Chapter 119 Successfully Chasing His Wife "I love you."
Lin Meizhu had a headache and was extremely tired. She wanted to rest for a while, but it was too noisy around her. Many people were crying, which made her temples ache dully.
Her arm felt a little itchy, so she opened her eyes and saw a long cut on her forearm, with flesh and blood oozing out. Su Yuwan was squatting in front of her, cleaning her wound.
Lin Meiju was very surprised to see her skillful movements, and thought to herself: This is really weird, when did she learn all this?
After Su Yuwan bandaged her wound, she wiped her face with red eyes, moved her lips, and wanted to say something, but finally lowered her head hurriedly and left.
Lin Meiju's head was dizzy and she was about to fall asleep when she heard the horses neighing outside and even the jade lion crying. She had to get up and go out to see what was going on.
Lin Yue'e was also crying. She hugged the jade lion's neck and sobbed softly. Seeing Lin Meizhu coming, she held Lin Meizhu's hand and said a few words. This scene seemed very familiar. Lin Meizhu nodded mechanically and said okay, saying she understood.
Lin Meiju poured water for the horse and saw that its mane had traces of burns for some reason. She felt very distressed. She was thinking of finding a brush to comb it when she saw a figure standing in front of her. She looked up and saw a young general with a dark face.
Jiang Jin gestured with his uninjured hand as he spoke, "Before, back in Jiangling, that incompetent county magistrate falsely accused you of colluding with bandits. The general sent me to the county office to deliver the deed to Fubo Village. At that time, the general actually told me to pass on a message to you. At the time, I had some... I didn't tell you."
Lin Meiju remembered and nodded.
Jiang Jin lowered his head slightly, his voice nasal as he said, "The general told you not to take it to heart."
Shen Changfeng never blamed her for the severed finger.
Lin Meizhu's head seemed to be hit lightly by something. She seemed a little confused and didn't quite react. She asked, "Why are you talking to me about this now?"
Jiang Jin said, "I want to make you feel better."
Lin Meiju looked at him with a strange look. Jiang Jin glanced at her face, but finally said nothing.
When he looked up again, the person in front of him turned into Chen Yue.
Chen Yue said he wanted to invite her to the main account and ask her to meet Shen Changfeng.
Lin Meiju subconsciously looked towards the city wall and saw the figure who was also wearing black armor and leaning slightly forward to talk with the soldiers, and she paused.
That's not him.
The bitter north wind blew against her face, and Lin Meizhu's eyes ached with dryness as she stared. Suddenly, she felt puzzled. How could Su Qinxue have mistaken someone? If she truly loved someone, would she not be able to distinguish their scent, their eyes, their subtle movements?
Chen Yue followed her gaze and saw Qin Ting. Three days had passed since the plan to lure the enemy into the city, and reinforcements had arrived one after another. However, the news of Shen Changfeng's serious injury was still kept secret. The deterrent power of an unkillable general was far greater than the victory of a battle.
No one expected that the first person to arrive with reinforcements would be Lai Qingfeng, the Fu Bo Army's most hated superior. Years ago, he had another identity—an ordinary soldier in the Fengling Guard. Leading the remaining 2,000 Fu Bo Army cavalrymen, he marched through the night, finally entering the city from the rear at the height of the battle and ambushing the city walls.
Following closely behind was the Prince of Changping. Qin Yan used his eloquence to persuade his father-in-law to lead his troops south to urgently support the two cities of Xiangfan.
Shen Changfeng's presence outside the city was deliberate; reinforcements hadn't yet fully arrived, and he needed to distract the enemy. He knew the King of Chu had fallen for his tricks several times and would be cautious entering the city. So, he used himself as bait, presenting the King with the opportunity to breach the city gate. After the rebel cavalry had fully entered the city, the outer gate suddenly slammed shut, prompting the ambushed troops to charge. The troops led by the Prince of Changping attacked the rebel rear, while the Xiangyang army seized the opportunity to attack the disorganized central army.
