Zhenshu burst into tears, shoving him forcefully, shouting, "Let me go! Let me go!"
Lin Dayu nibbled at her chest for a while, then held her two small fists in his hands before kissing her earlobe again, saying, "If I hadn't seen it, I could have held back. But now that I'm looking at it, I'll die here before I'm done. My dear wife, please have mercy on me this once."
Zhenshu tried to struggle, but he had already grabbed both her hands and pulled down her pants with his other hand. Zhenshu shook her head and screamed in anger, but how could she possibly break free from Lin Dayu with her meager strength? She struggled to free her hands, but he had already pulled down his pants and was inside her. Zhenshu felt as if her lower abdomen had been cleaved open by a hard object; she groaned in pain and began to sob softly.
Lin Dayu had just entered the alley when he felt an immense sense of joy and pleasure. The sight of the beautiful woman beneath him, her face streaked with tears, filled him with tenderness. He lowered his head and kissed away the tears in her eyes, whispering, "We've already had our wedding ceremony. You're my wife. This kind of thing was bound to happen sooner or later."
Zhenshu suddenly realized what was happening and angrily said, "Saying you were going to die was all a lie."
Lin Dayu was currently experiencing the most pleasurable pleasure of his life, and he had no time for these verbal battles. Moreover, seeing that Zhenshu had stopped crying out in pain, he assumed she, like him, had also tasted the sweetness, and thus indulged his desires. Zhenshu, feeling a sharp pain in her lower abdomen from his vigorous thrusting, screamed, "It hurts! It hurts!"
Lin Dayu quickly kissed her earlobe again and said, "It'll be done soon. Relax, relax, I'll be done soon."
Zhenshu couldn't relax at all; each pain in her lower abdomen felt like it was being torn apart. But after hearing Lin Dayu's promise, she bit her lip, closed her eyes, and waited. She endured this for an unknown amount of time when suddenly he began to move violently, causing Zhenshu to almost faint from the pain. Fortunately, he stopped on top of her.
Zhenshu was disgusted by him, pushed him aside, got up, fumbled for her clothes, and cried, "Liar, you heartless liar!"
She felt a cold sensation between her legs, turned to the side and touched it, feeling something sticky and slimy. She became even angrier and gritted her teeth. She ran out and washed herself in the stream for a long time, sobbing and crying incessantly as she washed.
Seeing that she was crying with tears streaming down her face, looking even more beautiful than she had a few days ago, and having longed for her for so long, Lin Dayu was filled with satisfaction and joy as he finally got his hands on her. He took the jacket and waved it by the water, saying, "My lady, you were sweating just now. Be careful not to catch a cold if you keep washing like this. Come and put on some clothes."
Zhenshu picked up a fist-sized stone from the river and threw it at him, cursing, "You liar, get out! You're a liar worse than a robber."
Lin Dayu reached out and caught the stones. Seeing her throw them one after another, he caught them one after another, saying, "What, you're not happy that I'm not dead?"
Zhenshu walked a few steps into the deeper part of the river, then turned back and said, "Liar!"
Lin Dayu said, "You think I'm beneath you by being a farmhand."
Zhen Shu replied without turning her head, "Liar!"
Lin Dayu, worried that she would catch a cold in the water, simply went into the water himself and picked her up. He didn't flinch no matter how much she punched and kicked, and carried her straight into the house, laid her down, covered her with his jacket, and then knelt beside her, saying, "We've already sworn an oath to heaven and earth, so we'll consummate our marriage sooner or later. I swear to heaven that I'll work hard and earn money to support you from now on, okay?"
Zhenshu suddenly opened her almond-shaped eyes wide and said, "You're a liar. If you hadn't said you were about to die, why would I have married you?"
Lin Dayu said, "But you also said that as long as I live, you will be my true husband and wife!"
Zhen Shu gritted her teeth in anger, realizing that she had indeed said such a thing. She covered her head with her jacket and said, "Get out, you liar, get far away from me."
Lin Dayu shook her and said, "Get up first, I'll put a thicker coat on you and you can sleep again."
Zhenshu sat up angrily, ready to hit him again, when she saw him take off his clothes and hand them to her. He then pulled the skirt out from under her and spread it out, saying, "Look, I have to keep this."
