Chapter 85: Breathing and heartbeat are out of rhythm

With the younger generation gone, there were only Wei Shi and Chen Shi left in the inner courtyard. Wei Shi finally asked, “Why did you suddenly divide the family like this?”

Wei Shi had some faint guesses in her heart, but she dared not think too deeply. She just looked at Chen Shi, waiting for her to explain.

In fact, Chen Shi had thought about how to tell Wei Shi before she came. According to Lu Xun, if the second son did something foolish, it was only he who felt it was secretive. The Liu family was respectable, and if they noticed, it would only save face for him. However, once the matter of dividing the family spread, the Liu family would surely look for reasons within themselves. Thinking too much about it might create rifts, so it was better to be straightforward.

Chen Shi sighed and said, “It’s because of my inadequate parenting, and it’s also somewhat related to how our family started four years ago when Chengxiao saved a merchant from Yuanzhou, and how our family began to prosper.”

She recounted how Lu Chengxiao had saved Li Cunyi when he was fourteen years old, and how Li Cunyi had considered him his adopted son. When Li Cunyi wanted to repay the debt, he arranged for Lu Chengxiao to enter the Yuanzhou Academy with his own son.

“Because of this, since Chengxiao was fourteen years old, he has taken a different path from his two older brothers. Unlike his brothers who started working in the family shop at fifteen or sixteen, Chengxiao was sent to study in Yuanzhou by us.”

“Most students at the Yuanzhou Academy have attendants. When Chengxiao left home at fourteen, he lived alone in the academy. So, I bought Babao, who was only eleven at the time, to accompany him as a little servant. The academy not only taught literature but also provided equestrian training. Chengxiao’s adoptive father even gave him a horse.”

Wei Shi gradually caught on. Sure enough, Chen Shi bitterly smiled, “You see, doesn’t it seem like Chengxiao has a much better life than his two older brothers?”

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There couldn’t be a more comforting statement than Wei Shi’s. Chen Shi said immediately, “Sister Wei, don’t worry. When the family was divided today, I was the one who spoke up first. Chengxiao left home early, and now that he’s back, he’s been divided from our family by our unreliable second son. Chengxiao is open-minded and can handle it, but I can’t let honest people suffer.”

“In the future, when Yu’er enters our door and Shuang’er gets married, if the young couple hasn’t settled down yet, they can stay at home. If they do settle down, and they want to live a sweet life together, I won’t intrude. But when they have children and need the help of the elderly, I won’t hesitate to go over.”

“You’ve met our eldest daughter-in-law, who is a very good person. I guarantee that Yu’er won’t suffer because he’s been divided from the family.”

The marriage hadn’t been arranged yet, but even taking care of the children was already planned out. Wei Shi couldn’t help but laugh and cry.

However, deep down, she was genuinely happy for her niece. If there was anything not good about the Lu family, it might be that Lu Erlang¹Second Son was a bit petty, but Old Master Lu was quite open-minded and willing to take action. Yet, with such subtle signs, to dare to directly divide the family when there was still a son and a daughter without marriage arrangements was quite daring.

In the future, Chengxiao and Yu’er’s days would be spent without interference from Lu Erlang. Any interactions would be based on familial ties and brotherly affection, which was much more relaxed than being tangled together in one household.

She thought this way, but she couldn’t say it in front of Chen Shi. However, she didn’t hide her smile, jesting, “With you as her doting mother-in-law, I have nothing to worry about for Yu’er.”

The mention of “mother-in-law” made Chen Shi incredibly happy, her eyes squinting with joy. With a smile, she said, “I truly cherish your Yu’er. I won’t hide it from you. Just because of your remark about ‘mother-in-law’ earlier, I’m thinking of proposing marriage now. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have the matchmaker come.”

Wei Shi quickly said, “No, no, no. I also cherish my niece. You’ll have plenty of time with her in the future. Take it easy, and let me settle it first.”

Both of them laughed, and after a while, Chen Shi stopped and said with a smile, “Rest assured, I definitely won’t do it now. It’s not that I intend to tease you. It’s just that watching the drama with my silly son is quite interesting.”

She whispered to Wei Shi how she teased Lu Chengxiao on the way and laughed while telling the story. Finally, she said, “When Yu’er can marry into your family depends on his abilities. I’ll just watch from the sidelines for now. But if he dares to propose again, and if Yu’er agrees, Sister Wei, you should agree too.”