Lure the enemy, lock the enemy, attack in groups, encircle and annihilate them, cut off the head and tail, catch the turtle in the jar, and take advantage of the chaos. Any problem in any step of this chain of tactics will cause the overall situation to collapse. Fortunately, they did it.
The cavalry that appeared in Fancheng were actually the first few dozen people to enter the city, or they were the ones who escaped the melee.
Lin Meizhu asked, "Did Her Royal Highness the Princess ask you to come here?"
Chen Yue shook his head and said, "No, it was I who dared to come. Her Royal Highness the Princess said she felt guilty towards you and also guilty towards... Her Royal Highness said that if you are willing to go, you don't need to say anything, just let the general take a look, and that will be all."
Lin Meizhu asked: "What about him? What did he say after he found out?"
Chen Yue lowered his eyes, a sob choking in his throat as he said, "The general has already made all the arrangements. He hasn't said anything... He's already said he can't talk. Please, please go and see him." Several military doctors were at a loss, saying that keeping him would only prolong his life and increase his suffering. If there was anything Shen Changfeng couldn't let go of, it was Lin Meizhu.
"No words left for me?"
"No, he left no words for you."
Lin Meiju murmured twice: Is it that I have nothing to say, or that I have too much to say and I don’t know which one to say?
He used to be so impetuous, but now he is so coy. If she were to expose him, who knows how he would make excuses.
But Chen Yue said he could no longer speak.
Lin Meizhu lifted the curtains and saw a coffin. It was clearly newly made, still smelling of lacquer. It was long and thin. She took a quick look and felt it was inappropriate. With his flamboyant personality, the coffin he used should be made of vermilion-lacquered nanmu, something expensive and ornate. Why would he use something so crudely made? Besides, it was so cramped, how could it fit?
Looking at the person on the bed again, Lin Meizhu realized she was wrong. Shen Changfeng was no longer the Shen Changfeng she remembered. He was as thin as a piece of scrap metal.
Chen Yue said: "Several officers in the army were willing to donate their own coffins, but the general ordered everything to be simple, and we followed his wishes... Later, the brothers in the army couldn't stand it anymore, so they spontaneously pooled money and prepared this new coffin."
Mo Qi was also in the military tent. He held a small ball of fur in his mouth and put it into Shen Changfeng's hand. The small ball of fur rolled to the ground. Mo Qi moved closer and licked Shen Changfeng's hand. He tried twice more. He looked at the small ball running around on the ground, tilted his head in confusion, and then nudged his hand with his head. Shen Changfeng's hand flattened a little, and the small ball of fur was finally placed firmly in his palm.
Mo Qi grinned, his tail on the ground raised in a small arc, and swayed gently. He waited for a while, but the person on the couch still didn't move.
Mo Qi was angry, and he pressed his paws on the ground and barked softly at the sleeping man. When he still didn't respond, his barking gradually became aggrieved and anxious. He put his front legs on the bed, smelled the strong smell of blood on his arm, and carefully retracted his paws. Seeing that his face was covered with many wounds, he leaned his head forward several times but didn't dare to touch him, and kept whimpering.
The people standing in the military tent couldn't bear to watch any longer and turned their heads away with tears in their eyes.
Chen Yue took Mo Qi out.
Lin Meizhu walked over and sat down on the edge of the couch.
Shen Changfeng was exhausted and in pain, everywhere. He was a man, of course he felt pain, but he endured it without a groan, believing he had to act like a man even until his death. Whimpering would only make people laugh. He knew this time was different, but every time he closed his eyes and fell asleep, he could always hear something crying in his ears, like a child, sobbing and whimpering, as if asking someone to play with it. He couldn't remember what it was, but he was sure it wasn't a child. Children wouldn't lick anyone's hands.
Finally quieting down, just as his consciousness was about to fade, he slowly felt something press against his cheek: warm, soft, and dry. He again didn't recognize what it was, but his body seemed to enjoy the touch, unconsciously gravitating towards the warm, fragrant scent, which even soothed some of the pain. He strained to discern the scent, and gradually, he seemed to recognize it: the sweet aroma of some fruit, with a hint of medicine.
