Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Cold Wind

The next morning, Zhe Rou woke up to find Lu Chen nowhere to be seen. She was so focused on finding out about the caravan's whereabouts that she didn't care about his movements. She just said she wanted to ask the Hu merchants to buy some rare medicinal herbs produced in Longyou, and then, accompanied by Nan Heng, she went to the Bianhe Wharf outside Xinzheng Gate.

Due to the convenience of water transport, there are many warehouses near the Bianhe Wharf and Hu merchants gather there. Yesterday, she had inquired with Ye Yian and learned that although the Western Qiang delegation has not yet arrived in Beijing, several caravans have arrived here first, and most of them are trading in this area.

After visiting several warehouses in succession, in order to avoid Nan Heng's suspicion, Zhe Rou not only asked the Western Qiang people for prices, but also carefully selected the medicinal herbs brought in by the Tubo and Dangxiang people.

Finally, she returned to the Western Qiang people and bought a small amount of safflower and wolfberry, saying that she would go back to see the efficacy of the medicine first, and if it was useful, she would come back to buy more. On the way, she asked the team leader about the time the caravan would leave Beijing. Hearing that they would not return until April at the earliest, Zhe Rou felt relieved.

This way, she still had plenty of time and could take her time to plan.

After all, Nan Heng was with her, so she didn't stay long. She carefully packed the herbs and went back to the pharmacy. She happened to meet Lu Wan who came to look for her. She also brought Fanlou's newly released lamb wine, a plate of rabbit, a dish of sheepskin silk and a box of crispy honey food. It tasted great as a side dish.

Perhaps it was because she drank too much or because she caught a cold wind at the dock during the day, but after seeing Lu Wan off and returning to the villa, Zhe Rou felt dizzy and achy in the head. She quickly washed up and went to bed.

It was not until late at night that Lu Chen, braving the cold wind and snow, returned to Shangjing from Zhongmu Station, more than a hundred miles away.

Nan Heng stepped forward and reported to him Zhe Rou's itinerary for the day: she had gone to the Bian River wharf during the day and had dinner with Lu Wan in the evening.

Lu Chen asked about one of the cases, "Ask the Hu merchant to buy medicine?"

"Yes, I didn't buy much, just a few packets of safflower and wolfberry, both of which are special medicinal herbs from Xiqiang."

Lu Chen paused for a moment, without giving it much thought, just nodded, gathered his cloak, and walked towards the courtyard without stopping.

The courtyard was quiet. The snow that had accumulated during the day had not melted yet, and a thin layer of white frost covered everything. The little fox curled up in the warm nest under the steps. When he saw someone coming back, he raised his head and whimpered softly.

It had been some time since Zhe Rou had gone to bed. There was only a thin candle lit in the distance in the room. The flame was dim, and through the thick layers of peach blossom tissue paper, a swaying warm yellow glow was faintly revealed.

Lu Chen's pace gradually slowed down. He stepped over the snow-covered stone slabs, walked to the corridor, and paused.

After a moment, he raised his hand and pushed open the door. A warm breeze accompanied by the faint fragrance of apricot blossoms gently brushed across his face.

Taking off his cloak at the door, Lu Chen walked lightly around the screen, his eyes falling on the bed not far away.

She buried her head in the soft pillow, sound asleep, like a weary bird returning to the forest, her body wrapped tightly in the quilt, rising and falling slightly with her breathing. Only her head and face were visible, her long, thick black hair spread out across the pillow.

Lu Chen didn't know why, but he stood there and stared for a long time.

Returning to the capital from Zhongmuyi, he was extremely homesick. He always felt that there was something that made him feel uneasy, and he couldn't wait to see her immediately.

Until this moment, all the anxious and depressed emotions disappeared unconsciously, and my heart suddenly felt calm and relaxed.

Just as he was about to go out to wash up, the person on the couch behind him called him in a vague voice.

"Lu Bingyan..."