Hearing this, Wei Shi chuckled. After careful thought, she said, “It seems so. I’ve never heard him call Yu’er by her name. He always calls her Miss Liu.”

Wei Shi also laughed. This heavy topic of dividing the family, which might concern others greatly, didn’t bother Wei Shi much. The topic shifted to the two children, and they casually discussed marriage.

Chen Shi was even more satisfied with the marriage proposal. As Wei Shi said, what mattered was her son and their family’s integrity.

Who wouldn’t like being recognized? Chen Shi felt extremely happy inside.

While Chen Shi teased her youngest son as a naive block of wood and talked about marriage with Wei Shi, one dared to propose, and the other dared to agree. Little did they know, in the outer courtyard, after Lu Chengxiao told Liu Yu about the family division, he didn’t propose marriage. Instead, he skipped straight to discussing the family finances.

Looking at the money pouch handed over by Lu Chengxiao and hearing him say there were over 130 taels of silver inside, Stunned, she didn’t know how to react for a moment. When she finally recovered, her face flushed, “Master Lu, why did you leave over a hundred taels of silver with me?”

Lu Chengxiao wanted to say that it was in case something unexpected happened and he needed a fallback plan. With this sum of money, at least he could help set up Liu Yu’s embroidery shop.

But he also knew that even if he said so, Liu Yu wouldn’t accept it. So he just said, “All the family assets I have now total only 430 taels. My father gave me 400 taels, and the rest are the savings from these years. Most of the silver from this business trip has already been converted into goods. Except for the expenses on the road, I decided to keep some silver as a precaution. If there are any risks, having this extra hundred taels might help me start anew, right?”

It made sense to diversify risks.

“But why leave it with me? It could be kept at home or with Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu.”

This was deliberately playing dumb, as Liu Yu’s face was already turning red.

Lu Chengxiao’s lips curved slightly, and he leaned closer to Liu Yu, suppressing the urge to affectionately call her “Yu’er”, omitting the term of endearment, and whispered, “I came back this time to propose marriage. Is that alright?”

He was too close, and his voice was so pleasant. Liu Yu’s heart couldn’t help but beat faster, and she felt her face heating up. Unbeknownst to her, in Lu Chengxiao’s eyes, her earlobes were gradually turning rosy.

Lu Chengxiao’s heartbeat also became irregular. His throat moved slightly, but this time, he didn’t step back. Instead, he stared directly at Liu Yu, watching as her cheeks gradually turned pink. He repeated, “Is it okay?”

His voice was slightly hoarse, adding to the charm.

The two were extremely close, their eyes locked, their breath and heartbeats out of rhythm.

Lu Chengxiao sensitively detected a faint fragrance in the air, making it extremely difficult for him to keep his breathing normal.

That “Is it okay?” seemed to have a magical power. Liu Yu’s lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to agree.

Lu Chengxiao’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to her, and he felt an inexplicable urge to get closer.

“Chengxiao!”

Liu Yanping’s voice came from outside, startling them both. They quickly moved apart as if they were scalded.

Liu Yu’s face was flushed red, and she looked flustered towards the courtyard door. The door creaked open, and Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan entered from outside. Liu Yu felt relieved that they hadn’t been seen. It turned out that her third brother had closed the door when he went out earlier.

Thinking of this, Liu Yu’s face turned even redder. She didn’t even know whether the door was closed or not, and she and Lu Chengxiao just now…

Her heart pounded as if it wanted to burst out of her chest.

Lu Chengxiao’s reaction was no different from Liu Yu’s, just a bit calmer. Taking advantage of Liu Yu’s flustered state, he stuffed the money pouch into her hand and smiled, saying, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

As soon as Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan entered the hall, Liu Yanping, who seemed to be closer to Lu Chengxiao, smiled and asked, “Agree to what?”

Turning to see Liu Yu’s flushed face, he looked at Lu Chengxiao with suspicion.

Lu Chengxiao noticed Liu Yu’s nervousness and pointed to the money pouch in her hand with a smile, “Agreed to help me keep something safe.”

Then he turned to Liu Yu, earnestly asking, “Is it okay?”

Liu Yu didn’t expect him to ask boldly in front of her elder and younger brothers. Feeling embarrassed, she glared at Lu Chengxiao, refusing to acknowledge him, and then turned to Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan, saying, “You guys talk. I’ll go put this away.”

With a flushed face, she hurriedly left the hall.

Lu Chengxiao saw her take the money pouch and knew that she had agreed. He was ecstatic, his brows, eyes, and lips all blossoming with joy, and his smile never faded.

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