Chapter 12. Eun shared a bed with her last night. ...
Did Leng Zhen say that many words? She wasn't sure.
But she was certain that Eun was a good person and would never lie to her.
Leng Cuizhu: "Yes, that's right!"
Upon hearing this, Leng Zhen raised an eyebrow, and a smile appeared on her downcast lips.
"real?"
Why would I lie to you?
She sighed deeply, "How did you fall into the lake? Where is Miss Li?"
Just as she finished speaking, the boat docked at the shore, and Miss Li disembarked and walked straight up to her.
"My wife, you should discipline your child properly."
"……What's wrong?"
Miss Li's face was pale: "He spoke wildly, presumptuously judging my father's medical skills, and even inquired about how much money my family had, how my mother's health was, how much my dowry was, and cursed my father to die early."
"You really need to discipline him properly, otherwise no one will want him, and he'll cause big trouble sooner or later!"
Leng Cuizhu frowned, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
She felt very sorry for Miss Li.
She knew Leng Zhen had a bad temper and had been criticized by her many times, but she never expected Leng Zhen to speak so viciously and act so recklessly.
"Miss Li, I'm so sorry... Would you like to stay for dinner? I've booked a table at Xiangmanlou Restaurant."
“No, madam,” Miss Li snorted coldly, “I’m afraid of being accused of having ulterior motives and coveting your young master’s money. After all, he even made me return the money when I ate a piece of pastry.”
Leng Cuizhu was embarrassed: "He's penniless, what money does he have..."
Leng Cuizhu apologized to Miss Li repeatedly, and You En followed suit. After Miss Li left, Leng Zhen, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.
“I’m telling the truth. His father is a quack doctor.”
"Zhenzhen, your medical skills aren't that great either."
Leng Cuizhu sighed deeply, "If you're like this, I really won't dare introduce you to any other girls..."
"Then let's not introduce it anymore."
Leng Zhen remained unfazed: "Do you think Yin Yuan would agree to you making such a big show of kicking me out?"
"What are you saying..." Her heart tightened.
Have they become so close already? They've only been here for a few days.
She couldn't help but fantasize about all the things the two of them would do, and suddenly felt a chill.
Between biological father and son...it's disgusting.
If it were an ordinary homosexual relationship, she would never have reacted so strongly.
There may be genuine feelings between men and women, between women, and between men.
However, this genuine affection should never hurt others or violate human ethics, and if it is truly deep and sincere, it should be kept hidden in one's heart.
Otherwise, they should be condemned.
Just like her. She was a mistress who couldn't be seen in public, ruining the relationship between husband and wife. She accepted all the contempt and insults directed at her.
"Aren't you afraid I'll tell him?"
Leng Zhen slowly walked around behind her and You En: "As long as Yin Yuan is alive in this world, he will always be an adulterer, and between you two, it will only be an unspeakable affair."
Eun: "Sorry, I'll stay away from her from now on."
Leng Cuizhu didn't understand what Leng Zhen was up to, why she had to connect her with You En. She had already said that You En was just a passerby who came to row the boat.
He threatened his own mother and spread rumors about her.
How is he any different from those disgusting old men outside?
How did the kind and lovely Zhenzhen turn out like this?
She pursed her lips: "But I also had an affair with your father."
“Your father has no right to criticize others for having affairs. If he were a decent person, he wouldn’t have something to be ashamed of about you.”
"Miss Li is much more sensible than you."
"Do you really have to side with outsiders?"
Leng Zhen narrowed her moist eyes: "Am I so worthless in your eyes? So much so that you can't say anything good about me, and can only belittle me?"
"Why have you become like this? I don't want to get married, I don't want to chat with those girls, why do you never consider my feelings and always do things your own way?"
Leng Cuizhu stared straight at him, accepting all his hatred and resentment.
She chuckled to herself, "How absurd."
"Without a mother, where would you come from? Where would your body and hair come from?"
"So this one instance of disobedience is enough to make you this angry?"
"I can't possibly ignore you just once."
"What should we do then..."
