Chapter 44 Self-inflicted trouble is self-inflicted, yet one cannot easily let go of it.
Feng Chen originally intended to ride his horse at full gallop to sober up, but before he knew it, he had galloped all the way to the outskirts of the capital.
On the return journey, the horse suddenly went out of control for some unknown reason, galloping wildly and heading straight towards Huayun Pavilion.
By this time, he had sobered up considerably and felt a strange sense of unease.
Perhaps the horse also felt that the grand mansion with its red gates and high walls of the Feng family was not as suitable as that small pavilion as a place to call home.
It's all the horse's fault.
Upon reaching the gate, he dismounted, his steps unsteady, and he nearly fell over.
The hotpot feast inside the pavilion was nearing its end. Lan Shexiang whispered a few words in her ear, and Su Jinxiu, holding her wine glass, looked on with surprise: "Is this really true?"
Upon seeing this, Ying Bumei quickly snatched the wine cup, frowned, and said, "It's not even midsummer yet, cold wine is bad for your health, be careful not to hurt your spleen and stomach."
"Oh, just one cup won't hurt." Su Jinxiu laughed and tried to grab it. Just as the two were struggling, a loud thud was heard outside the door.
Everyone was startled by the sound and turned around to look.
Su Jinxiu, as if by telepathy, got up first and walked out of the pavilion, only to see a person lying stiffly on the steps of Huayun Pavilion, motionless.
Those inside couldn't see what was happening on the steps, but they could see Su Jinxiu turn around and go back into the pavilion. Just as she took two steps across the threshold, Lan Shexiang asked softly, "Who is it?"
"It's nothing, just some drunkard."
Su Jinxiu took two more steps forward, but then suddenly stopped. She closed her eyes, turned back, went down the steps, squatted down, put the man's hand on her arm, and tried to help him up.
At this moment, the man regained a sliver of consciousness and fell directly onto her. Caught off guard, Su Jinxiu was pressed heavily onto the steps.
The people inside were shocked to see this and rushed out to help, carrying him to the soft couch behind the screen in the inner room.
After everyone was settled, all eyes turned to Su Jinxiu.
Su Jinxiu stepped forward and pinched his face without mercy, shaking his head violently: "Wake up!"
Feng Chen seized the opportunity to grab her wrist, pressing her hand tightly against his face, and murmured hoarsely, "Don't go..."
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, looking utterly pitiful.
Seeing that Su Jinxiu stopped what she was doing after hearing the boy's affected tone, Ying Bumei said coldly, "I'll go make some hangover soup."
Seeing this, the others all got up, saying they needed to go to the outer room to clean up the mess from the hot pot, and one by one they left the inner room. In the end, only Lan Shexiang was left. She looked at the two who were locked in a stalemate, sighed helplessly, and finally quietly closed the door and left.
Su Jinxiu sat on the edge of the soft couch, unable to pull her hand back, so she could only press it against his cheek.
To be precise, he pressed her firmly against his cheek.
Just then, Ying Bumei rushed back with a bowl of hangover soup. He stepped forward, pried open Feng Chen's hand, grabbed his collar, lifted him up slightly, and was about to feed him the soup.
But as soon as he was fed a bite, Feng Chen choked and pushed Ying Bumei away, coughing violently.
Su Jinxiu's heart clenched suddenly, but she quickly suppressed her panic. Feng Chen was coughing badly and accidentally pushed Ying Bumei again, spilling most of the hangover soup on the soft couch.
Su Jinxiu quickly moved forward and sat down, saying to Ying Bumei who was standing, "Give it to me."
Ying Bumei's teeth were practically grinding to powder.
He didn't even take a sip of that medicine!
He then handed over the hangover soup, and with a flick of his sleeve, turned and left.
After coughing, Fengchen lay back on the couch like a corpse, tears still clinging to the corners of his eyes, his cheeks flushed. If he were fed while lying flat like this, the remaining hangover soup would probably spill all over him.
Su Jinxiu had no choice but to reach out and support the back of his neck, trying to lift him slightly. Unexpectedly, he was so heavy that she couldn't budge him an inch after several attempts. She sighed and could only sit facing him, supporting his arm with her hand. This time, she actually managed to lift him up, letting him lean against her arm. But he slipped, his head resting directly on her chest. Su Jinxiu held his arm with one hand and, with the other, held a bowl, slowly feeding him hangover soup.
This time, however, I drank it smoothly.
After feeding him the last bite, Su Jinxiu wiped his mouth with her sleeve and gently put him down.
She gazed silently at his sleeping face, and after a moment, she coldly uttered a single sentence.
"Pretend again."
Feng Chen's breathing remained steady, as if he were truly fast asleep.
Seeing this, Su Jinxiu reached out and pinched his nose. A moment later, his mouth opened involuntarily, and she covered it again.
Sure enough, after a short while, he couldn't hold back any longer and suddenly opened his eyes. Only then did Su Jinxiu release her grip. He gasped for breath, angrily saying, "You, you vicious woman! You murdered a high-ranking official! You..."
Su Jinxiu coldly interrupted him: "The official appointed by the imperial court broke into the private residence first."
After Su Jinxiu finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the outer room. Feng Chen also quickly got off the bed and followed closely behind her.
He was genuinely puzzled, wondering why his friends disliked him so much. As soon as they saw him come out, they packed up even faster, as if he were some kind of monster, eager to finish packing and escape immediately, not even wanting to glance at him.
Su Jinxiu also stepped forward to help, collecting the remaining fresh ingredients into the food box.
Just then, a deafening roar suddenly came from Feng Chen's abdomen.
Su Jinxiu glanced at him, and he embarrassedly clutched his stomach, only then realizing that he hadn't eaten a single grain of rice all day, except for indulging in drinking at Mingyufang in the evening.
