Chapter 31: Marking It Only for Yourself
A tall, slender figure walked into the alley against the light. The golden sunset fell on his shoulders, and his expression was hidden in the shadows, so she couldn't see it clearly.
With Yu He'an's arrival, there was a pillar of support, and the chaotic scene became orderly.
He ordered several strong servants to find lassos and tame the out-of-control, maddened bull, tying it to a stone pillar at the end of the alley.
The maids and nannies first escorted Old Madam Song into the Marquis's residence.
Yu He'an walked towards them. Thinking of the argument she had with Chu Minglang last time because they had spent too much time together, she felt a little guilty and quickly moved to the side, her slender wrist still being held in someone's hand.
They hid in a small corner, with Chu Minglang's tall figure almost completely covering them.
Chu Minglang trembled as he moved to sit up, then pressed himself back down.
My right shoulder and neck were almost touching, and my left hand was bracing against the ground, keeping a distance of two palms to maintain a gentlemanly distance. If we got any closer, our waists and abdomens would almost be touching.
She then realized that her posture was ambiguous; from Yu He'an's position, it looked as if she had buried herself in Chu Minglang's arms.
Large beads of sweat appeared on Chu Minglang's forehead, and his breathing suddenly became heavy. The kick Mad Bull had given him on the back must have seriously injured him.
She felt a little guilty, since she had some ulterior motives.
After all, Chu Minglang might not be the one who imprisoned her; it was all just her wild speculation. So she tried to pull Chu Minglang along to shield her from the injury.
It seems a bit too unreasonable to urge him to move now.
Are you injured?
His tone lacked concern and remained consistently indifferent.
Yu He An stopped in front of them and knelt down.
His back was throbbing with pain. His bones were probably fine, but he had a large bruise. However, he had no regrets. After all, he had protected the woman he wanted to marry.
Both are prominent families, with the Chu family even holding the title of Prince.
But once he was there, he learned that the Chu family was confined to remote and uncivilized places like Lingnan, far from the power center of Bianjing. In fact, the power of the prince had become so corrupt that it was just an empty shell. Beset by internal and external troubles, the Chu family was already on the verge of collapse.
In his generation, there were three sons. The eldest brother indulged in pleasure, keeping countless beauties in his courtyard and spending his days indulging in a life of debauchery. The second brother was mentally challenged. As a child, he fell into the water and had a high fever for three days. When he woke up, he only had the mind of a child. All that was left was him.
He has to take responsibility for the entire Chu family.
When he was far away in Lingnan, he still felt that he was quite talented, and even thought about not becoming an official through hereditary privilege but entering officialdom through the imperial examination.
It was only after getting to know Yu He'an that I realized that geniuses are more diligent than ordinary people.
He and Yu He'an had known each other for a long time. Yu He'an was always cold and aloof, keeping people at arm's length. The only exception was Yu Tan.
The previous generation of the Yongchang Marquis's family had Yu Zheng's merit in guarding the border for decades, and this generation has Yu He'an, whose future after entering officialdom is limitless.
Not only him, but the entire Chu family was eager to befriend the Yu family. The old friendship was far from enough. If they could form a marriage alliance with the Marquis of Yongchang, they would surely be able to save the Chu family from its decline.
Moreover, he already had a childhood crush on Yu Tan, and their first meeting after growing up brought him a sudden, heart-fluttering feeling.
These sentiments have become a beautiful thing, adding to the family's glory.
Chu Minglang gasped several times: "His back injury is probably... catching up."
"Quickly take Minglang back to the manor for treatment."
"Yes, my lord." Changming was very perceptive. He took Chu Minglang's arm, put it on his shoulder, and helped him into the Marquis's residence.
As Chu Minglang entered the mansion, he glanced back and saw Yu Tan's alarmed expression. He forced a smile and revealed a reassuring one. His features were naturally gentle, and his smile made him appear even more warm and approachable.
