Chapter 268: Fear of Contracting a Disease

Chapter 268: Fear of Contracting a Disease

Yet, there were also rumors that during the ceremony, the young master had clearly wanted to pay his respects to Lady Xiu first but was glared down by Lady Dafu. So, it was likely that he only went to Lady Zhen's room under duress.

The young master definitely preferred Lady Xiu. Forced into Lady Zhen's room by Lady Dafu, he didn't care about her face at all and left her to seek out Lady Xiu again.

Upon hearing her maid's words, Wang Fuzhen found it quite interesting.

"So now, half the people are supporting this young miss, and half are supporting Zheng Jinxiu?"

"Mm, everyone seems to have their reasons, so you haven't lost."

So in the first round, the two of them ended up in a draw?

Ha, she had even achieved a draw after scolding Lu Shen out of the house. What did Zheng Jinxiu have to compete with her?

"Miss, do you want to go and snatch back your... Young Master Lu?"

Wang Fuzhen held her forehead. "Didn't I make it clear? Lu Shen is this young miss's enemy. What kind of person is he, worth me trying to please him?"

"But..."

"There are no 'buts.' Lu Shen is so filthy; I can't possibly have anything to do with him. I'm afraid of catching syphilis."

She had been keeping an eye on Lu Shen, and this dirty man was indeed filthy.

After being scolded out by her, he had spent these two days sleeping in Zheng Jinxiu's room.

That shameless Zheng Jinxiu was already pregnant. It was still early in the pregnancy, so they couldn't do that sort of thing, but he also didn't dare to touch the maids in the household under Zheng Jinxiu's watchful eyes.

Lu Shen, that filthy man who couldn't bear a single day without doing it, thus took advantage of the daylight and made excuses about official business to visit the brothel.

What official business could he be busy with? He hadn't even become an official, so where would he get official business from?

Zheng Jinxiu, that fool, didn't know and thought he was very diligent.

But Wang Fuzhen knew.

So she found Lu Shen too filthy.

...

Zheng Jinxiu hadn't come over for several consecutive days, not even sending a servant to deliver a message.

Because the Zheng family was mourning, they considered it unlucky, so Zheng Jinxiu hadn't returned home.

Lord Zheng and Lady Zheng had completely given up hope and gradually accepted emotionally that a married daughter was like water spilt.

It was a strange feeling, something indescribable.

Seven days later, the memorial service ended, and it was time for the old lady's coffin to be taken to the mountain.

No, not the mountain, but the temple.

The old lady had said before her death that she hoped to be buried in her hometown.

The Zheng family's hometown was in Xingyang, where her friends and relatives from her youth, as well as her natal family, were located.

There was a cemetery there where the ancestors of the Zheng family were buried, and when their grandfather died, he was also transported back to the hometown for burial. So there was nothing wrong with sending the old lady back to her hometown.

However, the New Year was approaching, and there had been heavy snow this year, blocking the roads, so they couldn't send her away immediately. They could only temporarily store her remains in the temple.

There were temples in the suburbs specifically designated for storing corpses, similar to mortuaries.

The place where wealthy people stored their corpses was a bit more upscale than a mortuary, with monks chanting scriptures daily.

On the day of the funeral procession, the old lady's body was taken to that temple.

After finishing these matters, the Zheng family returned home as night fell.

Everyone had been rather tired these past few days, so after returning, they each went back to their rooms to sleep.

When Zheng Jinyu finished washing up and came back to sleep, she actually saw a dark figure sitting in her bedroom.

Seeing that familiar silhouette, she guessed who it was.

She closed the door, locked it, shut the windows, and then lit a candle.

"What are you doing here?"

"I just came to see you."

Zheng Jinyu disapproved of his actions.

"You're not fully recovered from your serious injury..."

"I've recovered. Don't believe me? Take a look."

Zheng Jinyu: "..."

"Forget looking. Tell me, what do you want?"

She yawned and sat directly on the bed.

She had truly been exhausted recently; she just wanted to sleep.

Xie Peiyu pinched her nose. "Little ungrateful one, I came to see you, and all you think about is sleeping."

"Hmph, have you never kept vigil? I haven't had a proper rest for several days."

Unable to hold it in any longer, she yawned again.

Xie Peiyu smiled and said, "Alright, alright. I understand. Go to sleep, I'll watch over you."

When did he become so talkative?

Zheng Jinyu found this rather unusual.

"What's going on?"

Xie Peiyu looked at her and said calmly, "After the New Year, I have to go on a long journey."

"Hmm?"

"Where to?" Zheng Jinyu asked.

"To the south."

"My eldest brother's place?"

Xie Peiyu nodded.

"How long will you be gone?"

"I'll be back soon. If everything goes well, within two months."

Sigh! The transportation between north and south was inconvenient. It would take months just for a trip.

"My sister-in-law is also going to my eldest brother's place. She can travel with you."

Xie Peiyu nodded, "Yes, I'll send your sister-in-law to your eldest brother's place as well."

"That... I've been cooped up in the capital for too long. I really want to go out and see the beautiful landscapes of our country. Can I come along?"

Xie Peiyu was taken aback, "You?"

"Mm-hmm, can I?" Zheng Jinyu smiled at him. "I also want to go out for a walk."

"It's a long way and will be tiring. Are you sure?"

"Yes." This was such a good opportunity to travel. Of course, she was sure.

Xie Peiyu didn't know what she was thinking, only assuming that she couldn't bear to be away from him for so long, and he accepted her request gladly.

But... thinking of something, Xie Peiyu's eyes darkened.

The journey ahead wouldn't be peaceful. Bringing her along...

Forget it, he was taking her sister-in-law anyway.

Whether it was one or two people, it was still the same. Besides, if they couldn't remember each other during this time, wouldn't it be even more worrying to leave them in the capital?

"But what about your parents? They won't agree."

"Sending my sister-in-law to my eldest brother's place is a good enough excuse. Whether they agree or not is their business."

Xie Peiyu smiled and patted her head.

She had a bit of a rebellious streak, which was quite adorable.

...

Soon, the New Year arrived, and everyone stayed indoors to avoid the cold. Even Lord Zheng hardly went out.

Lady Zheng noticed that Zheng Hongxu seemed increasingly strange lately. When they talked about Zheng Jinxiu's situation at the Lu family, occasionally mentioning Wang Fuzhen, she would see a peculiar expression on his face.

Lady Zheng sensed something and felt that it was time to arrange a marriage for Zheng Hongxu.

"After the New Year, let's arrange marriages for the brothers."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at her.

Hey, Grandma has only been dead for half a month. What are you thinking?

Zheng Hongxu frowned and said, "Mother, Grandma has just passed away, we should observe mourning for her."

Lady Zheng frowned, "I'm talking about arranging marriages, not getting married. Why are you in such a hurry? We'll set a good date after the mourning period is over."

"But... isn't that inappropriate?"

"There's nothing inappropriate about it. Choosing a wife requires careful consideration. A good choice can bring prosperity for three generations, while a bad one can ruin a family. It's not something that can be done in a day or two. It's best to start preparing now."

"But don't we usually wait until we're of age to get married? My third brother and I are only eighteen."

"Eighteen? You'll be nineteen in a few days. How can you still claim to be eighteen?"

"But..."

"Enough. Marriages are arranged by parents. That's settled."

Zheng Hongqi and Zheng Hongxu were silent, clearly unhappy with Lady Zheng's authoritarianism.