Chapter 71 Abnormalities: Meng Shutai... He changed his gender?
Meng Shutai loosened his grip on Le Jin slightly, but his right hand remained lingering on her waist, gently encircling her in his arms.
He noticed Meng Cizhang's difference at a glance, pointed to his own eye socket with his index finger, and gave Meng Cizhang a meaningful look.
Meng Cizhang awkwardly touched the blindfold, then looked up at Le Jin, "...My sister-in-law made this for me, the original one broke."
As soon as he mentioned this, Le Jin clearly felt Meng Shutai casually curl his fingers around her arm and tap her waist, causing a slight tingling sensation and a chill.
She immediately recalled that night when Meng Shutai held her tightly, his body reeking of blood and snow, like a long, cold, fishy snake flicking its tongue against her neck:
Do you have anything prepared for me?
She refused to give Meng Shutai even a single thing, but turned around and made a decorative ornament to cover his brother's disability. Although this thing was worn on his face, wasn't it also the most private, delicate, and untouchable thing for Meng Cizhang?
Comparing the two, Le Jin secretly worried about her double standards.
She grasped Meng Shutai's fingers at her waist, holding them tightly in her palm, and explained in the most frank of her voice, "If your eyes are injured, you should take good care of them. His old gold and stone styles are too pretty to be practical; they're only suitable for summer."
Meng Shutai listened, his eyes brimming with a gentle, clear light, like a spring of water. After Le Jin finished speaking, he took her hand in his and teased, "I didn't even know you could do needlework. Were you afraid that if I found out, you'd embroider my clothes every day?"
Before Le Jin could speak, Meng Cizhang, who was standing to the side, was suddenly startled.
My sister-in-law never made anything for my brother, but she made something for him first? Does that mean he's different from my brother in her heart...?
Meng Cizhang's ears burned at the thought, turning red quickly. He blinked awkwardly and quickly made an excuse: "My brother and sister-in-law have something to talk about, so I won't disturb them."
Le Jin watched Meng Cizhang's departing figure for a while, then secretly turned to observe Meng Shutai. Would he be angry because of the differential treatment? If he was angry, would he hurt others? But Meng Cizhang had already lost an eye since childhood because of him, what more did he want?
As Le Jin thought this, her sense of justice gradually ignited into a torch, shining brightly in her heart. Even if Meng Shutai went crazy and acted out of control again, she didn't think she had done anything wrong, nor did she think Meng Cizhang had done anything wrong.
She broke free from Meng Shutai's grasp, pouting, "Your clothes are all priceless; how could I dare to embroider them?"
Meng Shutai patiently chased after her, trying to take her hand, clinging to her as if he couldn't shake her off. "If Ajin is willing to embroider for me, it will be worth a fortune."
Le Jin hated his clingy behavior the most, as if she were his heart and soul, his life. He clearly had no real human emotions, yet he insisted on putting on this act, which only made him more repulsive.
However, before Le Jin could refuse, Meng Shutai suddenly retracted his words and said casually, "If A Jin is unwilling, then so be it. It's just that my clothes are not fortunate enough to be there."
He smiled faintly, his dark eyes as bright and clear as obsidian, without a trace of pretense, honestly reflecting Le Jin's astonished expression.
Meng Shutai... he's changed his ways? He's stopped pressuring her? He's stopped pestering her relentlessly?
But who knows if this gentle and kind demeanor is just an act? Le Jin didn't have any expectations for Meng Shutai's personality to improve. She just smiled wryly and, not wanting to look into Meng Shutai's sweet and cloying eyes, turned her head away.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Baoyin, who kept winking at Lejin, as if she had something difficult to say.
It was as if a thunderbolt had struck Le Jin's forehead, forcing her to break out in a cold sweat—a large stack of love letters was still lying beside her dressing case!
Meng Shutai was caught red-handed when he returned to his room at this moment.
Le Jin's throat tightened instantly, and she quickly instructed Bao Yin, "The son-in-law is back, you should go back and get ready."
Bao Yin finally breathed a sigh of relief and immediately curtsied to prepare to return to the place where the letter was kept.
Before she could even take a step, Meng Shutai suddenly called out to her, "Don't go back yet. We've passed through many prefectures on this trip, and I brought back quite a few gifts for Ajin. Go and collect them and take good care of them."
Bao Yin's face stiffened awkwardly, and she dared not agree on her own. She could only look to Le Jin for help.
"You can look at the gifts anytime, but the room is a bit messy..."
Meng Shutai shook his head and said softly, "Every time I pass through a new place, I collect local curiosities and keep them. I thought that Ajin would be bored at home alone, and the local specialties from different states would be the best compensation. As a result, I unknowingly collected too many, and in the end, there were nine large boxes. I'd better let Miss Baoyin go and pack them first, so that you can take your time to look at them. What's wrong with a messy room? I'll tidy it up when I get back."
His smile deepened as he leaned down and whispered in Le Jin's ear, "Shutai is willing to fold blankets and make the bed for A Jin."
After saying this, he took Le Jin's hand and headed towards their residence. Le Jin reluctantly followed behind, listening to him recount how he had longed for his wife so much that he had petitioned the court to allow her to return early, and how he had been so eager to go home that he had driven three thoroughbred horses to their deaths before finally arriving back.
Meng Shutai murmured sweet nothings to Le Jin, but she felt that every time he proved how much he cared for her, he was sharpening the knife on her neck a little more.
This pain reached its peak when she returned to the entrance of her ornately decorated bedroom. Her heart pounded like oil in the pan, and she gripped the door tightly, her face contorted with anxiety. "Don't go in yet!" she cried out in a panic.
