Chapter 75 is as flamboyant as ever.
The next morning, when Jiang Shuifu got up after sleeping enough, she opened the door and saw a straw animal standing by the door. It had a cute and innocent look, with its two ears standing up high, its eyes red, and two protruding front teeth.
It's a buck-toothed rabbit.
It's clear that the weaver has superb skills; the work is incredibly lifelike and must have been done by a craftsman who has practiced for many years and makes a living from it.
A dark, burning gaze kept glancing at her from a distance, as if observing her reaction to see if she liked it.
While feeding the chicks, Shen Jizhao absentmindedly stole glances at her. The chicks were already very attached to him; as soon as he returned, they followed him, chirping incessantly. When he tried to go to her, the chicks would follow him around, blocking his way.
Jiang Shuifu didn't even glance at him, ignored him, and closed the door again, staying inside all day.
At night, Shen Jizhao knocked on her door: "Shuifu, my wound hurts so much, can I come in and sleep?"
The only response from inside was the sudden extinguishing of the candlelight, which she did not want.
He sighed. What had he done wrong to make her angry?
There's nothing I can do but spend the night outside.
He slept very restlessly, constantly thinking about why she was angry, hoping that knowing the reason would allow him to address the problem effectively.
For several days in a row, Jiang Shuifu received a buck-toothed rabbit outside her door.
Every day, the buck-toothed rabbit is in a different form and with a different expression. The buck-toothed rabbit is becoming more and more aggrieved, folding its ears and looking resentful, as if asking why she is ignoring it.
Shen Jizhao was unable to enter her room for several days and could only sleep on the floor outside.
The farmhouse was small, and moreover, he had specifically chosen a house with only one bedroom in order to make it easier for them to get to know each other better.
At that time, he never imagined that one day he would be driven out and forced to sleep in the countryside.
But he felt a warmth in his heart. She was angry with him and locked him out of the house, just like how the old lady in the countryside used to punish her husband by making him face the wall to reflect on his mistakes.
He felt this behavior was very intimate.
However, there were many mosquitoes at night, and he was injured. Every day, the mosquitoes would bite his gradually healing wounds, and each bite would cause a lot of pus to flow out, and sticky, fishy-smelling blood would flow all over his body.
Shen Jizhao knocked on the door again:
"Shuifu, please let me in. I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you on horseback. I was blinded by lust. I shouldn't have complained about the wontons either. Next time, I will definitely finish them in one bite and swallow them clean. I will like anything you like. I shouldn't have lied to others that you are my wife. After all, you haven't agreed to be my wife yet."
His apology was sincere, and he listed all his mistakes one by one. Anyway, she was unhappy, so he definitely had to coax her.
The person inside opened the door, and Jiang Shuifu, whom she hadn't seen for many days, looked even more radiant and beautiful. She went straight to the point: "I want to go out."
Shen Jizhao didn't want to think about it. He was still shaken by what happened last time. Seeing his hesitation, the woman who had finally agreed to see him immediately closed the door. He tried to stop her with one hand, but his hand was covered with red, swollen bumps. He lowered his eyes, looking aggrieved.
"Alright, alright, you can go wherever you want in this area of farmhouses on the mountain, I'll go with you."
Jiang Shuifu also saw his bleeding wound and swollen mosquito bites, and her pupils involuntarily dilated a little.
He thought she felt sorry for him, and he was about to take the opportunity to slip in when she forcefully shooed him out, saying, "You attract too many mosquitoes, how annoying!"
Shen Jizhao is still struggling in his death throes:
"Shuifu, could you please give me my precious thing every night? I miss it terribly. It can't be separated from me for too long, or it will spoil."
Jiang Shuifu exclaimed in confusion.
He pointed to the red nightgown on the small couch.
The next instant, a streak of bright red mercilessly lashed out from the window. Blown by the wind, the streak of red swirled and tumbled onto the filthy ground.
Shen Jizhao immediately picked up his treasure and carefully patted off the dust.
.
The next day, Jiang Shuifu got up very early. After washing up, she went out to play without even having breakfast. But as soon as she went out, she saw Shen Jizhao hanging his clothes out to dry. The man's undergarments and pajamas hung alone in the yard, which inexplicably made her envious.
