Light rain (revision)
Lin Xu lowered his eyes and watched as Zhou Weikan's well-defined hands picked up the celadon teapot and filled the two cups of tea in front of him.
His focused expression with his lowered eyes was just as it had always been, down to the slight furrow between his brows.
Zhou Weikan pushed one of the cups of tea toward her, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Miss Lin, please."
The teacup was made of celadon with a sky-blue glaze of the same color, warm and delicate. The tea in the cup was clear, like a gentle ripple on a green lake, and a layer of tea mist rose up and entered her nose.
"This tea is homemade by our shop. It is made by roasting early spring snow grass and tender jasmine together. Even with just a simple initial roasting, it has a rich tea aroma. It is slightly sweet when it goes down and has a refreshing aftertaste. It is considered our shop's signature tea."
A thin mist hung between them, coating the face before him with a clarity no less radiant than the rain and mist outside the window. Even more so, as he curved his lips into a smile, the hint of bitterness in it grew increasingly serene.
"I thought the freshly harvested purple bamboo shoots in early spring were your shop's signature dish," Lin Xu said softly.
Zhou Weikan's smile remained unchanged upon hearing this, as if he were catching up with an old friend. "My shop is newly opened, and I'm new here, so naturally I should greet the neighbors and offer them some tea as a small token of my appreciation."
Lin Xu understood. The celadon glaze in her hand was smooth and warm, still slightly damp. She tried to recall, and then remembered that when she last came to see Zhi Yuan, there was indeed a shop under renovation next to Yuan Cao Ju!
At the time, she thought it was just an ordinary shop taking a break and didn't pay any attention.
Did Zhou Weikan buy the adjacent shop back then?
Was he secretly keeping an eye on her movements all along? But in this life, Zhou Yan and she had no connection whatsoever. The last time they met was at her coming-of-age ceremony... What was his purpose in doing all this behind her back?
Could it be... just to get close to her?
In this life, she and Zhou Weikan were clearly no longer connected. Although layers of bitterness welled up in Lin Xu's heart, she had to desperately remind herself not to fall into another layer of embarrassment. She had harmed him once, and that was enough.
"...Young Master Zhou comes from a wealthy family, and I thought that in recent years he must have been focusing on silk weaving."
Zhou Weikan took a sip of tea, glancing down at the wisps of smoke rising from the tea table beside him. The sandalwood incense in the celadon tripod censer had been burning for a long time and was almost empty. Even the scent in the room had become much fainter.
He merely glanced at it, and a servant appeared out of nowhere, deftly replacing the incense sticks.
She looked up and saw that the servant's face was very familiar. It was clearly the servant she had seen many times in her previous life, the most trusted and capable servant by his side.
Zhou Weikan gently stroked his knee with his right hand, silently watching the lingering fragrance. When he looked at her again, his eyes held a calmness that had been absent before.
“Silk weaving is the Zhou family’s ancestral business, and it has nothing to do with what I am interested in. Now, I just want to do something that I truly enjoy.”
Could it be that opening a small teahouse is what he truly desires?
Having been the young master of the Zhou family, who held real power for so long, and the most wealthy and prosperous imperial merchant in Dayu, he now disdains even that coveted status and everything that his family fought over.
Lin Xu didn't want to ask him about this matter anymore. She hadn't seen him in so long; she should be asking about more important things.
"Young Master Zhou, is Fangxing, the maid in my household, someone you planted?"
He stared at her intently, the smile on his lips vanishing without a trace.
“‘Young Master Zhou,’ you didn’t call me that last time.”
That night, as the moon set and the stars dangled, he stood in the backyard of the Lin family home, beneath the heavy, fluttering curtains, and seized her slender wrist, gripping it tightly in his hand, demanding an explanation—
Why is he called Master Zhou?
Looking back now, the fleeting clouds have passed, leaving only a mess and a sense of being in another world.
"I misspoke in my haste that day, please forgive me, sir."
