Chapter 34: Does My Husband Still Want to Hit Me?

“Forget it.”

Liu Fuying placed the blood-stained gauze she had changed into the basin and turned her body away.

“It’s not settled yet. I’ll tell you later.”

Pei Zhouwu pulled her back, his eyes filled with concern, and said patiently, “I’ll write a letter home and ask my mother…”

“No!” Liu Fuying shook off his hand.

If he really wrote back to ask, it would be disastrous. They would instantly know how many lies she had told.

“You and your Pei family are already in the eye of the storm. If your mother goes to the Qi Prince’s Mansion to demand someone for no reason, what will outsiders say? The Qi Prince’s Mansion, afraid of being implicated, would never agree, and might even stir up trouble to add a few more charges to your family. Your mother is already furious. If she finds out you’ve offended the Qi Prince’s Mansion for a maid, I’m afraid…”

She spoke as if it were true, with ample and appropriate reasons.

“Anyway, it’s just not possible. I don’t want to burden you with my affairs. If you insist, I’ll never come to see you again.”

Hearing her say she would never come again, Pei Zhouwu’s heart skipped a beat, and he panicked.

“I have a plan for this matter. I just don’t want to say it too early, for fear of disappointment. Next time, next time I come, there might be good news. I’ll tell you then.”

She lowered her gaze to look at Pei Zhouwu, her eyes pleading.

“Alright?” she begged.

Pei Zhouwu didn’t say yes or no, but his lack of response was a compromise and silent agreement.

“There are only a few days left until the first of next month. I’ll use the excuse of going to burn incense and pray for the dowager to come see you then. By that time, I hope your injuries have healed a lot. I’ve checked the medicine in the cabinet. The ones your mother brought are all excellent wound medicines. Remember to use them every day. When the wound stops bleeding, don’t keep it covered all the time. Clean it often and let it breathe. The weather is hot, so be careful it doesn’t worsen or fester.”

Pei Zhouwu sat by the bed, silent and motionless.

The wound on his chest had already been re-dressed with clean gauze by Liu Fuying, and his collar was neatly arranged.

It meant she should leave.

“And the food, the pastries can last a bit longer, but some of the others need to be eaten soon…”

“I know,” Pei Zhouwu spoke up.

“You should go back,” he said, trying his best to keep his tone gentle and soft so she wouldn’t feel upset. “Since I promised you, I’ll take care of myself. Hurry back. I can take care of myself.”

He was also afraid that if she returned late, she would face reprimands.

Finally, he uttered three helpless words with solemnity, “I’ll wait for you.”

Liu Fuying still washed the basin and gauze for him and tidied everything up before leaving.

In the bedroom, Pei Zhouwu sat by the bed in a daze for a long time.

He reached out to touch the wound on his chest, wanting to but not daring to. If it hurt now, there would be no one to blow on it for him.

His reluctance and worry could only turn into sighs.

Jin Li sat on a rock by the shore. When she saw Liu Fuying come out, her face immediately lit up with joy as she hurried over.

She had been fine, but as soon as she saw Liu Fuying, her eyes turned red.

Liu Fuying’s heart ached, wanting to hug her, but she was afraid of transferring the dampness from her clothes to Jin Li. Instead, she pinched Jin Li’s little face to comfort her. Spending a night alone in these woods must have frightened her terribly.

“If this happens again, would you dare to stay here? Yesterday, I told you to go back, but you refused. Now you know how to cry.”

“I’m not crying.” Jin Li said she wasn’t crying, yet her hand honestly wiped away tears. “Even if it happens three or ten more times, I’ll still wait here for you, Madam. Didn’t you say it yourself? The first time is unfamiliar, but next time I won’t be afraid.”

“Alright, I know your determination.”

Liu Fuying found a relatively flat spot on the rocky shore to lie down, covering her face with a handkerchief to avoid sunburn. She closed her eyes to rest while waiting for the sun to dry her clothes.

It wasn’t a sustainable solution to keep going back and forth like this.

She needed to think carefully about how to find a reason to stay long-term in the bamboo courtyard. With Pei Zhouwu accompanying her every day, spending time together constantly, wouldn’t that make a child come faster?

The morning sun wasn’t too intense, but it took quite a while before they finally returned to the carriage and headed down the mountain.

It had been so long, she wondered how the Shen Family was doing.

That Shen Xiunian must be frantic. She really wanted to see what kind of expression he had on his face.

Meanwhile, at the Shen residence, chaos reigned.

Everyone in the courtyard couldn’t restrain Old Madam Shen. Her face was pale, her lips white from crying, as she kept muttering nonsense.

“It’s all my fault, all my fault. I harmed A Yin.”

“It’s my fault, I deserve to die.”

“I should pay with my life, I deserve to die.”

“…”

Outside the courtyard gate, Shen Xiunian had also been standing for a long time, his eyes red as if he hadn’t slept all night.

“General, what should we do? The imperial physicians from the medical bureau came to examine her last night and prescribed medicine. Why does Old Madam seem to be getting worse since this morning? General… where are you going?”

Shen Xiunian turned and strode away.

Zhang Ke chased after him, asking, “General, are you going to search for Madam again? But we’ve looked everywhere possible throughout the night.”

“To Xiangshan,” Shen Xiunian said firmly.

“Xiangshan? Didn’t we go to Changmingguan last night? We…”

“Not to Changmingguan!”

Shen Xiunian took large strides, now regretting having turned back halfway last night. He should have gone there to check.

He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to go check at Pei Zhouwu’s place.

Even if Liu Fuying wasn’t there, it didn’t matter—he just wanted peace of mind.

Leaving the residence, he mounted his horse and headed straight for the city gates again.

The horse galloped swiftly, kicking up clumps of grass outside the city walls.

“General, look!”

In the distance, a carriage approached. Looking closely, wasn’t the driver that little maid Jin Li from Liu Fuying’s side?

Jin Li spotted them too, frightened as she reined in the carriage.

“M-Madam, the General is here.”

Liu Fuying was leaning inside the carriage with her eyes closed, pretending to nap. Suddenly hearing these words, her interest was piqued.

Soon, hoofbeats stopped beside the carriage.

Then someone stepped up, pushed open the carriage door, and climbed inside.

Who else could it be but Shen Xiunian.

He sat down on the side, his eyes wolf-like as they fixed on Liu Fuying.

Liu Fuying, however, smiled radiantly, lazily and casually addressing him, “Husband, rushing out of the city in such haste—you weren’t coming to find me, were you?”

He was already furious, and the word “husband” exploded like thunder, sending Shen Xiunian into a rage.

“Liu Fuying, you…”

“What, husband, do you still want to hit me?”

“I’ve told you before—you’re not worthy of calling me ‘husband’!”

Veins bulged on his face, as if he might throw a punch the next moment.

Liu Fuying was not afraid; instead, she giggled. “Exactly. Our marriage has always been in name only. I won’t pry into your affairs, and you shouldn’t inquire about my whereabouts. Wouldn’t it be delightful if we simply didn’t interfere with each other?”

“Delightful?”

Shen Xiunian laughed in anger, his face looking uglier than the sole of a shoe.

“You certainly find it delightful. You know perfectly well that Mother can’t do without you, yet—”

“You know perfectly well that your mother can’t do without me, so why did you put on that act and make me leave? In the end, you still had to come eagerly searching for me to solve your troubles. You really have no shame left.”

“Liu Fuying—!”

Shen Xiunian, furious, suddenly moved closer to her.