Chapter 24 "My shoulders aren't broad, how can I give it to you..."
Two sparrows flew down from the corridor, hopping across the light filtering through the blue bricks, leaving behind a string of clear chirps before fluttering their wings and disappearing into the sky.
Liang Shao's gaze was vacant as he stared at the two sparrows, one fat and one thin, his brows furrowing even deeper. His jaw tightened, and his voice seemed stiff: "Shanshan, are you...?"
—We still have to go.
But he couldn't bring himself to say it.
Seeing his hesitant and fearful expression, Shanhe roughly guessed what he was thinking. She frowned and gritted her teeth, saying, "Don't misunderstand, I don't mean to leave." But unable to bear it, Shanhe quickly added, "There are some of my things in the bundle, and... there's a book I haven't read yet. And the silver notes and land deeds I left on the dressing table, did you put those away too? They were left by Grandfather, and they contain things he left for my elder brother. He's leaving in a few days, so we should return his things to him." As she finished speaking, Liang Ye's instructions suddenly echoed in her ears, eight parts true, two parts false... Would Liang Shao take it seriously?
Upon hearing this, Liang Shao turned his head blankly and looked at Shan He's face. His empty and unfocused eyes gradually regained their focus, and his lips tightened: "...Really?" As if still not believing it, Liang Shao held up his little finger: "Pinky promise."
Shanhe's heart tightened; she simply couldn't bring herself to make such a vow to him. She forced a smile: "Like a child."
Liang Shao did not answer, his hand stubbornly hanging in mid-air, creating a sense of stalemate.
Their eyes met, and Liang Shao's gaze was intense, as if he wanted to see right through Shanhe. Shanhe had no choice but to extend her little finger and make a pinky promise with him.
Liang Shao raised his face and said, "Not enough." He deliberately brought his face closer.
She understood, and whispered, "How about this?" She leaned down and gently kissed his cheek.
They were so close, their noses were almost touching. Just as Shanhe was about to get up, Liang Shao suddenly grabbed her wrist, leaned in close, and pressed his body against hers, their lips brushing together. He was anxious, but dared not be as unrestrained as before, for fear of angering her again, so he could only lightly peck at Shanhe's lips.
Shanhe struggled at first, but her hands were held captive and she couldn't move. It was as if two little people were conjuring up in her mind, pulling her hair and fighting. One of them said to her, "Kiss him! Just lie to him like that! He won't find out!" The other shook its head desperately, "You can't lie like that!" Leaving her there to suffer in torment and hesitation.
"Shanshan." Liang Shao had stopped. He sensed Shanhe's subtle resistance and stared intently at her. "...You don't want to?"
He hurriedly tried to explain himself, pleading earnestly, "I didn't mean to force you like last time, I just wanted to..." He paused, biting his lower lip until it was almost bloodless, "...can't I even kiss you...?"
He spoke cautiously, staring intently at Shanhe's face. By the time he finished speaking, his eyes were already slightly red, gradually welling up with a thin layer of moisture.
Shanhe's heart seemed to be gripped. She was about to speak when Liang Shao sighed first, "I'm sorry." He turned his face away, buried his head in his arms, and said in a muffled voice, "They're all in the study, Shanshan's things, they're all in the carved lacquer box in the study..." His voice was already choked with sobs.
"Alright," Shanhe sighed. With that, she got up and walked out.
Liang Shao listened intently to Shanhe's footsteps, knowing she was going out to the study, and a deep, lingering sadness immediately settled over him.
As expected! Shanhe is leaving after all!
He buried his head even deeper, a tiny tear had already fallen from the tip of his nose, and his plump body swayed a few times before finally falling onto the soft pillow with a thud.
The light in the room gradually faded, and Liang Shao's body grew darker inch by inch. When the light covering his face was gone, Liang Shao blinked his blurry, tearful eyes and looked up in confusion, only to see Shan He standing by the window, gazing at him silently.
He heard Shanhe say softly, "There are people outside." Then, with a hint of resentment, she added, "It's not okay for there to be people outside." With that, she walked gracefully closer to Liang Shao, raised her hand to grasp his face, which was stained with a thin layer of tears, gently wiped away the tears, and smiled faintly.
Liang Shao raised his head and looked at Shan He with the utmost respect, as if he were looking at a deity.
