Chapter 6
Lu Wancheng's expression revealed a great sense of grievance, as if he had climbed mountains of swords, plunged into seas of fire, and experienced many hardships and dangers before arriving at the Lin Mansion.
Lin Qingyu wanted to laugh when he saw this. Lu Wancheng just got up an hour earlier than usual, left the house and got on a carriage, and got off the carriage and sat in a wheelchair - what was there to be wronged about?
Having Tan Qizhi was already bad enough, and just when he was about to be kicked out, Lu Wancheng came to join in the fun. He just wanted to have a good meal with his family, why was it so difficult?
Seeing that Lin Qingyu was unmoved, Lu Wancheng was forced to let it go. He came and brought gifts with him, and he pretended to be quite serious, giving Lin Qingyu enough face. He had almost repaid the favor of feeding medicine and giving acupuncture, so it would be nice to go back home and have a good sleep. It was really cold outside, and it was tiring to pretend to be good.
Lu Wancheng shrugged: "Okay, then I'll say I have something urgent to do."
Before Lin Qingyu could reply, a little head popped out from the inner room: "Brother, why don't you come in?"
Lin Qinghe said this, casting a curious look at Lu Wancheng. Lu Wancheng smiled back at him.
Lin Qingyu said "I'll be right there" and said to Lu Wancheng: "Then you..."
Lu Wancheng said: "According to etiquette, should I go and say goodbye to your parents?"
Lin Qingyu snorted coldly: "You know etiquette very well, why are you asking me?"
Lu Wancheng smiled and said, "Now that Doctor Lin said that, it seems that I pretended well just now."
Lin Qingyu pushed Lu Wancheng in. The Lin family had already reserved a seat for Lu Wancheng.
There was a charcoal basin burning in the hall, which was warmer than outside but not stuffy. The aroma of wine wafts in the air, and two winter bamboo bonsai are placed in the corner, adding a sense of elegance and freshness. The Lin family prefers light taste, so the dishes on the table are mostly light. There was also a pastry that was white with a hint of light red, which looked like a combination of red and white plum blossoms in full bloom, causing Lu Wancheng to take a second look.
Father Lin said, "Young Marquis, please come this way."
Lu Wancheng paused and said with a smile: "I won't eat the meal. I'm here to say goodbye to my father-in-law and mother-in-law."
"Oh?" Tan Qizhi glanced at Lin Qingyu meaningfully, "Why is the young marquis leaving right after arriving? He doesn't even want to eat."
Lu Wancheng coughed twice and said, "I'm afraid my body can't hold on for much longer. I have to go back and lie down... Sorry for making fun of me."
Mother Lin said, "It will take at least an hour to get from the Lin Mansion to the Nan'an Marquis Mansion. The carriage is bumpy, so it would be better for the young marquis to rest in the mansion first and go back when he feels better."
Lu Wancheng said in embarrassment: "This... Qingyu, what do you think?"
There was a hint of teasing in Lin Qingyu's eyes when he looked at Lu Wancheng.
Lu Wancheng did not use the excuse of having an emergency, but said that he was not feeling well and needed to go back to rest. Anyone with a brain could see his intention.
This was in the Lin Mansion. His father was the director of the Imperial Medical Bureau. Although his official position was not high, he was a close minister of the emperor. He was responsible for taking care of the health of the emperor, the empress and the concubines in the palace. His medical skills were naturally unquestionable. It was not an exaggeration to call him the best among Dayu. Saying that you are not feeling well in front of him is a clear indication.
Lin Qingyu saw through it but didn't expose it: "It's up to you."
Lu Wancheng then said, "Then I will respectfully obey your command."
Before sitting down, Lin Qingyu pushed Lu Wancheng to the side to wash his hands and said, "Let my father take your pulse after dinner."
Lu Wancheng said indifferently: "There is no need. I have a terminal illness and it cannot be cured."
Lin Qingyu sneered: "Don't pretend, isn't this why you stayed?"
Lu Wancheng washed his hands slowly and said frankly: "No, I just want to try the plum cake, it looks delicious. I'm a little hungry."
