Chapter 58 "I thought you liked it when I used my mouth..."
Ever since that day when she slept in Si Qing's room, Leng Cuizhu's head had been foggy and she couldn't muster any energy. She was tired during the day and tired at night, and no matter how much sleep she got, it was all in vain.
After much thought, she decided to go to the clinic to get some prescriptions for treating fatigue.
It was lunchtime, and not only were there few people on the streets, but there were also few people in the clinic. The old master was sleeping on a recliner, with a palm-leaf fan covering his face, while the other apprentices were also sitting against the wall, dozing off.
The clinic was filled with the sounds of snoring. A man stood in front of the counter, writing and drawing with his head down, his long bangs obscuring his face.
She approached and called out, "Young man, can I get the medicine now?"
The man put down his calligraphy brush and looked up.
"Mother, what are you doing here?" Leng Zhen's face was covered in ink stains, which mixed with her small mole, making her skin appear even whiter.
"Where are you sick?"
"It's you? What are you doing here?"
Leng Zhen said calmly, "I make money by writing prescriptions."
"Oh..." She knew Leng Zhen had been writing down recipes, but she had previously thought it was a joke, since Leng Zhen had brought home very little money in the past few months, almost none. Perhaps she was hiding the money she had earned.
"I keep dozing off, and I also feel dizzy and weak, so I came to get some medicine."
"Okay, I'll catch it for you."
He went straight to the medicine cabinet, grabbed several kinds of medicinal herbs, piled them all in a cloth bag, and after he finished grabbing them, he tied the bag shut and handed it to her.
How much is it?
"What do you need the money for?" Leng Zhen glanced at the apprentices in the corner. "Take it and leave."
The apprentices at the shop often harassed him, and the master craftsman always made fun of him. It was already a miracle that he hadn't poisoned the water and killed the old and young people; asking him to pay for the medicine was simply a pipe dream.
He didn't understand what that old codger had to laugh at him for.
How strange it is to have flowers embroidered on the cuffs!
Is this old man still single? Doesn't he have anyone to sew his clothes? Does he just throw away his clothes when they're torn?
Leng Cuizhu awkwardly took the cloth bag, which was bulging and stuffed with medicinal herbs. She held it in her arms, and it emitted a bitter smell.
"So, are you coming home for dinner tonight? Or are you going to Young Master Si's house?"
Leng Zhen shook her head and remained silent.
“Okay,” she nodded, “By the way, what do you think about him wanting to take you as his godson?”
"I heard you agreed?"
"I didn't think about anything, I just wanted to get as much benefit as possible."
He was in prison and couldn't get food, but Si Qing brought him fresh food, so he casually agreed to become Si Qing's adopted son.
In truth, he was unwilling.
He just wanted to get rid of this person as soon as possible.
The longer Si Qing stays in the county, the greater the danger he faces.
After getting the medicine, Leng Cuizhu strolled around the streets for a while, and it was already dusk when she got home.
She bought herself some pancakes for dinner and ate them as she walked. When she reached the alley entrance, she was stopped by a chattering group of aunties and grandmothers.
"Oh, Miss Leng, is that your home?" The auntie turned her head, saw her, pulled her into the crowd, and pointed to the gate of a house about a mile away.
The entrance was packed with people, and Leng Cuizhu could see Xiao Yu and the guards of the Yin family among them.
It's over.
She paused in her bite of the pancake, then silently wrapped it in paper and put it in her pocket.
"Hey, what's going on?"
The aunties and grandmothers all crowded around, asking questions incessantly.
"Lady Leng, how could you be so good at keeping secrets? We've been neighbors for months and no one knew your husband was an official!"
"Yes, yes, Miss Leng, if you're free sometime, come play bridge with us. If you don't know how, I'll teach you!"
The auntie grabbed a chicken from the spot and shoved it into her hand, smiling as she said, "Madam, this is a free-range chicken from my own farm. Take it home and have a taste, take it home and have a taste!"
"My lady, my son went to the yamen a few days ago to apply for a position as a clerk, but we don't know yet if he's been accepted. Could you go and ask him about it?"
She wasn't dizzy from the crowd; she pushed aside the women around her and staggered quickly toward her door.
"Make way! Make way!"
She shouted at the group of guards and servants at the door.
The tense atmosphere eased somewhat, and everyone turned to look at her.
Xiao Yu greeted her with a smile: "My lady, you're back! The Marquis is inside."
"He asked you through his servant if you wanted to come over for some pastries and tea later, as he recently acquired a pearl bird."
“No…” She glanced at the guard beside her.
She had a very deep impression of that guard because she rarely saw someone so ugly.
I don't know when he came to the Yin residence, but the first time I saw him was when he was standing with Yin Yuan, and after that he always followed Yin Yuan.
The guard who originally accompanied Yin Yuan wasn't handsome, but at least he was decent-looking and young. I don't know why they had to replace him with someone so ugly. It just made Yin Yuan look even more aloof and noble.
"Um... is the master inside too?" she asked the guard.
The guard grinned and nodded.
She walked in, but was quickly pulled back.
Xiao Yu explained, "My lady, the Marquis has ordered that you cannot go in. If you really wish to rest, why don't you go next door? There are pastries and tea there."
"...This is my home, how can you not let me go back to my own home?"
She pushed aside the people standing at the door and squeezed in amidst the chaos.
Before she could recover from the chaos, she was intimidated by the stares of the two people in front of her.
Yin Yuan stood under the magnolia tree in the courtyard, dressed in a wide-sleeved, purplish-red robe, his expression composed: "Perfect timing, she's back."
"Oh? Okay," Si Qing smiled and pulled her over, speaking softly, "Sister, tell him yourself what you want to do."
