Chapter 32 Crematorium (Part 2) "I want a daughter like you..."
Lin Meizhu seemed not to notice the change in his expression and called someone forward, "Why don't you pay your respects to the prince?"
"Good! Good! Very good!"
He gritted his teeth and said "yes" three times in a row, but without looking back, he just looked at the people opposite him: "Stay."
Lin Meizhu smiled faintly and agreed, then asked, "Sir, where do you want to place my sisters?"
Shen Changfeng sneered and spat out three words: "Hibiscus Garden."
All the servants present changed color, as everyone knew that Lin Meiju lived and worked in Hibiscus Garden. The noises from the pavilion suddenly became quieter, leaving only the rustling sound of fallen leaves being scraped against the ground.
Shen Changfeng finally noticed a hint of something strange on her face. Even if it was only for a split second, he could still see her brows furrow. But soon, Lin Meizhu's expression returned to her gentle smile. She said, "Yes, but could you please give me some time, my Lord? I'll have someone clear the space."
So this is why she frowned? !
He watched her fold the cloak and put it into the box, just like burying his hard work in a corner where no one could see, and suddenly he felt a fire burning in his heart.
The veins on the back of Shen Changfeng's hand twitched. He grabbed the nearest woman and strode away. He only heard him say, "Yes!"
Late at night, the noise in Furong Garden gradually died down.
Lin Meiju packed most of her things in just a few hours. She walked out of the bathroom, wiping her wet hair, and walked slowly and carefully, avoiding boxes and crates of all sizes.
Shen Changfeng came back much earlier than she expected, and she only had time to empty most of his private treasury.
Many of the items in the warehouse were gifts from the emperor, so pawnshops wouldn't take them. Lin Meizhu had no choice but to transport them to the ghost market to pawn them. For safety's sake, she kept the transaction amounts small. However, aside from a few of the most conspicuous shops, the remaining land deeds had been mostly cleared.
Shen Changfeng has returned home now. The rest of the things are fine, but the price for the resale of the Xishan Hunting Ground has not been agreed upon yet, so it would be a pity to give up.
The West Mountain Hunting Ground was originally a gift from the late emperor to Li Jieyi, and after Shen Changfeng was born, the hunting ground was registered under his name. Later, the West Mountain Hunting Ground was listed as a forbidden area due to the construction of the imperial mausoleum, but the palace did not officially return the land title.
Lin Meizhu found an underground moneylender and had a Nanyang merchant broker the auction. This method of purchasing property wasn't officially approved, so even if something went wrong, there was no need to worry about being traced. However, the foreign salt merchant who had bid was also shrewd, constantly haggling over the price. Unwilling to let him see through her tactics, Lin Meizhu also gritted her teeth and refused to budge even a penny. The two remained in a stalemate for nearly half a month.
Lin Meizhu decided to give the salt merchant an ultimatum, cursing inwardly, "He's just occupying the toilet without doing anything!"
She exhaled, brushed her long hair to her shoulders, opened the account book, and read it carefully under the candlelight.
The window in the room had been opened most of the way at some point, and the wind was blowing, making it a little chilly. Lin Meiju smelled a different scent in the wind, and the tip of the brush in her hand paused. She held her breath and slowly turned her head to look behind several boxes stacked on the side.
In the flickering light and shadow, there was a pair of eyes with a cold light, quietly watching her every move.
Lin Meizhu's heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously closed the account book and was about to stand up. The man walked out from the shadows, pressed the open page with his hand, and said in a hoarse voice, "You continue."
Shen Changfeng walked by, his sleeves swirling with the faint aroma of wine. He sat on the ice-embroidered rose chair, one foot bent on the footrest, the other stretched out lazily at an angle, the hem of his black robe embroidered with golden dragon patterns drooping to the ground. He propped his forehead with his elbow, breathing slowly, as if trying to calm his mind, but his slightly red eyes remained fixed on a single point ahead.
Lin Meizhu paused, then sat back down, continuing to concentrate on correcting the accounts as instructed. She thought the world was truly strange. For example, when she was falsifying the accounts and making him a pauper, he would sit across from her and ask her to continue.
Isn’t this a kind of generosity?
The iron horses under the eaves clanked, the window moved slightly, and the candlestick wicks sparked. A shadow fell on her forehead, like a small flower ornament. He saw the slightest smile on her lips, but it quickly retreated. Unlike the smooth and graceful smile she had shown at Suxing Pavilion, there was a hint of cunning in her eyes and eyebrows, but she had withdrawn her tail so quickly that he noticed something was wrong. Perhaps the cunning of getting away with evil deeds would be more appropriate.
