Chapter 42. Wood Chips Flower felt only alienation, fear, and disgust towards him...

"I haven't done any woodwork in a long time, I don't know if it will look good."

Lin Shutang felt a little better, so she went to the wooden house. Now she sat at the table, holding a knife. The unfamiliar touch made her feel a little uneasy.

Green Willow stood to the side, bowing to serve, "Don't worry, Madam, no matter what you make, the young master will naturally like it."

Lin Shutang smiled at her praise, "You have such a sweet tongue."

What should I make? Remembering what Shen Yun had said before, I decided to make a rattle drum.

Lin Shutang buried himself in his work and started fiddling with it.

-

“…She’s a good girl, but I can’t forgive her father and brothers, and I can’t forgive you either, Prince Shen.” Madam Zhou’s eyes reddened as she struggled to suppress her emotions.

"Back then, you and Ziyang were like brothers, and I treated you like my own son. But after that incident, how did you treat Ziyang?"

Tears streamed down her face as she lowered her head to wipe them away with a handkerchief. "I understand your choice, but I can't just pretend nothing happened without feeling resentment. That's why I haven't wanted to see you all these years. I was afraid I..."

Towards the end, she was already sobbing uncontrollably, so she simply stopped talking.

She turned around, took the black lacquered wooden box handed to her by a servant, placed it on the stone table, and pushed it in front of Shen Yun. "Give this to your wife for me, as a token of my gratitude for saving her life."

The situation that day was very chaotic, and now, when she thinks back on it, she can't quite remember it.

She never expected to meet someone from the Lin family, nor did she expect that she would fall ill immediately.

While resting in the side room, my dream was filled with bizarre and fantastical images, and all sorts of past events flooded my mind. Those bloody, pale, and distant scenes were replayed in my dream.

She saw herself crying as she reached for her husband's coffin, and in the blink of an eye, her hand was caressing her son's coffin.

How could she not hate, not regret, not feel pain?

She could actually feel someone standing in front of her bed, and felt her mouth and nose being tightly covered by the quilt.

Gradually, she couldn't breathe properly, and her chest felt like it had been shattered by a blow. In a daze, the figures of her husband and son seemed to reappear in her mind.

They stood right in front of her, smiling, reaching out to pull her along...

She suddenly lost the strength to struggle. Perhaps this is the best possible outcome.

Suddenly, with a loud bang, it sounded as if someone had rushed in.

Then the person in front of him let go, and a large amount of air rushed into his nostrils, and suddenly everything became clear.

She never imagined that the woman, the one she hated to the core for her father and brothers, would risk her life to save her.

Later, many people poured into the room, and there was a lot of chattering everywhere.

In the bustling crowd, she couldn't hear anything.

His mind went completely blank, as if struck by lightning. He stared blankly at the pool of bright red blood on the ground, which had flowed down the woman's back when she was pulled out of the water.

Why save her? Why?

Madam Zhou let out a deep breath. Who was right and who was wrong in the past? Who can really say for sure?

"I will leave Yujing today."

Faced with Madam Zhou's criticism, Shen Yun listened attentively with her eyes lowered.

Upon hearing this, he finally blinked, raised his head, and looked somewhat bewildered.

“If you still care about your brotherhood with Ziyang, then go and visit him every year on the anniversary of his death.” Madam Zhou’s eyes were red and her voice was trembling. “And also take care of this General’s Mansion for him.”

She glanced at the door of the main house, tears streaming down her face, but a smile also appeared on her lips, as if she could see again the boy with his hair tied in a high ponytail, dressed in a smart outfit, walking confidently towards her, calling her "Mother" with a carefree expression.

...

Madam Zhou left.

Shen Yun stood in the courtyard, not moving for a long time.

The afternoon sun was bright and dazzling, but after being blocked by the tall and dense sycamore trees, it seemed somewhat gloomy and desolate.

He seemed lost in thought, his gaze unfocused.

With her head slightly lowered, her pale neck appeared almost transparent in the sunlight, as if it had been broken.

The courtyard was empty and desolate, devoid of any human presence. Only the rustling of the branches overhead and the falling leaves swirling in the wind at his feet could be heard.

Shen Yun spoke, her voice hoarse as if grit had been scraped away, "Okay."

So quiet that only the wind responded.

...

"Madam, you did such a wonderful job!" Green Willow exclaimed in surprise, holding the rattle drum made by Lin Shutang and examining it from all angles in the sunlight. She couldn't help but marvel at it, her eyes filled with admiration and envy.

Lin Shutang looked at her with a laugh, "I haven't even finished making it yet, and you're already praising it to the skies."

“Madam hasn’t finished yet, but it’s already more beautiful than those sold in the market. If it’s finished and glazed, I think it will surpass even the best of the construction workers,” Green Willow said shamelessly.

Lin Shutang chuckled to herself, thinking that if her skills could surpass her senior brother's, her father would probably be laughing in his sleep.

As Lin Shutang recalled his days in Xi County, the slight joy in his eyes involuntarily faded.

Her father had always said that she was not focused on her work, always acting on a whim, and unwilling to settle down and properly learn his craft. Now, she hadn't touched any woodwork for five years.

