Blutbefleckter Tod

Kapitel 61

Actually, I've always felt that so-called "domestic power struggles" are unlikely to be limited to a group of women fighting over men; they always involve, to some extent, the forces they represent. Of course, this could also be entirely my own scheming, mischievous nature at play—please ignore that…

The Lu family has an extremely ruthless patriarch, and Xiaohua has an extremely domineering husband, so it seems there's really nothing to fight over... Okay, I admit, I deliberately arranged it this way because I don't know how to write this kind of plot... *floats*

Concluding remarks: The so-called power struggles within the household have come to an end. Hooray!

P.S.: Some of you might think that Xiaohua was a bit pathetic in this matter and didn't play a crucial role. Well... she certainly doesn't seem to have that much of a domineering presence.

However, what I want to say is that the only thing the ancients lacked compared to us was technological advancement. In other aspects, I've always believed that the ancients were far more capable than us, especially in strategy and the ability to manipulate people's hearts.

Therefore, I think that if a modern person went to ancient times and wanted to outwit our shrewd ancestors, it would be really... quite a challenge.

At least, Xiaohua definitely can't do it... *sigh*

Oh, and by the way, Happy April Fool's Day everyone! Be the fool and not the fool!

Chapter Sixty-Three: The Secret of Nianyuan

Never provoke anyone in 'Nianyuan'. Even if you encounter an ant crawling out of the courtyard, you should take a detour. This is the current consensus among everyone in the Lu family mansion.

Putting everything else aside, the fact that Old Master Lu would kick out Ziqin, the most capable maidservant of Madam Lu, over a dog is enough to illustrate the point. Unless someone is utterly brain-dead and utterly clueless, absolutely no one would want to provoke such a powerful figure at this time. After all, life is still beautiful, and '2012' is still a very, very long way off for them…

So, Song Xiaohua finally had complete peace and quiet. It was so quiet that even the chirping of cicadas in the trees sounded pleasant, making one want to catch a few and have a little competition with them.

After craning her neck and relentlessly fishing for half a day with a bamboo pole and a net tied to it, Song Xiaohua only managed to catch a few leaves that were starting to turn yellow. She decided to take a break, rub her almost broken neck, and then continue her efforts.

As I was doing neck exercises, I caught a glimpse of Tingxian passing by.

When people get bored, they tend to gossip, especially women. Without the nourishment of melodramatic TV dramas and celebrity gossip, they have to dig into the people around them to satisfy their spiritual needs.

"Tingxian, come here."

"What are your orders, Second Madam?"

Unlike the cheerful and straightforward Xiaoyan, Tingxian maintained a respectful attitude towards her master, who was almost unpretentious and always smiling, which made Song Xiaohua feel somewhat helpless, but also made her rely on and trust him more.

"Nothing much, I just wanted to talk to you."

Tingxian took the bamboo pole, leaned it against the tree, and then wrung out a square towel from the basin next to her to wipe Song Xiaohua's face. Only then did she smile and say softly, "Second Grandma, are you feeling stuffy?"

"Yeah, I'm so bored. That's why I'm chatting with you!" Song Xiaohua twirled the handkerchief on her finger, seemingly out of boredom, and said casually, "The new chef's skills are pretty good, but he's still a bit inferior to Wang Lin, don't you think?"

Tingxian paused for a moment, then continued in her soft, slow voice: "Our tongues are naturally rough, how can we tell good from bad? Since Second Madam says it's inferior, then it must be inferior."

Song Xiaohua sighed as she looked at her noticeably thinner and more haggard face: "I'm most afraid of people like you. You don't say anything, yet you manage to be so perfect that no one can find fault with you. You're quite the master of Tai Chi." She pulled her to stand under the shade of a tree, her playful expression fading: "I have a question for you, and you have to answer honestly. Don't try to fool me again!"

"A hoax?"

"...You're not allowed to lie to me!"

"Second Madam, you flatter me. I wouldn't dare."

"That's good. Actually, you already knew that Mei'er was innocent, didn't you?"

Tingxian was taken aback again: "Mei'er was found guilty of poisoning and was kicked out by the eldest mistress. How can she be wronged?"

