Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Lu Mansion
In late spring, it drizzled for several days in a row. Apricot blossoms covered the stone steps in the courtyard, and the breeze brought bursts of fresh scent of grass and trees after the rain.
Seeing that the sky had finally cleared up, Zhe Rou called for her maid to help her move the medicinal herbs she had brought from Taozhou to the yard to dry in the sun to prevent them from getting moldy or being eaten by insects.
"My lady, let me do the rough work, you just take a rest!"
Xiaochan picked up the medicine box and was walking towards the courtyard. When she turned around and saw Zherou also wanting to help, she quickly spoke out to dissuade him.
"When did I become so squeamish?"
Zhe Rou raised her face and smiled, then fastened her shoulder straps neatly. Together with Xiao Chan, she moved the remaining small wooden boxes to the yard, opened the lids, took out the herbs inside, carefully placed them in a cool and dry place, and spread them out one by one to dry.
These medicinal herbs were prepared by her for Lu Chen.
Lu Chen's left leg had been severely wounded by an arrow. Although the injury was healed later and he could walk without hindrance, he was still left with symptoms of pain and numbness that were difficult to eradicate.
Whenever it rained continuously and dampness invaded, his old knee injury would flare up and the pain would be like a knife scraping at his bones. Only by taking decoctions to invigorate the meridians and unblock the collaterals, and fumigating with ginger and mugwort to dispel the cold, could he temporarily relieve the severe pain in his leg.
However, the preparation process of these medicinal ingredients was complicated. They needed to be repeatedly moistened with fine rice wine, then slowly stir-fried over low heat, and finally turned over and dried in the sun. The ones sold in the clinic were not as patient and meticulous as hers, so the efficacy was inevitably a little worse. Zhe Rou simply prepared them all by hand and brought them all the way to the capital.
Although it was hard and troublesome, she felt it was worth it as long as it could help Lu Chen suffer less.
Xiaochan followed her from Taozhou to Shangjing. Knowing her intentions, she couldn't help but sigh, "My lady, you treat me so well."
Thinking of the people who would be back from duty in a few hours, Zhe Rou smiled unconsciously and her expression softened, "He treats me very well too."
Taozhou is located in the north and is bitterly cold in winter. She developed frostbite on her hands, which were swollen and itchy. Lu Chen was so distressed that his eyes turned red. Risking military punishment, he secretly left the military camp at night and sneaked into the territory of the Western Qiang people to hunt badgers and get oil to apply to her hands.
Later, he went to ask the local elders for advice and learned how to build a brick bed at home. Every day, he would go out in the cold wind to chop firewood and make a fire before dawn. When she woke up, the whole house was warm.
Since you are husband and wife, you should naturally support each other.
As he was rummaging through the medicine box to pick out the Chuanqiong and Danggui, he suddenly heard Xiaochan exclaim with a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone. She muttered, "Why is this old woman here? It must be up to no good."
Zhe Rou raised her head and followed Xiao Chan's line of sight. She saw Aunt Cui beside her mother-in-law leading two pretty maids into the courtyard. They greeted her indifferently, "Madam Ning."
Although the titles "Madam Ning" and "Madam" differ by only one character, their meanings are completely different. It is clear that Zhe Rou is not regarded as the lady of the Lu Mansion. Xiao Chan's face immediately became a little ugly.
Zhe Rou didn't care. She just put down the work in her hands, smiled before saying anything, and said, "Madam Cui."
Aunt Cui couldn't help but look up and look at her carefully.
Zhe Rou was born with a slender figure, and had thick, dark hair, which was tied into a bun with a crimson silk ribbon. She wore a plain dress with her sleeves tied back with loops, revealing most of her fair arms, which shone with a delicate and soft light like soft jade in the sunlight. She had a gentle appearance, and her eyebrows and eyes were full and relaxed, just like the beautiful apricot blossoms blooming on the branches in March.
I didn't look at her carefully when I recognized her that day, but now I see that she is indeed quite charming. No wonder she could have bewitched the man so much that he brought this country girl back to the capital.
Madam Cui was disdainful in her heart, and her face showed a hint of indifference. She raised her head slightly and said in a gentle voice, "Madam, you are sympathetic to your husband's hard work, so I have specially ordered this old servant to select two smart and obedient maids to come and serve him. Madam Ning, please arrange a place for them to live."
As she finished speaking, two maids came forward and bowed to Zhe Rou, saying, "Madam Ning."
Both of them were about sixteen or seventeen years old, with figures like water lilies and voices as soft and melodious as the chirping of a yellow oriole in a valley.