If it were anyone else, Lin Qingyu would never believe such nonsense. But when Lu Wancheng said this, he actually felt it was true. For lazy people, eating is more important than sleeping.
Lin Qingyu turned around and saw that Tan Qizhi was still there. He was too lazy to beat around the bush with him and said bluntly, "You can't drink at the same table with me, why don't you leave?"
Tan Qizhi seemed to have been prepared, and said with a smile: "Today I am fortunate to witness the young marquis's demeanor. I personally think that the young marquis is a man of high moral character and broad mind, and will definitely not interfere with you, Brother Qingyu, like some pedantic people. I just want to toast a few glasses of wine to the teacher, the young marquis will not mind, right?"
Lu Wancheng smiled and said, "Of course. We are all men, so there is no need to be too restrained."
Lin Qingyu glanced at Lu Wancheng coldly, regretting a little that she had not given Lu Wancheng acupuncture for a few more years that night. He is more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything. Lu Wancheng will really cause trouble for him.
Before Tan Qizhi sat down, Lu Wancheng suddenly asked, "Brother Tan, are you married?"
Tan Qizhi said: "My Lord, I have been married for three years."
Lu Wancheng exclaimed, "Ah!" and said regretfully, "If your wife knew that you were drinking at the same table with us, she wouldn't be angry, right?"
Everyone at the table looked at each other. Tan Qizhi was puzzled and asked, "Why is my wife angry?"
Lu Wancheng said, "It doesn't seem to be in accordance with the rules for you to drink at the same table with a male wife and a man who married a male wife."
Lin Qingyu glanced at him and felt that there was something evil brewing in this man's eyes.
Tan Qizhi's smile almost faded: "Young Marquis, you are joking. How could my wife be angry about this?"
"That's hard to say." Lu Wancheng chuckled, "For the sake of harmony in Brother Tan's inner house, I think we should forget about today's wine. Next time, next time for sure."
Even the six-year-old Lin Qinghe could hear Lu Wancheng's order to leave, let alone the adults. Lin Qinghe looked up and asked his mother: "Mother, is this person going to leave?"
Mother Lin said in embarrassment: "This..."
Tan Qizhi claimed to be a scholar, and the situation was so awkward that he had to find a way out no matter how thick-skinned he was: "Today is the first time that Brother Qingyu has returned to his parents' home after marriage. It is indeed inappropriate for an outsider like me to be here. Tan will take his leave first, and will come to visit the teacher and the young marquis another day."
Father Lin did not keep him and told Huantong to see him off.
When Tan Qizhi reached the door, he heard Lu Wancheng's voice coming from behind him: "There is one thing I almost forgot. Qingyu left in a hurry today and forgot to bring five carriages of gifts. Fortunately, I found it in time and ordered someone to bring the gifts over. Now the carriage is parked at the door of Lin's house."
Tan Qizhi gritted his teeth and pulled off the jade pendant from his waist.
According to seniority, Lin's father sat in the main seat, followed by Lin's mother, while Lin Qingyu and Lu Wancheng sat together. One of them was whispering softly, while the other was listening attentively, as if they were saying something in secret that could not be told to outsiders. They looked like a newlywed couple who were in love with each other. Mother Lin and Father Lin exchanged complicated glances at them.
Little did they know, their conversation went like this:
Lin Qingyu: "Who asked you to bring something? Take it back later."
Lu Wancheng: "I know you think the things in Nan'an Marquis' Mansion are dirty, but these can be sold for silver. Why do you have to be so hard on money when you are alive? When I die, you can use the Lu family's money to live a life of luxury, live in a luxurious house, and watch them cry and go to my grave. Wouldn't that be fun?"
Lin Qingyu imagined the scene, narrowed his eyes, turned around and told the servants: "Ask someone to move the things into the mansion."
Lu Wancheng happily reached out to grab the plum cake he had been drooling over for a long time: "That's right."
After dinner, Father Lin took the initiative to ask: "I have heard a little about the young marquis's condition. If the young marquis is trustworthy, can you let me take a look?"