Zhenshu glanced at the skirt and saw a small, dark red bloodstain the size of a fingernail right in the middle. Her face flushed red, and she kicked Lin Dayu, saying, "Get lost!"
Chapter 26 Deception
She had jumped into the river in a fit of pique, and her clothes were soaking wet. Fearing that she might fall ill and be unable to leave, she indulged Lin Dayu's wishes even more. After he left, she took off all her clothes, wrung them out, and hung them on the bed. She then wore only her jacket and huddled in the corner, sitting there listlessly.
This time, Lin Dayu was gone for a long time. He was making a racket in the outer room, and it was unclear what he was doing. After more than an hour, he finally pushed the door open and came back in, covered in sweat. He had a tree branch in his hand with a half-foot-long fish skewered on it, roasted to a grayish-yellow color and steaming. In his other hand, he was holding a bowl of porridge.
He first handed the bowl of porridge to Zhenshu, and after seeing that Zhenshu accepted it, he then stretched out the fish and said, "I just went to the river to catch a fish. Come and try it and see how it tastes."
Zhenshu received little education from her mother from a young age, and having read many other books, she valued life more than chastity. Although she had lost her chastity, she was only angry that Lin Dayu had lied to her, and never thought of committing suicide or drowning because of it. Besides, it was already late, her stomach was rumbling, and she hadn't had any meat in a long time. The aroma of charred fish made her hungry, so she took a bite from Lin Dayu's hand, tasted it slightly, spat it out, and threw it out the door, saying, "Pah! You didn't even put any salt in it."
Lin Dayu asked in a daze, "Add salt? Isn't salt already on the fish?"
Zhenshu took a sip of porridge from her bowl before saying, "You, a farmhand, actually thought that salt grows on fish. It's clear that you've been lying to me."
Lin Dayu tasted it himself and, sure enough, it only had a strong fishy smell. He put the fish outside and came back in, sitting on the edge of the bed. He said, "Although I am a farmhand, I sincerely want you. Let's spend one more night together, and tomorrow morning I will go home with you and ask your parents to marry you to me. Is that alright?"
Zhenshu stirred the porridge with her head down for a long time before looking up and saying, "My parents only had four daughters and no sons, so if you really want to marry me, you'll have to live with my family. If you do that, will your ancestors forgive you? Will they allow you to return to their ancestral home after death?"
Lin Dayu said, "My parents died early and I have no one to take care of me. So what if I marry into your family? As long as I'm with you, I'll live alone with you even after I die. I won't go looking for those ancestors anymore."
Zhenshu had never disliked him, and in the past few days, her heart had been entirely devoted to him; she had long since developed feelings for him. Although she resented him for deceiving her just now, as long as he wasn't truly ill and dying, she was still somewhat willing to marry him. She just didn't know if what he said this time was true, or if he was deceiving her again. Thinking of this, she looked up at Lin Dayu and said, "If you hide anything from me or lie to me again, I will leave immediately and never see you again."
Lin Dayu nodded hurriedly and said, "I swear I've never lied to you again. But can we discuss this? Although I'm marrying into your family, Wen County and Hui County are too close. I'm afraid that Master Liu will come looking for trouble again. So, after your parents have informed them of our marriage, I'll take you out to wander around and see where we can make a living. We'll stay out for a few years, and once things have calmed down with Master Liu, we'll come back to serve your parents and let them enjoy their old age. Is that alright?"
Zhen Shu thought to herself that this was the only way, so she nodded slightly and said, "Alright."
Lin Dayu was so happy he almost jumped for joy. He rubbed his hands together and said, "Tomorrow morning we'll go to Hanjiahe to sell the tiger skin, exchange it for silver, and buy some silk, cloth, jewelry, and hairpins as gifts for our parents."
Zhenshu then remembered Madam Su and frowned, saying, "My father is easygoing; he only loves writing and painting and doesn't care about anything else. But my mother loves money and fine silks and satins, so you must get her a few nice things."
Lin Dayu nodded repeatedly, saying, "Good! Good!"
He took the bowl from Zhenshu and went out to wash it clean. Then, following Zhenshu's example, he swept the room and washed and hung all of Zhenshu's clothes to dry. Only then did he come in and ask Zhenshu, "Wife, is there anything I couldn't do?"
