Одна улыбка может обрушить город

Глава 33

Thank you everyone.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

After Madam Lu finished speaking, she recalled Madam Xu's previous letter. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, it was clear from the words that Jiao Niang was someone who couldn't tolerate any dissent. She glanced at her with some concern, but seeing only a slight frown and no outburst of anger, she breathed a sigh of relief. However, she was also secretly puzzled. She quickly stood up and said, "Now that we know where he is, there's no problem. Just stay home and wait. Your aunt will send Guan Han to bring him back, and he'll be perfectly unharmed."

Xu Shirong quickly thanked her, and Madam Lu patted her hand and left with a smile.

When Yang Huan was brought back, he was indeed unharmed, but he was carried in by several people. He was still fast asleep, and even before getting close, he reeked of alcohol, whether from drinking or being soaked in a vat of liquor, it was unclear. Erbao, who followed him in, glanced at Xu Shirong's frosty face and slightly shrank his neck. [First published at www.yanqing8.Net]

Seeing Yang Huan so drunk, Madam Lu was somewhat surprised. She turned to scold Erbao, "You blind fool! Ever since Master Han went off to fool around, even if we couldn't stop him, we should at least have come back and informed him. If it weren't for that lad from the brothel coming over this morning, we would still be in the dark! There's no point in keeping such a useless thing around!"

Erbao was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he immediately stammered, begging for mercy, "Last night, I was sleeping soundly when the young master kicked the door open, grabbed me, and ordered me to be taken to that brothel. I had no choice but to go. I was only thinking of coming back to report, but then I saw that the young master was drunk and insisted that all the girls wash their faces. He also overturned the table and made a huge scene. There were many of them, and I was afraid he would be taken advantage of, so I stayed close by and didn't dare to leave his side even for a moment. Please, Madam, investigate!"

Madam Lu snorted and said, "You keep claiming you're innocent! From your very first sentence, I knew something was wrong. The young master asked you to lead the way, but it sounds like he doesn't know the way, while you seem to know it like the back of your hand?"

Erbao, realizing his slip of the tongue, quickly slapped his mouth, stammering and unable to speak, inwardly crying out in injustice. His young master was a womanizer; how could he, his personal servant, not know? He had accompanied the young master to Tongzhou City, and although the young master hadn't explicitly said anything, he had faithfully inquired about the city's brothels, waiting to secretly lead the way. But nearly half a month had passed, and they were about to leave the city for Qingmen County, yet he hadn't been of any use. He had been grumbling to himself. Last night, he was sound asleep when the door was suddenly kicked open, startling him so much he jumped out of bed, thinking it was a robbery. But it was his young master's voice, ordering him to be taken to a brothel. He immediately realized that the young master had been kept under tight surveillance by his wife the past few days and, since he was leaving the next day, had sneaked out at night to have some fun, so as not to waste his trip to the prefecture. Thinking himself clever, he told a few bawdy jokes, but instead of pleasing him, he was scolded. He then realized that the young master looked furious and seemed quite angry. Startled, though somewhat puzzled, he meekly went to fetch the horse. The two hadn't gone far when a sudden night rain soaked them to the bone. Wanting to go back for shelter, they saw their young master galloping through the rain. Helpless, they followed, their clothes only later being dried by borrowing a stove used for boiling tea.

Erbao felt wronged, but dared not say much. He slapped himself a few times, then lowered his head, lamenting in his heart that being a servant was not easy, suffering from both sides with no one to sympathize with him.

After scolding Erbao, Madam Lu turned to Xu Shirong and said, "Jiaoniang, since he is still drunk, let's postpone our departure until he is sober."

Xu Shirong glanced at the already packed carriages and luggage, thought for a moment, and then smiled, "Everything is already bundled up. Unpacking it would be troublesome and delay our journey, making us miss our lodging for the night. My carriage is spacious; I'll lay a blanket on it for him to lie down. We'll wait for him to wake up on the road." With that, he had someone carry him to his own carriage.

Seeing that she insisted, and having spent these days with her, Madam Lu knew that although she seemed somewhat refined, she was actually quite opinionated. So she didn't press her further, only telling her to be careful on the road. After everything was settled, she said a few words of farewell, promising to visit each other often in the future, before reluctantly seeing her off.

