Luna de Luzhou

Capítulo 27

Thank you for the criticism, Helen Wu, although you probably won't read this article again~ haha.

I'll be revising the manuscript next month. I'd appreciate any feedback. I'm not afraid of criticism, I'm just worried that people will find it troublesome or think the article isn't worth their time.

Chapter 41, Making a Move

The promotional function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now!!! That day, due to many matters at the tea garden, Su Chen didn't tell Su Shi about Yuan Rou's situation, and besides, he probably wasn't interested. He Su Shi usually had little contact with his siblings from the other branches of the family, only occasionally interacting with He Su Yi and He Su Li from the same school. His impression of Yuan Rou was limited to a cousin he knew but wasn't close to.

For the next two weeks, Yuan Rou was absent from classes at Ouxiang Pavilion. Yong Jiao was visiting her maternal grandfather's house for his birthday and wouldn't be back for a full month. So, only Su Chen and He Yuan Fang remained at the school. Whenever He Su Chen wanted to visit Yuan Rou, the maids and nannies would always ask her to leave with plausible excuses. Several times, she tried to force her way in, but Liu Shi always appeared in time to stop her. She couldn't really offend Liu Shi, so she could only carefully try to find out information from Yuan Fang.

After class that day, Mr. Qin packed his things and left. Su Chen pondered for a moment and slowly called out to Yuanfang, "Big sister, Third sister seemed to be in poor spirits a few days ago. I wonder how she has been these past few days?"

Yuanfang gave her a cold glare. "The affairs of the third branch of the family are for Mother to handle. At worst, she is my sister, and I will take good care of her. Why do you have to meddle in this?"

"Elder sister, you're mistaken. Although Third Sister is your younger sister, she's also my older sister. It's perfectly normal for a younger sister to care about her older sister; anyone with a modicum of manners understands that." Su Chen smiled slightly, pretending not to have heard what she had just said. "I'd like to go see Third Sister. What do you think?"

Yuanfang paused for a moment, then suddenly said, "Go and do your own thing. What does it have to do with me?"

Su Chen stared blankly as she walked away. What was wrong with this girl? Why was she speaking so gently? Shouldn't she be stopping him from seeing Yuan Rou, just like the other members of the third branch of the family?

Despite saying that, she hurriedly put down her book and followed Yuanfang. When the maids and nannies of the third branch saw her coming, they tried to stop her, but Yuanfang glanced at them and they obediently retreated. He Su Chen watched from behind, secretly alarmed. She had long heard rumors that Yuanfang was cold and stern to the servants, and now it seemed that he was indeed more afraid than obedient. But how could this child, at such a young age, be so feared by everyone in the household?

Yuanfang stopped abruptly halfway there. "You go see her. I'm going to my mother's room to pay my respects." With that, he turned and headed down another road.

Su Chen found it even more strange. This was clearly Liu Shi's way of trying to get him to stay in Yuan Rou's room a little longer. Even Yuan Fang would do such a thing. It seemed that she wasn't so annoying after all.

As soon as he stepped into the room, he saw the little maid in Yuan Rou's room still slumped over the table, drool dripping from the corner of her right mouth, her body rising and falling as if she were fast asleep. The bed curtains were even tighter than when he last visited, and a pair of pink embroidered shoes lay under the bed, looking like they hadn't been worn in a long time, covered in dust. Su Chen took a breath and walked over, feeling a little hesitant to lift the curtains. Last time, because Yong Jiao was with him, he hadn't thought of anything, but now he was constantly worried about what had become of Yuan Rou inside.

She composed herself, realizing she hadn't seen anyone for half a month, and quickly gripped the curtain firmly, lifting a corner slightly.

Yuan Rou lay quietly on the bed, her head turned away from Su Chen. Her thick, black hair was spread out on the pillow, dense, jet-black, and glossy. Su Chen breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that her mood had stabilized and her body was probably alright. She leaned closer to look at Yuan Rou's face and saw that it was indeed rosier and she had gained a little weight. Just as she was about to relax, Yuan Rou's eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she suddenly opened her eyes—

Su Chen saw a pair of unfocused and lifeless eyes, staring blankly out of the eye.

