Chapter 59. Chapter 59. Driven mad by her brother's letter.
With her hands held above her head like that, Shanhe felt humiliated and ashamed. She turned her head away, tears welling in her eyes: "I didn't."
Seeing her resistant expression, Liang Ye's anger flared, and he sneered repeatedly, "No? Fine, fine, fine!" He abruptly released his grip, stood up abruptly, and walked to the dressing table, where Liang Shao's letter lay quietly. Liang Ye picked up the envelope, first giving a self-deprecating laugh, then held the letter up to the candle flame, burning it completely in an instant. The flickering flames danced on his face, and the melancholy in his eyes deepened.
Freed, Shanhe leaned against the bedpost, lost in thought. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the flames engulf Liang Shao's letter, and the fire burning in her heart slowly turned to ash along with it, leaving only a few sparks that quickly faded. What else could she do? Shanhe told herself that she was now quite pragmatic; as long as he didn't cause her trouble or implicate Qingyue and Miao'er, she was willing to give up anything. So, Shanhe leaned against the bedpost, her gaze indifferent as she watched him approach step by step, completely devoid of her former indignant resistance.
The road ahead was shrouded in darkness, but a single lotus flower swayed back and forth on the empty tent ceiling, growing brighter and brighter with each sway. Shanhe was pressed between the brocade quilts, her legs hoisted onto his shoulders, swaying gently with the lotus. Around him, everything else seemed dim, except for this one thing, which appeared somewhat bright.
This time, the time passed so long that Shanhe eventually felt breathless and tried to fall asleep, but he slapped her awake. She then realized he had been gripping her neck tightly, his bloodshot eyes filled with a fierce intensity that seemed to want to strangle her. It turned out she wasn't trying to sleep, but rather experiencing a drowsy state due to being choked. Shanhe broke out in a cold sweat.
He seemed to have gotten a good idea, and seeing his reflection in her half-open pupils, he laughed and growled, "Open your eyes and look carefully, who's wearing your clothes now!"
The aroma of alcohol filled the air between the bed curtains, while the softly hanging curtains concealed any sounds coming from inside.
Even late into the night, he was still not satisfied, so he pulled Shanhe close and made her sit on his waist like a horse. Liang Ye breathed slowly, his eyes half-closed, his gaze towards her carrying a hint of disdain: "You're a tough nut to crack, and you're sharp-tongued too, but now you've learned to flatter. Taking advantage of how good I am to you, even Granny Wei dares to scheme against you... is that it?"
Shanhe paused, her hand rubbing her neck, and her lips trembled slightly.
Liang Ye stroked Shanhe's neck again, slowly caressing her fair skin. His hoarse voice, tinged with the smell of alcohol, said, "That pen was broken a long time ago. You deliberately let Granny Wei think that she broke it. Did you think I didn't know?"
"Ah," he exhaled a breath of stale air, his head starting to spin again, "Shanshan, what happened to you? Why do you lie so much?"
Shanhe's lips curled down, and she looked at him with a wronged expression, unable to hold back her tears: "Yes, I love to lie! You forgot, you're the one who taught me! Not only do I love to lie, I'm also despicable and cowardly! Liang Ye, if you're so capable, just strangle me! It'll save me from suffering, and it'll save you from suffering too!"
Liang Ye beneath him frowned, his chest heaving more and more, but he still forced a smile, saying coldly, "If you want to die, I'll bury you with the honors due to a concubine. Those two who follow you will also have to go down with you. Even Ah Shao will have to come and pay his respects to your little sister-in-law!"
Shanhe tried to get up and leave him, but he held her slender waist tightly. Shanhe sneered, "Fine! You care so much about your brother that you can't even tolerate a letter. I'm afraid you won't invite him! Let's see if Liang Shao will kowtow to me and offer me incense. Let's see how he sees your true colors as a wolf! Don't think you can get away with this peacefully!" She immediately struggled to escape, but he held her down firmly.
Enraged, Liang Ye grabbed Shanhe's shoulders and forced her to kneel on the couch, spreading her legs apart.
A muffled groan escaped from Shanhe beneath him, followed by heavy breathing. Shanhe tried to break free, but he held her wrists tightly around her waist. She managed to free herself, but he pulled her back again. Liang Ye was already intoxicated, and the matter of Liang Shao's letter and Granny Wei's affair had been weighing on his mind. Now, hearing Shanhe's words, his anger burned even brighter. He showed no mercy to Shanhe and forcefully held her down, indulging in his brutality several more times.
