Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Old Residence
Zhe Rou was exhausted, both physically and mentally. She curled up in her brocade quilt, feeling as if she were sinking into a deep, dark pool. She slept in a hazy, chaotic sleep, and after an unidentified amount of time, she felt the bed beside her sink, as if someone was approaching.
Even in the haze, he knew that the person coming could only be Lu Chen.
She frowned unconsciously, huddled deeper into the quilt, and turned over, facing away from him. Her black hair fell messily on the pillow, creating a clear dividing line between them.
But Lu Chen refused to let her go. He reached out and dug her out from under the quilt, then grabbed her thin shoulders and forced her to turn around.
Zhe Rou couldn't help but feel annoyed. Just as she was about to struggle free, she found that the collar of her clothes, which had been wrapped around her, had been opened by him, and a faint chill passed by her body.
She suddenly regained consciousness, opened her eyes and looked at Lu Chen, her fingertips unconsciously tugging at the quilt, "...What are you doing?"
He looked clearly panicked yet trying to remain calm.
Lu Chen's Adam's apple rolled slightly, and his heart suddenly felt blocked. After a moment of silence, he raised the thing in his hand to show her and said calmly, "I'll apply the medicine to you."
Zhe Rou was stunned for a moment, then looked down and saw that he was holding a small celadon bottle in his hand. Her tense body relaxed a little and she stopped moving around, but she still turned her face away and refused to look at him.
Lu Chen silently pulled out the soft cloth plug, dipped his fingertips in some ointment, and gently applied it to the red marks on her neck and chest.
The ointment was cool, and Zhe Rou shuddered unconsciously the moment it touched her.
Lu Chen glanced at her, paused for a moment, and dissolved the remaining ointment in his palm before applying it again.
There was a rough layer of calluses on his fingertips, and he rubbed the most delicate skin on his body in circles. His movements were gentle, completely different from the roughness he had used in the carriage before.
Zhe Rou couldn't describe the feeling in her heart. Her body trembled slightly uncontrollably, with layer upon layer of fine shudders coming out of her. However, she couldn't break free, so she could only grit her teeth and let him do what he wanted.
The room was silent for a moment, with only the occasional crackling sound of the charcoal fire and the light intertwining breathing of the two people being heard.
Lu Chen was too close. Even with her head tilted, she could still smell the bloody scent lingering on his hands, mixed with the bitter taste of the ointment, rushing straight into her nose.
Thinking that the wound she had bitten him earlier had not yet been treated, Zhe Rou closed her eyes indifferently, pretending to be completely unaware.
She didn't know how Xie Yunzhou was doing now, and she couldn't help but feel worried about him, but she didn't dare to ask, for fear that Lu Chen would go crazy and do something out of the ordinary again.
Lu Chen seemed to see through her thoughts and said coldly, "Don't even think about looking for Ming Qi again. He will be in so much trouble in the future that he won't be able to take care of himself."
Zhe Rou's heart suddenly trembled, and she turned to look at Lu Chen.
Lu Chen's eyes suddenly darkened, and a self-deprecating smile appeared on the corner of his lips. "I have to mention him to you before I'm willing to look me in the eye, huh?"
Zhe Rou unconsciously clutched the quilt beneath her.
This was the grudge between her and Lu Chen. Mingqi was innocent, but she was greedy for the warmth, mixed with some resentment, which is why she dragged him into it.
She absolutely did not want to implicate him and provoke Lu Chen to attack him.
She pursed her lips and said softly, "Lu Bingyan, don't involve others in your and my affairs."
"Someone else?" Gritting his teeth to hold back the sharp pain in his heart, Lu Chen narrowed his eyes at her and sneered, "Miss Miss, is he still someone else?"
Zhe Rou paused for a moment, not knowing how to answer.
"There's no need for me to take action against Mingqi."
"The emperor has high hopes for him, but his family background is far from legitimate. Furthermore, Li Zhen is watching closely at court, and in order to silence those officials, the emperor will surely choose a marriage for him among the reputable and upright.
This time, when he returns to the capital, within two months, the government will issue an imperial decree forcing him to marry."
After hearing what he said, Zhe Rou was a little stunned for a moment. Lu Chen smiled mockingly, took the medicine bottle back into his palm, clenched his knuckles until they turned white, and did not stay any longer, but got up and went out.
For the next three days, Lu Chen only came to apply medicine to her during the day. After applying the medicine, he didn't even look at her and just got up and left.
The two of them seemed to be tense and formed an invisible ice wall. They were both silent and neither of them was willing to speak first.
Nan Heng came over to bring her food. He put down the food box but did not leave immediately. Instead, he hesitated for a long time and begged her hesitantly: "Madam...my husband has caught a cold these days and his old illness has relapsed. He coughs and vomits blood every night. Please, please, go and see him..."
Zhe Rou was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses and couldn't help but sneer, "Minzhou City is full of medical clinics and pharmacies. He is so powerful and can do whatever he wants. How could he be short of a doctor?"
Nan Heng stole a glance at her expression, gritted his teeth, and explained, "My lady, you don't know. This is a condition I got from the assassination on the Huai River boat that night. The poison on the sword damaged my lung meridian... My husband has a knot in his heart and has refused to seek medical treatment. Until now... it has almost become a chronic illness."
Zhe Rou's heart trembled suddenly, and her fingertips pinched into her palm unconsciously, but after a moment of silence, she finally pursed her lips, turned her face away, and refused to pay attention.
Seeing that she was really cruel, Nan Heng didn't dare to say anything more for a moment. He could only swallow his words and leave.
On the morning of the fourth day, after breakfast, Lu Chen came to look for her. Apart from his pale face, there was nothing unusual about him.
