Chapter 50 Shen Lingyi Becomes a Nun!
Shen Lingyi lay in bed for more than half a month.
The money for the medicine was borrowed by Zhang from her parents' home with tears in her eyes.
Lu Zhaoruo pretended to return to her mother's home to raise money, but in reality, she only wanted to get back the ten strings of cash that Tu Shi owed her, and with the remaining twenty taels of silver, she could barely make ends meet for the Shen family.
At first, Shen Lingyi cried and threw things every day, refusing to accept that she had become disabled.
Gradually, staring at her empty sleeves, she finally collapsed, her eyes losing all their light.
She lost this gamble completely.
Not only did he lose his own arm, but he also ruined the reputation of the Shen family's shop and the Zhang family's reputation...
The only winner is Lu Zhaoruo!
That day.
Shen Qingshu stood silently by the bed, his gaze distant as if he were looking at a stranger.
“Go to the nunnery to practice Buddhism. When your younger brother returns home, he will come to see you.”
He said just that, then turned and left.
Zhang cried out to stop him, but Shen Qingshu angrily rebuked her, "Sparing her life is already merciful!"
When seeing them off in the afternoon.
Lu Zhaoruo stumbled after her, clutching the empty sleeve: "Auntie..."
Tears streamed down her face. "Please be patient for a while, and I will persuade your uncle to bring you back."
"really?"
Shen Lingyi's voice was hoarse, and a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in his eyes.
It's so pitiful; her body, which used to weigh 200 pounds, has now shrunk to 150 pounds.
Lu Zhaoruo nodded solemnly.
After the carriage had driven away and turned out of the alley, Lu Zhaoruo slowly straightened up, wiped away her tears with her fingertips, and curled her lips into a mocking smile: "Pick you up? You'll have to wait here."
Zhang dared not write a letter to Shen Rongzhi overseas, for fear of disturbing her beloved son's peace of mind.
The Shen family, which had just begun to see improvement, suffered another setback.
Shen Qingshu's cough worsened.
Zhang Shi hid in the Buddhist hall all day long, not even daring to meet the eyes of the servants.
And Lu Zhaoruo...
She is "sick".
Since fainting that day, he often clutches his chest, frowns, and his fingers tremble, making it difficult for him to even stand steadily on the loom.
Occasionally, I would weave a piece of cloth, which would only earn me half a bushel of rice.
Seeing her pale face, Shen Qingshu couldn't bring himself to be harsh with her.
Zhang stared intently at her: "Keep knitting! Do you want your whole family to starve to death?"
Lu Zhaoruo lowered her eyes and obediently agreed.
No one saw the fleeting, cold smile that crossed her lips.
The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month marks the approaching end of the year.
The whole city was filled with the joy of buying New Year's goods, but the old house was lifeless.
The two constables arranged by Ban Ling are still lying in wait near the Shen residence, trying to capture the man in black.
Lu Zhaoruo considered that the New Year was approaching and that the man in black had not been seen for a long time, so he figured that the man was too scared to show up again. Therefore, he invited Banling and the constables to have a drink.
Later, he personally went to the Gu residence to thank Gu Xian.
However, Commander Xiao has not been seen at all during this period.
The inner room.
Lu Zhaoruo picked up the blue satin from the sewing basket and compared it to Abao's back: "The collar of this cat-shaped robe needs to be three fingers wide, because it likes to jump and move around, so as not to trip it."
Dongrou smiled and said, "Madam dotes on it even more than she does on her own coat."
Ah Bao hummed proudly.
In the afternoon, the light snow had just stopped.
Lu Zhaoruo, wearing a worn cotton cloak, took Abao out the door.
As they passed a cloth shop, Manager Chen greeted them with a smile and insisted on giving her several bolts of silk: "Madam, let's make you a new jacket for the New Year."
After the shop was mortgaged, the manager and staff remained unchanged. Zhang was initially suspicious, but later learned that Zhou San was too lazy to make any changes and had promised benefits to Manager Chen and Yun Niang so that they could continue operating the business.
When Zhang found out, she was so angry that she gritted her teeth.
Lu Zhaoruo only bought the most economical New Year's goods: coarse yellow paper for sacrifices, plain wooden boards without inscriptions, and a piece of cheap red paper... Just as she was about to go home, she bumped into Lu Bohong at the street corner.
His arms were brimming with bright red fireworks and firecrackers, candied fruits wrapped in oil paper, and even half a piece of expensive mutton...
