Chapter 44 This time I lacked experience, but I'll learn next time…

Lu Lin was among them, accompanied by Dou Wenliang and a man beside him. When the man saw Lin Wenhui, his eyes softened.

"Wow, it's so lively!" Ma Langhua poked his head in from behind. "I told you Mrs. Lu was over here, didn't I tell you, cousin!"

She exclaimed exaggeratedly, as if she had just noticed Kang Wenbai, and dramatically exclaimed, "Why is there another man here?"

Shen Rong rolled her eyes. Judging from Cha Cha's tone, these people must have been brought by her.

Bringing so many people here, they must be here to catch someone in the act.

"Not only were there men, but there were also two women, didn't you see?" Shen Rong's words were as poisonous as if they were smeared on her lips. "Miss Ma, are you cross-eyed?"

He gestured with his hands: "I can only see this much, just enough to catch a man."

Everyone suppressed their laughter.

Ma Langhua's face turned ugly.

Lin Wenhui, holding her fiancé's arm, said with a smile, "Mrs. Lu originally came here first. I thought it was quiet, so I sat here with her for a while. I didn't expect this young lady to suddenly run in crying. Mr. Kang followed her in."

She was explaining to everyone that there was absolutely no sordid private meeting, and that Ma Langhua's words just now were too easy to misunderstand.

Surprisingly, Guo Yuying was very understanding and tacitly accepted the explanation: "I'm sorry, everyone must have laughed at me. I just suddenly felt homesick."

Dou Wenliang understood perfectly well that his cousin was stirring things up. He took the opportunity to back down, smiling as he said, "The dance party outside is in full swing. Why don't I accompany Miss Guo to dance and chat with her friends? Maybe she won't miss home so much."

Lu Lin seemed completely oblivious to the awkwardness of the situation, and calmly reached out to Shen Rong: "Are you sleepy? I'll take you home."

Everyone looked at Shen Rong.

Dou Wenliang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Okay, you guys go back first."

Seeing Lu Lin calmly embrace Shen Rong and leave, Ma Langhua stomped her foot in frustration.

Guo Yuying glanced at her, her brows furrowed tightly. After thinking for a moment, she chased after her again.

"Could I speak with Mrs. Lu alone for a moment? I mean no harm," she said to Lu Lin.

Shen Rong nodded and told Lu Lin to wait for her at the front.

Guo Yuying thought for a moment and then asked her, "Have you offended Miss Dou?"

Shen Rong was surprised. What did this mean?

"She overheard our conversation today, and I think she seems to have a lot of malice towards you. What just happened might be related to her, so be careful."

Shen Rong knew who she was talking about.

"You mean that lady from earlier?"

Guo Yuying nodded.

Shen Rong smiled and said, "We do have a grudge against her, but her surname is not Dou. Her name is Ma Langhua, and she is the niece of General Dou."

"Thank you. Actually, you're quite an interesting person." The premise is that one shouldn't let their romantic infatuation take hold and not become a die-hard fan of Kang Wenbai.

Seeing her good intentions, Shen Rong decided to try to persuade the girl again, saying that Kang Wenbai was really not a good man.

"Have you ever thought that idols are for worship, and that's a completely different thing from being lovers? If you admire someone's talent, then you can buy them a few more poetry collections." You can support them materially, but there's no need to sacrifice yourself for them.

Guo Yuying understood what she meant and retorted:

"No, I love him as a person; his talent is only part of it."

"Did you know he's divorced? He also has a child. I think you should think about it more carefully."

Guo Yuying became somewhat angry: "So that's why you abandoned him? But I don't care! I love him, so I accept everything about him."

Shen Rong was speechless, feeling like she'd swallowed fly droppings. Fine, just keep being love-struck; she's completely caught up in the whirlpool of love, beyond saving.

"Love is just an ordinary thing, nothing special at all..."

Lu Lin looked at her and asked, "What are you singing now?" She'd been singing all along, gritting her teeth. What had gotten into her?

Shen Rong snorted coldly, glancing at him sideways as she hummed the second half of the line.

"Men are nothing but a pastime, what's so great about them?"

Lu Lin's expression was incredibly interesting.

"I don't think I did anything to offend you."

Shen Rong began to settle scores: "Why were you silent for so long just now?"

Why can't they learn from the male protagonist and stand by his wife's side immediately, with a clear and unwavering stance?

"Then what do you want me to do?" How did he know he might ruin her plans? Lu Lin's eyes held a complicated expression.

Shen Rong said angrily, "People are questioning whether your wife is having an affair. You should stand up and firmly defend me, support me, and fight back against the person who made the slander. Slap her hard."

Lu Lin seemed to suddenly realize something and said, "I don't hit women."

"Can't we just use words to defeat her?"

Lu Lin glanced at her and nodded: "I didn't have experience this time, but I'll know better next time."

"There will be a next time!" Shen Rong glared at him.

Lu Lin told her to look behind her: "There's a brown paper bag on the back seat. Have you looked enough of this as atonement?"

Shen Rong reached out and took it, and when she saw it was money, a grin spread across her face.

It's enough, but...

"This isn't the money you embezzled, is it?"

Lu Lin almost got into a car accident, but thankfully he arrived home.

"Use it with confidence, it's completely innocent!" Now it was his turn to grit his teeth, but he was very careful when opening the door.

Shen Rong hummed a cheerful tune as she entered the house. Gui Chun opened the door and, seeing her so happy, quickly asked, "Madam, what good news is this?"

"Does finding money count?" She shook the paper bag in her hand.

Gui Chun took it seriously and looked outside: "Where did Madam find it?" She wanted to find it too.

