Luzhou Moon

Chapter 131

"Auntie, can you tell me who my parents are?"

Her smile remained serene, yet her eyes seemed to hold a hint of melancholy. "You don't need to know. In this world, having me is enough for you."

"Then where did I come from?"

"In the sea..."

Yue Ruzheng stared blankly at the vast sea, and her aunt reached out and embraced her.

Yue Ruzheng leaned against her arm, and seeing the necklace hanging from her neck, she suddenly remembered the most important thing and said, "Aunt, I'm getting married."

After she uttered those words, a whirlwind suddenly arose on the once tranquil sea, and surging waves gradually appeared on the azure surface. For some reason, the seawater became increasingly murky and dark. She tried to stand up and back away, but her aunt held her tightly in her arms.

Her desperate struggles were to no avail. Her aunt's face showed a look of madness again, and somehow a rattan cane appeared in her hand, which she tightly tightened around her throat.

"Zheng'er, Zheng'er! No one can take you away!" Auntie murmured, a strange smile playing on her lips.

"Ah--" Yue Ruzheng screamed. She felt something very heavy pressing down on her. She wanted to sit up but had no strength, and she couldn't even open her eyes. Just then, she suddenly felt someone pushing her. She gradually woke up amidst the shaking and struggled to open her eyes. She saw Lian Junchu kneeling anxiously on the bed.

The room was dimly lit by candlelight, and it was unclear what time it was. Yue Ruzheng was covered in cold sweat. She sat up abruptly, hugged Lian Junchu, and gasped for breath.

"Ruzheng, you just had a nightmare, right?" He comforted her, but he couldn't hide his worry.

"Little Tang..." Yue Ruzheng called out, burying her face in his chest, "Don't leave me!"

Lian Junchu sensed her trembling. He rarely saw her so terrified, as if trapped in a nightmare from which she couldn't escape. He gently touched her cheek and said, "I'll stay here with you."

Yue Ruzheng looked up at him and suddenly kissed his lips without hesitation. Lian Junchu was stunned for a moment, then gently responded to her, and the two leaned close together.

Chapter 81

To allow Ruzheng to rest properly, they stayed in Taizhou for two days, waiting for her headache to subside before continuing their journey. Lian Junchu felt very guilty about this, believing that it was because he had told her too much about Yu Hezhi, causing her distress and leading to this outcome.

Yue Ruzheng refused to admit it, and Lian Junchu sighed, "I'm terrified whenever I see you injured."

"I'm not injured." The wheels rolled on, and Yue Ruzheng sat in the carriage, hugging her knees. The ailment had come on suddenly, but it had gone away quickly. Although she was still a little tired, after resting, she seemed to no longer feel the pain.

Lian Junchu sat down beside her and said, "That's probably because of the injury you sustained when you were little, right?" He thought for a moment, then asked her, "Did you hear the sound of a flute in the distance that day?"

Yue Ruzheng was startled, a chill creeping into her heart. She stammered, "I heard it."

Lian Junchu had sensed something was amiss that day, and now, seeing her strange expression, he felt even more puzzled. He looked at her closely and said, "Ruzheng, did that flute music remind you of anything?"

Yue Ruzheng bit her lower lip, hugged her legs tightly, and lowered her head, saying, "No... I just don't want to hear that kind of mournful sound."

Lian Junchu was silent for a moment, then said, "Actually, my mother is buried on that mountain."

Yue Ruzheng exclaimed, "Ah!" She had only known that Madam Tang was buried by Lian Haichao at the place where she died, but she hadn't realized it was on Mount Chicheng. She felt a pang of guilt. "Little Tang, if it weren't for my headache, were you planning to go up the mountain to pay your respects to your mother?"

Lian Junchu moved closer to her and whispered, "Before I went to Luzhou, I made a wish at her grave: I wanted to take you with me to see her."

Yue Ruzheng felt a warmth in her heart, tinged with a slight bittersweetness. She didn't know what others were saying about this woman who had betrayed the Tang Clan, but in Yue Ruzheng's heart, she only knew that she was Xiao Tang's mother, who had suffered countless hardships and ultimately met a tragic end, sleeping peacefully in the deep mountains.

