Liu Yiwan's Spring

"Alright, alright, I won't force you. Here, drink the white fungus soup, okay?" Seeing Qin Jiujiu's worried expression, Tang Feng didn't want to appear too dejected, so he smiled and said, "Sister, don't be afraid. I've been eating and drinking normally these days, I won't neglect myself. I won't joke around with my health." Hearing Tang Feng say this, Qin Jiujiu felt half relieved. "Then let's get up first, the ground is so cold!" Tang Feng supported himself as he stood up, drank the bowl of white fungus soup, and then said, "I'm going to rest now, you can go back!"

Qin Jiujiu closed the door, and Liu Yiwan went up to her, "Miss Jiu? How is the young master?"

"Who knows! It's hard to say what will happen to him given his condition. But thankfully, he's willing to eat and rest, which puts my mind at ease. Injuries always need time to heal."

Tang Feng sat on the bed, knowing full well that he had just had a completely pointless argument. He didn't even dare to look Zhou Ziliang in the eye, but he couldn't help it, nor could he explain. Perhaps Zhou Ziliang would choose to believe him, but what would happen to Zhou Ziliang if they got married and Tang Feng were to return to the modern world one day?

Two or three days later, seeing that Tang Feng still hadn't improved, Qin Jiujiu realized the seriousness of the situation. Zhou Ziliang came to the mansion every day, but Tang Feng would always find various excuses to avoid him. While this wasn't a big deal, since Tang Feng was eating and drinking normally every day, it was precisely because Tang Feng seemed so normal that Qin Jiujiu felt something was wrong. Qin Jiujiu had tried to talk to Tang Feng many times, but whenever the topic came up, Tang Feng would find an excuse to avoid it. If pressed, he would simply shut up, which frustrated Qin Jiujiu considerably.

Normally, Tang Feng would speak out about any grievances he suffered, never keeping them bottled up inside. But now... Qin Jiujiu grew increasingly frightened, and finally summoned a carriage to the Marquis's mansion. Upon entering, Qin Jiujiu didn't hesitate; she had barely stepped into the main hall when she immediately asked where Zhou Ziliang was. Madam Zhou, assuming her son had gotten into trouble with a woman, was about to unleash a torrent of abuse, but Qin Jiujiu bowed and said, "Madam Zhou, I am Tang Feng's sister. I wish to speak with Zhou Ziliang about his affair with my young Feng."

Although Madam Zhou was usually carefree, she was incredibly meticulous when something happened. Hearing Qin Jiujiu's words, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she asked anxiously, "Is it Xiao Feng...? Has something happened? That child doesn't like to talk about his affairs, and I haven't seen him come to the house these past two days. When I asked Ziliang, that boy wouldn't say anything." Then Madam Zhou waved her hand and told the servants, "Go and invite the young master over."

"No need, Madam Zhou, I'll go myself." Qin Jiujiu bowed and followed the servant out. Although Qin Jiujiu hadn't quite approved of Tang Feng and Zhou Ziliang before, it now seemed that the situation was much better than she had imagined.

As soon as Qin Jiujiu entered the courtyard, she saw Zhou Ziliang standing outside waiting for her. "Miss Jiu," Zhou Ziliang greeted her with a bow. "How is Xiaofeng?" Qin Jiujiu shook her head. "It's not a matter of good or bad. He eats and drinks normally, and I don't see any problems with him. But when no one's around, he often sits alone, lost in thought. You could say he's depressed, but he's willing to talk to you. You could say he's happy, but he's not like he used to be. I was a bit harsh on you before, but it was all for Xiaofeng's sake. Now that he's like this, I'm also sad. Could you... go to the manor again to see him?"

Zhou Ziliang was somewhat hesitant. It wasn't that he didn't want to go, but he felt that Tang Feng's current state was due to him, and his presence would only make things worse. However, Qin Jiujiu had already put it this way, so he had no choice but to agree, "Miss Jiu, I can go, but... I can't guarantee that Xiao Feng will see me."

Qin Jiujiu sighed, "Who knows! We have to try! This time... I'm counting on you." Zhou Ziliang was also unsure. He knew Tang Feng's temperament; unless he came to his senses himself, not even ten oxen could pull him back. And Zhou Ziliang was right. Someone had said Zhou Ziliang was coming, and it reached Tang Feng's ears. He closed the door early in the morning, refusing to open it no matter how much Zhou Ziliang knocked. Tang Feng slipped the letter through the crack in the door and remained silent. Zhou Ziliang opened the letter; on it, written in black and white, was a sentence: "From now on, we will never meet again, let us not dwell on the past." Zhou Ziliang sighed again; Tang Feng was still the same as always.

“Miss Jiu…Is Young Master alright? I’m quite scared of him like this. Although it wasn’t surprising given his personality before, that was many years ago. Now…I’m still a little unaccustomed to it.” The “before” Liu Yiwan referred to was the time before Tang Feng transmigrated. Qin Jiujiu hadn’t met him, but she had heard a few words from the servants: “I always thought Xiao Feng was easygoing, but now it seems he’s not easygoing at all; he just keeps things bottled up. Even with Zhou Ziliang here, I don’t think he’ll be of any use.” Then Qin Jiujiu glanced at Liu Yiwan. “Liu Yiwan, what are you doing following me around all day? Aren’t you worried about Xiao Feng like this?”

