Le voyage d'une folle à travers la dynastie Song

Chapitre 8

"Oh dear!" She'd forgotten to ask Liu Yong her question; the paper was lost sometime ago. Startled, Xiao He exclaimed, "Miss, what's wrong?" She'd been so engrossed in their conversation that she'd forgotten to ask him the question she most wanted to ask: how did he view courtesans? Was it "familiarity"?

Whether it was a wicked gaze admiring them, or a genuine feeling of shared misfortune, such a good opportunity might not come again.

"Yes!" Xiaohe knelt before me. "The fare was only two strings of cash. I'll return the rest to you. Serving the master is what servants are supposed to do."

This is my duty, and I cannot and dare not accept it. I only beg you not to let this happen again. I have been worried and afraid all this time.

My heart is still pounding. Miss Biao is a precious daughter of noble birth; if anything happens to her, I cannot bear the responsibility. If the eldest young master finds out, he will interrupt me.

"My legs are ruined! If you kick me out of the Cheng family, my parents still rely on my monthly wages to supplement their income." Her constant use of "servant" made my head spin. Cheng Zhu Ri couldn't be that cruel, could he? I helped Xiao He up and said softly to her:

"I promise you, I won't make things difficult for you anymore. I'm not some noblewoman, just an orphan living under someone else's roof. Fortunately, my aunt..."

They love me, but besides them, I know very well in my heart that Xiaohe also takes good care of me, but you must accept this money.

This is also a small token of my appreciation. Even without this, I would have already prepared it for you so that your younger brother could study hard and get into a good university in the future.

"With official rank and fame, the whole family can live a good life, and we'll never have to send our daughter to be a maid again." He then repeatedly assured her that...

Something like that will never happen again. Of course, even if she hadn't said anything, I still wouldn't have done it; it's just too dangerous! This is a feudal, patriarchal society; if someone found out...

I'm currently disguising myself as a man to meet him in secret, and this man frequents brothels. I might be sentenced to be drowned in a pig cage. I'm serious.

His excessive admiration for Liu Yong forced him to take a risk, but fortunately, he had made all the necessary preparations beforehand, and nothing seemed amiss when he returned home.

It was done without anyone noticing, and everything was under their control.

First Version: Falling in Love is Easy, Staying Together is Hard - Chapter Twenty-Five: Xing'er's Arrival

As Cheng Zhuri's wedding date drew near, I grew increasingly anxious and restless, as if a hundred claws were scratching at my heart. A dark cloud hung over my mind, making it impossible to eat or sleep. I was always listless and unable to concentrate. The activities arranged to distract me when I first arrived at the Liu family home failed to lift my spirits. So, on sunny days, I would take my guqin to the garden to play and bask in the sun, hoping the bright sunshine would dispel the gloom in my heart and illuminate my future path. "Cousin, look who's here!" I looked up at the voice and saw Liu Yu walking into the garden. "Cousin!" Xing'er's smiling face peeked out from behind Liu Yu. "Xing'er? What brings you here! Come to your cousin!" Zhuri's arrival was indeed a small surprise for me.

“Xing’er missed her cousin, so she came!” Liu Yu smiled. “I passed by my aunt’s house on my way back from collecting rent today, so I stopped by to visit. Zhu Xing is coming to play for a couple of days. You two haven’t seen each other for a long time, so you must have a lot to talk about. I still have some accounts to check, so I won’t bother you. I’ll ask Xiao Lü to bring some tea and snacks later.” “Thank you, cousin.” I got up and personally saw Liu Yu off. He was a good older brother. Seeing that I was in low spirits, he specially organized two family activities to cheer me up. We visited the Fan Pagoda in Bianjing and watched the famous cockfighting and drum performances. Bianjing can be called a water city. There are no mountains in the city, but there are many rivers and lakes. The climate is mild, the rainfall is abundant, the water resources are plentiful, the forest coverage is high, and the natural ecological environment is good. From the top, you can see the magnificence, prosperity and extraordinary momentum of Bianjing. But even this picturesque scenery could not make me relax.

"Cousin, when are you coming home? You've been at Grandpa's for so long, and no one's playing with Xing'er while you're away," Xing'er grumbled to me. "Cousin can't come home yet." "Why can't you come home?" "Xing'er is too young, there are many things she doesn't understand." Her little mouth immediately pouted unhappily, "Cousin, don't always treat Xing'er like a child. Master Lin said Xing'er's Guangling Santianzi playing was very expressive, with a manly air, she's already an adult, but you all say I'm still young, that I don't understand. But you don't tell Xing'er anything, of course Xing'er won't understand. Parents are like that, and so is my older sister, only my older brother treats Xing'er like a man!" I tugged at her cute little hair bun, "Oh, then tell your cousin, how does your older brother treat Xing'er like a man?"