"Brother, are you also here to buy New Year's goods?"
Lu Zhaoruo greeted her with a light smile.
Lu Bohong looked down and saw the meager item in her hand, and his eyes suddenly reddened.
"Little sister..."
His voice choked as he handed over everything in his arms, "These, these were originally bought for you by your brother... I was just planning to send them to the Shen residence."
Lu Bohong was unaware that the downfall of the Shen family was orchestrated by his seemingly weak younger sister.
Little did they know that she had secretly hidden three hundred taels of silver, and that the two shops had already been renamed Lu's.
"Brother, I can't accept these. Please take them back."
Lu Zhaoruo gently pushed the New Year's goods back.
Lu Bohong became anxious: "What are you going to do with it? Mother has already prepared plenty of New Year's goods. This is my brother's salary that he secretly saved up!"
His gaze swept over her faded clothes and haggard face, and he choked out, "What kind of life are you living..."
A tear fell onto the oil paper of the candied fruit.
Lu Zhaoruo burst out laughing.
What are you laughing at?
Lu Bohong's eyes were red. "Why don't you... go home with your brother?"
Lu Zhaoruo looked around, grabbed his sleeve, and turned into a narrow alley. Snow fell from the wall, covering her whispered words.
Lu Bohong's tears were still on his face, but his eyes suddenly lit up: "Really?"
When she nodded, this tall, strong man, standing at 1.9 meters, jumped up and exclaimed, "My little sister has been intelligent since she was a child!"
He was beaming with joy, all traces of his earlier sorrow gone.
However, Lu Bohong still stuffed the New Year's goods into Lu Zhaoruo's arms and rushed off to inspect them.
Lu Zhaoruo stopped in front of the candied peas stall.
We had agreed that Abao would wait here, but now we couldn't hear a sound from it.
She asked the stall owner.
The vendor wiped the sugar pot and casually pointed north: "That cat just chased after a six or seven-year-old young master. The young master was dressed very richly, with a headband adorned with pearls and jade pendants jingling at his waist. Your cat's tail was held high, as if it recognized the person."
"Then I followed them."
He suddenly lowered his voice: "Wife, be careful. There are two men wearing straw hats following behind that young master. The brims of the hats are pulled down very low, and their eyes are sharp enough to cut flesh!"
Lu Zhaoruo's pupils contracted slightly.
Ah Bao is always alert and would never go with strangers...
She pulled her cloak tighter and hurried after him.
Ah Bao secretly followed outside, and as he turned a corner, he suddenly felt a strong gust of wind coming from behind.
A large, calloused hand, like an iron clamp, went straight for the back of its neck.
"Meow!"
Its snow-white fur instantly bristled.
Ah Bao moved with lightning speed, leaping dozens of steps away in the blink of an eye.
The attendant wearing a straw hat missed his target, and a look of surprise flashed across the scarred face.
What a clever little cat!
He reached for the ebony stick hidden behind his long coat at the back of his waist...
"stop."
A soft, clear child's voice rang out.
The young master walked quickly over, lifting the hem of his robe, and slowly squatted down, afraid of startling Abao.
"What a beautiful raccoon dog..."
He murmured softly, his eyes shimmering with a gentle light like spring water, "Why are you following me?"
Ah Bao looked up, his emerald green cat eyes brimming with tears.
The young official paused slightly, his voice softer than fresh snow: "You...recognize me?"
Abao's tail twitched and it meowed softly.
"If you're willing..."
The young master's fingertip hovered three inches from Abao's ear, waiting for permission, "May I hug you?"
Ah Bao let out a sob and suddenly buried himself in that warm embrace.
The young official immediately pulled up his cloak, wrapping the shivering cat in the moon-white brocade. He lowered his eyes to comb the snowflakes clinging to its fur, his knuckles slightly bent, afraid of hurting it.
"Young master! This wild beast..."
"Step back."
The young master didn't even look up; his fingertips were still gently combing through A Bao's back hair. Though his voice was soft, it immediately made the two attendants wearing straw hats straighten their backs.
Then he pulled Abao closer to his chest, protecting him even more, "Don't be afraid..."
The white mist from his breath clouded Abao's emerald eyes as he said softly, "They wouldn't dare hurt you."
The two attendants exchanged glances, but their young master had always been kind and gentle...
“Abao…”
Lu Zhaoruo rushed over and saw a noble-looking young man carrying Abao.
A touch of ferret hair warmed her forehead, highlighting her beautiful features.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