Suppressing the pain, he said, "Sister Yu, don't worry about it. I'm tough and resilient; I'm not afraid of such a minor injury. If it really hurts you... it would only cause you more distress..."
"Thank you..."
Chu Minglang's knowing when to advance and retreat made her feel somewhat dazed. Could it be that she had really misunderstood him?
Yu He'an knelt down in front of her, the afterglow of the setting sun shining on half of his face. The warmth did not reach Shuangxue's eyes, and she noticed a rare trace of fatigue and weariness between his brows.
His strong hands straightened her body and lifted her up forcefully. He swept over her disheveled jacket and dusty skirt, finally grasping her slender wrist, which had turned red from his grip.
This gesture suggests that the older brother is gently brushing away the dust from his mischievous younger sister.
Or perhaps the lover has picked up other scents outside, and the beast slowly licks them away, covering them up and leaving its own mark.
"Brother?" she called weakly, a little worried, and then they started arguing again, just like last time. "The oxcart went out of control just now, and Lord Chu only protected me and shielded me from it..."
Are you injured?
The fingers gripping her wrist tightened, like shackles, causing her some pain.
She gently shook her head: "I'm fine. I'll go see Mr. Chu in a bit."
"It's good that you're not hurt..." Yu He'an led her towards the Marquis's residence. "No rush. I'll go to Chu Minglang's place. Grandmother is back. Didn't you miss her? Go to Hexiang Courtyard to see her."
"Are you sure you don't need to?" After all, Chu Minglang was dragged into this situation by her, so she glanced timidly at Yu He'an, her face full of honesty.
Yu He'an led her towards Hexiang Courtyard, his grip on her wrist causing her pain. She struggled to pull away, saying, "Brother...you're hurting my wrist..."
"If it hurt, why didn't you say so sooner?" Yu He released her wrist, which was now red, covering up the original red marks.
"I...I..." She lowered her head, unable to utter the next half sentence for a long time. Fortunately, they arrived at Hexiang Courtyard. "Brother, I'm going in to keep Grandmother company."
Yu He'an stood outside the courtyard with his arms folded in front of his chest, watching her leave. "Go on."
She quickened her pace and walked towards Hexiang Courtyard. Yuhe'an was acting strangely today, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
It all boils down to this: after the imperial examination, he felt guilty and uneasy. Seeing her misbehaving, he couldn't bear to scold her, so he kept it all inside, and his gloom showed on his face.
She walked through the corridor to Hexiang Courtyard.
Although Hexiang Courtyard has been empty for the past two months, it has been kept clean.
I received a letter a few days ago saying I was returning home, and I cleaned the yard inside and out again.
Madam Song sat on the low couch, smiling and saying, "No matter how nice the outside world is, it's still not as good as home. It's always more comfortable at home."
She knelt down in front of Madam Song's knees, massaging her legs to relieve fatigue. "Grandmother used to say that Lingnan was fun, how come she's changed now?"
Old Madam Song glanced at her and said, "Lingnan is warm; you'd be perfect living there."
She whispered, "Grandmother, why are you dragging me into this again?"
"I've been trying to find you a good match. I thought Yuyangjiang Tingfeng was a good option. He's close by, we're family, we've known each other since we were young, and we probably have some friendship between us."
But then I thought, since I have no family wealth, no matter how generous your dowry is, you'll still have to learn to manage a household and plan ahead. By the time you can finally enjoy your retirement, you'll probably be around my age.
After much thought, I decided it would be better to just find someone who would make things easier.
Yu Tan carried a teacup to refill Madam Song's teacup. She roughly knew which family Madam Song was referring to as the "easy-going family".
The Chu family of Lingnan.
However, since she is not a true lady of the Marquis's mansion, things will have to be delayed.
"Grandmother, didn't we agree that my brother would be the first to propose marriage, and then mine? Why bring this up again today?"
“He’an is a man who values establishing himself. I naturally worry about your marriage since you’re a woman. Besides, do you think your brother can just run away?”
