It was unknown when the rain had started falling outside again.
The rain beat against the thin green window gauze, making the already dim room even darker.
Lu Hexu held Su Zhenzhen in his arms, supporting her soft body.
She didn't like him.
Then why did she let him into the house when he was sick?
And hold him, kiss him, and let him touch her.
Make him black sesame paste with stewed milk, and buy him clothes.
"Would you be like this with him?"
[Who is he?]
Su Zhenzhen's brain was completely muddled by that bowl of sweet fermented rice dumplings.
"That Little Persimmon." Lu Hexu buried his face into Su Zhenzhen's shoulder, revealing only a pair of dark, heavy eyes.
"In this world, there is no longer a Mu Dan."
"So, you found a replacement for him."
[Ah?]
[What... so sleepy...]
-
The wind in Yangzhou City had an intoxicating proof to it.
When Su Zhenzhen woke up, the sun was already high in the sky, and she was still entirely dazed.
Just one bowl of sweet fermented rice dumplings had knocked her out?
She couldn't clearly remember what happened yesterday.
She seemed to have been applying medicine for Lu Hexu, and then she just fell asleep while doing it.
Did he carry her in?
Su Zhenzhen reached out to hold her forehead, lounging in bed for a while, before she saw the sunlight peeking through the cracks in the window and remembered.
Wait a minute, where was Lu Hexu?
Su Zhenzhen abruptly sat up and turned her head to look around.
A faint noise came from the wardrobe in the room.
Su Zhenzhen leaned half her body out of the bed and turned to look.
Rustling sounds came from the wardrobe, which was not tightly closed. A fair, beautiful finger reached out from inside, slightly pushing open a narrow gap, and then an eye peeked out from that gap, blinking slowly at her.
Ah, so cute.
It looked exactly like when Sushan hid in the wardrobe on regular days, peeking a cat eye through the crack.
No, no, now was not the time to admire cuteness.
Su Zhenzhen quickly got up and sealed the doors and windows tightly, then walked to the wardrobe. "I'll go buy some ice for you. Wait for me right here."
Su Zhenzhen pushed open one door of the wardrobe. The man was curled up sitting inside, his arms hugging his knees, tilting his head to look at her.
Su Zhenzhen reached out and touched Lu Hexu's face.
The sun was out again today, and the temperature had risen once more.
Having been stuffy in the wardrobe for who knows how long, the man's clothes were soaked with sweat.
Su Zhenzhen hurried out.
The ice block was too large, so she had the boss send a worker to deliver it.
"Doctor Su, where should I put it?"
"Put it in my room. Wait a moment, let me tidy up first."
Su Zhenzhen pushed open the room door and went in first. Seeing that Lu Hexu was staying properly inside the wardrobe, she let the worker come in to deliver the ice.
The ice block was placed in a wooden tub.
This wooden tub was the one she usually used for taking baths.
After the ice was placed, Su Zhenzhen fetched a few buckets of spring water from the bathroom and poured them in for the man.
Lu Hexu came out of the wardrobe, his body entirely wet with sweat.
"Hurry and soak for a while."
The man walked over and immersed his body into the wooden tub.
The ice floated, and the spring water covered his whole body.
He leaned his head back against the edge of the tub, and his body, which had been scorched by the heat, gradually returned to calm.
Su Zhenzhen wiped the sweat from her forehead, took out one of her own hairpins, and helped Lu Hexu pin up his long hair.
The woman's fingertips hooked through his hair strands. The man leaned his head back against the edge of the tub and opened his eyes to look at her.
Su Zhenzhen's hand holding his hair paused.
[I forgot.]
[I shouldn't touch his hair casually.]
[Just thinking about yesterday makes my legs weak.]
She quickly let go of Lu Hexu's hair. Fortunately, his hair was already pinned up.
"What do you want to eat?"
The man stared at her and slowly shook his head.
The weather was too hot, so he probably had no appetite.
"I'll make you some honey water."
