Chapter 147 She's been sick for a long time, didn't you notice at all?
When Liu Xiangze woke up, the room was very quiet.
He opened his eyes and lay on the bed, feeling that he was still wearing his outer robe and covered with a quilt.
He recalled what happened last night. Ru Hui came and had dinner with him. He asked her, emboldened by alcohol, if they could get back together.
What did she say in response?
Oh, by the way, she told him to come to her today, and she would tell him the answer.
Liu Xiangze got up and got out of bed. He pushed open the door and saw the steward waiting in the outer room.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"It's already Chen Shi (7-9 AM)." Liu Xiangze doesn't have to attend court today, so the steward didn't wake him up beforehand.
"Let someone bring water."
"Yes," the butler replied, and soon a servant brought over hot water and clean clothes.
After washing up, Liu Xiangze changed into clean clothes and went to the outer room, where breakfast was already laid out on the table.
Before he sat down, he saw a pair of revolving lanterns still hanging on the shelf, the candles inside long since burned out, and the lantern barrels no longer turning.
Liu Xiangze pondered to himself, "Ru Hui didn't take the lantern with her. Does that mean she doesn't like it enough?"
Or is it that she still harbors resentment towards him?
"Master, what's wrong?" The butler asked tentatively when he saw him staring blankly at the lantern for a while.
Liu Xiangze ignored the butler. After sitting down and eating quietly for a while, he suddenly asked, "What time did Madam leave last night?"
The steward hesitated for a moment: "This... Madam didn't say goodbye when she left. Perhaps this old servant should go to the gatehouse and ask?"
Last night, the master and mistress spoke, and he had warned the servants in the mansion beforehand that no one dared to approach the main courtyard. No one informed him when the mistress left; he had assumed the master had left her behind.
Liu Xiangze frowned, thinking that the housekeeper had been negligent, but considering that last night was the Lantern Festival, he didn't pursue the matter, since he would see her soon anyway.
He simply said, "No need, just be careful next time."
"This old servant will remember." The steward breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing the butler still standing there, Liu Xiangze asked, "Is there anything else?"
The butler looked slightly embarrassed: "The young master heard that the madam came last night and has been wanting to see her, but this old servant had him stopped."
"Yu'an, this child..."
The butler said in a low voice, "The young master cried for most of the night last night. It seems he really wants to apologize to the madam."
"Never mind, let's see how Ru Hui reacts later."
He could sense that Ru Hui didn't really care about Yu An's previous behavior, but Yu An's actions were too outrageous and he deserved to be taught a lesson.
After finishing his meal, Liu Xiangze instructed his steward to prepare a carriage.
After getting into the carriage, he did not go directly to find Lü Ruhui, but went to the Lü family first.
Before going to see Ru Hui, he needed to go to the Lü family first and explain the situation. Although family scandals should not be aired in public, Ru Hui had been wronged after all. If he wanted to gain her forgiveness, he needed to tell his parents-in-law the whole story first.
Liu Xiangze's sudden arrival alarmed the entire Lü family.
Lu Erge personally came to greet him at the gate and then led him to the main courtyard.
At this moment, Lü Ruxin was talking to her parents.
Upon seeing Liu Xiangze enter, she stood up and greeted him first: "Brother Liu."
Previously, Liu Xiangze genuinely didn't feel there was anything wrong with this form of address; Lü Ruxin had always addressed him that way.
Later, he married Lü Ruhui, who also married far away, and they almost never saw each other again.
But now, he suddenly realized why Lü Ruhui didn't believe that he and Lü Ruxin were innocent. Before his divorce, the time he saw Lü Ruxin, she called him Brother Liu instead of Brother-in-law.
Liu Xiangze nodded slightly to Lü Ruxin, but did not respond.
Seeing his coldness, Lu Ruxin thought of how he had said he wanted to keep his distance from her that day, and scoffed inwardly. Now he wants to keep his distance from her, but why didn't he consider these things before?
The two remained unaware of their thoughts. Upon seeing Liu Xiangze, Mr. Lü was puzzled. After the others sat down, he asked, "Xiangze, what brings you to our home today? Has something happened?"
Liu Xiangze stood up, bowed to Mr. and Mrs. Lü, and then said, "Today, your son-in-law has come to apologize to you."
Seeing that he suddenly switched back to his old way of addressing her, the two elders' faces lit up with joy. They had tried to persuade their eldest daughter in every way, but she refused to listen. Now, it was their son-in-law who was the first to try to make peace.
"Why apologize? I don't understand what Xiangze is saying," Mr. Lü asked, maintaining his composure.
“I recently discovered that Yu’an’s injury has nothing to do with Ru Hui. I was biased and misunderstood her, which hurt her feelings.”
"How...how could this be?" Mother Lü was shocked and couldn't accept it for a moment.
