Shu Ke peut regagner une fortune perdue

Chapitre 39

Zhang Weiyi didn't say anything, and turned to walk out.

Xu Lianning quickly added, "Be careful, don't bump into the door!"

He raised his hand to his forehead and walked around the door.

Xu Lianning turned her back, unfolded the thin silk that was half burned off on the fire tongs, and murmured, "So that's how it is..." Although half of the writing on the silk was burned off, some of the meaning could still be guessed. Just a few months ago, the emperor passed away and the crown prince ascended the throne. At that time, he was with her and knew nothing about it.

Xu Lianning threw the thin silk in her hand into the fire, watching it slowly turn yellow, curl up, and gradually turn into ashes.

Zhang Weiyi exuded arrogance from the bottom of his heart.

This was a quote from Su Ling. She stretched lazily in the bright spring sunshine, holding a steaming teacup in her hand: "I was two years younger than you are now back then, in my prime..."

Xu Lianning found it somewhat amusing for no apparent reason.

“Zhang Weiyi was no more than fifteen or sixteen years old back then. Other kids, like He Jing, were still rolling around in the mud. Even his way of speaking sounded so mature.” He lowered his head, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and continued, “But he was really pretty back then, and he felt nice to pinch. However, when he looked at you, you would feel that his gaze seemed to show that he didn’t care about anything, and nothing could move him. It was an arrogance that came from his very bones.”

Xu Lianning entered the room, only to realize that although she was inside, what should she say? Should she comfort him again, saying that the dead cannot be brought back to life and to take care of herself?

Zhang Weiyi sat with her head down, only slightly raising her head when she heard the noise, her voice low and deep: "Where is that bowl of medicine?"

Xu Lianning was taken aback by what he said, and could only reply, "...It's burnt."

He turned his head, his eyelashes still seeming a little damp, but a slight smile played at the corners of his lips: "It's blurred..." Perhaps because he resembled his mother more, the way he turned his face and lowered his eyes looked very gentle. Xu Lianning thought for a moment, then said directly: "I just saw that thin silk."

Zhang Weiyi was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly and said, "That's fine then. I'm truly homeless now, so you'd better treat me well from now on."

Xu Lianning chuckled at his words, then slowly frowned and asked seriously, "I've always wanted to ask you... I've always wanted to ask you, why did you go out alone when we were besieged by Longtengyi?"

“If there were a way for me to infiltrate Longtengyi and also to help you escape danger, I would never choose this.” He was very frank. “I’ve said before that if I had to choose between power and beauty, I would definitely choose the former. But you are more important than my own safety. I don’t want to lie to you, and I won’t tell you a single lie. This is what I think.”

Xu Lianning walked to his side, raised her hand to put it on his shoulder, and smiled slightly: "I understand, but from now on, you must take better care of yourself, and I will definitely make you forget all those deceitful things."

Zhang Weiyi placed her hand on top of hers and smiled naturally: "We have a lifetime to take things slowly."

This promise should truly last a lifetime.

Autumn is just around the corner, and the plane trees in Hangzhou have turned yellow, their leaves rustling in the cold wind.

The clinic has been doing better and better lately, and when it gets busy, it often can't close until after 3 PM.

Xu Lianning feared two types of patients most: those who insisted they were sick even though they weren't, and those who used the opportunity of a medical consultation to ask all sorts of questions. The second type was far more dreadful. The matchmaker in front of her was precisely the latter.

Xu Lianning had an excellent memory. He remembered that when he first opened his clinic, Matchmaker Li was very enthusiastic and offered to find a match for him. After Zhang Weiyi arrived, she would come here every few days. Matchmaker Li's enthusiasm was so great that even someone as shameless as Zhang Weiyi couldn't stand it. He once said with a wry smile, "Back in the capital, some court officials submitted memorials urging me to take a concubine, from seventeen or eighteen years old all the way up to twenty-three or twenty-four. But at least they still had some sense of propriety and would let it go as soon as they showed the slightest hint of refusal. But the one here is quite different."

After some time, Xu Lianning changed his attire, and the staff at the clinic all knew that the two of them were a couple. However, the matchmaker, Li, still came without fail, using the opportunity of getting medicine to chat with Xu Lianning about everyday matters.

"It's getting really cold now. If it rains a few times, it'll be damp and cold, which will be unbearable. Dr. Xu, I noticed that the young man didn't look too well when he first arrived, but he's much better now. I wonder what kind of nourishing food he ate?"

Xu Lianning was busy getting the medicine and weighing it, so she just casually said, "It's just some tonic soup."

Matchmaker Li smiled knowingly and lowered her voice, saying, "Young people these days are all quite weak. There are shops on Qinghe Street up ahead selling some nourishing tonics. Buy some and stew them; it won't be too much of a problem at night."

Xu Lianning's hand trembled, and she put in five qian instead of two qian of Codonopsis pilosula. Almost at the same time, a cracking sound came from not far away. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zhang Weiyi with her head down, writing in the accounts, and the brush she was holding had broken into several pieces. She could only say, "My husband is a little unwell, but that's all."

