Chapter 69 Twilight Falls "You think that when I married you, I was treating you like a warm... "
After traveling non-stop for three days, Meng Yu returned to Hejiuyun Township at sunset.
As the sun began to set, the evening glow painted the sky a blood-red hue, its light spilling onto the crisp bamboo outside the city, the glossy green leaves displaying a kaleidoscope of colors.
She stepped off the carriage, the sunlight casting a long shadow behind her.
Upon seeing someone approaching, especially a woman, the soldiers guarding the city wall immediately shouted, "Who goes there?"
Meng Yu didn't speak, but simply raised her head to look at the city gate.
Does she even need to speak?
Lu Xiuyi spread the news because he was certain she would walk right into his trap.
Upon hearing the commotion, a soldier carrying a portrait rushed to the city wall. His gaze was sharp as he stared at Meng Yu. After a moment, he frowned and immediately shouted, "It's Madam! Open the city gate quickly!"
From the city gate to Hualing Lane, two soldiers led the way for Meng Yu, followed by dozens of soldiers. The weapons and armor at their waists clashed together, making a chilling sound, each sound seeming to carry an unspoken warning.
In early winter, darkness falls quickly, and all the houses along the street are tightly closed. If it weren't for the lights shining from inside, a newcomer would think it was a ghost town.
Meng Yu seemed to have lost her soul, her feet moving forward stiffly as if mechanical. The road ahead became blurry again, and the deep pit she had tried so hard to escape was now forced to be jumped into again. A huge sorrow enveloped her, making her dizzy and disoriented.
What path lies ahead? Which way should she take?
Turning past the entrance of Hualing Lane, and walking a few more steps, she saw the gate of her courtyard wide open. She walked over with heavy steps, the familiar scent seemingly already lingering in her nostrils. The fear surging in her heart was frantically screaming for her to run, to run away quickly.
Escape? Her whereabouts have been exposed, where can she possibly escape to?
The courtyard lights stretched to her feet, and a terrifying scene suddenly entered her eyes. The fear in Meng Yu's eyes instantly turned into a chilling light, and she couldn't help but shout: "Lu Xiuyi."
Bang!
Upon hearing the voice, Lu Xiuyi's gaze slowly shifted, and the moment he saw the person who had arrived, the sword in his hand suddenly fell to the ground.
Her long hair swept past his eyes, and he saw her rush over and squat down beside Yun Xiaoniangzi, carefully helping her up. Her voice, as sweet as a clear spring, seeped into his ears: "Yun An, are you and Zhao Yuan alright?"
Lu Xiuyi stared at the person in front of him in disbelief, his sharp gaze like that of a hawk, filled with indescribable ecstasy and a trace of resentment that later welled up in his eyes.
She...she can talk now??
Her voice was indeed as beautiful as I had imagined, like a sweet spring or a gentle spring breeze, instantly refreshing the mind and body.
But why? Why is it that the first person she cares about when she comes in is someone she has no connection with? Why is it that while he thinks of her day and night and can't sleep at night, she can still live here with a clear conscience? Why is there no remorse on her face? Why is her gaze towards him full of frost, even though he is clearly the person in this world who treats her the best?
The elation of seeing her again was instantly overwhelmed by overwhelming anger and resentment. Lu Xiuyi picked up the sword from the ground, staggered back a step, pointed at Yun An, his face frosty: "Meng Yu, do you really want to protect her that much? I won't let you."
Yun An turned pale with fright, but fortunately Zhao Yuan slept peacefully in her arms. Meng Yu reached out to protect her behind her, her clear gaze fixed on Lu Xiu Yi's angry face, and slowly stood up.
She spoke calmly: "Lu Xiuyi, you are not a bloodthirsty and cruel person. Why should innocent people be involved in our affairs? Let them go, and I will go with you."
Lu Xiuyi smiled coldly: "Who do you think you are? Don't think I'll still be at your beck and call like before. You think you can just tell me to release them? On what grounds? You think you can save them, mother and daughter, with your own life? Dream on."
As he spoke, he sheathed his sword, sat back in the recliner, propped his head up with one hand on the armrest, and coldly looked at Meng Yu, who was still aloof and superior. His words were full of malice: "Your life can only be exchanged for one person. Only one of Lady Yun and her daughter can live. You choose!"
