Chapter 29 Hey, can’t I stay tonight?
It was not until five or six days later, when Chen Lianxiu's health had completely improved and he was able to get out of bed and walk, that he learned of Zhou Linjin's true condition.
Zhou Linjin was seriously injured and couldn't even wake up quickly at first. He has only been awake for a few days now.
She had recovered, so Chen Lianxiu went to visit Zhou Linjin.
Zhou Linjin was not in Zhuoxinzhai, but recuperating in Yang's Sining Garden. Yang was worried about him and wanted to watch over him in person to feel at ease.
As soon as they entered Si Ning Garden, Zhou Yishao came forward and told Shen Lianxiu about Zhou Linjin's situation. He then said, "Fortunately, it's nothing serious. Otherwise, what would you and mother do? This is all caused by me..."
Thinking of that wretch Cheng Lanjiang, Chen Lianxiu felt a wave of fear, but she still said to Zhou Yishao, "Cheng Lanjiang was originally going to take you away, but he didn't expect us to change carriages. If it were me, I don't know what kind of torture I would have suffered at his hands. Now we have finally escaped, and it's good that nothing serious happened. Sister, please don't blame yourself anymore, otherwise our suffering would have been in vain."
Zhou Yishao's eyes turned red and he quickly covered them with a handkerchief. After a long while, he nodded.
The two of them went to the room where Zhou Linjin lived, and Yang was indeed still with Zhou Linjin.
Shen Lianxiu took a look and saw that Yang's eyes were swollen. She didn't know how many times she had cried in the past few days.
She also came to her senses. If it weren't for Yang's order, Nanny Lou probably wouldn't have returned to Zhuoxinzhai to take care of herself. She also comforted her that Zhou Linjin's injury was not serious. These were all Yang's considerations for her.
Chen Lianxiu was also grateful. Zhou Linjin was still asleep at this moment, so the three of them went to the outer room together. She said to Yang, "Madam, you have been frightened these days, but please don't hurt yourself because of this, otherwise your husband will feel sad too."
"I only have these two children. I hope they will live a peaceful life, but now..." Yang shook her head, her face becoming even more haggard as she spoke. "I just hope that the future will be more stable and that these things won't happen again."
Chen Lianxiu couldn't help but exchange a glance with Zhou Yishao. Zhou Yishao must have persuaded him a lot in the past few days. He lowered his head and stopped talking. Chen Lianxiu thought for a moment and said, "My dear, I'm sure you'll get better soon. He's young and heals quickly. I'm also well now. Madam, you don't have to accompany my dear like this anymore. I'll come over to take care of him and help you share some of the burden."
Yang burst into tears again after hearing this. Although she didn't say anything, she didn't reject Shen Lianxiu's proposal either, which was considered as her tacit agreement.
Afterwards, Zhou Yishao accompanied Yang back to her room to rest, while Chen Lianxiu went into the inner room.
Zhou Linjin still didn't wake up, so she sat on the edge of the bed. After lying there for a few days, Zhou Linjin's face was still clean, even a little too white.
If it weren't for her, he wouldn't be hurt so badly.
Chen Lianxiu raised his hand and touched Zhou Linjin's now thin face, just touching his chin. Although it was difficult to see with the naked eye, the hand could feel the prickling feeling, which was the stubble of his beard.
Since he didn't wake up anyway, Chen Lianxiu rubbed it back and forth with her fingertips, still lost in thought.
Suddenly, she heard Zhou Linjin say, "What are you doing?"
Chen Lianxiu was startled and immediately withdrew his hand, hesitating: "I didn't do anything... Why did you wake up?"
Zhou Linjin propped himself up with his hands and sat up. Shen Lianxiu quickly helped him sit down. Zhou Linjin asked again, "When did you come? Are you feeling better?"
"I'm fine now," Chen Lianxiu answered honestly, "I saw that Madam has been very busy these past few days, so I came to take care of you."
Zhou Linjin frowned. "There are servants to take care of it. You should go and rest for a few days. The same goes for mother. I asked her not to come, but she still comes to see me often. I will move back in a few days."
"Madam is also worried about you, don't be like this." Shen Lianxiu pulled his sleeve and shook it.
Zhou Linjin's heart softened suddenly.
"After lunch, go back," Zhou Linjin said, "and don't come today."
Chen Lianxiu blinked. Zhou Linjin couldn't see the cunning in her eyes. She smiled and asked, "Are you coming tomorrow?"
Zhou Linjin said nothing.
"Then I won't come tomorrow either."
"Tomorrow," Zhou Linjin coughed lightly and finally couldn't help but said, "You can come again tomorrow."
"What about the day after tomorrow? The day after tomorrow?"
"Come whenever you want..."
Chen Lianxiu said, "My dear, please let me stay with you for a while longer."
Zhou Linjin remained silent again.
So Chen Lianxiu and Zhou Linjin spent the afternoon together, and Zhou Linjin did not ask her to go back.
In the afternoon, Chen Lianxiu felt sleepy for a while. After all, she had just recovered from her illness. After she settled Zhou Linjin down, she was about to go to the outer room for a nap, but Zhou Linjin suddenly grabbed her hand.
Chen Lianxiu didn't know how Zhou Linjin found her hand so accurately without being able to see. In short, he not only held her hand, but also pulled it towards him with force.
Shen Lianxiu was dragged over and fell on him.