Afterwards, no one paid any attention to him or paid any attention to him. Everyone finished cleaning up and left without even saying goodbye. Su Jinxiu also took the ingredients and turned around to put them away.
He sat there quietly, gazing at the wood grain on the round table, and began to ponder the meaning of his trip.
Was it all just to be forced to drink a bowl of hangover soup and then nearly suffocate?
In a daze, a soft clinking sound of porcelain bowls colliding suddenly came from in front of me, and a steaming bowl of plain noodles appeared before me.
The noodles were glistening with oil, topped with two golden poached eggs, and smelled wonderfully. The milky white broth was dotted with specks of oil, shimmering under the light, making it look incredibly appetizing.
The scallions haven't been sprinkled on yet.
He looked up abruptly and saw Su Jinxiu sitting opposite him, gesturing with her chin for him to eat quickly.
After a hearty meal, Fengchen, knowing he was indebted to the man who had fed him, dutifully washed the dishes.
After washing the dishes, he went back to his original seat and sat down. For a moment, he didn't know what to do, so he just sat there obediently.
Su Jinxiu finished tidying up and was about to close up shop when she saw him still there, so she said indifferently, "We don't offer meals or lodging here."
He then seemed to wake up from a dream and quickly said, "Oh, it's getting late. Let me take you home."
"...No need, my humble abode is simple and unsophisticated, and I'm afraid it would offend Young Master Feng's eyes."
A gentle voice came from the doorway: "Qiaoniang, let's go."
Yi Ruxu had just finished tidying up when he walked in and saw the two people in front of him, and couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. Su Jinxiu smiled when she saw him: "Okay."
Feng Chen frowned, strode forward, and blocked the two at the door: "If he can give you a ride, why can't I?"
Su Jinxiu walked to the left, and he blocked her way to the left. Su Jinxiu walked to the right, and he blocked her way to the right. This scene was exactly the same as when they first met.
Su Jinxiu looked up: "I'm going the same way as him, but not as way as you."
"How could it not be on the way?" Feng Chen pressed. "The Feng residence is right in the heart of Bianjing. It's on the way to anywhere, so it's definitely closer than this place!"
Su Jinxiu glanced at him and said indifferently, "More convenient than him? We live together, how can you be more convenient than him?"
"Living together?!" Feng Chen suddenly looked at Yi Ruxu and was about to grab his collar. Su Jinxiu reacted quickly, grabbing his wrist to stop him, and hurriedly added, "Living together means living in the same alley! You know that!"
Feng Chen stared intently at Su Jinxiu, then shoved Yi Ruxu aside. Watching him stagger a few steps, he said in a forceful tone, "Either I take you back, or the three of us will stay here tonight."
Faced with his various antics, Su Jinxiu remained calm and showed no sign of anger. She simply stared at him for a while, her gaze making Feng Chen feel uneasy, and he couldn't help but wonder if he had really been being unreasonable.
Su Jinxiu suddenly turned around and walked into the inner room.
Yi Ruxu looked at Feng Chen, wanting to say, "Can't you just...", but ultimately didn't finish his sentence. After all, this newly appointed top scholar was definitely assigned a position above him, and might even become his superior. For both reason and emotion, he couldn't afford to provoke him.
Su Jinxiu quickly came out from the inner room, holding several folded clothes in her hands, and said to Fengchen, "Come here."
Feng Chen did as she was told and stepped forward. She then spread out the clothes and compared them to him. They were the same ones he had ordered a few days ago.
"I almost forgot, let me wrap it up for you now."
Feng Chen felt a surge of emotion, his eyes welling up with tears. He thought the clothes were beautiful and just what he wanted. But just as he raised his hand to wipe away his tears, Su Jinxiu took out something else—a love knot.
"These are some of the most recently purchased items by the daughters in the family, symbolizing marital harmony. I wish you and the county princess a happy and fulfilling marriage in advance."
After saying that, he put the love knot into the packed bundle.
Feng Chen was completely stunned.
He finally understood why she had been able to calmly cook noodles for him, watch him eat with equanimity, calmly remind him that it was closing time, and even wrap his clothes and make a love knot to bless him and Chaoguang.
It turns out, it was because she didn't care anymore.
Because she didn't care, she was invincible. Therefore, she could calmly tolerate all his difficult behavior. She would never again cry and demand a straight answer, or an explanation for their relationship, like she did when they first met.
Because in her eyes, she was already an insignificant stranger.
"Let's go." Su Jinxiu's voice was very calm and soft, yet it made the two of them walk out the door together involuntarily.
She locked the Huayun Pavilion, turned to look at Feng Chen, and calmly said goodbye: "I wish Young Master Feng success in his official career, a good life with the County Princess, and all the best in the future."
She paused, her gaze clear and distant, and finally said softly, "From today onwards, let's go our separate ways."
He held the bundle in his hand, staring blankly at her, and at the scholar behind her who seemed more suited to her, always gentle and considerate, and never as foolish as him.
As if possessed, he said, "Okay."
Su Jinxiu smiled and instructed, "On the way back, ride slowly."
After saying that, he and Yi Ruxu turned around and walked away into the distance.
Feng Chen felt as if a piece of his heart had been ripped out. He wanted to cry out loud, but no tears would come out. He wanted to shout, but his throat felt like it was blocked with cotton, and he had no strength left.
He slowly turned around, mounted his horse, and, carrying the heavy bundle, rode aimlessly through the streets in the dead of night, like a soulless ghost.
"Let's each go our own way..."
He repeated the sentence in a low voice.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, he added, word by word.
You can forget about it!
Author's note: I cried while writing the last part, who would believe it? [heartbroken]
Five sweet chapters awarded immediately! [heart emoji]
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