Chapter 98
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Chapter 98:
Xu Yanqu rolled up his sleeves, his eyes sparkling like clear glass in the sunlight, standing in the dappled shadows, gazing lightly towards Li Chunzhou.
Li Chunzhou ran towards him, Xu Yanqu ignored his makeup and clothes, opened his arms and hugged her tightly.
Holding his slender waist, Li Chunzhou felt that Xu Yanqu seemed even thinner than she remembered, but his arms hugging her were remarkably strong.
This embrace held no romantic feelings, only the excitement of a long-awaited reunion too overwhelming to put into words.
Qi Leyuan strolled confidently through the gates of Xiangru Court, heading to the kitchen to sneak some rice.
Without explaining her sudden move, Li Chunzhou didn’t ask, both of them silently locking eyes for a moment before smiling lightly the next second.
"Brother Yan, I want to ask you for a maid." Li Chunzhou said.
Xu Yanqu wasn’t surprised or asked further questions, he simply nodded gently and said, "What’s your name? I’ll get someone to help you find."
"Red Bean," Li Chunzhou said, she calculated the time in her mind, since she didn’t intervene yesterday, Red Bean should still be at Xiangru Court with her parents, so she should be there now.
Xu Yanqu understood and led Li Chunzhou into the theater, telling her to rest here while he discussed with the leader of the troupe.
Li Chunzhou looked around and noticed that there weren’t many people at Xiangru Court today, she was surprised because whenever Xu Yanqu performed, the court was always packed. Why was it so empty today?
Jian Hou, feeling insignificant, silently sat down on Li Chunzhou’s left. Being a newcomer, Li Chunzhou noticed that many actors and servants glanced in their direction, not disrespectfully, but it was somewhat puzzling.
"What will you do after Dungeon ends?" Li Chunzhou asked, "Will you come with me and A’xuan?"
"Yes, there’s no other way for me to go," Jian Hou thought about his identity changing from a civil servant to a wanted fugitive, his expression momentarily somber.
"Don’t be so reluctant, okay?" Sunlight streamed into the courtyard, highlighting Li Chunzhou’s ears, her smile appearing faint in the light with the vast blue sky in the background. She asked, "Aren’t you happy staying with me?"
Jian Hou didn’t answer, he discreetly covered his heart, thinking to himself how troublesome the human body can be.
Red Bean followed Xu Yanqu to Li Chunzhou but kept its head down and didn’t look at her.
Seeing Red Bean again made Li Chunzhou tired yet nostalgic. She thought about how to make Red Bean willingly follow her, while reminiscing about the past – she had come here many times, watching Red Bean escape each time, recalling painful memories, breaking down, and crying in front of her.
She had thought the last time was finally the end, but now it seemed like the past would repeat itself again.
How many times was it now? One hundred and twenty-one times? Or one hundred and twenty-two times?
"Is your name Red Bean?" Li Chunzhou asked with a beautiful smile mixed with a hint of sadness.
The sadness came from the fact that even though she had known Red Bean for many years, each time a new cycle began, the name "Li Chunzhou" was just a unfamiliar stranger to Red Bean.
So their relationship had to start all over again each time. Li Chunzhou held onto futile memories as she softly asked, "Would you like to come by my side as my handmaiden?"
She waited for Red Bean to bluntly refuse her once again, but Red Bean simply looked at her and after a moment softly replied, "I’m sorry, miss, but I have unresolved matters to attend to and can’t comply."
Li Chunzhou raised her head in surprise, widened her dark eyes, and asked, "What matters?"
Jian Hou lowered his voice and said to Li Chunzhou, "Her secret dungeon has been solved by players, so the case must be related to her parents and that mysterious man."
Li Chunzhou slowly realized that since players have memories from their previous lives, they can solve secret dungeons much faster.
Suddenly feeling lost and melancholic, Li Chunzhou realized that Red Bean no longer needed her help, giving her no reason to keep her by her side.
Li Chunzhou forced a smile, more sad than happy. She quickly stood up, said "Okay, I’ll leave now," and walked out of Xiangru Court without looking back.
Afraid and with no reason to turn around, Li Chunzhou didn’t see the complex yet determined look on Red Bean’s face behind her.
Xu Yanqu picked up Qi Leyuan, who had just eaten, and caught up with Li Chunzhou. He said, "Lady Chun, you forgot to bring Li Li with you."
Li Chunzhou turned around, her eyes slightly red, absentmindedly took Li Li from Xu Yanqu. Xu Yanqu cupped her face gently, softly caressed her cheeks with his thumb, "Don’t be sad. As long as you’re here, I’ll be by your side."
Not wanting to show her vulnerable side, Li Chunzhou smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.