This was clearly an attempt to force someone into Lu Chen's room.
Zhe Rou pursed her lips and remained silent for a while.
Xiaochan understood and her expression changed immediately. She said anxiously, "We don't lack people in our courtyard. My husband and wife are doing very well. We don't need anyone else to serve them!"
"As expected, you are from a humble family, yet you are so ignorant of etiquette. I want you, my servant, to know that there is an old saying: 'One dares not refuse a gift bestowed by an elder.'"
Nanny Cui sneered and glanced at Zhe Rou. "Don't say that Madam Ning isn't the legitimate mistress of the Lu Mansion. Even if she is, it's absolutely unreasonable for her to disobey her mother-in-law!"
The contempt and ridicule in that look were not concealed at all, lashing at people like a whip, stinging Zhe Rou's heart so much that she felt suffocated and could not help but secretly clench her palms.
Nanny Cui was the nanny who came with Lu Chen's mother, Zheng Lanbi, so her attitude was naturally the same as Zheng Lanbi's.
She had been in Shangjing with Lu Chen for nearly half a month, but had only met Zheng Lanbi once.
Zheng Lanbi disliked her humble background and refused to acknowledge her as her daughter-in-law, refused to approve her marriage with Lu Chen, and even ridiculed her for being shameless and seducing her husband.
seduce.
But what is seduction?
She and Lu Chen were clearly a young couple who loved each other and had been through thick and thin together.
Zhe Rou is an orphan whose parents died early. She has been helpless since childhood and can only live in her uncle's clinic. She has to be careful to please her uncle and aunt to make a living. Unexpectedly, her cousin later owed a large gambling debt, and her uncle wanted to sell her to pay off the debt. She had no choice but to escape.
She didn't even have time to pack her bag. She only wore a pair of silver bracelets left to her by her mother and sneaked out of the back door of the clinic in the dead of night.
The sky is vast, the earth is big, the night is dark, and Zhe Rou is alone, not knowing where to go.
She had no identity and could not pass the inspection to leave the city, so she could only stay temporarily in an abandoned city god temple. Perhaps because she was a young lady alone and helpless, a scoundrel wanted to take advantage of her, so Lu Chen rescued her.
At that time, he looked extremely miserable, covered in blood, and leaning against the statue of the City God Temple, dying. A long feather arrow was nailed into his left knee, almost piercing the bone.
Seeing Zhe Rou grinding up some herbs to stop the bleeding and heal his wounds, Lu Chen was a little surprised and asked in a hoarse voice, "...Do you know medicine?"
Zhe Rou nodded and answered cautiously, "I've learned a little."
"You help me heal my wounds, and I'll protect you...how about that?"
Lu Chen tightly grasped the hem of Zhe Rou's skirt, raised his head and looked at her, gritted his teeth, and said almost word by word: "My legs cannot be disabled. Please..."
Zhe Rou's heart trembled at the look in her eyes, and she agreed as if possessed by a ghost, "Okay."
His injuries were so severe that he had no money to buy medicine, so Zhe Rou went into the mountains to collect herbs herself, and then sold the excess herbs to the town in exchange for some food, barely enough to support herself and Lu Chen.
In that dilapidated City God Temple, they spent nearly half a year relying on each other. She cured Lu Chen's leg injury and helped him stand up again. Lu Chen helped her guard the house, chop firewood and cook.
That day, Lu Chen confessed his life story to her, saying that he was originally the son of an official family, but was sentenced to exile because of his father's crime. He encountered bandits on the way to exile. Now that his injuries have healed, he needs to join the army to make a living. Then he looked at her with a burning gaze and asked Zhe Rou if she was willing to marry him.
In an instant, Zhe Rou seemed to hear her heart skip a beat, and her cheeks instantly turned a hot red.
Of course she is willing.
The wedding was hasty and simple, but also thoughtful. The two compared their birth dates and submitted the marriage certificate to the government for registration. Lu Chen used his limited salary to rent a shabby little house. The two worshipped heaven and earth and gave a bowl of wine to their neighbors, and the ceremony was considered complete.
Although they lived in poverty and hardship during that period, they were very comfortable. The two of them built their small home together, bit by bit. They replaced the roof with new tiles, paved the yard with bluestone slabs, and also enclosed a small vegetable patch and raised a few chickens and ducks.
Knowing that she loved to eat fresh and crispy pickles, Lu Chen simply built a small bamboo shed in the yard so that he could grow some cold-resistant cabbage and mushrooms even in winter.
After three years of marriage, Lu Chen is not only her young admirer, but also her relative who is dependent on her through life and death.
