Chapter 20
The camellias under the eaves bloomed and faded, faded and bloomed again. In the blink of an eye, Luo Yan had been in the world for more than two years and was not far from coming of age.
The third sister reached out her devilish hand towards the leaf, but it was ruthlessly slapped away by her. She joked, "If A-Yun finds out you're being naughty, you'll be eating braised kittens tonight."
"Meow." It shook its ears and ran away.
It's no wonder Luo Yan is stingy; the camellia was transplanted by Zhu Yun, who had tormented several plants to death before leaving only one single seedling. It was quite a painstaking effort.
His interest in this matter can be traced back to last winter, to Luo Yan's birthday.
At that time, the male protagonist sent two cartloads of gifts.
There were gold and silver jewelry, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, as well as fabrics and porcelain bestowed by the palace. She noticed the elegant design of the vase, took it out, and placed it on the bedside table.
Zhu Yun had clearly investigated the Luo family and knew of Cui Wuyang's existence. After Luo Yan fell asleep, he moved the vase outside and stuck a few scallion sprouts in it to vent his anger.
Luo Yan thought he was wasting resources, so after some back and forth, she changed the planting method to planting camellias.
I wonder what Zhu Yun is jealous of?
Cui Wuyang had never met her before. Apart from showering her with gold coins during holidays, he did not insist on bringing her to the capital, nor did he have any intention of visiting relatives in Linchuan.
They're practically angelic relatives.
Thinking of this, Luo Yan prayed fervently: "As long as I can get through this winter safely, I will never curse the male protagonist or the author again. Amitabha."
"Boss!" Liu Changsheng, who had grown taller, shouted over the courtyard wall, "Want to go fishing? I stole some bait."
"good."
The two walked side by side toward the stream. Passing by Gu Yu's house, she saw that birds had built three or five nests and that the spider webs were as big as round winnowing baskets. She couldn't help but feel sad.
Changsheng and Guyu were very close. Changsheng broke off a branch, jumped up and swept it, but said sourly, "He's made it big now, and he dresses like a young master. I don't even dare to talk to him."
"Come on."
Gu Yu's family moved to town a few months ago and opened a butcher shop. He is currently an apprentice, and his master is a retired accountant. He heard that his elder brother, Gu Feng, also passed the provincial examination, which is truly a joyous occasion.
There's also Qingcao; she became pregnant immediately after marrying her cousin, and Aunt Cui and Qinglian have already packed their bags to go and take care of her. Luo Yan attended her wedding banquet; the dark-skinned, thin girl she remembered had become much fairer, with rounder cheeks, suggesting she was living a very good life.
The remaining siblings are Changsheng and Changyi.
The elder brother fell ill once, and his parents were heartbroken, letting him wander around aimlessly every day. Changyi, on the other hand, had a much more tragic life. After learning embroidery, he learned shoemaking, and after shoemaking, he learned tailoring.
Luo Yan asked curiously, "You must not have any worries, right?"
"Who said that?" Changsheng pouted. "My mother has been trying to find me a wife lately, it's so annoying."
"Alright."
She then wondered, would A-Yun have any worries?
It seems I've never heard him mention it.
Just as she was pondering this, Liu Changsheng clutched his waist and screamed. Luo Yan turned around helplessly and saw Zhu Yun standing behind her, holding a few wild fruits the size of peanuts in his hand.
"You're bullying Changsheng again."
Zhu Yun smiled, took out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve, poured out a pill and put it to her lips: "I've changed the prescription, give it a try."
She took it into her mouth, and her tongue inevitably brushed against the boy's fingertips. The corners of his mouth instantly curled up, revealing a hint of pleasure.
But Luo Yan didn't notice, because she suddenly remembered that Zhu Yun also had troubles, namely his persistent poor health.
However, she speculated that this was a matter of energy conservation.