Soon, he heard another loud clattering noise, like the sound of wood planks being moved. Then, he heard a very crisp "click." It wasn't loud, but a string in his heart immediately clenched. He had heard this sound a thousand times. This was something extremely important to him. This was his most cherished possession, a treasure he would take with him even if he died! Who was it? Who was touching his personal belongings?
Shen Changfeng's eyelids moved, barely opening a crack. Everything in front of his eyes was black and white. His eyeballs moved slightly and looked towards the source of the subtle sound.
He saw a blurry figure, the outline of which was a dissolving white soft light. He blinked a few times, and it took him a while to gradually take in the whole scene.
He saw someone digging into his coffin.
Shen Changfeng:?
Are tomb robbers so bold these days? He's not dead yet! Where's Chen Yue? Where's Qing Song? Where are they all?!
Shen Changfeng looked at the audacious tomb robber and saw it was Lin Meizhu. His fury melted into tenderness. He sighed softly, realizing he'd made a mistake. He should have put a lock on the small box. But he hadn't expected Lin Meizhu to visit him again. He had assumed she'd returned to Xiangyang after overcoming the difficulties in Fancheng.
When he was in the capital before, what he wanted to do was too abstract and superficial. His original intention of coming to Jingzhou was her, but at that time he also wanted to make great achievements, make a comeback, and make people look at him with admiration. He did not expect that he could achieve what he is today. Everything seemed to be a natural process, but in the end he got nothing and was so poor that he could not even afford a coffin. But he still felt at ease in his heart and had no regrets...ah, actually he did have some.
He thought: If she could say a few nice words to him now, he would feel at ease... Forget it, he has seen it all clearly, so he can't have any expectations. No matter what nice words, there will be no good in his life, and his good days will never come.
Lin Meiju opened the small box. On the top layer was a golden brocade bag embroidered with a phoenix, and on the side was another long wooden box. The bottom layer was filled with something wrapped in cotton cloth. When she opened it, she saw a pair of well-worn, washed women's shoes.
Lin Meizhu opened the small wooden box. Inside was a small scroll wrapped in oil paper. The scroll had yellowed and was thin, but well-preserved. She slowly unfolded it and first saw her own face—in the portrait, she was right next to Shen Changfeng, their faces close together, their arms hanging down, their clothes intertwined, as if they were clasping hands tightly. They looked so affectionate.
This was the scene from the night of the arranged marriage, but Lin Meizhu clearly remembered that they had never had such an interaction. Her fingertips gently stroked the portrait, pausing at a certain point—her fingertips touched some subtle bumps, not the grain of the paper itself, as if something was folded underneath. The sunlight streamed in, casting a warm glow on the figures of the two people in the portrait. She could clearly see the creases in the portrait that had been pressed flat, hidden by the wrinkles of the clothes.
Lin Meizhu suppressed the heat welling up in her eyes and chuckled softly. Someone wanted to get closer to her and quietly folded the painting.
Shen Changfeng saw Lin Meiju looking through the items in the small box one by one. She finally opened the dragon and phoenix brocade bag, took out the hair knot inside, held it in her palm and looked at it for a long time, with an expression of some reluctance and embarrassment.
Shen Changfeng suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart, and then he saw Lin Meizhu seemed to have made up her mind and said, "I have let go of the past, whether it was good or bad. I don't blame you anymore. I hope you can also think more open-mindedly and hope you don't blame me..."
Then, under Shen Changfeng's slightly anxious gaze, she untied the knot between their hair and took back her own strand of hair.
"We are not husband and wife after all. Your hair and body are given by your parents. I have wanted to ask you this for a long time, but I never found the right opportunity. Now... I have taken the hair back to avoid any misunderstandings."
Shen Changfeng couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Misunderstanding, what kind of misunderstanding could it be? He was about to die. Was she worried that people outside would say she was entangled with a dead man? Or was she so desperate that she wanted to marry a ghost?