After staying in the wardrobe for so long and sweating so much, he needed to replenish his fluids, otherwise he could easily get dehydrated.
Su Zhenzhen took out a jar of honey from the medicine cabinet, brought a bamboo stool over to place next to the wooden tub, and then set the cup of honey water she made for Lu Hexu on it.
The cucumbers in the yard hadn't been finished yet. Su Zhenzhen took two cucumbers, carefully peeled them, cut off the ends, poured honey over them, and placed them together on the bamboo stool.
"Wait for me to come back." Su Zhenzhen leaned over and kissed the corner of the man's lips.
Lu Hexu lay there, feeling the softness at the corner of his lips, his eyes darkening.
He reached out, grabbed the woman's wrist, gently rubbed his thumb across it, and then sat up from the wooden tub.
Splashing water flowed down from his body. The man's fingertips carried the coldness of the ice as they touched Su Zhenzhen's cheek.
He held the back of her neck with one hand and tilted his head to kiss her.
Lu Hexu's mouth tasted of the sweet honey water.
Su Zhenzhen was chased by his kisses, as if he could never get enough, kissing from her lips to the tip of her nose, then from the tip of her nose to her forehead, and then her cheeks, earlobes, and neck.
The wet water stains from the man's body spread down her thin clothing. The water was icy, and Su Zhenzhen felt a bit cold.
"Zhenzhen," he called her in a low voice.
Su Zhenzhen's heart skipped a beat, and she tried hard to push him away. "Alright, I need to go out and see patients."
Su Zhenzhen went out.
Lu Hexu lay in the wooden tub, but the coldness of the ice could not dispel the heat in his body.
Lu Hexu had always been extremely familiar with this kind of heat, but this time it felt somewhat different.
He naturally knew what was mixed in it.
It was his desire for Su Zhenzhen.
Lu Hexu raised his eyes, looking around the room, and finally his gaze landed on the rope where the woman's undergarment was hanging.
He stood up, raised his hand slightly, and pulled that undergarment down.
The undergarment, stitched together from scraps of red and green cloth, was held in his hand as he entered the bathroom.
The time it takes an incense stick to burn later, the wet undergarment was brought out, completely wrinkled as if it had been fiercely kneaded, but also dripping wet, clearly having been washed.
The undergarment was hung back up.
Lu Hexu lay back in the wooden tub.
The ice had melted a little less than half, and the water temperature inside was perfectly cold.
He closed his eyes, nestled in this small room, but his mood was excellent. He let the water drops from the undergarment fall onto his body, carrying a clear scent of herbal soap that belonged to the woman.
-
Su Zhenzhen's pharmacy business was good, and often simple, honest uncles and aunties would bring over some of their homegrown items.
Today, Su Zhenzhen received an old hen.
She had no experience, after all, she hadn't seen a live chicken many times in her life.
The hot water in the small kitchen was already boiled.
The old hen scurried around the yard, scaring Sushan so much that it climbed onto the roof.
Don't go, I've already boiled the water.
Getting help to kill a chicken cost money. To save that little bit of chicken-killing fee, Su Zhenzhen chose to bring the chicken back and kill it herself.
Now, her water was boiled, but she didn't dare to make a move.
Little Persimmon stood beside her, stepping on the kitchen knife, his face pale and looking equally terrified.
Little Persimmon's gaze suddenly looked up, landing under the eaves of her room.
Su Zhenzhen saw Lu Hexu standing there.
It was getting dark. He had come out of her room, standing there holding the door frame with one hand, his gaze meeting hers.
"No, no, no."
Su Zhenzhen immediately waved her hands.
She wouldn't dare, absolutely wouldn't dare.
Lu Hexu was currently having an episode. Who knew if seeing blood or committing any killing karma would make his condition worse.
"Let's tie it up first."
Su Zhenzhen used a wooden strip to tie the hen's foot to a pillar, then covered it with a bamboo basket and threw in some cabbage leaves and rice grains for it to eat.