Together they ran their own little home, so she no longer had to live under someone else's roof or wander around. It also allowed her to feel grounded and secure for the first time many years after her parents passed away.
Now that Lu Chen has been reinstated due to his military merits, Zhe Rou followed him from Taozhou to Shangjing, which can be regarded as leaving her hometown, but she is not afraid. As long as he is there, Shangjing will be her home.
If she had been in Taozhou before, she would never have suffered such a slight from Madam Cui, but now she had just arrived in the capital and was unfamiliar with the place and people. After all, Zheng Lanbi was Lu Chen's biological mother and his closest relative. Even if she intended to make things difficult for her, she would just be more tolerant.
As for these two maids, it’s okay to leave them here for now. When Lu Chen comes back from his shift, let him send them away himself.
Xiaochan was so angry that her face turned pale. She was about to open her mouth to refute, but Zherou reached out and pulled her, smiling soothingly, "It's okay, take them to the west wing to get familiar with the house first, and then make arrangements when the husband comes back."
Satisfied, Matron Cui bowed and walked out of the yard. Xiaochan glared at her angrily and led the two maids to the side room.
**
In the evening, candles were lit in the main hall, and the small kitchen brought in Lu Chen's favorite bamboo shoot and fern wontons. Zhe Rou waited for a long time until the wontons were completely cold, but Lu Chen still didn't come back.
He was probably on duty and got tripped up. Zhe Rou didn't wait any longer and hurriedly finished her meal. Thinking about how she had been picking up medicinal herbs during the day and her hair was stained with the smell of medicine, she had nothing to do, so she simply called for hot water and took a careful bath.
Xiaochan was afraid that she would be upset because of the two maids, so while wiping her hair, she muttered to comfort her: "My lady, please don't think too much. My husband really treats you well and will definitely not be deceived by those two maids..."
Zhe Rou laughed and sent Xiao Chan to rest quickly, "Don't worry, he won't."
But having said that, when she thought of the appearance of Matron Cui and Zheng Lanbi, she felt a little stuffy in her heart. She couldn't describe the feeling, and she felt neither up nor down.
Zhe Rou looked out the window in a daze. The sky was already completely dark and gloomy, and she couldn't see far away.
She has been living under the care of others since she was a child and has been looked down upon by many people. Her biggest wish is to have a home of her own and live a comfortable and peaceful life with her beloved husband, and no longer have to drift like duckweed.
She hopes that her family can live in harmony and happiness.
"Why wash your hair at night? If it doesn't dry thoroughly, who will have a headache tomorrow?"
Zhe Rou turned around when she heard the voice.
Lu Chen came back at some point, wearing a dark-colored cross-collared robe with a belt that showed off his narrow and straight waist. He walked into the main hall while talking.
As he got closer, the candlelight revealed his sharp features, his eyes like dots of ink, his high nose and thin lips, with a faint smile at the corners of his lips, which made his jawline look even thinner and more neat.
Ever since she first saw Lu Chen as a teenager, Zhe Rou thought he was handsome.
At that time, he still had some of the elegance and refinement of a scholar, but after several years of tempering on the battlefield, all of this was transformed into an intimidating sharpness.
When she wasn't smiling, her thin lips were slightly pursed, making her look rather fierce. But whenever she smiled, she seemed as gentle as the clouds dispersing, the rain stopping, and the ice melting.
Her heart warmed slightly, and her restless mood suddenly settled down. Zhe Rou raised her face and looked at him with a smile, "You're back."
Lu Chen responded and walked behind Zhe Rou. He took the handkerchief from her hand very naturally and helped her wipe her hair. He looked out along the direction she was looking and deliberately made a sound of "tsk tsk" (click on the button). "What are you looking at? So engrossed? Are you looking at those two little girls in the west wing? Did I chase them away?"
Zhe Rou made him blush, and raised her hand to twist his waist.
Lu Chen didn't hide, but instead held her hand and continued to claim credit, "Those two girls were really pretty, but I didn't even look at them. I directly told Nan Heng to send them away."
This man was so slick that Zhe Rou couldn't help but glance at him with a smile and pushed him aside. "How do you know she's so pretty if you haven't seen her?"
"Just one look, okay?" Lu Chen laughed darkly, and with the strength he used, he pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry, mother won't send anyone over again."
As the two of them got closer, Zhe Rou suddenly smelled a faint fragrance on him. Without thinking too much, she just smiled and sniffed, "What kind of fragrance is that on my clothes? It smells better than the ones I usually use."
She didn't know if it was her illusion, but Lu Chen's body seemed to tense slightly for a moment.
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