Lu Wancheng put on a surprised expression: "I couldn't ask for more."
Father Lin nodded and said, "Young Marquis, please follow me."
Lin Qingyu pushed Lu Wancheng to Lin's father's study. After washing his hands, Father Lin took out a pulse pillow made of warm jade and placed it under Lu Wancheng's wrist, then closed his eyes and took his pulse.
For a moment, the room was silent, and nothing could be seen from Lin's father's expression. After taking the pulse, Father Lin asked Lu Wancheng a few more questions, and Lu Wancheng answered them truthfully one by one.
Father Lin said: "The root of the young marquis's illness is congenital. It is easy to treat the symptoms, but difficult to cure the root cause. You must rest carefully on weekdays and avoid thinking too much and working too hard."
Father Lin's words were ambiguous and just a commonplace. Lu Wancheng didn't ask any more questions and smiled a little tiredly, "Thank you, father-in-law."
"The guest room has been cleaned up. Young Marquis can go and take a rest." Father Lin said, "Qingyu, please stay for a while."
Lin Qingyu nodded and asked the servants to push Lu Wancheng out first.
After Lu Wancheng left, Lin's father asked, "Have you seen the young marquis's illness?"
“I have.”
"What do you think?"
Lin Qingyu said: "Lu Wancheng is lucky to live to the age of nineteen. Now he is just hanging on by a thread. When that breath is gone, he will be dead too."
Father Lin nodded in agreement and asked, "How long do you expect him to last?"
"Half a year."
Father Lin pondered for a long time and said, "I have a method that may be able to save his life for a year, but the side effects are extremely serious and may aggravate the patient's pain."
Lin Qingyu thought without hesitation: "What method?"
"I'll write the prescription for you later." Father Lin looked into Lin Qingyu's eyes. "The question is, do you want him to live another six months?"
Is there any need to ask? The sooner Lu Wancheng dies, the sooner he will be free. Half a year is a long time, and he doesn’t have the patience to wait another half a year.
So, of course he didn't want to.
Lin Qingyu walked out of the study absentmindedly and ran into Lin's mother who came to bring snacks to Lin's father after dinner. Lin's mother told him that Lu Wancheng had already rested in the guest room.
"Do you want to go see him?" asked Lin's mother.
Lin Qingyu said: "No need, let him rest."
Mother Lin hesitated for a moment and asked, "Qingyu, is the young marquis... good to you?"
"It doesn't matter whether it's good or bad," Lin Qingyu said calmly, "it's only half a year of bad fate after all."
This time when Lin Qingyu returns home, he plans to bring another box of medical books to the Nan'an Marquis Mansion. When he arrived at his study, he saw Tan Qizhi and Huantong looking around at the door. He frowned and asked, "Why haven't you left yet?"
Huan Tong explained, "Mr. Tan said that his jade pendant was lost in our house, and I am accompanying him to look for it."
"If you want to find it, you can look for it in the front hall. You came to my study specifically, so you must have something to say."
Tan Qizhi did not refute: "As expected, nothing can be hidden from Brother Qingyu. To be honest, I suddenly remembered an important matter, and it was not convenient to return to disturb you, so I stayed in the mansion to wait for you under the pretext of the lost jade pendant."
Lin Qingyu would feel that it was too much to say one more word to this kind of person: "Speak."
Tan Qizhi looked bitter: "Brother Qingyu must also know that the examination of the Imperial Medical Bureau is getting closer and closer. I am very uncertain about it."
Lin Qingyu knew that Tan Qizhi wanted to touch his weak spot and stab him in the heart. I have to say, this trick is pretty clever. The test from the Imperial Medical Bureau has always been a thorn in his heart, making him feel suffocated whenever it is touched.
But this doesn't mean that anyone can use this matter to show off in front of him.
"You failed the exam three years ago, so it's normal for you to feel unsure."
Tan Qizhi was touched in the sore spot, and he gritted his teeth and forced a smile: "For this assessment, I studied hard day and night, and worked hard..."