“Oh dear, Miss Jiu, how can I not worry about the young master! He gave me my life back then. If I don’t care for him, who will? But…” Liu Yiwan awkwardly pulled out a wooden box from behind her back. “I know it’s not appropriate for me to say this now that the young master is ill, but… Miss Jiu, I saw a nice hairpin at the market. It would really suit you.” She then handed the wooden box to Qin Jiujiu.

Qin Jiujiu opened it and saw a hairpin made entirely of white jade, with several jade pendants hanging from it. Actually, Qin Jiujiu came from a prestigious family and later entered the Tang family, so she had seen all sorts of strange things. However, she didn't want to refuse Liu Yiwan's kindness, so she said, "The hairpin is indeed beautiful, I'll accept it. It's kind of you to spend so much money."

"Miss Jiu, that's not what I meant, I meant..." Before Liu Yiwan could finish speaking, a servant came over with a package. "Brother Liu, this is supposed to be for our young master, but I don't know who sent it."

Liu Yiwan, already displeased at being interrupted, pushed the items towards the servant. "They all say they belong to the young master, so just take them over. He's always been good to you all, what, are you afraid he'll eat you?" Having had her fill of sarcasm, Liu Yiwan felt it was better for her to go herself, given Tang Feng's current state. She didn't want the servant to be so impulsive and say something that might hurt Tang Feng's feelings. "Fine, fine, give them to me! I'll take them." After a few steps, Liu Yiwan turned to Qin Jiujiu and said, "Miss Jiu... um, tonight, I'll come find you again tonight, wait for me, wait for me!" After instructing Qin Jiujiu, Liu Yiwan went over. Upon entering Tang Feng's courtyard, she saw Zhou Ziliang sitting on the stone bench outside. "Young Marquis... my young master hasn't let you in yet?"

Zhou Ziliang shook his head. "I don't think anything will happen, but..." Zhou Ziliang handed the letter to Liu Yiwan. "It seems a bit tricky." Liu Yiwan took the letter and read it. "Young Master, my young master wants to part ways with you! What are your thoughts now?"

"Wait! I'll come again tomorrow." Seeing Zhou Ziliang leave, Liu Yiwan shook his head. He didn't know what was wrong with Tang Feng all of a sudden. Their usually enviable relationship suddenly seemed to have become a shackle for him. He stepped forward and knocked on the door. Liu Yiwan said, "Young Master, um... the young marquis has left. Also, someone sent you something, but I don't know who it was. Would you like to come out and take a look?" Liu Yiwan asked tentatively, not knowing if Tang Feng would respond. After a while, Tang Feng opened the door, glanced at Liu Yiwan, and said, "He's gone?"

"Young Master, why are you doing this? I can tell you still like..."

"Get out!" Tang Feng opened the package. Inside was a red handkerchief embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water, along with a letter. The letter, presumably written by Cheng Yitian on Li Bao'er's orders, said that the two were doing very well. Cheng Yitian had opened a small school at home, making it much more lively with the children. He mentioned that the family didn't have much money, and knowing Tang Feng was getting married, they had hurriedly embroidered a red veil, asking Tang Feng not to mind. Finally, he wished Tang Feng and Zhou Ziliang a long and happy marriage.

Tang Feng smiled bitterly. What was supposed to be a red veil bearing Li Bao'er's blessings now seemed incredibly ironic. He wiped away his tears, feeling he couldn't go on like this. He took a few deep breaths, tucked Li Bao'er's red veil under the box, and then went out. The moment he opened the door, he saw Qin Liuliu and was startled.

"Liu Liu? What are you doing here? Why don't you come inside?" Ever since Tang Feng fell ill, Qin Jiujiu hadn't allowed Qin Liu Liu into Tang Feng's courtyard. One reason was that she was afraid Qin Liu Liu would find out about Zhou Ziliang and Tang Feng, and another was that she was afraid she would say something that Tang Feng would overhear.

"Brother... let me tell you, Liu Yiwan likes my sister," Qin Liuliu whispered in Tang Feng's ear. Actually, Qin Liuliu could more or less guess that Tang Feng was in a bad mood, so she had been waiting at the door, hesitant to go in. When Tang Feng came out, she saw that apart from his red eyes, he seemed relatively normal.

"I know that! You told me at Lishan Academy!"

"No, brother, you know what? Today, Liu Yiwan gave my sister a hairpin, it's made of white jade, and it's so beautiful!"

Tang Feng raised an eyebrow and smiled. He'd been living a life-or-death struggle here all day, while Liu Yiwan was busy flirting with his sister! "No wonder I've been missing him so much lately, he's been secretly seeing other women behind my back! Where is he?"

"I don't know, but he said to have my sister wait for him tonight."

Hearing Qin Liuliu's words, Tang Feng temporarily forgot his unhappiness. He rubbed his eyes, which were swollen from crying so much these past few days, and then said to Qin Liuliu, "Go tell your sister that I suddenly have a strong urge to eat, and ask her to prepare more food."

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