Facing each other
Seeing Qi Heng's face quickly darken, Chu Xiao apologized tactfully: "Sorry, I was joking too much. I didn't mean to expose your scars on purpose."
"Why are you apologizing? I don't blame you. It's just that I haven't... Never mind, let's not talk about this anymore." Qi Heng took out the file and said seriously, "Let's talk about business. In Dishui Town near Miaowan, six people committed suicide in succession at home, but they all died by hanging. The families of these suicides handled the aftermath themselves and didn't need to report it to the authorities. But there were so many people committing suicide that even if it was suicide, people would still suspect it was homicide."
"What did the coroner say?"
"The coroner's autopsy concluded it was suicide. The deceased did not struggle before death, and there was no evidence of poisoning or wounds."
"But this is all the information in the case file given by the Dishui Town government. It's like nonsense. There's no connection between the deceased. It's just waiting for the court to send people to investigate. I don't know how much money they paid for this position."
"Well said, so this is the second thing His Majesty sent us on. Bringing you out was entirely a wise and prudent decision on my part."
Seeing the pleased expression on Chu Xiao's face, he stopped complaining about his grievances against the emperor and began to concentrate on reading the poorly written file, trying to find any doubts. Qi Heng knew that the praise he had always used had a soothing effect.
Cha Suxun didn't want to listen any more. It was probably related to the spider spirit. He had been out for long enough, so he went straight home.
As his soul entered his body, he opened his eyes to see Yuanli, her head resting on his stomach, sitting beside him, holding the book Chiyu had given her. Embarrassed and regretful, he remembered that in his haste that day, he had hidden it under the pillow and had forgotten to put it away carefully.
He quickly took the book back from her and hid it behind his back in embarrassment. Ah Li turned over and climbed up to grab it, but Cha Suxun didn't dare to show her any more, and didn't know how to look her in the eye.
"Give it to me."
"There's nothing interesting here. Let me show you the new picture book I bought down the mountain."
"I've seen a lot of storybooks, but I've never seen a book like this before. I never noticed it before, but you actually read this kind of book. It's really unexpected... Tell me, where did you get it?"
"Brother Chi gave it to me. I only read one or two pages."
"Why would Chithrush give you a book like this?"
"Before the wedding, Brother Chi said I was dull and didn't know how to please my wife. If I don't learn, I'm afraid you'll despise me on our wedding night."
Ah Li was amused, so he asked back: "Have you learned a trick or two? Show me..." Ah Li flipped through a few pages and pointed to one of them and said: "Here, try learning it and see if you like it."
Cha Suxun took the book and looked at the place she pointed. His cheeks flushed and he said embarrassedly, "My lady, this is a bit too explicit... In broad daylight, I'll learn it and tell you about it tonight. I'll go cook first." As he said that, Cha Suxun was about to get out of bed and run away, but was pulled back by A'li and pressed on the couch.
"Want to run?"
"I didn't want to run away. We sleep on the same bed every day, so how could I run away? I was really worried that my wife would be hungry."
"I'm not hungry. I've eaten."
"I...I...how can I learn this in broad daylight, my lady? It's really embarrassing. I'm not used to saying such explicit things to you."
Cha Suxun tried several times but couldn't do it. He'd never said it, never dared to think about it, and certainly didn't dare to think about how awkward the atmosphere would be between them after she passed away and recalled what he had said. If he had known this would happen, he would have just lost his memory...
"Is this difficult? I'll teach you."
"Ah? No, no, if you like it, I will learn it privately and tell you about it in the evening. The sun is good today, I will go wash and dry the clothes you changed yesterday." After saying that, Cha Suxun carried her to the side and sat her down. He slipped out in a hurry without even having time to put on his slippers.
Behind him, Ah Li was still deliberately teasingly shouting, "Then you have to learn it, don't let Brother Chi Lu down. If you can't learn it, I will teach you myself, husband, haha..."
A'li laughed so hard that his face hurt. "Who wrote 'One Hundred Sweet Words to Coax Your Wife'? It's such a classic..." A'li closed the book and put it back under his pillow.
That night, after having dinner with Ah Li, Cha Suxun discussed something with her: "I want to discuss something with you. Starting tomorrow, I need to leave home for a few days to go to another town for work. I will be back as soon as possible and bring you something delicious."
"Are you discussing this with me? I see you've already thought it through. Does that mean you won't do it just because I don't let you go?"
Cha Suxun affirmed, "Of course, if my wife doesn't allow me to go, then I won't go."
"It doesn't seem to be a very important matter. You are not allowed to go."
"Okay, then I won't go. I'll just stay home with my wife."
