Watching Lu Zhiyao walk away, Li Ruoshui couldn’t help but feel surprised.
She had thought he’d refuse stuff like this, but he’d agreed without any hesitation.
“Younger sister-in-law, you still call me ‘Young Master Zheng’?” His amused voice snapped her back to the present. She looked at the handsome man before her and smiled. “That’s a bit too formal.”
“Elder Brother,” she corrected.
This was Zheng Yanqing’s older brother, Zheng Yanmu.
Li Ruoshui didn’t remember him showing up in the book. But the original novel was huge, and she’d skimmed a lot, so she wasn’t sure if she’d just forgotten him.
Zheng Yanmu wore a dark green robe with an official headpiece. He looked sixty percent like Zheng Yanqing, but his vibe was more mature and a lot harder to read.
Two servants with lanterns led the way. Walking beside him felt incredibly awkward.
The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.
Gqvla yzz, pbl oypd’v vblka alyz eywtbvla-kd-zyo.
“R oyp yoyu sd cwpkdlpp yde nswzed’v xyjl kv vs uswa oleekdt cydiwlv. R qllz cye ycswv vbyv.”
Nk Swspbwk pbssj bla blye rszkvlzu. “Zsw’al vss jkde, Ozela Jasvbla.”
Tlzr! Fbl alyzzu eked’v oydv vs xyjl pxyzz vyzj okvb y pvaydtla, lprlnkyzzu y qyxkzu lzela!
“Psd’v cl ps vldpl. R esd’v ckvl.”
Fllkdt bso pvkqq pbl oyp, Hbldt Zydxw nbwnjzle. Tl vssj y casnyel csm qasx y plahydv clbkde bkx.
“Mbkp kp y zkvvzl oleekdt tkqv qsa usw csvb. Kwpv vs pbso xu altyae.”
Mbl asplosse csm bye rlsdu nyahkdtp yde y zktbv, lmrldpkhl pxlzz. Zsw nswze vlzz fwpv cu zssjkdt vbyv obyvlhla oyp kdpkel oypd’v nblyr.
Li Ruoshui stared at it. This was a problem.
She and Zheng Yanqing were faking it. They had a written contract. What was she supposed to do with a pricey gift?
“Elder Brother, why don’t we go to the East Courtyard together? Zheng Yanqing is most likely there. It’s probably better to give it to him directly.”
“Just take it. It’ll make me feel better.”
Zheng Yanmu sighed lightly and pushed the box into her hands, adding a stack of books on top.
“No one can disturb him when he’s studying. We’ll see him at breakfast tomorrow. Could you give these to him for me?”
Clutching the box and books, Li Ruoshui had no choice. She accepted them with a strained smile.
She’d just dump everything on Zheng Yanqing. It was his family’s stuff anyway. Let him deal with it.
“By the way, I don’t think I know where you’re from, younger sister-in-law.”
Funny. She didn’t know where this “Li Ruoshui” was from either.
“I’m from the jianghu. No parents. Home is wherever I lay my head.”
“My apologies.” Zheng Yanmu’s eyes widened slightly, as if he regretted asking. “That was thoughtless of me. I shouldn’t have brought up a sore subject.”
“It’s fine.” Li Ruoshui hugged the items and shook her head with a smile.
The servants ahead held their lanterns aloft. Occasionally, moths would fly out of the darkness, crash into the glass covers, and crawl desperately over them, unable to get to the flame.
Their huge, flickering shadows danced on the ground, antennae twitching. It looked creepy.
A servant quickly smacked one to the ground, glanced back nervously, and relaxed.
Zheng Yanmu didn’t even look. He raised his foot and crushed the moth under his sole, then asked with a smile, “I’ve heard Third Brother’s health has improved lately. He’s not coughing as much. It seems the marriage to ward off misfortune worked. We have you to thank.”
Li Ruoshui forced another awkward laugh. “That’s the doctor’s doing. I can’t take credit.”
The Zheng estate was ridiculously huge, and the East Courtyard was stupidly far out. Even walking faster, it took forever.
“I also heard you and your friends caught the ‘ghost’ that’s been haunting the place. That’s impressive. We should spar sometime.”
“Yeah, sometime for sure.”
Everyone knew “sometime” meant “never.”
Zheng Yanmu paused, then continued, “I’m curious about that night. I travel for business often and miss all the excitement. Would you tell me about it?”