Xu Shirong sat in the carriage and saw Yang Huan lying in front of her, his eyes slightly closed, still fast asleep. After staring at him for a while, she suddenly noticed his eyelids twitch slightly and he made a sound in his throat. After listening carefully, she realized he was saying "water." Seeing that his lips were indeed dry and chapped, she poured a cup of water from the water jug beside her, gently lifted his head, and fed him the water.

After feeding him water, Xu Shirong saw him smack his lips a few times, as if he wanted more, so she fed him some more before laying him down. However, her brow furrowed slightly. It turned out that when she helped him up, her hand had touched his clothes, and although it wasn't visible, they were still damp to the touch. Not long after he stormed out last night, a heavy rainstorm had struck, and he must have been soaked. This man had braved the rain to visit Xianle Tower and then caused a scene at Mudan Pavilion, yet he had worn these soaked clothes all night without removing them. Had he deliberately dried them himself, leaving them half-dry? Remembering how she herself had felt a chill even wrapped in a blanket last night, while this man had spent the entire night in his soaked clothes, treating himself like this, it was both laughable and infuriating.

Xu Shirong suppressed his displeasure, leaned over and stopped the carriage. He asked Xiao Que to fetch a clean set of clothes from the trunk and handed them to him before they resumed their journey. As soon as she peeled back the collar of his clothes, she was taken aback to see several faint traces of lipstick marks on one side of his neck.

Xu Shirong was only stunned for a moment, then quickly pursed her lips, ignoring the mark, and stripped him of his clothes inside and out, forcefully pulling him out from under him, leaving him with only a naked body.

Last night, she accidentally touched Yang Huan's genitals. It was just a moment of carelessness, and fearing he would pester her, she was flustered and confused. Now, she was both annoyed and Yang Huan was fast asleep. Although his naked body was right under her nose, she really didn't see it. She had seen too many before, black, white, yellow, long, short, fat, thin, all kinds of men.

With some effort, Xu Shirong helped Yang Huan put on his inner robe and covered him with a quilt. She then glanced at Yang Huan's face and saw that his brows were slightly furrowed and his lips were slightly upturned. Even in his sleep, he seemed to have an infinite sense of grievance. She couldn't help but sigh deeply.

Yang Huan slept until the sun was already setting before waking up. He stared blankly at the roof of the carriage for a moment, then suddenly sat up and noticed Xu Shirong sitting beside him. His expression changed several times before he blurted out, "Where is this?"

Xu Shirong looked at him and said calmly, "Naturally, I'm on my way back to Qingmen. Did you think I was still in Xianle Tower?"

Yang Huan blushed, looked down at himself, then at Xu Shirong's expression, before cautiously asking, "Did you change my clothes?"

Xu Shirong ignored him and said sternly, "Yang Huan, you're not a child anymore. You should use your brain more when you do things in the future. It's fine to go to a brothel if you're upset. But your clothes are soaked through from the rain. Why don't you change into dry clothes? Do you think you're still a three-year-old child?"

Yang Huan had just woken up, vaguely recalling his rampage at Xianle Tower the previous night. All that remained was a bellyful of resentment; all his previous arrogance had vanished. Seeing that after she finished speaking, she didn't even glance at him, only her face filled with disgust, he felt even more remorseful. He whispered, "I...I went there last night, but nothing much happened, I just drank a few cups of wine..." Before he could finish, seeing her icy gaze sweep over him, he gritted his teeth and hurriedly pointed to the sky, "I did call over a few girls, one of them even came close but I chased her away, that's really all. If I'm lying to you even a single word, may I be struck by lightning!"

Seeing his anxious expression, Xu Shirong snorted, took out a plain handkerchief from her sleeve, and tossed it to him, saying, "Whether you lie or not is up to you. Just remember to wipe your neck clean next time, so you don't get laughed at when you come out!"

Yang Huan took the handkerchief, completely bewildered, but still wiped his neck as instructed. Sure enough, he saw a red stain on the snow-white handkerchief and broke out in a cold sweat. He thought to himself, "That was close! Luckily I told the truth, otherwise I would have been in real trouble." Seeing Xu Shirong reach for the handkerchief back, he hurriedly stuffed it into his clothes and said with a forced smile, "I've dirtied your handkerchief, I'll take it to wash it and return it."

