Chapter 207 Misunderstanding the Truth
"Have you had breakfast yet? You're here so early."
Xu Fu looked at her and said, "I've eaten. Senior Sister, I just happened to have a few questions for you. The muhly weeds on Xiangyuan Mountain are all in bloom now. How about going there for a walk?"
Yu Huatang had nothing to do today, and seeing that he was asking about the lanterns, he agreed with his suggestion, and the two of them walked over.
In the afternoon, Zhao Yan returned, looking rather disheveled from the mud he had splashed on him by the horse. He first returned to his room to shower, choose some clothes, and then told Anfu to go and fetch her.
He remembered that Changming Pavilion should be closed today, and she should be at home now.
Xiao Lu first went to Yu Huatang's house but found no one there. He then went to the shop next door and asked the owner. After that, he returned to the courtyard and told Zhao Yan, "Miss Yu is not at home. She went out."
Zhao Yan was stunned, "Do you know where she is going? Who is she with?" He clearly remembered that she usually would not go out casually.
Xiao Lu looked at him for a moment and said, "It's with her former junior fellow apprentice, Xu Fu. The shopkeeper next door said that Xu Fu came from home today and invited Miss Yu to see the muhly grass."
Zhao Yan was stunned.
He knew that the muhly grass on Xiangyuan Mountain was a major feature of the area. The pink muhly grass bloomed in autumn, and its color was tender pink. From a distance, it looked like clouds and was very beautiful.
He had originally planned to take her to see it, but something came up early yesterday morning, and after he dealt with it, he didn't have enough time.
Now that he had come back with great difficulty, she had followed someone else to Xiangyuan Mountain.
How could she go with Xu Fu? They were no longer senior and junior apprentice sisters.
"Are they just the two of them? Did Miss Qingxing go?" Zhao Yan asked.
"No, Miss Qingxing went home a few days ago."
Zhao Yan just felt very upset.
He hadn't told her he would definitely come back, because pacifying the people and overseeing the rebuilding of the houses took a lot of time, and if he wasn't paying attention, someone could tamper with it. So he didn't dare tell her exactly when he would be back, because he himself couldn't predict when he would be back today.
But even so, he asked her, and she always knew herself, how could she follow a man to Xiangyuan Mountain?
What's more, this man had intentions towards her, and it was such an important time. He came back on her birthday and asked her to go out with him, and she actually agreed.
Why?
After a day of being alone together, he didn't know what would happen next, but he felt indescribably uncomfortable.
He cut out his heart intact and placed it in front of her, but she crushed it with her own hands, causing her great pain.
He stayed in the room the whole afternoon without coming out. He sat by the window, watching the sun rise, set, and finally go down. His heart was chilled to the bone.
Xiaolu finally ran over hurriedly and said, "Miss Yu is back." After saying that, he hesitated again.
He walked over to the window and asked, "Did you come back with Xu Fu?"
Xiao Lu nodded and looked at him again. He didn't say anything else.
Zhao Yan knew that she must be very happy and the two of them must have endless things to talk about, otherwise Xiaolu would not be like this.
He took a deep breath and stood in the yard for a while, then opened the door and walked out.
Xu Fu was saying goodbye to Yu Huatang. The boy, who was originally about sixteen or seventeen years old, was now half a head taller than her. From a distance, the two looked more like a pair of lovers than siblings.
After Xu Fu left, he went to the courtyard and knocked on the door. Yu Huatang opened the door and saw him, very surprised, "Why are you back?"
She opened the door and he went in.
He remained silent after that. Yu Huatang sensed that he was in a bad mood and just stared at him. His face was sullen and looked a little angry. After a long pause, Zhao Yan asked, "I just arrived this afternoon. Xiaolu came to look for you and said that you and Xu Fu went to Xiangyuan Mountain."
Yu Huatang nodded. "Yes, he came to purchase some goods today and said he had some questions for me. It just so happened that the weeds had bloomed, so he said we should go take a look together."
"So, you agree?" He turned to look at her.
Yu Huatang realized that he was angry, even furious, and that he was going to call her to task. However, she had only been to Xiangyuan Mountain with her junior fellow apprentice. She didn't understand why he was acting this way, and with some wariness in her heart, she replied, "That's right."
Zhao Yan stopped talking and just looked at her closely. She didn't avoid him and looked at him. Although neither of them spoke, they could sense each other's mood. He thought she was going too far, but she didn't think it was a big deal and didn't understand what was wrong.
After waiting for a long time, Zhao Yan finally said, "I had originally planned to come back today, but something unexpected happened yesterday morning. Several people went fishing in the sea and never returned. By the time I brought people to find them, it was already past time. I had no choice but to leave in the evening, and it was already afternoon when I got here. But Xiaolu told me that you and Xu Fu went to Xiangyuan Mountain on your birthday?"
"Why? I don't understand." He could no longer suppress his emotions. His usual gentleness had vanished, and he even felt a little angry and questioning. "I came here, and you forbade me to be seen. I said we'd get married next year, but you tried every possible way to avoid it. Even when I wrote to you, you only replied with a few words. I told myself countless times not to overthink it and to give you more time. You were probably afraid. Even when you were hot and cold towards me, even indifferent and distant, I didn't dare complain. Even so, you remained unmoved. Even on your birthday, you went alone with another man to watch muhly grass, and he even had other feelings for you. Tell me, what should I think? What should I think?"
Finally, he said sadly, "Are you taking revenge on me? Because I trampled on your sincerity, so you want me to taste the feeling of having my sincerity trampled on, right?"
Yu Huatang shook her head and sobbed, "I didn't. I just went out with him, and he wanted to ask me something. If you mind, it means you didn't think it through at the beginning. I am like this. From now on, I will not only go out to buy goods with other men, but also go to meet merchants with Shopkeeper Yuan, and I will even have many male apprentices. I don't want to retaliate against you. If you can't stand it, or feel regretful, then everything we said before is invalid. We can still be ourselves before. You are Lord Zhao, and I am a craftsman. That's all. It's a good thing that you don't have to work so hard!"
He answered her with a cold laugh, his expression stern. "So this is your attitude. I should have known that you would easily regret it. I waited patiently, but all I got was your rejection. I should have known it earlier, but I still worried for so long, even finding excuses for you time and time again. You succeeded. Whether you wanted to retaliate against me or not, I have tasted the feeling of having my sincerity crushed. You succeeded!"
After saying that, he turned and left the yard without staying.
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