Chapter 39. He agreed to become his maid.
Meanwhile, Liang Ye saw Shanhe sitting alone on the ground crying, biting her lip tightly to keep from making a sound. He felt both pity and amusement.
He knelt down, lifted his robe, took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, and said with rare gentleness, "Why are you crying? It's not like I'm going to teach you to be a maid for the rest of your life. It's just a temporary measure. We'll eventually have you come into the manor."
Shanhe, however, felt that being a maid was worse than being a concubine. The thought of her name appearing after her two brothers on the family genealogy, and the possibility of her reuniting with Liang Shao in that capacity, was truly humiliating and unbearable. Besides, being a maid offered the hope of leaving the manor, while being a concubine meant being bound to the Liang family for life and death.
She turned her face away.
Liang Ye's hand paused in mid-air, and he smiled gently: "Why are you dodging? I'm just wiping your tears, I didn't touch you." After saying that, he continued to dab the handkerchief on her face.
Shanhe pursed her lips and said firmly, "I'm willing to be a maid, but not the kind of maid who serves others."
"What kind of service?" Liang Ye tilted his head to look at her. "You need to be more specific, otherwise I won't understand."
“You can treat me like a maidservant like Caixiang or Caiping, but I will never serve you like I just did.”
He chuckled softly, "Nonsense, when did you serve me just now? It was clearly me serving you." With that, Liang Ye scooped up Shanhe, pulled her behind the screen, and laughed loudly, "Don't worry, I've already made my intentions clear. Staying by my side is your only way out. Even for the sake of your little maid sisters, you can't escape. Isn't that right, hmm? I'm not in a hurry. We'll talk about those things when you're willing. You can be a maid, or whatever, it's up to you. But—" He changed the subject, "Since you're going to be a maid, you should do your job well. You've soaked me, and you're just going to watch? Do you enjoy watching?"
He said this, but in reality, he was constantly observing Shanhe's expression, feeling somewhat anxious. Originally, he had planned to abduct her and slowly cultivate feelings for her. But after what had just happened, she had nestled pitifully in his arms, soft and delicate. He hadn't even tasted the sweetness yet, and he already felt a craving; how could he wait? However, he still possessed some integrity and wasn't willing to completely force her into conjugal relations, breaking the final barrier. It wouldn't matter if it ruined his good impression on her, but that wouldn't be good either. Although Shanhe had already consummated her marriage with Ashao, she was his first woman in his life; he wanted things to be perfect and complete.
As he thought this, he saw Shanhe in his arms frown and raise her head. She pouted, looking at him intently, as if trying to see through him. Her eyes were filled with disappointment: "You weren't like this before." He had always been upright, kind, and honest, never uttering frivolous words; he was the elder brother she respected most. Now he was cold, domineering, and ruthless, even going to great lengths to have an affair with his former sister-in-law. She sighed deeply, her voice barely a whisper: "Brother, how could you do this..."
The hand holding Shanhe's fragrant shoulder froze. Liang Ye was now most annoyed to hear her mention the word "elder brother". He sneered: "Your surname is Xue, and my surname is Liang. What brother-sister relationship is there? Even if you were Ah Shao's wife before, you are divorced now. Why do you insist on clinging to this identity?"
Taking the opportunity, Shanhe broke free from his embrace, as if saying to herself, "You don't understand." She walked blankly to the table, her feet feeling like they were weighed down by a clump of cotton, her steps unsteady. Shanhe held up the dark blue brocade robe, her eyes lowered, and her gaze fell on the carpet on the ground: "Please, sir, change your clothes."
Liang Ye's expression was displeased, but considering that he had indeed made things difficult for her today, he suppressed his anger. Liang Ye walked up to Shan He, standing tall and elegant, and tried to keep his voice even: "You haven't taken off your wet clothes yet." He meant for her to change his wet clothes first.
Shanhe softly replied "okay," turned around, put down the brocade robe, and knelt down woodenly to familiarly untie his belt.
This familiarity made him uncomfortable. Hadn't she served Liang Shao with the same gentleness and attentiveness back then?
Before he could even react, Shanhe had already placed the removed sash in her palm, tilted her head back, and forced a smile at him, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. That single smile instantly dissipated some of the restlessness in his heart. He couldn't help but ask gently, "What is it?"
Shanhe pursed her lips, trying to be as gentle and careful as possible: "I want to live with Qingyue."
Liang Ye refused, saying, "She has Caiping and Caixiang to take care of her, so don't worry."
As Shanhe helped him take off his outer robe, she said, "Then let me see her."
Liang Ye grabbed her hand as she was moving and pressed it against his chest: "If you behave, she will come back to serve you. If you make me unhappy," his heart pounded like a drum in Shan He's palm through only a thin undergarment, "her days are also difficult for her."
Shanhe slowly clenched her fist and lowered her head: "Oh."