The original character was portrayed as a sickly, innocent, and pure-hearted person, but her screen time was too short, and the name of her illness is unverifiable. Her symptoms are even simpler: they can evoke the male lead's protective instincts, but she won't easily die, much like the domineering CEO's stomachache, mysophobia, and claustrophobia.
Therefore, if she could recover, it would violate her established persona; if it were to worsen into a terminal illness, it would also violate her established persona.
"Snap out of it." Zhu Yun raised his hand and waved it.
As he moved, Luo Yan smelled a fragrant aroma and couldn't help but take a few deep sniffs: "What delicious food is it?"
"Dog nose." He showed the oil paper package, unwrapping it as he spoke, "The tea pastry from Laifu Restaurant, didn't you say you liked it last time?"
Zhu Yun's sense of ownership was so strong that it bordered on obsessive. Anything he bought for Luo Yan, from expensive gifts to a bite of food, he would not allow her to share it with anyone else, even if she threw it away.
Luo Yan hurriedly stuffed it back: "We'll eat when we get home, let's catch fish first."
After practicing archery for two years, she was adept at spearing fish.
Changsheng took it, quickly removed the scales, and then handed it to his sister to apply spices. In no time, the aroma of meat wafted out.
Zhu Yun went down the mountain early in the morning to fetch medicine. He didn't have time to eat, so he picked out the fattest ones to eat first.
She wasn't hungry; she simply loved playing house. She happily refilled everyone's teacups, then suddenly sighed, "Now only the four of us are left."
Changsheng continued chewing, and after a moment replied, "Once Changyi gets married, there will only be the three of us left."
"Tch," Changyi scoffed. "Isn't my sister-in-law human? Isn't my little nephew human?"
Upon hearing this, Changsheng was so embarrassed that he couldn't even swallow the fish. He pretended to hit someone, but Changyi nimbly dodged to Luo Yan's side: "Sister Yan, you don't know yet, do you? My mother has taken a liking to the daughter of the hunter in Zhoujia Village."
Luo Yan chimed in weakly, "Marriage should be taken slowly. In my opinion, we should consider it at least when we are eighteen years old."
However, since her elder brother did not marry, it would be difficult for Changyi, as the younger sister, to get married, and her uncle and aunt in the Liu family would not agree.
"I'm not in a hurry," Zhu Yun suddenly said seriously, seemingly unrelated to the topic.
The brother and sister beside her were engrossed in their banter, but Luo Yan instantly understood what he meant. Immediately, Chang Sheng's embarrassment shifted to her face.
She blushed and got up, pretending to be busy, but after taking only two steps, she noticed something warm flowing out.
Zhu Yun followed closely: "Are you feeling unwell?"
"Um......"
Common sense told her that she must have started her period. If her grandmother were standing next to her, Luo Yan would have shouted "Help!" but unfortunately, she wasn't.
She lowered her voice and said, "Help me get those two away from me."
Zhu Yun first checked Liu Changsheng's pulse and found nothing wrong. He then turned around and kicked Liu Changsheng, saying, "Take your sister back."
After two years of getting to know him, Liu Changsheng roughly understood his temperament. He quickly picked up the bucket, grabbed his grumbling sister, and left.
After everyone had gone, Luo Yan remained standing there, looking distressed, and said, "Please call my grandmother here again?"
"Is there anything I can't hear?" Zhu Yun retorted, her face flushed with anger. "It's that esteemed cousin of yours from the capital again."
She and her grandmother did often talk about Cui Wuyang behind his back, but is now the time to settle things?
Luo Yan clenched her fist: "Anyway, please call my grandmother over."
Startled by her outburst, Zhu Yun lowered her eyes and turned to leave.
"..." He knew how to play the victim, but Luo Yan's heart softened, and she gently called out to him.
The person lingered when leaving, but upon returning, he remembered he knew kung fu and quickly darted to her side, tilting his head to ask, "What's wrong?"
"You wouldn't understand things about girls." She lowered her head, pretending to be an ostrich.
