An Rong went to the winery to order wine, and only Huang Rong and Lu Xi were in the kitchen.
Huang Rong was shelling peanuts, glancing occasionally at Lu Xi who was washing vegetables. She hadn't seen Lu Xi for a month, and Lu Xi had grown taller, now taller than An Rong's shoulder.
Perhaps because he's grown taller, he looks much thinner, standing there like a stick.
"Lu Xi, you're too thin. You need to eat more." Twelve or thirteen years old is the time when you're growing. If you don't eat well, it will definitely affect your development.
Huang Rong also noticed that he didn't eat much for breakfast. She regarded Lu Xi as her younger brother from the bottom of her heart, so she naturally cared about him.
"Mm." Lu Xi lowered her head and didn't look at her.
Lu Xi was too embarrassed to look at her. He couldn't explain why, but during the month he was away, he would think of Huang Rong from time to time, and of her sternly lecturing him.
But when he came back, he found that she had become even more beautiful, and he dared not look at her. If he looked at her for even a moment, his heart would race.
"You're just too honest. You're like this at home, and you'll only be more honest when you go out. That won't work; people will bully you." Huang Rong seemed to have guessed something.
A man who went out perfectly fine, and after a month of suffering, became so thin and pale, it's not hard to guess how much he had endured.
“I heard from Sister Dou Dou that your master, Huang Daxian, is a man who values appearance. With your looks, he must really like you. You need to learn to use his strength against him. As long as your master likes you, who would dare to bully you?”
"Don't stay silent, or people will think you're easy to bully."
Lu Xi hummed in agreement again.
Huang Rong rolled her eyes in anger. "He's hopeless. There's no point in talking to him."
Unbeknownst to her, Lu Xi was overjoyed. He suddenly realized that the bullying he had suffered wasn't bullying at all. Back home, he had family and Sister Rongrong who cared for him. He was clearly the happiest person in the world.
The tavern wasn't crowded at noon, with only three or four tables occupied. People were eating hot pot, drinking wine, and discussing the strange events that had happened in town.
"Have you heard? Princess Lin'an returned yesterday," Zhang Liang, a regular customer, said to Yuan Doudou.
Yuan Doudou was keeping accounts when she heard the name of Princess Lin'an and immediately froze.
Lu Chaoyang said she went to her maternal grandfather's place in Kyoto, but it hasn't even been half a year, so why is she back already?
"What's she coming back for?" Yuan Doudou wondered to herself before blurting it out.
Zhang Liang laughed, "Look at the question you're asking. Her home is here, where else would she go if not here?"
Yuan Doudou's face flushed red; she admitted she had been dumbfounded.
“However, I heard that she came back this time to prepare for marriage,” Zhang Liang continued.
Yuan Doudou had to admire him; Zhang Liang was known as a know-it-all, and there was nothing, big or small, that he didn't know.
Princess Lin'an is getting married, and she doesn't care who she marries, as long as it's not An Rong.
"I heard that the man was married. He saved the princess on the road while serving in the army. The princess was grateful and offered herself to him. But he was married and had children. However, the princess was a devoted lover and refused to let go. She even got pregnant with his child."
Yuan Doudou dropped the abacus in her hand to the ground, scattering the beads everywhere.
"DouDou, what's wrong with you?" Zhang Liang asked, noticing her deathly pale face, which looked frightening.
He was just telling a rumor, not a ghost story, so why was he so frightening to her?
Lu Chaoyang came in that evening, and when he didn't see Dou Dou, he knew something was wrong.
An Rong came out of the kitchen, and Lu Chaoyang pulled him aside, saying in a low voice, "Lin An is back, and she wants you to marry her."
"Nonsense." Upon hearing the words "Lin'an," he frowned. Was this person a persistent ghost?
Lu Chaoyang was also helpless. "An Rong, this is a big deal. Lin An is pregnant with your child."
Like a bolt from the blue, An Rong was stunned and it took him a long time to come to his senses.
How could that be? They were only together twice. The first time, she drank contraceptive soup in front of him, and the second time, she was forced to drink it.
No matter what, there's no way she could get pregnant.
"I asked Brother Tianlang, and he said that even contraceptive soup isn't foolproof." Dosage and individual constitution can affect its contraceptive effect.
With Yuan Doudou about to give birth, this incident is almost fatal.
"I'm only telling you this, so you absolutely must keep it a secret and not let DouDou know." Lu Chaoyang glanced into the courtyard. "Where's DouDou?"
"She said she was a little tired after lunch and went inside to rest, but hasn't come out since." An Rong said dejectedly.
"That's good. Keep her indoors for the next few days and avoid going to the front hall so she doesn't hear anything she shouldn't."
Lu Chaoyang pondered how to help them through this difficult time. Last time, the old prince helped them, but this time Lin'an was pregnant and her belly was big, so the old prince could no longer keep her confined.
The Song family was as anxious as ants in a steamer. It was impossible to hide such a scandal. Once it became public knowledge, they would have no choice but to let that man into their home as a son-in-law.
“They don’t know that person is you yet. Lin’an has some backbone. Her maternal grandfather has been interrogating her for half a month, but she just won’t say anything.”
An Rong's mind was buzzing. Even as a grown man, a husband, and a father, he found it hard to accept such devastating news.
He began to reflect on his face, wondering if it was the cause of all this trouble. If Song Lin'an hadn't been attracted to his appearance, none of the mess that followed would have happened.
Yuan Doudou wanted to divorce him because of this, but fortunately she got pregnant later, which made her give up the idea of divorce.
"Lord Lu, could you arrange a meeting between us?" The one who tied the knot must untie it; the trouble originated with him, and he must face it.
Lu Chaoyang said with difficulty, "She is currently being kept in her room by her aunt and uncle, and no one is allowed to visit her or leave the yard."
Getting them to meet is really not easy.
Unless you go secretly and don't let anyone know.
This is a poor choice, but given the urgency of the situation, we have no choice but to listen.
After the tavern closed, An Rong watched as Dou Dou fell asleep, then quietly left the room and closed the door.
He had just closed the door when he leaped onto the roof. Yuan Doudou opened her eyes, tears slowly streaming down her face.
He was going to see Song Lin'an again.
The baby inside her belly kept turning over and punching, and she touched her belly, feeling lost and forlorn.
"Baby, you're going to lose your father." Since ancient times, commoners have never been able to resist the powerful. She was just a woman, without money, power, or status. How could she possibly compete with the wealthy and powerful Princess of Lin'an?
If I had let go long ago, none of this would have happened.
Yuan Doudou cried herself to sleep. In the middle of the night, An Rong quietly returned, his face covered in blood, looking like a ghost in the darkness.
This face is a menace; I'd rather not have it.
He felt a sense of satisfaction when he imagined Princess Lin'an seeing his hideous face, her horrified expression, and her retreating in fear.
It turns out that it's so easy to make someone afraid of themselves and run away from themselves.
All you need to do is ruin a face.
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