Chapter 45 Chapter 45 A violent heartbeat.
The shop owner had already left tactfully. Lin Zhen turned his head to the window and tried to calm his pounding heart.
An old lady carrying a basket passed by the window. Lin Zhen saw her profile and his eyes became serious. His gaze was fixed on the old lady. When she disappeared from his sight, he immediately got up and chased after her.
As she walked down the stairs, she thought of Ji Sui who was still standing in the room.
After that incident earlier, she couldn't let Ji Sui mistakenly think that she was going to run away.
Lin Zhen immediately turned around and went upstairs, holding the man who was standing there, and hurried downstairs.
When they walked out of the store, the old lady had already disappeared. Lin Zhen had no choice but to follow the direction she had just seen and quickly followed Ji Sui.
He let Lin Zhen lead the way and walked through the crowd.
The warm sunlight shone on Lin Zhenrou's long black hair, on her sky-blue dress, and on her slender white fingers that were holding his.
Her strength was neither too strong nor too weak. As she walked, the skin on her palms gradually warmed up due to the friction, quietly melting the ice in his heart.
*
"Madam Xue!"
Lin Zhen was still a little skeptical at first, but when the old lady turned around, she was finally sure that it was Nanny Xue, the former housekeeper of the Lin Mansion.
On the day when the incident happened in the Lin Mansion, she did not see Nanny Xue since she came back from Lanruo Temple.
She originally thought that Nanny Xue was exiled with the other servants, but that day in the Yong'an Marquis' Mansion, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ning Shilu's appearance, and she could no longer recall it.
It was not until he met Uncle Chen in Qizhou that Lin Zhen remembered that figure again. It was Uncle Chen’s wife, Nanny Xue.
Hearing the voice, Mammy turned around in confusion.
Lin Zhen slowed down, while Ji Sui stopped where he was and just stared at her.
"Mammy, it's me, I'm Lin Zhen." Lin Zhen approached her and said slowly.
With a "bang", the basket in Xue Ma's hand fell to the ground. She raised her sleeves and rubbed her eyes vigorously. Then she laughed and cried, and held Lin Zhen's arm with trembling hands: "Girl! It's our girl!"
Lin Zhen briefly recounted the "resurrection from the dead" episode to Aunt Xue, then asked her about her father's death. Did he tell her anything? Did he tell his aunt anything?
Madam Xue frowned and thought, "The day before the master left, he had an argument with his aunt in his room. However, I was only watching from a distance outside the door at the time and didn't hear what they were arguing about."
"Master..." Madam Xue slowed down her words, "Master did give me a letter, but he asked me to give it to the Marquis."
"Besides these, there is nothing else."
"Letter? What letter?" Lin Zhen asked.
"Master personally instructed that the letter must be delivered to the Marquis, so I have never opened it. Now the Marquis has been held captive for several months, and his life or death is unknown... If you wish to read it, I will fetch it for you. It will not be a betrayal of Master's trust."
Lin Zhen nodded gratefully: "Thank you, Ma'am."
Madam Xue quickly shook her head. "Young lady, please don't say that. It's my fault that I'm incompetent. While you were suffering, I could only hide away in the Yong'an Marquis's mansion, under the protection of Madam Auntie. Fortunately, the storm has passed now, and the Crown Prince has recently married. The mansion is short of staff, so Madam is relieved to let me go out to do my errands."
"I... I can see you again!" Nanny Xue cried with joy, and added, "Young lady, please come back to the Marquis' Mansion with me. Madam is your aunt and a blood relative of yours. If she knew you were still alive and well, she would be so happy!"
Lin Zhen shook her head lightly. Her aunt avoided her so much that she would probably rather she died.
"I'm now living back in the Lin Mansion. Madam, please come to see me as soon as possible after you find the letter."
"Okay, okay, I'll take note of it. I'll go back and find it right away." Nanny Xue responded repeatedly.
"Madam Xue, please hurry up! The young lady's sedan chair is waiting!" A sharp female voice came from a distance. Madam Xue waved her hand and responded, then hurriedly bent down to pick up the basket that had fallen to the ground.
Lin Zhen also squatted on the ground and helped pack back the medicine bags that fell out of the basket.
As Nanny Xue walked away, Lin Zhen suddenly remembered that she had not yet told her the most important thing - Uncle Chen was still alive.
As time gradually approached noon, the streets became crowded with people and there were more and more vendors.
An elderly couple set up a small stall on the roadside. They chatted and laughed while skillfully placing the utensils on the chopping board.
"You've been pushing the cart all the way. You should take a rest, old man. I'll take care of it." The old woman smiled and took the old man's red, frozen hand and placed it in front of the stove.
The old man smiled and agreed. He sat in front of the stove, but his eyes were always on the old woman.
Lin Zhen breathed a sigh of relief, feeling relieved about what the other party had not yet said to Nanny Xue.
Qi Yushi had been dormant in Qizhou for many years. She vaguely felt that he was bound to do something. Sooner or later, Uncle Chen and Nanny Xue would meet one day.
Just like this elderly couple, perhaps some people are destined to support each other through life.
If we are not destined to be together, it is better to worry less...
Lin Zhen stopped in front of the stall with his eyes lowered.
"Want to eat?" Ji Sui's voice interrupted Lin Zhen's thoughts.
"Would you two like two bowls of mutton noodles? They're made with bone broth freshly cooked this morning," the old man hurriedly stood up and lifted the lid of the pot. "The mutton is also freshly braised. It's so cold, a bowl of this will warm you up!"
Steam rises, and a rich aroma fills the air.
"Have a bowl, my noodles are also very good!" The old woman smiled, rolled up her sleeves and started kneading the dough.
Lin Zhen nodded and sat down with Ji Sui.