After asking someone to hastily pack some luggage, he wrapped her in a fur robe and was about to take her out.
Zhe Rou couldn't help but frown, "Where are you going?"
Lu Chen put the hood on her, his long fingers paused at the tie, and his voice was so cold that no emotion could be heard: "Return to Shangjing."
These two words were like a piece of ice, smashing into my heart.
When Zhe Rou thought of life in Beijing, her heart ached. She was full of resistance and boredom, but she could do nothing about it.
The carriage had been waiting outside the guesthouse for a long time. There was a thin layer of frost on the shaft, and the bright and thin sunlight reflected on it, reflecting a cold and clear light.
I don't know whether it was intentional or not, but he changed the carriage, which looked different from the official post station outside the city a few days ago.
Zhe Rou was half-supported and half-carried by Lu Chen and soon after the two of them sat down, the carriage started to move forward and traveled at a steady speed for a while before quickly leaving Minzhou City.
As soon as they left the city gate, the carriage moved faster and faster, with almost no stops on the road. It was not until nightfall that they found an inn and rested for a while.
Zhe Rou was not familiar with the terrain and had no idea where they were going. Naturally, she would not ask Lu Chen. She just closed her eyes and rested, pretending that Lu Chen was not around.
It wasn't until noon the next day that the carriage seemed to have entered a city. It finally stopped slowly somewhere. Lu Chen got off the carriage first, then turned around and helped her up, "Come here."
Zhe Rou stepped off the cart shaft and raised her eyes inadvertently. The familiar scenery around her suddenly caught her eye.
High rammed earth walls, adobe wooden houses, snow-capped mountains on all sides and a river surrounding them.
It turned out to be Taozhou.
She turned to look at Lu Chen in surprise, but saw that he looked normal, without any disturbance. "Aren't you going back to your hometown to pay respect to your parents?"
Seeing her standing there in a daze, Lu Chen held her hand tightly and led her forward without saying anything.
Zhe Rou followed him passively, seeing only familiar scenes and streets. For a moment, she felt mixed emotions and a lump in her throat. She couldn't help but turn her head away and bite her lips.
She walked all the way to the end of the farmland, around a small hill, and behind the forest was the tomb where her parents were buried together.
Lu Chen had already asked someone to prepare incense, candles, and paper money for the memorial. He took the incense stick from Nan Heng and knelt down in front of the grave with her.
Lu Chen held the incense and bowed deeply, then bowed deeply and said solemnly, "I, your son-in-law, greet my father-in-law and mother-in-law."
Zhe Rou's face changed suddenly. She was extremely unwilling to be forced to acknowledge his identity in front of her parents' grave. She struggled to get up, but was held down by Lu Chen. She had to kowtow three times with him.
"I've been guilty of what I've done to you before, and I'll definitely compensate you a thousandfold in the future. I swear now that as long as I live, I'll ensure that you live a peaceful, prosperous, and worry-free life for the rest of your life." He paused, then whispered, "I also pray that my father-in-law and mother-in-law will bless you and me to reconcile and live in harmony and love for each other forever."
He clearly brought her here to pay tribute to his parents, but he was still so arrogant and overbearing.
Zhe Rou gritted her teeth, her nails digging deep into her palms, and tried hard not to lose her temper in front of her parents' grave.
But she didn't want to visit her parents' graves, and Lu Chen insisted on taking her back to the old house, saying that they had to stay there for a few more days.
The small courtyard from the past has been cleaned up. The pomegranate tree in the courtyard is still alive, the old well and vegetable patch are still there, and the tiles on the roof seem to have been replaced, and they are smooth and new.
It was clearly a familiar scene, yet it felt as if things and people had changed. Zhe Rou felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart.
Lu Chen lowered his eyes to glance at her and was about to take her into the house when Nan Heng suddenly came over to report something to him, which seemed to be an urgent report from the capital.
Zhe Rou simply broke free from his hand and went into the house alone. Seeing the familiar tables and chairs, she felt an indescribable mix of emotions. Her chest seemed to be squeezed, and she felt suffocated and uncomfortable, with a slight sense of breathlessness.
Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a piece of paper sticking out from the gap under the wooden cabinet, swaying slightly in the wind.
She hesitated for a moment, then, as if possessed, she walked over, bent down, picked it up, and unfolded it. It was a piece of yellowed bamboo paper, the edges torn, but the ink was faintly visible.
There were two little men drawn crookedly on the paper, with a big yellow dog squatting beside them. The lines were rough and looked childish and ridiculous at first glance.
But the most eye-catching thing is the three large characters written on the dog's body: "Lu Bingyan."
At that time, she had just started to learn painting, and her painting skills were crude, and the portraits were distorted. Lu Chen laughed when he saw them, and said that her paintings did not look like people at all, but clearly looked like mountain spirits.
Until she really annoyed him with her teasing, Lu Chen saw that he could not coax her, so he simply wrote his name on the yellow dog with a big stroke of his brush. He looked down at her, his black eyes smiling brightly, but also with a little helplessness, "My dear, is this apology of mine considered sincere?"
When Zhe Rou saw the painting clearly at first glance, she was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but smile.
As I laughed, my eyelashes suddenly became wet.
Hot tears rolled down her face. She couldn't hold back any longer, so she curled up and squatted down, hugging herself tightly with her arms, choking with sobs.
Those things that she once cherished so much have now become unrecognizable and will never be found again.
It was as if there would no longer be a mother to braid her hair with colorful ribbons, and no longer a father to let her ride on his neck and take her to the tile house to watch various operas.
No matter how reluctant or sad she is, it will never happen again.
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