Leng Zhen was taken aback.
"mother……"
She chuckled dryly a few times, then turned to look at the heavy snow falling outside the waterside pavilion.
Beautiful flowers and jade trees, adorned with pink and jade-like patterns.
"Your mother has spoiled you for so many years."
For some reason, when she saw the person she cared about being sad or resentful, she no longer frowned with heartache or held back tears as she used to.
Instead, it brought a strange sense of relief and a rare feeling of liberation.
The news that Miss Li had pushed Leng Zhen into the water quickly reached Yin Yuan's ears.
Leng Cuizhu naturally wouldn't tell Yin Yuan about this. As the prefect, it was normal for Yin Yuan to overhear his subordinates mention it by chance. After all, many people saw Leng Zhen fall into the water on the lake shore that day, and Miss Li was also a gossip.
Yin Yuan: "How did you teach him? How could he be so rude?"
"Never mind... If he doesn't want to, then forget it."
Leng Cuizhu paused in combing her hair, lost in thought, and ultimately said nothing.
"……OK."
The man lay down on the bed and fell asleep first. She dawdled for a long time before reluctantly walking to the bedside and lifting the bed curtains.
The man lay on his side with his back to her, while she lay there staring at the ceiling, her eyelids drooping as she struggled to keep them open.
The candle by the bed was burning out, its flame flickering.
"...My lord, I have caught a cold these past few days and I do not wish to pass my illness on to you."
"Um."
She grabbed the man's hand as it slid down: "I had my period yesterday."
"My lord, go to sleep early. I'll keep you company." She murmured and shrank into the quilt, only a section of her dark hair showing.
Unexpectedly, the blanket was pulled back, and the man grasped her hair and slowly rubbed it.
"More than ten years ago, you said you would never leave me."
"But you still did it anyway."
Can I still trust you?
Leng Cuizhu was no match for him; he held her hands in his grasp, her disheveled hair falling across her cheeks.
She was forced to look up and glimpse the translucent frost outside the window.
Then, the icy sensation swept across my thigh and plunged in suddenly.
She did indeed deceive Yin Yuan.
But for Yin Yuan, it would have been better if he hadn't been lied to at all.
When he touched that spot, the man's brow furrowed noticeably. He was desperate for it, confused and uneasy, and at a loss for what to do.
"My lord, I didn't mean to deceive you."
"Do you want it, my lord?" She smiled, took the initiative to put her arm around the man's neck, and whispered in his ear, "Anyway, it won't take long."
Whispering sweet nothings, with seductive voices.
He held her thin, frail body in his arms; her back tattoo was glistening with a thin layer of sweat, making her look alluring and seductive.
The man hugged her tightly, as if he wanted to crush the butterflies on her back.
Leng Cuizhu: "Back then, you also said you only loved me."
Sowing evil seeds will inevitably yield evil fruits.
She's so foolish.
How could she believe the words of a client?
How could she so easily entrust herself to him?
"And what about you?"
Will you leave me again?
"If you say you won't leave, then I will love you." His cold hand stroked her trembling eyelashes and delicate cheeks, stopping at her pale lips.
Her lips moved.
"I won't leave."
The man caressed every inch of her lips.
"Lingniang, say it again."
She closed her eyes, her whole body trembling.
But she no longer needed his love.
He still longed for her promise.
As the candlelight burned out, they embraced and fell into darkness.
She said softly, "My lord, please don't come looking for me again."
As she expected, the lust in the man's eyes crumbled and disintegrated, and the hand that was stroking her back froze.
She boldly looked at him, a smile playing on her lips, feigning a shy and hesitant expression: "Don't come again."
Yin Yuan: "No."
“I am of lowly status, and my lord comes to see this hungry child every day. I fear it will give rise to gossip.”
She raised her hand to wipe away her tears and leaned on the man's shoulder: "My lord is not the same as before. Now he is the head of a county, and the people are watching closely."
"I heard that the government just raided a batch of private kilns a few days ago."
"You are a courtesan."
"She is no longer a woman of the night."
