Chapter 39 Three years ago, that shameless scoundrel!
The next day, at dusk.
Lu Zhaoruo busied herself between the two shops, and then went to buy candied peas before going home.
From afar, I could see Abao crouching on the roof ridge, while Dongrou hid behind a crack in the door...
"Have you seen the kind person who fed them?"
As soon as Lu Zhaoruo stepped onto the stone steps, Abao darted down from the eaves.
"Meow……"
Abao's cry was unusually trembling.
Dong Rou suddenly pulled her inside the door, which slammed shut.
"Madam..."
Dong Rou's voice tightened as she said, "Just now at the alley entrance, I saw someone following you."
Lu Zhaoruo's heart skipped a beat: "Could you see his face and figure?"
"It's too far..."
Dong Rou shook her head, beads of sweat forming on her temples. "It was dark, and they disappeared in the blink of an eye."
Ah Bao said, "Mother, Ah Bao saw her on the roof. She was wearing a veiled hat and dressed in black..."
...
As the night deepens and the water clock drips still, the candle flickers and burns out.
Lu Zhaoruo tossed and turned in the brocade quilt.
Wearing a veiled hat and dressed in black...
A figure flashed through her mind.
The shadow descended like a ferocious beast—
He wore a veiled hat and all black attire, and pressed her hard onto the damp ground.
She ripped it fiercely, and the veil fell to the ground, revealing Zhang Xuan's iron mask, its cold light chilling.
"Give me……"
The voice emanating from behind the mask was low and fierce, burning with a madness. He gripped her waist, his breath hot against her ear, "I want you..."
She bit down hard on his neck, the taste of blood spreading between her lips and teeth.
The man grunted and ripped her plain white undergarment with his other hand.
The sound of tearing silk mixed with the rustling of straw was particularly jarring in the night.
After it was over, the man gave her the jade pendant he always carried with him, saying, "My lady, wait for me..."
The voice was completely different from before, clear and bright like fresh snow in a mountain stream, with a slight upward inflection at the end, revealing a youthful sincerity: "After I have finished my important business, I will return in three months to marry you in style."
She didn't know whether he returned after three months.
All she knew was that it was the most humiliating and sordid mark of her life.
Now, the same outfit has appeared in her sight again.
Is it a coincidence?
Or... has that person come back again?
But what was his purpose in coming back?
They initially thought he wasn't the one feeding Abao, but after waiting for a long time, the person who fed him never appeared again.
Therefore, they are the same person.
If there was no malicious intent, why stalk someone?
Is he deliberately haunting her to embarrass her?
Back then, she immediately reported the case to the county government, but after a year of investigation, the county government could only find the four words "no such person found".
Lu Zhaoruo suddenly gripped the blankets tightly, her chest heaving with hatred, pain, and fear...
She wasn't actually sure if it was him.
According to his previous life, he did not appear at this time.
It was three years later.
In the dead of night, snow raged and wind howled.
He stood below the steps, his dark-colored outfit almost blending into the night. The veil of his hat was lifted by the north wind, revealing half of his cold, hard chin.
"Come with me."
His voice was hoarse, “I owe you, and I will repay you with the rest of my life.”
Lu Zhaoruo suddenly smiled.
She forced him back step by step, her eyes bloodshot: "Return? Who wants the rest of your life! You're nothing but a shameless scoundrel! You act like a beast!"
The haystacks from that night, the torn white gauze, the bloody teeth marks... every humiliation is etched into my bones, burning day and night.
Suddenly, he unfastened the short knife from his waist and presented it forward with the hilt facing forward.
"If you hate me..."
He lifted his veil, and beneath the mask, his Adam's apple bobbed as if he were choking back a sob: "Stab it here."
The fingertip touches the left chest, which is the location of the heart.
Without hesitation, she gripped the knife and plunged it in.
"puff……"
The dull thud of the blade slicing through flesh was especially clear in the snowy night.
Blood splattered on her sleeve.
He swayed slightly, but still kept his back straight.
Is that enough?
He was actually laughing, his blood-stained lips a shockingly vibrant color: "Not enough... then make it deeper."
Lu Zhaoruo's pupils contracted sharply, and her hand holding the knife trembled slightly.
Just then—
"Meow."
Suddenly, A Bao's scream rang out.
She turned and ran towards the courtyard gate, her cloak billowing in the wind and snow.
A dull thud came from behind as something heavy knelt down.
She didn't turn around.
He left with these words: "If you still have even a shred of conscience, firstly, you shall never again be seen by me for all eternity; secondly, you shall immediately join the navy and use your life to guard the sea borders of my domain. I will make you sharpen your sword with the raging tides every day and listen to the wailing of wronged souls every night. When the waves of this sea wash away all your sins, perhaps on the road to the underworld, I will spare you a glance."
