Chapter 88 Did I make you happy?

Should I agree?

Of course!

That's five thousand taels, not five hundred taels, and certainly not fifty taels, it's five thousand taels...

Five thousand taels—if she can hold onto it, she can live a life of comfort and ease for the rest of her days.

This is an enormous temptation.

People who are unwilling to take big risks will never make big money.

Shan was confident that she could create a replica of Gu Jingzhai's painting that would be indistinguishable from the real thing. She had seen Gu Jingzhai's paintings and remembered them very clearly.

Indeed, they have a similar charm.

That's why this bold and ambitious boss approached her.

She found the right person.

So what if it's fake? As long as it's as good as Gu Jingzhai, why can't it be worth 100,000 taels?

A sense of pride and magnanimity arose spontaneously from the bottom of my heart.

Is she really inferior to others? Her skills are admired by everyone.

Thinking this, I couldn't wait to go back immediately, spread out paper, dip in ink, and wield my brush with the speed of the wind.

He strode briskly all the way back to his lodgings, his breath coming in short gasps, his face as red as a begonia.

Liu Min was already waiting for her in her room, and seeing her like this, he was somewhat unhappy.

Where did you go?

"I'm going out to frame the paintings."

Liu Min actually knew the answer, because he had asked Ziyu's family earlier, and the answer made him very unhappy, which is why he asked the question knowing the answer already.

Why did you go out to frame paintings? Couldn't you have waited until he wasn't there? Opportunities for the two of you to be together are rare; shouldn't you be with him all the time? Why did you go out?

He wanted to see her every moment.

After all, they were already so close...

Recalling that scene, his face suddenly turned uncontrollably red.

They're practically husband and wife.

It's not good now; he's controlled by others at every turn. But he'll definitely be able to make his own decisions in the future...

Later...

His face was flushed, and he seemed to be thinking about something. He looked very happy and content, even satisfied.

What is he thinking?

As Shanlai asked himself this question, his heart skipped a beat, and he dared not make any guesses.

Fate has been cruel to her.

She was on the verge of tears.

I had to say something else to cover up this thought.

"Has the master forgiven you?"

“I didn’t see him. They said he was sick. When I went there, he had just fallen asleep, so I didn’t disturb him.”

Liu Min didn't care about his father, especially right now; he had so much to say to the person he loved.

He had wanted to tell her for a long time, but she asked him to apologize. He went, but when he came back, he couldn't find her. He had been waiting for her here so that he could tell her all this as soon as possible.

His two hands grasped her two hands.

"Wait for me for two more years, I'm sure I'll pass the imperial examinations, believe me, I definitely will. I'll go back to the Imperial Academy tomorrow. I was too lazy before, I slept for three and a half hours every day, when three hours would have been enough... Once I pass the examinations, I'll take you away from Xingdu, anywhere, as long as we can be together, even to the ends of the earth, I'll be willing. Then, I'll marry you... and I'll never let anyone bully you again..."

"You should trust me."

He spoke those three words very softly.

Shanlai shed tears over this.

She believed him, believed every single word he said.

He is such a good person.

She was willing to believe his words, even though she knew it was just wishful thinking on his part.

How could they send him to the ends of the earth...?

She had planned to start painting as soon as she got back, but she didn't.

Because he's leaving tomorrow.

How much time is left today?

The two sat together, holding hands.

Shanlai suddenly became very sentimental, bringing up events from six or seven years ago. She recounted how she was afraid the whole way from Qingshui Town to the Liu Mansion, fearing that she would encounter bad people in unfamiliar places. Her worries were quite reasonable, and sure enough, she did meet some bad people. One person was particularly awful, speaking harshly and belittling her in many derogatory ways. She felt truly wronged.

Hearing her embellishments, Liu Min couldn't help but laugh. After laughing, he defended himself, saying, "You're talking nonsense. Where did I speak harshly?"

Shan Lai raised an eyebrow. "No?"

There are still some.

At that time, he was furious about the title "Little Grandma." Whenever he saw her, he would take his anger out on her, finding fault with her in every way, and even wanted to change her name to Yunying. What a terrible name! He was so stupid.

It wasn't that she wronged him.

He could only smile ingratiatingly at her, hoping she would forgive his petty mistake.

He looks like this...

Shan Lai sighed.

"Although this person was despicable, he was actually a good person. After hearing about all my misfortunes, he asked his grandmother to let me go home... That's when I knew he was a good person."

Liu Min also remembered that there was such a thing. He asked his grandmother to let her go home. He didn't need a "little grandmother", but her father needed a daughter.

If she had really gone home back then, what would they be like now?

He couldn't help but selfishly think that it was good that his grandmother hadn't agreed to his request.

His grandmother was truly good to him.

She still wanted to sleep with him at night.

Of course he was willing, and in fact he wanted to as well, but she was a girl after all, and he couldn't bring himself to speak first. Otherwise, she might think he was looking down on her, and what would he do then? That was his only concern.

Even if everyone knows they slept together, he's not afraid, because he'll take her somewhere where nobody knows them, where no one will say they're mismatched, no one will speculate about her, and no one will belittle her...

That's great.