After they believed their daughter had harmed their adopted son and refused to admit it, are you now telling them it was all a misunderstanding?
Then what about all those cold words they've said to Ru Hui these past few days?
Mr. Lü's face was tense. He said in a deep voice, "Then what is the truth?"
Since Liu Xiangze chose to clarify the matter, he naturally did not hide anything and told the whole story.
After hearing his story, Mr. Lü sighed, "That Wang woman is truly short-sighted."
Since he had already adopted the child, why would his son-in-law send the child back just because his daughter might be pregnant?
Then he asked, "How is Yu'an?"
Liu Xiangze replied, "I have already punished him by bringing him home. I will carefully examine his character in the future. If he is not suitable, I will consider other options."
Mother Lü frowned: "Just like that, we let it go? At such a young age, she already knows how to frame her adoptive mother. Who knows what she'll do in the future?"
"That's just a woman's view!" Father Lü sneered. "My son-in-law is right to do it this way."
Family scandals should not be aired in public. For the sake of the Liu family's reputation, this matter should not be known to outsiders. It should not be discussed, and the child should not be kicked out of the house without a reason.
Furthermore, the child is related to the son-in-law by blood, which cannot be severed under any circumstances. Since the son-in-law did not send the child away immediately, he must be reluctant to part with him.
Although her daughter might suffer temporarily, she eventually gained control over her stepson and made her son-in-law feel even more sorry for her.
The son-in-law has already taken the initiative to apologize at home, which is already giving them enough face, so they can't be unreasonable.
However, Lu's mother couldn't think of all that. She was still dissatisfied: "How can you say that's a woman's view? If it weren't for this matter, how could Xiangze and Ruhui have ended up getting a divorce?"
She felt that Liu Yu'an and his birth mother, Wang, were clearly troublemakers. In fact, she didn't even like this son-in-law anymore, so why keep him around?
The elderly couple almost got into a fight because of Liu Yu'an. Father Lü quickly gave his younger daughter a look, and Lü Ruxin stepped forward and said, "Mother, this is not entirely Brother Liu's fault. In the end, it is because my sister cannot have children. Keeping this child is also for my sister's good."
Mother Lü fell silent.
Lu Ruxin's words were too blunt, but she had always been so outspoken, and her parents didn't think it was inappropriate, since everyone present was family.
Liu Xiangze suddenly said, "I don't think it's Ru Hui's fault that we don't have children. Besides, I apologized to Ru Hui and made things clear, and she didn't object to my decision."
Seeing Liu Xiangze say this, Lü Ruxin knew that her previous scheme had probably come to nothing.
She resented Lü Ruhui for finding a good man like Liu Xiangze, and also resented her for taking him away from her back then.
But amidst the resentment, I found his words laughable.
Liu Xiangze really doesn't understand his older sister. Lü Ruhui's personality is very similar to her mother's. That Liu Yu'an will definitely make Lü Ruhui hold a grudge. The fact that she didn't let Liu Xiangze drive him away must mean that she was weighing the pros and cons, rather than that she has let go of the matter.
Hearing that he had already apologized to his eldest daughter, Mr. Lü's face grew even more satisfied. He asked, "That's good. I know you're a responsible person. Now that the misunderstanding between you has been cleared up, what are your plans for the future?"
Liu Xiangze nodded, but didn't say anything more.
Seemingly sensing his embarrassment, Father Lü laughed and said, "Alright, you two can handle your own affairs. Xiangze, stay for dinner later."
"I won't bother you any longer. I'll go see Ruhui in a bit."
"Alright, we won't stop you anymore, go ahead." Seeing that Liu Xiangze was willing to make peace, Father Lü was naturally happy to see it happen.
After leaving the Lü family, Liu Xiangze took a carriage to Lü Ruhui's residence.
He had been to this house once before, but she hadn't opened the door then.
This time, he got out of the car and knocked on the door for a long time, but still no one answered.
An old man from next door passed by and, seeing him standing at the door, went up to him and asked, "Are you here to see Mrs. Lü?"
Liu Xiangze glanced at the other person and nodded: "Does the old man know when she left the house?"
The old man frowned and thought for a moment: "It seems she hasn't been home. The lanterns in the house haven't been lit for the past few days, and I haven't seen anyone coming or going. Why don't you look for her elsewhere?"
Hearing this, Liu Xiangze was puzzled. If she wasn't at home, where could she be staying?
However, since no one responded after knocking on the door for so long, it was clear that the old man was not lying to him.
After thanking the other party, he got back into the carriage and asked the driver to go directly to the antique shop in Changpingfang.
Liu Xiangze thought he would finally be able to see Lü Ruhui this time, but after the carriage stopped, he only saw a locked shop.
He suddenly felt uneasy. She wasn't home, and the shop was closed. Where could Lü Ruhui have gone?