That wasn't all. Lin Meizhu held up her own shoes and said, "This... is mine too. I'm taking it back too."
When no one answered, Lin Meizhu's eyes fell on the bedding covering Shen Changfeng and said, "Eh? Your quilt...?"
Shen Changfeng's breathing quickened, his chest rising and falling, but the only part of his body that could move was his eyes. However, Lin Meiju did not look into his eyes, so naturally she did not notice that his eyes were burning red with hidden anger.
Lin Meizhu didn't go so far as to take his quilt, but she said, "I told Chen Yue to burn the quilt."
Ah! This cruel woman! She wouldn't even leave him with this little thought!
Lin Meiju finally noticed that something was wrong with Shen Changfeng. She looked at his face which was a little red and purple from holding back her anger and asked, "You seem to have something to say. I'm listening to what you want to say." After that, she leaned over and turned her ear towards Shen Changfeng's face.
After listening for a long while, there was only the sound of a turbid stream of air, which was getting heavier and heavier. Lin Meizhu seemed to come to her senses, stood up and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I forgot you hurt your throat and can't speak anymore."
After a moment of silence, she continued, "Actually, there's not much else to say. But there's one thing left. If I can't get a word from you, I'm afraid I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
Shen Changfeng heard someone outside the tent calling out "Master Song." He subconsciously resisted, closed his eyes, and prayed over and over in his heart: Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it...
Lin Meizhu glanced at the figure outside the military tent, smiled, and said softly, "Can you give me a blessing?"
Shen Changfeng said nothing, his teeth gnashing and gritting.
Lin Meizhu said, "You can't speak, so if you want, just blink, okay?"
Soon, her eyes lit up with surprise, and she was moved to tears. She reached out to wipe the moisture from her eyes and said with a smile, "That's great! They say that when a dying person is about to speak well, it turns out to be true. Thank you very much."
Shen Changfeng is not dead yet, but he is about to be pissed to death by Lin Meizhu.
He! Didn't! Blink!
Shen Changfeng refused to die, he absolutely could not die like this, why should he die? Why should he die first! He could not let them go like this, let them love each other lingeringly! He must not die before the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, he must live forever, was going to marry Lin Meizhu on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year? Then he would go and grab the bride, he would make trouble when they were getting married, and he would lie in the middle of their bridal chamber! When Lin Meizhu had a child, he would take the child away and let the child call him daddy, his son would want to hug him, and his daughter even more! When they both died, he would dig up their graves and die in their joint tomb. Even if he died and became a ghost, he would turn into a fierce ghost and haunt them forever!
Lin Meizhu took one last look at Shen Changfeng, her eyes filled with pity and sympathy, and whispered, "I'm leaving."
The moment she turned around, Shen Changfeng clearly saw the smile that she couldn't suppress.
Shen Changfeng's chest was filled with blood and his heart was beating wildly. He didn't know where he got the strength from, but he stretched out his hand and grabbed her wrist. However, he only managed to stand up slightly. When his hand grabbed her fingertips, he collapsed on the edge of the couch, turned sideways, and spat out a mouthful of black blood with a "wow".
Lin Meizhu paused, her hands feeling as if they were burned, and she shouted, "The seventh day of the first lunar month!"
Several figures rushed in from outside the military tent.
This name was like a nail in the coffin for Shen Changfeng. When he heard Lin Meiju call out this name, waves of anger surged into his heart. He vomited two mouthfuls of blood, his eyes went dark, and he passed out.
His eyelids felt heavy, but his consciousness drifted in and out of the air, his body feeling light and airy. In the chaos, Shen Changfeng temporarily forgot his name and identity. He slept for a long time. He curled up, like in the womb, breathing slowly. In the silence, he heard a woman's voice calling, gradually becoming clearer from afar. He heard her call "Xiao Jiuer."