After Su Zhenzhen had dealt with the chicken, she saw that Little Persimmon was still clutching the kitchen knife in his hand.
"Alright, you can put it down now."
After saying that, Su Zhenzhen noticed something was a bit off about Little Persimmon.
She had been so busy during the day that she hadn't even noticed.
On such a hot day, he still had a silk scarf hanging around his neck, wrapping his neck tightly.
"What's wrong with your neck?"
Su Zhenzhen raised her hand, but Little Persimmon dodged it.
He took out a slip of paper he had prepared earlier and handed it to Su Zhenzhen, "My throat hurts a bit, I'm afraid of the wind."
"Let me check your pulse."
Little Persimmon shook his head, turned around, and went into the small kitchen to put down the kitchen knife. A moment later, he went to the front to watch the shop.
As the weather got hotter, people had to work during the day and only had time to come see the doctor at night. Therefore, in the summer, it was actually busier at night.
Su Zhenzhen didn't have time to worry about Little Persimmon anymore and busied herself.
After being busy for a while, Su Zhenzhen finally had time to return to her room.
The man was soaking in the wooden tub again. The block of ice that had been in the tub earlier had melted, leaving only a piece wrapped in cotton cloth and hemp rope, which had now been violently torn open and thrown into the tub.
"Is it still hot?" Su Zhenzhen walked over and reached out to cup the man's face.
She stood behind him, wrapping her hands around his cheeks from behind.
As the sky darkened, the doors and windows of the room had been opened, and the fine summer breeze pouring in from outside was hot.
Cooling down with just ice water was clearly of limited effect.
The man's facial skin was very hot. Su Zhenzhen scooped up a little water with her hand, rubbed it finely on his face, and pressed down along his acupoints.
"Are you feeling any better?"
Lu Hexu opened his eyes and looked up at Su Zhenzhen.
He reached out, grabbed the loose hair that fell by his cheek, and bit it into his mouth.
The man's lips were thin, but his lip line was carved very clearly and sharply. When he wasn't smiling, they were slightly pursed, and the corners of his lips naturally drooped, revealing a bit of distant coldness.
He bit her hair and tasted the bitter and astringent medicinal fragrance.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
Su Zhenzhen's room door was suddenly knocked on.
"Wait a moment."
She pulled her hair out of Lu Hexu's mouth, wiped her hands, and opened the half-closed door.
Little Persimmon stood at the door of the room.
"What's wrong?"
Little Persimmon glanced into the room, then at Su Zhenzhen, and pointed to the empty medicine basket.
Oh, she forgot, a few medicinal herbs were out of stock.
"I'll go find Doctor Liu and ask to borrow a little first."
Busy taking care of Lu Hexu these past few days, Su Zhenzhen hadn't had time to go up the mountain to gather herbs.
Only Lu Hexu was left in the room, and Lu Mingqian stood outside.
Lu Mingqian glanced at the courtyard gate; Su Zhenzhen had already gone out with the medicine basket.
The courtyard gate was gently closed, leaving only the two of them in the courtyard.
In the dim room, the man, soaking in the wooden tub with his clothes on, wore a look of displeasure at being disturbed.
Lu Mingqian pushed open the door and walked in.
Lu Hexu leaned there, his eyes looking at Lu Mingqian steeped in darkness.
Lu Mingqian raised his hand and closed the door.
He stood at the door, his hands behind his back, rubbing the wooden door.
He saw that the room was tightly sealed; because it was already night, the doors and windows had been opened for ventilation.
There was only a bamboo frame lamp hanging at the door.
The bamboo frame lamp emitted a misty light, illuminating half of the man's silhouette.
The temperature in the room was not low. Lu Hexu let out a low gasp, lay back down, and spread his arms on the edge of the wooden tub.
Lu Mingqian took out the paper from behind him and handed it to him.
Lu Hexu glanced at it.
Lu Mingqian, "Are you really him?"