Will her father blame her?

"Madam..." Seeing that Lin Shutang did not speak, Lvwu called out softly, "Did I say something wrong?"

Lin Shutang snapped out of her reverie and shook her head. "It's nothing. I was just thinking, since you like it, I could carve something for you."

"Really? Madam!" Green Willow's eyes widened slightly. "Then, I...I want...I want..."

Green Willow thought for a long time but couldn't think of anything she wanted. She was truly shocked that the Madam would actually carve something for her.

I don't know much about woodwork, and I don't know what I should want.

"Madam, why don't you give me these?" Green Willow pointed to several ruined carvings in the pile of sawdust.

"That won't do." Lin Shutang felt that this was not right, so she took one out of the pile of wood shavings. "How about this, I'll carve a flower for you."

“Great!” Green Willow’s eyes lit up.

Lin Shutang lowered his head and began to carve intently.

-

After Shen Yun returned, she did not go to the main house as usual, but went to the study instead. Unexpectedly, she found the door of a wooden house on the side wide open.

He paused for a moment, then changed direction and walked in that direction again.

Before he even reached the door, he heard laughter coming from inside. He listened carefully and realized it was her laughing.

Can you really smile so happily at a maid?

Why is it that only towards him do people feel alienation, fear, and disgust?

Shen Yun slowed her pace, stood sideways outside the door, and quietly gazed at the scene inside.

She sat at the table, her delicate hands holding a fine blade, carving patterns bit by bit, her neck slightly lowered, a few strands of hair falling beside her ears. Every now and then, she would ask Green Willow to fetch her tools.

The sunlight fell softly on her, as if bathing her in a gentle glow.

"Chen Yun?" Lin Shutang looked up, her gaze inadvertently falling on the doorway. She was somewhat taken aback, not knowing how long he had been standing there.

Upon hearing this, Green Willow immediately stopped smiling, became proper, and seemed to shrink in size.

Shen Yun entered the room, backlit, so Lin Shutang couldn't see his face clearly, but she had a feeling that he seemed to be in a bad mood.

She stood up, somewhat at a loss, not understanding why Shen Yun exuded such a repressive aura.

Before she could speak, Shen Yun pulled her into his arms.

Lin Shutang was stunned for a moment, feeling his chin resting on her shoulder, his warm breath spraying on her neck, wet and itchy, making her feel uncomfortable, and she wanted to move away.

Shen Yun pulled her even tighter.

"Let me hold you for a while." His voice was low and slightly hoarse, repeating itself like a murmur. "It'll be over in a little while."

Lin Shutang stopped moving.

She felt that Shen Yun was acting strangely today. Considering that she had come to the cabin with the intention of easing tensions with Shen Yun, she tentatively raised her hand and wrapped it around his waist. Shen Yun seemed to be taken aback for a moment, but quickly relaxed, which gave Lin Shutang the confidence to tighten her embrace a few more times.

The afterglow of the setting sun poured in through the doorway, just as many years ago when Shen Yun stood here with her back to him, silently staring at the mess Lin Shutang had created. But this time, the twilight was no longer stingy, showering all its splendor upon the two of them, its touch still carrying the scorching heat of summer.

Amidst the mess of sawdust flowers, Lin Shutang finally agreed to give him a hug.

Shen Yun later recalled more than once that he might have grasped something at that time.

"What's wrong with you?" Lin Shutang finally asked after a long while.

"It's nothing." Shen Yun lifted his head from her neck, his usual indifference returning to his expression.

His gaze fell on the wooden ware on the table, which was beginning to take on a flower shape. "This is..."

Then he slowly glanced at Lin Shutang.

"This is what I carved for Green Willow!" Lin Shutang immediately said. After saying that, as if afraid that Shen Yun would try to take it by force, he quickly bent down, grabbed it, and put it behind his back. With a wave of his hand, large shavings of wood flew up.

Green Willow had already left after Shen Yun entered, and was unaware that Lin Shutang was so protective of her gift.

Shen Yun found this thing particularly offensive. Seeing how much she treasured it, she frowned slightly and asked, "Where's mine?"

He looked at Lin Shutang as if it were the most natural thing in the world, a hint of resentment in his dark pupils, as if he was very dissatisfied with Lin Shutang ignoring him and condescending to carve something for a maid.

Lin Shutang was speechless for a moment.

Then, quite annoyed, she said, "What do you mean 'your'? Haven't you asked for enough? What else do you want?"

"Will you give me what I want?" Shen Yun raised his hand and wrapped it around Lin Shutang's waist, reaching back to hook her hand.

It was a sweltering summer day, yet I couldn't understand why his hands were so cold; I wondered how long he had been standing in the wind.

The moment he touched Lin Shutang, she couldn't help but shudder.

Lin Shutang continued to back away, but her neck remained straight, and she said defiantly, "No."

Shen Yun seemed to be stunned for a moment, then let out a muffled laugh, his chest trembling. He leaned closer, bent his large hand, and pulled Lin Shutang's waist towards him. "Then give me something else."

As he finished speaking, he touched her lips, licked and bit them open, then their lips intertwined...