Chapter 104 What if some clueless person comes looking for...?
Chapter 104
New Year's Eve was also He Hansheng's birthday. As usual, he woke up early in the morning and everyone in the mansion sent him birthday wishes.
However, the person who should have been sleeping next to him was nowhere to be found.
The place where she slept was still warm; she must have left early in the morning.
These past few days, Shen Suining has been paying close attention to Shen Fengyu's injuries, checking on her almost every day to put her mind at ease. Sometimes He Hansheng would accompany her, but more often than not, she couldn't wait for him to have time. Since she has always been free to come and go as she pleases and doesn't deliberately avoid anything, He Hansheng didn't ask any questions and let her do as she pleased.
But on this particular day, waking up to find no one beside him left He Hansheng feeling somewhat disappointed.
"My lord, this is a letter left for you by your wife. She instructed me to give it to you as soon as I saw you." Jiang Yuchu handed over a royal blue envelope sprinkled with gold, on which were written several large golden characters: To be opened by He Hansheng.
He Hansheng paused, then reached out and took it. "Did Madam say anything else?"
"Madam also said that today is New Year's Eve, and she will go to the Pinghuai Marquis's residence to visit Fengyu, and then stay at home to accompany the Princess. She will not go to the palace with you. She remembers your birthday today, and she will wait for you at the place she wrote in the letter after you return from the palace banquet."
"Understood." He Hansheng held the letter in his hand, the disappointment from before gradually dissipating, and a gentle tenderness appeared in his eyes.
Filled with anticipation and a touch of trepidation, he was about to open the letter when he heard a voice, aged and trembling, call out, "Yun Chu—"
It was Xie Chang. In previous years, he was always the first to arrive at He Hansheng's birthday celebration.
He Hansheng quickly put the letter into his pocket and greeted the white-haired old man who had braved the cold wind to celebrate his birthday. "It's just a small birthday, how could you trouble you to come all this way, sir? It's really not right."
No, no.
Xie Chang shook his cloak, carefully took out the brocade box he was protecting in his arms, patted it lightly twice with his aged hand, and solemnly handed it to He Hansheng.
He didn't say a word, but patted He Hansheng on the shoulder and laughed, "Good lad, you've grown another year older."
He Hansheng silently bowed his head and thanked him. Just as he was about to lead Xie Chang into the house, he saw Xie Chang staring at him for a long time, then suddenly seeming relieved, he turned around and left.
Seeing that He Hansheng hadn't moved, Jiang Yuchu reminded him, "Lord Marquis?"
He Hansheng pursed his lips, looked in the direction Xie Chang left, and after a long while shook his head and went inside.
As is customary in previous years, He Hansheng had lunch with the Eldest Princess at his residence before heading to the palace. Every year on New Year's Eve, a banquet is held in the palace. Since it happened to be his birthday, he would usually accompany the Eldest Princess to the palace early to accompany the Empress Dowager after lunch. This year, the Eldest Princess was not allowed to enter the palace, but as a junior, He Hansheng still had to show due respect.
With no one by his side, He Hansheng felt like he was sitting on pins and needles after entering the palace. He waited until the palace banquet ended and it was completely dark before he finally rushed to the location indicated in the letter left by Shen Suining.
The address Shen Suining left was an abandoned private residence. Although it was in the city, it was in a very remote location. If you went a little further west, you would be out of the city.
The mansion was very large, roughly a third the size of the imperial city. However, it was old and dilapidated, with broken bricks and tiles on the eaves and overgrown weeds in the courtyard. The wind howled through the night, creating an indescribable desolation.
"My lord, are you sure this is the place Madam invited you to?" Jiang Yuchu asked, holding a lantern. The further down the road she went, the more uneasy she felt. "It's a holiday, but this place feels... tsk, eerie."