Zhenshu was only wearing a jacket, with both legs exposed. She didn't want him to see them, but she couldn't bear to look at the pot he was washing and the clothes he was hanging out to dry. So she replied, "Go find a place far away and stay for a while. I'll tidy up and then you can come back."
Upon hearing this, Lin Dayu quickly retreated and disappeared. Zhenshu tidied everything up again, and by then it was completely dark. Lin Dayu returned under the cover of darkness, washed himself by the river, and then the two of them went back to the hut together.
This time, Zhen Shu confidently lay down on the neatly made side, and Lin Dayu also snuggled up to sleep. Zhen Shu glared at him and said, "Get out of here!"
Lin Dayu sighed, "Wife, it's cold."
Zhenshu pulled out his shirt and threw it to him, saying, "Put this on if you're cold."
Lin Dayu said, "I'm afraid you're cold. I'll hold you and warm you up, okay?"
Suddenly, Zhenshu had a thought and said, "If you tell me how you made yourself have a fever, I'll let you hold me."
Lin Dayu chuckled and said, "It's Strychnos nux-vomica. It burns when rubbed on the skin and is a good medicine for rheumatism. But that stuff is poisonous, which is why I didn't dare let you kiss me, for fear that you would get poisoned on your lips."
So that's why he rushed out to take a shower.
Zhenshu grew increasingly angry, gritting her teeth and slapping away his slowly reaching hand, saying, "You cheated! You actually cheated! You made me think you were going to die all day long, and I was heartbroken for you for so long."
Lin Dayu pulled her into his arms, pressed his lips to her temples, and whispered, "I know you are truly grieving for me. I wanted to tell you everything, but I was afraid that if I did, you would leave and abandon me. I want to marry you and live together. The moments when I'm lying in bed and you're packing your things on the floor are the happiest times of my life. I love this peaceful and simple life. Even without wealth, fame, or high office, having you by my side every day, laughing and joking, is enough."
Although Zhenshu had read some leisurely books and considered herself knowledgeable, she was ultimately just a young girl experiencing her first love. Her attraction to Tong Qisheng stemmed from the fact that he was more educated and spoke with more refined language. When it came to true love, she was still a naive and clueless blank slate. Lin Dayu, on the other hand, was strong and handsome, and his sweet words were tender and sincere. At this moment, Zhenshu was completely encircled in his arms, and listening to his words, she gradually softened. Not only did she not mind that he was a farmhand, but she also felt increasingly sorry for his tragic life.
She then embraced his chest and said, "I grew up in the countryside and I don't crave fine food or fancy clothes. I only love being free and unrestrained. As long as you don't keep me confined to the home as a quiet, unassuming wife and allow me to be as free as I am now, I won't mind that your family is poor. In the end, when a man and woman come together, the wealth given by their parents will eventually dissipate, and we will have to work hard ourselves."
Lin Dayu, finding a profound truth in her words, felt deeply ashamed of his own inferiority and increasingly felt that his wretched appearance was unworthy of her. He apologized profusely, saying, "I have lived a dissolute life these past years, incurring the wrath of heaven and the resentment of men. Although I know in my heart that it was wrong, my nature is hard to change, and now I am all alone, in a state of panic and destitution, all because of my own fault. Lying to you before was a grave mistake, but I truly love you. Heaven and earth bear witness to this, the sun and moon are my witnesses, I swear..."
Suddenly, a deafening clap of thunder shook the heavens, illuminating the hut with a blinding flash. In that instant of light, Zhenshu noticed that Lin Dayu's eyes were red, as if he had been crying.
Zhenshu covered her mouth and chuckled, "Karma comes so fast!"
Lin Dayu was also terrified, his face turned pale and he was covered in cold sweat. Fortunately, it was dark and Zhenshu couldn't see him.
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Zhenshu realized that he was truly terrified. She said angrily, "If you lie to me again and I find out, I will leave here immediately and never see you again."
Lin Dayu remained silent for a long time. Ultimately, the young man's fiery temper flared, and he soon forgot the thunder. His wicked thoughts resurfaced. He slowly slipped his hand inside Zhenshu's bosom, kneading her breasts. Zhenshu tried to stop him several times but to no avail, so she let him continue. Unexpectedly, seeing that Zhenshu didn't resist, he became even more audacious, climbing up and burying his face against her chest, refusing to leave. Zhenshu angrily kicked her foot and said, "We agreed to go back to my house tomorrow. If you're going to act like this, then get out now and don't bother me again."
