Luzhou Moon - Chapter 55
Lian Junqiu paused for a moment, then silently stood up. Tang Yanchu was about to go inside when she heard Lian Junqiu say behind her, "Junchu, do you really think Yue Ruzheng is the one you want to spend your life with?"
Tang Yanchu stopped in his tracks. He remained silent, standing with his back to Lian Junqiu.
"I knew long ago that she had left you twice. Why did she suddenly come back this time? Just to accompany you back to Seven Star Island?" Lian Junqiu's voice was low and there was no questioning tone, but every word she spoke was extremely clear.
"She wouldn't lie to me." Tang Yanchu stood in the dark shadows of the trees, her soaked clothes still dripping water.
"Think about it carefully. What makes you so sure she's sincere towards you?" Lian Junqiu said bitterly. "Perhaps your second sister is being harsh and sarcastic, but putting everything else aside, you should wake up and stop deceiving yourself."
Tang Yanchu lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, and whispered, "You all think that someone like me is destined to be unworthy of being liked by others, right?"
Lian Junqiu didn't answer immediately. Looking at Tang Yanchu's retreating figure, she slowly said, "I just don't want you to get hurt."
"No, it won't happen." He said in a low voice, and then walked straight into the house.
Lian Junqiu left, and the dark courtyard fell into a deathly silence once more. Tang Yanchu neither lit a lamp nor changed her clothes, but sat alone by the window, gazing at the shadows of the trees on the ground.
He didn't rest until dawn.
When Yue Ruzheng arrived at the Wutong Courtyard, the house was very quiet. She thought Tang Yanchu had gone to the seaside again, but through the half-open window, she saw him slumped over his desk, seemingly asleep.
Somewhat surprised, she quietly went inside, came to his side, and leaned down to look at him. He was still asleep. He was wearing the clothes from last night, which were dry but still covered in sand. Yue Ruzheng didn't know why he was like this, and she couldn't bear to wake him, so she took some clothes from the trunk by his bed and draped them over his shoulders.
Sunlight streamed quietly through the paper window, falling on his face. For some reason, Yue Ruzheng felt that even when he was asleep, there seemed to be a hint of sadness between his brows. She carefully leaned over the side of the desk, very close to him, and could feel his breath.
He leaned his shoulder against the desk. Yue Ruzheng watched him for a while, and felt from the bottom of her heart that he must be very tired. She quietly reached out and placed her hand under his cheek, wanting to make things easier for him. But as soon as she touched him, Tang Yanchu woke up groggily.
"Xiao Tang, what's wrong with you? Why are you sleeping sitting up without changing your clothes?" Yue Ruzheng gently stroked his cheek and leaned closer to him.
He didn't speak, but just stared at her with deep, melancholy eyes, motionless.
"Xiao Tang?" Yue Ruzheng felt a little flustered by his unusual silence. She held his shoulder and gave him a push.
Tang Yanchu seemed afraid she would touch his arms, shrinking back slightly before slowly sitting up. The clothes that had been draped over him slipped off and fell to the ground. Yue Ruzheng bent down to pick them up, but before she could stand up, she heard him ask in a very calm tone, "Ruzheng, do you really like me?"
Yue Ruzheng bent over, still clutching the clothes in her hand. She didn't know why Tang Yanchu would suddenly ask such a question. Just last night, he had sat with her on the beach, embracing her, watching the silvery moonlight and the tide.
She slowly straightened up, looked at his slightly tired face, and said, "Why did you ask that?"
He didn't look into her eyes, but instead glanced at the hem of his shirt, saying casually, "I just want to hear you say it again."
Yue Ruzheng paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I like you, Xiao Tang."
Tang Yanchu slowly raised her head to look at her, a hint of gentleness appearing in her cool eyes.
As the birthday banquet drew near, the people of Seven Star Island began to get busy, decorating with lanterns and colorful streamers, creating a lively atmosphere.