Lu Chen paused, turned around and replied, "Hmm?"

Zhe Rou was not actually sleeping soundly. At first she thought she was drunk, and she fell into a daze until she realized halfway through that she had caught a cold and was experiencing bursts of fever.

Although she was awake at this moment, her head was still burning with fever and she was in a trance. She could not tell where and when she was. She only vaguely heard a puppy whimpering outside the house, so she thought she was in Taozhou many years ago, and it was not Xiaoli, but Ah Huang.

She slowly raised her head, her cheeks slightly flushed, her eyes misty with a layer of mist, and her voice was soft and soft, like a dream talk: "...Why did you come back so late? The rice is warming on the stove... There is freshly pickled fish..."

Lu Chen's whole body suddenly stiffened, as if he was hit in the heart by a huge force. His eyes were sore and hot, and his throat seemed to be choked by something. He completely forgot how to breathe.

He knew it was nonsense.

She was talking about an old story from a few years ago. Back then, they were still young and in love, and she was filled with tenderness and love. Knowing that he would come home late from work, she would specially leave warm meals for him at night.

Lu Chen's eyes darkened.

It was clearly the same him, but he couldn't help feeling jealous, envious of his former self for having been cared about so much by her.

This jealousy was completely unreasonable, but it burned his internal organs and caused him to feel burning pain, and he had no place to vent it.

As Zhe Rou's nonsense was about to come out of his mouth, his mind became somewhat clearer.

In a moment, the blurred vision slowly focused, and when I could see the face in front of me clearly, I suddenly felt a dull pain and suffocation in my heart, and it felt empty, as if a rusty dagger was slowly cutting through my heart and lungs.

She was stunned for a while, then turned around in annoyance, curled up in the quilt, buried her hot cheeks deep in the soft pillow, and didn't want to pay any more attention to the person behind her.

The warmth and consideration from the past should have melted away along with the snow in Taozhou.

Lu Chen also reacted quickly and realized that something was wrong with her situation. He immediately calmed down, walked a few steps to the couch, and turned her over without saying a word.

I touched my cheek with my fingertips and found that it was indeed hot, incredibly hot.

Lu Chen's heart tightened, and he lowered his head to look at her face, "妱妱?"

Zhe Rou felt sad, and just closed her eyes tiredly, muttering, "I'm fine, just a little cold, I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

Lu Chen lifted his robe and sat down beside the couch, frowning as he stared at her. "It's probably because of the cold wind at the dock during the day. If you need anything else to buy, just send Pingchuan."

Zhe Rou's breathing stagnated slightly, and her fingertips unconsciously clenched the quilt. She tried to keep her tone natural, "He can't tell the quality of medicinal herbs."

Lu Chen placed his palm against her forehead for a long time without moving it away or speaking.

Zhe Rou's heart couldn't help but be nervous. Lu Chen had always been sharp-minded, and she wondered if he had discovered something.

If he notices something unusual, this road will be blocked again.

Fortunately, Lu Chen did not dwell on this matter too much. He just stood up, poured a cup of warm tea, and came back to feed her to drink slowly.

After drinking the tea, Zhe Rou closed her eyes tiredly and curled up in the soft quilt.

Knowing that she had drunk some wine in the evening, Lu Chen massaged her Hegu acupoint while calling for someone to boil ginger soup.

Soon there were rustling and footsteps in the yard. The maid on duty was startled and hurried to the kitchen to busy herself.

It was still cold in early spring, and there was still some fire on the stove at night. Soon, thick hot ginger soup was brought into the main house. Zhe Rou drank two bowls. The medicinal effect gradually took effect, and she finally broke out in a sweat. The fever completely subsided, her breathing became steady, and she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Lu Chen wrung out the wet towel, carefully wiped the sweat off her body, changed her into a set of dry underwear, and then stuffed her back into the quilt and wrapped her up.

By the time everything was done and tidied up, it was already past four o'clock.

