Gu Yitong recalled their three years together, large tears falling uncontrollably onto her clothes.
The old man was her second father; without him, she would have died long ago.
The old man had passed away with a smile, perhaps having seen her.
Knowing he wouldn't live much longer, the old man had made arrangements for Gu Yitong, leaving her his money and house, hoping she would continue to help those who wished to end their lives.
She hated her powerlessness to save the old man, so she used the money he left her to open a pharmacy. For the poor who couldn't afford medicine, she provided free help, just as the old man had done for her, determined to carry on his legacy.
This was why, upon learning of Lu Yu's medical skills, she had been so eager to have her come and practice.
It wasn't because she was truly greedy for money, but rather a desire to mend more people's regrets, just like the old man had done.
After the old man's death, she had completely shut herself off. Her usual cheerfulness was merely a facade.
Finally meeting Yi'er today, Gu Yitong could no longer hide her emotions, wanting only to vent them freely.
Tired from crying, Gu Yitong lay on the bed, wishing more than ever for the next day to arrive quickly.
She had a thousand things to ask. She wanted to know if he had been well all these years, if anyone had bullied him, why he had avoided her, why he had pretended not to know her.
Lying motionless on the bed, in the silent night, childhood memories replayed like a movie in her mind.
And so it went until dawn, her eyes so dry that even blinking was painful, her tongue stiff as a piece of wood.
The next day, Lu Yu left after breakfast as usual.
Seeing Lu Yu depart, Shen Xuan turned back to his bedroom, took out his bundle, and carefully opened it, taking out his father's memorial tablet to pay respects.
With a creak, Shen Xuan, thinking A'Fu had returned, called out without turning, "A'Fu, place those things on the table."
Lu Yu, seeing Shen Xuan kneeling on the ground with a memorial tablet before him, approached with curiosity.
Hearing the sound behind her, Shen Xuan, thinking A'Fu had something else to say, turned back, "A'Fu, you..."
Her voice abruptly stopped. Shen Xuan stared at her blankly, appearing at a loss, his eyes revealing unconcealed shock, which quickly turned to unease.
Flustered, he quickly stood before the memorial tablet, blocking Lu Yu's view. He knew it was a futile attempt, as Lu Yu had been inside for a while and would have seen clearly.
In truth, Lu Yu hadn't seen clearly, only getting a general impression; she didn't know the specific characters inscribed on it.
Lu Yu, not understanding the reason for his sudden, strong reaction, took a few steps forward. Seeing his uncontrollable trembling and pale face, Lu Yu dared not make any further moves.
She simply stood there, racking her brain for a way to say something lighthearted to calm Shen Xuan's emotions.
A few days prior, Shen Xuan would not have reacted so strongly.
But having heard yesterday that Lu Yu had visited a pleasure house, he felt utterly insecure.
He had truly developed feelings. Lu Yu's visit to the pleasure house made him believe she had grown tired of him, so he naturally dared not overstep any further.
"Wife, wife-lord, why have you returned?" Shen Xuan stammered, finally managing to utter a complete sentence.
"Did you forget? Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. I promised you I would accompany you to visit your maternal grandparents." Lu Yu's voice was gentle, so soft it could drip with water.
Unexpectedly, this very sentence caused Shen Xuan's eyes to redden, and he lowered his head, tears falling profusely.
So she still remembered her promise to him under the moon, did she still care about me? Does she care?
"You... what's wrong?" Lu Yu panicked, unsure what was wrong with her words.
Shen Xuan wanted to answer her, but all that came out was sobbing, his words jumbled and sentences incomplete.
Seeing Shen Xuan trembling violently from crying, Lu Yu could bear it no longer. She strode forward and pulled Shen Xuan into her embrace.
She stroked his head, murmuring soft words of comfort.
Only then did Lu Yu clearly see the memorial tablet behind Shen Xuan; it was his father's.
Held in Lu Yu's arms, Shen Xuan tightly gripped the back of Lu Yu's clothes, lowered his head, and buried his face in Lu Yu's shoulder, sobbing softly.
The clothes on her shoulder were slowly soaked, the damp fabric chilling against her body. The tears continuously falling from her eyes, however, were hot. The chill left her bewildered, the heat made her heart ache.
The sobbing continued by her ear. Seeing Shen Xuan's back heave with his crying, Lu Yu reached out to smooth it, rubbing her head against his.
"Are you afraid I'll blame you?" Lu Yu asked cautiously, seeing his emotions stabilize slightly.
Indeed, upon hearing this, Shen Xuan's body stiffened, and he held his breath, as if awaiting Lu Yu's response.
Lu Yu continued, "How could I blame you? After these days together, don't you know me?"
"I know, I know," Shen Xuan said hurriedly, his words unclear. But halfway through, he fell silent again. He was no longer sure if he truly knew her.
"Then why are you crying?"
"I, I just, I was just a little scared," Shen Xuan spoke intermittently.
"Scared of what?"
At this point, Shen Xuan felt it was best to clear things up, to avoid tormenting himself daily.
Biting his lip, he tried to hold back his tears and withdrew from Lu Yu's embrace.
"Wife-lord, you... are you tired of me?" After a fierce internal struggle, Shen Xuan finally decided to ask. Better to be disappointed sooner than to prolong the entanglement and torment himself and others.
"Of course not. Why would you ask that?"
Hearing Shen Xuan's question, Lu Yu became even more certain that he must have known she had gone to the pleasure house yesterday.
"Then why, why did you go to the pleasure house yesterday to find, find other men?"
"We haven't consummated our marriage, and you go to places like that. I clearly! I clearly..." Shen Xuan's voice grew softer, and by the end, he seemed embarrassed, pursing his lips and lowering his head.
Hearing the end of his words, Lu Yu was also a little confused. Find men? She had accompanied Gu Yitong to enjoy singing and dancing.
Seeing Shen Xuan's face turn red as he spoke, Lu Yu seemed to understand.
"Do you think a pleasure house is a brothel?"
Indeed, a young master who had never left his home since childhood would not distinguish between a pleasure house and a brothel. Some young masters had never even heard of them.
Shen Xuan had learned the term "pleasure house" from sneaking out of his home a few times to see his maternal grandfather, and he believed it to be the same kind of disreputable place women frequented.
Aren't they the same? Shen Xuan, seeing the expression on Lu Yu's face, was confused. Had he misunderstood her?
"My little fool..."
Seeing Shen Xuan standing there blankly with a confused look, Lu Yu sighed and stepped forward again, holding Shen Xuan tightly in her arms.
"I like you. I don't even want to look at other men. How could you doubt me?"
This time, Shen Xuan didn't break free. "Then why were you so cold to me a few days ago?" Shen Xuan mumbled, resting his head on Lu Yu's shoulder.
Thinking of that misunderstanding, Lu Yu felt a little embarrassed and inwardly mocked herself. She felt it was necessary to explain things clearly to Shen Xuan.