Leng Cuizhu, with tears streaming down her face, said, "Yes, I know."
What's the difference between a courtesan and a harem courtesan? Even though she mainly entertained customers by performing, Yin Yuan would only listen to a few pipa pieces each time he came, and would share a room with her before the sun had even set.
He's just trying to excuse himself.
Tears welled in her eyes and fell onto the man's shoulder. She murmured, "I don't want to tarnish your reputation..."
Yin Yuan couldn't resist her seductive charm and finally agreed, but he required her to come to the Yin residence to see him every three days and send him a letter every day.
After Leng Cuizhu coaxed Yin Yuan to sleep, she went to the kitchen to boil water to wash herself, and happened to run into a rooster stealing corn.
"Hey host," the rooster hurriedly put the lid on the corn can, "Still up so late? Are we going to accompany your son to his blind date tomorrow?"
She poured water into the iron pot: "I'm not going."
"You've finally figured it out?"
The rooster smacked its lips: "Sigh, I told you it was no use."
"In that case, let's start the missions tomorrow! There are tons of missions to do..."
"I told Yin Yuan not to come looking for me."
"He can't come to the mansion, so naturally he can't meet Leng Zhen, and there won't be any progress between the two of them."
"Your tasks can wait a bit longer." She sat by the stove and put a tinderbox into the fire. "That corn was originally prepared for you."
"You really are... sigh, host, do you know that once a man wants to cheat, you can't stop him no matter what you do? Even if he's castrated, it won't stop him, since he still has his mouth."
The rooster shook his head, shrank under her skirt, and chuckled, "But you've been so good to me, so it's no big deal for me to wait a little longer."
"Don't worry, I won't tell Eun that you treated me to corn. It's a secret between the two of us!"
The stove was warm, and the rooster, dozing under her skirt, mumbled sleepily, "Host, you smell so good..."
Leng Cuizhu frowned, grabbed the rooster by its wings from under her skirt, and without saying a word, put it into the stove.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh no—"
The rooster flapped its body, begging for mercy repeatedly.
She listened to the rooster's crowing until she got tired, then took the rooster back and placed it on her lap.
"Don't crawl under your skirt anymore."
The rooster had several feathers singed off, smelled burnt all over, and was sobbing as if it was about to cry.
"Why can't I? I'm just a chicken, why can't I crawl in? It's very warm inside the skirt..."
"You must think I'm ugly, right? If I were a cat, you definitely wouldn't treat me like this."
"Judging by appearance... How can you be like this! It's not my choice what animal I become. Besides, I groom myself, take baths, and wash my paws every day. I don't even smell. I protect your food and kill mice every day. And you criticize me for just crawling under a skirt! Why don't you criticize Eun? He does nothing all day but step on your shoulders. One day he'll make you uneven-shouldered!"
Leng Cuizhu pinched the chicken's beak: "...Stop talking."
She prefers quiet and can't stand noise, not even from chickens. So she always gets very annoyed when she's with the dodder, because that chicken talks too much.
"If you keep making noise, I'll pluck all your feathers, scald you to death with boiling water, and then cut off your chicken butt to feed Wangcai in the alley."
The rooster's eyes widened.
"Oh, it's not you..."
After a long while, the water in the pot boiled, and she let go of the chicken's beak to scoop out the water.
The rooster huddled on the stool, trembling as it stared at the woman pouring water into a wooden basin by the stove.
"...Bad woman."
Leng Cuizhu forbade Yin Yuan from coming to see her, and Yin Yuan really didn't come.
In addition, Leng Zhen had a difficult conflict with her over the marriage proposal, and spent her days either going up the mountain to collect herbs or working at the clinic arranged for her by Yin Yuan, not returning home until midnight.
Therefore, the house usually only had a cold green candle and a chicken and a bird.
The days are getting colder and colder, and the Little New Year is just a few days away.
These days she's been busy buying New Year's goods, and her shoulders ache from carrying baskets on her back. After resting at night, she sits by the window rubbing her shoulders and gazing at the snow-covered landscape.