Song Xiaohua waved her hand: "Don't try to fool me. It's just the two of us here, so let's be frank. We both know what really happened. I'm not here to discuss Mei'er with you. What I want to talk about is Wang Lin."

Seeing that she just lowered her head and didn't speak, he softened his voice: "That day at 'Shengyuan,' you already noticed something was wrong, didn't you? The reason you didn't say anything was because you were worried that Wang Lin would be sad if he found out that Ziqin deliberately used him, right? You've always liked Wang Lin, haven't you?"

Tingxian remained silent for a while, then finally raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, yet none of them fell: "Second Madam is a wise woman; nothing can escape your discerning eyes. That day in the courtyard, when Sister Ziqin saw Wang Lin and me standing there together, she didn't show any surprise or curiosity. I knew then that this matter was probably not as simple as it seemed on the surface. But without any evidence, I, a servant, couldn't say anything. Besides, even if there were hidden circumstances, it must be something that concerns the Eldest Madam's quarters, and has nothing to do with us. Second Master instructed us long ago to do our duty and not to meddle in other people's affairs. Therefore, please forgive me for not speaking frankly, Second Madam. As for my feelings towards Wang Lin..."

She choked slightly, then smiled sadly: "I may have had feelings for him, but he has no feelings for me. Why should I force it? Besides, we are now separated by a high wall and thousands of miles. I'm afraid we will never see each other again. So why bother saying anything more?"

Song Xiaohua suddenly wanted to seal her mouth shut. Why did she have to be so nosy? Just to satisfy her curiosity and gossip, she had to expose other people's secrets. She deserved a beating. "I'm sorry, Tingxian, I shouldn't have mentioned him. Let's forget about him. Another day, I will definitely find you a man a thousand times better than him."

After saying that, his hand trembled, and he almost slapped himself. Such a cliché and melodramatic line was better left unsaid.

When you like someone, they are the best in the world, and where could there be anyone better? Besides, it's obvious that Tingxian still can't let go of Wang Lin, so it's a bit too early to say that.

Unexpectedly, Tingxian curtsied and said, "It's all up to Second Madam. Thank you in advance."

This left Song Xiaohua, who had expected her to say something like "I will never marry and will serve you forever," at a loss for words.

“Life goes on, and I can’t stay single forever.” As if sensing Song Xiaohua’s confusion, Tingxian said calmly, “He is unaware of my feelings for him. If I persist, I will only add to his sins. How will I face him in the underworld? If we are not destined to be together in this life, then let’s wait for the next. Living my life steadily is the only way to make my efforts worthwhile. Second Madam, I thought these words would remain buried in my heart forever. Now that I’ve spoken them, it’s a relief.” She smiled gently, her eyes sparkling, as if adding a dazzling brilliance to her otherwise unremarkable face: “Thank you, Second Madam, for giving me this opportunity, and thank you for your tolerance. You didn’t press me then, granting my wish.”

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After Lu Ling finished school, Lu Tuo intercepted her halfway and said he would bring her back after dinner. Without the little dumpling to play with, Song Xiaohua became increasingly bored and could only stay in Lu Ziqi's study to kill time.

After finishing the official documents, Lu Ziqi looked up and saw that the person who had been quiet until now was resting his chin on the edge of the table, his hands hanging down, staring blankly at the glass lamp. The comical appearance made Lu Ziqi chuckle: "If you keep staring like that, be careful that your eyes don't get stuck together."

Song Xiaohua merely glanced slightly toward the direction of the sound before returning to her stagnant state, unusually refraining from immediately launching a counterattack.

Feeling a little worried, he reached out and placed his hand on her forehead: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Using his chin as a fulcrum, he tilted his head left and right.

"So, something's on your mind?"

Using his chin as a fulcrum, he nodded his head up and down.

Suppressing a laugh, she asked, "Does your chin hurt from being poked like that?"

Using your chin as a fulcrum, shake your head up, down, left, and right.

She raised an eyebrow, picked up a book, opened it, and sat down sideways: "Then you continue to ponder your thoughts, I'll read for a while."

