Chapter 33: Escaping Marriage White Moonlight 10 It seems like I heard the beating of two hearts...
"You hurt me."
Ali couldn't break free and could only look at Lu Jingming with red eyes.
His eyes flashed, and he loosened his grip, but still held her wrist: "Where are you going?"
Ali lowered his head and said nothing.
Lu Jingming's mood became worse and worse, and he pulled her back.
Ali finally spoke, his voice low, "It's time to dry the river mud today."
It snowed a little last night, but it cleared up today, making it a perfect day for drying the river mud.
"What?" Lu Jingming frowned.
Ali pursed his lips and told everything.
Lu Jingming looked at her with a hint of disbelief, and said "you" for a long time without being able to say the rest of the words.
He let go of Ali and walked back a few steps in annoyance.
"Sometimes I really don't know what's going on in your mind. Are those two acres of broken land so important?"
Ali looked at him steadily: "It may not mean much to you, sir, but it is very important to me. There is nothing more important than this right now."
Lu Jingming stopped two steps away from her and looked at her as if she were a monster.
In his opinion, growing flowers on those two acres of land would not make much money and would just be a waste of effort. Moreover, she lived here now and had no worries about food and drink, so what was there to be dissatisfied about?
Is it possible that I will drive her away?
A complex expression flashed across Lu Jingming's eyes, but he gradually calmed down.
Where she went and what she did was none of his business.
He raised the corner of his mouth and said nonchalantly, "It's up to you." After that, he turned and left.
Seeing that he was no longer trying to stop her, Ali quickly glanced at his back and picked up the bamboo basket on the ground again. However, because he was in a trance and felt weak, he fell backwards under the weight of the heavy bamboo basket.
The next second, the weight on her shoulders suddenly disappeared, and she fell steadily into an embrace with a faint scent of bamboo leaves.
Lu Jingming held her with one arm and the bamboo basket in the other. He said coldly, "Aren't you the best at showing off? Why are you pretending to be so weak?"
Ali quickly withdrew from his arms, feeling embarrassed and angry: "I didn't!"
She was so angry that she almost jumped up, and the lively glow of the past returned to her starry eyes.
Lu Jingming sneered, looking down at her condescendingly, and looking straight into her eyes: "Do you think I will believe it?"
From the first time they met, he knew what kind of person she was: sweet-talking and greedy for money.
As he spoke, he lightly put the bamboo basket on his back.
Ali was about to argue a few more words, but seeing this, he immediately stopped and said haltingly, "Master...what are you doing?"
Lu Jingming still had a dark face, his eyebrows were long and handsome, and his sharp and cold handsomeness was revealed under the thin sun: "Of course I have to go and see what you said you must do."
As he said this, he turned and walked away, crushing the remaining snow on the ground.
Ali was still standing there in a daze.
Not hearing the footsteps behind him, Lu Jingming became increasingly impatient: "What? Do we still need eight people to carry the sedan chair and urge us so many times?"
Ah Li understood the principle of striking the snake with the stick, and quickly ran towards him, saying flatteringly, "Thank you, sir!"
Lu Jingming shook off her hand and kept walking, with no intention of waiting for her.
Ali had no choice but to run in silence, but she obviously overestimated how long she could remain quiet.
"Are you pitying me, sir?"
Ali's voice, neither too loud nor too soft, fell right into Lu Jingming's ears.
Without turning around, he said indifferently, "Pity you? Why not pity the beggars on the street? At least if you drop a copper coin into their bowl, you'll hear a sound."
Ali: ...
How come she is even worse than a beggar? Although she is now living and eating for free in the Lu Mansion, it seems... that she is no different from a beggar.
After a long while without hearing Ah Li's reply, Lu Jingming's eyelashes drooped, and he whispered in a voice that only he could hear, "Pity you, what do I want?"
The two of them walked one after the other and soon reached the edge of the field.
Lu Jingming threw the bamboo basket to the ground, and the things inside rolled out and scattered all over the ground. Ali hurried over and picked them up one by one.
Lu Jingming looked around critically and found the only place to stay. He strode past Ali, who was squatting and working busy, and walked towards a simple bamboo shed at the edge of the field.
This was a shed that Ali had casually built for resting. It had a thatched roof and was drafty on all sides. Inside was a low table with only three legs and a tattered little wooden chair. It looked like the roof and shed would be blown away if the wind was just a little stronger.
Lu Jingming walked in with his nose covered and a look of disgust on his face. He turned around a few times, but seemed to have no place to step.
He had never seen such a simple place since he was born.
Ah Li put away the things in the bamboo basket and saw Lu Jingming standing there with a troubled look on his face. He ran over and asked, "Master, aren't you going back?"
Lu Jingming raised his eyebrows: "Is this your land?"
Ali shook his head.
Lu Jingming folded his hands over his chest and leaned down to look at her. The light breath brushed across Ali's face again: "So, are you chasing me away now, young lady?"
"How dare I!" Ali took a step back, putting some distance between them. He rushed over, picked up the chair, wiped it with his sleeve, and placed it in front of him. "Sir, please sit down."
Lu Jingming looked at it for a long time, then sat down reluctantly, his brows furrowed into knots.
Ali took out the kettle and bowl of water from the bamboo basket, poured them out and placed them in front of Lu Jingming: "If you have no other instructions, Ali will go to work."