Lu Zhaoruo pulled herself out of her thoughts, frowned slightly, and pondered to herself.
In this world, people's hearts are unpredictable. Regardless of whether it is that person or not, you have to find a way to prevent people from following you and also think about your own safety.
Of course, it's also possible that Abao and Dongrou misread it.
However, just to be on the safe side, it's still best to be cautious.
The following evening, the setting sun was like blood.
Taking advantage of the fact that Ban Ling had ordered clothes from the shop again, Lu Zhaoruo cooked several of his favorite dishes and sent them over, including crab-stuffed oranges, which she had heard from a storyteller in her previous life as Xiao Yeming's favorite.
Xiao Yeming had just returned from his sea patrol and was inspecting his warships...
"Commander..."
After the naval drill, the squad leader ran up to him and asked, "Has the Japanese pirates made any unusual moves?"
Xiao Yeming: "Go buy catnip cookies."
Banling's eyes widened, and he asked curiously, "What's wrong with you lately? You're either catching mice or birds. Last time I saw you catching insects on the shore, and now you're asking me to buy mint cookies. Your friend Gu Dong's wolfhound doesn't seem to eat these, does it?"
A cast iron wrench slammed onto the deck.
Xiao Yeming grabbed the handkerchief, but instead of answering, asked, "Have you ordered the autumn clothes from Chenji Tailor Shop?"
Ban Ling: "I placed the order first thing yesterday morning."
Xiao Yeming recalled that yesterday, the maid inside the door seemed to be waiting for him, but he managed to hide immediately.
I absolutely cannot let my sister find out.
Then I won't be feeding them for the next few days.
He then said, "Then forget it."
At this moment, Wang Wu, the personal attendant, hurried over and said, "Commander! Lady Lu has brought food from the rocky beach..."
A gazebo on the rocky beach.
A large stone served as a table, with a newly woven rush mat laid out beside it.
Lu Zhaoruo arranged the crab-stuffed oranges, warmed yellow wine, and other items in the food box one by one.
The orange shell is golden, the crab meat is glistening, and the celery is green, creating a harmonious blend of color and aroma.
Banling breathed out white puffs of air and couldn't help rubbing his hands together with a smile, "It's actually crab-stuffed orange? In this freezing weather, Madam Lu actually managed to make crab-stuffed orange! The aroma is making my mouth water."
Lu Zhaoruo: "The tangerines were taken from the cellar, while the crabs, which are fattened up in winter, were caught by ice crab farmers in the east of the city."
Ban Ling: "This must have cost a lot of money. You haven't brought me meals for several days, and I've lost a lot of weight. Why did you suddenly think of bringing me meals today? And why did you prepare such a sumptuous feast?"
Lu Zhaoruo smiled slightly and said gently, "It won't cost much silver. Yesterday, the shopkeeper said that General Ban ordered another batch of autumn clothes to support the shop's business. I am very grateful, so I thought I would make some crab-stuffed oranges to express my thanks."
Upon hearing this, Ban Ling secretly glanced at Xiao Yeming on the coastline.
The money for those clothes was all paid by Commander Xiao, yet he received this favor for nothing.
He coughed lightly, feigning seriousness, and said, "Madam Lu, you're too kind..."
On the coast.
Xiao Yeming stood tall and imposing, his black cloak torn into sharp arcs by the sea breeze, fluttering wildly.
"Commander Xiao, won't you try some?"
Lu Zhaoruo raised her voice, "I heard that this crab-stuffed orange is your favorite."
Xiao Yeming's eyes flashed. How did she know it was his favorite?
Banling had already picked up a chopstick and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling incoherently, "Yes, Commander, if we don't eat soon, it'll all end up in my stomach."
Xiao Yeming walked over, but deliberately chose the seat furthest away from Lu Zhaoruo.
He lowered his eyes to take the bowl and chopsticks, his fingertips avoiding any possible contact with hers, his voice low and husky: "Thank you."
Lu Zhaoruo asked, "Commander Xiao, do you think the crab-stuffed orange is flavorful enough?"
"It's acceptable."
His answer was extremely brief.
Ban Ling quickly smoothed things over: "Madam Lu, you may not know this, but our commander is always stingy when it comes to praising people. Last time, when the official bestowed imperial wine upon him, he only said 'He can drink.'"
Lu Zhaoruo didn't care. The man in front of her would one day be enfeoffed as a Marquis of the Seas for his military achievements and become the Grand Commander who commanded all the naval forces of the seas...
She actually admired him very much.
However, she had another reason for delivering the meals this time.
She sighed softly, "Actually, there is another matter I need to ask of you today."
Ban Ling immediately slammed his hand on the table, causing the crab roe in the orange cup to tremble: "Madam Lu, please speak freely! Could it be some blind rogue who owes the shop money? I'll take my brothers there right now..."
"Someone is following me."
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