly.

Qiu Yan felt a pang of sadness as she watched Ning Hua, looking emaciated and pale. She'd only heard before that childbirth was like going through the gates of hell, but this was the first time she'd actually seen it. It was like someone had drained her of her vital energy right after she became pregnant. If she hadn't known she was pregnant, Qiu Yan would have thought she was possessed.

Ning Hua had just returned to Jinlan Courtyard when he saw Master Liu had been sitting there for a long time. He looked at the skinny Fan and asked, "Why aren't you eating?"

It’s not like Ning Hua doesn’t want to eat, so he could only helplessly reply: “My morning sickness is so severe, I throw up everything I eat.”

After hearing this, Master Liu suddenly became happy: "He is so good at making trouble, he must be a bad boy."

He held Ning Hua's hand and looked at Fan's belly, which had not yet bulged, with great cherishment, as if he was whispering something to his son whom he had never met.

"What can a gentleman say? It's nothing more than something like 'Our Liu family has an heir.'" Yulan grumbled a few words in a bad mood after hearing Qiuyan's complaints. "He wouldn't say nice things like 'Be good and don't bother your mother.'"

Qiuyan curled her lips, unsure whether to continue. She felt that Jinlan Courtyard was dead and gloomy, but her master's pregnancy was clearly a happy occasion. She had also received a reward and had a new dress made, so why couldn't she be happy?

Forget it, this is not something that those of us wearing green clothes should worry about.

Seeing Qiuyan hesitate to speak several times, Yulan asked again, "What happened?"

"It's okay. Maybe Aunt Fan hasn't been feeling well these days and she made me tired." Qiu Yan shook her head and said nothing more, which was uncharacteristic of hers. She went back to Jinlan Courtyard on her own.

Yulan stood in the long and narrow alley, watching Qiuyan's back getting farther and farther away. The courtyard walls on both sides were high and long, stretching as far as the eye could see. The increasingly bent back gradually disappeared around a bend.

She couldn't explain it clearly, she only knew that the sky was gloomy and a few drops of drizzle were falling.

Yulan returned to Liu Er's room. She was now more familiar with going back to Liu Er's room, and Liu Er was also used to her interruptions.

"Are you hungry? I left some food on the table for you."

There was a plate of exquisite white pastries on the table with a handful of osmanthus flowers sprinkled on it.

"Guanghan Cake?" Yulan loves sweets, so she stuffed the cake into her mouth as soon as she saw it. As she ate, she remembered that Guanghan Cake is given to candidates, so she asked excitedly, "Are you going to take the imperial examination?"

"How could I possibly have such a talent?" Liu Er chuckled, holding the travelogue in his hand and gently tapping Yulan's head. "This is what the kitchen prepared to entertain Yang's eldest son and second son. Dalang just passed the imperial examination last year, and Erlang is also taking the exam this year. We want to bring good luck."

"You pick up leftovers for me to eat?"

Yulan teased him sincerely, but she felt happy when she saw Liu Er looking helpless and frustrated in front of her.

Some of the Guanghan cakes from the kitchen were sent to Qingpu Garden. Melia took the food box and wandered around to the wing room next to the study, which was Mr. Shen's residence.

She stood outside the door and said softly, "Mr. Shen, my lady brought you some cakes and hopes that you will get a high school diploma soon."

Shen Ju'an found it strange. He hadn't seen Miss Liu for a while, yet she suddenly sent him cakes? He opened the door, only to see Kulian hand over the food box and then hurried away without a word. He felt strange and vaguely uneasy.

There was a plate of Guanghan cake in the food box, and a letter was pressed under the plate.

Under the moonlight at the Lakeside Pavilion, the bamboo curtains surrounding it could not withstand the cool breeze and drizzle among the autumn leaves, and they were blown by the wind and rain, dancing aimlessly. Shen Ju'an kept the appointment as promised in the letter. Before he arrived, he could hear the continuous murmuring of a zither in the Lakeside Pavilion on the rainy night.

It’s Liu Ruren.

Shen Ju'an stood far away holding an umbrella, hesitating to move forward.

Melia suddenly appeared from behind him, startling him. With a gloomy look that didn't seem like a living person, he asked in a dead voice, "Mr. Shen, why don't you go and take a look?"

"I didn't mean to."

"Then why did you come?"

Shen Ju'an was speechless and walked in front of Liu Ruren.

In the pavilion in the middle of the lake, there was only one person, a zither, and a few candles flickering in the dark night.

"The sound of falling dust lingers in the beams, the sound of cracking rocks and flowing clouds." After the song was over, Shen Ju'an praised, "Miss Liu's piano skills are amazing. I am ashamed to be inferior to her."

"My father wants to arrange a marriage for me." Liu Ruren said calmly.

"Brother Liu has a fatherly heart and foresight, so this will surely be a good marriage."

"As the only son of Governor Lu of Qizhou, he is probably a good person for his father."

"The Lu family has deep roots in Qizhou and a strict family tradition. Miss Liu doesn't have to worry." Shen Ju'an believed that his answer was flawless.

"Mr. Shen, have you ever had someone you like?" Liu Ruren was born with a simple and gentle appearance. Her pair of bright black eyes reflected the flickering candlelight in the dark night. She stared at Shen Wei with a spring in her eyes, as if waiting for an answer.

“No.”

"Sir, don't worry. Ruren already understands and won't bother you." Liu Ruren called Kulian and got up to leave. She left decisively without any regrets.

When he saw Ru Ren's thin back, Chen Wei's heart was touched. He remembered the girl who always sat the most properly in class and always brought homemade snacks to share with him. He accepted this kindness as normal and pretended to be confused.