"Little Tang..." Yue Ruzheng leaned gently against him, closed her eyes, and said, "After we've seen our master, let's go to Chicheng Mountain together to visit your mother."

"Okay." A faint smile appeared in his eyes.

In early spring, although the earth has not yet warmed up, the chill of the previously biting north wind has gradually dissipated after crossing the Huai River.

Returning to Luzhou, Yue Ruzheng's state of mind had undergone a complete transformation. As the carriage entered the city gates, she involuntarily took a deep breath. Over the years, ever since her first journey to Yandang Mountain at her master's behest, she seemed to be constantly traveling back and forth, sometimes with joy, sometimes with hidden pain. But this return, however, filled her with both anticipation and apprehension…

She was staring out the window in a daze when a woman's back in the crowd on the street caught her attention.

"Qian'er!" Yue Ruzheng couldn't help but call out.

Qian'er, who had been hurrying along with her small bamboo basket, stopped abruptly upon hearing the shout and looked around. Yue Ruzheng leaned out and waved repeatedly at her. Qian'er was both surprised and delighted, and rushed to the carriage, her face beaming with joy, saying, "Miss! You're finally back!"

Unable to contain her joy, Yue Ruzheng got up, lifted the carriage curtain, and pulled Qian'er into the carriage. As soon as Qian'er got in, she saw Lian Junchu sitting in the carriage as well. She was stunned at first, then turned around to look at Yue Ruzheng, exclaimed "Oh!", and blushed.

"Miss, you..." she muttered to herself, her intelligent eyes glancing repeatedly at Yue Ruzheng and Lian Junchu.

Yue Ruzheng smiled, pursing her lips, and pressed her shoulder to help her sit down. Lian Junchu looked at Qian'er gently and said, "Thanks to your help, Ruzheng left Yinxi Xiaozhu to come and find me."

Qian'er's face was still slightly flushed. She whispered, "Don't mention this again, or I might really be kicked out of Yinxi Xiaozhu."

"Did your master know that you were the one who tipped her off? Did she punish you?" Yue Ruzheng asked nervously, holding her hand.

"Of course she guessed that I told Young Master Wei..." Qian'er pouted and shrugged. "She gave me a good scolding, but that's all; she didn't do anything to me."

Seeing how casually she spoke, Yue Ruzheng knew she must have suffered a lot of injustice and couldn't help feeling a little guilty. Qian'er, however, shifted her gaze, sizing up Lian Junchu, then leaned close to Yue Ruzheng's ear and whispered, "Looks like you two have made up. At least my suffering wasn't for nothing."

Yue Ruzheng smiled shyly, then noticed that Qian'er's bamboo basket contained incense and candles, and couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing with this?"

Qian'er raised her eyebrows and said, "Miss, are you so excited you can't tell east from west? Do you remember what day tomorrow is?"

Yue Ruzheng was startled, then realized with a start, "Tomorrow is the anniversary of my master's death, and I've completely forgotten the time!"

"It's good you made it back in time," Qian'er sighed. "I've noticed that Madam hasn't been in high spirits these past few days. She must be thinking about you! Why don't you take this opportunity to have a good talk with her and tell her to stop being angry?"

Yue Ruzheng frowned and nodded. At this moment, Lian Junchu suddenly asked, "Since it's the anniversary of the death of the ancestors of Yinxi Xiaozhu, Yu Hezhi should be present, right?"

Upon hearing his question, Yue Ruzheng was startled, but Qian'er, oblivious to the situation, replied, "Yes, he was supposed to leave a long time ago, but Master said he couldn't return to Yueqing until after the ancestral rites were performed. Come to think of it, Senior Brother Shao is currently at Hengshan and hasn't returned yet; there's really no one else available..."

Yue Ruzheng hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but ask her, "I heard that Master once asked you and Ahong to serve Uncle-Master Yu?"

Qian'er frowned, wondering why she was asking this, and said, "Actually, we rarely saw him after we arrived. It seemed like he was often not at his residence..."

A knowing glint appeared in Lian Junchu's eyes. Yue Ruzheng met his gaze and was about to ask when Qian'er said, "Miss, are you going back to Yinxi Xiaozhu now?"