Lin Qingyu praised: "The early bird catches the worm. Diligence can make up for clumsiness. You've done a good job."
Tan Qizhi finally couldn't hold it anymore and his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Every word Lin Qingyu said seemed to be praising him, but also seemed to be mocking him. A gifted person like Lin Qingyu, who is extremely talented, has no idea how much ordinary people like them have to pay just to catch up with him.
"At least I can take the exam again this year." Tan Qizhi stared at Lin Qingyu's face, "I know that Brother Qingyu has a lot of medical books in his collection, but you won't be able to use them anyway. Why don't you lend me a few? If you pass the exam in the future, I will definitely reward you handsomely."
Lin Qingyu raised his eyes and asked, "Can you understand my book?" Then he turned around and said, "Huantong, see you off."
In the blink of an eye, it darkened. The coachman of the Marquis's mansion passed on the message that it was time to return home.
Mother Lin put the prepared snacks into a food box for Lin Qingyu to take back: "Just now during the banquet, I saw that the young marquis also liked to eat plum cakes, so I took a few more. It's cold today, and the cakes won't spoil easily if they are kept for a long time."
Lin Qingyu said: "There is probably nothing he doesn't like to eat."
Mother Lin smiled gently: "The young marquis hasn't gotten up yet, go call him."
Lin Qingyu came to the guest room and saw that Lu Wancheng had woken up and was lying on the bed with his eyes open in a daze. “When did you wake up?” he asked.
"About half an hour ago."
"So what are you doing?"
Lu Wancheng wrapped himself in the quilt, only revealing a pair of eyes looking at Lin Qingyu, and said in a muffled voice: "Stay in bed. It's so cold outside, I don't want to get up, I want to be a blanket."
Lin Qingyu stopped talking nonsense, grabbed a corner of the quilt and pulled it open with force, saying in a cold tone: "I'm not a maid in your room, this trick won't work on me."
Lu Wancheng stood up slowly. He was not angry even when the quilt was lifted: "What trick? I didn't use any tricks on you..." He saw that Lin Qingyu's face was not right, and asked again: "Didn't Tan Qizhi leave? Who provoked you again?"
"unmanned."
Lu Wancheng blinked: "Oh."
Lin Qingyu was silent, and then silent again, but finally couldn't help but said: "Tan Qizhi is preparing for the Imperial Medical Bureau exam and even borrowed books from me."
Lu Wancheng laughed: "That's it?"
Lin Qingyu's eyes were as sharp as a knife.
Lu Wancheng tried to reason with Lin Qingyu: "Tan Qizhi is not even as good as a hair of yours. If you really have feelings for him, you will lower your status. Just treat him as a joke, tease him, and have some fun."
"I know that." Lin Qingyu laughed at himself, "But Tan Qizhi is just a mediocre man who couldn't even tell the difference between Tiankuizi and Xiangfu a few years ago. He was still able to take the examination of the Imperial Medical Bureau, but I can't - it's ridiculous."
Lu Wancheng said helplessly: "Yes, yes, it's all the fault of Nan'an Marquis' Mansion. I will try to die early and make you a widow before the Imperial Medical Bureau's examination, okay?"
Lin Qingyu closed his eyes and remained silent, his long and thick eyelashes trembling slightly.
Lu Wancheng stayed with Lin Qingyu in silence for a while, then suddenly smiled and said, "Okay, don't be angry. It's a rare trip home, so be happy and smile more, ok?"
Lin Qingyu said indifferently: "I am not born to like to laugh."
"Hey, why are you getting angrier and angrier? I have a seven-word mantra, which is my motto. Maybe it can help you. Can I tell you?"
“No.”
"Just listen. It won't make you tired."
Lin Qingyu pressed his brows and said, "If you want to say something, just say it. Why are you laying out all this nonsense?"
Lu Wancheng's eyes were sincere: "As a person, don't compare yourself too much."
Lin Qingyu: “…”
The author has something to say:
Lady Lin: I want to be a widow every day.
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