Chapter 30: I can provide you with the antidote to eliminate all obstacles.
After Shi Chunsheng made an appointment with her to choose cloth and make clothes the next day, the two said goodbye to each other.
Zhu Hao turned around and found that Song Xieqing, who was standing not far away, had disappeared. He was always like this, coming and going suddenly.
Miaolifang entered the kitchen and thought it would take some time to prepare the food. Zhuhao felt dizzy and walked to the main house to take a rest.
The scent of incense and herbs mixed in the room, and Zhu Hao felt increasingly weak. She slowly walked to the couch, and with just one glance, her eyes trembled slightly - the bedding on the couch was twisted into a ball, and the mattress underneath was wet and wrinkled.
She had just been woken up by Song Xieqing and Shi Chunsheng, and their words were full of sarcasm. How could she care about the bed?
But now, taking a closer look, I found that there were several spots of indistinct saliva on the mattress.
For some reason, Zhu Hao subconsciously thought of Song Xieqing's sloppy clothing, and... the strange thing that she and Miaoli were both unconscious.
She recalled the wonderful words and shouted outside.
Although the house was spacious, Miaoli usually prepared food in the small kitchen nearby for convenience. Therefore, before Zhu Haofang could call out, Miaoli pushed the door and walked in.
Zhu Hao got straight to the point. "You've been helping out at the new shop lately, so you need to go back home to prepare the food between meals. Good idea! If I remember correctly, you've been going to bed early lately. Last night was even more so. You and I had dinner at 12:00 PM, and afterward, you dozed off repeatedly. I was the one who washed the utensils, so how could you not be sleepy if you'd already fallen asleep?"
Miaoli's face was wrinkled with confusion. She opened and closed her lips several times, but still couldn't explain the whole story.
Seeing her like this, Zhu Hao couldn't help but frown. This whole situation was bizarre. If she didn't know that gods really existed, and that some people could see through everything, she would have easily brushed this matter aside, simply assuming that she and Miao Li had been too busy thinking and forgetting.
But she has Song Xieqing by her side.
Miaoli glanced at the mess on the couch. She was still young, so she couldn't see clearly enough. She was surprised and said, "Sister, why is your bed so wet and messy? I'll change your bedding! If you take a nap like this, you'll catch a cold!"
Miaoli was about to put away the quilt when Zhu Hao hurriedly slapped her hand away, "No need! You...you can continue preparing the food. I can do it myself."
Although Miaoli didn't understand why Zhuhao's cheeks were red, she thought that it was already past noon and Zhuhao had not eaten yet, so she was afraid that it would be bad for his health. Therefore, Miaoli had no time to ask and hurried back to the kitchen to prepare food.
After Miaoli left, Zhu Hao closed the window tightly. She stood in front of the bronze mirror and took off all her clothes, revealing her graceful figure and slender waist. Zhu Hao's skin was very prone to scarring. A slight pinch would leave a red mark that would take an hour or two to disappear.
Now, when I look in the mirror, apart from the old scars on my back from flogging, there are slight red marks on my ankles, legs and neck.
She calmly put on her clothes, then took out a brand new quilt from the cupboard. She walked to the bed and changed it, with no expression on her face from beginning to end.
If what she thought was correct, then Song Xieqing would not come back.
No wonder he left in such a hurry, even erasing her memory. Zhu Hao couldn't help but smile in his heart, thinking that this was not worth it at all.
She might have liked Song Xieqing a little bit, but she wouldn't cling to him. But she didn't know that he was such a coward?
Zhu Hao held her breath, she took off her dress again and took out a new one from the closet. She thought about it over and over again but still felt it was not enough.
She is going to take a bath.
…
In Fu Yunshang's compartment, Zhu Hao took out a ruler to measure Shi Chunsheng's body. Their feet were touching each other, and the fabric of their clothes rubbed against each other. Shi Chunsheng lowered his head to look at her, and Zhu Hao's hair brushed his chin lightly.
The years are quiet and peaceful, and a pot of magnolia is in full bloom on the windowsill.
Suddenly, someone pushed open the half-closed door. It was Fang Xuyin. She came forward with a piece of crimson satin in her arms. When she saw the two of them, she was stunned at first, and then smiled.