“When Xing’er asks him something, her older brother never tells her that she is too young and will only understand when she grows up. He always tells her the answer.”

"What could possibly be wrong with someone so young?" "My older brother isn't happy. He hasn't been smiling much lately. No, he never used to smile much either, but Xing'er knows he's unhappy. Ever since my cousin went to Grandma's, he's been coming home later and later. He often doesn't eat dinner at home, and twice he even stayed at the farm. Dad's a bit unhappy. He said to put business on hold for now, since the wedding is coming up soon. What could be more important than the wedding? Xing'er has never seen Dad unhappy with my older brother. He just says that he trusts Mom to handle the wedding herself, and he doesn't trust others to handle the rice harvest. But in previous years, Xing'er never saw him come home after dark during the rice harvest." "Does your cousin always come home this late?" I blurted out. Ever since he saw me and Liu Yu alone together last time, he's been coming over every few days, sometimes staying for the whole afternoon. Is that why he has to work overtime at night?

Xing'er nodded seriously. "Yes, Xing'er knows that Big Brother isn't happy, so that day I specially waited for him at the gate. When I saw him, I asked him why he came home so late, and if he was feeling down. Big Brother secretly told me that his eyes haven't been working well lately, and he can't stand anything red. Now there are red lanterns and red ribbons hanging everywhere in the house, which not only hurts his eyes but also his heart. So he didn't want to go home, and waited until it was dark so he could see the red less clearly before coming back, which would lessen the pain in his eyes. Xing'er told Big Brother to see a doctor, but Big Brother said that even the best doctor couldn't cure his illness, and that it would get better naturally after a while. Cousin, what kind of illness is this that even the best doctor can't cure? Xing'er was a little scared. Oh dear!" Her little face turned red with anxiety. "How could I have accidentally said that? This is Big Brother and Xing'er's secret. We made a pinky promise not to tell anyone. Cousin, you absolutely mustn't tell anyone, or Big Brother won't tell Xing'er anything in the future."

My nose stung with tears. Cheng Zhuri, how could I not know the bitterness in your heart? "Cousin, why are your eyes red? Second Brother said that you're heartbroken because Eldest Brother is going to marry the Rong family's daughter, and that's why you don't want to go home." Tears could no longer be held back, falling like pearls from a broken string. She didn't care about Xing'er and just lowered her head to cry her heart out.

Seeing this, Xing'er panicked, "Cousin, cousin, don't cry, don't cry!" At this moment, Xiao He, who was standing guard nearby, spoke up, "Young master, let Miss have a good cry. She's suffering inside, and if she doesn't cry it out, she might get sick. I'll go to the garden entrance and keep watch so no one else can come in." Thank you, Xiao He! Feeling a bit better after crying, I looked up and saw Xing'er staring at me with a conflicted expression, as if he had made a momentous decision and was even facing a heroic sacrifice. "Cousin, don't cry. Big brother can't marry you, so... so Xing'er will marry you. Then, will cousin stop being sad and we can go home together?" Looking at his expressive little face, I felt both annoyed and amused. Marrying me made you suffer like this. "I've told you before that my feelings for Xing'er are sibling-like, and they will never change, just like how I feel about you. But can you marry me?! You silly boy. Also, it's not that I don't want to tell you, but some things you can only understand when you grow up. Let me put it this way, one day when Xing'er meets a lady," I made a fist and lightly punched his chest twice, "like this, as if someone is tapping Xing'er's heart with a little hammer. Then Xing'er will know that this lady is the one you truly love!" "A hammer? Won't that hurt?" "Not at all. In fact, it feels like I've eaten honey, very sweet. Does Xing'er feel the same way about her cousin?"

Her phoenix eyes darted around, then she shook her head. "But I know I like my cousin too. As long as she's not heartbroken, I'll marry her." The little one was quite stubborn. "But what if Xing'er meets a lady she truly likes in the future, but you've already married your cousin? What will she do then?"

"What's so difficult about that? I'll take her as a concubine!" he said nonchalantly. "..." This little feudal man. "If the lady you like is a refined young lady like Miss Rong, how could she possibly be a concubine? Besides, your cousin is so much older than you. After Xing'er comes of age, your cousin will become an old maid, her face will develop wrinkles and spots. Look at the mole next to my eye, it looks small now, but who knows, it might become a big mole later. When your cousin is no longer pretty, will Xing'er still want to marry me?" He lowered his head to think for a while, then looked up at me, his face full of "difficulty." He scratched his head for a long time, stammering and unable to speak. "You see, Xing'er cares so much about appearance. Her liking for your cousin is the most superficial kind of liking. Most importantly, your cousin has already given all her love to your cousin alone, and there's no way she can give it to anyone else!" Regardless of whether she can be with him in the future.

