Chapter 24 What are Yin Yuan and You En arguing about? ...
Leng Cuizhu: "So what if you know you're wrong? Do you want me to keep cleaning up your messes?"
"What are you? A leech? Why are you sucking my blood like that..."
"I'm risking my life."
"I came here today to visit you, just to see how you are, whether you are weak, and whether you have been bullied."
"Obviously not."
"Not only that, I also underestimated you. You're very good at pleasing women, especially older ones."
"Yeah?"
He opened his eyes wide, but his gaze was unfocused, and his lips parted slightly: "He knows how to please not only women, but also men."
No one present could have predicted that the criminal who had taken the county government hostage would actually lower his head and kiss the cheek of the man in front of him.
Chen Xun sensed the eerie aura and abruptly turned his head to dodge, but Leng Zhen's lips only brushed against the side of his neck.
He pushed Leng Zhen away, but she grabbed his beard and ripped off the tuft of hair on his chin.
"Quickly, quickly seize the culprit Leng Zhen! Forget about his mother!"
"Drag him away and lock him in the dungeon!"
Leng Cuizhu stood there, stunned, watching as nearly ten jailers rushed in and subdued Leng Zhen. Chen Xun scrambled out of the crowd in a panic, covering his chin.
What did Leng Zhen just say?
Are there still men?
He still wants to kiss Lord Chen?
"Hey, hey, my wife, don't faint, don't faint!"
Chen Xun put his arm around her shoulder to prevent her from hitting her head on the ground.
"Listen to me, my dear wife... Don't worry, I'll lock your son in the dungeon later. There are only vicious dogs there, no women, no men..."
"This is practically a workplace injury..." He lowered his head, his left hand rubbing his neck incessantly until his skin turned red and hot.
Leng Cuizhu was unable to calm down for a long time. She never expected that Leng Zhen would actually have homosexual tendencies.
She covered her mouth and leaned against Chen Xun's chest, stunned for a moment.
Why is it soft?
"My wife, let's go back."
"Oh, yes, sir..."
After this incident, it became impossible for her to get Chen Xun to take good care of Leng Zhen again; she was even too ashamed to face Lord Chen.
She didn't understand why Leng Zhen would do this. She had never understood Leng Zhen before, and now that he had truly become a homosexual, she would understand even less.
She just couldn't help but think of the scene where Leng Zhen forcibly kissed Chen Xun.
...Lord Chen shouldn't be gay, right?
Leng Zhen did indeed harass Lord Chen.
The main issue here isn't whether Leng Zhen kissed a man or a woman, but that he attempted to force himself on someone.
However, Leng Cuizhu really couldn't accept Leng Zhen forcing a man.
Because she had always been afraid that her child might have such thoughts.
If Leng Zhen really got pregnant and actually slept with Yin Yuan, it would mean that the plot of the whole book was progressing normally, and all her efforts and struggles would be in vain.
When Eun was away, the dodder secretly told her that her final fate would only be death.
He died in humiliation.
He died despised by everyone.
She didn't want to die.
She wants to live.
Leng Cuizhu sat on the couch and scratched her cheek.
Or should she castrate Leng Zhen?
No, absolutely not... What am I even thinking?
How disgusting! And if she really did that, the dodder would definitely not agree. It would jump up and keep talking incessantly with its beak.
The male lead cannot be killed, the male lead must not be killed...
The male protagonist in this kind of book can be both listless and capable in bed?
So tolerant.
Can we be a little more tolerant of her?
She could wrap her chest with strips of cloth and pretend to be a man.
Oh, and I need to put on a fake mustache too.
She sighed, lay down on the couch, and fell into a deep sleep.
The rooms in the Yin residence were much more comfortable than her own, and the finest sandalwood incense was always burning.
Even the best things can become tiresome if used too often, and this is especially true for fragrances.
In the middle of the night, her throat became dry and itchy from the smoke. She vaguely thought of getting up to find water, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure by the bed.
And that wisp of white hair on her shoulder.
"Eun?"
"How did you get here?" Her throat was dry as she kept asking, "How did you find this place? You must have been looking for a long time, right? Did anyone find you?"
