Chapter 95 In the past, she must have hated him. ...
After that, Leng Cuizhu completely cut off contact with Yin Yuan.
She didn't take anything else with her when she left home, except for the dodder and You En, and she also accepted the travel expenses that Yin Yuan had sent her.
Having been out of touch with the world for so long, leaving everything she knew and being in a new place with new people made it difficult for her to adapt, leaving her depressed and unhappy all day long.
Later, Eun suggested that they go into seclusion and live in a place far from human habitation. She thought it was a good idea, so she took a bird and a chicken and traveled through mountains and rivers, choosing a secluded thatched cottage hidden in the mountains to live in.
In fact, it was thanks to her previous frugality that she had saved a lot of money. That money was not only enough to feed the three of them, but also allowed them to live very comfortably. In addition, the shops she owned brought her several hundred taels of silver in income every year, so her life was extremely comfortable.
Because it was difficult to buy daily necessities and fresh fruits and vegetables while living in the mountains, she hired several servants to go out of the mountains to buy them every day, and also hired several farmhands to grow some seasonal fruits and vegetables in the open space behind the mountain.
She usually spends her days admiring flowers and feeding fish with Eun, and going up the mountain with Cuscuta to pick mushrooms and bamboo shoots.
Such a life wouldn't be bad if I could live it forever.
But... the longer it goes on, the more obvious the flaws become.
Dodder and Eun fell ill more and more frequently, and their condition worsened. Dodder, in particular, initially only experienced bone pain and fever as before, but later coughed up blood and fainted. She was sick for almost three days after being well for two days. Over the years, she became much more haggard and lost her former cheerfulness.
"I was thinking of getting a doctor to come and take a look at you tomorrow." She glanced at the two people peeling corn at the table. "I heard that this doctor used to be a royal physician in the palace. He's very accurate in his diagnosis and prescriptions. He can cure what other doctors can't. Maybe he can cure you this time..."
“I think…” Dodder frowned, listlessly putting down the corn, “Let’s just forget about it.”
"If it could be cured, we would have been cured long ago after seeing so many doctors over the years. So, it's not a problem with the doctors' skills, it's a problem with me and Eun. We are not in the same dimension as the people of this world, and the limitations we are subject to are naturally beyond the comprehension of people in this dimension."
"Just like those people who are afraid of us as soon as they see us, thinking we are monsters..."
“Who said that? I can understand you.” She walked over to the two of them and sat down, reaching out to touch their hair, which was of different colors. “It’s just that the hair color is different. Some people don’t even have hair, like monks.”
"If you don't want to see a doctor, then forget it." She forced a smile. "We live in the moment."
But when she left the house alone, she couldn't help but shed tears.
If things continue like this, she is truly afraid that her two little ones will pass away first, leaving her all alone in this world.
Moreover, for some reason, she noticed that she had fewer gray hairs when she combed her hair recently, and the wrinkles around her eyes were gradually fading. When she went out to collect rent, the shopkeepers all said that she was becoming more and more beautiful, looking like a young woman in her early twenties waiting to be married... But she was almost forty years old. No matter how much they complimented her, they couldn't say she looked like she was twenty, could they? Could it be that she was really getting younger?
As she was pondering, Eun came out of the room and called out, "Miss."
"Ah," she turned her head, "it's you, Eun. I was just about to go check out the land in the back hill...would you like to come with me?"
Eun nodded slightly: "Okay."
It was autumn harvest season, and the rice in the fields was golden, awaiting the harvest.
She went to the fields and gave the farmhands a few instructions, telling them to be careful when harvesting rice and not to get bitten by leeches. Then she went back and strolled around the paddy fields with Eun.
“It’s better not to treat that illness,” she smiled. “Who knows, it might just heal itself someday.”
"By the way, was there something you wanted to say to me just now? You seemed hesitant."
Eun nodded: "There is something."
“I’m worried that my and Dodder’s illnesses will affect Miss in the future. Staying in the same world for too long without making any progress will cause problems for both the host and the system’s bodies. For example, reverse aging, slowly degenerating from an adult back to an infant.”