Xing'er immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as my cousin isn't sad anymore and plays with me like before, it doesn't matter if she doesn't marry me. Cousin, I'll play Guangling San for you. Listen to how well I play." "Hmm." Watching Xing'er play the zither with such focus, her serious and earnest expression lost some of her childishness and gained a maturity beyond her years, like a young Cheng Zhu Ri. Cheng Zhu Ri, what should we do? 'Boom!' Outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared. The rain was heavy, starting in the afternoon and continuing non-stop, as if it were pouring down from the sky. The torrential rain and booming thunder matched my mood. In ten days, it would be Cheng Zhu Ri's wedding day. Was even the heavens grieving for me?! Xiao He had taken Xing'er home, but she hadn't returned yet. It was already past dusk. Just as she was about to close the door for a rest, Liu Yu suddenly blocked the doorway, his breath reeking of alcohol. My heart sank, and a bad feeling rose in my mind.

Version 1: Falling in love is easy, but staying together is difficult. Chapter 26: Liu Yu's Thoughts

Liu Yu kicked open the door and staggered into the room, shouting, "Xiao Xiao, your cousin likes you!" His breath reeked of alcohol, and I instinctively looked towards him.

I stepped back, now I was filled with regret. Why did I ask Xiaohe to take Xing'er home today? Now I'm all alone facing the drunkard.

"Cousin, you're drunk. You should go home first. We can talk about it tomorrow." She was terrified, and her voice trembled uncontrollably.

"Xiaoxiao, your cousin truly likes you. I don't know when it started, but my eyes are glued to you. At first, I didn't dare to say much..."

You assumed your cousin would marry you as his principal wife, so you didn't dare compete with him, knowing you couldn't win anyway. But who could have predicted this outcome?

Your cousin knows all the bitterness in your heart, and it breaks his heart to see you suffer. Since you're both going to be the second wife, I can compete with him too. You and your cousin are...

"I'll be good to you for the rest of my life." As he spoke, he staggered over and pretended to hug me.

"Cousin!!!" I shouted, startling Liu Yu slightly and calming his trembling hands and feet a little.

"Cousin, calm down. If you really like Xiaoxiao, you should first go to Uncle's house to propose marriage." He clenched his fists tightly, letting...

His fingernails dug deep into his flesh, using the pain to bring him back to his senses; he couldn't cry, he couldn't show any fear. "Heh heh!" Liu Yu suddenly laughed, a grotesque laugh. His eyes were bloodshot, his cheeks dark red, and his smile sinister. He was no longer...

She retained even a trace of her usual gentle demeanor; she looked like a demon from hell. "Xiaoxiao, you're lying to me. Xiaoxiao, don't be afraid, don't..."

Brother truly wants to cherish you. We've gotten along so well these days, playing music, painting, discussing poetry, and sipping tea. Aren't these days carefree?

Happy, I know Xiaoxiao likes me too. Besides, Rong Yuwei is a shrew, spoiled and arrogant. You'll suffer in the future.

Brother can't bear to see you suffer. Shulan is virtuous and kind, a rare and wonderful woman. You two are also very compatible; you'll feel like sisters from now on.

The relationship will definitely be excellent; you won't suffer any injustice here. Your cousin knows your pain and tears, so let your cousin help you.

"I've decided, after tonight, you'll never have to worry again." "Cousin, I respect you as an elder brother, and I only consider you my own brother. My wife is a good woman, and you shouldn't have done this; it will hurt her."

"Yes!" Liu Yu was so drunk he was like a lump of mud, his eyes were cloudy and he wouldn't listen to anything anymore. He just walked towards me, his steps unsteady, and he was stopped by the people around him.

I tripped over the chair and stumbled. Taking advantage of that moment, I turned and ran towards the door. Just as I was about to reach the door, he grabbed me and pressed me down tightly.

In the corner, my hands and feet were tightly bound, and I couldn't move. "Help! Help!" I shouted towards the door. "Xiaoxiao, don't shout. No one will come. No one can hear you. This rain and thunder are God's chance for me. Xiaoxiao, don't..."

"Don't be afraid, your cousin truly likes you. It'll be alright in a moment, don't be afraid, it'll be alright in a moment." Liu Yu's breath reeked of alcohol, filling my ear.

Male hormones surged through me; his kisses rained down on my face and neck, while a hand roamed freely over my body.

She struggled with all her might, but couldn't break free. Why were women's physical strengths inherently inferior to men's? Tears of fear and despair finally welled up in her eyes.

I'm out here! Who will save me?! Cheng Zhuri, where are you?! --------------------------------------Cheng Family-------------------------------------