"Miss Lin—"
"I am already married, so please call me Madam Dou."
Lin Xu looked up at him, finally making up her mind to stop dodging. There was no way to avoid it anyway, and she had nothing left to lose. Zhou Weikan in this life no longer belonged to her. It was better to sever all ties sooner rather than later.
Zhou Weikan seemed to have anticipated her response and showed no unusual expression. She simply poured herself another cup of tea, while the cup in front of her remained untouched.
“I advised you against your marriage before you got married. Both of Dou’s sons are not good people. The man you are marrying is even more cunning than his brother.”
When did Zhou Weikan become so knowledgeable about everything in the Dou family? Clearly, in his past life, even when he was closest to her, the only things he cared about besides her were the few embroidery workshops in his family.
She recalled something from her fragmented memories and asked him to confirm it.
"On my wedding day, an arrow was inexplicably shot into my sedan chair, along with a note. Was that note also given to me by Young Master Zhou?"
"Since you've already seen the letter, why do you still insist on marrying him?"
The note from that day contained only a few words, clear and powerful, admonishing her—
"Don't marry him."
Lin Xu parted her lips slightly, but didn't know how to speak, especially how to answer the person in front of her.
Clearly, in the past, she was just one step away from marrying him and becoming his wife.
Now, countless obstacles stand between him and her. Lin Xu tried her best to endure, but the sudden surge of bitterness in her heart almost caused her to collapse from her efforts to maintain her composure.
She hurriedly picked up the teacup, unable to bear looking at him any longer.
"At that time, I had no other choice..."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Lin Xu regretted them.
She hadn't chosen her words carefully; the phrase "at that time" would clearly lead to further questioning from him. And she herself didn't know how to answer him. Her heart pounded nervously, but Zhou Weikan didn't ask her any more questions.
After a long silence, he simply spoke, responding to her earlier question.
"I have no choice but to send someone to protect your safety in secret."
Lin Xu opened his eyes wide, but could barely understand what he was saying.
Why would Zhou Yan protect her safety? Aren't they unrelated, practically strangers?
The person opposite her remained calm and simply watched her quietly.
Suddenly, a gust of cold wind mixed with rain blew in through the slightly ajar wooden window, causing the half-rolled bamboo curtain to flutter and make a soft "clattering" sound.
His thick, dark hair was casually half-tied up, a strand of it fluttering in the wind and landing near his lips. His refined and elegant demeanor, touched by the rain, appeared even more radiant and captivating.
It was those pale lips that once gently kissed her ear, ignoring everyone's advice, promising her word by word that they would never abandon her or leave her again in this lifetime.
Those same soft, warm lips, stained with crimson blood, roared furiously to the sky and laughed maniacally after the Lin family was massacred—
Just thinking about the tragic end that Zhou Weikan suffered because of her in her previous life made her tremble uncontrollably.
How could we bear to let him suffer any more after such a cruel ending?
Unable to restrain himself any longer, Lin Xu stood up abruptly.
However, she was so nervous that she lost her balance when she stood up and accidentally knocked over the cup next to her.
In an instant, tea splashed everywhere, soaking the books placed along the edge of the tea table. The celadon glazed cup shattered into several pieces, falling apart in an instant, some of which landed on the floor tiles, making everything around them look messy.
"Madam, be careful!"
Zhu Ling rushed over to her in a panic and carefully checked whether Lin Xu was alright.
In her haste, Zhou Weikan raised her hand and handed her a clean embroidered handkerchief.
Naturally, it is the best woven brocade, the softest and most delicate of all.
But she couldn't accept it.
Lin Xu looked at his long robe, which was mostly stained with water, making him look even worse off than she, the one who started it all.
She had to leave.
"Thank you, Young Master Zhou. I am sorry to have bothered you today."
Zhu Ling wiped her half-wet skirt clean and then wiped the fine sweat from her forehead. It was clear that it was no longer suitable for her to stay any longer today.
