53. Secluded Bamboo Grove
◎ "The Overbearing Immortal Falls in Love with Me: A Threesome" is absolutely brilliant! ◎
Du Zhijin spent the afternoon with Madam Hou. It wasn't boring at all; Zhao Zhonggan kept her company, and there were always snacks. She even ate two packets of hawthorn strips to whet her appetite.
Heavenly Venerable and Master above, it is too difficult to abstain from the desires of the palate; what a sin!
"...Mother, you didn't see it! That monster had a blue face and fangs, bloodshot eyes, and eyeballs the size of fists. Its wings, when spread, could blot out the sky and the sun!" After saying this, Zhao Zhonggan stretched out his arms, trying to imitate "blotting out the sky and the sun," which shocked Lady Hou.
Lady Hou grabbed his arm, asking anxiously, "Are you hurt?"
Zhao Zhonggan let his mother examine his wounds, and gestured to Du Zhijin from a distance: "Don't worry, your senior sister is here."
"Hmm?" Du Zhijin, with a pastry in his mouth, looked up from the plate upon hearing this, his lips stained with crumbs of pastry, and he looked somewhat dazed.
Zhao Zhonggan smiled at her and continued to reassure his mother, "Senior Sister is amazing. With her around, I won't be harmed in the slightest. Mother, don't worry. Right, Senior Sister?"
Adhering to the principle of "helping to the end," Du Zhijin did not deny it and obediently nodded. After confirming that Zhao Zhonggan was not injured, Madam Hou breathed a sigh of relief and glared at him: "You're always making your mother worry."
However, there was no hint of blame in his tone.
Zhao Zhonggan offered his cheek willingly, only to receive a slap from his mother. He cried out "Ouch!" and covered his face, making a funny face: "You hit so hard, what if you slap your son ugly? Don't blame me if he can't find a wife then."
Lady Hou was amused by him, and her gaze fell on Du Zhijin, who was holding a pastry and lost in thought. Her satisfaction was almost overflowing.
She took her other free hand, her gaze loving.
It's good that she can eat. Being able to eat means she's healthy, unlike her who's constantly ill and whose life is uncertain...
Thinking this, a sharp pain rose in her throat, and she coughed up blood. Du Zhijin was startled, feeling utterly helpless for the first time. Tan Yue and Tan Yun, who had been attending to her, wanted to step forward to feed her the medicine, but Zhao Zhonggan stopped them, saying, "Don't move!"
He coldly glanced at the pills in the maid's hand, making Tan Yun tremble involuntarily. But when facing the Lady of the Marquis, he became gentle and courteous: "This medicine has been taken for a long time without any improvement. Coincidentally, I met several famous doctors while traveling and specially asked for their prescriptions. Why don't you give it a try, Mother?"
Lady Hou always indulged her son, saying, "Alright, whatever you say."
Zhao Zhonggan waved his hand behind him, and a servant handed him a medicine packet. Tan Yue took the medicine packet and prescription, turned around, and walked out of the side door towards the small kitchen.
Du Zhijin thoughtfully withdrew his gaze.
It turned out that Zhao Zhonggan had deliberately stayed an extra day in Wanze City to find a doctor for his mother. He wondered what illness Lady Hou had, and if he could find Senior Yu Nie, perhaps she could also examine Lady Hou.
She always remembered her purposes for coming to Liulijing: to kill the great demon on the map, to find the senior healer, and to overturn Ying Jianhua's case.
"...In your letter, you didn't mention that you were sick, only that my father was seriously ill, but I knew it was you who was sick." Zhao Zhonggan said softly, "Mother, your health has not improved over the years, are you still going to listen to that miracle doctor?" "Zhonggan, don't say anymore." Madam Hou interrupted him, glancing at Du Zhijin, "Mother is fine, at least I can live until the day you get married."
Zhao Zhonggan's lips twitched slightly, as if he had a thousand words to say, but in the end he said nothing.
