Chapter 243 Questioning
At this time, there were quite a few people in the courtyard, gathered in twos and threes.
After resting and having lunch yesterday, Shen Yuanzhu had gotten to know everyone. At this time, everyone was in the courtyard, either chatting about business or exchanging dyeing techniques.
Shen Yuanzhu and the owner of Tonghechang in Guangzhou Prefecture, as the only two female business owners in this imperial merchant competition, received completely different treatments.
One group of business associates viewed the two as oddities, showing utter contempt for women doing business, and their conversations were full of belittling and mockery.
Some of their colleagues, however, developed other ideas after meeting the two.
Especially after hearing that Tonghechang was the largest textile and dyeing workshop in Guangzhou Prefecture, and that Xiecuifang was the scale-patterned dyeing merchant favored by Eunuch Li of the Inner Court, they became even more eager.
One of them, Liang Sheng, was the young master of a dye shop in the capital. He was particularly pleased with Shen Yuanzhu.
He was in the courtyard, talking incessantly to Shen Yuanzhu about the beautiful scenery of the capital and the good things in the capital.
Shen Yuanzhu listened, occasionally nodding in acknowledgment.
Although there are only two female owners, there are quite a few female relatives living in this courtyard.
Like Shen Yuanqiong, there are quite a few people who come here hoping to find a suitable marriage match.
Therefore, men and women, young and old, gathered in the courtyard, making it very lively.
When Xie Qi was kicked into the courtyard by Yuan Xu, it attracted a lot of attention.
Shen Yuanzhu also saw it.
She pursed her lips, her gaze fixed intently on Xie Qi.
"Hey, who's this guy? Where did he come from? He's half-dead in broad daylight."
Liang Sheng looked at Xie Qi and chuckled.
Shen Yuanzhu looked up and glared at him.
Xie Qi, who was kicked into the courtyard, felt the figures swaying in front of him and the world spinning around him.
He hadn't seen the sun for so long, and now that he was suddenly exposed to it, he felt nothing but the blinding light.
Before he could react, Wei Hu beside him screamed as if someone had grabbed his neck: "Madam!"
Xie Qi stared blankly at Wei Hu, who then turned his head toward the direction of Chen Yuanzhu.
"Madam! Master, it's Madam!"
Wei Hu's voice trembled slightly, and Xie Qi's eyes slowly focused, finally seeing Shen Yuanzhu standing next to Liang Sheng.
Xie Qi frowned, realizing that he was hallucinating again.
Shen Yuanzhu's gaze swept over him; he had lost weight and seemed to be ill.
His cheeks were sunken, and the rosy glow he had painstakingly cultivated after marrying her was gone. Not only was his face frighteningly pale, but he was also filthy.
The cuffs and collar were stained with faint traces of blood...
She glared at him angrily, then turned and went to her room in the courtyard.
Xie Qi stared at her retreating figure, speechless for a moment.
Yun Zheng leaned forward and blurted out, "Master, Boss... Xie Qi! Listen to me, now is not the time for you to be stubborn."
"you……"
Seeing Xie Qi's blank expression, Yun Zheng pinched his arm hard.
"do what?"
Xie Qi felt the pain, but his vision gradually cleared.
Seeing him frown, Yun Zheng leaned close to Xie Qi's ear and whispered, "It's over, we're finished. Do you even know who your wife, Shen Yuanzhu, the eldest daughter of the Shen family, is?"
"She is the owner behind Xiecui Workshop. She is the owner of Xiecui Workshop who seized their goods, tried to take over their business, and poached Xie family craftsmen under their name. She has done all sorts of vicious things!"
"If you don't want to get kicked by Madam, go and kowtow to her..."
"Varied……"
Xie Qi's mind was in a mess. His brows furrowed slightly, and then his eyes gradually brightened.
Yun Zheng means that the one just now was really Yuan Zhu?
Having figured this out, Xie Qi pushed Wei Hu aside and followed after him in a few steps.
Liang Sheng didn't understand what this group of people were doing and wanted to follow them, but Yun Zheng stopped him.
"Young Master, let's have a chat for a bit..."
Although Wei Hu was also confused about the situation, he knew that following Yun Zheng's lead would not be wrong.
The two of them pulled and shoved Liang Sheng away.
When Shen Yuanzhu arrived at the room, she was hugged from behind by Xie Qi before she even entered.
He buried his head in Shen Yuanzhu's neck, panting heavily.
"Yuanzhu... I miss you so much."
“Eunuch Li went to Songjiang Prefecture halfway and stayed there for a long time. He delayed my return home to see you, and I feel so bad…”
“Yuanxu lied to me too. He said I would see you in a month or two at the latest… But it’s been so long, I haven’t seen you in so long.”
Although Xie Qi's voice was unclear, Shen Yuanzhu was still startled by him.
Shen Yuanzhu couldn't push or kick Xie Qi away, so she had no choice but to drag him into the house.
“Yuanzhu, I always have nightmares when you're not by my side. I dream that I go home, but the house is empty.”
"I dreamt that the stone pond dried up and all the fish in it died. I dreamt that the old tree in the yard withered and was in a terrible state."
"I dreamt that little courtyard turned into a dark, empty void, swallowing and obliterating everything. I dreamt that I kept searching for you, and you were everywhere I looked..."
“Yuanzhu, I saw many of you at night. You were calling my name and saying something in my ear, but I couldn’t hear you clearly.”
"I miss you so much, but I know those aren't you, they're all fake."
"Wonjoo, I know you're real now."
He lowered his head and inhaled deeply the scent emanating from Shen Yuanzhu, pressing his lips and tongue against her throbbing pulse.
Xie Qi's voice choked with sobs: "Yuanzhu, I dreamt that you didn't want me anymore. No matter how I called out to you, you ignored me."
“Yuanzhu…”
Shen Yuanzhu looked down at her hands that were holding her, gritted her teeth and endured for a long time, but in the end she could only let out a soft sigh.
Her hands were covered in wounds, festering and scabbed over, but Xie Qi seemed oblivious, still holding her tightly.
After a long silence, Shen Yuanzhu said, "Thank you, Qi."
"Um."
"Let go."
"I don't want to loosen it."
Shen Yuanzhu said, "You smell terrible..."
"..."
Xie Qi's body stiffened, as if he were a porcelain doll that had fallen to the ground and shattered into countless pieces.
After a long while, he finally grumbled, "I miss you, but you only think I stink."
Even though he said that, he still let the person go.
The rooms in the guild hall were not small, and although they were still unselected imperial merchants, none of them were poor.
It wasn't a separate small building; in this large courtyard, each room was also equipped with a bathtub.
Shen Yuanzhu pushed Xie Qi into the inner room and told him to go wash up first.
"Yuanzhu, will you stay here with me?"
Xie Qi looked exhausted. Shen Yuanzhu glanced at him, then moved a small stool from the room and sat down next to the bathtub.
Xie Qi watched as she removed her clothes one by one until she entered the bathtub completely naked.
The water in the bucket was still warm, and Xie Qi couldn't help but sigh.
After a long while, he looked intently at Shen Yuanzhu, his eyes filled with an irrepressible smile: "Yuanzhu, the water is still warm."
Shen Yuanzhu looked at him and softly hummed in agreement.
His eyes filled with deep affection: "Was this prepared for me?"
Shen Yuanzhu looked up, pointed at him with her fair finger, and said, "Shut up first, Xie Qi. I'm asking you, are you the owner behind Jixia Manor?"
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