Chapter 41 "Young Master Si Qing looks just like your son..."
"If you like this style, I'll have someone buy it tomorrow."
Her aimless glances shifted to the calm, still pond.
The water was crystal clear, reflecting her and the man beside her in the sunlight.
After Yin Yuan finished speaking, he stared at her intently without blinking, his breathing extremely weak.
His gaze, however, was forceful and piercing.
Her fair face was flushed red from the sun. After a moment, she turned her head and smiled at the man: "Okay."
She took off the bracelet from her wrist and deftly tossed it into the pond.
The bracelet floated on the water for a short time before quickly sinking, leaving only ripples spreading across the surface.
"Then you must buy me more, sir, so I can wear them in rotation."
"That's natural."
A rare smile appeared on Yin Yuan's face, but it was fleeting, and he then stared at her silently.
I gazed at her captivating eyes and slightly upturned lips.
Little by little, memorize the curve of her eyes and the corners of her lips.
Distinguish the true from the false.
After Yin Yuan left, she went into the water, retrieved the bracelet, and put it back on her wrist.
This man locked her in this unfamiliar place, claiming he didn't want anyone to disturb them.
Now look what's happened! The job I finally found is gone, and I'm stuck in this godforsaken place, unable to even see Dodder and Leng Zhen.
She really misjudged him.
Perhaps he is trying to change, but only a little bit. If he stays any longer, his true nature will be exposed.
What's ingrained in your bones is futile no matter how much you try to change it.
She brushed the mud off her skirt, wiped the mud off her hands haphazardly on her body, and went to the bathroom to shower.
There were no bathing supplies in the bathroom, only a bathtub.
She heated the water herself and poured it into the bathtub. Since there were no bath sponges or bath towels, she simply took off her clothes, soaked in the water, and scrubbed herself.
The water was poured out in small amounts, only reaching the lower abdomen.
She then scooped water and poured it over her breasts. The hot water scalded her skin until it turned red, and her bare shoulders trembled in the wind. Clearly, she couldn't take care of both at the same time.
I just have to be quick and get dressed as soon as I'm done washing.
She was bending down to scoop water when a strand of hair on her back was suddenly lifted.
I tugged at it.
It pulled her head back.
The man stood by the bathtub and pulled her hair.
He glanced at the bracelet on her wrist.
Leng Cuizhu gritted her teeth and laughed, "My lord, you're hurting me..."
Yin Yuan withdrew his hand and rubbed the water stains on the back of his hand.
She swept her hair back to her chest, turned to the man, and asked, "Why did you suddenly come?"
He didn't look up.
"...I came to see you."
Leng Cuizhu always felt that there was something strange about Yin Yuan that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
When she turned around just now, Yin Yuan seemed to look forlorn for a moment.
"Stand up."
"Is that alright?" he asked.
His tone was sincere, but it didn't sound like a request at all.
That wasn't it to begin with.
She sat hesitantly in the water, and was finally pulled up by Yin Yuan.
Water poured down my body, gushing back into the bathtub.
The man caressed her flushed shoulder, ran his fingers through her hair, letting the remaining water drip down her arms and wet her sleeves.
Then, the hand moved down a little, gently pinched, and slowly rubbed.
She almost fell because of her unsteady legs, but the man reached out and pulled her into his arms. Water splashed everywhere and glistened in the sunlight.
Leaning against the man's chest, her face and hair were soaked with a large patch of fabric. The man held the back of her head with one hand, making her bury herself deeper, while the other hand parted her fragrant, dark hair and gently held her soft body.
Although Yin Yuan was physically weak, his hands were nimble and he could always find her weak spot and touch her with a light touch.
She couldn't resist teasing him, pinching all ten fingers until her fingertips turned white and her cheeks flushed pink.
He whispered in his ear, "When summer is over and it's cool, come with me to Xilin County."