Who is Xiaojiu? He sat up and listened for a while, and found that it seemed to be calling him. He was a little surprised. Xiaojiuer? He also had a name called Xiaojiu? Ah... it was a nickname. He was a little excited. It turned out that he also had a nickname. Was it his mother calling him? But this female voice seemed very different from the one deep in his memory. Her voice was soft, as if soaked in water, and she called him softly in his ear. Gradually, he didn't know why, but he felt depressed again. This name made him feel uncomfortable.
But fortunately, the female voice changed to another name.
The ones he called the most were Shen Changfeng and Shen Du. He was also called General Shen, Shen Fubo, Lord Shen, and Shen Er. Gradually, as if losing his patience, he started calling him a bastard, a scoundrel, a lunatic, a scoundrel, and a lecher...
Shen Changfeng felt strange that someone dared to scold him like that, and it was a woman, but he was not disgusted. He even felt happy to hear her scolding like that and couldn't help laughing along.
One day, the female voice suddenly moved away from him, and he heard a young male voice talking to his woman. Shen Changfeng was like a beast whose territory had been invaded. When he heard the man's voice, he suddenly became alert and the hair on the back of his neck stood up.
Then the two voices overlapped, and the female voice gradually faded away, about to leave him!
Shen Changfeng was so anxious that he was spinning in circles. No, no, no, no! He absolutely couldn't let her go! This voice was his! She was his too! He had to do something!
Shen Changfeng trembled his eyelids and opened his eyes.
He saw the navy blue bed curtains, blinked slowly, turned his gaze, and as if feeling some silent call, looked at the person sitting beside the bed.
Lin Meiju stopped flipping through the medical book and immediately reached out to touch his wrist, as if she had done it a thousand times.
There was no other sound in the room. While Lin Meizhu was taking her pulse, Shen Changfeng just looked at her quietly.
He thought she had lost weight.
This time, Shen Changfeng did not fall asleep again after his eyelids fluttered like he did in the previous times. On the contrary, his eyes became brighter and brighter, and his hand slowly rose up.
Qingsong, who was standing in the room, could not hide his excitement and was almost in tears. He rushed out to tell the other brothers the good news.
Shen Changfeng touched Lin Meizhu's face and gently caressed her red eyes. Lin Meizhu closed her eyes, feeling the roughness of his palm, the warmth from his skin, the evidence that he was alive, and breathed a sigh of relief.
He moved his lips, but found that he couldn't make a sound. Soon someone brought a plain lacquer tray with two stacks of soft paper on it and a sharp brush on the side. Lin Meiju ground the paper and laid it out for him.
Shen Changfeng half-leaned on the bed, his knuckles stiff, and it took him several tries to hold the pen.
The knife wound damaged Shen Changfeng's throat, and it was still unknown how well it would heal. Thinking that he might have something important to say when he woke up, Lin Meizhu prepared paper and pen for him early.
Shen Changfeng wrote very slowly, the strokes were crooked and the writing was a little big, but it was recognizable as the word "I".
The second and third characters were written much faster, and the last one seemed to be written in a hurry, and the dot couldn't be controlled, and it became a downward stroke. Lin Meizhu turned slightly to look and saw those large, uncoordinated characters clearly.
I love you.
With a "click", the sharp hair fell to the ground. Lin Meiju raised her eyes, and the next moment she was hugged tightly in someone's arms.
Shen Changfeng put his arm around her waist, one hand on the back of her neck, turned his face to kiss her cheek again and again, hugged her tightly with all his strength, and whispered over and over again: "I love you."
I have to say it even if I can’t express it clearly, even if my vocal cords are torn again, even if my wounds burst open and my whole body is filled with pain again, I have to say it, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you…
During his coma, he cared only for the person before him. She was the only one he could not let go of in this life. He loved her so much that even if he lost all his memories, his body would still recognize her scent and her voice. His heart trembled, and he prayed devoutly to God, hoping that Lin Meizhu would not push him away, and let him hold her like this, even if it was just for a moment, just a moment...
Lin Meiju's lips moved, but tears welled up in her eyes first. Her throat was blocked by something. Feeling the hot and moist breath on the side of her neck, she slowly raised her hands and wrapped them around his waist.