Lu Hexu couldn't be bothered to answer, only saying, "Stay here and be killed by me, or get lost."
Lu Mingqian pursed his lips. He clutched the paper in his hand, his face pale. The swelling on his neck constantly reminded him that the rumors were true; the man in front of him was a madman.
The Great Zhou had a total of eighteen vassal kings. Most of these vassal kings were meritorious officials who had fought alongside the late emperor to conquer the empire.
Only one, the Prince of Su, was the late emperor's biological brother.
Among the current vassal kings, the Prince of Su had the most power.
The Prince of Su's son, Lu Mingqian, as the heir to a vassal king, had been frail since childhood. The Prince of Su, following the advice of a Buddhist monk, sent him to a temple to recuperate, and he stayed there for fourteen years. The year before last, the Prince of Su's health suddenly deteriorated, so he ordered someone to bring him back from the temple.
Unexpectedly, they encountered bandits on the way, and all the escorts were killed.
Although Lu Mingqian was young, he knew that it was not just a simple bandit attack.
Such a clean and decisive killing move, with the intention of leaving no survivors, was clearly aimed at him.
Lu Mingqian had an ambitious older half-brother who had already made several attempts on his life while he was in the temple.
Raised in a Buddhist hall since childhood, Lu Mingqian ate vegetarian food and recited sutras, developing a cowardly nature. He didn't like seeing killing and fighting, so he chose to escape.
At that time, the rebellions in various places had not yet ended. Lu Mingqian wandered to Yangzhou City and was saved by Su Zhenzhen.
In the dead of night, he often thought of his half-brother.
With a ferocious face, holding a long sword.
That long sword pierced through his body, the cold blade tearing through the fabric on his chest without any hindrance. Blood soaked his entire body, spreading from his chest, wrapping him up like a cocoon of blood, making him unable to breathe or make a sound.
Then, he would wake up from the nightmare, gasping for air, sometimes vomiting.
He would always remember that long sword in his dream, just like what his half-brother had done to him in his memory.
No hesitation, no pity, only a thirst for power.
Lu Mingqian didn't want to become someone like that.
He felt terrified by it.
Lu Hexu looked at Lu Mingqian expressionlessly, "If you choose to get lost, I can kill people for you and help you get back to that position, you little piece of trash."
Lu Mingqian clenched his fists.
He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.
Although a bamboo frame lamp was lit in the room, the light was not very bright.
Lu Hexu's gaze fell on Lu Mingqian's face.
From the front, they were only thirty percent similar, but from the side, they were ninety percent similar.
No wonder even Wei Heng said, "He looks very much like him when he was young."
Lu Hexu looked at Lu Mingqian's face, getting more and more annoyed.
"Get lost," he shouted in a low voice.
Lu Mingqian subconsciously took a step back, his body bumping into the door behind him.
But he didn't run away. Instead, he took out another slip of paper and unfolded it.
"If you teach me martial arts, I won't tell Lady Su that you're faking your illness."
This was a threat.
Lu Hexu smiled, a sinister smile.
His eyes fell on Lu Mingqian, "Fine."
Lu Mingqian didn't expect Lu Hexu to agree so easily.
Lu Hexu stood up from the bathtub, dripping with water. He raised his arms and loosened his joints.
The man was tall and burly, his shadow looming over like a small mountain.
Lu Mingqian stood there with his head down, trying hard to overcome his fear of wanting to run away.
"When will Zhenzhen be back?"
"Probably in about half an hour."
"Hmm."
That was enough.
"Follow me."
Lu Hexu walked out the door.
Lu Mingqian followed behind him.
The two of them went out from the back door of the courtyard and entered the back alley, where there was a small door.
Lu Mingqian followed with a confused look on his face, only to find that it was actually connected to a mansion.
He looked up and saw the pavilion in the courtyard, only to realize that this was Lu Hexu's mansion.
Last time, he had shot an arrow at him from that pavilion.
The courtyard was full of Jin Yi Wei patrolling back and forth.