Liang Ye refused to let go; she was still stubbornly defiant towards him, and he said in a stern voice, "Speak properly."
Shanhe turned his head slightly and said in a soft voice, "I understand, sir."
His mood finally improved. Although Shanhe was looking down at him meekly, she was right in front of him, so close, and her words weren't as sarcastic as before. Besides, the faint blush on her collar was from him. His relationship with Shanhe had made great progress. Liang Ye touched her face, put his other arm around her waist, pulled her close, and rested his chin on the top of her head.
“Grandpa…you, you…” Shanhe struggled, “You said you’d wait until I was willing.”
Liang Ye closed his eyes: "Hmm, it's not about 'agreeing' to this. Do you want me to be clearer? I thought you understood. Right now it's just hugging and leaning against each other, it's nothing..."
Shanhe stood blankly in his arms, still clutching his soaked outer robe. Her heart sank lower and lower, her arms hanging limply at her sides. She was no match for him, no match for him in any way. She didn't know when it started, but he had already begun to devour a part of her.
Liang Ye had dinner in Shan He's room before leaving. Although he treated Shan He as a maid, they ate together at the table, without any distinction between master and servant. Before leaving, he sat in his armchair, sipping tea, while Cai Xiang and the maids cleared away the dishes. Shan He sat leaning against the edge of the bed, about to tell him to leave.
Before Shang could speak, Liang Ye put down his teacup and said to Cai Xiang, "You can stay here and serve her these days. You don't need to come to my place. If she wants to go out, have Cai Ping keep an eye on her. She can just walk around on the deck, but she's not allowed to go anywhere else." Cai Xiang agreed. He turned to Shan He and continued, "From now on, I'll come during the day and have dinner before leaving. Is that to your liking?"
Shanhe twisted her fingers and nodded gently.
"Since I'm doing what you want, smile more. Don't you feel bad if you keep looking so gloomy all the time?"
Shanhe could only manage a slight twitch of her lips.
Liang Ye suddenly stood up: "Enough! Laughing is uglier than crying. I was going to have Cai Xiang take you to see Qing Yue, but forget it now."
Shanhe quickly looked up at him: "No..."
Liang Ye smiled coldly: "Whenever you find your smile agreeable, that's when you'll go see that girl Qingyue again." With that, he turned and left. After taking only a few steps, he turned back, pinched Shanhe's cheek with his long, slender fingers, and rubbed her soft lips hard a few times with his fingertips, making her bare lips rosy and dewy before reluctantly letting go, smiling: "I'll come see you again tomorrow, take good care of yourself."
After his figure disappeared, Shanhe looked up again, just in time to meet the gaze of the little maid Caixiang had brought. Their eyes met, and both of them quickly looked away. As Caixiang and the maid left, Shanhe heard a crisp voice outside the door: "Sister Caixiang, is this Second Madam?"
"Shut up. Just serve them." Then came Cai Xiang's laughter, "Huai Feng, I'll trouble you to keep watch tonight."
Shanhe closed her eyes and lay back in the mandarin duck brocade quilt.
*
The moon hung high in the sky, and the lights on the boat gradually went out.
Huaisong walked out of the house, avoiding the servants on night watch, and went to a corner of the boat's side, where he launched a small boat alone. He followed the hemp rope tied tightly in the shadows of the boat and slowly rowed away into the distance.
He didn't know how much time had passed before he finally saw the boat, but there was no one on board. Huaisong panicked and hurriedly rowed over, only to find Fanniang huddled inside, trembling uncontrollably.
"Fan Niang! Fan Niang!" he called out hurriedly.
Having not eaten all day, and with the river wind biting cold at night, Fan Niang was already suffering from abdominal cramps and was nearly delirious. In her daze, she heard a few soft calls, as if it were her name. She slowly struggled to sit up and saw Huai Song in front of her, with a gleaming silver dagger lying at his feet.
Fan Niang was so frightened that she almost jumped out of her skin and hurriedly used her hands as oars to row away.
Seeing this, Huaisong reacted quickly, reaching out with his oar to hook onto the side of the boat.
Unable to escape, Fan Niang cried out, "What else do you want! I only said a few words, and you want me dead! You scoundrel!" She sobbed and waited for Huai Song to bring the small boat closer. Fan Niang flailed her arms, refusing to let Huai Song come near.
Huai Song was scratched several times by her fingernails, leaving several bloody marks on his arm. Annoyed, Huai Song grabbed Fan Niang's hands with one hand, grabbed a dagger with the other, and threw it into the water. He shouted, "Look carefully! I'm not here to kill you!"
Fan Niang paused, then slowly loosened her grip, letting him hold her wrist, tears streaming down her face: "I thought I was going to die... I really thought I was going to die..."
Huaisong lifted Fanniang with both hands and carried her to his boat. Fanniang no longer resisted, sobbing as she nestled against Huaisong, her eyes already red and swollen like peaches from crying.