Zhe Rou dozed off for a moment, then woke up again to the warmth of the ginger soup, her throat dry and aching. Lu Chen brought her some warm tea, gently supporting the back of her neck as he fed her the drink.

She felt limp and powerless, and leaned obediently in his arms, sipping a cup of tea in small sips.

She had rarely been this docile in recent days. Lu Chen set the teacup aside and gazed down at her for a long moment. A faint pain rose in his chest, and he couldn't help but scoff, "You're just so stubborn. If you weren't at home, a young woman like you, wandering alone outside, cold and sick, suffering, who would care for you, huh?"

Zhe Rou looked up at Lu Chen, her lips moved, and just as she was about to speak, he leaned over and sealed her lips.

This kiss came unexpectedly and fiercely. Before Zhe Rou could react, Lu Chen had already grabbed her chin.

He used a little force with his slender knuckles, forcing her to slightly raise her face. Lu Chen pried open her lips and teeth, and his warm tongue went straight in, entwining hers tightly, and then, as if with a hint of punishment, he sucked hard.

Zhe Rou was already having trouble breathing, and his kiss made it even more difficult for her to breathe. A soft gasp escaped from her throat, and she instinctively raised her hand to push his chest.

Lu Chen then stepped back slightly, his arms supporting her sides, leaning over to press his forehead against hers. His eyes were dark, and he warned through gritted teeth, "Don't mention Xie Mingqi to me." He paused, then sneered contemptuously, "He's a little prince who was raised in luxury, he can't even take care of himself, how can he take care of anyone else?"

I didn't expect that he was thinking about this. Once a man becomes jealous, he is a hundred times more jealous than a woman.

Zhe Rou couldn't help but frown, turned her head to avoid his burning breath, and retorted in a low voice: "I... don't need anyone else..."

Lu Chen stared at her for a long while, then suddenly let out a self-deprecating laugh, "Ninth Lady of the Ning Family is naturally very capable. I'm eager to take care of her, but you don't care at all."

After saying that, without allowing her to refuse any longer, he reached out and held her in his arms, slowly stroking his palm along her thin back, and his fingertips could clearly feel the protruding vertebrae.

Lu Chen's movements paused slightly.

Lost weight.

Although she was naturally thin and gaunt, she had always been in good health, rarely catching a cold and fever like she did today. Even after a miscarriage, she had taken good care of herself during the confinement period, avoiding any loss of energy and blood. But now, after only a month of reunion, she had become even thinner, even to the point of being prone to falling over and becoming susceptible to illness.

Lu Chen suddenly felt a little bitter.

Maybe from now on... I shouldn't push her so hard.

—

This cold wasn't serious. Zhe Rou drank ginger soup and slept soundly through the night. She woke up the next day feeling much better. Lu Chen stayed home to care for her for the day. The next day, the Western Qiang envoys arrived in Beijing, and he couldn't spare any time. After the state banquet, he went to Yujin Garden to accompany the Western Qiang envoys in a hunting competition, leaving early and returning late for several days.

On the fifth day, Lu Chen returned with a whole new set of clothes and instructed, "Try them on to see if they fit you. If they do, wear them tomorrow."

Zhe Rou looked up and immediately realized that it was not an ordinary dress, but rather a ceremonial dress with large sleeves, embroidered with gold patterns, and quite solemn.

She was startled, "What are you going to do?"

"As per the usual practice, when a foreign race proposes marriage, a separate banquet will be held in Genyue after the grand banquet. All the families of officials above the fourth rank in the capital must attend the banquet." Lu Chen paused, looked at her and continued, "Wanniang is here too. Since we know someone well, why don't you come with me to relax and unwind?"

Zhe Rou frowned upon hearing this. She really didn't want to show up as Lu Chen's family member, let alone in such an occasion... She was afraid that she would definitely meet Ming Qi.

She pursed her lips and refused: "I won't go."