Lu Hexu walked all the way to the main room, where a Jin Yi Wei had already reported his return to Wei Heng.
Wei Heng had already prepared everything in the main room.
Ice blocks, doors, and windows were all ready.
Lu Hexu did not enter the room, but ordered Wei Heng to bring a grand chair over, and then asked him to fetch a long sword and a bow.
"Take the sword."
Lu Hexu sat on the grand chair in the courtyard and motioned to Lu Mingqian with his chin to take the sword from the Jin Yi Wei's hand.
Lu Mingqian glanced at the Jin Yi Wei, walked over, and reached out to take the sword from his hand.
The sword was very heavy. Lu Mingqian gripped it tightly, barely managing to lift it.
Lu Hexu took the bow and arrow handed over by Wei Heng, sat there, and slowly drew the bow, aiming at Lu Mingqian.
Seeing Lu Hexu's action, Lu Mingqian instinctively stiffened. He still remembered the arrow the man had shot at him from the pavilion that day.
The killing intent was chilling, carrying a destructive force, clearly aiming for his life.
Lu Mingqian's face instantly turned pale. He opened his mouth to shout, but found that he couldn't make a sound, only letting out rapid gasps.
Lu Hexu curled his lips, but the smile did not reach his eyes. Instead, it was steeped in a cold sharpness. With a slight raise of his eyebrows, his fingertips suddenly let go.
The long arrow shot straight at him. Lu Mingqian instinctively raised the long sword in his hand to block it.
The arrow and the long sword collided, and a piercing sound of metal clashing exploded in Lu Mingqian's ears, so sharp that it almost tore his eardrums. He was weak, and his arm was slightly numb from the impact carried by the arrow. He instinctively staggered backward, trying to steady his footing, only to find that he couldn't control his body at all and fell heavily to the ground.
Before Lu Mingqian could react, the second arrow came.
It brushed past his cheek. A little closer, and this arrow would have pierced his skull.
Lu Mingqian let out a suppressed cry from his throat, like a lone beast trapped in a thicket of thorns, leaving only muffled whimpers.
"You're going to kill me!" He sat on the ground, his voice hoarse, his eyes red, glaring at Lu Hexu.
Lu Mingqian suddenly realized that his illegitimate brother was not scary at all.
The person in front of him was the scary one.
If you have seen the real Yama, you will no longer fear the fake Yama.
The man, dressed in a black robe without any decorative embroidery, sat there with a gloomy expression, playing with the longbow in his hand, clearly finding Lu Mingqian noisy.
Wei Heng smiled and said, "The heir can speak."
Their majesty truly had magical healing hands.
Hearing Wei Heng's words, Lu Mingqian's face turned red, then white, then red again.
He stood up with the long sword and raised it forcefully, "Again."
Lu Hexu, however, threw away the bow and arrow in his hand, stood up, and walked towards the small door not far ahead. "It's about time."
Lu Mingqian instinctively followed, but halfway there, he remembered that he was still holding the sword.
He turned around, handed the long sword to Wei Heng, and then followed Lu Hexu away.
Lu Hexu returned to the courtyard and sat back on the round stool under the eaves. His gaze fell on the chicken covered by a bamboo basket.
"Go kill the chicken."
Lu Mingqian's face turned pale. He met Lu Hexu's gaze, turned around, and entered the small kitchen.
He gripped the kitchen knife and came out of the small kitchen.
The chicken was covered in the cage, with a rope tied to its foot, unable to escape.
Lu Mingqian had lived in a temple since he was a child.
He hadn't taken the tonsure; he was just staying there.
Meat was allowed in his courtyard.
It was just that Lu Mingqian didn't like to eat meat; he preferred the vegetarian meals in the temple.
Lu Mingqian's eyes met the chicken's eyes.
He reached out and lifted the bamboo basket.
The chicken stared at him, and he looked back at the chicken.
"Slit its throat." A voice came from behind. "If you want to live, kill."