Xilin County is the largest county in the prefecture, and it does not belong to the same prefecture as the county where they are currently living. Even by fast horse-drawn carriage, it would take four or five days to get there.
That place also had many more high-ranking officials and nobles, and I heard that several royal families lived there.
Leng Cuizhu nodded, her voice trembling, melancholic and indistinct, like a silver needle tracing patterns on tattered cloth: "...You've been promoted again?"
“No, it’s just for the convenience of performing my duties.” He gazed at her, tracing the watermarks on her chest. “This place holds some bad memories for you. Let’s go somewhere else.”
She murmured softly, closed her eyes, and replied quietly, "Okay."
Just as she expected.
Yin Yuan had been mediocre in officialdom for more than ten years, so it was impossible for him to suddenly have a breakthrough and be promoted two ranks in less than a year.
Something you can't count on.
"Has the master told Zhenzhen?"
Yin Yuan shook his head.
"Do I still have to go and talk to him?" Her legs were a little stiff, and she rested her head on the man's shoulder. "Well, at least let me meet him, right?"
Leng Cuizhu knew Yin Yuan's personality well.
He would ignore Leng Zhen if he could, and avoid seeing her if he could.
Even though he was almost stabbed to death by Leng Zhen, when they met again, he would only remain silent, and even after glancing at her a few times, he would slip away with his guards, leaving the mess for her to sort out.
She doesn't care about her own son, but she cares about all sorts of trivial things.
Yin Yuan: "Mm."
"...You picked up the bracelet again?"
When she first received the agate bracelet from the shop assistant, she certainly didn't expect it to have this effect today.
Yu En asked, and Yin Yuan also asked.
It's just an ordinary bracelet, at most a bit pretty. She didn't understand why it would make the man next to her so wary.
She didn't even know who gave her the gift.
The day after tomorrow, Yin Yuan ordered someone to bring her to the Yin residence.
As they disembarked from the carriage, they happened to see Leng Zhen entering the mansion through a side gate.
She called out to Leng Zhen, "Zhenzhen, let's not go today. Let's eat at a restaurant."
Leng Zhen stood there, stunned, and turned to stare at her.
He carried an empty basket on his back, with a dirty strip of cloth tied to his shoulder strap, and his face was covered in grime, the source of which was unknown.
"...Oh, okay."
Halfway there, Leng Zhen asked her something unexpected.
"Is Xiao Du coming too?"
"Xiao Du?" She realized after asking that Leng Zhen was asking about Tu Si Zi. "Ah, he's not coming, it's just the two of us."
"Haven't you been wanting to eat crab roe noodles and wondering what crab roe tastes like? How about we go eat that today?"
Leng Zhen curled her lip.
"Of course."
Although it was modest and not as nice as what they had at the Yin residence, at least it was my mother's thoughtfulness. Besides, it wasn't his money that was being spent.
Although he was dissatisfied, he didn't say anything.
It was still early, and there were few customers in the restaurant. The mother and son found a secluded corner in the lobby and sat down. A waiter came over and handed them the menu.
"Thank you for your help." Leng Cuizhu smiled as she took the menu, glancing at Leng Zhen beside her who was constantly adjusting her sleeves.
He didn't seem very comfortable either.
She lowered her eyes.
In addition to two bowls of crab roe noodles, she also ordered a bayberry drink for Leng Zhen to drink if she felt the food was too salty.
After the waiter left, she asked, "How are your injuries?"
Leng Zhen's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.
"Not done yet..."
"It's scabbed over?"
He nodded, then rolled up his sleeve under the table to show her the dense scars on his arm.
Leng Cuizhu glanced at it only once, then looked up and sighed.
"After we finish eating the noodles, I'll take you to buy some scar-removing cream. Apply it carefully every day so that no marks are left."
She knew that buying some ointment wouldn't help. Leng Zhen had hurt herself in the past and would continue to do so in the future; the problem lay in her mental illness.