"……No."
She raised her hand, touched the man's head, and stroked his hair: "Are you sleepy?"
“Climb up,” she said, lifting a corner of the blanket. “Get in.”
"Then don't wear clothes."
She closed her eyes and murmured, "Too much trouble..."
The sound in my ears clearly stopped.
After a long while, just as she was about to drift off to sleep, she heard a rustling sound; it must be Eun taking off her clothes.
His movements seemed unusually slow today.
“Cold Green Candle…”
"Why aren't you calling me master anymore?" She chuckled softly, rubbing her forehead. "Come on up."
Another period of silence followed.
After a while, the bed beside her finally sank in, and the man lifted the blanket and slowly crawled in, his body feeling as heavy as lead.
She rolled over and snuggled into his arms, gently stroking the man's back.
"Why is it so hard..."
The cold green candle creased her brows.
He was very tense.
My body feels so cold, and my chest feels uncomfortable, like it's padded with some kind of material.
"Have you been feeling unwell lately?"
"..."
"Um."
"It's my fault for neglecting you."
She lowered her head and kissed the man's collarbone, her fingertips gently stroking his hair: "After this period is over, I'll make you some medicinal cuisine to help you recover."
Instead of being grateful to her, those around her became even more silent, their hearts growing colder.
She couldn't even feel the man's breath, not even a trace of it.
It was as if he were embracing a puppet. His heavy, hard hands rested on her waist, stroking her ribs and pinching her skin until it caved in.
When two cold-hearted people embrace, not only can they not help each other, but the situation becomes even more gloomy.
All night long, the only warmth she felt was from something licking her eyelids as she drifted off to sleep, and her long eyelashes being stroked back and forth endlessly.
It's nothing more than a soul as fragile as willow catkins, about to be blown away.
The next day, Leng Cuizhu woke up to find no one beside her. You En must have turned into a crow and flown away, taking his clothes with him.
She has been staying at the Yin residence for the past few days and has not gone back.
She was worried that Eun and Dodder would think she was missing and go out to look for her but got lost. She finally felt relieved after sleeping with Eun last night.
Now, I just hope that the dodder doesn't steal too much grain at home, so that she won't have no rice to eat when she comes home in the future.
As she passed the main hall in the front yard, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure inside.
She was dressed in a gray robe and wore a veil.
And he was carrying a... chicken coop?
Yin Yuan sat in the armchair, his face deathly pale, but his lips were bitten into an eerie red.
"You'd better get out now."
Eun stood quietly, speaking slowly and deliberately: "My lord, I have an agreement with her."
"Agreement?"
"What agreement?"
"You took her casual remark as an agreement? Do you think this is child's play?"
Yin Yuan frowned and placed the teacup in his hand on the sandalwood table beside him.
"play house?"
Yu En sneered, "Your Excellency and she can only play house in bed?"
Yin Yuan gritted his teeth, remained silent for a long time, and then let out a series of violent coughs. His hands trembled as he reached for the teacup on the table, but no amount of tea could stop the coughing. He could only wait for it to slowly subside.
"...You think you can control her with your body? There are plenty of men like you. You're just a joke to her."
“But she can’t live without me. Every piece of clothing she wears, every hairpin she wears, even the bed you’re lying on, is paid for with my money.”
"Don't always think that love is enough for everything. There are so many feelings between me and her that are more precious than love. I have been with her for eighteen years. No matter how many tricks you use, she will eventually get tired and weary of you."
“Bored, exhausted…”
"Is this a cautionary tale from the adults?"
"What kind of monster are you?!"
Yin Yuan suddenly smashed the teacup at the man.
The teacup crashed to the ground with a loud "crash," splashing tea all over the floor, with a few drops landing on Eun's clothes.
A few drops flew far away and splashed onto Lengcui Zhuxie, who was peeking through the doorway.
Leng Cuizhu withdrew and leaned against the pillar.
Why has Yin Yuan become so irritable? Has his personality changed drastically after being provoked? When You En asked a few ordinary questions, he became so agitated that he almost hurt You En.
Is it a mad dog?