As the clouds dispersed and the rain ceased, the sky began to lighten.
Liang Ye had a terrible headache, but the pent-up anger within him seemed to have been released, leaving him somewhat satisfied. He lay back on the couch, half-asleep, his hand on his forehead.
Shanhe slept inside, the brocade quilt wrapped around her neck, two streams of clear tears flowing into her pillow, endlessly. She faced the white wall, sobbing softly, her neck, shoulders, chest, and wrists covered with red marks from the binding.
She heard a sigh behind her: "Why did you lie to me..."
She continued to weep, without uttering a sound.
"Taking advantage of how good I've been to you, is that it... Scheming against Granny Wei is scheming against those two ladies..."
His voice softened: "I had no choice but to cover for you... Shanshan, I'm really exhausted. I didn't want so much trouble in the hospital as soon as I came back..."
He turned over, his strong arms wrapped around her from behind through the quilt, and said, "You heartless thing, I've treated you so well, waited for you for two years, and you're the only one in the courtyard. You heartless thing, and you're already sleeping..." In the end, he could no longer hear her, and instead, he could hear her soft snoring mixed with the smell of alcohol.
In the darkness, Shanhe was in tears. She opened her mouth as if to cry, but dared not make a sound.
He waited for her for two years, but she never knew. For two whole years, she only regarded him as an older brother. How innocent she was!
Shanhe clenched her fists, suppressing the sob that almost escaped her lips. She bit the back of her hand hard, and when she fell asleep with tears in her eyes, only a reddish crescent moon remained on the back of her hand.
When she woke up the next day, it was broad daylight. Liang Ye was gone, and only the indentation of his body remained on the pillow, but it was cold. She propped herself up and saw that her thin clothes were disheveled, barely covering the marks on her body. Shanhe felt weak all over and was about to get out of bed when she felt a pain in her back. What terrified her even more was that her silk trousers, which were usually so smooth, were now rough and chafing, especially between her thighs, which chafed painfully.
Shanhe, holding onto the bedpost, slipped on her shoes and got out of bed. With each step, she felt a sharp pain in her lower body. She finally managed to move behind the screen, and half-pulled down her silk trousers. A few irregular bloodstains clung to the fabric, a horrifying sight. Shanhe gasped, and tears streamed down her face like broken beads. She trembled as she cried, slowly pulling her trousers back up by herself. She then slowly squatted down, hugging her arms and sobbing uncontrollably.
No matter what had happened before, she had never felt so humiliated. Now, wounded in this shameful place, she couldn't even bring herself to ask for a remedy! She didn't know who to tell… Shanhe thought of Qingyue, but Qingyue was ill, and she didn't want Qingyue to worry about her anymore. She then thought of Miao'er, but Miao'er was only fourteen, still an innocent little girl, how could she let her know about such a thing… She could only turn to Caixiang, but Caixiang was Liang Ye's person.
It's Liang Ye again...
Shanhe's shoulders shook as she cried. She suddenly missed her parents and Old Master Liang terribly. She hoped it was all a hallucination, hoped someone would pat her shoulder and say, "It's alright, Shanhe, it's alright..."
"It's alright, it's alright," Shanhe told herself. The sun will eventually dispel the clouds, and new flesh will grow from the wounds. But she still couldn't stop her tears.
Having received Madam Zhou's order, Granny Wei came to summon Shanhe to Madam's room for a meeting. Upon entering, she found Shanhe nowhere to be seen; the bed was a mess, the mattress wrinkled and damp. Granny Wei's eyes twitched, then she heard faint sobbing coming from inside. Following the sound, she found Shanhe crouching on the floor, weeping. Granny Wei frowned and took her arm, saying, "Why are you crying here? Get up! Madam wants to see you."
Shanhe flung her hand away: "I'm not going!"
"What are you doing!" But then she remembered the grievances Shanhe had suffered yesterday, so she softened her tone a bit, "Alright, alright. Today is an important matter. Madam values you and wants you to discuss it with her. It's a big deal for our master."
Shanhe pulled her hand back: "What does this have to do with me! It's not my business, let whoever wants to go go."