I've observed Chu Minglang over the past two months. He's humble, knows when to advance and retreat, and is ambitious. Although the Chu family of Lingnan has declined, their ancestors were once glorious, and they still have some wealth.
And he's interested in you. I saw it just now, and in my panic, I was just trying to protect you. Go check on him later..."
She held her teacup without replying, then nodded in agreement after a long pause.
Footsteps sounded outside the door, a glimpse of a moon-white robe swept by, and a tall figure appeared in front of the door.
"grandmother."
"He'an is here too. Come over here quickly. Is Minglang alright? He's just afraid of troubling people... He's a gentle and easy-going person." Old Madam Song raised her hand to beckon Yu He'an, and Granny Chang brought over a stool and sat down in front of Old Madam Song.
"No bones were broken. The doctor applied some medicated wine and rubbed the bruises to help them disperse. After resting for half a month, you'll be fine."
"That's good. Thank you for your help, child, during this time."
Madam Song then inquired about Yu He'an's imperial examination, followed by a long silence.
Only she and Madam Song remained, chatting about everyday things, their smiles as warm and friendly as ever.
Yu He'an's gaze fell on her, intentionally or unintentionally.
Remembering Madam Song's instructions, she left Hexiang Courtyard to visit Chu Minglang.
Yu He'an left with her, walking half a step ahead of her.
The last rays of the setting sun passed through from the front, elongating Yu He'an's shadow.
She deliberately lagged behind by a few steps, and when her foot landed on his shadow, she followed behind and played by stepping on his shadow.
Things she often did when she was young.
She didn't notice that Yu He'an had stopped, and as she took a few more steps, her nose bumped into a strong shoulder, causing her to burst into tears from the pain.
She covered her nose and turned her back, only to see Granny Chang hurriedly chasing after her.
The pain made her voice tremble with tears: "Granny Chang, why did you come out?"
"Why is my wife crying? Does my wife know why the old lady brought this up again?"
She shook her head.
"The old lady's sister had been unwell for some time and was worried about her granddaughter's marriage. Yesterday, the old lady received her children's news of her death. Even on her deathbed, the old lady's sisters were still concerned about their granddaughter's marriage."
Yu Tan froze, her heart filled with sorrow; she knew all of Old Madam Song's worries.
“I understand, Grandmother is worried about me.”
"My lady is a bit spoiled on ordinary days, but she is reasonable when it comes to important matters. The old lady will be pleased to hear that."
Yu Tan watched Granny Chang leave, the joy of stepping on shadows had faded away.
Yu He'an stood against the light, facing her, his gaze fixed on her face, probably looking at her reddened nose and laughing at her.
Does your nose still hurt?
She shook her head and lowered her hand. "It doesn't hurt anymore."
Yu He'an looked at the tip of her nose, which had been bruised red. He had seen Yu Tan stomping on it happily, so he wanted to tease her and deliberately stopped for a moment.
"Has Grandmother brought up your marriage again?"
She had just had a disagreement with Yu He'an about this, and she still remembered the answer Yu He'an gave her.
Moreover, this time, Yu He'an and Madam Song's ideas were surprisingly aligned, leaving her no chance to find fault.
She turned her face away. Several tender yellow buds of forsythia had formed beside the path, and one of them had even opened, its tiny petals trembling in the cold wind.
If she were a spring heron, she could bloom in the wind immediately after surviving the cold winter.
But she was a jade hibiscus, nurtured for an entire spring, only to wither after an hour of blooming.
"If you don't like it, you can say so. You don't have to force yourself." Yu He'an bent down and lowered his head, his lips close to her ear, his warm breath spraying against her ear.
The gentle tone carried a coaxing quality.
It was as if Yu He'an would help her as soon as she spoke.
Author's Note: Thank you uksophie for the nutrient solution! [Thumbs up]
Even without asking for leave, it will be very late sometimes.
If there's no update past midnight, it means I'm frantically writing and revising [doge emoji]
Let's see what happens the next day. Don't stay up late, have a good night's sleep. [Let me see]
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