Lu Jingming closed his eyes and said nothing.
Ali deliberately ignored his ugly expression, thinking that he agreed, and picked up the hoe and walked towards the pile of river mud.
Today's work was very heavy. Ali was so busy working that she completely forgot about Lu Jingming by the field. When she finished work and was about to go back, she remembered that there was another person by the field.
She put down the bamboo basket and walked over quietly, only to see Lu Jingming sleeping in the small chair in an extremely awkward posture.
He seemed to be extremely sleepy and didn't notice Ali approaching at all.
Ali squatted in front of him, picked up the corner of his hanging robe from the mud, and wiped it carefully with a handkerchief.
She had never seen Lu Jingming so embarrassed before.
Ali unconsciously moved a little closer and suddenly wanted to touch him. Thinking of this, she stretched out a hand, which was trembling a little, as if she was guilty of a crime.
The fingertips slowly stroked across the thick ink-like eyebrows, the upturned corners of the eyes, the high nose bridge, and finally to the lightly pursed lips.
Ali suddenly withdrew his hand and held his breath. Seeing that he was sleeping soundly, he stretched out his hand again without giving up.
Just when they were about to touch, Ali's eyes accidentally met Lu Jingming's dark eyes, and he forgot what to do for a moment.
Lu Jingming blinked slowly and stared at Ali who was so close to him. He grabbed her hand that was about to retract, and the distance between them became closer.
Ali seemed to hear the beating of two hearts, chaotic and yet inexplicably in sync.
"Girl's hands are so dirty."
She saw the beautiful thin lips move and utter these words lightly.
Ali's face quickly turned red. This time she easily broke free from Lu Jingming's clutches, put the bamboo basket on her back and ran back.
His movements were smooth and flowing, and he didn't even notice Lu Jingming who was hesitant to speak.
When Ali returned with a red face, Aunt Wei pulled her into the room as soon as she entered. The worry on Aunt Wei's face was reflected deeply in her eyes: "Ali, are you okay? Don't hide anything from me."
Ali's heart warmed. She helped Aunt Wei sit down and said, "Nothing. I was just startled by someone who suddenly rushed out on the road last night. Luckily, you arrived in time, so it's okay."
Aunt Wei was stunned and touched her hand with heartache, obviously not believing it.
Ali continued: "I'm really fine. Look, I'm fine now, right?"
Aunt Wei knew she didn't want to make her worry, so after hesitating for a moment, she played dumb and didn't ask any further questions: "I'm glad you're okay, I'm glad you're okay."
"Last night, the young master finished his meal and was digesting it in the courtyard when he suddenly asked us about you. Seeing that you had not returned home by evening, he asked the old man to take the horse and went to look for you himself."
Aunt Wei stroked Ali's long, dark hair and said, "It's a good thing the young master went to look for you. It's time to deal with the scoundrels in this city."
She suddenly noticed Ali's face and put her backhand on Ali's forehead: "Hey, why is your face so red? Do you have a high fever?"
"No, no, it's..." Ali's face turned redder, and he picked up the palm-leaf fan burning beside the fire and fanned himself, "I just ran too fast, and I'm a little out of breath. I'll be fine after a rest."
*
In a blink of an eye, it is only half a month away from the New Year. Every household in Shangxi County is busy preparing, and the Lu family is no exception.
Ah Li was in the kitchen helping Aunt Wei prepare the food for the New Year's Eve dinner. Aunt Wei suddenly sighed, "Young Master can't join us for this year's New Year's Eve dinner. It makes me sad just thinking about it."
They had taken care of the young master since he was little, and to be disrespectful, they had long considered him their own child. Now that they were suddenly separated, it was really...
I just hope the carriage from your house will arrive later, later.
Ali's expression also dimmed.
It has been more than a month since Mr. Lu left. Uncle Wei said that the carriage from the Lu Mansion would come to pick people up in at most half a month. Ali counted the days and saw that the carriage had not arrived yet. She couldn't help feeling a little relieved, but she also knew that Lu Jingming would leave here sooner or later.
After lunch, Ali went to the farmland as usual. The door behind her opened and Lu Jingming walked slowly behind her. The two looked at each other and walked out together.
Shangxi County has been covered in snow for several times, and everything is covered in silver.
Ali exhaled a breath of hot air, thinking about how Lu Jingming would go out with her every day these days. While she was working, he would stay leisurely in the shed and wait for her to finish her work before going back together.
But today, she felt that something was wrong with Lu Jingming. He had a frown on his face the whole time and didn't respond to what she said.
Ah Li couldn't guess what he was worried about, and she didn't know where to start. She quickly finished her work and came to the worried Lu Jingming: "Let's go back."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jingming stood up, still looking the same as when he came, walking alone in front.
Ali's heart sank as well, and the setting sun stretched their shadows very long.
Lu Jingming was no longer in front of the Lu Mansion. When Ali was about to go in, the sound of horse hooves was heard not far away. Ali recognized that the people on the horses were messengers from Shangxi County.
As expected, he was carrying a thick bundle. He stopped his horse in front of Ali and dismounted. "This is a letter from the Lu Mansion in Xingyang County. Please pass it to Mr. Lu."
Ali then walked back while looking at the letter in his hand. It was a very thin letter and the content inside was probably very brief.
She came to Lu Jingming's room and knocked on the door: "Sir, there is a letter for you from the Lu family."
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