Chapter 46 Are you all talking badly about me behind my back...?
Lu Lin paused for a moment. It wasn't that he hadn't noticed. He had suspected that she was sent from the south and had even tested her, but she had acted flawlessly.
Moreover, he had observed her after Mr. Sun's passing. Although she felt regret and grief, she recovered quickly and was even more open-minded than he, an outsider.
At that point, he realized he might have made a mistake.
She is completely unconcerned about the internal strife within the Southern government, but she is unusually concerned about the Japanese.
Given her personality, she doesn't seem to possess the qualities of a qualified spy, and it's unclear whether this was a deliberate facade she projected.
If Shen Rong knew what he was thinking, she might exclaim in surprise, "You really overestimate her!"
She's struggling to even understand a few words now, frantically flipping through the dictionary, and it takes her ages to figure out how to pronounce them or what they mean.
She howled in pain, finding it even harder than recognizing traditional Chinese characters.
If she had worked this hard during her college entrance exam, getting into Tsinghua or Peking University wouldn't have been a dream.
"I don't want to try anymore, I'll just destroy myself!" With a "what's the use" attitude, she threw herself into bed.
His body bounced!
The door was pushed open, and Lu Lin poked his head in: "Zhongda is leaving."
Seeing that she looked very tired lying on the bed, he nodded: "I'll take him there, you should rest."
Shen Rong nimbly jumped off the bed, causing Lu Lin's brow to twitch.
"I'll go too." She still needed to see the guest off; Wen Zhongda had given her a very generous gift.
"Be careful." Lu Lin withdrew his hand.
Shen Rong followed behind him in her slippers. Seeing that she was about to go downstairs like this, Lu Lin sighed softly and squatted down to help her put them on.
She even complained, "Why go through all this trouble? It's much more convenient to just drag it out."
"It's not convenient for you to wear this right now, so please don't. What if you fall?"
Shen Rong quietly rolled her eyes.
Wen Zhongda's car had arrived. The couple saw him off at the door. He thanked them for their hospitality, and during the ride, he glanced at Shen Rong several times, which she noticed.
As soon as she saw them off, she turned her back and interrogated Lu Lin: "Were you talking badly about me behind my back?"
Lu Lin was puzzled. How did she guess that?
Shen Rong put her hands on her hips, angrily saying, "It really is true! Didn't you see Wen Zhongda looking at me with a guilty expression and constantly sizing me up? What did you say about me?"
Lu Lin looked away guiltily.
"Look, you're feeling guilty too. Talking about others behind their backs is not the behavior of a gentleman."
Have they run out of things to talk about? They're actually talking badly about her behind her back! Are they even men?!
"I didn't say anything bad about you, I just talked about some things in Bincheng. He said you're so different from before, like you've become a different person. That's not bad talk, is it?"
As Lu Lin expected, she also felt guilty about the matter and didn't dare to pursue it further. She generously said that it was best to let it go and not stoop to the level of men.
***
For several days in a row, Lu Lin was so busy that he was nowhere to be seen. Shen Rong was a little bored, so she thought of going out for a stroll.
Accompanied by Zhang Ma and Gui Chun, Bincheng truly lived up to its reputation as the "Little Paris of the East." The European-style buildings were absolutely stunning, and she was overwhelmed with admiration.
I was stopped by someone as I passed a coffee shop.
The female lead is Lin Wenhui.
Shen Rong was pleasantly surprised: "Miss Lin, you actually have time to go shopping today?"
Lin Wenhui smiled. Mrs. Lu gave her the feeling that she understood her very well, but she could sense that it was out of kindness, so she was willing to get close to her.
"I had plans with a friend, but it seems like something came up and he hasn't made it yet?"
Shen Rong's expression stiffened for a moment.
Lin Wenhui quickly added, "It's not in a literary style." After saying that, she smiled apologetically, indicating that she didn't mean it that way.
Shen Rong sat down next to her, smiling nonchalantly: "I've already talked things out with him. It's not that I'm afraid of running into him and feeling awkward; I just don't want to get into a fight with that Miss Lucy."
Lin Wenhui could only manage a wry smile.
Recently, this Ms. Guo has been pestering her a lot, insisting that she promise not to associate with Kang Wenbai. How could that be possible? They are all friends, and she can't do that.
She explained that she and Kang Wenbai really had no other relationship, they were just friends, and she loved her fiancé very much. But Ms. Guo seemed not to listen, stubbornly believing that it was her attitude that made Kang Wenbai feel that there was still a chance.
"I think Miss Guo is somewhat afraid of Mrs. Lu."
Shen Rong laughed: "Lu Lin scared her."
"Miss Guo is also a person of strong character," Lin Wenhui remarked. She wasn't the type to gossip about others behind their backs.
Shen Rong chuckled: "Don't let her true nature be directed at me, I can't handle it."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
The two changed the subject and talked about other things. When they learned that Shen Rong was interested in cultural relics and historical sites, they warmly invited her to visit Longquan Temple together.
"To be honest, the reason I agreed to come to Bincheng to teach was because it was closer to Longquan Temple. The temple's architecture is ingenious, magnificent, and very worthy of study. I thought I could do some research up close. Of course, it was also because we don't have enough research funding right now, and it's hard to refuse the salary offered by Commander Dou."
Lin Wenhui looked somewhat embarrassed, and she also possessed the aloofness common to scholars.
“Scholars need money for their research, and you also need to eat. It’s only right to exchange knowledge for a salary, not to mention that you can cultivate many talents to build the country in the future and inherit your mantle.”