The injury on his back caused Liang Shao a lot of inconvenience. He was worried that he would neglect Shan He because of his injury, so he worked harder than before, working for half an hour. This caused Shan He to tilt her head back and close her eyes, and she had to climb to the clouds several times before she could rest.
The daybed was too narrow for two people to lie down, so they had to lie on top of each other. Shanhe lowered her eyes and breathed heavily, but her face was calm, as if she was deep in thought. Liang Shao propped himself up with his arm, his fingertips tracing Shanhe's exposed collarbone inch by inch, feeling a little rough on it, and sighed, "Still too thin."
Shanhe slowly opened her eyes and saw that she was completely wrapped up by him, with not a single bit of her exposed. She also noticed that her shoulders were narrower than his, so she touched Liang Shao's hard, blocky chest muscles inch by inch, and said lazily, "You're so fat, even your shoulders are wider than other people's."
Liang Shao teased, "My shoulders aren't broad enough, how can I support your legs?"
Shanhe didn't react at first, letting out a blank "Ah," before realizing he was referring to their earlier lovemaking. Shanhe pinched his chest, frowning and gritting her teeth, "Where did you learn such lewd talk!" She suddenly remembered Liang Shao's frequent visits to Pingkang Lane and couldn't help but ask, "Pingkang Lane?"
“What Pingkangfang…” Liang Shao frowned, then suddenly realized as if struck by lightning, and asked with some surprise, “Jealous?”
Liang Shao buried his head in Shan He's shoulder, his voice languid: "I'm the most honest person in the world who's least likely to say these things. But when I meet Shan Shan, I can say anything, from sour to sweet to meat to vegetables."
Shanhe, however, was thinking about something else entirely. She nudged Liang Shao: "Shao, are you...with anyone outside?" If there was someone, then after she left, at least he would have a beautiful woman by his side, which should make things better, right?
Liang Shao was stunned for a moment, then slowly raised his head and said in a firm voice, "What did you say? Who is it?"
“Um…it’s just…” Shanhe bit her lip, “…it’s just a woman outside.”
Liang Shao stared at her in disbelief, his pupils trembling, his lips moving: "Why do you ask that?"
"It suddenly occurred to me that you used to always be out drinking in Pingkangfang. Just in case—and I mean just in case—you find someone you like, someone with a clean background, why not bring them home?"
“Xue Shanhe!” Liang Shao suddenly stood up. “I used to enjoy having fun, but I only liked the lively atmosphere of banquets. Even when I drank, it wasn’t the kind of debauchery I did! At most, I would invite someone to play the zither and sing, but they were all courtesans, and they were all very proper!”
He stood up, clutching his aching back, not wanting to aggravate the scabs, and couldn't help but hiss in pain. Liang Shao said angrily, "You! You!"
Shanhe sat up straight: "Hey, don't be angry. I was just saying, to show you my stance. If there's any problem, we'll bring the person home after the one-year mourning period, and I'll—"
"No! Not a single one! Just you!" Liang Shao turned his face away, frowning, and said, "Get up!"
Before she could finish speaking, Shanhe was already standing on the ground, her wrist being pulled by Liang Shao. She didn't know why Liang Shao was reacting so strongly, so she could only go along with him and add, "Okay, no." But her wrist was gripped tightly. After Shanhe put on her shoes and stood steadily on the ground, Liang Shao hurriedly draped a coat over her and pulled her outside, saying, "Let's go."
"Where to?" Shanhe asked, puzzled.
Liang Shao stiffened his neck and didn't answer her, instead muttering, "You're always like this."
Shanhe laughed: "What's wrong with me?"
"Give me a little treat first, then slap me." Liang Shao pushed open the door, and sunlight immediately flooded in, casting a thin layer of gold dust on the brick floor. He pulled Shanhe outside, saying, "I really can't do anything with you! I'm completely at my wit's end!"
Shanhe felt a pang of guilt, pursing her lips. "Ah Shao, I'm sorry." She was sorry for deceiving him like that, for trampling on his sincerity. But one cannot erase one's own feelings for the sake of someone else's! Her feelings for Liang Shao—mixed with gratitude, familial affection, and perhaps even a little bit of liking—were nothing compared to the humiliation she had suffered that day! And certainly not as important as the freedom she had personally experienced—the freedom to earn her own living and no longer have to depend on others!
Liang Shao didn't say anything, he just kept walking out.
Shanhe hurriedly straightened her clothes with her remaining hand: "Where are we going?"