Seeing her in such a state, Huaisong took the food and water bag he had brought and placed it in Fanniang's arms, then put his arms on her knees and said, "He wants me to kill you."
"Who?" Fan Niang exclaimed in surprise, "Cheng Min?"
He nodded silently.
"Then why don't you kill me?"
Huai Song sighed, "I've never killed anyone. Besides... besides, you're a good person, and you don't deserve to die..."
Two lines of tears streamed down her face. Fan Niang said bitterly, "He's a heartless beast! If I hadn't died this time, he would have fallen into my hands sooner or later, and his death would have been imminent!"
Huai Song lowered his head and said in a low voice, "But in a big mansion, you have to rot your heart in order to go far..." He took out three taels of silver from his pocket and threw it into Fan Niang's arms: "This is what I have saved since I entered Lantai Pavilion. You, you take it and live a good life."
Fan Niang bit her lower lip and clenched her hands tightly: "No, I want to go back to the Liang residence, I want to see Second Master! If he finds out that his brother has treated Xue Niangzi so badly, how will he let it go! Then I will say that it was all Cheng Min's doing!"
Huai Song frowned: "Are you crazy? If this gets out of hand, we'll all perish. You don't care about our lives, fine, but what about your sister? Can she even survive?"
Fan Niang was stunned, then sobbed, "What should I do... I'm not reconciled..."
Huaisong turned to her and stared at her: "Fanniang, you should leave. Living well is more important than anything else. Chengmin is highly regarded by the master. How can someone of our background compete with him?"
“Yes, given our background…” Fan Niang clutched her face and sobbed.
Seeing that she seemed hesitant, Huaisong bit his lip, placed his trembling hand on her shoulder, and said softly, "It's just that your sister is still there. With her weak nature, I'm afraid that Chengmin might find another excuse to send her away one day. It's really worrying."
The crying continued on the other end, and the voice choked with sobs as it said, "I want to save her too, but what can I do!"
Huaisong gently patted her back and said in a gentle voice, "Don't panic, I'll think of a way to get her out too."
His voice was soft, his movements gentle. Fan Niang slowly looked up and saw him standing very close to her, shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, his starry eyes shining brightly as he gazed at her. Her heart stirred. At this moment, the bright moon hung in the sky, and two small boats drifted alone in the middle of the river. She was desperate, thinking she was about to die, when he came to save her. Before, at Lantai Pavilion, she had never really paid attention to Huai Song. In terms of age, he was a year younger than her, just a half-grown child, with fair skin and a youthful voice. In the six months he had been at Lantai Pavilion, she had watched him grow taller, his bones becoming as wide as a grown man's, his voice becoming hoarse like a fledgling duck, but she still treated him like a child. After all, in their hearts, only Liang Ye at Lantai Pavilion could be considered a man; the others were all extraordinary talents. But now, looking at his face, bathed in the pale moonlight, a sudden wave of sorrow washed over her. She had thought that the one who could properly settle her was nothing but a castle in the air. She thought it was as fragile as a crumbling building, but it saved her life during her most difficult time.
Her heart sank, and she buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. Even in her tears, Fan Niang was not weak; she gritted her teeth and cried out, "I want him dead! I want him dead!"
Huaisong paused for a moment, then slowly wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He said in a hoarse voice, "Okay, okay..." He rested his chin on Fanniang's thick hair, but his lips slowly curved into a cold arc.
Cheng Min is going to die, he has to die, he's blocking the way for many people.
Huaisong gently stroked Fanniang's back and said softly, "What do you want to do? I'll help you..." Before he could finish speaking, Fanniang placed her fingertip on his lips and shook her head, "You don't need to get involved in such things. I have my own ideas."
Huaisong sighed, "But... I'm worried about you..."
Fan Niang raised her tear-streaked face, cupped Huai Song's cheeks in her hands, and gazed at him intently. She sniffed, "Why me?"
Huai Song paused for a moment, then awkwardly uttered a few words: "You're very good..."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Fan Niang pressed herself against her, giving her a light, fleeting kiss.
Huai Song's breath hitched, and he slowly closed his eyes, quietly savoring the two soft, warm lips. Just as Fan Niang was about to loosen her grip, he suddenly tightened his arms, holding her tightly, and kissed her lips almost forcefully.
The two of them fell down together in the small boat.
The boat rocked a few times, gradually creating ripples that scattered the moon's reflection in the water. Two wooden boats drifted in the middle of the river, lonely and somewhat desolate.
Suddenly, a woman's figure leaped out of the boat like a fish, her long hair swinging back, her slender waist arching, and she let out a long hiss.
The moonlight, like a ribbon, floats on the boat.
-----------------------
Author's Note: The storyline involving servants and maids is temporarily over. [Dog head with rose in hand]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