She frowned, puzzled: "...What do I want to do?"
"The request I made to you that day," Si Qing reminded her.
The request you made that day? Could it be...?
She held Si Qing's hand while looking at Yin Yuan, and after hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke: "My lord, I wish to be Zhenzhen's godfather."
Yin Yuan's expression remained unchanged: "I've already said, do as you please."
He lowered his gaze and fixed it on their clasped hands: "Let go of each other's hands."
She abruptly withdrew her hand.
Si Qing frowned for a moment, but still unwilling to give up, she grabbed her wrist again, forcefully holding her hand and interlocking their fingers.
Then it was lifted up and shaken, right in front of Yin Yuan.
"I'm sorry, it's because I don't want to let go."
"Uh," she said in the almost frozen atmosphere, "I'm sleepy, I'm going back to sleep for a while..."
Neither of the two people in front of her made a move; they simply stared intently at her.
Si Qing still held her hand tightly. His excessive intimacy, especially in front of her husband of over ten years, made her extremely uncomfortable.
She whispered, urging, "Si Qing, let go..."
The man then let go.
She hurriedly turned around and walked into the house. As she went up the steps, her belt was pulled, and she fell backward into the man's arms.
A pair of arms encircled her chest, the cold jade pendant digging into the back of his neck.
A chill ran down her spine as she heard whispers.
"Sister, you haven't told him yet."
"You know what I'm talking about, right? You're the smartest; you know everything."
The sound was like a demonic chant.
She suddenly realized: "No, no..."
She absolutely could not discuss leaving Yin Yuan in this situation.
Before she could escape, Si Qing spoke.
"Lord Yin, are you aware that Sister Xiaozhu and I are getting married? I wouldn't mind if you came to our wedding banquet next month."
Yin Yuan, who had remained silent all along, was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and anger slowly appeared in his eyes: "Is Young Master Si hallucinating? If you really feel itchy, go find a rat hole to poke around in, instead of going crazy here."
Leng Cuizhu broke free from Si Qing's embrace, lifted her skirt, and ran into the house. Just as she reached the door, several guards rushed out of the house and blocked her way.
“Leng Cuizhu,” Yin Yuan said, sitting down on a stone bench in the courtyard, “come down and explain things clearly before you go to sleep.”
She seemed to have a choice, but in reality, she had no choice at all, and could only nod awkwardly: "...Okay."
She found a stone bench next to Yin Yuan and sat down. Seeing this, Si Qing, who had been left aside, sat down next to her, and the three of them sat in a row.
She was sandwiched between two men, and she lowered her head in frustration, taking out the half-eaten naan bread from her pocket and nibbling on it one bite at a time.
"I don't care whether Leng Zhen lives or dies, but Your Excellency should keep your promise and stay away from her."
She glanced at Yin Yuan.
Yin Yuan also glanced at her, then turned back to stare at the fragrant flowers and plants in the courtyard.
She lowered her eyes and continued eating her pancake.
"keep away?"
"Why should I stay away?" Si Qing laughed. "Since you're so afraid, just let go."
"If I were to immediately make that kid recognize me as his godfather, you'd probably be even more afraid, wouldn't you? After all, you'd lose your only respectable son."
“Fine, I’ll stay away if I want to. But if my adopted son misses me, I will naturally come to see him, so that he won’t suffer any abuse at the hands of his biological father.”
"After all, she is Sister Xiaozhu's flesh and blood, so I will definitely take good care of her."
That's scary.
She lowered her head even further.
Fights between men are terrifying.
Yin Yuan: "I don't want Leng Zhen, you can have her."
"Take him with you, and hurry up."
"Huh?" She looked up. "My lord, how could you so easily give away your own son?"
"Because there are frivolous and dissolute people who want to ruin our relationship, and there are also people who are narrow-minded and judge people as bad, allowing the wicked to do evil, which chills the hearts of the good."
"……Can't understand."
Just as she was lamenting that Yin Yuan was starting to nitpick over words again, Si Qing hit the nail on the head.
"Oh dear, when the prefect gets angry, he really doesn't care about anyone... He even dares to mock his lover who has been with him for many years."
"At first, I thought there was some pure and innocent love between you two, after all, she gave up a lot for you, including me. I never expected that poverty would bring misfortune to a couple."
"No, I remember you two didn't seem to be a couple, did you? If so, you can't really be considered a poor couple, because poverty or lowliness is hers alone."
Si Qing's words were sharp and eloquent, and she felt a pang of sadness as she listened. Turning away anxiously, she rebuked her, "Si Qing, please stop. Why are you being so aggressive?"
"Are you protecting him?" Si Qing frowned, her eyes immediately welling up with tears. "Or are you protecting yourself?"
The day Leng Cuizhu abandoned him and Yin Yuan had already angered him enough, but now she was not only vague about the marriage but also accused him of being aggressive, which made him so angry that he didn't know what to say.
He really wanted to drug her immediately, take her back to the house, lock her in, and hold her by the waist until she changed her mind. A disobedient kitten certainly needs its owner to properly train it.
"Which of my words is not true? You two are not husband and wife, and his relationship with you is not legitimate. You have been having an affair for more than ten years and have even had a child who cannot enter the ancestral hall or inherit wealth. Lord Yin is truly cunning."
"If he truly loved you, why would he let you suffer and put you in a position where everyone could criticize you?"
"Shut up!"
She suddenly raised her hand and landed a solid slap on the man's cheek. The crisp sound forced the guards and servants inside and outside the courtyard to fall silent and look.
Si Qing lowered her head, touching the red marks on her cheeks, tears sliding down her cheeks.
He sneered, "I thought you liked me to fuck you with my mouth."
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