Lin Wenhui blushed at the praise and murmured, "I hadn't thought that much about it. But after hearing what Mrs. Lu said, I suddenly feel that the responsibility on my shoulders has become even heavier."
Someone called Shen Rong from behind. She turned around and saw another familiar face.
"Mrs. Uchida."
"What a coincidence." Uchida Eiko's face showed surprise.
"Did I interrupt your conversation?" Uchida Eiko looked at Lin Wenhui apologetically.
Shen Rong laughed and said, "Uchida is overthinking things. What can we women talk about? It's all about food, clothing, housing, and jewelry. I was just complaining that it's impossible to buy nice clothes these days."
Lin Wenhui glanced at Shen Rong with some surprise, not understanding why she said that, but she didn't expose her. She smiled at Uchida Eiko, and just then saw her friend approaching, she said to Shen Rong:
"My friend is here, I'll go over there first."
Shen Rong nodded.
Uchida Eiko was somewhat surprised: "Didn't Mrs. Lu make an appointment with her?"
Shen Rong shook her head: "I was out for a stroll and happened to see her here. We had met once before, so I grabbed her and chatted for a bit."
"It seems Director Lu is too busy to keep you company."
Shen Rong wrinkled her nose and complained, "That's right, I never see him every day, I wonder what he's busy with?"
"Are you discussing something with the commander-in-chief?"
Shen Rong shook her head: "We haven't been to the Marshal's Mansion in a long time. He said it was on official business, and it seems that the security situation has been bad lately since the Dragon Boat Festival is approaching."
Uchida Eiko nodded: "I see. Then Mrs. Lu must be very understanding. Speaking of which, we also benefited from this. A few days ago, someone came to my husband's clinic to cause trouble. It was thanks to Director Lu's men that they arrived in time, otherwise we would have suffered a lot of losses."
Shen Rong looked proud upon hearing this, but humbly replied, "There's no need for thanks; it's their duty."
Uchida Eiko brought over the food box in her hand: "You should thank me, but I also know that Director Lu is honest and does not accept money or gifts. These are some Japanese sweets that I made myself. Please accept them."
Shen Rong quickly declined, saying, "I can't accept this. You're going to give it to other relatives and friends, right? I can't take it."
Uchida Eiko still smiled and said, "It's nothing. We have more at home. I'll send some over later. Does Mrs. Lu think these things are not presentable?"
Shen Rong's lips curled up slightly. You guessed right.
He remained outwardly calm: "If that's what you say, then I have to accept it. But this is too much; we can't possibly finish it all."
When Uchida Eiko saw that she had agreed, she looked relieved.
"It's been given to Mrs. Lu, so it's up to you to decide what to do with it. You can give it to someone else as well. I haven't seen the eldest young mistress for a while now, I wonder how she is?"
Shen Rong licked her back teeth, her smile deepening. "She's been busy, I haven't seen her much." She lowered her voice, gesturing for Uchida Eiko to come closer. "I heard the Marshal is short of money, he's been hosting a lot of parties lately, Russians and people from Pingcheng. Oh, and your Japanese consul goes there often too. I heard the other day the Marshal even took some people to see a mine, the Russians seemed quite interested. He should be less busy in a few days, let's go play cards together then!"
As Shen Rong spoke, her expression became excited, just like any other noblewoman. A dark glint flashed in Uchida Eiko's eyes.
The two exchanged pleasantries for a while longer, but Shen Rong couldn't keep up the act any longer. She excused herself, saying she needed to go back and prepare dinner, and left. She called Gui Chun in to get the food box, then leisurely walked out of the shop.
As she turned the corner, her face instantly darkened, and she tilted her head slightly to look in the direction of the coffee shop.
Zhang Ma and Gui Chun's hearts skipped a beat. They had been waiting outside and watched their mistress chatting happily with her friends, so why did she turn so sullen as soon as she stepped out the door?
Shen Rong sneered inwardly. The Japanese are all malicious, so don't blame her for adding fuel to the fire.
Don't they like to scheme against people? Then let's see who the real scoundrel is.
Shen Rong was surprised that Lu Lin arrived home earlier than her today.
"What did you buy?" Lu Lin took the bag from her hand.
When he saw Gui Chun carrying a food box, he assumed that Shen Rong had ordered food outside.
Do you eat Japanese sushi and sashimi?
From her disgusted expression, Lu Lin knew she definitely didn't like the food.
"Then why did you still buy it?" Shen Rong shook her head and laughed, "This isn't buying, it's bribery."
She patted Lu Lin's chest, looking pleased: "Director Lu, you're a big shot now, people are even using their skills against me."
Lu Lin grabbed her hand, pulled it down, and said sternly, "Speak properly."
Shen Rong rolled her eyes slightly: "You really aren't going to eat?"
Lu Lin glanced at it; he didn't like eating this.
Shen Rong called over Zhang Ma and Gui Chun: "Take a look and see if there's anything you want to eat. Keep a few dishes, and send the rest to the Marshal's Mansion for Miss Dou. She mentioned wanting to eat this before."
Zhang Ma said, "We don't like to eat this either. It's all raw and looks scary. I'll have my husband send it all over right away."
Gui Chun nodded as well. She wouldn't eat either. Her husband and wife allowed them to eat the same food every day, and they had so much good food that they couldn't finish it all. Who would want to eat this?
Shen Rong said they didn't know their stuff; these were all good things, yet they didn't eat them—what a waste! They didn't even reflect on why they themselves didn't eat them.
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