Seeing that she not only couldn't persuade her but was also being verbally attacked, Granny Wei worried that if Madam Sheng and her ilk saw this, wouldn't they laugh at her behind her back? Granny Wei glared at her: "You have no choice but to go! The master knows Madam's orders, and you dare to refuse! What kind of status do you have? You're just someone who's been favored by the master a few times. You don't even have a proper title, and you're acting like a rich young lady with your broken body. You can't throw a tantrum! Go back to your Jinling, no one will care about you! In the Shi family, you have to abide by the Shi family's rules!"
The words "broken body" sent a chill down Shanhe's spine, perfectly matching Liang Ye's humiliation of her the previous night. The more she listened, the angrier she became, her body trembling uncontrollably. She abruptly stood up: "I have no official status, so whose servant are you!" Her voice grew increasingly agitated. "Who seduced whom! Explain yourself clearly! I never wanted to be here. Who forced whom to stay? Are you blind, deaf, or out of your mind! I want to go back to Jinling, but your 'good master' won't let me go. I'm a broken body, and your 'good master' just loves broken bodies! Not only does he want broken bodies, but he also wants bodies his brother has played with!"
Granny Wei never expected her stubborn nature to flare up again. Hearing her rant in one breath, shock instantly overshadowed her anger. She hurriedly went to cover Shanhe's mouth: "Crazy! Crazy! What nonsense are you spouting!"
Shanhe wanted to continue speaking, struggling to break free.
At this moment, Caixiang, Caiping, and others rushed over upon hearing the noise. Even Chengmin, who was outside, heard the commotion and ran to the corridor to peek into the house. When Shanhe saw that everyone had arrived, she grabbed Wei Mama's hand and struggled even more fiercely: "Let go of me! Let go of me!" Suddenly, she flung her to the side, grabbed Wei Mama's hand, and slammed herself against the small table where the bonsai trees were placed.
The potted plant fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. Shanhe also fell to the ground, and Granny Wei was pulled down with her.
Cai Xiang and Cai Ping exclaimed in surprise and rushed forward to check on him. Shan He swayed and turned his face from the ground, blood already flowing from his forehead past his eyebrow.
Cai Xiang stamped her foot and cried out, "Ouch!"
When Cheng Min saw the blood on Shan He's face, she cursed Shan He and Granny Wei inwardly, wondering why they had to cause trouble at the Shi family's house now of all times. After thinking about it, she turned around and was about to go and fetch the doctor. She ran there with her head down, thinking about whether she should inform Liang Ye. Suddenly, someone jumped out from the side and Cheng Min bumped into him without warning.
Mrs. Sheng cried out "Ouch!" and took a half step back, complaining, "Chengmin, what's wrong with you today? Can't you watch where you're going?"
Cheng Min was surprised to run into someone from this household and quickly smiled, "I was in a hurry. Where are you going, Mother?"
Madam Sheng covered her forehead. Cheng Min was tall and strong, like a little calf, so she must have been badly hurt. Madam Sheng said breathlessly, "Yesterday I asked your Granny Wei to call Miss Shanhe over, but she couldn't get her. I'm coming again today to avoid any delays."
Cheng Min panicked upon hearing this. The matter at Cangfeng Courtyard was something they could resolve themselves within the courtyard. If word got out, Madam Zhou would inevitably interfere. Liang Ye disliked nothing more than others interfering in his affairs, especially when it involved Shan He. So Cheng Min quickly said, "In that case, I'll go back and run the errand for you, Mother. I was blind just now and bumped into you, Mother. You should go back and rest. With me here, I guarantee Miss Shan He will be here soon."
Madam Sheng narrowed her eyes. Seeing that Cheng Min seemed to be hiding something, she didn't press the matter. She said, "Alright, then please make the trip." When she returned to Madam Zhou's Tishun Hall, she reported in detail the situation of Cheng Min rushing out and refusing to let her go to Cangfeng Courtyard.
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Author's note: The earliest I can expect an extra chapter is the day after tomorrow, because I will be going back to school in the next couple of days. I will notify you in advance if there is an extra chapter.
A huge thank you to the babies who received the IV fluids! One baby silently drank dozens of bottles the other day! [crying emojis]
The younger brother won't appear at the end. Actually, in terms of plot points, he'll probably appear a few more times before that.
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