Liang Shao insisted, "Go to Pingkang Ward!"
“A real man also has chastity and virtue, which must not be defiled by others. Today we will go to Pingkang Lane together, and you can see for yourself which male prostitute is particularly intimate with me!”
Shanhe chuckled, stopped in her tracks, grabbed his hand, and said with a smile, "Stop! Stop! I believe you, okay?"
“No,” Liang Shao turned around and said seriously, “I can only be at ease after my innocence has been proven.”
Seeing him become temperamental, Shanhe lowered her face, took a step closer, and took his hand, wrapping it around her waist. Shanhe whispered, "Yes, I believe you now. Ah Shao, I believe you, I've always, always believed you." She spoke earnestly, for this wasn't an act, but purely from the heart. Shanhe knew that no matter how bad Liang Shao was, he was the most genuine person she had ever met. Many people in this world smile to your face but stab you in the back, but Liang Shao wasn't like that. His joy and his hatred were clear; he disdained pretense.
Liang Shao was stunned, his heart skipped a few beats, then he leaned down and turned his head to kiss Shanhe's lips.
Shanhe pressed against his chest, pushed him away slightly, and looked away, saying, "Let's go inside."
Liang Shao laughed loudly: "They've long since disappeared, no one saw them!" With that, he cupped Shanhe's face in his hands and kissed her again.
"Cough cough."
The two were just lightly nibbling at the food when they suddenly heard a clear cough from behind them.
In her haste, Shanhe pushed Liang Shao away forcefully, her pink neck drooping with embarrassment as she hurriedly hid behind him. Liang Shao also frowned, turning around as he said irritably, "You clueless idiot—" The word "slave" was stuck in his throat, and Liang Shao froze like a statue.
Where Cheng Bao should have stood was now Liang Ye, dressed in a blue silk robe and a satin sash with spiderweb patterns. Liang Ye lowered his eyes and said in a calm voice, "Ah Shao, what did you say?"
Shanhe was completely blocked by Liang Shao and couldn't see who was standing at the door. Now that she heard Liang Ye's voice, she was so embarrassed that she wanted to disappear into the ground. Her ears turned so red that they almost bled.
Liang Shao pulled Shanhe behind his back and said awkwardly, "Brother, why did you come here in person? If it's anything, you could have just sent a maid to tell me." What he was thinking was: If it were a maid from your Lantai Pavilion, that would be fine, but it has to be you, brother.
It turned out that Liang Ye was a man of strict self-discipline and propriety, a man of upright character and discipline. Although he was two years older than Liang Shao, he was still unmarried and not particularly enthusiastic about matters of the heart. He took the seven emotions and six desires lightly. Therefore, Liang Shao always felt that his elder brother was like a banished immortal who had seen through the mortal world, unlike him, who indulged in drinking, merrymaking, horseback riding, and martial arts—a complete vulgar fellow. Now, seeing his banished immortal brother being intimate with Shan He, he was extremely embarrassed, just like when he was a naughty child and Liang Ye had caught him. He wasn't afraid of being punished, but he felt incredibly awkward.
Liang Ye then raised his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips: "Let me see your injury." As he spoke, although he was looking at Liang Shao, his peripheral vision involuntarily caught sight of the plum blossom hairpin peeking out from Liang Shao's shoulder. His dark eyes were as deep and still as an ancient well: "It seems that you are alright."
Liang Shao laughed and said, "Shanshan just applied the medicine, and the scab has already hardened."
Liang Ye nodded: "Yes. The injury has healed, but I wonder if my memory has improved."
He deliberately raised his voice slightly: "Shanhe, I'll have to trouble you from now on—" He paused, "...take good care of A-Shao."
Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, Shanhe could only step out from behind Liang Shao and bow respectfully from afar: "It was also Shao who took care of me. Husbands and wives should support each other."
Upon hearing this, Liang Shao laughed heartily and put his arm around Shanhe's shoulder, saying, "There's no need for such formalities with my brother; it only makes us feel distant."
Liang Ye tightened his jaw and smiled, "Yes, we've become too distant."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Because I'm on the list this week, I'll be adding an extra chapter on Saturday to reach the word count for the list. Otherwise, I'll continue updating every other day.
Suddenly realized I'm a paid seller now, does that mean transportation will be a little more convenient? Haha [glasses][glasses][glasses]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