Tan Yue finished decocting the medicine and brought it out, but Lady Hou asked her to leave, saying, "This medicine has a strong smell. You should take Miss Mu out and go for a walk in the garden."
"Okay, take your medicine and rest. Don't copy scriptures or chant Buddhist prayers anymore." After giving these instructions, he walked away with heavy steps.
Leaving Lady Hou's courtyard and passing through the moon gate, Zhao Zhonggan remained unusually silent. Du Zhijin knew he was preoccupied and did not disturb him.
It wasn't until they reached "Shuyu Zhai" that Zhao Zhonggan snapped out of his reverie and apologized to her: "I'm sorry, Senior Sister, I was too engrossed just now. Would you like to go to the garden? The flowers there are blooming beautifully."
Du Zhijin noticed that he was distracted and refused, "No need, go do what you need to do, don't worry about me."
Zhao Zhonggan nodded, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards her, and turned to leave.
Hearing the commotion outside, someone came out of Shuyu Zhai. Upon seeing Du Zhijin, she bowed and said, "This servant, Qin Xiang, greets Miss Mu."
Qin Xiang looked younger than her, and Du Zhijin couldn't stand being served by her. She left with the words "I have something to do" and walked away quickly, following her memory to Ying Jianhua's residence.
She moved so fast that she disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving Qin Xiang stunned in place.
Soon, the appearance of another figure caught Qin Xiang's attention, and she bowed respectfully: "Miss Cousin."
The woman in white nodded, her gaze subtly sweeping over Shuyu Zhai: "Is anyone living in this courtyard now?"
Qin Xiang hesitated for a moment before answering, "Yes. It's where... the young master brought back Miss Mu."
"Miss Mu." She repeated the three words, glanced one last time at the renovated Shuyu Studio, and left with her maid.
It was as if I was just passing by and asked casually.
————
The Youhuang Courtyard also arranged for a servant to attend to Ying Jianhua, a young servant named "Banzhu".
Ban Zhu was a good talker. Upon meeting him, he told him everything about Youhuang Courtyard and his origins. "The Marquis said there are many bamboos here. I spend every day with bamboos, so I might as well call myself 'Ban Zhu' (meaning 'accompanying bamboo')."
Ying Jianhua nodded: "Quietly accompanied by the swaying bamboo shadows in the breeze, you have a good name."
“Young master is very talented. That’s what the Marquis said back then too.” Banzhu opened the window for him, and a green corridor came into view. A gentle breeze came, and the green leaves leaned against each other, lush and verdant.
Unlike the bamboo grove he had seen in the back mountains, this grove at the Jianchang Marquis's residence was clearly meticulously cultivated. Each bamboo stalk stood tall and verdant, with a winding bluestone path running through it. The bamboo leaves were swept clean, and the occasional fallen leaf became a natural embellishment. At the edge of the grove stood a stone tablet inscribed with "Ode to Bamboo," adding to its refined elegance.
Bamboo is different from bamboo, and so are people. He stood by the window and watched quietly for a while. Seeing that he didn't seem to need company, the bamboo companion quietly slipped out.
Lady Hou was very thoughtful; besides the bamboo grove, Youhuang Courtyard also had a study. Although the collection of books was not large, it was enough for Ying Jianhua to study day and night for ten days to half a month. Overall, apart from its remote location, Youhuang Courtyard was truly a rare treasure.
But remoteness might not be a disadvantage for others. He unfolded a book, shook his head, and chuckled.
Lady Hou went to great lengths for her son.
This study suited him perfectly; he had finished reading all the books he had bought in Wanze City, and now he could continue reading them.
The sunlight outside the window flashed by in an instant, and the bamboo shadows shifted before us at the table. By the time Ying Jianhua came to her senses, it was already dark outside.
Before lighting the oil lamp, he hesitated for a moment, then softly called out, "Banzhu."
This was the first time he had ever ordered someone around, and he was a little unaccustomed to it.