His posture remained unchanged, but he sighed softly and finally spoke, his head bobbing as his mouth opened and closed: "What is love in this world that makes people willing to die for it?"

He recited it to himself, then his eyes lit up: "This line is good, could it be your work?"

Song Xiaohua was stunned for a moment, then thought to herself, "Oh no, this line that Li Mochou keeps nagging probably hasn't been written down yet. I can't plagiarize someone else's work." She quickly sat up and changed the subject: "I don't have that ability. I probably just overheard it somewhere! Never mind that. Do you think Ziqin and Wang Lin will be happy in the future?"

Lu Ziqi's attention was successfully diverted: "Why are you bringing them up again?"

"I just think it's really not easy for two people who like each other to be together. But why does fate always seem to tie the red thread of fate so haphazardly? The one you like doesn't like you, and the one who likes you you don't like. You end up with someone you don't like, but you're always thinking about the one you like, even though that person might not even know you like them..."

I was a little dizzy from all that 'like' and 'dislike', but I still couldn't help but remind you: "It seems like the one responsible for tying the red thread is the God of Marriage."

"Isn't the God of Marriage just working for the wicked God of Heaven? Do you have to take his orders? It's just like your relationship with the Emperor."

"Yaoyao, don't talk nonsense!"

"Okay, okay, I was just giving a random example!"

He pinched her slightly reddened chin with two fingers: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I don't know either..." Song Xiaohua murmured listlessly, lost in thought, "What were Yuan Hao's feelings when he decided to leave? Could it be that he was also... hoping for the next life? Speaking of which, they do have one thing in common: in matters of the heart, they are both people who can let go easily..." Just as she was talking to herself, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chin: "Ouch, why did you pinch me?!"

Lu Ziqi tightened his grip instead of loosening it, a sinister 'smile' on his face: "Because I'm the kind of person who can't let go of what I've taken."

She blinked, finally realizing what was happening: "You're jealous again!"

What does "again" mean?

"I was wrong, I was wrong. How could you, Lord Lu, the Second Master Lu, be jealous? At most, you'd just be a bystander..."

"Keep arguing with me!"

"Oh dear, oh dear, I just mentioned it by accident!"

"Accidents are the worst!"

"Then I did it on purpose."

Say it again!

Seeing that she couldn't get through to him no matter what, Song Xiaohua simply pouted and began to wail: "Men are bullying women, it's domestic violence!"

Knowing she was faking it, but still worried about really hurting her, Lu Ziqi had no choice but to let go, his face cold: "Who else are you referring to besides that guy?"

He rubbed his chin, grinned, and leaned closer, saying seriously, "I won't tell you." Before he could react, he quickly added, "Actually, I'm also someone who can't let go of things easily, so we're a match made in heaven. Otherwise, how could we live such a harmonious life?" Seeing that his expression had softened a bit, he seized the opportunity and snuggled into his arms: "Dongqing, guess what's the only thing I can't let go of in my life?"

Although he tried his best to keep a straight face, there was an uncontrollable chuckle in his voice: "Just tell me, I can't guess."

She gazed tenderly into his eyes, her soft voice seemingly dripping with water, her red lips parted slightly, her breath sweet as orchids: "Chopsticks."

"…………"

Lu Ziqi's contorted and twisted expression made Song Xiaohua burst into laughter, nearly falling headfirst off her seat. However, this smugness didn't last long before being abruptly cut short by a single, calm remark from someone who had composed herself: "I was originally planning to take you to the Bian River to enjoy the scenery and eat crabs in a couple of days, but you don't need chopsticks to eat crabs. Since you're so attached to it, I can't put you in a difficult position, so..."

He opened his mouth, speechless for a moment, then quickly shook his head vigorously: "No problem, no problem!"

"You know I would never force you."

She climbed down, moved behind him, and began to fawn over him, massaging his back and shoulders: "I was just joking! Actually, what else could I possibly hold onto in this life besides you?"

"real?"

"It's so real, even more real than the real thing!"

Finally, she couldn't help but chuckle softly: "You've been cooped up for so long, haven't you?"