Chapter 43: Horrified Zhou Linjin was also looking at An An who had run away...
Chen Lianxiu didn't even notice that An An woke up and ran out. When she realized it, An An had already hugged her legs.
"Mother..." An An had just woken up, and her voice was even more milky, "Where have you been..."
Chen Lianxiu knew that she had been away for too long, which was why An An didn't see her after waking up, so she ran out.
She subconsciously looked at Zhou Linjin in front of her.
Zhou Linjin was also looking at An An who ran out.
He met a pair of eyes like black grapes, and his heart softened inexplicably, as if ice was melting in spring water.
The little girl has a chubby face and her hair is a little messy, but it doesn't affect her cuteness at all, and even makes her more fun.
Zhou Linjin even had the urge to pinch her face with his hands, but he held back.
Chen Lianxiu pushed An An behind her with her hand, leaving only her two chubby little hands still around her front, hugging Chen Lianxiu's legs.
Ao Xing felt a little strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. But he finally had a chance to speak up: "Sir, Madam Yu needs to take care of her daughter, so we should go back."
Zhou Linjin didn't say anything for a moment, but Shen Lianxiu reacted immediately, bowed to them, picked up the child, turned around and left, without paying any attention to them, let alone seeing them off.
Ao Xing could see that the other person was angry.
Today was really a bit embarrassing. Just when Ao Xing thought Zhou Linjin was going to continue standing, he heard him say, "Let's go."
But Zhou Linjin did not leave immediately. Once again, to Ao Xing's surprise, he went to the house next door to Yu's.
There are only two families nearby, so it is easy to guess that Zhou Linjin wants to ask about Yu's matter.
Luo Wuniang was called out soon. She quickly glanced at the two men and they didn't look like bad people.
However, Luo Wuniang still asked cautiously, "Who are you?"
Zhou Linjin didn't say anything, so Ao Xing could only step forward and say, "We're here to ask Madam Yu next door to see a doctor. We've already been here once yesterday, so there's no need for you to worry."
Because people from outside Baixi Village would usually come to see Chen Lianxiu, Luo Wuniang didn't doubt anything after hearing the explanation. However, these words reminded her of yesterday. It turned out that these were the people she saw yesterday.
And what Shen Lianxiu said when she came to see her yesterday.
It seems that Shen Lianxiu asked her to lie to guard against these people.
That person definitely isn't here to see a doctor for real, it's probably just a cover.
Luo Wuniang smiled and said, "So that's how it is. She is the only doctor in our village. Her ancestors have been practicing medicine here. But if you have a difficult or complicated illness, she may not be able to help you. After all, she is a country doctor."
Seeing this, Ao Xing wanted to continue explaining, but this time he was stopped by Zhou Linjin.
"Is she a widow?" Zhou Linjin asked.
Luo Wuniang spat in her heart. Who would ask a girl about her private affairs? But in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Luo Wuniang nodded and said, "Yes, her husband died a few years ago."
"What's wrong with her throat? Will she never be able to speak?" Zhou Linjin asked again.
"Oh, this young man asked this question. Can anyone pretend to be mute?" Luo Wuniang glanced at Zhou Linjin. "She has been like this since she was a child!"
Luo Wuniang's tone had become bad. Ao Xing was very afraid that if Zhou Linjin continued to ask, he would be beaten out by the villagers as a bad guy. Normally, he was not afraid because he held official positions. But today, when they were away from home, Zhou Linjin didn't call anyone except him, so he was bound to suffer a loss.
They are officials from the capital. If they are really driven out, where will they put their face?
"Okay, okay, let's go. Since you think it's inconvenient for her to speak, then don't ask her to see a doctor. There are doctors everywhere. Let's look somewhere else." Ao Xing quickly made up an excuse and said to Zhou Linjin.
Fortunately, Zhou Linjin continued to ask, and after listening to his words, he nodded, turned and left.
Ao Xing finally breathed a sigh of relief and followed behind.
Only Luo Wuniang kept staring at their backs, and only after confirming that they had gone far away and did not linger nearby did she feel relieved and went over to knock on the door of Shen Lianxiu's house.
After Zhou Linjin left, Chen Lianxiu had been hiding in the house.
An An was held in her arms the whole time, but An An was very well behaved. She played with her fingers and didn't make a fuss about getting down.
She didn't know what she was thinking, but she felt very confused.
Once yesterday and once today, he suddenly appeared in front of her twice.
And he just grabbed her wrist. Did he notice something?
Chen Lianxiu tried to take off the bracelet on her hand, but she was nervous at the moment, and the more nervous she was, the more it got stuck on her wrist. She insisted on taking the bracelet off, and in the end, a large area on the back of her hand was red.
Seeing this, An An started blowing at her with her little mouth.
Chen Lianxiu lowered his eyes, staring blankly at the shiny black hair of An An in his arms.
In the past five years, she tried her best not to think about Zhou Linjin again, as if this person had never existed, not by her side, nor in her heart.
After so many years, she has long forgotten how she feels about Zhou Linjin.
Right now she had only one thought: she didn't want to see him again.
She was able to remain calm yesterday, but today he came again, and the embarrassment and confusion she felt before reappeared in her every limb.
She couldn't stand it.
At this time, the gate was knocked a few more times.
When Chen Lianxiu heard the voice, his whole body trembled, his eyes were instantly filled with fear, and he didn't even dare to look outside.
But Luo Wuniang's voice soon came in: "Ayu, it's me, open the door!"
Chen Lianxiu calmed herself down, put An An down and let her play by herself, then went to open the door for Luo Wuniang.
