Chapter 12: Heart Flutter

Putting down the stone knife, she grabbed his hand, and then…

Then, lowered her head and sucked on it.

“You…” Pei Zhouwu couldn’t stop her in time.

She sucked once, then spat.

At first, the wound stung slightly, but gradually, that sting turned into a tingling numbness—somewhat itchy, somewhat burning.

Pei Zhouwu’s eyelids trembled as fast as his heartbeat.

“Miss… Miss Su.”

Liu Fuying paused, but her lips still pressed against his hand.

That strange warmth quickly spread, from the webbed space between thumb and forefinger to the palm, gradually spreading along the skin’s texture, creeping up to redden his ears with heat.

Pei Zhouwu only felt his heartbeat growing faster and faster, so heavy it deafened him.

Such contact was his first time.

Even his closest mother had never done such a thing for him. Since his childhood, his mother had been particularly strict, never allowing the maids in the mansion to get too close to him.

Thus, he was especially unfamiliar with such intimate gestures.

Perhaps coming to her senses, Liu Fuying suddenly looked up and stepped back several paces, panic turning into rapidly moistening tears in her eyes, on the verge of falling.

“I’m sorry, I, I, I’m sorry.”

Apologizing wasn’t enough; she turned away in embarrassment, a sob rising in her voice.

“I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just that when I was little, every time I got hurt like this, my mother would immediately suck out the blood, saying it would heal faster.”

“…”

Pei Zhouwu opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a single word.

The hand suspended in mid-air also stiffened as if petrified, unable to move.

“I… I should… I should go back now, Marquis Pei, take care. I’ll come see you next time.”

Before she finished speaking, she began to move.

Then, overwhelmed by shame and frustration, she lifted her skirt and ran out.

That emerald green dress was especially eye-catching in the sunlight. As she ran, her skirt hem and hair ribbons fluttered endlessly. From afar, it seemed as if a mountain spirit had taken human form.

Before Pei Zhouwu could regain his senses, she was gone.

After a long while, his fingers finally trembled and moved. Looking down, the wound indeed no longer bled, yet the burning sensation there still lingered, evident from his still-reddened ears.

“Leaving so suddenly again.”

He felt utterly dazed, gradually beginning to doubt himself again.

“Su Yueying, you couldn’t just be a dream I had, could you?”

But the full table of items before him reminded him it wasn’t a dream. Su Yueying was clearly a living person, the one who stirred ripples in his heart.

Walking to the table, just as he was about to pick up the pastry she had asked him to taste earlier, he suddenly froze.

In the nearby bundle, something seemed to be hidden.

Unwrapping it, he found a lacquered wooden hairpin, its fresh sheen indicating it had been made recently.

Picking it up for a closer look, two lifelike fireflies were carved on it.

One serene, the other poised to take flight.

“Su Yueying…”

This must have been made by her own hands too.

He took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh.

She had left in such a hurry earlier that he hadn’t had time to tell her not to bring anything next time—it took effort, energy, and money, and she didn’t have an easy life either.

Thinking of her background, Pei Zhouwu unconsciously furrowed his brows again.

Liu Fuying leaned back in the courtyard of Changmingguan, with Jin Li combing her hair behind her.

“Madam, how did it go today?”

Liu Fuying curled the corners of her lips. Although she had only glanced briefly earlier, she had clearly seen Pei Zhouwu’s reddened ears. She grew even more confident. Though Pei Zhouwu commanded thousands of troops and appeared unattainably lofty, he was actually quite innocent at heart—easily stirred.

“Judging by Madam’s expression, it seems the results were quite favorable.”

Liu Fuying raised her brows slightly, her smile growing even brighter.

“Skilled in martial arts, handsome in appearance, considerate, gentle, and kind-hearted—able to put himself in others’ shoes. He doesn’t shy away when he ought to show temper, and he’s so innocent that his ears turn red at the slightest tease. I hardly dare imagine how happy I’d be if he were Shen Xiunian.”

With that, she furrowed her brows and sat up straight.

Mentioning Shen Xiunian out of the blue truly soured her mood.

“Let’s head down the mountain after the vegetarian meal.”

“Very well, Madam. The vegetarian meal should be ready soon.”

Once her hair had dried and her clothes were tidied, Jin Li went to fetch the vegetarian meal. After eating unhurriedly, they left the courtyard.

As they reached the temple gate and prepared to depart, the abbot of the Taoist temple called out and stopped them.

“Abbot Xu, is there something you need?”

“Benefactor Liu, there is no need for alarm. This humble Daoist merely heard that you made a generous donation to our temple this morning and came specifically to express gratitude.”

“You are too kind, Abbot. I made that donation for my own sake as well. Without sincerity, how could I move the deities to bestow blessings upon me?”

“Is the illness of the elderly lady in your household still unresolved?”

The abbot frowned slightly. He had some recollection of Liu Fuying, remembering that the last time he saw her, she had come on behalf of her mother-in-law and had asked him to perform a divination for her. Her words had been filled with deep concern for her mother-in-law’s condition.

“Thank you for your concern, Abbot. My mother-in-law’s illness has greatly improved. This time, I came with another request.”

The abbot nodded, a look of compassion on his face as he added, “It seems this matter must be even more difficult than your mother-in-law’s illness.”

“Yes, in my household…”

Liu Fuying trailed off, lowering her head with a pained expression.

“In the future, I may have to trouble the revered deities for quite some time. Perhaps I’ll even need to stay for two or three days to pray quietly for protection. When the time comes, I’ll need to trouble you, Abbot, to set aside a separate room for me to serve the deities.”

“There is no need to worry about that. When the time comes, this humble Daoist will make all the necessary arrangements for you.”

Liu Fuying had donated so much money that it would be enough not only to reserve a single room but even to buy the entire temple. Naturally, the abbot was willing to accommodate her in every way.

“Then I thank you in advance, Abbot.”

“Where sincerity reaches, even metal and stone may open. The matter Benefactor Liu seeks will surely have a favorable outcome.”

“I shall take your auspicious words to heart.”

…

Descending the mountain, the carriage slowly made its way into the city.

Some people on the street recognized the carriage of the General’s Mansion and began whispering among themselves along the roadside.

The streets were crowded, and the carriage moved extremely slowly.

“Madam Shen has gone into the mountains again to pray for a child. It must be so difficult for her.”

“Indeed. If you ask me, it’s the Shen Family Second Branch that’s truly heartless—driving someone to such a state for the sake of money. I heard that when Madam Shen went out to buy fertility medicine the other day, someone saw her eyes red from crying.”

“Really? How pitiful.”

“Alas, I heard that last time General Shen was brought back seriously injured as well. It’s been so long, and no one has seen him leave the house. Perhaps he was injured somewhere and is now completely incapacitated.”

Inside the carriage, Liu Fuying faintly overheard the conversation. When she heard them say Shen Xiunian was incapacitated, she couldn’t help but laugh.

What they were saying was somewhat exaggerated.

For instance, she had never personally gone out to buy any fertility medicine, and Shen Xiunian was not exactly a recluse who never left home. Rumors had always been this way—the more they spread, the more exaggerated they became.

However, this might not be a bad thing.

“The Shen Family Second Branch is truly wicked. They’re already starting to fight over the family estate—isn’t that like cursing General Shen to die sooner? And he’s the second uncle, an elder behaving like this. Isn’t that just pure wickedness?”