Shen Changfeng froze in place, his heartbeat accelerating. It felt like a warm, yet bitter, hand was slowly grasping his heart. He didn't even dare breathe, fearing that the slightest movement would startle the butterfly perched on his heart. He had never known that what he wanted was so simple, that a mere embrace could fill him with contentment and ecstasy.
Shen Changfeng hugged Lin Meizhu tightly again, tears streaming down his face. At this moment, he felt like he owned the whole world.
He held her face, gently wiped away the tears on her face, and kissed her lips. After the kiss, he suddenly remembered something, gently pushed her away and looked around, seeing that the paper and ink were scattered all over the floor. He took Lin Meizhu's hand and wanted to write on her palm.
Lin Meiju placed her palm against the back of his hand. She knew what she wanted to ask.
She caressed his face, her eyes tracing his. She used to think his eyes were beautiful, but they were also sharp. After staring at each other for a long time, she would feel some invisible pressure. Now, looking at his eyes, which were covered with a layer of misty smoke and rain, and flashing with a watery and broken light, she felt her heart soften for no reason and her eyes felt sore.
That's who he is. No matter how she tries to escape or hide, no matter how many times she refuses, it's as if an invisible thread ties him and her together. After all the twists and turns, he'll always be there. He barges into her world with such force, disrupting all her thoughts. He always makes her angry, yet he loves to say sweet words to cheer her up. She hates him, resents him, and is annoyed by him, but she can't forget him.
Lin Meizhu's lips dimpled, tears rolling down her cheeks as she said, "No, I'm not feeling sorry for you."
"Shen Changfeng, I want to be with you."
In the past, she was always looking back and forth, but after this experience, she realized that there are many things in the world that do not require a lot of effort to worry about. Lin Meiju didn't know what the future would be like, but she knew that now she wanted to be with Shen Changfeng.
When she left, she took his property with her, and now she has spent all her money on the Fu Bo Army. Everything seems to have returned to the starting point, but she is not afraid at all. She finds that starting over is not as scary as she imagined, and she has the courage to try and make mistakes.
Books say people should strive for higher ground and avoid falling in the same place twice. People around her also told her that a good horse never turns back. But perhaps, people can not only strive for higher ground, but also walk around. If it doesn't hinder others, it's okay to sleep on the ground for a while before continuing.
Lin Meizhu held Shen Changfeng's face, smiled with tears in her eyes, kissed his lips gently, and said: "Shen Changfeng, did you hear me? I said I want to be with you."
The excitement and joy were like a huge wave. Shen Changfeng stood on the crest of the wave, rolling and jumping, dancing with joy and shouting loudly. The wave was so big that it almost knocked him unconscious on the shore.
Lin Meizhu felt the man holding her suddenly collapse against her, his chin resting on her shoulder. Sensing something was amiss, she called out twice, "Chen Changfeng?" She hurriedly felt for his pulse, finding nothing unusual except a slightly faster, heavier beat. Only after she was sure his pulse had calmed did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Shen Changfeng was so happy that he fainted.
She sniffed, carefully avoiding the scars on his face, wiping away his tears. Her eyes fell on his hand, which was still tightly clasped even in his sleep. Her heart ached, and she sighed, "What a bastard."
Even before the decisive battle, she had noticed something was amiss with him, but by then he had been unable to listen. Long-term worry and suppressed anger had not only disrupted Shen Changfeng's Qi flow but also driven him to extremes in his cognition. No matter what she said, he would think she was lying, that she was showing pity out of sympathy. Lin Meizhu observed his complexion and pulse, and could only secretly ask Lin Yue'e to put some Sini San in his soup to relieve the symptoms. However, this was only a temporary solution, not a cure. Later, Chen Yue and Chu Qi talked about the night Shen Changfeng, in a rage, vomited blood after drinking the soup. Chu Qi was certain that it was an emotional illness, so Lin Meizhu took the risk of acting out a scene with Chu Qi.
She reached out and shook Shen Changfeng's hand, leaning over and placing a kiss on his forehead. She had been defeated by this bastard.
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