Chapter 4
How the provincial examination went is a story for later.
Seeing Lu Shang wake up, Grandma Lu was the first to rush over and feel him up and down with her trembling hands. It was not until Lu Shang tried to dodge that she remembered, "Doctor Xu, please check on Shang'er!"
Doctor Xu sighed, rubbed his hands, and walked forward again.
He first examined Lu Shang's pulse and tongue coating, and then asked him to expose his chest and back. Although he had many doubts about the blue and red marks on his body, he was reluctant to say it in front of others.
He told the patient to rest up as usual, and as per usual practice, he wrote out a few prescriptions to replenish Qi and blood. After paying for the consultation and medicine, he went out to call his apprentice and returned to the town carrying the medicine box.
Lu Lao Er was responsible for sending them back and getting the medicine at the same time.
The other people in the house were leaning against the door of Lu Shang's room, looking inside curiously.
Grandma Lu was so focused on her eldest grandson Su Xing that she didn't notice the commotion outside the door. Lu Shang had been stared at for too long and coughed, "Close the door."
Without waiting for Grandma Lu to speak, Jiang Wanning, who had been hiding in the corner, ran over in small steps, lowered her head and closed the door tightly. She thought for a moment and then bolted the door again.
Wang Cuilian, who was locked outside, looked pale. She cursed a few times, then turned around and frowned again: "What are you all doing here? Go get to work!"
The remaining people were either her sons and daughters, or her daughters-in-law and grandchildren. They did not dare to talk back to her, but they dispersed in an instant.
As for the house, Lu Shang only then discovered Jiang Wanning's presence.
He was neither blind nor stupid. After meeting so many people, he vaguely realized his situation. Although he didn't know which dynasty it was, it definitely couldn't be the modern era when he grew up.
Thinking that he had just taken off his clothes not long ago, and that the barriers between men and women were particularly strict in ancient times, he couldn't help but have a headache.
Before he could ask anything, Grandma Lu started to ask about his well-being: "Shang'er, are you feeling unwell? You always complained about chest tightness and shortness of breath before. Are you feeling better now?"
"It's all grandma's fault for not staying with you. I don't know what happened to you. Thanks to Wan Ning for being here, the fortune teller was right. Otherwise, otherwise..." Grandma Lu didn't dare to think too much and started to cry.
Lu Shang had no choice but to regain his composure and comfort her: "It's okay, it's okay, grandma, don't cry, I'm fine."
He had no memory of this body, and the little knowledge he had about Grandma Lu was all inferred from those few words.
Unexpectedly, these two words of comfort, which were meant to comfort everyone, actually shocked Grandma Lu and Jiang Wanning.
"What, what's wrong..." Lu Shang felt quite uncomfortable being stared at by two pairs of eyes.
After a long time, Grandma Lu suddenly burst into tears: "Okay, okay, grandma, don't cry anymore. Shang'er is getting better. It's such a good day, grandma, don't be discouraged. After this serious illness, Shang'er has become better... okay, okay."
Lu Shang was completely confused by what she said. He wanted to ask for clarification, but was afraid of revealing too much, so he could only agree awkwardly.
Little did he know that just the few words he said to comfort Grandma Lu were completely different from his original self.
In Grandma Lu's heart, her eldest grandson was good in every way. He was good-looking and had outstanding academic skills. He passed the examination for a scholar at the age of fourteen and became a scholar at sixteen. If he had not been hindered by his physical condition, he might have become the top scorer in the imperial examination long ago.
The physical problem is one he had since the womb, so no one is to blame. But apart from his frail body, the eldest grandson has another bad point, which is that he is too eccentric. To put it bluntly, he is too cold and rarely says a nice word to anyone.
Putting aside his biological father and stepmother, Grandma Lu was absolutely devoted to him, but even so, Lu Shang did not show any extra warmth towards her.
To put it bluntly, this is what an ungrateful person is.
In the past, if Lu Shang could smile at her, Grandma Lu would be happy for a long time, let alone being comforted by such a gentle voice.
She wanted to say a few more words, but Lu Shang was really exhausted. She was still muttering when Lu Shang closed his eyes.
At this moment, a soft voice came from the side, Jiang Wanning whispered: "Grandma, Lu Shang has fallen asleep."
Grandma Lu looked down and saw that it was indeed the case.
She stayed up for half the night. She hadn't had much rest in the past few days. Seeing that Lu Shang was getting better, her spirits faded all of a sudden. No matter how reluctant she was, she had to suppress it.
"Then I'll go back to my room first. Shang'er, come here..." Grandma Lu called Jiang Wanning to her side, patted her shoulder, sighed, and then got up and left.
Lu Shang slept for the entire afternoon.
Apart from Grandma Lu who came to take a look and delivered the medicine, no one else disturbed us.
Jiang Wanning was originally afraid that Wang Cuilian would come to cause trouble again, but she didn't know what Grandma Lu did. Not only did Wang Cuilian not come throughout the afternoon, but there was also less noise outside the house.
She stayed by Lu Shang's bed for a while, and seeing that he showed no signs of waking up, she found her bedding, locked the door, and slept on the floor next to the door.
Everything outside the house was peaceful, and the two people inside the house slept peacefully.
