Chapter 98: Crazy, hard arms like hot iron tightly wrapped around her waist...
Shen Changfeng agreed to let Lin Meizhu leave. To be more precise, it was a temporary departure.
He saw that Lin Meizhu was a man of her word, so he didn't dare push her too far and push their relationship to an irreversible point. Furthermore, he urgently needed to identify the root cause of the problem and quickly find a solution.
As perceptive as he was, he quickly thought of one possibility. But he also ruled it out first. He didn't believe that Lin Meizhu would see him that way.
As if to demonstrate her determination, Lin Meizhu did not appear in Jiangling County for more than half a month.
Shen Changfeng knew that Chuqi had hidden her. He was nearly mad with rage, and several times he wanted to order a thorough search, but he held back at the last moment. He absolutely couldn't do that. He was waiting for an opportunity, a turning point. He had to be patient.
Meanwhile, troubles continued to mount. The arrival of imperial troops to suppress the bandits disrupted his plans. The imperial court, relentless in its pursuit of the bandits, ignited the desperate bandits' fighting spirit, and with their final breaths, they launched a fierce counterattack. Shen Changfeng was overwhelmed by the task of managing the counterattacks and reprisals of the remaining bandits while also avoiding direct confrontation with the imperial court.
Lin Meizhu did leave Jiangling County, but she was not "hidden" as Shen Changfeng thought.
She didn't want to stay in Little Lotus Seed Alley any longer. That small courtyard held too many memories of him; she needed some time and space away. She took a few of her assistants with her to visit the countryside, providing free medical treatment to those injured in the unrest.
After leaving Jiangling County, her troubled mind gradually calmed. However, this peace was soon shattered. With the ongoing conflict and unrest, it was dangerous to remain outside. She returned to Jiangling County and worked with other gentry to build various medical tents to shelter and treat the wounded and refugees.
The situation was more serious than she had imagined. A steady stream of wounded were sent to the makeshift medical tent. Amid the busy crowd, Lin Meiju recognized a familiar face.
Suo Zhu ran into the medical tent carrying an unconscious wounded man. His face was covered with gray-black mud, revealing only a pair of eyes that were wide open with fear. The pupils and the whites of the eyes were extremely clear. He couldn't speak, and the dust in his nostrils fell rapidly with every breath. He stared closely at Lin Meiju's movements.
After checking the wound, Lin Meizhu shook her head and whispered, "I'm afraid the right leg can't be saved."
Suo Zhu paused for several seconds, sniffling constantly, then suppressed his sobs, turned around and said, "Brother, the doctor said you can live, the doctor said you can live, you have to hold on, do you hear me?"
By the time Lin Meizhu finished tending to the wound, it was already dark. Feeling a little tired, she decided to go outside the medical tent for some fresh air. After taking two steps, she bumped into someone around the corner.
Shen Changfeng walked hurriedly, talking to his men beside him. After seeing the person in front of him clearly, he looked a little surprised. After realizing what was happening, he immediately said, "I didn't know this was your medical tent. The enemy suddenly attacked, so the brothers sent the person here. If you mind..."
Lin Meiju shook her head, and the two were speechless for a moment.
Shen Changfeng lowered his voice and said, "I know I promised you, but you have to give me some time."
Give me time? What time? Time to evacuate Jingzhou? Or time to forget the past? Is there a limit to this time?
Lin Meizhu looked indifferent and was about to leave when Shen Changfeng called her again: "Doctor Lin, can you please do me a favor?"
Lin Meiju slowed down her pace but did not look back.
Shen Changfeng looked at her back, licked his dry lips, and said, "We rescued a few hostages and have some questions for them, but the people in the village are all men... It would be best if you could do it for them."
Lin Meizhu quickly understood what he meant. Those abducted women must have met with something bad, and he was probably afraid of further upsetting them. She briefly recalled the female patients she had treated today and asked, "What do you need to ask?"
Shen Changfeng's heart relaxed, and he handed her the paper he had prepared, saying, "Everything you need to ask is on it."
Lin Meiju glanced at it. The handwriting was a little sloppy, probably written in a hurry. They were all common questions, such as where the other party was holding the people and whether she remembered the number and characteristics of the other party.
Lin Meizhu folded the paper and asked, "Which girl is it?"
Shen Changfeng glanced to the side and said thoughtfully: "It's a young woman named..."
Qingsong received his anxious and urgent gaze and groaned inwardly: I don’t know either! This person was rescued by Chen Yue. Chen Yue, this weirdo, never comes to the county, and Shen Changfeng never called him over. This girl was immediately brought here after being rescued, and I don’t even know what she looks like! After Shen Changfeng learned the news, he hurried over, but he didn’t even have time to string together a statement!
In a flash, Qingsong remembered Chen Yue's refusal to thank the girl, and clapped his hands, "It's Miss Lin!"
Shen Changfeng's forehead was covered with sweat, but he remained calm and replied calmly: "Yes, his last name is also Lin. Thank you for your help."
Lin Meiju nodded, remembering that the woman was called Lin Yue'e, and her father was a scholar. Both of them suffered minor injuries.
Seeing that she looked normal, Shen Changfeng thought that she didn't notice anything wrong. However, when the other guys relayed their questions, he realized that she had already seen through his clumsy tricks.
He missed her so much that his eyes betrayed him. He was also too impatient. When he learned that she had returned to Jiangling County, he was overwhelmed with excitement and had been secretly looking for an opportunity to see her again. When he learned that the rescued hostages had been sent to her medical tent, he finally couldn't hold back.
