Ich bin ein Gott in der Chatgruppe aller Reiche

Kapitel 24

The courtyard was silent, with only the pitter-patter of rain seemingly responding. Slightly frustrated, she turned back, tied her horse to the woods behind the courtyard, returned to the front, pushed aside the bamboo fence, and ran to the house with her bundle in her arms. With a gentle push, she found the door unlocked as always, and the inside remained the same, except that Tang Yanchu was nowhere to be seen.

Yue Ruzheng stood silently for a while, and the rain gradually intensified. Transparent raindrops rolled down from the dark eaves, one by one, hitting her feet.

She didn't know if Tang Yanchu had already left, and then she suddenly thought of Lian Junqiu, whom she had met that day. She wondered if Lian Junqiu had come back here later and brought Xiao Tang back to Seven Star Island? But the Forgetful Pavilion on Seven Star Island was always independent and decisive, and ordinary people in the martial arts world dared not approach it easily. Thinking of this, Yue Ruzheng felt depressed, but she was reluctant to leave. So she leaned against the wall, hugging the package, and sat blankly under the eaves.

Chapter Seventeen: A Long-lasting Memories of Dreams by the Small Window

Spring rain pattered softly into the mountain spring, onto the flower buds, and onto the peach leaves. The mountain stream rose swiftly, rushing forward like a joyful child.

Yue Ruzheng had no heart to appreciate the scenery; she just stared blankly at the pond in the courtyard. Because of the rain, the sky grew even darker. She huddled alone under the eaves, the hem of her once-plain white dress now damp and stained with raindrops. The bundle in her arms was heavy, but she didn't want to put it down, holding it tightly as if afraid of getting wet.

Just then, a gust of wind rose, and the rain fell thickly. Yue Ruzheng couldn't help but look up, wanting to see if the clouds showed any signs of dissipating. But as she gazed into the distance, she saw a figure walking out of the peach grove.

He wore a dark blue short jacket with his trousers rolled up slightly. He carried a bamboo basket filled with herbs on his shoulder, his sleeves hanging down to his sides. He walked with his head down, carefully watching the road beneath his feet.

"Little Tang!" Yue Ruzheng was overjoyed and stood up abruptly, waving vigorously at him.

Tang Yanchu had already seen the girl, soaking wet and a little disheveled. At first, he even doubted whether he was hallucinating, but she was truly standing under the dripping eaves, waving and calling to him. Her delicate face, fair hands, and jet-black hair were all undeniably real.

But he didn't show the same excitement as Yue Ruzheng. He merely glanced at her and quietly strode over. Yue Ruzheng watched him approach with a smile, and when he stood before her, he simply said in a very casual tone, "Why are you here?"

Yue Ruzheng's eyes widened, and she said, "Don't you welcome me back?"

He didn't speak, walked forward, opened the door, and turned back to say, "I didn't lock the door, why are you standing outside?"

"But you're not home. If I go in without permission, wouldn't I become a thief?" She followed him in, carrying the package. She saw him lean against the table, his shoulders slumped, and then she placed the bamboo basket on the table.

He then used his teeth to hold the hemp rope on the bamboo basket and placed it in the corner before turning back to her and saying, "There's nothing valuable in the house, who would steal it?"

Yue Ruzheng said, "Then I'll empty your entire house and see what you do then!"

Tang Yanchu glanced at her and said slowly, "As long as you can move out, it's up to you."

Yue Ruzheng smiled, pursing her lips. Tang Yanchu looked at her and said, "Do you want to change your clothes? You're all soaked."

Yue Ruzheng snapped out of her daze, hurriedly picked up the square package, walked to the table, and beckoned to him, "Xiao Tang, come here."

He paused for a moment, walked over, looked at the shape of the package, and asked, "What's this?"

"I felt really bad for bothering you for so long last time, so I came here specifically to thank you." As she spoke, she unwrapped the package, revealing a dark red wooden brocade box.

Tang Yanchu's eyes suddenly narrowed, her body tensed, she held her breath, and said in a hoarse voice, "What are you going to do with this?"

Yue Ruzheng looked at him curiously and opened the box. Inside the brocade box were ten pastries of various shapes and sizes, some as green as jade, some crystal clear, and some apricot-yellow. She carefully picked up a glutinous rice ball and held it to his lips, saying, "I saw them in town and thought they must be delicious, but you never buy any yourself..."

"Take it away!" Before she could finish speaking, Tang Yanchu suddenly looked angry and glared at her, shouting sharply.