The memories from that night weren’t great. She wasn’t close to him and didn’t want to rehash it. “That’s a long story. Maybe another time when we have more… Oh look, we’re at the East Courtyard. Would you like to come in, Elder Brother?”
Li Ruoshui stood at the moon gate, smiling at him.
He glanced up at the plaque above the entrance and shook his head. “I won’t intrude. You should rest.”
“Alright. Goodnight, Elder Brother.”
Zheng Yanmu nodded and led his entourage toward the northwest.
From what she’d seen walking over, the whole Zheng estate—except for their lonely corner—was lit up for a welcome banquet.
“Poor Zheng Yanqing,” she muttered, watching them go, arms full of gifts. “There’s a party and nobody invited you.”
She didn’t like Zheng Yanmu. His smile and his questions made her skin crawl.
They both wore masks, but Lu Zhiyao was way better at it.
This guy’s mouth said he cared about his brother, but his questions were all surface-level. He said he felt bad for them, yet made her carry his gifts the whole way. He kept talking in circles, like he was trying to dig for something.
Compared to him, Zheng Yanqing—who only wore a mask of pure misery—was way more likable.
Li Ruoshui shoved the courtyard door open with her elbow and walked in. She spotted Zheng Yanqing instantly, nose-deep in a travelogue.
“Why are you carrying all that?”
He quickly put his book down and came over to take the books and box.
“From your big brother.”
Li Ruoshui collapsed into a chair. Her hand trembled as she poured tea.
Carrying Lu Zhiyao had already wiped her out. Hauling this stuff across the estate was the cherry on top. Her muscles twitching was a minor miracle.
At her words, Zheng Yanqing froze. His fingers dug into a book cover. A sarcastic smile tugged at his lips. “When did he get back?”
“Just now,” she said, sighing. “Your family’s throwing him a banquet.”
Zheng Yanqing slumped onto a stool, staring blankly at the rug.
“I thought you didn’t care about your family.”
Li Ruoshui rubbed her sore arms, already mourning for her future self. “He’s the only one who supported me not becoming an official. He’s the only person in this house I still… think good about.”
He gazed vacantly at the books and let out a long sigh. “Last time you said I couldn’t be independent. I thought about it. You’re right. I have no idea how to make a living.”
Li Ruoshui was washing up, her reply muffled by a towel. “Then be a tour guide. You get paid, you travel, you can still write your books. What’s the problem?”
It was like a lightbulb went off. Zheng Yanqing looked at her, his eyes suddenly bright. “A guide?”
Li Ruoshui was too tired to talk. She finished washing, drew the bed curtain, and crawled under the covers.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
The only reason she’d survived this long next to Lu Zhiyao was by living that truth.
“Master Lu, mind your step.”
A servant guided Lu Zhiyao carefully into a side room. He usually carried his white cane, but never when he was with Li Ruoshui, so he moved cautiously.
Several people were inside: Lady Zheng, Master Zheng, and a handful of servants. They all watched him enter.
Lady and Master Zheng exchanged a look and a silent sigh.
This Master Lu was absurdly good-looking, his martial skills were top-tier, and his temperament was famously gentle. On paper, he was perfect.
The only flaw was his eyes.
How could they let their daughter be with a blind man? What if their grandchildren had eye problems too?
“Master Lu, please sit,” Master Zheng began. “We asked you here tonight mainly to thank you for helping our Yanqing the other day. I hope it’s not too grand.”
Lu Zhiyao formed his usual gentle smile. “It was nothing.”
Master Zheng shot his wife a look. Using his blindness, they had a silent conversation.
“Let’s be direct,” Lady Zheng said, clearing her throat with a smile. “Master Lu, do you have someone you fancy?”
“No.”
His reply held zero hesitation.
Lady Zheng nodded, fairly pleased. A few fine lines appeared at her eyes. “Then… what are your thoughts on my daughter?”
A smile played on Lu Zhiyao’s lips. The warm candlelight softened his profile, making him look kind and approachable.
“Forgive me. Your daughter is…?”
Lady Zheng and Master Zheng looked at each other. Their smiles faded.
Was their daughter’s crush completely one-sided? Had they not even met?
A maid standing to the side glanced nervously behind a painted screen and took a small step back.
“It’s me. Zheng Mei. We’ve met before, so it’s not really a first meeting.”
Zheng Mei couldn’t take it anymore. She stepped out from behind the screen and walked right up to him.
