Chapter 59: A Green Hat for Father
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
[Oh, tomorrow is the day my elder brother will be drunk… Second Brother has no defenses against her. She’ll bring that cup of wine, and she’ll make her move.] Lu Chao Chao silently savored the impending drama.
Meanwhile, Lu Zheng Yue’s vigilance intensified.
“Treat the Marquis’s Manor as your own home when you’re here. You can perform the rites right here. You saved my life; it’s only right. Tomorrow, I’ll come to accompany you,” Lu Zheng Yue said, his expression unreadable.
The two continued strolling through the snow for some time before Lu Zheng Yue finally escorted her back to her courtyard.
She stood in the snow, her gaze sorrowful as she watched his figure disappear into the distance. If Lu Zheng Yue turned back, he would see her standing there, forlorn.
Indeed, he turned back.
It wasn’t until Lu Zheng Yue vanished from sight that her smile faltered and disappeared.
Behind her, a young maid approached. “Miss Su, should I help you wash up? Staying in wet clothes from the snow might make you sick.”
Su Zhi Qing nodded gently.
After washing up, Su Zhi Qing returned indoors and sat before a copper mirror, her hair cascading down her back. Inside the room, a sandalwood table held papers faintly scented with ink.
“What is this?” she murmured as she picked up one sheet, the bold and powerful calligraphy leaping out at her.
Unlike Lu Zheng Yue’s youthful scrawls, this handwriting exuded strength and confidence, brimming with an effortless dominance.
“This is the Marquis’s writing,” the maid explained respectfully. “This room used to be his study. Occasionally, he’d rest here. All of this is his brushwork.”
Su Zhi Qing’s cheeks reddened as her fingers brushed across the inked words, as though they had been burned.
Lying on the bed later, she felt as though a powerful masculine presence enveloped her, a distinct sensation lingering in the air.
[This is the Marquis’s bed.]
The next morning, Su Zhi Qing’s complexion was ashen. She wore a light-colored long dress, swaying weakly like a fragile white flower clinging to survival.
When Lu Zheng Yue arrived, he sighed. “Qing Qing, don’t be sad. You still have me. I’ll take good care of your father and mother for you. Trust me,” he said with earnest eyes.
Su Zhi Qing nodded tearfully.
As night fell, the maid brought vegetarian dishes. Lu Zheng Yue dismissed everyone else and personally carried a brass basin to perform the rituals with Su Zhi Qing in the garden.
Burning paper money swirled through the air. The slender girl knelt in the snow, shedding silent tears.
“Father, Mother… Qing Qing has met Brother Zheng Yue. He’s a good man. You can rest in peace knowing I’m in good hands,” Su Zhi Qing whispered, her voice trembling as she poured two cups of clear wine before the brass basin.
Lu Zheng Yue stayed with her until all the paper money was burned.
By then, Su Zhi Qing’s lips had turned white from the cold.
“Let’s have dinner. Your body isn’t strong; don’t harm yourself,” Lu Zheng Yue said as he helped her indoors, where the table was already laden with dishes.
His gaze lingered briefly on the two wine cups before shifting away.
“Brother Zheng Yue, thank you for being by my side,” Su Zhi Qing said, raising a cup of wine toward him.
“I may have saved you, but Qing Qing, it’s you who gave me the courage to keep going in this world. You’ve saved me too,” he replied, his tone sincere.
“This cup is for you,” Su Zhi Qing said as she handed him the wine.
Lu Zheng Yue accepted it without hesitation. “It should be me toasting you, Qing Qing.” He raised his cup, lightly clinking it against hers.
The two drank deeply, emptying their cups.
Su Zhi Qing exhaled softly, as if a burden had lifted from her heart. She then coaxed Lu Zheng Yue into eating more of the vegetarian dishes.
Perhaps it was the abundance of silver charcoal, or perhaps the wine was too intoxicating. The room felt stiflingly warm. Su Zhi Qing’s vision blurred, and Lu Zheng Yue’s figure began to double. Even the sounds around her grew hazy and indistinct.
She thought she heard him sigh, “Qing Qing, you’re drunk.”
Her body felt as though it was burning, like a furnace seeking a trace of coolness.
She seemed to be carried to a soft couch, the candle extinguished, the sound of the door closing faintly audible. Footsteps receded into the distance.
In the grip of a feverish heat that threatened to consume her, Su Zhi Qing murmured, “Hot…”
She loosened her collar, leaving only a thin inner garment, yet the room still felt unbearably warm.
The door creaked open, letting in a fleeting breeze of cool air. She snapped to partial awareness, her body reacting faster than her mind. In a flash, she stood and embraced the visitor tightly.
The person froze.
She clung to him with no gap between them, greedily absorbing the coolness he brought. Her trembling voice carried an irresistible softness. “Don’t push me away.”
The visitor grasped her waist firmly, his eyes tinged with crimson. “Do you know who I am?” he asked, his voice deep and commanding.
Su Zhi Qing’s face flushed deeply. [Am I dreaming again?]
Ever since she learned this had been the Marquis’s study and his bed, her thoughts had been restless. [How could I dream something so bold tonight?]
Her voice trembled as her hands explored his body, even undoing his clothing with shaking fingers. She collapsed softly into his embrace.
“It’s… it’s the Marquis,” she whispered, biting her lower lip, her eyes shimmering with light.
“The Marquis.”
“Marquis, please don’t push me away. Don’t push Qing Qing away,” she murmured as if pleading.
She stood on tiptoe, hooking her arms around his neck, drawing herself closer inch by inch.
Lu Yuan Ze’s forehead throbbed with veins. For years, he had maneuvered through life with ease, yet recently, Shi Yun and Pei Jiao Jiao had left him utterly drained.
Tonight, after drinking heavily with his colleagues, his mind was foggy, but he remained fully aware of his actions.
Su Zhi Qing was unlike Shi Yun’s rigid grace as a highborn lady or Pei Jiao Jiao’s gentle attentiveness.
She was youthful to the extreme, a raw, pleading, and delicate girl in the prime of her sixteen years.
She was different from them all.
When her agile tongue slipped into his mouth, his last thread of restraint snapped.
The man leaned down, scooping her up. She cried out in surprise but quickly clung to his neck tightly.
When the young maid returned with a lantern, she froze at the sounds emanating from the room. Her face turned scarlet before blanching in fright. Rushing back to the main courtyard, she burst into tears as she reported the incident.
“Madam, Madam… Something terrible has happened,” the maid sobbed.
“Someone foolishly let the Marquis into his old study, where Miss Su is staying.”
The maid’s tears streamed uncontrollably. Listening to the indecent sounds from within, she struggled to reconcile them with Miss Su’s image.
[How could she act so shamelessly?]
Madam Xu covered Lu Chao Chao’s ears, and Deng Zhi quickly carried the child away.
“Why are you crying? It’s the New Year; don’t ruin the festivities,” Madam Xu scolded, though her reddened eyes betrayed her anger. She seemed to grit her teeth. “The Marquis has stayed loyal to me for nearly twenty years. That’s enough. I cannot monopolize his love alone…” she sighed, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.
Despite her words, everyone saw Madam Xu’s sorrow as she silently wept through the night.
She stood in the courtyard, snow piling on her shoulders, staring blankly into the distance toward the study. Deng Zhi repeatedly brought her ginger tea to ward off the chill.
Thx for chaps~~
Aiyaa, it happened.