She calmly turned her gaze away and handed the satin in her arms to Zhu Hao. "There's a girl named Li in the main hall. She said she's using the fabric she brought from home to make a dress. If it were just an ordinary dress, it would be fine, but she actually wants to use a single bolt of satin to make a wedding gown. I told Miss Li that a dress in the shape of a wedding gown would require at least two bolts of fabric, but she doesn't have any extra fabric at home. Miss Li's family isn't well off, so I don't think she can afford to buy fabric from the shop."
"Besides, Miss Li wants peach blossoms embroidered on her wedding gown. The shape of the gown, plus the specific embroidery pattern, would cost five taels of silver, not to mention Fu Yunshang's price. Even at an ordinary tailor shop, it would cost five taels of silver. I gently urged her to go to a small workshop, but she insisted on Fu Yunshang. Furthermore... Miss Li also wants you to take charge of the embroidery."
Fang Xuyin's eyes darkened slightly as she spoke of this. She felt that Miss Li's family background was similar to hers, and after hearing what she had just said, Fang Xuyin felt like helping her. So she took the initiative to connect her with Zhu Hao. "Miss Li is thinking of paying the money in installments, say one tael per month, and she can pay the corresponding interest. What do you think, Pianpian?"
Zhu Hao felt it was strange after hearing this. She had been doing business for a year and had never seen a young lady paying in installments to buy clothes. There were two reasons for this. First, whether it was Fu Yucai or Fu Yunshang, although the former offered lower prices, it was a place often visited by middle-class people, and the latter was specially set up for young ladies from wealthy families. However... the current business had not seen any improvement.
The young ladies who came to the two shops to buy clothes certainly wouldn't pay in installments, simply because most people buy according to their means, let alone just a piece of clothing. If they were short of money, why would they come here to get their clothes tailored or buy skirts? Huaicheng is full of small shops selling cheap clothes, so why bother spending all their money on a piece of clothing?
This Miss Li is really puzzling.
Zhu Hao examined the satin closely. Although it was made of fine linen, its color and texture were ordinary. It felt a little irritating to the touch, and a faint, exotic fragrance, like lemon, but more than that, was present. She left the shop with the cloth, intending to meet Miss Li in person. Fortunately, Shi Chunsheng had already been roughly measured for her clothing.
Only Fang Xuyin and Shi Chunsheng were left in the compartment.
Fang Xuyin stared at him intently. Shi Chunsheng's face was slightly flustered. Fang Xuyin teased him, "I didn't realize before that you were so anxious to be alone with Pianpian... I clearly measured your size yesterday, but you insisted on asking her to measure you again? And standing so close to you..." She was amazed. "Could it be that you panicked because Song Xieqing returned to the city? You wanted to express your feelings to Pianpian as soon as possible? After all, in a few days..."
She sighed, "I can see what you mean to Pian Pian, but when will her stupid head see clearly?"
"Miss Fang, Pianpian is not a blockhead." Shi Chunsheng felt as if someone had grabbed his tail, his earlobes flushed, and he felt uncomfortable. "The former is correct. I really want to be alone with Pianpian, so I didn't tell her that I had measured the size." He looked at Fang Xuyin and said honestly, "The latter is not correct. I have never thought of expressing my feelings to Pianpian, not now, and certainly not in the future."
Fang Xu was surprised to hear this. Shi Chunsheng understood what she wanted to ask, so he continued, "You should know that my family has a hereditary disease. My father and brother both died of it. Who can be sure that I won't get it? I could die at any time... If that's the case, why bother dragging her down? Pianpian deserves better. Besides, although Pianpian has called me 'Chunsheng' from 'Shi Chunsheng' for a year, she has no interest in me."
"Love is nothing more than affection that grows over time or love at first sight. I should be the latter, but Pian Pian is neither the latter to me. After a year, it is naturally not the former either. Pian Pian deserves to live a hundred years. She will meet a better husband."
But the better one is far from Song Xieqing.
At this critical moment, it was difficult for him to stay by Zhu Hao's side.