I'm so happy, so happy that I can't sleep at all.

Just like she was during the day, she talked about some past events, saying that he was always very happy to receive letters, knowing that someone was thinking of him from thousands of miles away. Once, a letter was supposed to arrive, but he didn't receive it. The next day passed, and the letter still hadn't arrived. He got anxious and thought of going outside to meet it, but as soon as he stepped out, he twisted his ankle...

Shanlai kissed him again.

They struggled until both of them were panting and covered in sweat.

Liu Min stopped first; he was in too much pain and felt he couldn't continue, so he left her body.

Shan Lai was almost completely naked, looking confused and bewildered, not knowing why he had suddenly left.

His wet fingers traced the bruises he had left on her body, sending shivers down her spine.

He thought he had been too reckless and that's why he hurt her. He felt very remorseful and looked at her with guilty eyes, as if he had done something wrong.

He dressed her, muttering an apology.

She didn't need his apology; she simply asked him, "Why don't you continue?"

His mouth seemed to be full of water, making his speech indistinct.

But Shanlai understood every single word he said; he was right.

"This isn't good, it'll be another two years... If you have a child... it would be too unfair to you..."

child……

If there were a child, a child he and she had...

She was bewitched.

It was as if they were under a curse.

She moved her whole body, becoming even more persistent in her pursuit of him.

He was a little angry that she had suddenly changed like this.

He's already made himself perfectly clear, yet he's still tormenting him like this...

Isn't this bullying?

He didn't know that this would be their last meeting.

"Sit still!" He nudged her, pushing her away slightly. "Don't be silly!"

"It's alright..." she almost pleaded with him, "I can take my medicine..."

He was really angry.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Is it some kind of good thing?"

She looked at him and cried, feeling wronged.

He panicked; he genuinely couldn't understand it.

I wiped away her tears and asked her cautiously, "What happened? Why are you crying?"

She cried, but he refused to grant her wish.

She is not a saint of light; she has her own hidden agenda.

She didn't leave him willingly; she didn't want him to be closer to someone else. She wanted to take something from him so that no matter who came after her, they couldn't surpass her...

Good heavens, she truly loved him.

But he refused, he refused...

She suddenly felt hatred towards him.

It's alright, she has other ways. She knows what to do. She learned a lot from the booklet in Ziyu's dowry.

She was willing and happy to do so, so she didn't feel humiliated.

He didn't know what she was going to do, and when he tried to stop her in a panic, it was too late.

He was swept up in the overwhelming wave of emotion she brought him, unable to control himself.

At that moment, his life was in her hands.

Shanlai had only read the booklet; everything depended on her comprehension. So she suffered a lot. By the end, her eyes were red, her face was covered in tears, her throat was sore, and she couldn't help but gag. She vomited up the contents of her mouth, making a mess...

Liu Min, who had calmed down a bit, was stunned again when he saw her like this.

He didn't know what to do...

It took a long time before I finally found my voice again.

"What...what is this...?"

His voice was hoarse, as if he had swallowed a handful of sand.

Shanlai was even worse off than him, but he insisted on asking, "Are you happy? Have I made you happy?"

He was stunned once again.

A long time passed before he finally spoke.

"I'm so happy I'm about to die..."

Hearing this, she smiled contentedly.

"That's good……"

Her intense love was like a mountain, pressing down on him and making it hard for him to breathe...

He knew too little about this matter; he only caught a fleeting glimpse of it back then, and what he learned was extremely limited.

He didn't know how to repay the favor, so he just stood there blankly.

Shanlai couldn't control him anymore. She only had the strength to rinse her mouth. After rinsing, she fainted while still holding the cup in her hand.

When I woke up the next day, Liu Min was no longer there.

I felt a little lost.

She had no chance to know that Liu Min got up at the third watch of the night, dressed himself, combed his hair, and then sat on a stool watching her sleep, staring at her intently until the morning light painted the windowpanes white.

He certainly knew how to repay her.

He will definitely create a stable future for the two of them.

He swore an oath to God.

Shanlai put on her clothes and went out. Guo'er's face no longer showed the surprise she had yesterday, and she even smiled at her.

Shanlai didn't care what she did and went back to his room to start laying out paper.

She had only seen Gu Jingzhai's landscape paintings, so she could only paint landscapes. Perhaps because she was sad, she was somewhat absent-minded when she started painting. She was really surprised when she realized that she had already finished.

It's not without its advantages; a single painting, with its continuous brushstrokes, forms a unified whole.

It can be considered a turn of misfortune into blessing.

When carving, one dares not be distracted, after all, it is a carving knife, if it hurts, it will not only hurt, but also make things worse.

Yes, Shanlai even knows how to carve seals. How can a refined person be without seals? So she learned it. Hongche taught her twice, and she mastered it.

She truly enjoyed a few good years.

Once the seal is affixed, the task is considered complete.

Shanlai didn't want to wait a moment longer and took the baby over the next day.

The landlord was a straightforward man. After looking at the painting, he paid five thousand taels, along with the outstanding payment for other items that Shan had brought with him, all in one lump sum.

Along with the silver notes, a travel permit was also handed to Shanlai.