Lin Dayu then lay down, but his hand still wouldn't let go. He kneaded for a while, then gradually slid down, finally stopping on her soft lower abdomen below her navel, gently stroking it. Zhenshu was drifting off to sleep when he suddenly moved his hand down three inches and began to gently rub that spot.
Zhen Shu was so angry that she tried to pry his hand off, but then she heard Lin Dayu say in her ear in a rough voice, "I'll just touch you, I promise I won't touch you again."
Zhenshu believed him and let him caress her with one hand, hoping to fall asleep. But a tingling sensation gradually rose from the spot his hand touched, intensifying with the calluses on his fingertips, and surging upwards along her lower abdomen. Sometimes he couldn't reach that tingling spot, and Zhenshu became impatient, wishing she could grab his hand and place it there. The tingling sensation accumulated in her lower abdomen, gradually swelling until she almost moaned. She was anxious for him to stop, yet subconsciously she didn't want him to stop, feeling that if the tingling sensation continued to build up, it would eventually burst forth, giving her a blissful sensation all over her body.
"If you want it, just nod," Lin Dayu whispered in her ear.
Zhen Shu slowly shook her head, remaining silent for a long while, before suddenly turning to kiss his lips. Encouraged by this, Lin Dayu rolled over and pressed down on her. This time, it was no longer the tearing pain of the daytime; the tingling sensation that had accumulated in Zhen Shu's lower abdomen finally burst forth in every pore of her body, even the strands of her hair exuding a blissful sensation.
This time, both of them were drenched in sweat, as if they had been pulled out of the water, before finally falling into a deep sleep in each other's arms. Zhenshu slept soundly, but suddenly woke up with a start. She reached out and found the bedside empty. She reached further to the side, but Lin Dayu was not in bed. Feeling a little worried, she put on her clothes, got out of bed, and went outside. The moon was setting in the west; it must be past dawn.
Chapter 27 Treasure Hunt
She vaguely heard voices coming from the dense woods to her left, so she tiptoed over. It was the middle of the night, and even animals and insects were fast asleep, so the surroundings were quiet and still, making the voices sound even clearer.
As she drew closer, she could faintly hear clear voices, so she quietly hid behind a large tree and listened intently.
"Didn't I tell you last night to leave? Leave now. Not only did you not leave, but you even imitated crickets chirping. What crickets would chirp in the middle of the night?" Although the voice was low, Zhenshu could tell it was Lin Dayu's voice.
"Young Master, this servant has gone back, but I've come back again." This was another person, presumably his accomplice.
Zhen Shu's heart sank into the ice, slowly sinking, when she heard Lin Dayu say again, "I was in such a hurry last night that I didn't ask you, but did the little lion dog escape?"
The man said, "I've sold it for six thousand taels of silver."
Lin Dayu said, "That's too little. It was given by Donggong Yu Yichen, how come it's only six thousand taels?"
The man said, "Young Master, this is a remote and impoverished place. The price of six thousand taels was only achieved by using the fact that Miss Liu had held me in her arms."
Lin Dayu suddenly laughed and said, "Miss Liu looks like a demon, yet she's worth more money than this little lion dog?"
The man said, "To be honest, Miss Liu is really pitiful. I heard that she still cries all day long. Half of it is because of that little lion dog, and the other half is probably because she is still worried about you, Young Master!"
Lin Dayu said sternly, "Alright, stop talking nonsense. Go to Hanjiahe and wait for me. I will be there at the beginning of Chenshi (7-9 AM). You don't need to give me the silver notes now, and you can't greet me directly tomorrow. When I find out where your wife's family lives, I will secretly send you a message. Then you can send all the money to her family and say a few words of comfort to her parents. Her parents can abandon her and drive away in the deep mountains, so they probably don't care much about this daughter. I will take her to Liangzhou first, and she can come back to acknowledge her family after things are settled there. That will be the best I can do for them."
The man said, “Two men came to Prince Ping yesterday, saying that an old man surnamed Gu in Chengjia Fort by the Daxia River in Ganzhou found a treasure map somewhere. He said it depicts the location where all the treasures in Heishui City were hidden when it fell. The old man wrote a letter to the prefect of Ganzhou. Although the prefect reported it to the court as usual, the prefectural assistant also let Prince Ping know. Now Prince Ping has sent those two men to be your assistants, to go to Chengjia Fort in Ganzhou to seize the treasure map. If you ask me, why don’t we send this young lady home first? After we’ve found the treasure map and completed our mission, you can come back and properly ask to marry her. What do you say?”