Chapter 42, The Wind Rises

The promoter function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now!!! He Suchen, upon seeing those eyes, choked on his prepared questions and couldn't utter a word. Yuan Rou, however, twitched her eyelids. Her large, lifeless eyes brightened slightly upon seeing Su Chen, and she called out, "Guazi." Her voice was unusually dry, as if she hadn't spoken in a long time.

He Suchen was in a complicated state of mind and didn't know what to say. After a pause, he thought it was best not to play games at this time, so he asked, "What exactly happened? What did Third Sister see?" Yuan Rou's eyes changed, and she trembled with panic. She said, unable to suppress her emotions, "I need to see Grandma."

Su Chen was slightly taken aback. After setting up the bed curtains, he sat down on the edge of the bed, unsure of how to respond. He could only say, "Have you eaten? Do you want to go for a walk? How long have you been in your room? You look like you haven't seen the light of day in ages."

Yuan Rou stubbornly repeated, "I want to see Grandma! Can you ask Grandma to send someone to fetch me?"

“We can go there now, there’s no need for Grandma to send someone over,” Su Chen said.

Yuan Rou remained silent, merely watching her. He Suchen's expression slowly froze. Then, he turned to look at the little girl still sleeping in the center of the room. Recalling how Yuan Fang had dismissed several maids and servants along the way, although her tone was sharp and her face showed impatience and arrogance, her hands, hidden in her sleeves, were clearly sweating with nervousness. Considering the recent situation where he had been unable to see Yuan Rou no matter what, a thought suddenly flashed into his mind in a flash.

He Suchen stared back at Yuan Rou with wide, incredulous eyes. "You, you really were..."

Yuan Rou clenched her fists tighter, turned her head away from her, and seemed to be talking to herself, "How did you get in? Didn't any old women stop you?"

“My third sister brought me in,” she replied involuntarily.

Yuan Rou gradually loosened her grip, a business glint in her eyes. Suddenly, she said urgently, "Go find Grandma quickly! Don't stay here! I have something urgent to tell Grandma!"

Su Chen was dazed for a few seconds, then nodded decisively and said, "I'll go find Grandma first, you bear with it." Yuan Rou hummed in agreement and added, "Be careful when you go out, don't let the old women see you."

He Su Chen carefully left the third room and headed towards Tang's mother's room. She seemed to have guessed some of the reason, yet she wasn't entirely sure. Since arriving here, Tang's mother had ignored Yuan Rou, disliked Yuan Fang, and her attitude towards Liu Shi was somewhat unpredictable. At first glance, it seemed like a typical mother-in-law's attitude towards a daughter-in-law she neither particularly liked nor disliked. But upon closer inspection, it was almost complete indifference; she completely ignored everything Su Chen said, only offering perfunctory responses. Su Chen had initially thought that Tang's mother disliked Liu Shi, which affected the two children, but now it seemed there was more to it than that.

The third branch of the He family only had a mistress, no husband, because the third uncle, He Ziqing, rarely returned home and always stayed outside. Madam Liu seemed to pay little attention to her husband, spending all her time in her room, doing who-knows-what. Although she verbally cursed the concubine, Su Liuzhi, the concubine only stayed in the mansion during holidays; the rest of the time she was taking care of He Ziqing's daily needs, so in reality, she wasn't affected at all. Judging by Madam Liu's actions, she completely left her husband to the concubine's care, while she, as the legal wife, simply ignored her and let the concubine be favored? Even an ordinary woman would try her best to stay by her husband's side and manage things, kicking the concubine aside.

It's a strange thing. Su Chen was defining it to herself. When she arrived at Tang's mother's courtyard, the old woman saw her and said with a smile, "The old lady was just about to send someone to look for the young lady, but she's here just in time for lunch."

Su Chen entered through the lifted curtain and found that the bowls and chopsticks were already set out, and Madam Tang was sitting on the couch chanting Buddhist scriptures. Maids were going in and out preparing lunch. She went to greet Madam Tang, who smiled and put down her scripture, saying, "Where have you been? Why are you so late? The maid said that Master finished class a long time ago."

Su Chen lowered his head awkwardly, trying to figure out how to bring up Yuan Rou's matter. In the end, Yuan Rou was just an unimportant child in Tang's mother's eyes, and it was hard to say whether she would even care.