Matchmaker Li smiled like a chrysanthemum and said repeatedly, "I understand, I understand. It turns out that Master Huang from the east of the city asked me to help you and his young lady match. You've met that Miss Huang, she's like a wolf and a tiger. I'm afraid a refined young master like you can't handle her."

Xu Lianning couldn't help but protest, "I didn't mean that..." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zhang Weiyi's face tense, and the ink stick she was using to grind ink suddenly snapped in two.

Matchmaker Li still smiled: "I understand, a wife doesn't dislike her husband, Doctor Xu, you are truly virtuous."

Xu Lianning knew she was making things worse by explaining herself, so she could only keep a straight face and remain silent. After she finally saw the matchmaker off, she heard Zhang Weiyi casually say from behind, "I was worried about tiring you out and not wanting to seem like I was too incompetent, but I realize today that it's not too late."

For the first time, Xu Lianning couldn't even speak properly: "I...I already said it's not like that!"

"Oh? What about that?" Zhang Weiyi paused slightly, then suddenly whispered, "Lian Ning, let's have a child too."

Perhaps it was because of the cold weather, but Xu Lianning felt that she was particularly prone to fatigue lately, and she was eating more than usual. Sometimes when she looked down at the accounts, she would feel sleepy.

Seeing her like this, with a smile on her face, as if she were in a very good mood, Xu Lianning felt increasingly annoyed by his smug expression and couldn't help but snap, "What are you so happy about?"

Zhang Weiyi looked at her for a long time before hugging her from behind and whispering, "Of course I'm happy. You're pregnant now, and I'm going to be a father soon."

Xu Lianning hurriedly pushed his hand away: "How could that be? I've just been feeling a bit unwell lately, how could I be pregnant?" Not only did she not have any symptoms of vomiting or acid reflux, but she was also eating and sleeping well, which really didn't seem like she was pregnant.

Zhang Weiyi seemed not to hear her words and said to himself, "We should invite an experienced doctor to come and take good care of your health. You are not allowed to make house calls anymore; you should just stay at home. I heard that you have to be careful during the first three months."

"I'm a doctor, I didn't feel anything—"

"What do you want to eat for dinner? I'll cook."

Xu Lianning gritted her teeth and said, "Bear paw."

Zhang Weiyi, who was about to gracefully leave, suddenly paused, turned around and said, "You like such greasy stuff? Let's change to bird's nest instead, it's nourishing and good for your complexion."

She sat at the table, feeling sullen, and carefully checked her pulse several times. She had to admit that Zhang Weiyi was sometimes very accurate in her judgment; she really was pregnant.

However, after becoming pregnant, life became more difficult.

Xu Lianning's initial intention was simply to take down the medical book on the top shelf to take a look, but as soon as she stepped onto the low stool, Zhang Weiyi swept her up in front of everyone. Even as she walked through the alley, she could catch glimpses of shadow guards dressed in black lurking nearby, and even when she was holed up in her own house, she could feel a murderous aura emanating from outside the courtyard.

Zhang Weiyi, on the other hand, was immersed in the joy of becoming a father. He had already chosen several names that were full of classical allusions, and he was also extra gentle and considerate in his daily life.

Xu Lianning couldn't stand it anymore: "How come I never realized you liked children before?"

Zhang Weiyi replied matter-of-factly, "I've never liked children; they're troublesome and noisy." He reached out and put his arm around her waist, "But these are our children."

"Don't you even have a child born out of wedlock?"

“…Hmm?” Zhang Weiyi was visibly taken aback, then chuckled softly. “How could that be? I’m not the kind of person who flirts with everyone and is always a womanizer. I’ve always just enjoyed teasing you, and your reactions have always been quite amusing.” He slowly suppressed his laughter, his voice low and deep: “Actually, I did think before that even if I took a principal wife, I wouldn’t have children. I don’t know if the woman I marry, who is of equal social standing, will love me. Even if I have children, it might just be a means to win favor. I’ve always been disliked by both my mother and father, so I know all too well what it’s like.”

Xu Lianning touched his profile and said with a smile, "I understand. But could you please tell your shadow guards not to always be guarding outside, and not to make it look so menacing?"

"...Actually, I had already disbanded the photography studio, but everyone didn't seem very happy. Later I thought about it, and it was six or seven years of hard work, so I let it go."

"It's really a pity..."

"Lian Ning?"

"Um."

“Actually, I think that although life is a bit mundane now, it’s not so easy to get tired of it.” Zhang Weiyi said somewhat awkwardly, “I want to make your life less boring, but I can’t think of any interesting ways to do it. Don’t you get annoyed?”

"I don't really like winter in Jiangnan; it's always so gloomy and cold. But when spring comes next year, there will be willows, swallows, and peach blossoms. No matter how beautiful the scenery is, I won't enjoy it without you."

When spring comes next year, it will be our third year of knowing and staying together.

Spring's beauty lingers in the breeze, the setting sun and peach blossoms reflect the familiar faces, and I laugh at the loneliness of this fleeting life.

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