Shi Chunsheng remembered the reason why he went to find Zhu Hao to tailor. His cousin from a branch of the family was planning to take the examination for a student, but he had weak aptitude and superficial knowledge. The elders in his family had invited many teachers but none of them had made any progress. Shi Chunsheng's family had run a private school, and his grandfather was a scholar. He had been studying in the kitchen since he was young, and was known as a "child prodigy" at a young age. Everyone thought that he would be the third number one scholar in Huaicheng after Song Lang and You Lang's father.
However, when he was 21, he still had not participated in any examinations. Over time, his reputation as a "child prodigy" gradually faded.
Despite this, everyone knew that Shi Chunsheng was truly a man of great talent, and many urged the Shi family to reopen the school. Shi Yu was now too old to teach, but they still had their grandson, Shi Chunsheng! Although the Shi family had recently revealed a hidden illness, aside from hindering their marriage, it hadn't affected their reputation or their academic achievements.
Seven days later, he had to leave Huaicheng and go to Beijing to serve as his cousin's teacher for half a year. Since he was going to Beijing, his cousin's family was relatively well-off, and Shi Chunsheng, as the teacher, naturally could not lose face for his cousin's family. Therefore, Shi Chunsheng took this opportunity to ask Zhu Hao to make some new clothes for him.
…
Miss Li's name is "Yuan". On the way back home, Zhu Hao repeatedly pondered what Li Yuan said, until Zhu Hao opened the door and the scenery she saw isolated her thoughts.
She saw a man in a moon-white robe standing under a withered pomegranate tree. He moved gracefully, like an immortal.
Zhu Haoxin smiled, he is actually a god.
Song Xieqing closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the tree trunk. Green light extended from his fingertips touching the tree trunk. He and the ancient pomegranate tree were like being covered by a layer of green gauze. A small flower inexplicably emerged from the dry roots that broke through the soil. In the blink of an eye, the pomegranate tree that had no branches and leaves for a hundred years sprouted a wisp of new leaves.
Zhu was so beautiful that he was stunned. Under his gentle caress, the dead tree turned from a single leaf into ten, a hundred, and countless more! The wind rose and the clouds rose, lifting his sleeves. The dying pomegranate tree grew into a towering tree, its branches and leaves lush and green, blocking out the sun.
Song Xieqing looked at her sideways. The pomegranate tree, which had produced flower buds again after a hundred years, swayed and trembled behind him.
The setting sun poured down through the branches, and he walked towards her in the floating light, then stopped.
Zhu Hao leaned against the doorpost. She appeared calm on the surface, but her heart was in turmoil.
Why did he come back? She and he...were they already...
In that case, shouldn't he stay away from her? She is of no use to Song Xieqing anyway.
Song Xieqing pondered for a moment, "I want to make a deal with Madam Zhu."
Zhu Hao looked up at him when he heard that.
"You should know that because of your mistakes, I have suffered the gnaws of heaven's punishment. Only by marrying you, becoming husband and wife, can I break this impasse. In other words, you are my 'antidote.' You and I both know that the name of husband and wife is just a name without substance."
Zhu Hao was stunned. Had she and Song Xieqing not yet gotten married? That... the bed, and the red marks on her body...
Zhu Hao was stunned. Could it be that Song Xieqing had some hidden illness? If not, why would he rather endure the torture of heaven's punishment than consummate his marriage with her?
She was surprised and surprised when she heard Song Xieqing say, "Apart from sex, there is another way to temporarily stop the curse from spreading."
Song Xieqing looked at Zhu Hao and saw that she had a strange expression on her face. He knew what she was thinking. He smiled slightly and felt that it was useless to erase Zhu Hao's memory. She would still think the same way.
"I hope you can, at the critical moment..." Song Xieqing tapped his lower lip with his fingertips. "Of course, I won't just take advantage of you. That's not what a gentleman does."
I wish you good enlightenment.
However, he was not a gentleman. Song Xieqing was clearly smiling, but his eyes were very sharp. "Although I say this is a 'transaction', I am not seeking your approval. I am just letting Madam Zhu know."
"As a reward, I can clear all obstacles for you."
Zhu Hao raised an eyebrow. In that case, isn’t she the one who gets the advantage from both sides?
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