Lian Haichao didn't really care about the birthday banquet; what he cared about were the so-called prestigious sects, who would send people to pay their respects or bring gifts. Beside him were the calm and capable Lian Junqiu, the beautiful and elegant Lian Junxin, and many loyal subordinates. In the eyes of others, as the lord of this island, possessing the vast blue waves of the East China Sea, what more could he desire?
But Lian Junqiu still keenly noticed that ever since Tang Yanchu returned, Lian Haichao's face had always carried a gloomy expression. He only met Tang Yanchu once on the day he returned to the island, and had never set foot in the courtyard where his son lived since.
While Lian Haichao climbed the high cliff by the sea alone, Lian Junqiu tentatively asked, "Father, did you force my brother to return this time so that people in the martial arts world would know his identity on the day of the birthday banquet?"
Lian Haichao stood against the wind, his clothes fluttering, his gaze calm. He stared at the boundless waves and slowly said, "Given the current situation, if others knew of Jun Chu's existence, they wouldn't think I, Lian Haichao, had an heir; on the contrary, it would only increase gossip."
Lian Junqiu felt a pang of sadness. She whispered, "But my brother will be twenty next year... Father, do you really want him to live in those deep mountains for the rest of his life?"
Lian Haichao frowned, his usually sharp gaze gradually fading into the distance.
"What I need is not just a son, but someone who can support Seven Star Island."
As the island grew busier, Tang Yanchu, just as he had said, stayed in the courtyard and never let outsiders see him. Except when he was alone at night, he would sit by the sea with Yue Ruzheng, watching the moonlight reflect on the rising and falling tides.
On the last night before the birthday banquet, Tang Yanchu knelt on the beach, carefully searching for seashells for Yue Ruzheng, and wiping away the sand stuck to them with her knees.
"Is it pretty?" He sat down in front of Ruzheng, looking down at the seashell in her palm. It had a pure white background and pale gold patterns, as if it had been painted with a brush.
"This is the most beautiful seashell I've ever seen." Yue Ruzheng smiled and held the seashell tightly in her hand. "I will always keep it with me."
Tang Yanchu smiled too, but for the past few days, his smile had always contained a hint of sadness.
"Ruzheng, after tomorrow night, I'll be going back to the mountains," he said, looking at her. "I won't be coming to Seven Star Island again."
Yue Ruzheng was playing with the seashell when she heard him say this, and her hands gradually stopped moving. He seemed oblivious to her unease and said earnestly, "After leaving Seven Star Island, I'm still living the same life as before… I can't afford anything nice, just like now, I can only give you a seashell. But I really will try my best, and I will be good to you."
Yue Ruzheng lowered her head, watching the waves surging in the distance.
"Little Tang," she whispered, clutching the seashell, "after I finish the last thing I do for Yinxi Cottage, I'll stay with you forever. We'll cook together, gather herbs together, and never be apart, okay?"
"What are you going to do?" Tang Yanchu looked at her, her eyes calm, like a deep ocean.
Yue Ruzheng forced a smile, without looking up, and said, "You don't need to know; that's about matters of the martial world."
As the sea breeze picked up, Yue Ruzheng reluctantly prepared to go back to rest. Tang Yanchu stood up, and Yue Ruzheng hugged him. He turned his face close to hers, his breath brushing against her lips.
Yue Ruzheng reached out and touched his cheek, finding it a little cold. She whispered, "You're cold. Why didn't you tell me sooner? You've been sitting with me until now."
He didn't speak, but pressed his face tightly against hers. Yue Ruzheng placed her palm on his chest and felt his heartbeat.
For some reason, she always felt that Tang Yanchu had become increasingly melancholy lately, no longer like she had been in Nan Yandang, where her eyes often held a bright smile.
The wind whistled past them. Yue Ruzheng was about to urge him to go back quickly when she heard him whisper something in her ear.
"Ruzheng, I truly love you."
As night deepened, Yue Ruzheng bid farewell to Tang Yanchu and walked alone to her residence.
All around was silent, except for the distant sound of a bell.