"Huh?" Remembering her recent strange behavior, she asked anxiously, "Then, how can I make progress..."
“Generally speaking, we just follow the plot until the end,” Eun said, looking down. “But Eun and Miss have tried before that we can also eliminate the main characters of the story or put them in a hopeless situation.”
“…Eliminate the main characters? This,” she murmured, “is to kill off the main characters from the very beginning of this book, Yin Yuan and Leng Zhen. Leng Zhen is already dead, and there’s still Yin Yuan… But I haven’t seen him for five years. How am I supposed to find a way to kill him? Besides, he doesn’t want to see me, and I can’t be bothered to see him either. Every time I see him, I’m reminded of the hard times I’ve endured, and how Leng Zhen died. His health has always been poor; he might just die of old age in a few years.”
She said shyly, "Let's wait and see for a few more years."
She and Eun strolled around the back mountain for an hour and a half. Seeing that it was getting late and a light drizzle had started, they started walking back one after the other.
Leng Cuizhu's makeup was ruined by the rain, so she hurried back to wash her face and change her clothes. She walked quickly, leaving You En behind her.
She walked to the courtyard gate, where the housekeeper was waiting. Upon seeing her return, he hurried over to hold an umbrella for her.
"Miss, a guest has arrived and specifically asked to see you."
“Ah,” she blinked, “Then Uncle Li, why don’t you go and entertain the guests first? Make them some Gu Zhu Zisun tea that the tenant recently gave us. I’ll go back and change my clothes and come back later.”
After assigning the steward some tasks, she hurriedly opened her umbrella and returned to her room. Once inside, she first took off her soaked clothes, then wiped her body with a hot towel. After that, she picked out a few appropriate and dignified outfits suitable for welcoming guests from the wardrobe, and went to the full-length mirror by the bed to change.
"Hmm..." Dodder poked its head out from under the quilt, yawning repeatedly, "You're back."
He was completely naked, his body covered only by the blanket. Whether it was unintentional or intentional, the corner of the blanket that was just draped over his shoulder slipped down to his back with the slightest movement.
As she dressed, she turned her head and asked, "Are you feeling any better? Are you still in pain?"
He answered seriously, "I feel much better after a rest, it doesn't hurt as much as it did this morning."
Are you going to meet a guest?
“Yes,” she said. “You should sleep a little longer. We’ll eat after I finish meeting with my guests.”
Dodder obediently crawled back into bed, muttering, "I glanced at that guest, and he looked kind of familiar. I can't remember who he is... Anyway, hurry up!"
She finished dressing, turned around and squatted down by the bedside. As soon as she reached out her hand, his head came close to hers. She smiled and rubbed it: "Okay."
She followed the steward to the banquet hall, but before she even stepped inside, she was startled by the commotion inside and retreated.
"Pah! What lousy tea! It's all moldy and you still brewed it for me to drink. If you're so poor, don't pretend to be rich. Go outside and pick some grass; that would be more respectable than this moldy tea."
"Uh, this... wait a minute." Leng Cuizhu suddenly realized and took several steps back.
"Leng Cuizhu, I see you," the woman inside said. "Come in quickly."
"Uh, okay, okay." She walked inside awkwardly.
After several years apart, Yi Yinwan's temperament remained unchanged.
She had Yi Yinwan's tea removed and replaced with warm honey water, and also added blankets for them to cover their laps.
"How did you find me, Madam?"
Leng Cuizhu carefully reviewed the past few years and realized that she had not had any contact with Yi Yinwan's side of people. In other words, she rarely communicated with anyone other than You En Tu Si Zi, except for the occasional trip to other places with Lu Miaolian.
"Tch," Yi Yinwan said coldly, "Of course I won't tell you that. I can only say that, little sister, it took me a lot of effort to find you."
"What brings you here, Madam...?"
Yi Yinwan: "Come back with me."
She traced the water droplets on the rim of the glass with her fingertips: "Go back and see Yin Yuan."