She knew herself well. She had specifically mentioned to him that she would never marry another man, in order to satisfy his vanity as a man—he would always be her only man. But he was no longer satisfied with this. He wanted much more than that. He not only wanted to possess her body and enjoy all her joys and sorrows, he wanted her to belong to him forever. What he wanted most was her heart. He wanted to dominate her heart. He wanted her to love him, to love him passionately, fervently, and forever.
Now, looking out from the attic, seeing her servants hurrying around, busy loading boxes and crates of all sizes onto the carriage, Shen Changfeng felt like he was going crazy! He was being driven crazy by this woman!
She really wanted to leave! Stay away from him! What did she want him to do? He couldn't do it! He simply couldn't sit back and watch her distance herself from him step by step, until they were like strangers!
After taking a big gulp of the liquor, Shen Changfeng's temples were beating violently. He walked back and forth like a trapped beast, hitting walls everywhere and unable to find a way out. Every step was an extreme torture for him. His eyes gradually turned red, and he gasped and drank a few more gulps of cold wine. A manic fever followed, and the strong wind could not extinguish the hidden anger roaring in his heart, but instead intensified his trembling impulses.
He couldn't do it! He couldn't do it! There was no way he could do it!
He was on the verge of losing control.
He pressed the wine jug, his fingertips turning white from the excessive force, and his extremely congested palms were a horrible purple.
He let out a long breath, suppressing the twisted thoughts that were flooding his mind again and again.
He opened his eyes and looked towards the small courtyard not far away again. He saw a man, not Chuqi, but Lu Qingyan.
He saw Lin Meizhu standing in the corridor with a faint smile on her face. She was smiling at Lu Qingyan.
The two of them walked together in the courtyard, Lu Qingyan walked in front, and Lin Meiju followed behind him not too far away, occasionally turning her head to talk and laugh.
Lu Qingyan stopped, a nervous look on his face, and handed a hairpin to Lin Meiju.
Lin Meiju didn't take it immediately, but she didn't refuse it either. After a moment of silence, she nodded. Lu Qingyan's face showed a shallow dimple, and he pinned the white jade hairpin diagonally on her bun.
Shen Changfeng's face was pale as he stood stiffly in the wind, with only one sentence in his mind: She is lying.
She deceived herself.
Those words she said were just to steady herself. It was conceivable that if he agreed to let her go early, she would soon start a new chapter in her life with someone else. That person might be Chuqi, Lu Qingyan, or another man, but in any case, it wouldn't be him, Shen Changfeng.
He loved her, and he couldn't bear to see her take risks, couldn't bear to see her give up her career. He was willing to compromise for her, but what about her? She took advantage of his feelings, she lied to him. She lied to him! She lied to him!
With just one thought, the will that was struggling to hold on to his life completely collapsed, and all the evil thoughts, evil thoughts, and greedy thoughts roared out, swallowing him up in the darkness.
As the night deepened, the courtyard became quiet.
Lin Meiju returned to her room, looked at herself in the dressing mirror, and sighed softly.
She had a premonition when Lu Qingyan suddenly visited her alone. After he made his feelings known, Lin Meizhu tactfully explained her decision. Lu Qingyan seemed disappointed, but he didn't force her. He simply hoped she would wear the hairpin and let him see it, even for a moment, so he could die without regrets.
This success was possible thanks to his secret help. Lin Meiju regarded it as a favor to him, and after much hesitation, she finally agreed to this small request.
Chuqi's transfer has come down. He was appointed as the prefect of Xiangyang Prefecture and has already gone to Xiangyang to take up his post. He suggested that Lin Meizhu go with him as soon as possible. Now that the bandits are causing chaos, he is still worried.
Lin Meizhu was undecided. The pharmacy couldn't leave her alone, so she simply said she would take Xiaoman and Aunt Zhang over first and told the servants to pack their bags and send them over. She and Chen Huisheng would discuss it later. She knew in her heart that Chuqi was truly worried about Shen Changfeng.
After washing up with a lot on her mind, Lin Meiju walked out of the bathroom. After taking a few steps, she suddenly realized something was wrong.
The tip of her nose moved and she smelled alcohol, a strong smell of alcohol. She held her breath and slowly slowed her pace. Her heartbeat began to accelerate noticeably, and her back stiffened again and again.
In the eerie silence, she heard footsteps coming from behind her. They were heavy and slow, carrying a tremendous force, making a muffled sound as they rolled on the floor. Every step seemed to step on her heart. Having a premonition of something, she shuddered slightly, and without caring about anything else, she ran out.
Arms as hard as iron tightly wrapped around her waist and lifted her off the ground. At the same time, he stretched out his hot palms and tightly covered her lips as she tried to call for help.
The servant who was packing the luggage in the courtyard heard the door of the wing quietly close, and then the candlelight gradually died down. He whispered, "My lady has gone to bed. We can continue moving the rest tomorrow. Everyone, go away!"
Lin Meizhu woke up in a scorching embrace. She struggled slightly, only to find her hands and feet bound with red silk. Through a dark red lace mirror, she saw herself, adorned with a phoenix crown and a gorgeous wedding gown. Shen Changfeng, wearing a matching gown, was meticulously drawing her eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil. His expression was intense, his dark eyes reflecting Lin Meizhu's increasingly panicked face.
Seeing her wake up, he leaned close to her face, kissed her gently, and said, "Awake?"
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