“I’ll be blunt too. I like you. Are you willing to enter my Zheng family and become my live-in husband 1[1] 赘婿 (zhuìxù): A son-in-law who lives with and is supported by his wife’s family. In traditional Chinese patriarchy, this arrangement often carried a social stigma for the man, as he was not the head of his own household. ?”
Zheng Mei had been raised in business. She dealt with strangers all the time and had a straightforward, no-nonsense personality. She wasn’t into playing the shy maiden.
If Li Ruoshui were here, she’d be giving Zheng Mei a standing ovation.
The husband-moving-in part wasn’t the point. She just wanted to borrow some of that confidence.
“No.” Lu Zhiyao adjusted the prayer beads on his wrist. His expression didn’t change.
He’d thought coming here might be interesting. This was just boring.
He stood and gave a slight bow. “Thank you for your regards. I must be going.”
Zheng Mei had always been proud. She stepped in front of him, blocking the door, completely unfazed by his rejection. “Think about it. Join my family, and you can have anything you want. I’ll even pay for the best doctors for your eyes. There’s no downside.”
Lu Zhiyao let out a soft laugh. He took a step forward, his voice gentle. “Are you stopping me?”
The smile was the same—kind, compassionate. His eyes were still closed. Yet it sent an icy shiver straight down her spine.
Zheng Mei instinctively moved aside.
“The… the marriage thing can wait. Come boating with me tomorrow.” Before he could refuse, she rushed on, “I’ll grant you one request.”
Lu Zhiyao twisted the cool beads around his wrist. A smile touched his lips. “Very well.”
Zheng Mei let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Lady Zheng beamed.
“Master Lu, we’re having a banquet tonight. Won’t you join us—”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Lu Zhiyao gave them a slight bow and left.
Zheng Mei quickly forgot her earlier chill. She watched him go with satisfaction, already planning her outfit for tomorrow.
She should probably bring extra guards, though.
“Lu Zhiyao… Lu Zhiyao…”
Faint calls drifted through the darkness. The voice was clear and bright. He knew it instantly.
But he only saw black. Even when he opened his eyes, nothing.
What did Li Ruoshui want?
Footsteps approached, accompanied by a cheerful ding-ding of little bells. It wasn’t annoying. It felt alive.
He seemed to be sitting in a courtyard. A breeze rustled the leaves. Cicadas droned endlessly.
Was it summer?
“Look what I bought!”
She ran over, threw an arm around his shoulders, and brought a wave of intense lychee scent—sweet and juicy.
“More lychees?”
He heard his own voice, laced with a fond exasperation and something else he couldn’t name. An emotion he didn’t understand.
Was that really him?
“The season’s almost over. Eat them now or never.”
Peeling sounds came from beside his ear. Juice splattered on his cheek and eyelashes, making him blink.
He heard her stifle a giggle. Cool fingertips brushed his cheek and eyes, wiping the sticky sweetness away. “I’ll peel them over here.”
The bells chimed again as she moved. A new rhythm, totally unfamiliar.
She seemed to have perched on a stone table. The faint lychee smell drifted over from ahead.
That crisp chiming sound suddenly landed on his lap, ding-dangling in the breeze.
Lu Zhiyao’s brow twitched. His hand reached toward the sound and found her slender ankle and the cool anklet around it.
It wasn’t just bells. Strung among them were his white jade prayer beads.
The sun was scorching. The cicadas were maddening.
Lu Zhiyao let go, his voice dry. “What is this?”
“The anklet you made.” The bells chimed again. The sweet lychee scent drifted closer, stopping right in front of him.
“Why?”
She sounded almost exasperated. “Wasn’t this what you asked for?”
The cicadas’ roar suddenly swelled, jolting him awake. He sat up in bed, silent for a long time.
He could still smell that sweetness. He could still hear those bells. He could still feel her foot on his leg.
Lu Zhiyao sat perfectly still. Moonlight crept up from his wrist, over the prayer beads, and into his half-open eyes.
Those misty eyes held the moon’s glow. It was terrifyingly beautiful.
He gripped the beads on his wrist, utterly confused.
What had he been asking for?
[1] 赘婿 (zhuìxù): A son-in-law who lives with and is supported by his wife’s family. In traditional Chinese patriarchy, this arrangement often carried a social stigma for the man, as he was not the head of his own household.
TLN: Oohh lala, the blind man dreams
EDN: hehehe 👀
Second Life Translations' Comment Policy
1. Be kind and respectful. Comments with curses will be put under moderation.
2. No links to other websites or asking for links.
3. No spoilers!