Just as she was about to turn and say goodbye, she heard a gentle voice behind her:
"Fang Xing is loyal and reliable. She has been lying low in the Dou family for a long time and has a lot of key evidence against the Dou family. You can trust her completely when necessary."
Zhu Ling's face showed a few traces of surprise and doubt, but she just followed closely behind Lin Xu and pushed the wooden door open again. The rain was pouring down without any reduction.
A sudden gust of wind arose, and even the sounds that rose behind them seemed to be carried away by the wind, disappearing into the dust.
“I said that day that if you were in trouble, the Zhou family’s doors would always be open for you. That statement still holds true today.”
.
On the way home, Lin Xu sat in the sedan chair, looking depressed. He remained silent for a long time as the sedan chair bounced up and down.
Zhu Ling carefully observed her expression, and after hesitating for a long time, she said, "This young master Zhou seems to care about you a lot, Miss."
Since she was Lin Xu's old friend, someone he had known before his marriage, and whom he addressed as "Madam," it was inconvenient to mention that young master.
Lin Xu's brows and eyes were full of exhaustion, as if the short conversation that lasted less than half an incense stick's time had drained all his energy.
"What happened today must not be mentioned to anyone in the manor."
Zhu Ling nodded solemnly, "Don't worry, Madam. This servant understands."
After a long pause, she seemed to hesitate before finally asking the question.
"But, this servant doesn't understand. Young Master Zhou just said that Fangxing has been lying low in the Dou family for a long time... Why would Young Master Zhou want to plant a spy in the mansion?"
Her heart sank slowly as the sedan curtain fell.
Yes... Fangxing had been in the manor for a little over a year, even though it wasn't very long. At that time, she hadn't married Dou Yanxun yet, nor had she had any dealings with the Dou family.
Even if Zhou Weikan has indeed sent Fangxing to secretly protect him in the crisis-ridden Dou family, what was Fangxing's mission in the Dou family before that?
Zhou Weikan said that he did not like silk weaving, but only did it to inherit the family business and put his elders at ease. But is opening a teahouse in the bustling city really what he truly desires?
Or is it that everything about him, his identity, his daily whereabouts, actually has another hidden story... But why is it that I, who used to be his closest relative, knew nothing about these things?
The journey was bumpy, and her mind was in turmoil, so she simply closed her eyes. The roads were slippery after the rain, and even the experienced and steady sedan chair carriers stumbled repeatedly, but fortunately, they soon arrived home before the torrential rain caused them to overturn again.
Granny Qin was already waiting for her at the gate with an umbrella. When she saw Lin Xu get out of the sedan chair, she hurriedly stepped forward, but couldn't help but take another look at her.
Granny Qin stretched out her arm, gesturing for Lin Xu to place her hand on her arm. Even though she could feel Lin Xu's uncontrollable trembling, Granny Qin calmly helped her walk towards the other courtyard.
"But the rain is heavy and the wind is cold. Your clothes are soaked. Are you freezing, Miss?"
Zhu Ling then said, "I was accompanying Madam to the street to buy some fresh flowers and plants, but I didn't expect the rain to suddenly become unstoppable, which is why we were delayed for so long. We only dared to set off and come back when it started to subside a bit."
The two sang in harmony as they passed through several corridors, where sparse raindrops fell from the eaves, creating ripples on the pond.
Sure enough, after passing through the covered corridor, they saw Fuzhen standing in front of the main courtyard gate, scolding several maids to hurry up and bring in the dried handkerchiefs. Hearing the approaching footsteps, Fuzhen gave Lin Xu a slight curtsy.
This spring, there have been frequent rain showers, but each time the rain stops and the sky clears up, the weather suddenly becomes sunny and there is no trace of gloom.
Lin Xucai returned to the Huiya Residence and felt utterly exhausted. He quickly changed his clothes and went to rest.
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