I don't know when it started, but he developed such a twisted personality. He would get sad and cry every day over some trivial things. He would be having a good conversation with her, but then he would turn around and start crying again.
At first, she didn't understand and would ask him why he was crying and tell him not to cry all the time, but each time he would only cry even more uncontrollably. So later, she gradually accepted it.
Perhaps he had been harboring some kind of resentment in his heart, which she, as his mother, could not understand, nor could she comprehend.
Being a mother is tiring, being a child is tiring, each has its own difficulties.
"Life goes on," Leng Cuizhu murmured, straightening his folded cuffs. "You're still young."
“What about Yin Yuan?” Leng Zhen’s eyes welled up with tears. “What if he doesn’t want me to continue living like this?”
He acted impulsively at the time, and when he got the chance to take revenge, he stabbed Yin Yuan more than a dozen times without thinking about the consequences.
These past few days, he had been dining at the Yin residence with constant anxiety, fearing that Yin Yuan would discover his whereabouts and seek revenge.
Going to the Yin residence is like a bird entering a cage.
But he had to go, even if it meant pulling a tiger's whisker from its jaws.
Leng Cuizhu: "He has forgiven you."
"ah?"
She took out two pairs of chopsticks from the bamboo tube, wiped them with a handkerchief, and placed one pair in front of Leng Zhen.
"Let's just consider this matter over and not bring it up again. Even if he sees you then, he won't pursue the matter further."
"What grudges could there be between a biological father and son?"
Once the waiter brought the noodles over, the atmosphere between the two relaxed a bit, and they stopped talking about those sad things, lowering their heads to eat their noodles together.
Leng Zhen was pouring her tea when she noticed a large crowd entering the hall and clicked her tongue, "Why are some people carrying sedan chairs in?"
Leng Cuizhu didn't look up: "It's probably because that person's appearance is not convenient to be revealed. Perhaps it's an unmarried daughter from a wealthy family."
"Try this plum juice; the flavor doesn't go well once the ice melts."
"oh."
Leng Zhen lowered her head and drank her soup.
A while later, Leng Cuizhu finished her noodles, wiped her mouth, and prepared to go find the shopkeeper to pay the bill. Just as she looked up, a face came close to her.
The woman looked her over from left to right, then turned to look at Leng Zhen, who was eating noodles with her head down.
Turning his head, he called out to her, "Cui Zhu!"
Leng Cuizhu felt a sense of unfamiliarity towards the woman in front of her, who was dressed in gold and silver and as beautiful as a peach blossom. Confused, she asked, "...Who are you?"
The woman slapped her on the shoulder: "I'm Xiaolian!"
"Little Lian, who shared a bedding with you! How come you don't recognize me?"
Hearing the woman's clear, bell-like voice, she was confused for a long time before finally remembering.
"Lu Miaolian?"
Lu Miaolian was five years younger than her. They used to live and eat together in a brothel and promised to be best friends for life.
She had not seen Lu Miaolian for nineteen years.
"Oh, right, I am Miaolian." Lu Miaolian waved her hand, the white jade bracelet on her wrist shining brightly.
She pointed to Leng Zhen beside her: "Is this your son?"
Leng Cuizhu nodded and pulled Lu Miaolian to sit in the middle: "Ah, yes, Miaolian."
"Zhenzhen, this is Aunt Lu, say hello quickly."
Leng Zhen was a little dazed, but she still put down her chopsticks and listened to Leng Cuizhu's words: "Hello, Aunt Lu."
"You've grown so much," Lu Miaolian said, pinching Leng Zhen's cheeks and touching his arm, filled with emotion. "You're even older than your mother was back then..."
“She left without saying a word, and didn’t tell me where she went. It was only later that the other sisters told me that she was pregnant with you and that she left secretly because she was afraid of hurting me.”
As Lu Miaolian wiped away her tears, she turned away and leaned against Leng Cuizhu's chest: "Sister, you made me so angry back then, how could you just abandon me like that!"