"This young man and this young lady are both so handsome! I have truly witnessed a match made in heaven!"
Ji Rui remained calm when he heard this. He just glanced at Lin Zhen secretly, without stopping to wipe the table, and then gently placed the chopsticks in front of Lin Zhen.
"Look, the young man is also caring!" the old woman teased.
Lin Zhen knew that the old woman had misunderstood their relationship, but given her current situation, it would be unnecessary for her to explain anything further.
Girls are shy after all. When the old woman saw that she was silent, she stopped talking in time and quickened her hands.
Soon, two bowls of hot mutton noodles with green chopped green onions were served on the table.
Lin Zhen held the bowl and took a sip. A warm current flowed down his throat and spread throughout his body.
Ji Sui finally withdrew his gaze and picked up the bowl.
After they finished their meal, they got up and left.
When the old woman was clearing away the dishes, she discovered a fifty-liang ingot of official silver on the table. She hurriedly picked it up and tried to chase after him.
"This is a reward from our general, just keep it." Shizhu stopped the man and said.
After dinner, Ji Wei took Lin Zhen for a stroll around the entire street. The carriage was filled with silks, satins, pearls, hairpins and rings.
When the two of them walked back home, the sun had already set and the sky was filled with sunset glow.
The red-gold clouds in the sky made the river in the city sparkle. Ji Sui stood on the bridge, whistling and teasing the birds on the bridge.
A breeze blew by, and a few strands of hair fluttered in front of his forehead. A lazy and calm smile inadvertently appeared in his eyes, and his tall figure stood in the rosy glow.
Lin Zhen stood under the willow tree on the bank of the bridge, which had already sprouted new buds, and looked quietly at the man on the bridge.
She seemed to have never looked at Ji Wei so seriously before. His profile was angular and his figure was tall and straight. He was no longer the thin and childish boy three years ago.
It turns out that three years can bring such great changes to a person, and it turns out that three years is so long.
It was so long that she almost forgot the wooden hairpin she had carefully placed in the box.
Lin Zhen finally didn't open the box today.
She seemed to have lost the ability to touch those dusty memories.
She knew that she still had a lot to do.
She also knew that even if she cleared away all the clouds, the past time would never come back and the long river of fate could not be reversed.
No one can go back to the starting point.
*
Ji Sui stood in front of the mansion gate, waiting for Lin Zhen. When she approached, he said, "Shall I go in first?"
Lin Zhen realized that he was talking about the rule she had set in the morning, which prohibited him from going in and out with her.
Lin Zhen had never seen Ji Sui so obedient. He seemed to be in an unusually good mood today. Could this be his new bad taste?
Lin Zhen suddenly snorted coldly, and walked out of the door with a wave of his sleeves.
Shi Zhu stood beside Ji Bai. He really wanted to see a look of surprise and anger on his master's face.
No, not a bit.
Even though the master's mouth remained normal, the curve at the end of his peach blossom eyes had already exposed his true feelings.
After a while, Lin Zhen finally disappeared from sight. Ji Sui turned around and shouted, "Go in! What are you standing there for?"
Dianthus: ...
*
Lin Zhen did not return to his own yard, but turned around the pond and went to Lin Yue's room.
When Lin Zhen knocked on the door, Lin Yue was lying in front of the table, fiddling with the brush hanging on the pen holder with a listless look on her face.
Bai Ce would never knock on her door, and her sister rarely came to her room.
Although she knew it was impossible, she couldn't help but feel a little hopeful. She quickly straightened up, nodded, lowered her eyes, cleared her throat, and whispered, "Come in."
As the footsteps approached, Lin Yue took a deep breath, raised her head, and the shy smile on her face paused. She asked in surprise, "Sister?"
"Sister, why are you here? Hongye said you went out and haven't come back yet, I thought you were not at home..." As she said that, Lin Yue slowly stood up.
An unnatural look flashed across Lin Zhen's eyes, and he asked with concern, "Were you scared this morning?"
"No..." Lin Yue looked a little depressed and shook her head slightly.
Seeing Lin Yue like this, Lin Zhen's heart was filled with guilt and heartache. During the days when she escaped, his sister had been imprisoned by Ji Bai. It seemed that she had suffered too many such shocks.
"I was inconsiderate last time. I promise you that this time I will let you leave safely and you won't have to live in fear anymore." Lin Zhen gently held her arm.
"No!" Lin Yue took a half step back and retracted her arm. "No... Sister, I don't want to leave."
Lin Zhen frowned slightly and looked at Lin Yue blankly.
"Sister... I once heard a rumor that my father imprisoned the former commander of the Ji family army, causing his old illness to relapse and die. The eldest princess committed suicide for love. They said... they said Ji Sui was an old friend of the princess's mansion, which is why he wanted revenge like this."
"But isn't General Ji a loyal and capable general of our Zhou Kingdom? Sister, is what they said true?" Lin Yue asked back.
Lin Zhen was silent for a long time, looking at her deeply, and said slowly: "Lin Yue, can you trust your father?"
"I...of course I believe it."
"That's good. You have to trust your father, and you also have to trust your sister."
"You just need to leave peacefully, and leave everything else to your sister." Lin Zhen said.
"But I can also share the burden for my sister."
The more Lin Yue acted like this, the more uneasy Lin Zhen became. He couldn't help but speak more harshly: "You can't stay here——"
"Sister! I have grown up and am no longer a child. I trust you, but can't you trust me?" Lin Yue was also unhappy. She suddenly interrupted her sister, turned around and faced Lin Zhen with her back.
Lin Zhen stood there for a long time. What Lin Yue said was not entirely unreasonable. She had grown up, and no one wanted to be manipulated by others.
Perhaps, she should wait for another time and discuss it slowly with her sister.
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