Chapter 40: Doubt

Liu Chuyan propped her forehead, rubbed her eyes, and looked around the room again. Everything seemed perfectly normal. That fleeting moment—Xue Ao could not possibly have escaped the room; surely, she must have been seeing things. It was just her mind playing tricks, so preoccupied with him taking liberties that even her dreams were disturbed by his presence. Truly, he was insufferable, ruining her sweet dreams.

When Xue Ao applied the acupuncture point, he was careful not to hurt her, not pressing too hard. He hadn’t anticipated that her sleep would be so light, causing her to wake up on her own not long after. Fortunately, he was agile and fast; otherwise, she would have surely torn him limb from limb by now.

Surely she hadn’t discovered anything, had she? Xue Ao approached the hole in the floor, peering down to observe the situation below.

Liu Chuyan had already climbed out of bed, now sitting on the embroidered stool, brows tightly furrowed, nose wrinkled, touching her lips in confusion. Her lips were swollen, tender to the touch. She recalled the sensation in her dream—a swelling, yes, but of sweet happiness. Why were her lips swollen upon waking? Could she have bitten them herself?

Impossible, surely she hadn’t been smacking her lips in her sleep. The thought alone was embarrassing and undignified. Thankfully, Songling and Qinghe weren’t in the room; if they had seen her, she would have been mortified.

Suddenly, she felt something amiss on her shoulder. Pulling aside her sleeve, she found two small red marks. She remembered that the hornet hadn't stung her there. She rubbed at them, but the marks remained, neither painful nor itchy. She shrugged it off, deciding not to worry.

Yet almost immediately she thought of Xue Ao, who had ruined her happiness, and she grew agitated. She must drive him away; his legs had healed enough to go up and down stairs, so there was nothing keeping him here.

As she thought this, she stood and headed upstairs.

But just as Liu Chuyan reached the staircase, she saw a paper ball tossed in through the small window of the attic. Startled, she wondered if Han Shuwei was outside playing and had accidentally thrown it in. If she came to retrieve it, wouldn’t Xue Ao be discovered?

Xue Ao saw her coming up, his expression distracted, but when he noticed the paper ball, his demeanor shifted, frowning as he stood and picked it up.

"Second Master Xue..." Liu Chuyan heard movement outside, as if someone really was coming in, and grew anxious.

Xue Ao waved her off, stopping her, lowered his head in thought, then turned and said, "Miss Liu, thank you for putting up with me these days. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now."

"But you can’t go out just yet," Liu Chuyan said, flustered, stepping forward to grab his sleeve.

Xue Ao smiled faintly, gently patting her head. "Don’t worry, I’m fine now."

She followed his gaze to his leg; who cared about his leg, really—this man was impossible.

Xue Ao wanted to share his past with her, but now was not the time. He only softly said, "Girl, take good care of yourself. I’ll be going first."

Liu Chuyan was stunned by his affectionate "girl," but before she could speak, a shadow flashed before her eyes and he leapt out the window. Her heart clenched as she hurried to the window, but when she looked out, he was gone, not even a bird left in the courtyard.

So he left just like that? Was he truly recovered? Was his leg really alright?

Was that paper ball meant for him? Who sent it? How did they know he was here? Did that person also know she had saved him?

If so, besides Songling, someone else knew the truth. Liu Chuyan stamped her foot in frustration, but the culprit had already flown out the window.

He flew out the window? His martial skills were truly extraordinary. Was he really downstairs earlier? She unconsciously pressed her lips.

Oh dear, why was she thinking about this again? There was no evidence to support such thoughts. Moreover, matters that could ruin her reputation were best left unthought—she ought not to dwell on them!

Liu Chuyan silently admonished herself. And just now, he had touched her head and given her a meaningful smile. He was once again taking liberties—what a scoundrel!

"Chuyan."

"Cousin."

As Liu Chuyan fretted, the Han sisters arrived—just as she expected. She immediately hurried downstairs, and they pushed the door open and came in.

"Hey, cousin, you’re up," Han Shuwei said as she entered, seeing Liu Chuyan by the table, holding a teacup. "Why didn’t you let Songling in to take care of you?"

"I was just thirsty," Liu Chuyan replied, taking a big gulp to hide her embarrassment.

Han Shuwei suspected nothing, glanced at the red mark on her forehead, and asked apologetically, "Cousin, does it still hurt?"

"It doesn’t, don’t blame yourself," Liu Chuyan said, squeezing her hand and sitting down.

Han Shujing, preoccupied, didn’t notice anything amiss and only sighed quietly at the table.

"Is something wrong, cousin?" Liu Chuyan sent Qinghe and Songling to the kitchen for fresh tea and pastries, closed the door, and asked with concern.

Han Shujing shook her head slightly, but Han Shuwei jumped in: "Cousin, you were asleep just now, so you didn’t know. A quarter of an hour ago, someone came from the Zhou residence."

"The Zhou residence? What did they want?"

"Madam Zhou sent them. The old lady of the Zhou family suddenly fell ill and may not have much time left. If the Marquis of Wukang’s family is willing, they hope you can settle matters with the Zhou family soon. Otherwise, if the old lady passes, the young master will have to observe mourning for three years."

"The old lady of Zhou fell ill so suddenly?" Liu Chuyan had heard that the old lady of the Zhou family, though older than Lady Han, was robust and healthy. There hadn’t been any trouble in the Zhou residence recently either.

"She’s over seventy, so it’s to be expected," Han Shujing finally replied.