Leng Cuizhu held Lu Miaolian's hand, unsure of what to say.
When she left, Lu Miaolian was only twelve years old, still a young girl, and didn't understand the saying that all good things must come to an end.
But she's a young woman, and it wouldn't be good for the two of them to waste their lives in a brothel.
After Lu Miaolian finished crying, she took her hands and said with a smile, "It's okay, I stopped blaming you a long time ago."
She glanced at the bowls on the table: "Is this all you're eating? Come on, let's go upstairs and have something better!" Then, she and Leng Cuizhu walked upstairs hand in hand.
Leng Zhen awkwardly touched the red marks on her face and followed behind the two.
“A few months after you left, I was sold by the madam.” Lu Miaolian poured tea for the mother and son as she spoke. “I was sold to the current salt merchant and went to Jiangnan with that old man to work as a slut.”
She wiped her sweat with a handkerchief and handed the small bowl of bird's nest in front of her to Leng Cuizhu: "Sister Cuizhu, eat this, it's good for your health. You always gave me the food before, now you should eat some of mine!"
Leng Cuizhu shook her head repeatedly: "Miaolian, I can't get used to this..."
She and Lu Miaolian used to be good friends, but now, after more than ten years apart, their friendship has long since faded.
Lu Miaolian hesitated for a moment, then nodded wistfully: "Alright... then give it to the child! Children need to grow." She then pushed the bowl of bird's nest in front of Leng Zhen.
Leng Zhen readily accepted the offer: "Thank you, Aunt Xiaolian."
Why not eat it if it's free? Besides, Lu Miaolian doesn't seem like the kind of person who would order him around for a bowl of bird's nest.
Leng Cuizhu then asked, "You went to Jiangnan? Then why are you here again?"
“That salt merchant Li is setting a trap,” Lu Miaolian said, flicking her handkerchief and whispering in her ear, “Your county is poor, but it has a lot of wasteland.”
"The county magistrate specifically sent people to investigate, and they found that salt could be extracted from those cliffs and slopes. So they thought, secretly... you understand?"
Leng Cuizhu didn't understand.
"...You understand, right?"
“But those wastelands don’t belong to the government; they’re other people’s private property,” Lu Miaolian smiled and hugged her. “Sister, oh sister, it’s truly a miracle that I’ve run into you again! How could it be such a coincidence!”
Leng Cuizhu was being held in an embrace when she heard Lu Miaolian giggle.
"The honey trap is most effective on men in their prime, saving both money and effort."
"A honey trap?" Leng Cuizhu was startled. "What honey trap? Who's the honey trap?"
Lu Miaolian took off the jade bracelet from her wrist and put it on her hand.
"You, my dear sister."
“Me?” she suddenly jumped up.
Leng Zhen, who was eating bird's nest, looked up.
Before they met, the two women hadn't noticed him, so he sat closer and eavesdropped.
Lu Miaolian pulled her back to sit down.
"You know the master of those wastelands, the one who used to sit downstairs waiting for you and call you Sister Little Candle. He even had a quail fight with me!"
Leng Cuizhu really couldn't remember; after all, it happened more than ten years ago, and she had long forgotten about it.
"...Who is it?"
“Young Master Si Qing,” Lu Miaolian said, “is the one with more than a dozen elder brothers, both legitimate and illegitimate. He has now inherited his father’s title. I really didn’t expect that he would actually inherit it…”
Seeing that Leng Cuizhu still looked confused, she continued to describe: "You really don't remember? It's the one who came to see you once, and then he kept pestering you, wandering around the brothel every day looking for you! He was weak and sickly, always coughing, and once he even fainted in the brothel, muttering that he wanted to see Sister Xiaozhu, that he wanted to find Sister Xiaozhu."
"He's a real pretty boy... he's handsome..."
Lu Miaolian turned around and pointed at Leng Zhen: "She looks just like your son, with a pale face full of moles!"
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