Xu Shirong glanced at him and then ignored him, leaning against the wall to rest with her eyes closed. Yang Huan knew that although she had said it was fine to go to the brothel, she must not have liked it in her heart. He was extremely frustrated and wanted to slap himself. He could only sit to the side, stealing glances at her. He wanted to go over and talk to her, but he didn't dare. Just as his heart was churning, he suddenly felt the carriage stop, and the coachman's voice came from outside: "Sir, Madam, we've arrived at the inn. Shall we rest here tonight?"

Xu Shirong opened her eyes and got off the carriage. Yang Huan was about to follow when he noticed he was still wearing his undergarments. He quickly pulled on his outer garment before jumping off the carriage. Looking up, he saw it was the same house he had stayed at the last time. Upon entering the main hall, he heard Xu Shirong ask for three rooms, initially thinking it would be two people in one. Xiao Que asked, and it turned out Er Bao and the coachman would share. However, just as they were about to enter the room, Xu Shirong stopped them, saying, "Xiao Que and I will sleep here. You'll have one room by yourself, and the coachman and Er Bao will share."

Yang Huan was about to speak in defense when he saw her leaning against the door, looking at him indifferently. He couldn't open his mouth. He glanced at Xiao Que, hoping she would understand and give way. But Xiao Que was a silly girl who only knew to listen to Xu Shirong. Without even looking at him, she happily went inside to unpack her bundle.

Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Yang Huan wanted to say something more, but Xu Shirong stared at him, and he opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound. Seeing that she had already turned her head and closed the door, he could only sigh, hang his head, and return to his room listlessly.

Xu Shirong was awakened in the middle of the night by a knocking on the door. When Xiao Que got up and opened the door, Er Bao was standing there.

"You blockhead, what are you doing knocking on the door in the middle of the night!"

Little Sparrow yawned as it poked its head out and asked somewhat impatiently.

"The young master has a high fever and is talking nonsense, constantly calling out the lady's name!"

Upon hearing this, Little Sparrow was wide awake and rushed in, repeating what he had said.

Xu Shirong's heart skipped a beat. She immediately put on her clothes and went out. Xiao Que, carrying an oil lamp, hurriedly followed.

Yang Huan's house wasn't far; it was just around the corner. Xiao Que and Er Bao were waiting at the door, and Xu Shirong pushed the door open and went inside.

Yang Huan was listening intently to the sounds outside when he heard familiar footsteps approaching, knowing that Jiao Niang had arrived. He was indeed feeling unwell, and at this moment he quickly closed his eyes, no longer holding back, and immediately began to moan softly.

Xu Shirong placed the oil lamp on the table and sat down beside his bed. Seeing that his eyes were tightly closed and his face was flushed, she reached out and touched his forehead; it was indeed burning hot.

"Jiaoniang...you've come...I'm so sad..."

Yang Huan slightly opened his eyes, looked at Xu Shirong, and weakly squeezed out a few words through his teeth.

"I told you not to go out in the rain and act crazy again. Now you know how painful it is, right?"

Xu Shirong frowned, and couldn't help but start to scold again.

Yang Huan shrank back, waiting for her to finish her tirade before gently taking her hand. He stammered, "I... I was afraid of disturbing you, so I told Erbao not to knock on your door... I've always been healthy, I'll be fine after a while... This servant is so stubborn... He called me over to yell at me..."

Although his voice was soft, Erbao outside the door heard his name and pricked up his ears. He still caught the gist of it, and immediately felt a sharp pain in his teeth. He looked miserable and felt incredibly wronged. He couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "He was the one who came to knock on the door and told me to knock on Madam's door. How come he's blaming me now?"

Little Sparrow, still a bit sleepy leaning against the door, was amused by his words. She smacked her head and muttered with a laugh, "I knew you were a blockhead!"

Leaving aside the two at the door, Xu Shirong's hand was grabbed by him, and it felt very hot. Based on her experience, she estimated it to be between thirty-nine and forty degrees Celsius. She shook her head, hurriedly stood up and was about to walk out, but he grabbed her sleeve tightly.