"Ah?" Leng Cuizhu waved her hands repeatedly, "No, no, no, I can't go back with you, Madam. I'm a sinner, how can I face you..."
Yi Yinwan leaned over and hugged her, laughing, "Lady Leng, don't rush into a decision. Let me finish what I have to say. I won't hurt you."
“In the years you’ve been gone, the old man’s health has deteriorated year by year. He’s been depressed all the time, and most of his hair has turned white. He’s practically half-buried.” She changed the subject, “Wouldn’t it be perfect for you to come back with me now?”
Leng Cuizhu asked, puzzled, "...What do you mean?"
Yi Yinwan smiled and took out a palm-sized white porcelain bottle from her sleeve, placing it on the table.
When Leng Cuizhu and Yi Yinwan met eyes, a strange premonition arose in their hearts. They turned away and dismissed the servants, leaving only the two of them in the hall.
Yi Yinwan pointed to the porcelain bottle on the table, crossed her arms, and said, "This bottle contains a rare poison. There is only one bottle of it. It is colorless and odorless, and can kill people without them even noticing. Unfortunately, this poison is difficult to dissolve in water. To make it effective, it needs a human as a catalyst."
She only vaguely understood Yi Yinwan's intentions, and asked in a low voice, "What does Madam mean?"
"I want you to use this poison to send Yin Yuan on his way."
Yi Yinwan sighed, "Although the master's death is estimated to be in the next few years, Yin Yuan has no regard for our marital relationship. He only plans to leave me 10% of the inheritance, and donate the remaining 90% to the government for construction projects!" As she spoke, she slammed her hand on the table.
“Since he is unrighteous, I am naturally unrighteous as well.”
Leng Cuizhu frowned as she listened: "...Madam, why should I help you?"
She didn't care about Yi Yinwan's attempt to harm Yin Yuan. After all, they were old acquaintances she hadn't seen for several years, so why should she care? She just felt that Yi Yinwan was acting strangely and didn't want to get involved in the mess again.
Yi Yinwan grasped her hands: "Lady Leng, only you can help me!"
"Over the years, the master has always been thinking of you, but he's indifferent to everything else. I simply couldn't find an opportunity to poison him!"
"Don't worry, if this really works out, you'll be a big hero, and you'll definitely get your share of the spoils. Of the inheritance, you get three and I get seven."
She hesitated for a moment: "He probably doesn't have much money left, right?"
When she left, Yin Yuan gave her a thousand taels of silver. In addition, Yi Yinwan usually spent money like water, and Yin Yuan was extremely generous to outsiders... She didn't believe that a fourth-rank official's salary could be so much, enough to support such a large expense. Yin Yuan's arrogant and disdainful nature didn't seem like the type to be corrupt and accept bribes.
Yi Yinwan chuckled and said, "Oh, how could that be?"
"You don't know, he spends all his time in government offices. He was recently promoted to a higher rank and is very powerful. People come to his door every day asking him to help them. How could such a respected person be poor? Even if he is poor, people are eager to give him money."
"So, my wife, would you be willing to do me this favor?"
She frowned: "But..."
“There are no ‘buts’,” Yi Yinwan interrupted her. “I remember you two seemed to have a very unpleasant falling out back then, right? You just left without any warning. I only found out about your falling out with Yin Yuan after I realized you weren’t there and had to ask around.”
"You've wasted over a decade of your life, only to end up parting on bad terms... Are you content with such a pathetic ending?"
"You must hate him a lot, right?"
Does she hate him?
Does she hate him?
Having lived a carefree life for too long, Leng Cuizhu has forgotten much of the bitterness and torment she suffered in the past. Yin Yuan, Si Qing... those men, like fleeting clouds, have gradually faded into oblivion in her memories.
In the past, she must have hated him. She wished she could curse him with the most vicious words in the world, and wished she could tear him apart and devour him. Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything to him back then, and she had to tolerate all his pride and vulnerability.
Leng Cuizhu knew that she could not forgive Yin Yuan on behalf of her past self.
She could certainly avenge her past mistakes.
“Yinwan,” she lowered her head and answered softly, “I will go back with you.”
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