The strands of hair that were stuck to the side of her neck were brushed aside.
How did you get in?
Her gaze shifted to the man beside her: "Is something the matter?"
Eun's silver hair was half-up, and he wore a cloak she had made for him.
New clothes are a must for the New Year. Leng Cuizhu thought that You En always brought home pork belly from the butcher shop for her, so she used the leftover fabric to make him a cloak.
“This cloak fits you well and looks good on you.” She reached out and touched the dark green cloak fabric. “I didn’t know your size, so I made it for you based on Yin Yuan’s measurements. I didn’t expect it to turn out so well.”
Aside from being a bit taller than Yin Yuan, Eun's other dimensions were almost identical, and he could wear Yin Yuan's robes and cloak.
"Was it originally intended for him?"
“Of course not,” she waved her hand. “His wife will have embroiderers make new clothes for him. He would look down on the ones I make.”
"My needlework is certainly not as good as that of a skilled embroiderer... they're all a bit short and short."
"Thank you, Madam."
"well……"
She suddenly froze.
The man gently took her hand, bent down and kissed the back of her hand, then looked up and stared straight at her.
Leng Cuizhu felt her face burning from his gaze, and for a moment she forgot to pull her hand back, letting him hold it.
His warm lips pressed against the back of her hand; she had just taken a bath, and the water on her skin was still damp.
She watched as the water droplets on her wrist slid down the back of her hand to the man's high nose bridge, and his lips were also wet with the water from the back of her hand.
The lower half of his face was completely covered in water vapor.
"...Is this also a matter of etiquette?"
"Yes, thank you."
She withdrew her hand and looked away.
This is definitely a scam.
"I need to rest." She pursed her lips. "It's so late, and you're wearing a cloak. Where are you going?"
"I've come to see you."
She muttered to herself, "...Now that I've seen them, shouldn't I go back?"
"Right now, I'm afraid not."
The man glanced out the window, his silver eyes reflecting the snow.
Following his gaze, Leng Cuizhu panicked.
Amidst the fluttering snowflakes, a figure appeared and disappeared, passing through the long corridor and gradually approaching the window.
She recognized that figure all too well—it was Yin Yuan.
"Quickly, change back!"
"You need to take off all your clothes first, or you'll suffocate."
"I forgot... Then quickly find a place to hide! Don't let him find out."
Leng Cuizhu closed the window, tidied herself up, and then knocked on the door. She hurriedly went to open it.
"My lord?"
She blinked: "Why is my lord here?"
Yin Yuan said calmly, "I came to see you."
"Is it time to rest?"
Leng Cuizhu took off his cloak, which was covered in cold air, and hung it on the rack.
"Yes, that's right."
Yin Yuan sat down on the chair, took her hand and pulled her in front of him, rubbing the back of his hand with his fingertips.
He lowered his eyes: "How have you been these past few days?"
Thinking of the undisturbed life she had enjoyed these past few days, Leng Cuizhu smiled and replied, "It's been quite nice."
The man paused, then said, "It's been seven days."
"Hmm... Sir, is there something you need so late?"
Her eyes unconsciously darted elsewhere, her mind already wandering elsewhere.
Where did Eun go...?
Until her skirt was lifted, a hand slipped inside, covered her leg, and slowly moved upwards.
The man's hands were icy cold, which made her stagger a few steps before he grabbed her hand and helped her regain her balance.
You've lost weight.
"Ah, yes, it's been cold lately, and I haven't had much of an appetite."
Ignoring Yin Yuan's strange behavior, she was anxious and her gaze darted around: "Is there something you need, my lord?"
The man's face was expressionless: "What are you looking for?"
“…It’s nothing.” She lowered her head.
The man tugged at her waist, and her dress fell to the ground with ease.
The man grabbed her waist, and she lost her balance and fell into his arms, her whole body tense.
"What are you looking for?"
"nothing……"
Yin Yuan turned her head to face him, forcing her to stare at him: "What are you looking for?"
Leng Cuizhu closed her lips and did not answer.