"Yes," Ban Zhu replied quickly, his voice sounding different from before. But then he thought, they hadn't exchanged many words, so it was normal that he didn't recognize him. But the next moment, the window was pushed open from the outside, and a dark figure jumped in, startling him.
"You..." "Shh." The person covered his mouth, pointed to the door, and gestured for him to be quiet.
The bamboo leaves rustled, footsteps stopped at the door, followed by a knock: "Young Master Mo, did you want to see me?"
This is the sound of bamboo.
The person behind him seemed amused, chuckling softly. The laughter traveled clearly to Ying Jianhua's ears through their close proximity. He pressed his tongue against his back teeth, trying to straighten his voice: "It's nothing... Is there anything to eat? I'm a little hungry."
"I'm hungry too." The newcomer was taking advantage of the situation and even dared to make demands. He gritted his teeth, wanting to curse "taking an inch and wanting a mile," but with Ban Zhu still there, he had no choice but to swallow his anger: "...Take more, two portions would be best."
"Alright, young master, please wait a moment." Ban Zhu accepted the order and left, thinking to himself.
Young Master Mo looks thin, but he has a big appetite and can eat enough for two people at once.
The person who had misunderstood Ban Zhu was completely oblivious. After being pushed aside, he sat down in a chair and looked around: "So many books."
Ying Jianhua ignored her, lowered her head to straighten her clothes, and only after the wrinkles were restored to their original state did the surging in her chest gradually subside.
He genuinely thought he'd been robbed... The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He walked over, snatched the book from Du Zhijin's hand, stared intently at her, and demanded:
Where did you learn that?
Where did she learn such a clichéd plot?
Du Zhijin blinked: "Amo, you know I'm from Dunxian Mountain."
That's not what I'm asking. That's what I'm asking!
He wanted to say, "Where did you learn to have an affair?" but he swallowed the words back down.
How could he possibly say it?!
Looking at the person who had left him speechless, she still looked completely innocent, as if she had no idea what he was angry about.
...That's true. Du Zhijin may not understand the meaning of those actions just now; she was probably just imitating them.
Having convinced herself, Ying Jianhua became angry again.
Although Jiangwei is a fox demon, she is inexperienced in the ways of the world and certainly wasn't corrupted by him. Therefore, there is only one suspect: Zhao Zhonggan.
The young master of the dignified Jianchang Marquis's mansion has actually acted so despicably! Shameless! Filthy! Vulgar!
He cursed Zhao Zhonggan in his heart, unaware that Du Zhijin secretly tucked the corner of the book into his sleeve.
Wide sleeves have their advantages; although they are not conducive to walking, they can be used to hide things!
This book, "The Overbearing Immortal Falls in Love with Me: A Threesome," is absolutely wonderful! No wonder it's a classic that even Amo is reading; everyone who's studied it says it's great.
Once his anger subsided, he looked at Du Zhijin and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Shouldn't she have dinner with the Lady of the Marquis?
Du Zhijin poked the miniature version of Xingyue: "I haven't seen you for half a day."
The painting should pause briefly.
What do you mean? I haven't seen him for half a day, so...
Is that what he meant?
Her hard-won calm was stirred up again, all because of her words, because of those two words. Ying Jianhua had never felt so agitated, half of her body felt like it was immersed in cold water, and the other half felt like it was melting into lava.
He didn't need to look in a bronze mirror to know that his face must be bright red.
"You..." He opened his mouth, wanting to ask for clarification, but stopped abruptly when he met her eyes.
He hesitated.
In that fleeting moment of hesitation, Ban Zhu's voice rang out again from outside the door: "Young Master Mo, I've brought you your dinner."
"Amo, hurry up, I haven't eaten enough," Du Zhijin urged. The pastries at Madam Hou's place were too small; no matter how many you ate, they wouldn't fill you up.
He paused, nodded, and slowly walked towards the door.
......never mind.
He thought.
There is ample time.
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