"This place is called 'Jingyuan'. It was built by a wealthy merchant from Jiangnan for his lover in the capital. Later, the merchant went south and returned to his hometown. This lover stayed in this house for the rest of her life and never married. She had no children and passed away. For many years, no one took care of it, and the house has been abandoned."
The voice came eerily from the darkness, startling Jiang Yuchu so much that he almost screamed. After seeing the person's face clearly, he was still shaken: "Madam, you can't scare people like this on such a festive occasion!"
"Coward." Shen Suining glanced at him disdainfully, snatched the lantern, and said, "If you're scared, don't follow us. Wait for us outside."
The Jingyuan Garden was deserted and far from the bustling city center. The only sound was the faint echo of firecrackers in the distance. The only light source in my hand had been taken away, and the surroundings were pitch black, making it even more frightening to stand still.
Jiang Yuchu pondered for a moment, then silently chose to follow. She thought to herself that the lady was indeed unconventional. On the eve of the New Year, which was also the Marquis's birthday, she actually came to such a gloomy and remote place to celebrate.
Shen Suining, carrying a lantern, walked ahead with practiced ease. It was probably not her first time here; even in complete darkness, she could accurately find an easy path through the overgrown weeds.
Using the dim light, Shen Suining glanced at He Hansheng, who was following behind her.
After attending the palace banquet, He Hansheng probably rushed home to change his clothes. He was wearing a new outfit that Shen Suining had never seen before, and even the folds at the collar looked like they had been carefully arranged.
"He Hansheng," Shen Suining called out after looking at him for a while, asking with a hint of curiosity, "Aren't you afraid I'll plot against you or play a prank on you?"
He Hansheng laughed, "Could my wife possibly harm me?"
"You never know."
The group walked through the weeds to a clearing. Shen Suining stopped, turned around, and said to He Hansheng, half-jokingly, "You know, Shuyu Manor has always been about buying and selling. What if some foolish person comes to me, the young master, to buy your life?"
The flickering candlelight shone in her eyes, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, making her somewhat enigmatic.
"If that day ever comes," He Hansheng's voice was very soft, like a cloud drifting by, gently landing in Shen Suining's ear, "would you..."
Aren't you going to ask me what I went to do?
He Hansheng's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly smiled again, "I had Yu Chu prepare a lot of good wine, all of which are my father-in-law's favorites."
The answer was irrelevant.
I don't know when it started, but their conversations have all turned into this kind of half-truthful, half-serious testing. If a couple has become like this, even if there's a hint of falsehood and doubt mixed in, it can't be considered true love.
Shen Suining lowered her eyes, concealing the self-mockery in them. She suddenly felt that this relationship might have been wrong from the beginning. She had gone too far in her playfulness, which led to this irreparable situation.
"Ningning, look at me."
He called out to her, then suddenly stepped forward, cupped her face in his hands, and forced her to look at him.
A shadow fell over her eyes, a shadow He Hansheng desperately wanted to keep from seeing. He gently touched the corner of her eye with his fingertips, his voice gentle yet firm, “You are my wife. Whenever you turn around, I will always be behind you.”
Even if I were to kill you?
He Hansheng hummed in agreement. "If I can fall under Madam's sword, then I will die a worthy death."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Suining immediately covered his mouth with both hands and spat several times.
"The older generation always talks about avoiding prophetic sayings. It's the Lunar New Year, can't we say something auspicious?"
He Hansheng smiled and said, "I really mean it."
"Utterly boring."
Shen Suining glared at him, withdrew her hand, as if everything that had just happened was just a silly joke she had made, and she found He Hansheng's reaction rather uninteresting.
“Today is Lunar New Year’s Eve, which is also your birthday. I didn’t prepare any gift for you,” Shen Suining turned her head and smiled. “Happy birthday, He Hansheng.”
The moment he finished speaking, the surroundings suddenly lit up, and fireworks shot into the silent night sky, instantly blooming with brilliant colors and illuminating the dark night. Only then did He Hansheng realize that there were actually many people standing around him all along.