-
The door of the courtyard over there was opened.
Under the eaves, the man was already sitting there waiting for her.
Doctor Liu happened to go up the mountain to pick herbs today, shared half with her, and also gave her a handful of wild jujubes.
After washing them with the spring water in the courtyard, Su Zhenzhen stuffed one into Lu Hexu's mouth.
The wild jujubes were fully ripe.
The round little red fruits had thin flesh and large pits, tasting slightly sour, but mostly sweet.
Lu Hexu bit the wild jujube in his mouth, his cheek bulging slightly.
He rested his head on Su Zhenzhen's arm, watching her call Lu Mingqian over to eat the jujubes.
Lu Mingqian walked over with his head down, raised his hand to take the jujube from Su Zhenzhen's hand, his gaze meeting Lu Hexu's before quickly darting away.
"How does it taste?" Su Zhenzhen asked Lu Mingqian.
Lu Mingqian nodded, "Mm."
"Right? I also think it's sweet and sour, quite delicious... Hey? You can speak?"
Su Zhenzhen was shocked, puzzled, and curious.
"How come you can suddenly speak?"
Lu Mingqian instinctively glanced at Lu Hexu again.
Su Zhenzhen's confused gaze followed and landed on Lu Hexu.
The man looked up at her, his black eyes steeped in a dark color like a deep pool.
"It suddenly got better," Lu Mingqian said.
Su Zhenzhen withdrew her gaze and nodded.
Lu Mingqian's illness was originally a psychological one, so it was normal for it to suddenly get better.
"Then have you remembered the past?"
Lu Mingqian's face changed slightly, and he shook his head.
Su Zhenzhen reached out and patted his head, "It's okay, take your time to remember."
Lu Hexu bit the wild jujube pit in his mouth, watching Su Zhenzhen's hand land on Lu Mingqian's head.
The woman's hand was slender and fair, her fingertips showing a pretty pink, softly landing on the young man's head.
Lu Mingqian stood there, a delicate crimson rising on his neck.
Lu Hexu crushed the wild jujube pit in his mouth.
"By the way, it rained a few days ago and got the couplets at the courtyard door wet."
Su Zhenzhen remembered seeing the couplets at the courtyard door when she came in just now, the ink on them already blurred.
"Little Persimmon, go write another pair?"
Actually, for the past few years, Su Zhenzhen had written them herself.
But her handwriting... she knew herself that it wasn't presentable, and she didn't have money, reluctant to buy them, so she shamelessly went to Jiang Yunshu's place to get them.
Coming back from Jiang Yunshu's place, she suddenly had an extra pair of couplets in her hand. It turned out she was afraid of not having couplets at home and stole them from her.
Jiang Yunshu was also left speechless by her taking them.
Later, when Little Persimmon came, Su Zhenzhen found out he had good handwriting, so she handed this task to him.
Because his handwriting was good, the neighbors saw it and also wanted him to help write them.
Su Zhenzhen then collected some writing fees, which could be considered an income.
She really was money-grubbing.
Little Persimmon nodded and went into the house to write the couplets.
There were many books in his room, actually mostly Buddhist scriptures.
Lu Mingqian looked down and saw the Buddhist scripture he had just finished copying yesterday on the wooden table.
He stared at it for a moment, picked up the brush, and wanted to finish writing the last few sentences.
But as soon as he put the brush to paper, he found his hand shaking badly.
The feeling of chicken blood splashing on his hand had not yet faded.
His mind still couldn't forget the melancholy eyes of the chicken before it died.
Its blood was hot, pouring over his hands as if trying to seep into his very veins.
Lu Mingqian tried hard to steady his trembling hands, slowly lowering the brush to finish writing the final sentence.
He looked at the scroll of Buddhist scriptures that was finally complete.
The characters in the beginning were calm and gentle, but this last line alone revealed a sharp intensity completely unlike the rest.
Lu Mingqian stared at this final line of words.