Zhang Ma came out of the kitchen and laughed at Gui Chun, saying she was a solid steamed bun.

There's no such thing as finding money by chance; maybe the wife just discovered the husband's secret stash.

"Madam, I'll get you a bowl of chicken soup. Are you hungry? Or should I make you some noodles?"

Shen Rong shook her head: "I'm full."

"Then let's have some soup." Zhang Ma prepared to walk towards the kitchen.

Shen Rong didn't really want to drink it, but she couldn't bring herself to refuse Zhang Ma, who had been busy preparing it for so long.

"Zhang Ma, please blanch some vegetables for me, and also serve a bowl for the husband."

"Okay." Aunt Zhang's voice came from the kitchen.

Lu Lin was taking off his coat, frowning: "I don't need it."

Shen Rong smiled and said, "It's no fun for me to eat alone. You'll keep me company."

Gui Chun placed a small plate on the table, and after a careful look, she was overjoyed: "Where did you get this?"

Gui Chun chuckled, "I saw an old woman selling them at the alley entrance when I went out today, so I bought some!"

It's a mulberry.

May is the season for eating mulberries, but this is Northeast China, so it's a bit later than in the south. I didn't expect that someone would start selling them.

Aunt Zhang brought out the soup.

"This is so expensive. Just a small bowl costs a dollar, which is enough for half a month's wages for her. But she said that her wife has been craving something lately and will definitely love to eat it. She insists on buying it no matter what she says, and she can't persuade her otherwise."

Shen Rong was deeply moved: "How can Gui Chun be so wonderful? I love you so much!"

Gui Chun blushed and asked her, "Madam, is it sweet?" The old woman had assured her it was sweet.

Shen Rong nodded: "It's very sweet and delicious!" She took a few and handed them to her, "You should try them too."

Gui Chun waved her hand, refusing to accept it.

"You bought these, and you only eat two. I have so many!"

Gui Chun hesitated for a moment, swallowed, and saw that his wife was eating so deliciously. Could it be that the food sold in the city was different from what they ate in the countryside?

She respectfully accepted it, put it in her mouth, and found it very sweet, seemingly more fragrant than anything she had ever tasted before.

Shen Rong popped a fruit into Lu Lin's mouth as he sat down. Her fingers touched his lips, and she squeezed the fruit, causing the red juice to flow into his throat. Before he could even react, the warmth had faded.

Lu Lin noticed the faint red stains on her fingers. He saw her pick up another one, put it in her mouth, suck on it, and look on with a lingering look.

The juice was from when he had just... Lu Lin turned his face away somewhat awkwardly.

"If you like it, Guichun can buy it tomorrow." It's not something valuable, and it's not like we can't afford it.

"Will she come back to sell tomorrow?" Shen Rong asked.

Zhang Ma brought out Lu Lin's bowl of chicken soup and added, "That old woman got a high price, how could she not come? She'll definitely come tomorrow."

Shen Rong also picked some for her: "Zhang Ma, you should have some too, they're so sweet."

Aunt Zhang laughed and said, "Only Madam would consider this a rare treat. There's plenty of it in the countryside. I don't like eating this."

That person probably didn't like the food and wanted to save it for themselves.

Shen Rong didn't care and pulled her hand: "Try it, does it taste the same as the one back home?"

Aunt Zhang looked at her palm and smiled.

"Are Da Mao and Er Mao asleep?"

"After a day of playing around, I'm already asleep." Knowing what Shen Rong was asking about, she said, "Madam, you don't need to worry about them. These two boys have eaten before, and besides, this food won't keep. You should eat it all."

After saying that, she poured the contents of her palm into her mouth: "I won't leave any for them."

Everyone laughed.

Shen Rong pinched a finger and looked at Lu Lin again, but Lu Lin backed away.

"What are you doing?" It wasn't like she was feeding him poison. Shen Rong was unhappy. Didn't she see that this was an attempt to please him? Was this a way of rejecting her affection?

"You eat it, I don't like these." Lu Lin shook his head.

He turned to Zhang Ma and Gui Chun and instructed them, "If you see these fruits for sale when you go to the market, buy some no matter the price."

Shen Rong smiled with satisfaction, her eyes narrowed. Lu Lin was indeed quick-witted; her mulberry hadn't been wasted.

Gui Chun and Zhang Ma smiled and agreed, then went to the kitchen, leaving the living room to the couple.

Shen Rong took a couple of sips of soup and then refused to drink any more, pushing the bowl towards him and focusing on eating mulberries.

Lu Lin sighed and pulled them all into his own bowl.

To avoid Zhang Ma noticing anything amiss, she always had him drink the drinks for her, which is why she insisted that Lu Lin drink with her to avoid giving herself away.

At first, Lu Lin felt that sharing meals was too intimate and inappropriate, but people's bottom lines are meant to be crossed. Shen Rong didn't treat him like an outsider at all, and now he's gotten used to eating her leftovers.

"I need to discuss something with you." Shen Rong leaned closer.

She looked down at Da Mao and Er Mao's room on the first floor and said softly, "They're still just kids, it's not good for them to stay at home doing nothing all day."

Lu Lin knew she had an idea, so he continued listening.

"I heard there's a literacy class at the Marshal's Mansion. Why don't we send Da Mao and Er Mao there too? At least they can learn a few words. What do you think?"

Lu Lin thought it was feasible: "Okay, I'll go and tell the young marshal tomorrow."

This literacy class wasn't just for the servants of the general's mansion; it also taught many illiterate soldiers. It was a good thing that Da Mao and Er Mao could learn some characters.