Chapter 83

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Chapter 83: Title

Gu Hengbo stumbled back a few steps, looking at the person in front of her in disbelief, her lips trembling, unable to say a word.

Lian Rong looked at her leisurely. "Ah Heng, long time no see."

Gu Hengbo slowly calmed her breath, staring into those deep, dark eyes, and smiled. "Long time no see."

Lian Rong also smiled, her gaze shifting to the people behind her. "Are those people your friends?"

Because the fireworks were set off far from the crowd, the lively people over there did not notice this side, which made Gu Hengbo breathe a sigh of relief. She still wore a smile on her face. "Yes," she said.

Lian Rong turned his gaze back to her. "Why are you leaving?"

Gu Hengbo was stunned for a moment; she didn’t expect Lian Rong to ask so directly. She had imagined many scenarios of their meeting, none of them pleasant, and even thought that perhaps they would never meet again in this lifetime. This was certainly not how she envisioned it.

Gu Hengbo brushed her hair, which had been messed up by the wind. The long hair she had when she left Prince Rong’s residence was now cut to half its length, barely reaching her shoulders. She couldn’t hide her identity, so she had no choice but to run a farm as a woman, avoiding the need for constant concealment.

Lian Rong naturally saw the cut hair and reached out to touch her dark locks, showing a hint of tenderness. "Ah Heng."

Gu Hengbo discreetly took a step back. "Lian Rong, we should speak frankly. I chose to leave then, and it’s the same now. Although I don’t know what your purpose is for coming, as you can see, I have no value for you anymore. I just want to find an honest man and live a steady life. You have power and wealth; you can get whatever you want. Everything I had while staying at Prince Rong’s residence, I will repay you. I only hope you won’t disturb me again."

Lian Rong was hidden in the shadows, and it was hard to see her expression. She sighed gently. "Ah Heng, you think too much. In the days you’ve been away, I have thought it over carefully. I respect your decision. After all, we were once married. Even if I forced you to stay beside me, what would that change? It might be better to let you go; we could perhaps still call each other friends."

Gu Hengbo could hardly believe her ears. Were these words really coming from Lian Rong?

Lian Rong sighed again. "As you wish, I’ll let you go and let myself off too."

Gu Hengbo stood there, speechless for a long time.

"Ah Heng."

"Yes?"

"You know, I have no place to stay in the Northern Region, so I can only stay here temporarily. You don’t mind, do you?"

Gu Hengbo woodenly shook her head.

Lian Rong smiled faintly. "The brother (referring to the emperor) sent me to the Northern Region to handle some matters. I happened to hear about you, so I hurried over. It’s the New Year; I can’t spend it in the Northern Region palace, so I had no choice but to come here."

A thought flickered in Gu Hengbo’s mind, but she couldn’t grasp it.

"Oh, about the royal city, I’ve heard about it."

Lian Rong feigned distress. "Fortunately, there is the second royal nephew; otherwise, I would have had to go back."

Gu Hengbo instinctively closed her mouth at the mention of Lianyang.

Gu Hengbo arranged for a big tent to be cleaned out temporarily. She stared at the neatly made bed, her mind a bit confused. On New Year’s, no matter how much enmity there was between them, she couldn’t just leave someone out in the cold. But who could tell her what was really happening?

Lian Rong suddenly appeared in front of her, and Gu Hengbo still hadn’t reacted. She never imagined they would meet like this.

"I’m sorry for troubling you. I will leave after the New Year," Lian Rong’s voice came from behind her.

Gu Hengbo knew without looking how awkward she was. She stiffly turned around and forced a smile. "Not a trouble at all. You should rest." Without waiting for Lian Rong to say anything, she ran outside. After the holidays, she had to quickly send her mother away; she absolutely could not let the two meet.

A gentle breeze flowed in through the tent as the curtain lifted, but the people inside were oblivious.

Wuyang entered and saw her master sitting calmly on the thick, soft bed. She sighed enviously. "Such treatment is indeed different."

Lian Rong shot her a glance. "You shouldn’t come around here too much for the next few days. The Northern Region Capital is quite lively; just find a restaurant to stay in."

Wuyang had not planned to say anything, but seeing her left shoulder, she couldn’t help but speak up. "Mistress, your injury."

Lian Rong waved her hand. "It’s nothing; I just need a couple of days to recuperate."

Wuyang nodded and stepped out.

Due to various unexpected events, just two days after the New Year, Gu Hengbo hurriedly sent everyone away. Zou Yuan, with his big mouth, might cause trouble if he saw Lian Rong, and as for Madam Dou, she had insulted Lian Rong so much in front of her that she would probably faint if they met. So, that was that.

(A piglet in the pigpen: Happiness came so suddenly that I don’t know how to handle it.)

Early in the morning, Gu Hengbo was crouched in the chicken coop, focused on gathering eggs. When she heard a noise behind her, she poked her head around and shouted, "Come help me!"

For a moment, Gu Hengbo felt like the whole world had gone dark. She looked at the two large eggs in someone’s slender, pale hands, and that person was smiling at her. It made her want to twitch, you know?

"Do you come in here to check every day?" Lian Rong asked.

Gu Hengbo scratched her head. "This chicken hasn’t laid eggs for several days. I only have a few, and if one isn’t laying, the others get moody too. I haven’t had any eggs for days." Yesterday she borrowed two from the neighbor. Even though she wasn’t craving them, at least they were nutritious. She had been busy these days, and just having meat wasn’t enough. If she had known, she would have asked Zou Yuan to bring her a cart full of eggs last time.

Lian Rong smiled as she walked outside. "I didn’t know you loved eggs so much. If you like them, you could just ask someone to go into town and buy some."

Gu Hengbo followed her out. Since she hadn’t bothered to comb her hair that morning, her hair was a mess, and the wind made it even more tangled. She ran her fingers through her hair a couple of times and then decided to head towards the cow shed.

It was cold now, but once spring came, they could let the cows out.

Gu Hengbo wasn’t the type to be overly sentimental, and she didn’t want to act that way either. Even though she and Lian Rong had gone through so much together, since Lian Rong hadn’t said anything, Gu Hengbo didn’t feel the need to avoid her. But pretending like nothing happened wouldn’t work. Every time she saw Lian Rong’s face, it reminded her of everything they had experienced together, and she couldn’t forget.

At first, Lian Rong had not treated her very well, but later on, she was quite nice to her, even a little indulgent. But now, was she the one who had done wrong?

Gu Hengbo didn’t know how she made that connection, but she thought of herself as a modern-day Chen Shimei, while Lian Rong looked at her like a wronged wife. It made her laugh.

"Is this milk?"

Gu Hengbo stopped laughing and looked ahead, her eyes wide. But it was too late to stop her. When Lian Rong took a sip from the bowl, Gu Hengbo jumped over and shouted, "Are you a pig? This milk is raw!"

Lian Rong looked at her with a confused expression and gulped down the milk.

Gu Hengbo’s lips twitched as she stared at her. "This milk just came out; it needs to be warmed up first, or you’ll get poisoned. It’s common sense."

Hearing her slightly complaining tone, Lian Rong smirked. "No worries, I have a strong constitution."

Gu Hengbo stomped her foot. "Even if it won’t poison you, there are bacteria! You really are something."