Seeing his master standing there motionless, the coachman tentatively asked, "Sir, where are we going next?"
Liu Xiangze turned around and instructed, "Go to the Lü family now and ask if anyone in the Lü family knows if Madam has any other residences or places to stay."
"yes."
The coachman dared not delay and drove the carriage toward the Lü family.
Liu Xiangze then went into the surrounding shops to inquire about Lü Ruhui's whereabouts.
He inquired around and only learned that Lü Ruhui's shop had not opened since the New Year, and no one knew where she had gone.
Finally, the owner of a nearby general store gave him a tip: "Why don't you go ask at the incense shop next to the antique shop? On New Year's Eve, before I closed my shop, I saw Boss Lü heading to the incense shop. Boss Lü used to be very close to Manager Chen of the incense shop."
After thanking the other party, Liu Xiangze went straight to the incense shop, only to find that the shop was not open when he arrived at the door.
The owner of the general store had said that the owner and manager of the incense shop lived here, so Liu Xiangze kept knocking on the door.
Achan heard the urgent knocking and came to open the door. When she opened the door, she saw Liu Xiangze standing outside.
She still remembered this man; he was Boss Lü's ex-husband. Last time, he came with Boss Lü's sister, and she took a few extra glances at him.
Besides her family, the person who made Boss Lü unable to rest in peace after her death was this one.
"Excuse me." Liu Xiangze's tone was somewhat urgent upon seeing Achan. "I've heard that you and Ruhui are close. May I ask where she is now?"
Hearing his question, Achan knew that he had been led there by Boss Lü.
Although he will eventually find out the truth, Achan decides to give him a push.
She feigned a hint of doubt and said, "Isn't Boss Lü at home?"
"I just went to her house and knocked on the door, but no one answered. She must not be home," Liu Xiangze explained patiently. Then he added, "Could you please ask Manager Chen to come out? I've heard that she is close to Ru Hui. Does she know Ru Hui's whereabouts?"
"My wife, Hui Niang, isn't here, so I'm afraid I can't answer your question, but..."
"But what?"
Achan said to him, "If no one answers the door, then pry it open."
The other party's words were really strange. Seeing that A Chan was about to close the door, Liu Xiangze grabbed the door panel with one hand: "Does the young lady know something? Please tell me."
Achan looked at him with a strange expression: "You don't know?"
"What?"
"Boss Lü is seriously ill and doesn't have much time left. If you can't find her, you shouldn't ask where she went, but rather whether she is still alive."
Liu Xiangze froze, Ah Chan's words echoing in his ears: she was seriously ill and didn't have much time left...
"What...does this mean?" An unprecedented fear rose in Liu Xiangze's heart, but he still managed to keep his tone calm. "Miss, this is not funny."
What does it mean to be alive or not?
They had clearly met just yesterday, and she was perfectly fine.
"I heard you're Boss Lü's ex-husband?" After scrutinizing him for a while, Achan said, "She's been sick for a long time, didn't you notice at all?"
Liu Xiangze took two steps back. She had been ill for a long time.
He suddenly remembered that Liu Yu'an had said that Ru Hui was unwell and seemed to be pregnant, but she was not pregnant.
So, was she actually sick at that time?
Is it a fatal disease?
Liu Xiangze shook his head, "No, it won't happen."
He no longer cared about his appearance and turned to run towards Yongpingfang.
Achan watched his figure disappear into the street before turning her gaze away.
When Liu Xiangze ran back to Yongpingfang, the coachman he had sent to the Lü family also arrived with the Lü family members.
I don't know what the driver said, but he brought Mr. and Mrs. Lü and Lü's second brother along with them.
Before Liu Xiangze arrived, they had knocked on the door for quite a while, but no one answered.
When the two elders saw Liu Xiangze running over in such an unseemly manner, they were somewhat surprised. When he got closer, Mr. Lü asked, "What's wrong with Xiangze?"
Liu Xiangze stood in front of Lü's father, panting heavily. He turned to look at the tightly closed door and said to Lü's second brother, "Could you have someone pry the door open? I'm worried something might have happened to Ru Hui at home."
Lu Erge was about to say how could that be, his sister was perfectly healthy.
However, seeing Liu Xiangze's ugly expression, he nodded and ordered the servants he brought to pry open the door.
Soon, the gate to the mansion was pried open, and the courtyard was quiet.
Liu Xiangze stepped into the courtyard and headed straight for the main house.
Standing outside the main room, he took a deep breath, stepped forward, and opened the door.
The door wasn't locked; it creaked open. The room seemed to have been uncleaned for some time, smelling of dust.
"No one has lived here for a long time..." Lu Erge's words caught in his throat halfway through.
He saw it; his sister lay silently on the couch, motionless.
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