Chapter 66 By the River

Chapter 66 By the Riverside

Jian Ru’s lips twitched. "Why?"

The Second Young Master replied, "Because when I left the main hall that day, Sun Yushuang declared that regardless of my departure, the next day he would spread rumors of impropriety between us, determined to marry into the Li family."

"And as for the third young master... in our youth, he was a rascal, and I dismissed it as childishness. Yet, knowing full well Sun Yushuang’s intentions, he still tricked me into helping him orchestrate this scheme."

The Second Young Master gazed at the decaying vegetation beneath the river’s surface and smiled wryly. "The third young master’s willingness to assist Sun Yushuang surely stemmed from his own agenda. He, too, bears the Li surname, and his second uncle’s family is also part of the Li clan. One might say it was a win-win, with each achieving their desired outcome!"

Jian Ru blinked twice, then said with utmost sincerity, "Heaven truly is unfair. How can you be so handsome and so clever?"

The smile on the Second Young Master’s face froze. He paused, then turned to the person beside him. "Don’t you think I went too far?"

Jian Ru shook his head, echoing the Second Young Master’s own words: "Wrongdoing must always be repaid."

The Second Young Master stared at him intently for a long moment.

Jian Ru pursed his lips, one hand idly plucking at the grass blades on the ground. "Honestly, I wished that Jiang fellow’s fate had been far worse—flayed and diced would have been ideal. But I didn’t dare tell you, fearing you’d think me lacking in compassion."

Hearing this, the Second Young Master let out a soft sigh.

Jian Ru turned to him. "What’s wrong?"

The Second Young Master said, "Flaying and dicing him—that was actually a possibility. What a missed opportunity."

Jian Ru uttered a surprised "Huh?"

The Second Young Master explained, "I didn’t expect things to go so smoothly. The preparations I had made weren’t even necessary."

When Jian Ru inquired about his original plans, the Second Young Master was reluctant to speak. Only when Jian Ru pressed him urgently did he vaguely state, "In a few days, a security convoy will be resting in town. They’re transporting government silver to the border..."

This time, it was Jian Ru who, with wide eyes, covered the Second Young Master’s mouth.

The Second Young Master’s beautiful eyes gazed at him, and Jian Ru, his heart pounding with fear, exclaimed, "You’re utterly reckless!"

The Second Young Master removed Jian Ru’s hand and held it firmly in his own.

Jian Ru yanked his hand away, his brows deeply furrowed. "If such matters arise again, you must discuss them with me first."

The Second Young Master looked at his now-empty hand, his jaw tight, and nodded. "Understood."

Only then did Jian Ru place his hand back into the Second Young Master’s palm. The Second Young Master’s expression relaxed slightly as he clasped it tightly.

Jian Ru cast a sidelong glance at him and said, "Elder Sister told me long ago that you’ve always been a handful since childhood. I realized early on that your refined, humble, gentle, and polite demeanor was all an act."

Hearing this, the Second Young Master merely smiled, his grip on Jian Ru’s hand unwavering.

After a while, Jian Ru remembered something. "Are you still hiding things from me?"

The Second Young Master was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Yes."

Jian Ru let out an exasperated laugh. "Then why don’t you just tell me everything right now?"

The Second Young Master lowered his eyelids and remained silent for a long time.

Jian Ru, feeling helpless and about to give up, saw the Second Young Master look up at him and say, "I..."

Jian Ru waved a hand to stop him. "As I said before—no rush. Tell me when you’re ready."

Hearing this, the Second Young Master indeed closed his mouth and said nothing more.

Jian Ru, frustrated, tapped his forehead lightly. The Second Young Master caught that hand as well, and the two faced each other, gazing for a long time. This was the drawback of having such a handsome husband—Jian Ru found he simply couldn’t bring himself to scold him.

"Would you like to take a walk by the river?" the Second Young Master asked softly.

Jian Ru nodded. "Yes."

The couple stood up. Jian Ru’s legs had gone numb from squatting, so the Second Young Master massaged them for a while before he could walk properly.

The two strolled along the riverbank in the setting sun. The river flowed gently, the frog croaks grew louder, and the evening breeze brushed against their faces—soft and soothing.

Jian Ru felt a light touch against his hand beneath his sleeve, and then it was held firmly.

His cheeks flushed, and he whispered, "Don’t let anyone see us."

The Second Young Master also whispered, "My sleeve will hide it. No one will see."