She was afraid of touching his wound, and was so scared that she tried to get up quickly, but Zhou Linjin put his arms around her, making her unable to move.
"My dear..." Shen Lianxiu's face flushed.
Zhou Linjin smiled and kissed her on the forehead: "Don't call me Erlang?"
Since entering the family, Chen Lianxiu has always been very careful in addressing people because of his status. He always calls Yang "Madam" and calls Zhou Linjin "Young Master" most of the time, and rarely calls him "Erlang".
She didn't dare call him by his nickname at home like his wife did.
Seeing that she suddenly fell silent, Zhou Linjin said, "Call me Erlang from now on."
Shen Lianxiu bit her lower lip.
She felt a fear in her heart that came from nowhere. She was afraid that once she got used to calling him Erlang, she would not be able to face the changes she had always been afraid of in the future.
But the urging of the people around her made her unable to delay or escape any longer.
Finally, Shen Lianxiu opened his mouth and said, "Erlang."
The sound was a little sluggish, and Zhou Linjin naturally heard it, but he didn't care too much or pursue it. He thought she was just shy.
He just felt satisfied at this moment.
"Just sleep here," Zhou Linjin moved in, still holding her tightly, "stay with me."
Shen Lianxiu could no longer refuse.
She sighed softly, took a corner of Zhou Linjin's quilt and covered herself with it, found a comfortable position, closed her eyes and fell asleep.
In the next few days, Chen Lianxiu came to Si Ning Garden early in the morning and did not go back until after dinner, and it even seemed like he was going back later and later.
Zhou Linjin did say that he wanted to move back to Zhuoxinzhai, but Yang disagreed, saying that his injury had not healed yet and she was afraid that the wind would get into his bones. Chen Lianxiu was also afraid that he would get sick in the future, so she also disagreed with Yang. Zhou Linjin had no choice but to stay in Siningyuan honestly.
On this day, wild game was delivered from the farm below. Yang specially asked the small kitchen in Si Ning Garden to stew pheasant soup to nourish Zhou Linjin and Shen Lianxiu. However, the stewing time was long, and it was long after they had finished their meal at night, but the pheasant soup was not yet cooked and delivered.
Chen Lianxiu originally wanted to leave, since she was not really needed for just some soup, but Zhou Linjin refused and insisted that she stay.
It was not until after the hour of Xu that the pheasant soup was served.
Chen Lianxiu took it out and took a look. It had been cooked for such a long time that the chicken had become rotten and the aroma had become very strong.
She began to be glad that she didn't leave early.
Zhou Linjin was able to get out of bed, so she filled two bowls of pheasant soup and sat at the table with Zhou Linjin to eat.
Chen Lianxiu ate with relish, but Zhou Linjin was a picky eater and didn't care much about food. He didn't seem to enjoy the food much, but Chen Lianxiu didn't pay any attention to him.
Halfway through his meal, Zhou Linjin put down his spoon and said slowly, "Why does this pheasant soup taste so strange?"
Chen Lianxiu was eating a piece of soft stewed chicken. Upon hearing this, he took another sip of the soup. It was obviously very sweet and fresh: "No, it's delicious."
"Something's wrong," Zhou Linjin still insisted, "My bowl just doesn't taste good."
Chen Lianxiu was puzzled. She reluctantly put down her bowl of pheasant soup, took Zhou Linjin's bowl, looked at it and smelled it, but still didn't think it was anything special.
She looked at Zhou Linjin with some worry. Zhou Linjin didn't seem to be the kind of person who would lie for no reason. He must have said that because he really felt that the food tasted bad. She wondered if his health had not improved yet, so the food had no taste.
However, Chen Lianxiu still scooped a spoonful from Zhou Linjin's bowl and took a sip.
"It really doesn't have any strange taste..." she muttered, "If you really think it tastes bad, then don't eat it."
Zhou Linjin frowned slightly: "How can that be? Mother specifically ordered this to be made for the two of us."
He thought for a moment and then said, "Spoon a spoonful from your bowl for me to try."
"The taste is the same. I served it myself." Although Shen Lianxiu said this, he still did it.
Zhou Linjin drank the soup she fed him, pursed his lips, and his brows relaxed as he smiled: "This tastes right."
"Then I'll serve you another bowl."
"Need not."
Zhou Linjin reached over and held Shen Lianxiu's hand: "You should feed me."
Shen Lianxiu's heart seemed to be poked by something and trembled slightly.
She lowered her eyes. She should have been angry at him for teasing her, but she couldn't get angry no matter what. Only a hint of sweetness slowly spread out in her heart.
She didn't dare to try hard to absorb the sweetness, but only dared to lick it bit by bit.
Chen Lianxiu picked up Zhou Linjin's own bowl of soup, scooped a spoonful and held it to his mouth, whispering, "It should taste good now."
This time he really didn't complain. As long as she fed him a spoonful, he would drink it obediently. Sometimes he would raise his eyes, and although he couldn't see anything, he still looked in her direction. His lifeless eyes were like a thick curtain, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking or his feelings. But Shen Lianxiu intuitively felt that he was like a well-behaved puppy waiting to be fed, and her heart suddenly softened like a pool of water.
After the bowl of soup was finished, the maid came in to help them rinse their mouths. Seeing that it was really late, Chen Lianxiu said, "Erlang, I will come again tomorrow morning."
Zhou Linjin was wiping his face with a hot towel. He paused and said, "Can't you stay tonight?"
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