Moreover, the waistband of his pants was the most worn out; I wonder what he does all day to end up dressed like that.
She was being as provocative as ever, and quickly looked away.
When Shen Jizhao saw her come out, he turned around and wanted to follow her, but she gave him an unpleasant look, and he knew that she didn't want him to go.
Remembering the misunderstanding from last time, and given the current strict security, he didn't want to spoil her mood. His tone was extremely attentive, and his eyes sparkled.
"I'll come pick you up and take you home later."
Jiang Shuifu left him with a silent back view; she was so cold.
She was finally able to go out and wander around. She ran into the woman from before. The woman was working in the fields, and her daughter was helping her. They were having a great time.
They then warmly invited her to visit them.
"When did you move here, madam? We live nearby, so we have to visit each other often. It's so lonely in these deep mountains. My husband makes a living by hunting, leaving early and returning late every day, and he's prone to getting injured. I'm always on edge with worry. He's searched every forest and path around here, both known and unknown. Hey, what does your husband do? I've never seen him. His clothes must be expensive. Are you in business? What kind of business...?"
As Jiang Shuifu listened to the woman talk on and on, she talked about her husband, her daughter and son, her great-aunts and great-aunts, and the petty quarrels and commotion of the neighbors.
She listened with great interest, as is the nature of women. The old woman even gave her a handful of watermelon seeds to crack open. She wasn't stingy either, and brought a lot of fruits from home to give to her.
The girl next to her stared at her fingernails, her eyes full of envy and admiration.
She knew that no woman didn't love beauty, so she picked a lot of pomegranate flowers and gave her the nail dye materials.
The girl was overjoyed and sweetly called her "elder sister".
Hearing the words "elder sister," she thought of her younger sister and her family again, wiping the sweat from her brow from carrying melons and picking flowers.
"I heard things have been quite lively down the mountain lately. Apparently, Su Yang has made some moves, and some official has been imprisoned?"
The woman pondered what she had heard in her mind, then shook her head, indicating that she did not know.
"There are plenty of officials in Suyang. When one falls from power, another rises to the top. It's not unusual."
Her eyes were dark, and her words revealed her great interest in the matter.
The old lady noticed it too.
They chatted until noon. The woman cooked a lot of dishes and wanted her to stay for lunch. Just as she was about to decline, a man approached from a short distance away.
A faint smile curved the corners of the man's lips.
"Shuifu, you're home. Dinner is ready."
Shen Jizhao came to pick her up.
He walked step by step to her, reaching out to take her hand and lead her home, but Jiang Shuifu dodged him.
The old woman's eyes darted around playfully, and she chuckled a few times to herself.
"It was your husband who cooked! You're such a lucky woman! He even came to pick you up in person!"
Shen Jizhao was stunned for a moment, then nodded and smiled at her.
After finishing her meal, Jiang Shuifu started painting, taking over the only desk in the room. On the desk stood a bunch of buck-toothed rabbits, each with its ugly teeth grinning, which was annoying to look at.
Shen Jizhao was finally allowed to enter the house. As soon as he came in, he saw her holding a calligraphy brush and painting. He raised an eyebrow:
Why are you in such a good mood today?
The person, completely absorbed in their work, ignored him and continued sketching and drawing, striking a very serious pose.
He leaned closer to take a look. She had painted a pastoral landscape with winding paths leading to secluded spots, but the content on the paper was incomprehensible and unbearable to look at.
Her pomegranate-red fingernails pressed against his usual calligraphy brush, while her fingers were also white. In an instant, the three extreme colors dazzled his eyes.
He recalled what he had just seen: she had picked many pomegranate blossoms, but the vibrant blossoms paled in comparison to her fair and rosy fingers. He was stunned.
He pressed his hand against her as if possessed, his eyes dark and his voice soft and low:
"I will teach you."
Surprisingly, Jiang Shuifu didn't push him away or refuse him; instead, she tacitly allowed him to come on top of her.
But he still didn't dare to touch her fingernails directly. That bright red color made his heart itch. If it were before, he would have insisted that she hold them and touch them intimately for a while.