Meng Yu had anticipated that Lu Xiuyi would be angry, so she wasn't upset when she heard his words. She simply walked up to him and said calmly, "Can we go inside and have a proper talk?"
"Meng Yu, I'm warning you, you'd better not talk to me like that." Lu Xiuyi jumped up from the recliner in anger, his eyes flashing with malice.
Unaware of their past relationship, Yun An tugged at Meng Yu's sleeve with concern, her eyes brimming with tears, and whispered, "Yun He, I'm alright. Choose Zhao Yuan! Make sure she lives."
Under the flickering lamplight, Meng Yu ignored Yun An. Her face was open and honest, and her gaze as she looked up at Lu Xiuyi was still clear and sharp: "Human life is not so cheap in your eyes. You won't."
Even though he was a head taller than her, and even when she stood on tiptoe, she only reached his chin, even though she was the one looking up at him, even though she was the one in a lower position, Lu Xiuyi always felt that he was the one groveling and begging for her attention. Thinking of this, even his gaze towards her no longer revealed the fierce light that was once so firm.
Their eyes met for a moment, then Meng Yu sighed and took his hand, pulling him into the house.
Lu Xiuyi wanted to curse her, but the moment she took his hand, the warmth from their palms touching instantly seeped into his body, and the longing that had been suppressed in his heart for so long surged up at that moment, and the words that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back.
He berated himself for being useless and wanted to stop, but his legs kept following her without him noticing.
Once inside the house, Meng Yu finally let go of his hand.
The lights inside were bright, and Lu Xiuyi could see the fine lines on her face. There was a basin of water under the windowsill. He wet his face towel, wrung it out, and then held her shoulders, gently wiping away the powder from her face. His voice was no longer as cold as before: "Meng Yu, is this the freedom you wanted?"
With the makeup removed, the fine lines on her face disappeared. Although her appearance was not much different from before, she was still a bit darker than before after two years of exposure to the sun and wind. Looking at her hands, without the makeup to cover and protect them from the sun, they had become rough and dark.
"You've been wearing this mask for three years, have you gotten used to it? Do you really believe that Xi Yunhe exists in this world?"
His rough fingertips gently caressed her face, which was covered in fine lines. His voice was soft, yet it seemed to carry a resentment that was stuck in his throat and between his lips, unable to be suppressed or uttered.
From the people at Chunshi Restaurant, Lu Xiuyi learned about her life over the past two years. In order to brew a mellow and sweet fruit wine, she often had to go up the mountain to inspect and work under the scorching sun.
Meng Yu didn't speak, but with a hint of resentment, he couldn't help but say, "I just don't understand, what's so great about this kind of freedom that you'd risk your life for? What's wrong with a life of luxury? Aren't the peaceful days in the mansion a thousand times better than being exposed to the wind and sun? Everyone yearns for this kind of life, so why do you insist on running away from it?"
“So that’s where we’re different,” Meng Yu sighed, took two steps back, and said softly, “Lu Xiuyi, you’ll never understand what I’m pursuing. We’re from different worlds. Why can’t you let me go, and let yourself go too?”
Seeing that she remained indifferent and aloof, Lu Xiuyi chuckled, as if he found his earlier earnest advice laughable.
He let out a heavy sigh, lowered his head, then raised it again, the slight tenderness in his eyes completely gone: "After we got married, I respected you, loved you, and protected you. Whatever you wanted, I tried my best to get it for you; whatever you hated, I cleared away the obstacles for you. You didn't want to consummate our marriage, and I endured it. I was willing to wait until the day your heart opened to me. But what about you? How did you treat me? You were full of lies, hypocritical. To escape me, you even went so far as to set up a huge scheme. Do you know that when I heard you perished in the fire, I even had thoughts of ending my own life? Meng Yu, I'm not a good person. I don't do things without expecting anything in return. I need to see your true heart, I need to see your true intentions."
The obsession in the eyes of the person opposite was obvious. He had said so much, as if all the blame lay with her.
Upon hearing this, Meng Yu's long-suppressed emotions finally erupted. She sneered repeatedly, "I'm full of lies? I'm hypocritical? Lu Xiuyi, isn't this marriage between us the result of your scheming and meticulous planning? Didn't I make my stance clear when we first met on the ship? Did I ever say a word of love to you? You want me to be your slave to repay your life-saving grace? Fine, but I will never sell my body to be your bed warmer. From the beginning, I made it clear that you were not the one I desired. It was you who relentlessly pursued me, you who racked your brains, you who set me up and made me fall into your trap, leaving me no room to resist."