The gilded hammer of the Western clock struck the bowl, but Lin Meizhu's brushstrokes did not stop. In the lingering sound of the sixth note, Shen Changfeng spoke: "You didn't ask me why I came here."
Lin Meiju paused her pen and looked at him.
Shen Changfeng said: "There's nothing I like. Go find it again."
Lin Meizhu asked, "What kind does the prince want?"
Shen Changfeng closed his eyes lightly, leaned back, let out a breath, and tapped his knuckles on the sandalwood armrest, "Just remember this."
Seeing how serious he was, Lin Meiju spread out a piece of rice paper and prepared to write down his request.
Shen Changfeng heard the bracelet's swaying and light knocking sounds, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up, "She rolled up her sleeves to see her bare hands, and the golden ring on her white wrist."
The rustling sound of sleeves being rolled up echoed in his ears. He opened his eyelids and said slowly, "Tie up the silk skirt slowly, half of the chest is exposed, the unevenness is embarrassing to Bai Furong."
Lin Meiju slowed down her writing, subconsciously glanced at her collar, and continued writing with her palm pressing on the collar.
Shen Changfeng's eyes moved to her pale pink earlobes, and his gaze gradually merged with the pink and white skin on her face. "The red lips are a little peach blossom, and the makeup is shy and parted in a bun."
Lin Meizhu thought of the second half of the sentence, and the image of herself drunk and having sex with him that night came to her mind. She felt an uncontrollable heat surge up her cheeks, and she interrupted him hastily, "I understand."
Then, remembering that I had told him that I only knew a few characters, I was afraid he would ask how I knew the poem, so I added, "Sir, could you explain it in simpler terms? That would make it easier to find."
Shen Changfeng hummed, stood up, and walked over to the desk. Lin Meizhu also hurriedly stood up, but he grasped her shoulder and held her back. Leaning down, he put his arm around her waist, his other hand holding the back of her hand as he finished writing the last two sentences.
If you look closely, she looks like a girl on the balcony, and she is so drunk that she cannot return to Wushan.
His palms were so hot that Lin Meiju's palms soon began to sweat.
His palm clenched firmly on the back of the chair on the other side, forcing her to lean against it. But the more she shrunk in, the tighter the arm across her waist and abdomen pressed against her.
"I will teach you what I want."
He stroked her jaw, gently twisted her earlobes, and held her upper lip in his mouth, saying softly, "It should be soft and smooth."
Thin calluses had grown on the palms of my hands from holding the reins for months. The rough calluses rubbed against my neck, causing a fine itch and trembling.
Her fingertips lifted the collar of her clothes, and the candlelight kissed the red mole on her collarbone, and the warmth continued down.
"It has to be plump, it has to be..." He hummed, "It has to be...perky and rosy."
His five senses were extremely sensitive, and he smelled the familiar lychee liquid. Her body was much more honest than she was.
His hand came to Yue Yao's side, and his fingertips gently rubbed and pinched the flesh of Che Qian. He chuckled and chased her turned away face, "You can't help but have dimples when you laugh."
Lin Meizhu wouldn't let him go any further. He took her palm in his backhand, intertwined his fingers, and brought it to his lips. He kissed the back of her hand gently, "I want you like this."
He caressed her rosy cheeks and placed a hot kiss on her forehead. "I want you."
His hand firmly supported her slender neck, and his voice was unusually clear in the stormy tide: "Only you."
In the second half of the night, Lin Meiju woke up from the residual heat of sleepiness and walked quietly and quickly into the bathroom.
After rubbing for a long time, there was no movement at all. Lin Meiju was anxious, but she could only continue to explore the way patiently. When she heard the sound of water dripping on the floor, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and found the right position to continue rubbing.
A pair of warm hands suddenly grasped her waist and covered her hands.
He kissed the back of her neck and said, "You don't have to bother with this anymore. I've stopped taking the contraceptive medicine."
Shen Changfeng remembered that she was taking a red pill and guessed it was for nourishment. Seeing how she interacted with her two younger brothers today, he felt that she really liked children.
"Let's have a baby."
His parents weren't in love, and he'd always felt like a burden, unlovable, and therefore he didn't really like children. He'd never considered what it would be like to be a father.