It's not that he didn't see Ru Ren writing his name on the table with colorless tea, over and over again. But the water stains dried up in the shade, so he pretended not to see it.

The wild geese pass by without leaving a trace.

No one would fall in love for nothing. Liu Ruren looked at the moss-covered white walls of Qingpu Garden and simply remembered the first time she met Chen Wei, when that handsome and elegant young man had praised her: "Miss Liu has the grace of a Gushe immortal."

Now that I think about it, it means that she looks like her father, right?

She was just still young and had met few people, that was all.

Madam Qin knelt in the small Buddhist temple day and night, praying, wondering if the heavens could hear her piety. If Qizhou had to be the destination, then Shen Wei was not an option.

As long as her daughter doesn't travel far away and stays by her side, it's fine.

Twenty-two years ago, Qin Ran married into the Qin family, thousands of miles away from Fengcheng, and her nightmare began there. Her father, driven by greed for the Liu family's wealth, acted on his own accord. Now, her husband, driven by his desire for power, sent her away.

She wouldn't allow it.

Aunt Qingfang was waiting at the door again. After Madam Qin stood up, she said, "The master sent Liu Tong up the mountain to fetch our third brother from Fengqing Temple."

It was a rare sight to see so many people gathered in the main hall. Liu San was sitting there in a dark blue Taoist robe, looking out of place with the rest of the family.

Mr. Liu, with a smile on his face, solemnly raised his glass and announced the two marriages to the family members at the table.

One was the marriage between Liu Ruren, the eldest daughter of the Liu family, and Lu Zuoting, the only son of Lu Da, the governor of Qizhou; the other was the marriage between Liu Qingbai, the eldest son of the Liu family, and Yang Wanyue, the third daughter of the Yang family.

He thought it was a happy occasion and was beaming with joy. However, Madam Qin rejected the Lu family's marriage proposal on the spot, saying that Ru Ren already had someone in mind and asked Master Liu to reconsider.

"My sweetheart? Who is it?"

Before Ru Ren could speak, Madam Qin spoke first, "It's Mr. Shen."

Mr. Liu's face changed, and he ignored her and said, "I have already agreed with the Lu family that they will propose marriage next month. I'm afraid the matter of Chen Wei is a misunderstanding, so don't mention it again."

Madam Qin wanted to speak more, but Master Liu interrupted her, saying, "Alright, I'll tell you everything about today. It's all settled. There's no room for negotiation. Everyone, go away."

After saying this, he turned around and left, leaving the whole family sitting in the main hall.

Seeing the master about to leave, Concubine Xiang hurried after him. Before leaving, she brought Ruyan with her to congratulate the mistress, the eldest daughter, and the second young master. Her eyes were filled with smiles, impeccable. Qingfang looked at her and spat bitterly, wishing knives would fly out of her eyes.

Yulan had burned a pot of tea incense in Liu Er's room. She wasn't very good at this sort of thing, but she'd heard it was from the Western Regions, and she'd happened to see it and decided to give it a try. The Liu family had plenty of spices and incense powder anyway.

The thick smoke from the damp incense shavings blinded her and she shed a few tears. In her haze, Yulan felt someone suddenly hug her from behind. She thought it was some lecher, and just as she slapped him hard a few times, she heard Liu Er's voice.

"Don't move, let me hold you for a while... just a while..."

The candlelight in the room was extinguished by the wind. In the darkness, Yulan could only hear Liu Er sobbing softly. She asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

I wonder what kind of injustice he suffered during his visit to the main hall? Those Mr. Liu and Mrs. Qin are truly wicked people. Why wouldn't they let Liu Er go after such a situation?

Yulan turned around, only able to make out his outline through the hazy air. She wiped the tears from his face with her sleeve. She gently tapped his lips and coaxed him softly, "After we split up, we'll never see them again. Whatever they say or do will have nothing to do with us."

Liu Er didn't respond but just kept increasing the strength of his embrace around her.

Yulan felt a little uncomfortable being strangled, but she continued to coax him, "I think the Liu family is not that bad. If we can't get much, we can go out and start our own business."

Liu Er still didn't respond. In the darkness, all he could do was hold Yulan's waist tightly, holding her in place. It was so tight that she felt suffocated, and she struggled slightly in his embrace, only then could she confirm that the person in his arms was alive and warm.

He still didn't let go.

"Liu Qingbai...I feel a little uncomfortable..."

The road from the main hall back to the north courtyard wasn't long, but it grew increasingly darker. Bao Fu carefully shone his lantern on the ground, but could only illuminate a small patch of light before him. There was nothing on the ground, but Liu Er felt every step was like walking on a sea of ​​fire and swords, each one felt so long. For the first time, he realized how far the north courtyard was from the main hall.

What should he do?

When he looked up, he saw his brother, whom he had never spoken to, standing at the end of the night.

"Magnolia..."

"Um?"

The sparks in the incense burner flickered. Liu Er repeatedly twisted the pearl pendant on Yulan's earlobe. After a long silence, he slowly whispered in her ear: "Remember..."

"Remember what?"

"No matter when or where...I will never hurt you..."

"No matter when or where..." He repeated it several times in a low voice, as if telling himself.

Yulan was confused and wanted to go out and ask Bao Fu what happened, but Liu Er was clinging to her tightly, and the more she struggled, the tighter he became. In the end, she could only bury her head awkwardly in the crook of Liu Er's neck and gently pat his back.

If you don't want to say it, then don't say it. You can say it later when you want to.