After walking for a while, the Second Young Master asked, "You... truly aren’t afraid of me, or disgusted by me? The third young master once said that my nature is wicked, and that no one could stand me for long."

Jian Ru gritted his teeth. "Don’t listen to his nonsense! He’s just jealous!" He patted the Second Young Master’s shoulder. "One of us in this couple has to be formidable. With you around, I doubt anyone would dare provoke me. If they do, you can stand up for me!"

The Second Young Master seemed pleased by those words and smiled. "Alright, I’ll stand up for you."

Jian Ru gently bumped his forehead against the Second Young Master’s shoulder. "I’m relying on you from now on."

The Second Young Master looked at him and said, "Good."

...

In a relatively secluded small courtyard within Student Scholar Li’s residence, Li Qinglan sat in the shade under a grapevine trellis, reading a book. Unnoticed, the tabby cat kept by her younger brother-in-law had wandered in and was sleeping lazily by her feet in the cool shade, purring softly.

Qing Lan bent down and gently stroked its soft fur. The cat opened its eyes, gave a sleepy yawn, turned over, and closed its eyes again.

Qing Lan smiled and stopped disturbing it, focusing instead on the novel in her hands.

The book told the tale of a pair of lovers kept apart by their families, forced to separate, and after enduring countless hardships, finally reuniting.

Qing Lan had just reached the part where they met again after a long separation. Tears welled in her eyes, and she kept wiping them with her handkerchief.

Just then, she heard a rustling sound from the courtyard wall. Surprised, she looked up and saw a pair of hands gripping the top of the wall. Qing Lan was startled. Just as she felt the hands looked familiar, her husband’s face appeared from behind the wall. When he saw her, he was also startled, then smiled.

Qing Lan quickly stood up and hurried over, not even minding that she had startled the sleeping cat at her feet.

Her father had always been cautious, and the family’s courtyard wall was built higher than most. If he fell, it would be no laughing matter.

Li Jinfeng, seeing her approach, said awkwardly, "I didn’t know you were in the courtyard."

Qing Lan said urgently, "You were just here yesterday! What are you doing now? Get down before you hurt yourself!"

Li Jinfeng smiled and said, "I was on my way to the clinic and brought you some pastries. If I came through the main gate, your father would likely come to question you again, so I thought I’d leave them on the tree branch near the wall. You’d see them when you came out for a walk."

As he spoke, he reached a hand over the wall and handed her an oil-paper package.

Qing Lan quickly stood on her toes to take it. "Alright, alright, I’ve got it. Hurry down now."

Li Jinfeng laughed. "Don't worry. I brought Xiao Ning from our younger brother’s courtyard along with me. He’s supporting me from below!"

No sooner had he spoken than Qing Lan heard the voice of a teenage boy from outside the wall: "My respects, Madam. Xiao Ning here." Then the boy called out, "Eldest Young Master, be quick! I can’t hold it much longer!"

Qing Lan giggled behind her hand upon hearing this.

Up on the wall, Li Jinfeng also felt pretty silly and scratched his head, saying, "Qing Lan, I'll head to the clinic now."

Qing Lan suddenly thought of something and said, "Wait a moment."

She hurried back to the grape arbor, put down the oil-paper package, picked up the scissors on the stone table, and deftly snipped off two large clusters of green, crystal-like grapes. Putting the scissors down, she then ran back to the wall, stood on tiptoe, and handed the two clusters of grapes up, saying, "These are for Xiao Ning."

Li Jinfeng acknowledged with a reply, and from below, Xiao Ning called out, "Thank you, Madam!"

Qing Lan looked up at her husband and said softly, "You have some too."

Li Jinfeng laughed, "Yeah." The couple gazed at each other across the wall for a while until Xiao Ning protested again from below, and the young master finally jumped down from the wall.

After he'd dropped down, from behind the wall, Qing Lan heard Li Jinfeng say, "I'll come see you another day."

Qing Lan said with concern, "Please don’t climb this wall again."

Li Jinfeng replied, "I don’t want to either, but my father-in-law, he..."

Just as he was speaking, Qing Lan heard an elderly man’s cough from the direction of the small gate in the courtyard—it was unmistakably her father’s voice.

At the same time, from outside the wall, Li Jinfeng hurriedly said, "I’m leaving." Then came the sound of hurried footsteps like someone running for their life.

Qing Lan couldn't help shaking her head with a laugh.