Yue Ruzheng was startled by his sudden roar, and almost dropped the pastries in her hand. She stared at him blankly; his usually quiet and indifferent face was now full of anger, but deep in his eyes there seemed to be a look of panicked fear.

"Why are you yelling at me?!" She put the pastries back in the brocade box, feeling wronged, and glared at him indignantly.

"I told you to take this away, are you deaf?" Tang Yanchu's shoulders trembled, her remaining arm pointing directly at the brocade box, as she roared at her in an extremely fierce tone.

Yue Ruzheng's face turned pale. She didn't know why he, who had always been so gentle, would be so furious, nor did she know what she had done or said wrong. Her enthusiasm had been shattered by his unprovoked outburst.

"I braved the rain to bring you this box of pastries, just so you'd give me a piece of your mind?! Tang Yanchu, you don't have to treat me like this if you don't like it!" She was trembling with anger, tears welling up in her eyes. Suddenly, she grabbed the brocade box and rushed out without looking back.

Tang Yanchu watched her figure disappear into the rain before his rapid breathing gradually calmed down. He took a step back, leaned against the table, looked at his sleeves, and a deep sorrow appeared between his brows.

The drizzle gradually turned into raindrops, which were blown by the wind and slanted into the room, quickly wetting the floor.

He looked up at the gloomy sky, then suddenly straightened up and walked out of the courtyard. The road was even muddier than before, and his feet were soon covered in dirty water. Raindrops hit his face, sometimes even splashing into his eyes. He hadn't had time to put on a raincoat when he came out, so he had to raise his arms and turn his face to the side from time to time to barely wipe away some of the rain.

He walked a long way along the mountain path outside the peach grove, but couldn't find Yue Ruzheng, so he turned back and continued walking in another direction. After walking for a while, he finally caught sight of that small figure.

She hid under a peach tree, still clutching the brocade box in her arms. Her once plain white dress was now covered in mud and water, and her long, coiled hair had fallen loose and clung to the back of her neck.

Tang Yanchu's heart sank. She slowly walked over, stood behind her, and remained silent.

Hearing the voice, Yue Ruzheng hesitated and turned around. After seeing him, she took a few steps back and stood in the rain. Rainwater slid down her face, her eyes were red and swollen, and her eyes were wet.

"Let's go back," he finally mustered up his courage after a while.

She clutched the brocade box tightly, turned her back, and refused to acknowledge him.

Tang Yanchu noticed that her thin shoulders were trembling incessantly, so she walked up to her, lowered her head, and said, "Ruzheng."

This was the first time he had ever called her that.

Yue Ruzheng paused, then deliberately said coldly, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you looked down on this. I forgot you're actually the young master of the Lian family, a person of noble status. How could you possibly want these cheap pastries?"

Tang Yanchu took a deep breath, letting the rain hit his face. Raindrops also splashed into his eyes, making him feel uncomfortable and sore.

He remained silent for a long time, then took a step forward, suddenly bent down, and tried to bite the brocade box in her hand. She pushed him away forcefully, but he continued forward and bit the corner of the box. However, the brocade box was very heavy, and he couldn't take it away with just his teeth on that corner.

"You don't like it at all, so why are you taking it now!" Yue Ruzheng said, clutching the box and looking at his struggling expression, her voice trembling with tears.

He suddenly knelt on one knee, still biting the box, leaning back, unable to speak, only looking at her with red eyes.

"What a madman!" Unable to bear his gaze, she cursed him, clutching the brocade box, and grabbed his wet sleeve with one hand, pulling him along towards the courtyard.

Back home, both of them were soaked. Tang Yanchu took off her shoes as soon as she entered the house, went barefoot into her room, and used her teeth to retrieve the clothes she had worn last time. She placed them on the table and whispered, "Change into these first."

Yue Ruzheng silently took it, returned to her room, and changed into the light gray short-sleeved brown outfit. She untied her long hair, wrung out the water forcefully, and combed it for a while before it finally became somewhat dry. She went out of the room and saw that his door was still tightly closed, knowing that he was still changing clothes.

Yue Ruzheng sat at the table and waited for a while before opening the door and coming out. He had changed into a dark blue short jacket with a white undershirt underneath, revealing a neat collar. His trouser legs were rolled up as usual, but he was still barefoot.

"Don't you have a long robe?" It was windy and cold outside, and she asked casually when she saw that he was still wearing short clothes.