"Happy birthday to the Marquis/Young Master! May you enjoy joy, good health, and longevity!"
"May Madam/Young Master enjoy peace and prosperity year after year, and may Chang'an be filled with joy! ...May wealth flow in from all directions!"
The sounds of blessings were quickly drowned out by the New Year's fireworks. The current hustle and bustle was completely different from the previous silence, as if one had crossed two worlds, leaving one in a daze for a moment.
Upon hearing the last sentence, Shen Suining clicked her tongue and looked at the Bifeng Hall members with understanding, "Feng Yu isn't here today, so it's your turn to ask me for money, right?"
Ling Rui chuckled and held out her hand, "It's the New Year, and I've already said auspicious words. Young Master, you can't be too stingy, can you?"
Shen Suining rolled her eyes at her, then pulled out a red envelope she had prepared beforehand from her pocket. "Alright, go distribute them to everyone. Oh, and by the way, remember to take these fireworks back if they're not finished!"
"Alright, young master! Don't worry! I won't waste your good intentions towards the young lord!"
Ling Rui and the others received red envelopes, and being quite sensible, they chattered on and on about auspicious things before forcibly taking Jiang Yuchu away, leaving He Hansheng and Shen Suining alone.
Just as the fireworks display ended, the night sky returned to tranquility, though a faint smell of gunpowder lingered in the air, slightly pungent.
Shen Suining looked at He Hansheng, his expression revealing neither joy nor anger.
She thought for a moment and explained, "I felt bad about breaking their things at the fireworks workshop a few days ago, so I just bought all their fireworks."
"Wasn't this prepared especially for me?"
"You know perfectly well why I'm asking." Shen Suining turned her head away, her expression arrogant.
He Hansheng smiled and pulled her into his arms, his forehead touching hers. "Ningning, I'm very happy."
For He Hansheng, the greatest joy was that she could stand safely in front of him.
"...It's nothing special. I didn't prepare anything special, otherwise it could have been a bigger surprise."
Shen Suining felt rather awkward, as if she felt that, given their current way of getting along, her special effort to prepare a birthday surprise for him was a gesture of goodwill, which made her feel a little embarrassed.
Just as she was about to say a few more words of explanation, the fireworks were lit again and burst into bloom in the night sky.
It must have been Ling Rui and the others who did it. This time, they ordered a much larger quantity than before, like it was exploding right next to their heads. Shen Suining felt as if she were surrounded by fireworks from all over the world, her ears were ringing, and she couldn't hear anything else around her.
She instinctively wanted to cover her ears, but He Hansheng did it first.
Warm palms enveloped her burning ears, and Shen Suining's heart suddenly raced. She stared at He Hansheng, who was so close to her, for a moment, then smiled and said, "He Hansheng, it's been a long time since you kissed me."
Her voice was drowned out by the sound of firecrackers. She thought he couldn't hear her, she was certain he couldn't hear her, yet she also had a sliver of longing, hoping that he could hear her.
Even if their relationship is fraught with suspicion and lies, even if they might go in completely different directions starting tonight, at least for this moment, they are together.
She wanted him to kiss her, right now.
The wish was probably to be heard. Shen Suining felt the hands covering her ears tighten slightly, and the next moment, her lips were enveloped by a soft touch.
The continuous explosions around them were blocked out, and the sensation on their lips was amplified infinitely as they kissed under the fireworks.
Shen Suining finally smiled. She closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around He Hansheng's shoulders, and tilted her head back to respond to him.
They kissed for as long as the fireworks lasted.
"Actually, it wasn't that long ago."
"Um?"
Shen Suining was somewhat dazed by the kiss. She didn't hear clearly and hadn't had time to think before she was quickly enveloped in the tender embrace, her thoughts drifting away.
Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, a soft sigh escaped. Between kisses, He Hansheng mumbled, "I've kissed you countless times while you were asleep."
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