Luo Wuniang came in, winked at Chen Lianxiu, took her hand and went into the house.
As soon as she entered the house, Luo Wuniang asked, "What's up with those people? Are they really here to see you for medical treatment? They really asked me questions, but don't worry, I answered everything you said. Bah, what kind of people are they? They look like decent people, but they are asking about a widow!"
Chen Lianxiu was silent for a moment, then said, "Wu Niang, they're not bad people, it's just that I... Anyway, they're not coming entirely for me, so just deal with them first."
"Do you want to bring An An to my house to stay for a few days? I'll be nervous if people ask me about it." Luo Wuniang looked worried.
"No need," Shen Lianxiu shook her head. "I'm going to the Pei family in a few days to see his female relatives. I don't think they will come in a few days."
She said this to Luo Wuniang and also comforted herself in this way.
Luo Wuniang heard this and said, "Yes, you want to go to the Pei family. That's a good idea. You can hide away for a while."
Seeing Luo Wuniang worrying about her so much, Chen Lianxiu felt grateful for a moment, and even more emotional. Apart from her relatives who had passed away long ago, only Luo Wuniang and An An were the best to her.
"Wu Niang, thank you for helping me get through this today. Otherwise, I really don't know what I would do."
"It's just a few words. You told me all this." Luo Wuniang patted Shen Lianxiu's hand twice, feeling cold. "If you have anything to do in the next few days, come to my house to find me. If you change your mind and want to live here, it's okay. I'll be ready for you at any time."
Chen Lianxiu smiled, and her heart, which had been in a panic just now, gradually calmed down.
After all, no matter what, life must go on.
Even if she was really recognized by Zhou Linjin, it would probably be nothing. It was his personal decision when she left the Zhou family. He probably didn't want to see her at all, nor did he want her to cause any more troubles to Shen Wuyu.
She needn't be so sentimental.
***
As expected, Zhou Linjin did not come to the house again for the next two days.
The day for her to go to the Pei family was approaching. The Pei family had already sent someone to inform her that they would come to pick her up in two days and asked her to prepare her gifts, but they didn't need to be too much because the Pei family had everything they needed.
Chen Lianxiu prepared a few more sets of clothes for herself and An An. The weather was getting hot, so it would be better to take a few more sets of clothes so that she wouldn't have to ask others for their things.
In the past, he occasionally went to places far away from Baixi Village to see a doctor and stayed at the patient's home for a few days, so Chen Lianxiu was used to it and quickly packed his luggage.
The day before leaving, the sun was particularly good. Chen Lianxiu thought that he would be away for a while, so he took out all the bedding at home to dry in the sun.
She stood behind the hanging quilt, patting it with a duster, when she heard someone outside the door say loudly, "Is anyone there?"
Chen Lianxiu had been on guard these days because of Zhou Linjin's matter. Although the voice was unfamiliar, she did not dare to take it lightly. She did not respond immediately, but carefully poked half of her face out from behind the quilt.
There was only a young man in his twenties standing outside the courtyard gate, looking inside with a smile.
Shen Lianxiu didn't know this person. He was not one of the people following Zhou Linjin.
But she still didn't dare to speak. She walked towards the man, who naturally saw her and immediately said, "Madam, I have come to ask you something."
He's here to find out something.
Chen Lianxiu frowned, afraid that she was here for Hu Jun's matter. She didn't expect that she had discovered so many troubles when she treated Hu Jun a few months ago.
Seeing another stranger coming, An An ran over and stood behind her, pulling at the corner of Shen Lianxiu's clothes. Shen Lianxiu turned her head and smiled at her with her back, then made a gesture of silence with her fingers. An An nodded obediently.
The man in front of him was also handsome, not the kind of person with shifty eyes. When he saw Shen Lianxiu coming over, he said, "I am Hu Jun's friend in Chenzhou. I have been traveling for business for some time. I recently returned home and learned that Hu Jun has passed away. I didn't have time to go to the capital to pay my respects. The Hu family is not a place that an ordinary businessman like me can enter. I just really lament our friendship, so I thought of asking you, was he tormented by illness during his last time in Chenzhou?"
After hearing what he said, Chen Lianxiu was almost immediately certain that this person was definitely not from Zhou Linjin's side. Zhou Linjin was upright and if he couldn't get anything out of her once or twice, he would either continue to interrogate her or he would not bother her anymore and would never make up an excuse to get more information.
Chen Lianxiu looked at the man in front of him again, but he really couldn't figure out why he came to ask a doctor who was just checking his illness.
As if sensing her hesitation, the man continued, "It's normal for you to have doubts, ma'am, but I really don't have any other intentions. I've been to the Hu family compound, and there aren't many people there now, only a few old servants guarding the yard. I can't get anything out of him. To be honest, I just want to know how he was doing during his last days, so that I can feel a little comforted."
Shen Lianxiu's doubts were naturally not so easily dispelled, but she was actually an outsider in Hu Jun's affairs and had nothing to do with them. So after thinking for a moment, she said, "Mr. Hu is weak and has always been like this."
She didn't want to reveal too much about the patient's condition, so she said it ambiguously.
The man didn't ask any more questions. He just sighed and nodded. "Okay, I understand. They described his death as so horrible. I don't believe in ghosts or gods, but I'm afraid he was tortured by his illness before he died. Now I can rest assured and have an explanation for myself."
Chen Lianxiu said "My condolences" and said nothing else.
"I heard that Lord Zhou from the capital has come to investigate Hu Jun's case. Have they come to see you?" the man asked again.
Chen Lianxiu felt a chill on his back.
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