Something in his heart seemed to have been touched.
He gripped the brush tightly, put away the Buddhist scripture, and began to write couplets.
Once a pair of couplets was finished, Lu Mingqian took them outside.
Su Zhenzhen was at the courtyard gate taking down the old couplets.
Standing on a stool, she raised her hands to peel off the rain-soaked couplets on both sides, then handed them to Lu Hexu, who was standing beside her.
The man stood there obediently, raising his hand to take the couplets the woman handed him. Gone was the gloomy and ferocious look he had worn just moments ago.
"The couplets are written." Su Zhenzhen saw Lu Mingqian. "Did you write the horizontal scroll for the top?"
Lu Mingqian shook his head. "What should I write?"
Having not spoken for a long time, Lu Mingqian's voice was a bit hoarse, and with his throat injury, it sounded even raspier.
Su Zhenzhen thought for a moment. "Just write... The Su Family Endures Forever."
Lu Mingqian: ...
"I'm just joking, write whatever you think fits."
Lu Mingqian went back inside.
Su Zhenzhen busied herself with putting up the new couplets first, then took Lu Hexu's hand to step down from the stool.
She stood beside him, looking up at the couplets on the courtyard gate.
"Your handwriting is better than his."
Lu Hexu slightly lowered his eyes to look at her, his dark eyes illuminated by the lamplight.
"Oh my, Doctor Su, who is this?"
Someone passing by the courtyard gate asked; it was a neighbor from the same street.
The weather was hot, and people couldn't sleep at night. Reluctant to spend money on ice blocks, they liked to gather at the bridgehead to catch the breeze and chat.
Some would even bring straw mats and simply sleep right on the bridge.
"Oh, well, this is..." Su Zhenzhen said in a small voice, "My husband."
The man standing beside Su Zhenzhen visibly stiffened.
The older woman's eyes went wide.
A general returning from the front lines was expected to be a rough, dark-skinned figure built like an iron barrel or a small mountain. Who would have thought he would look like someone exquisitely carved from jade and fine powder?
He was truly handsome.
"Good heavens, look at the two of you. Truly a perfect match, a match made in heaven!"
After the woman left, her words still echoed in Su Zhenzhen's mind.
A perfect match, a match made in heaven.
That lady really knew how to talk.
"Done." Lu Mingqian came out of the house holding the horizontal scroll.
Su Zhenzhen took it and took a look.
Radiant Spring Splendor.
"It's quite nice."
Though it still wasn't as full of personality as her "The Su Family Endures Forever."
A savory aroma drifted through the courtyard. "What's that smell?"
Lu Mingqian turned his head toward the small kitchen. "It's the chicken soup I stewed."
Eh?
In the courtyard, the three of them sat together eating chicken soup.
Su Zhenzhen asked curiously, "Who killed the chicken?"
Lu Mingqian kept his head down, wearing his silk scarf tightly wrapped around his neck.
"I did."
Su Zhenzhen opened her eyes wide in slight astonishment.
After finishing the chicken soup, Su Zhenzhen made Lu Hexu take his medicine, then routinely recorded whether he had any adverse reactions after taking it.
The two sat in the room, Su Zhenzhen resting her chin on one hand, feeling a bit sleepy.
Rustling sounds came from the courtyard.
Little Persimmon was watering the cucumbers.
The lamplight shone on his face, revealing a faint, warm hue.
Su Zhenzhen's unfocused gaze landed on Little Persimmon. She looked at his profile, her expression a bit dazed.
Lu Hexu sat opposite Su Zhenzhen and followed her gaze.
A gentle summer breeze wafted in. Su Zhenzhen turned her head and met Lu Hexu's gaze.
"What's wrong? Feeling unwell?"
She reached out to touch Lu Hexu's face.
So smooth.
"Su Zhenzhen, is he good-looking?"
Su Zhenzhen's hand, which was pinching Lu Hexu's cheek, paused.
My dear babies, Happy New Year's Eve.