It was not until dusk that Lu Shang woke up first. He knocked his dizzy head and looked at the unfamiliar beams above his head. It took him a long time to realize where he was.
He was about to get up and look around when he suddenly heard the breathing of another person in the room.
The room was very small. When he sat up by supporting himself on the headboard, the first thing he saw was the person sleeping at the door.
He leaned against the head of the bed and looked carefully, but the next moment, Jiang Wanning seemed to sense something in her dream and woke up suddenly. She sat up and looked Lu Shang in the eye.
"..." Jiang Wanning looked at Lu Shang's not-so-good-looking face, and her heart trembled. She immediately started to defend herself, "I didn't get close to you. I was always at the door!"
Lu Shang didn't respond. He looked at her and then at the quilt she was resting her head on.
After a moment, he asked, "I haven't asked yet, who are you?"
As soon as the words came out, a trace of confusion flashed across Jiang Wanning's eyes, but she didn't think much about it and subconsciously replied: "I, I am the wife you bought to bring good luck."
"Wife?" Lu Shang's voice changed.
Jiang Wanning responded in a low voice.
Lu Shang's eyebrows jumped and he couldn't help but press his forehead.
He finally remembered that when he was lying in the coffin, he seemed to have heard something about his married wife. However, his mind was in a mess at that time and he thought he had heard it wrong. Now, when he heard it again, there was no doubt about it.
Lu Shang has been single for thirty years. He lived in poverty when he was young and struggled to make a living every day, so he naturally had no extra thoughts about love.
But after he built his own business empire and became successful, the opposite sex he met were at most just eating at the same table with him. No matter if they came up to him or were introduced by others, there was no plan for further development.
Although he was not against marriage, he never thought that marriage would come so suddenly.
Especially——
He looked at Jiang Wanning's thin and small body and couldn't help asking, "How old are you?"
Jiang Wanning said, "I just came of age at the beginning of the year."
“…” Lu Shang repeated “This is ancient times, this is ancient times, this is ancient times” many times before he suppressed the guilt in his heart.
But no matter how much he hypnotized himself, he couldn't bear to look at the bedding under Jiang Wanning.
Lu Shang was silent for a moment, then continued, "I've died once, and my mind is a little confused. Tell me what you know, and I'll see if I can remember it."
Coming back from the dead can happen, but forgetting something is too common.
Jiang Wanning didn't think anything else, nodded, and told the truth.
It is easy for a veteran who has been fighting in the business world for more than ten years to deceive a little girl.
Listening to the timid voice in his ear and looking at Jiang Wanning's fingers twisted together, Lu Shang felt a rare sense of shame.
It wasn't until Jiang Wanning finished telling her everything and the room fell silent that Lu Shang's shame dissipated. He pinched his brows and asked, "You said I hate you?"
Jiang Wanning wanted to nod, but when she looked at Lu Shang's embarrassed face, she stopped abruptly, lowered her head and looked at her toes, silent.
Lu Shang asked again: "Where do you usually sleep?"
Jiang Wanning looked at her feet and whispered, "It depends on your mood. When you're in a good mood, you can sleep in the room, as long as you're farther away from the bed. Sometimes you don't like me and it's common for you to send me outside."
"Outside?" Lu Shang's tone changed again. "Where is outside?"
Jiang Wanning looked up at him, then trotted over to the bedside. She tiptoed to open the window and pointed at the ancient locust tree outside: "Look, it's under that tree."
Lu Shang turned around and saw that the big tree was next to the wall. The wall was low and any tall man could climb up.
After just a quick glance, Lu Shang's head hurt even more.
He took stock of the condition of this body and couldn't help but curse, "bastard." But when he looked at Jiang Wanning again, there was a hint of gentleness in his eyes.
"Is there any spare room in the house?" he asked.
Jiang Wanning shook her head. "No, there are only six rooms in the house. Grandma has one, Mom and Dad have one, my second brother and his family have one, and the rest of my brothers and sisters each have one. The remaining room is here."
Lu Shang remembered that there were eleven people in the Lu family. The eldest generation was only Grandma Lu, then there was Lu Lao Er and Wang Cuilian. The next generation was Lu Shang and his group. There were six brothers and sisters in total. Among the four, only the second brother was married, and he had a baby girl last year.
The population is booming, but the family conditions are average, so the whole family is crowded in one yard.
Among the several rooms, only Grandma Lu's room had some space. But considering her attitude towards her grandson, if Jiang Wanning was sent to live there, it was hard to guarantee that Grandma Lu would not have other ideas.
After much thought, letting her live with me is the best option.
Lu Shang glanced at the sky and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
Jiang Wanning shook her head but said, "I'm not hungry. Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? I'll go cook for you."
"No need." Lu Shang hurriedly stopped her. Perhaps he could see Jiang Wanning's fear of him, so he tried to speak gently, "Don't worry about me. If you're hungry, go eat. Don't delay for me."
Jiang Wanning stopped talking.
Lu Shang thought about it and simply finished the rest of his words: "Since I'm awake, let's change it from now on. First of all, the place where you sleep——"
"From today on, you will sleep next to me and don't go to the door or outside anymore."
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