But during those months away from Beijing, he'd thought more than once about what it would be like if he and she had a child. After being with her, he had many more expectations for life. He felt she must also want to have a child with him.
He was immersed in beautiful fantasies about the future and thought that her obvious shock when she heard this was out of surprise rather than any other emotion.
To be fair, Lin Meizhu thought he was a very good bed partner, but that was all he could do. He was suitable for entertainment and spice up one's boredom, but spending the rest of one's life with him?
His warm breath blew against her ear, and he whispered softly, "I want a daughter, just like you."
Lin Meiju responded calmly on the surface, but her heart was in turmoil. She had planned to ask for a divorce from Shen Changfeng after he returned home, but looking at his attitude now, he might not let her go. What if he didn't agree, or even got angry and trapped her to death in the palace?
Shen Changfeng noticed that she was lost in thought, and with some dissatisfaction, he pulled her towards him and hugged her back, "Focus."
By the time things calmed down, it was already daybreak.
Shen Changfeng turned over and scooped up a handful of food, then touched the bed which had already cooled down and asked, "Where is the Crown Prince's Consort?"
The servant replied, "The Crown Prince's Consort has sent the Second Young Lady and the Young Master back to the Lin Residence, and has instructed them not to disturb the Crown Prince."
Shen Changfeng nodded, looked at the boxes and cages on the ground and said, "Put everything back in its place and send everyone outside away." He said that he was going to the palace to meet the emperor and had a private appointment with the eighth prince, so he didn't take Lin Meiju's early departure from home to heart.
Until he returned home from court, he still hadn't seen Lin Meizhu. He sent someone to ask and found out that Lin Meizhu had stayed at the Lin Mansion.
"Miss Lin said that the Crown Prince's Consort hasn't been sleeping well these past few days. She's been busy tending to the patient all day, so I couldn't bear to wake her up. Your Highness, please..."
Shen Changfeng frowned, thought for a moment and said, "Forget it, I'll go to the Lin Mansion tomorrow."
But he soon regretted it, tossing and turning in the main room, unable to sleep. He felt the bed was either too hard or too hot, and he always felt like something was missing in his arms. Finally, he put on his coat, walked out of the room, and wandered around in the moonlight.
The autumn breeze carried the rich fragrance of flowers, and Shen Changfeng paused. He vaguely remembered that Lin Meizhu had a flower garden where she tended to flowers and plants, and a sense of understanding dawned on him. As he approached, he discovered a flower hole against the wall. Shen Changfeng lifted the oil-paper hanging down to the ground, and a warm, subtle fragrance filled his face.
When he saw the scene inside clearly, even Shen Changfeng, who was used to big scenes, couldn't help but praise it.
This is simply a sea of flowers.
Peonies, crabapples, lilies, azaleas… The best blooms were undoubtedly those of the peonies. In the steaming heat of the kang, every petal seemed to melt into honey. Shen Changfeng particularly loved one pot of rouge-dotted jade. It looked like cinnabar splashed on the snow, and the red marks left by the white petals were like the bright red on her fingernails.
Shen Changfeng felt his heart warm. His wife possessed a vitality that no one else possessed. She could bring life to every place she went. In just a few months, she had made the most beautiful flowers bloom on this barren land. It was simply a miracle.
Shen Changfeng returned to Hibiscus Garden with the fragrance of flowers on his body. He rested his head on Lin Meizhu's pillow and finally fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, after finishing his shift, Shen Changfeng went to the Lin residence to pick someone up, but was told that Lin Meiju had gone to the temple to burn incense and pray, and would be back later.
Shen Changfeng noticed something was wrong, called the servant over, and asked, "How has Wang been these days?"
"Pretty much the same as usual."
Shen Changfeng asked again: "Did the Crown Prince's Consort go to burn incense before or after I delivered the message?"
The servant broke out in a cold sweat: "We set out around noon."
I understand. I confirmed that I would look for her after work today, so she ran away.
She was hiding from him. She was actually hiding from him! She was actually hiding from him! Why?! All that stuff about tending to the sick and burning incense was just an excuse! He'd just been out for a while, and when he came back, not only was his wife no longer close to him, she was even deliberately distancing herself from him! What on earth had happened in between?!
1——Cao Zhi's "Beauty"
2——Zhou Fu's "Meeting the Neighbor Girl"
3——Cen Shen's "Drunken Play with the Beauty Dou Zi"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