Han Shuwei, however, pursed her lips. "At her age, she probably just wants to see her great-grandchildren. I doubt she’s really sick—it’s likely a ploy to hurry mother and pressure cousin to marry soon and serve her."

"Shuwei, don’t talk nonsense," Han Shujing scolded.

Han Shuwei defended herself, "Cousin, that’s what the maid who brought the message said—we both heard it."

"The maid said that?" Liu Chuyan was puzzled.

"They were whispering, and we overheard," Han Shuwei explained.

"So the old lady’s illness is deliberate?"

"In any case, the Zhou family wants cousin to marry soon, but cousin hasn’t made up her mind, and father hasn’t agreed yet," Han Shuwei said, pursing her lips. Although she once thought well of the Zhou young master, upon hearing this, she felt she must reconsider for her cousin. If they could resort to such tactics, the old lady and Madam Zhou were not easy to get along with. With Han Shujing’s temperament, she might suffer if she married there.

Han Shuwei’s words were evidently true, for Han Shujing did not refute her.

Liu Chuyan squeezed Han Shujing’s hand. "Cousin, what do you think?"

Han Shujing shook her head helplessly. "I don’t know. There aren’t many suitable men in Jinling, and the Zhou young master is decent. I do have some feelings for him, but I don’t know how he feels about me. As for the old lady and Madam Zhou, you’ve heard—they’re like that. They’d rather curse themselves than let the family line die out."

"It’s understandable for elders to think that way. But have you asked about the Zhou young master’s feelings?" Liu Chuyan comforted her and then asked the most important question.

Han Shujing said nothing, so Han Shuwei answered for her, "Whenever it comes to such matters, cousin doesn’t know what to think. We’d like to ask, but we can’t question anyone from the Zhou residence, and don’t know who else to ask. Mother and grandmother are both worried."

"Has your grandaunt replied?"

"Not yet, she said she’d consider for a few days."

"Then there’s room to negotiate. The Zhou young master’s temperament should be investigated," Liu Chuyan decided. She couldn’t reveal what Xue Ao had told her, for if Han Shujing pressed her, she couldn’t answer. She would wait a few days before speaking.

"Chuyan, I heard that the Zhou young master is close to the second young master of the Duke of Xingguo’s residence. Have the Xue sisters ever mentioned him?" Han Shujing, though confused for a while, gradually clarified her thoughts and asked.

Liu Chuyan instinctively shook her head.

Han Shuwei’s eyes lit up, exclaiming, "Cousin, grandmother said we should return to the residence soon because of this matter. The day after tomorrow, when we visit the Duke of Xingguo’s residence, I’ll ask them."

Han Shujing nodded, while Liu Chuyan’s heart was in turmoil. Visiting the Duke of Xingguo’s residence meant she would encounter Xue Ao again.

No matter how much Liu Chuyan dreaded it, on the third day, she found herself at the Duke of Xingguo’s residence. The previous day, Lady Han had anxiously prepared for the matter, sending Lady Han the second herself to visit, accompanied by her two daughters and Liu Chuyan.

They claimed it was just the young ladies gathering, but in truth, Lady Han the second immediately closed herself in with Lady Xue to talk. Xue Huaiqin had also heard of the matter and guessed their purpose, ordering the maids to serve tea and clear the room, then smiling at Liu Chuyan, "Sister Chuyan, I heard Madam Zhou has her eye on one of the young ladies from your residence—is it you, or your cousin?" She glanced at Han Shujing, who sat primly.

Liu Chuyan shot her a look, urging her to speak quietly.

Xue Huaiqin understood, sat beside her on the couch, and patted her chest. "It’s your cousin, then. Good, good."

"Why?"

"My second brother said, when he returned a few days ago, that Madam Zhou seemed eager to choose a young lady from your residence. She’s quite anxious."

"Hmm?" Liu Chuyan hadn’t expected Xue Ao to speak of such things. Suddenly, it struck her—when she questioned him, he understood her intent? Oh, if only she’d been direct! But Xue Huaiqin’s words sounded odd. He was anxious? Why?

Xue Huaiqin wouldn’t explain why Xue Ao was anxious. In truth, she wasn’t sure herself—whether he was anxious for Xue Tan or for himself. If it was for himself, that would be troublesome. Sister Chuyan was truly remarkable; both brothers were bewitched by her. Still, no matter what, she liked this sister. Whether she became her sister-in-law or second sister-in-law, she had no objections.

Seeing Han Shujing frequently glance over, even while holding her teacup, Liu Chuyan squeezed Xue Huaiqin’s arm and asked, "Do you know, sister, what kind of person the Zhou young master is?"

Author’s note:

Thank you to Village Girl, An Zhi Ruo Su, and sqyz for your landmines, kisses~ Wishing you wealth soon~ Happy New Year~ Village Girl threw a landmine at 2014-01-28 23:28:51
An Zhi Ruo Su threw a landmine at 2014-01-29 14:27:43
sqyz threw a landmine at 2014-01-29 20:13:24
Today a new feature for author’s red envelopes has launched! I’ve sent them to those who’ve recently been active, left comments, or thrown landmines~ Since there are many comments, I might have missed some, feel free to bump your comment as a reminder. Today’s comments get a red envelope; tomorrow depends on the situation~ Since I’m not rich!
Also, on New Year’s Eve I have to hurry home by bus, cook the holiday dinner, and accompany my mother shopping~ so I probably won’t be able to update~ I’ll take a break in advance~
Lastly, wishing everyone a happy New Year~ soon to be wealthy, soon to get a raise, soon to find a partner, soon to become beautiful, soon to become rich, soon to be happier, soon to be more fulfilled, soon to be healthier~