Meng Shutai asked blankly, "Why?"
Le Jin hummed for a long time but couldn't come up with a reason. This was the Meng residence, Meng Shutai's home, and this bedroom was his too; there was no reason to stop him from entering.
Finally, having no other choice, Le Jin shook Meng Shutai's hand in a coquettish manner, "Can you not go in? I'll go in and tidy up for a little while, just a tiny bit!"
Seeing her face contorted in despair, Meng Shutai couldn't help but chuckle. He moved so close to her face that he couldn't get any closer. "Oh? Ah Jin, you seem to be in such a hurry. Could it be that some kind of gentleman is hiding inside?"
"Ugh!" Le Jin was annoyed that he was deliberately teasing her at a time like this, and stomped her foot angrily, "No!"
Her soft cheeks flushed red with anger, and then trembled slightly with her footwork. Meng Shutai chuckled, finding Le Jin incredibly adorable. He pinched her cheeks with his thumb and forefinger together.
"Okay, I believe you." He released Le Jin's hand, took a step back to make way for her to enter. "A Jin, go in first. It doesn't matter how long you take to tidy up."
His tone was full of amusement, as if Le Jin was merely doing something childish. But anyone with a discerning eye would know that there was something unspeakable in the room. Yet Meng Shutai didn't dwell on it…
Le Jin blinked, forgetting her anger for a moment, and stood there staring at him warily.
Something's not right, something's really not right.
Meng Shutai spread his five fingers and waved them in front of Le Jin's face, a bright smile shining behind his fingers.
"What's wrong with you? I'm just going along with Ah Jin's wishes, is there anything wrong with that?"
He spoke with a gentle smile, but Le Jin's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, her mind a jumble of unsettling thoughts, a vague and inexplicable sense of unease. However, she still needed to put the letter away, so she didn't linger with Meng Shutai any longer and stepped into the house.
Dozens of delicate letters with light pink butterfly patterns were piled up beside the dressing case. Le Jin hugged them tightly and looked around for a place to hide them, but he could open the wardrobe, drawers, and boxes at any time. After thinking it over, she could only throw them all on her bed.
This is the place in the house where she can rightfully protect it.
After tucking the letter into the blankets, Le Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief and slumped onto the bed. She couldn't help but ponder Meng Shutai's unusual behavior. Given his previous bad temper, if she had even the slightest contact with others, he would demand retribution a thousandfold, and he would act swiftly, never giving her a chance to react.
But why is he being so gentle and magnanimous today?
Le Jin's gaze fell on the bed where she was sitting. She unconsciously looked up and glanced around, carefully examining the bed.
Could it be that Meng Shutai came back to her pitifully that night, but she didn't react, and he got sad and gave up on bothering her?
But he was still incredibly sweet to her, even more so than before he left.
Le Jin was unsure and sat on the bed pondering for a long time. Until Meng Shutai's voice rang out from outside the door: "A Jin, may I come in?"
She then came to her senses; Meng Shutai had been standing outside for quite some time.
"Come in."
Meng Shutai only stepped in after receiving her permission. He was followed by more than a dozen maids, each carrying rare and precious treasures, who lined up in front of Le Jin like dragons.
“On our wedding night, you spent the whole night in the storeroom counting your treasures with a beaming smile.” Meng Shutai walked towards her and led her to these precious items.
"Now? Are you happy? This is just the tip of the iceberg. They will bring everything over for you to see later. Keep what you like."
Of all the things before her, Le Jin could only recognize one: a crystal, an ink block, and a gauze garment. None of them were of ordinary quality. The gauze garment, in particular, was almost transparent. She didn't know what kind of weaving technique was used, but it was neatly stacked there, motionless, and it even shimmered with a kind of colorful light, as beautiful as clouds.
Her heart nearly stopped, and her tongue was completely out of her control. She stammered, "How much will this cost... all of it is mine?"
"Um."
Meng Shutai answered with great ease, but Le Jin felt extremely uncomfortable.
It's perfectly normal for lovers to exchange gifts, but she and Meng Shutai weren't lovers, so how could she be worthy of such treasures? On their wedding night, she was just doing something out of anxiety, not because she was interested in those amazing magical items. But Meng Shutai took it seriously and even kept it in mind during the entire journey to receive the Buddha's relics.
Le Jin waved her hand at the row of treasures and said, "Take them all away. The room is already magnificent enough, there's no room for these."
Meng Shutai asked doubtfully, "Really don't want it?"
Le Jin nodded, and Meng Shutai gave the leading maid a look, and the group of people calmly and quietly retreated with her.
"I thought you would like it." Meng Shutai's tone was low, as if he had done something wrong.
“I like it, but…” Le Jin pursed her lips. She wanted to say, “But I don’t want to owe you anything,” but looking at Meng Shutai’s drooping eyelashes and his pitiful and weak expression, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
How come this person always manages to make her seem like a villain?
“But you keep giving me things, and I have nothing to give back.”
Le Jin's unspoken message was that the two of them were not a good match and were not equal, so could she just shut up? Unexpectedly, Meng Shutai smiled brightly, put his arm around Le Jin's shoulder, and gently pushed her toward the chaise lounge.
Le Jin was startled for a moment, and sat up on the chaise longue as if on cue, but Meng Shutai pressed her down.
He placed his hands on Le Jin's shoulders, leaned down to look at her, his eyes sparkling, innocent yet mischievous.
"Who says there isn't? Ah Jin will use her legs as a pillow to give Shutai a dream, okay?"
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Author's note: The second update might be a little late [cheek resting on hand], but it will definitely be posted!
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