Lu Xiuyi stared at her in disbelief, his eyes brimming with heart-wrenching pain: "Is this how you see me? You think I married you just to use you as a bed warmer?"
Meng Yu was furious and, without thinking, retorted, "Isn't that right?"
Upon hearing her answer, the person opposite her glanced at her with reddened eyes, gave a mocking smile, and lowered their head.
Danger filled the air at that moment, and Meng Yu felt alarm bells ringing in her mind. Without thinking twice, she glanced at the door and turned to run.
Just as she was about to touch the door latch, a sharp gust of wind suddenly swept from behind her, and in just a few breaths, she was lifted up and thrown onto the couch.
A tall figure immediately loomed over her, and Meng Yu's hands were pinned above her head. A cold laugh rang in her ears: "Since you've always seen me this way, why should I show you any mercy? I might as well make this reputation a reality."
He was too fast. Meng Yu was caught off guard and had no time to react before he pinned her down. A wet and sticky feeling spread from her neck and shoulders to her limbs. The man's hands were still moving up and down her waist. She stared in horror and struggled desperately, but her limbs were tightly pinned down and she could not move an inch.
She struggled for a while, but instead of receiving any pity from the man, she only made him more ferocious.
"hiss……"
With a tearing sound, a cool sensation quickly swept over her body. Meng Yu was terrified and cried out in despair, "Lu Xiuyi, please don't do this, please!"
Upon hearing this, the person on top of him not only didn't stop moving, but accelerated his movements. He sneered, "Now you know how to beg me? Where were you when I begged you? When I did everything I could and groveled at your feet, did you show me even a shred of pity?"
Lu Xiuyi's devilish voice rang in her ears, like a pair of enormous tentacles trying to drag her into an abyss.
Her clothes were completely removed, and a chilling sensation seeped into every pore. Meng Yu closed her eyes in despair, giving up the struggle, and two lines of clear tears slowly fell: "Lu Xiuyi, I will never forgive you in this lifetime."
Her desperate voice was tinged with sobs, and tears soaked his face, which was buried in her neck, burning hot as if they were scorching him.
He suddenly stopped moving, buried his face in her neck, and remained motionless.
After an unknown amount of time, he began to nuzzle against her, murmuring with suppressed sobs, "Meng Yu, come back with me. Don't think about running away anymore. I can forgive and forget everything that happened before, including the lies you told me and your insincerity. Let's start over, okay?"
Meng Yu felt weak all over, and fatigue surged over her like a flood that had burst its banks. Even if Lu Xiuyi wanted to do something to her, she was powerless to resist.
She gave a wry laugh: "I never had a choice from the beginning, did I?"
From the moment she first met him and married him, she didn't have many choices. She considered these two years of freedom as a mercy from heaven, a chance to catch her breath.
The person on top of him seemed to be in extreme pain as well, his voice choked with sobs: "I told you, you can do anything except leave me. Meng Yu, you should be content. In this world, besides me, what other scion of a high-ranking family would be willing to go to such lengths for you?"
Upon hearing his words, all the words that had been stuck in Meng Yu's chest were instantly suppressed. She no longer had the desire to argue with him and only said, "I will go back with you and will not think about running away again. You let them go."
"good."
Unexpectedly, she agreed so readily. Lu Xiuyi was silent for a moment before turning away. He then left her side and saw that her face was full of tears. He had originally planned to say that they would set off back to the capital tomorrow, but he changed his mind and said, "I know you have worked hard here for two years to achieve what Zhuoshan is today. I will not take away everything you have here. Whenever you want to come back for a visit, I will accompany you. Also, we are not leaving until the day after tomorrow. If you have anything to explain to them, you can explain it to them tomorrow. It is getting late now, so I will have someone give you some good food."
Meng Yu didn't even open her eyes. She turned over and buried her face in the quilt, saying in a muffled voice, "I only want Uncle Ge's lotus leaf fish dumplings and fried quail."
It was rare for her to take the initiative to order food, so Lu Xiuyi was delighted and quickly said, "Okay, you wait here, I'll have someone call him to make it right away."