He was still easily distracted by her, but he only held the top part of her brush, carefully controlling the brush and guiding her fingers.
"The most important aspect of pastoral scenery is the depiction of mountain views. It should be rendered with washes and spread out, not painted directly. You can't just paint the leaves of the forest directly. Besides, why are there such messy paths in the mountain stream behind the forest? It's too disjointed."
Behind the mountain stream, several narrow and hidden paths were drawn. These paths seemed impossible to exist, illogical, and impassable. Ordinary people would never notice that there were paths here.
As Jiang Shuifu listened to him teach her how to paint, word by word, he let go of her hand and told her to paint on her own.
She put pen to paper, as haphazardly as ever, and he frowned almost imperceptibly. Hadn't he taught her?
She heard the sighs falling beside her ears. She remembered that he only taught her everything once. She used to beg him to teach her again, but he would blame her for not being attentive.
However, she didn't care at the moment, since she hadn't asked him for advice.
But Shen Jizhao resolutely covered her again. He patiently told her all the skills he had learned. When she didn't understand, he moved the brush again and again, guiding her to find the feeling. He didn't find it troublesome at all and used all his patience.
Time and again, seemingly tirelessly, he savored this moment of tranquility and the sweet scent of the woman, becoming completely absorbed in it.
It seems there will be some action tonight.
The person being led wasn't focused on painting at all; a strange sense of unease rose within her. When she looked up at the painting again, she was startled.
A buck-toothed rabbit suddenly appeared in the woods; it was ugly, with buck teeth bared in a grin.
Shen Jizhao's deep voice fell into her ear:
"This is the first time I taught you to draw a buck-toothed rabbit. I wasn't very attentive that time, but this time I'll definitely teach you. I'm very greedy. You used to weave buck-toothed rabbits for me, so I want to draw buck-toothed rabbits for you for the rest of my life."
Shen Jizhao recalled how he used to scold her for being greedy, just because she wanted to get close to him. Now he realized that he was the truly greedy one, and her greed was the same greed he was willing to pay any price for.
Seeing that the atmosphere was right, Jiang Shuifu casually mentioned:
"The Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon, and I want to go to Suyang to see my family. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I'll just take a look from afar, okay?"
Seeing her humble tone and recalling her recent unusual behavior, Shen Jizhao realized that she was missing her family.
His heart ached; he desperately wanted to agree immediately so as not to hurt her, but...
"Things have been a bit turbulent in Suyang lately. If you'd like to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, I'll take you to the market. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you..."
Jiang Shuifu interrupted him, unwilling to accept it, pouting her lips in extreme displeasure:
"What's the big deal? Which official is Su Yang involved in? Tell me! I won't stand for this if you don't give me an explanation!"
Shen Jizhao's eyes flickered, his hands paused, and he felt a pang of panic. After a long while, he finally spoke, smiling, and guided her to continue painting:
"Who told you that? It's a trivial matter. I didn't even get involved, so it's not worth mentioning."
He had already made up his mind. She probably heard about it during the time she disappeared on the street. His heart clenched. It seemed that she didn't know the inside story. He breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Shuifu fell silent.
Shen Jizhao also started painting, very seriously, but she was feeling a bit depressed. Looking at the unyielding man, she became angrier and angrier.
That night, he changed into the nightgown he had washed himself. The nightgown was still patched and mended, but at least it wasn't torn. Yet, she pushed him out again.
"Get out! You think you can sleep with me if you don't agree? Dream on!"
Helpless, the man sighed silently and went back to sleep.
Jiang Shuifu sat down listlessly. The last time she went to the morning market, she overheard that one of Su Yang's officials had committed a crime, saying that he had stood on the wrong side and offended some high-ranking officials. When she asked who it was, everyone shook their heads. This was a remote and impoverished place, so naturally they couldn't know that much.
But she was inexplicably uneasy, always feeling that something was wrong with the Jiang family. This was understandable, as she hadn't heard a thing about the Jiang family since she was locked up here.
Moreover, people at the morning market mentioned the name Governor Zhu.
His uncle once worked under "Governor Zhu".
How could she not be anxious?
-----------------------
Author's note: We're about to escape and enter the next phase, where the conflict will be much stronger.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