Her only remaining bodice was torn off, and she shivered from the cold, her skin turning blue.
The man held her by the waist, his gaze sweeping over her body again and again, from her neck to her legs, focusing on the wet, sticky substance clinging to her, slowly sliding and licking every inch of her skin.
"Turn around."
She looked up in disbelief, and the man simply stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, his voice hoarse: "Turn around."
"..."
She was only interested in getting him to leave quickly and had no interest in figuring out his intentions, so she turned around as he instructed.
The person behind her reached out, brushed her long hair to her chest, and touched the tattoo on her back without saying a word.
A moment later, the man suddenly hugged her, his arms tightly encircling her waist, his head resting on her shoulder.
She said softly, "Good girl."
After seeing Yin Yuan off, Leng Cuizhu was stiff and cold all over. She dressed and searched the room for a long time before finally lifting the bed curtains and meeting You En's eyes.
Are you cold?
He took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders.
"...What good is this?" She breathed on her palms and rubbed them together.
"Shall we cover ourselves with a blanket?"
Eun made her lie down on the bed, and as she asked, he took out several blankets from the closet, covered her with them, and carefully tucked the corners of the blankets in.
She curled up on the bed, her nose itching, and quickly covered it: "Achoo!"
It's easy to catch a cold in winter. Standing naked for so long, no wonder your body couldn't take it.
"I'll go make you some ginger tea."
She asked in a muffled voice, "Can you cook?"
"I learned from seeing how you persevered before."
Before leaving, Eun drew the bed curtains to prevent any draft from getting in.
Leng Cuizhu lay on the bed, sneezing incessantly.
"He must have caught a cold... Buying medicine will be another expense."
Thinking that keeping her warm might help her recover, she huddled under the covers.
They would cover it up for a long time.
She had slept enough and opened her eyes groggily, catching a glimpse of silver hair on her shoulder.
“…Euen?”
A voice came from beside my ear: "Awake?"
She turned her head away.
The man hugged her from behind, his chest pressed against her back, their hair intertwined, their black and white hair tangled together.
The cool fragrance of orchids filled her pillow, but she became even more confused.
"How could you..."
Yuen lowered her silver eyelashes: "Madam was feeling cold all over just now, and I was so anxious that... I'm sorry, it was my rudeness."
He loosened his grip on her waist slightly, letting his hand rest loosely on her waist.
"...So that's how it is."
Leng Cuizhu glanced sideways, feeling both annoyed and slightly bothered.
“But this is not really appropriate. You are a single man, and I am not a widow. I already have a husband.”
"It's all my fault; I didn't consider this aspect."
“But madam,” he said gently, “I was anxious to warm you up, so I took off my outer robe and left it on the rack by the window.”
"It's so cold outside, madam. Could you let me stay? Just this once."
Just this once.
For a fleeting moment, Leng Cuizhu felt a flutter in her heart.
Just once.
Just this once.
Yin Yuan will never know.
Apart from the two of them, no one else would know about this.
"……good."
The bowl of steaming ginger soup on the table remained untouched, even as it cooled and frosted over.
He held her in his arms; that was warm enough.
The next morning, Leng Cuizhu woke up first, quietly removed the man's hand from her waist, and sat up.
Yuen shared a pillow with her last night; her hair lay on the pillow, white as snow.
The undergarment he wore still bore the creases left by her leaning against it.
Leng Cuizhu stared, feeling her eyes burning. Her gaze moved upward and landed on the man's face.
His deep-set eyebrows relaxed, and there was a pink mark on the bridge of his nose.
She pondered for a while, then looked down and realized it was from her own hair pressing down on him; he had been leaning on her shoulder all night.
"……"
It became even more dazzling.
She closed her eyes and held her breath for a long time, then stood on the bed, stepped over the sleeping man, and got out of bed to wash up.
The bed curtains stirred slightly, and the man on the bed opened one eye to look at the graceful figure hidden behind the curtains.
He slept a little further in, gently inhaling the fragrance on the pillow and touching the lingering warmth of the bed, and smiled faintly.
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