Lin Dayu said sternly, "No, it's just a job with Prince Ping, but this is a matter of life and death for my wife. I must take her with me. When you go, tell those two that they don't need to report to me. Just follow me from a distance. Once we're out of Hui County and far away, I'll slowly comfort my wife and tell her the truth. By then, she won't be able to come back, and she'll surely follow me wholeheartedly."
The man then said, "How about I leave you a thousand taels of silver for your travel expenses, and only give your family five thousand taels?"
Lin Dayu said, "No need. I have a complete tiger skin here, which is worth some silver. Besides, since Prince Ping sent people, he should also have sent silver notes. Why should we worry about money?"
The man sighed and said, "Young Master, you should tell that young lady the truth. Otherwise, you'll inevitably slip up along the way. What if she resents you for deceiving her? Besides, you come from a good family and are handsome. If you tell her the truth, that young lady will surely..."
Lin Dayu still said sternly, "No. When the carriage was traveling on the official road, I overheard the conversation of the women inside. I heard that they came from the capital. I escaped from prison, and the capital must already be full of rumors. She must also know that the heir of the Duke of Du killed his stepmother and raped his stepmother. At that time, let alone marrying me, I'm afraid she won't even want to see me again."
Zhenshu's legs were so weak she almost collapsed, and her back was covered in cold sweat.
The crown prince of Du Guogong?
She suddenly remembered what Nie Shiqiu had said that day.
She asked, "Do you know Du Yu, the heir of the Duke of Du's mansion?"
Zhenyu said, "Of course. He's not known for being unruly. When I was a child, I visited his home and saw his father carrying a whip, searching the whole house for him. Later, I heard that he was imprisoned for murder. Could he be about to be beheaded?"
And the conversation between the old woman and the maid.
The old woman said, "That's a shameful thing, and the Duke of Du's mansion keeps it a secret. However, I have a close friend who works in the kitchen of that mansion, so she knows some of the details."
"It is said that he was only sixteen or seventeen years old at the time. Because Yang, the second wife of the Duke, was beautiful, the young master harbored lustful thoughts towards his stepmother. One day, the Duke was out, and the Duchess happened to be taking a nap. The young master saw her from outside and secretly entered, intending to force himself on his stepmother. Coincidentally, the Duchess's mother was also a guest at the mansion. Just as the young master was about to do his thing, the stepmother saw him and started making a scene. Without thinking twice, the young master drew his sword and killed the stepmother, then swaggered back to his room to sleep. When the Duke of Du returned to the mansion and heard about this, he was furious. Since the young master showed no remorse, he sent him to the Yingtian Prefecture prison."
The maid was so shocked that she could have swallowed an egg whole. After a long while, she nodded and said, "So that's the kind of person he is. No wonder."
Zhenshu, her legs aching, slowly walked back to the straw hut. She sat there for a long time, covering her face in her hands. Taking advantage of the faint light of dawn, she gathered her clothes and put them on. She went outside to the riverbank, scooped up some water to wash her face, and then slowly walked downstream.
Looking back, his plan was flawed at every turn. From the very beginning, he intended to lure her to this mountain forest, hoping to trick her into bed. Yet, she foolishly believed he was truly a farmhand, down on his luck and reduced to such a state, offering him tenderness and pity. To him, perhaps her appearance was quite laughable—a young, naive girl, newly arrived from home and now in dire straits, believing her frail shoulders and kind heart could truly soften a beast devoid of humanity.
Zhenshu had read many stories of women who were deceived and raped, or even sexually assaulted, and afterwards would cry, scream, and attempt suicide. Zhenshu always laughed at these women, finding it ridiculous that they were so foolish, lured by men with money and gifts, and then failed to recognize their own faults before resorting to suicide. But now, having been deceived and raped herself, she realized that she had only been theoretically naive. When faced with such a lecherous man, she was far less clever than those seemingly weak women with bound feet in those stories.
She walked in the water in a daze, swimming downstream in deeper waters without struggling or resisting. She simply lay on her back in the water, letting the river carry her downstream.