She must avoid contact with Yin Yuan in the future to avoid incurring his wrath.
While Yin Yuan and You En were arguing, the chickens in the cage secretly escaped and followed the scent to find Leng Cuizhu, who was hiding outside the door.
"Host--"
The rooster fluttered into her skirt, its claws clinging to one of her legs, looking pitiful: "You... why didn't you say goodbye before leaving?... I thought you were dead, I was even prepared to die for you..."
Leng Cuizhu lifted her skirt and removed the rooster that was clinging to her calf.
"You think I'd believe your nonsense? You've probably been sleeping in the rice bin these past few days, haven't you?"
"Get out of the way, it smells like chicken manure."
"There's no chicken poop smell, where's the chicken poop smell? I only eat, I don't poop! I even took a bath! Feel my fur..."
Leng Cuizhu kicked the rooster: "How disgusting! I won't touch your feathers."
"Then touch my chicken..."
"Shut up."
"oh."
The rooster closed its beak, then opened it again: "Your son hasn't come back these past few days either."
"He went to jail."
"W-w-w-what?!"
"Going to jail!" The rooster's eyes widened. "Really going to jail?"
Leng Cuizhu: "Really, he'll be released from prison next year."
"It's clearly next year?!"
"What should I do about my mission? What about the main storyline? Although this book doesn't really have a main storyline, it's all about doing things..."
The rooster jumped up and pecked at the back of her hand: "Host, are you crazy? I've told you so many times, you can't rewrite the plot, nothing you do will work... and now you've gone so far as to send him to prison?"
“It’s not my fault. Leng Zhen himself didn’t follow the rules and stole other people’s things. He deserves to be punished.”
"What right do you have to criticize me? Why are you being so aggressive towards me?" She touched the peck marks on the back of her hand, and, unable to contain her anger, kicked the rooster back into the main hall.
The continuous argument in the central hall suddenly stopped.
Who's outside?
For no apparent reason, Leng Cuizhu smiled, withdrew her leg that was about to go elsewhere, and turned to enter the hall.
The two men in the hall both looked serious, their eyes fixed on her.
She stepped over the molting chicken on the ground, sat down on a wooden chair, and tapped the armrest lightly with the tips of her fingernails.
Today she was dressed in simple clothes, with light makeup, and her eyes were clear and charming when she smiled.
"What's the matter?"
Now she finally understood why Leng Zhen had been so obsessed with cricket fighting since childhood.
She doesn't like arguing, but when people argue for her, they fight to the death and both sides are badly hurt. This is very different from ordinary arguments.
The difference is that she only treats those people like crickets; if one cricket dies, it's no big deal, she can just buy another one.
They only lost their lives, but they brought her amusement.
That's enough.
She's happy, they're willing, it's a win-win situation.
She did not hurt anyone.
"I was passing by the main hall when I heard a commotion inside."
Her eyes sparkled: "My lord, who is this person wearing a veil...?"
"...Lingniang, you want me to answer you, who is he?"
Yin Yuan's hands still had tea stains on them, and his fists were clenched so tightly that his bones cracked.
How should I answer?
How should he answer?
How should he answer?
He didn't know how to answer.
He couldn't answer.
He didn't want to answer.
I must answer that.
Answer her.
“Yours…” His stagnant eyes trembled, trembled, staring blankly at her, unable to utter a word.
Answer her.
Answer her.
Answer her...
What could he possibly say to her?
spouse?
lover?
servant?
His mistress, with her lover, her lover, and her servants, must have been naked in bed, indulging in unrestrained behavior, making lewd noises.
She would intertwine with her lover, her lover, and her servants.
They pleased her, and she pleased them in return.
And what exactly is he?
A corner that is weary and exhausted.
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Author's note: In the part where Yin Yuan and You En are arguing, a few lines borrow from the Chinese lyrics of "Step Back," but the genders have been changed.
My soul, like willow catkins, seems about to shatter in the wind, lingering to the ends of the earth. —Nalan Ci
There are no BL (Boys' Love) pairings in the book, and the male characters don't even have any friendships; any two of them would be mutually intolerant.
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