***
Hearing the door gently close, Meng Yu got up from the bed, wrapped up the torn clothes, and took out a new outfit she usually wore from the wardrobe to change into. When she left, in order to travel light, she only took a few plain-colored clothes and left the rest here.
After changing his clothes, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the cradle in the corner. It belonged to Zhaoyuan. After looking around again, he noticed that there were several more of Yun'an's things in various parts of the room.
Meng Yu recalled what she had said to Yun An before leaving, and vaguely guessed what it was.
Less than an hour later, Uncle Ge personally delivered the food.
Seeing that Lu Xiuyi was still standing beside her, Meng Yu had no choice but to speak frankly: "Regarding Chun Restaurant, I have a few things to discuss with Uncle Ge. Could you perhaps..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but Lu Xiuyi understood what she meant. Looking at the heavy defenses that had been set up around them, he knew she couldn't escape, so he could only reply, "Then hurry up."
Now that only the two of them were left in the room, Meng Yu said, "I'm sorry, because of me, you and the people from Chun Restaurant have been put in danger."
Since entering, Uncle Ge had kept his head down. Upon hearing this, he knew that Meng Yu's throat had been healed, so he quickly raised his head, tears streaming down his face: "Miss, please don't say that. If it weren't for you, how could I, old man Ge, be here today?"
"Aunt Chen and Niu Er are both alright, aren't they?"
These are all helpers and staff at Chun Restaurant.
Ge Bo nodded: "Although General Lu arrested us and interrogated us, he didn't lay a finger on us. It's because of us that the young lady has suffered."
During his time in prison, Ge Boyi learned about Meng Yu's ordeal from the jailers. He found it strange that they were released unharmed, and now that he saw her suddenly appear here after being away for many days, he vaguely guessed what kind of sacrifice she had made.
"You were all imprisoned because of me. How could I stand by and watch you suffer?" Meng Yu smiled bitterly, not wanting to dwell on the matter any longer, so she changed the subject, "I will be going back to the capital with him the day after tomorrow. Everything in Zhuoshan is in your hands and Ren Ling's. As for my monthly share at Chun Restaurant, please give it to Yun An! It's not easy for her to live with Zhao Yuan. If anything happens in the future, please help her out."
With tears in his eyes, Uncle Ge said, "Madam Yun is a good person, that's for sure, but she has a thorny problem right now."
Meng Yu frowned: "Is it related to Cui Xun?"
Uncle Ge nodded: "I heard that she proposed to divorce Master Cui a few days ago, but Master Cui took her to the yamen, saying that Zhaoyuan is still a member of the Cui family, and that if Lady Yun wants to leave, she can, but Zhaoyuan must stay."
Given Cui's mother's character, Meng Yu wasn't surprised that she would do such a thing.
Upon hearing this, she smiled faintly and said, "I have my own way of handling this matter, so you don't need to worry."
"How dare you trespass here? Get out!"
“I only saw her once, really, I only saw her once, Miss Xi…”
Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside. The voice behind them sounded familiar; it seemed to be Feng Huai. Meng Yu quickly got up and went to the door.
Sure enough, Feng Huai was lifted up by the guards and thrown out, while Lu Xiuyi stared at him with a cold look on his face.
"stop!"
A sharp shout rang out, and the soldiers carrying Feng Huai suddenly stopped. Lu Xiuyi turned around and saw Meng Yu walking straight up to him. Meng Yu said gently, "Captain Feng has been kind to me, and I would like to say a few words to him."
As a man, how could Lu Xiuyi not understand Feng Huai's thoughts?
He was about to refuse when he heard her say, "Don't worry, I don't like him. I'm only saying a few words to him now so that he can let go of those thoughts and stop dwelling on them."
Lu Xiuyi let out a heavy sigh: "I know, otherwise, how could I have allowed him to live until now?"
Meng Yu was not surprised at all that he could say such a thing. Lu Xiuyi did not allow them to come inside to talk, and could only let them stand in the yard while he watched them from a distance.
Seeing that the person in front of him looked much younger than before, Feng Huai instantly understood. He lowered his head and laughed self-deprecatingly: "I thought there was plenty of time in the future, and I could tell you everything sooner or later, but who could have imagined that things would have changed when we met again?"
"I already knew what you meant."
Feng Huai suddenly looked up, his eyes sparkling.
But her next words were like a knife stabbing into Feng Huai's heart: "We are not suitable. Even without Lu Xiuyi, I could never be with you."
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