Just when they were at their wits' end, they suddenly heard Tang's mother say again, "Did you go to Rou'er's place? You look like you can't speak, did the eldest maid treat you to a feast again?"

No, you're mistaken this time. Su Chen quickly followed up on her words, "I just came over to find my third sister. It seems she has something important to tell Grandma, but for some reason she can't leave the house."

Just saying that wasn't enough. She was trying to figure out how to convince Tang's mother that it was important and that there was something really important to it. She was even thinking about whether to reveal some inside information when Tang's mother suddenly frowned and called out, "Granny Tian, Granny Tian."

Granny Tian stepped in from outside. Tang's mother frowned and said, "Go to the third house and bring San Yatou over. Tell her I need to see her. Don't let her mother stop you. Also, check if there's anyone else in the third house."

Granny Tian bowed her head in agreement and quickly lifted the curtain to leave. Su Chen was left standing there dumbfounded, still not understanding what was going on.

But then Tang's mother said, "Is Guazi hungry? Go and eat something first, and when your third sister comes, you can sit and play with her for a while."

He Su Chen was filled with doubt and surprise. She had barely said anything, but Tang's mother had directly sent Granny Tian to find Yuan Rou, which clearly showed that she cared a lot about this matter. If she really knew that Yuan Rou had run into trouble, she should have said something earlier, instead of waiting for him to come and tell her. If he didn't go to find Yuan Rou, would she just ignore it? But if she didn't know, why would she be so concerned now?

Tang's mother smiled and asked some casual questions, which Yuan Rou answered incoherently. She sat there for what seemed like a long, long time before Granny Tian finally brought Yuan Rou over. Yuan Rou whispered a few words in Tang's mother's ear. Tang's mother smiled and said to Su Chen, "Guazi, Grandma and Third Sister have something to say. You and Granny go eat first, and then play with your sister later." After saying that, she led Yuan Rou into the inner room.

He Suchen was dumbfounded. What did this mean? Was that all? Was she done with it? Granny Tian, with a half-smile, pulled her hand to the dining table. "Miss, please eat first. The old lady will come out later."

Su Chen ate a little something without much appetite, straining her ears to listen to the sounds coming from the inner room. Unfortunately, the distance was too great; although the room wasn't very soundproof, she couldn't hear a sound. Half an hour later, Qiu Shui led in a man in his early twenties. Su Chen assumed he was a servant, but her gaze inadvertently fell on the man's clothing and jade pendants—clearly not something an ordinary person could wear. Curious, she looked up at his face. The man had thin, red lips and a dimple on his right cheek. When he saw her looking at him, he quickly flashed a wicked smile—it was the same man she had accidentally encountered when she and Yong Jiao went to the third house to find Yuan Rou. At the time, she had specifically asked him, and Yong Jiao said he was Liu's cousin, a very flirtatious man. But what was he doing here?!

Qiu Shui noticed that Su Chen was still eating. She bowed and, seeing that Su Chen was staring at the man behind her without saying a word, said, "Young master, please sit in the outer hall. There are young ladies here. I'm sorry." After saying that, she led him to the outer hall. The man followed her out without any objection, walking with an extremely elegant posture.

Su Chen wanted to stay longer, and the meal lasted for more than half an hour. Granny Tian didn't urge or rush her, but just helped her pick out the vegetables. After a long while, Tang's mother rang the bell from inside, and Granny Tian went in for a while before coming out with Yuan Rou to sit down next to Su Chen. She apologized and went out to call the man in.

The man still strolled in with an elegant posture. When he saw that Yuan Rou was inside, he paused, his steps suddenly became disordered, and it took him a while to get back on track. However, he was no longer as graceful as before. His face turned slightly pale, and he bowed as he entered the inner room.

Chapter 43, Little Wave

The promotional function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now!!! Yuan Rou glanced at the man, then lowered her head guiltily, remaining silent and still. The man went into the inner room, and after a while, Yuan Rou still didn't move. So Su Chen put a few pieces of food into Yuan Rou's bowl and started a harmless conversation, "I wonder when Second Sister will be back. When she is, let's ask her to tell us what fun things have happened at Uncle's family home."

Yuan Rou looked up, then lowered her head again, remaining silent.