She returned to Spring Flowers Tower and watched a leaf floating by the pond stick to a dried branch, carried away by the flowing water. The water channel led to the moat, where various leaves were carried away along the same river.
She put Li Li on the ground and started looking for some fabric to make a new diaper for Li Li. Being busy was like a healing medicine, as soon as she got busy, Li Chunzhou’s mixed feelings were buried, leaving only a calm stillness.
Jian Hou booked a room upstairs, originally wanting to make do in the courtyard where Li Chunzhou stayed, but Chihong immediately vetoed Jian Hou’s idea.
Second Prince came back in the evening with the colorful parrot he had given Li Chunzhou before, greeting Li Chunzhou as soon as he arrived, "You’re back? Welcome home!"
Li Chunzhou looked up at the bird in disbelief, not remembering it could speak so much before.
In the evening, Mama Li asked the maid to call Li Chunzhou upstairs for dinner. The lobby was filled with people, but almost no guests, instead groups of girls sat together at the same table eating.
Li Chunzhou noticed in the afternoon that not only Xiangru Court but even Spring Flowers Tower seemed to have few guests. She thought it might be because of the players, but Mama Li seemed unconcerned. So Li Chunzhou didn’t say anything, just mentioned another matter and asked Mama Li to find a geisha named "Ming Niang" to be her maid.
She sat at a table with an empty seat and only took a few bites of dinner before being drawn to the conversation of the girls beside her.
"Qingqing, are you still hanging out with that poor scholar? It’s been so many times. He only has a little money each month, and you’ve probably lent him quite a bit…"
"Tsk… men these days may not be physically strong, but their mouths sure are."
…
Li Chunzhou drank a lot of alcohol and the other girls in the room became more interested in her. They wanted to touch her and get close to her.
Feeling the effects of the alcohol, Li Chunzhou watched Gu Lingfan from across the table and wished for a fresh start. She believed that as long as Fan Nuo was alive, everyone was alive, even if they didn’t remember themselves.
Gu Lingfan noticed Li Chunzhou looking at her and their eyes met. Li Chunzhou, influenced by alcohol, didn’t know what to do next and froze temporarily.
Surprisingly, Gu Lingfan did not mock Li Chunzhou. Instead, she lowered her gaze, revealing her snowy white neck under the candlelight, resembling a snow-covered hill.
Li Chunzhou finished her drink, stood up with the help of the alcohol, staggered over to Gu Lingfan, squeezed into an empty seat next to her, and stared into her eyes, saying, "I care about you!"
"You are a very, very mean person," Li Chunzhou said, feeling upset and on the verge of tears. "Even if you ignore me, I will always care about you…"
Recalling the cruel things Gu Lingfan had done to her, Li Chunzhou burst into tears, holding onto Gu Lingfan and sobbing, asking, "Do you remember what you told me before, that you would always remember me no matter where I go, whether I am alone, dead, or alive?"
She carefully counted the cruel things Gu Lingfan had done to her in her memory, but in the end, she just widened her eyes, hugged Gu Lingfan tightly, cried in pain, sobbed, and asked, "Are you still going to keep your promise that you made to me before? ‘No matter where you go, whether you are alone or not, whether I am dead or alive, I will always remember you’?"
Sister, if I really left, would you always remember me? Or would you forget me quickly?
Gu Lingfan stared at her face, wanting to touch it several times but stopped herself, until Li Chunzhou got drunk and fell asleep on the table, then she gently covered Li Chunzhou with her cloak.
Jian Hou sat with Qi Leyuan at a table, frowned and said, "I feel like Lady Chun hasn’t been happy since she came back."
Qi Leyuan sat at the table eating grapes, raised his eyelids to look at him and slowly said, "You really don’t understand humans at all! She’s not unhappy… she just doesn’t have to pretend to be happy anymore."
That night, Gu Lingfan didn’t let the maid take Li Chunzhou back to her own courtyard, instead she helped Li Chunzhou into her own room. She let Li Chunzhou lean on her, took a damp towel from the maid, and gently wiped Li Chunzhou’s flushed face.
Li Chunzhou slowly opened her eyes, looked up at the bed canopy, and suddenly said, "Sister, you actually have memories from the past reincarnation, right? Not just you, mom too, and other people too… you’re all keeping it from me."
Gu Lingfan paused her face wiping motion, smiled with curved eyes, adjusted Li Chunzhou’s position as if moving a kitten, letting her rest her head on her thigh, lowered her eyes and asked, "Did I act poorly? Or is there something different about me?"
"No," Li Chunzhou was surrounded by a warm, fragrant smell, feeling completely drained of energy. She curled up, closed her eyes, and softly said, "But the time your gazes stayed on me… was a bit too long."
"I see…" Gu Lingfan lowered her head, stroking Li Chunzhou’s cheek and sighed.