Cha Suxun had already made up his mind. If she refused to let him go, he would stay with her on the mountain, and then, at night, when she slept, he would leave her body and go to Dripping Water Town to find Red Spider. This method would only cause the backlash scar to crack a little more. The pain would last for hundreds of years anyway, so a few years wouldn't make a difference. This way, he could spend more time with her and avoid separation. Very good, very good!
"Forget it, go ahead, but you have to take me with you."
"I'm going on business, and the journey is dangerous. I'm not going for sightseeing. Next time, I'll take you when it's not dangerous."
After thinking for a moment, A Li asked cautiously, "Are you going to pass through Dishui Town?"
"Yes, I went to Dishui Town to visit the leader of Hedong Village. The daughters of Hedong Village are holding a martial arts competition to find a husband. The winner will be married on the same day, so they invited people from many villages to attend the wedding."
"Hedong Village? You're definitely not allowed to go there. Do you think I don't remember? The one from Hedong Village has been eyeing you covetously, eager for me to break off the engagement so she can immediately send you a marriage proposal."
Changing the subject, Ah Li continued, "Besides, Dishui Town is very evil and full of ghosts! If you go there like this, who knows which female ghost will capture you and make you their husband. Word of what's happening in Dishui Town has spread to us, and it's so horrific. Several people committed suicide overnight, all by hanging. They say they were possessed by ghosts."
"Is Ari afraid of ghosts?"
"I'm not really scared. If the ghost doesn't harm me and doesn't look too bloody, I wouldn't be afraid."
Ah Li felt a little guilty when she said this. She was terrified. A ghost! It was a ghost! She only said this to the handsome ghosts.
"What if I'm a ghost? Would I be afraid, A-Li?"
"You? A ghost? Then I'm also a ghost. Don't keep talking about ghosts in the middle of the night. It's creepy and gives me goosebumps. Anyway, Dishui Town is a bit dangerous. Even if there are no ghosts, what other town would have six suicides in just a few days, all by hanging? Maybe they provoked something, or got caught up in something, or maybe someone else's interests were involved, which forced them to hang themselves."
"So, how could I dare to take the risk of bringing you all the way to such a murky place? What would I do if something happened to you? Even if I have to go, I can go alone."
"No, we're just passing through Dishui Town. It's not that dangerous. We can just go through it quickly during the day. Your status is different now. If you don't attend, it will inevitably give the other villages something to talk about. If we go together and I don't go, it will seem like we are not getting along."
Cha Suxun still wanted to refuse, but before he could say anything, she pretended to be angry and asked, "Why? You think I'm in the way and you don't want to take me with you?"
"No, how could that be? I can't wait to take you out and show you off. I want to let everyone in the village see how stunningly beautiful my wife is."
Ah Li was naturally overjoyed when she heard these words. She had to try very hard to suppress the smile on her face. Ah Li stood up and walked towards the house, saying as she walked, "Pack up and leave early tomorrow morning."
At night, Ah Li rested her head on his arm, hugged his waist, and jokingly asked, "Tell me, if I really die before you, what will you do?"
"That depends on the circumstances. If the child can't survive, I'll raise him and then come back to be with you. Or if my parents need me to support them, I'll wait until they're gone before I come back to the underworld to find you. If there's no child, or if the child can survive without me, and my parents are gone, then I'll commit suicide for love without hesitation."
Cha Suxun spoke very seriously. He had really thought about this issue seriously, and not just this issue.
"Why are you so worried? According to the storybook, shouldn't we all be saying, 'If you die, I will never live in vain?'"
"You said it was a play, a love created by the writer. Because it's so rare in the world, so many people like to watch it. I don't want to lie to you. I have to take good care of everything you love so that you won't have too many regrets on your way to the underworld. I don't want you to be trapped in the Nai River, suffering and waiting, unwilling to reincarnate."
His answer was so sincere that Ah Li felt even happier than she had expected. She closed her eyes contentedly and leaned against him, then casually asked, "What if you leave first?"
"Then I hope you live a long and peaceful life." Cha Suxun patted her back gently and closed his eyes to fall asleep.
He knew her temperament all too well. Ever since they decided to get married, she'd always asked a lot of hypothetical questions, all simply to understand how important she was to him. So, even though he felt a little sleepy, he still patiently asked, "My lady, is there anything else you'd like to ask me today? If not, let's go to bed. We need to get up early tomorrow."
"I'll ask you when I think of it. Go to sleep."
Cha Suxun heard her tone rise, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He thought that his answer today satisfied her.
If she is satisfied, he will be satisfied too.
The next day, when they arrived at Dishui Town, it was almost lunchtime, so they randomly chose a well-established restaurant with a large crowd. Unexpectedly, just as they ordered their food, they heard the crowd behind them discussing the recent wave of suicides.
"Hey, have you noticed? A lot of bandits have been coming to Dishui Town recently. So many people have died in this town. The murderer is most likely related to Hedong Village!"
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