Zhu Yun loathed these words, as if a rift had formed between them that could not be mended, simply because she was not born a woman.
"If you tell me, I will understand."
Luo Yan, in a fit of desperation, declared: "Have you ever heard of Gui Shui? My Gui Shui is here."
He frowned, trying hard to recall who it was, but then he caught sight of a shallow pool of blood near Luo Yan's feet, and his expression immediately changed: "You're injured?"
"It's not an injury."
But Zhu Yun had already squatted down, and blue veins bulged on his forehead.
Luo Yan pushed him away and said urgently, "I told you it wasn't an injury. You read medical books all the time, yet you don't know that women get their menstrual period every month after reaching a certain age?"
"......"
It sounds familiar.
Zhu Yun touched the bridge of his nose and argued, "There isn't much information about women in medical books, so it's normal that I don't know anything about it."
"Never mind."
She gripped her sleeve tightly, trying to appear calm, and said, "Let's go back discreetly."
After taking two steps, I remembered the pool of blood again.
Zhu Yun noticed her hesitation, rinsed the ashes with water, buried them, and calmly extended his hand: "Is this alright now?"
Luo Yan swept her long hair in front of her body, trying to cover the blush on her cheeks, and then slowly took her hand.
...
Unlike her predicament, Jia Yufang, after learning the reason, almost burst into tears of relief and said happily, "From now on, you'll be a young lady."
"Grandmother, please stop talking."
"What's there to be ashamed of?" Jia Yufang took out the menstrual belt she had prepared in advance and carefully taught her, "Try to avoid cold water and spicy food these days."
He paused, then gently stroked her head. "Before we knew it, Yan'er was almost fifteen. You've always been decisive. Tell your grandmother what you think about her marriage."
Luo Yan was dumbfounded, covered her face and said in a muffled voice, "Can't we consider it again in two years?"
Jia Yufang sighed softly, pulled a letter from under her pillow, and explained, "This letter was sent urgently from the capital. I am illiterate, but I guess it is related to your marriage."
She took it with both hands and saw that the handwriting was vigorous and powerful, showing the style of a master.
It was written by Cui Wuyang.
The letter stated that when the Luo family's funeral arrangements were being made, the Ye family had also sent people to Cangxi. He did not explicitly state that Luo Yan was still alive, nor did he deliberately conceal it. It was simply because, sometimes, the more high-profile she was, the safer she would be.
Two years have passed, and Cui Wuyang has sent many things to Linchuan, so the Ye family naturally found out about Luo Yan.
She was Cui Wuyang's cousin, and also a relative of the Ye family's descendants. The old lady of the Ye family was concerned about her granddaughter's marriage, so she led the outstanding young men from the clan to visit Cui Wuyang in person to have them take a look.
Cui Wuyang was still young. He could take care of his younger sister, but he couldn't do anything about her marriage. So he repeated the old lady's words one by one.
As he wrote this, his pen seemed slightly flustered.
Luo Yan dared to guess that Old Madam Ye must have subtly suggested that Cui Wuyang marry her. Otherwise, why would she have shown up now, just when Luo Yan was about to come of age?
She continued reading.
Cui Wuyang offered two solutions: First, if Luo Yan was willing to marry into the Ye family, or if the Ye family elders helped arrange the marriage, he would prepare a generous dowry to support her. Second, he would travel to the capital as soon as possible to discuss the matter in person.
Arrived in Beijing.
The two words seemed to come alive, transforming into a long, thin, ghostly hand that tugged at her heart.
"Yan-jie," Jia Yufang called out to her with concern, "Is something wrong?"
Luo Yan forced a smile and said as easily as possible, "My cousin asked me if I was willing to marry into the Ye family, but I still maintain that I will never go to the capital."
Jia Yufang pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What do you think of Yun-ge'er?"
"Um?"
How come Zhu Yun is involved here?
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