“Why is it always women who suffer and get hurt in this world, while men are always fickle and greedy? They take multiple wives and concubines, falling in love with every new face, never satisfied, yet they still demand women to uphold virtue for them. It’s truly laughable.”
The more she spoke, the darker Shen Zhixi’s expression grew.
“Back then, my father—whom I’ve never even met—ruined my mother’s life just like that. He was heartless and irresponsible, getting her pregnant before marriage but refusing to take responsibility. He left without a word, making my mother the laughingstock of all Yanzhou. My mother warned me long ago that men are unreliable, but I stubbornly believed Qin Mu was different from other men. And what happened? He was full of sweet talk, swearing he’d marry no one but me, only to be after my family fortune.”
“Hah, men really are all despicable without exception.”
“My mother managed to become the wealthiest person in Yanzhou through her own means. All these years, she’s lived happily and freely without a man by her side. Why do I need a man? My mother was absolutely right—the only use a man has is to help a woman have a child.”
“Miss…” Yuanyang hesitated, tears welling in her eyes.
Shen Zhixi gave her a comforting smile, raised an eyebrow, and continued.
“Although I’ve decided I don’t want a man, I still want a child, just like my mother and me. But even though I’m determined to have a child, I can’t just pick any man at random. If I’m going to pick one, it has to be a good one. Over the years, traveling north and south with my mother, I’ve seen the world. What kind of handsome man haven’t I seen? Yet only that Tang Zhou looks like a fairy-turned-human. A child born with him would definitely be exceptionally beautiful. And look at his build—tall but not frail, he seems like someone who practices martial arts, so he must have been healthy before. The doctor also said that aside from his injuries, he has no other illnesses.”
“Plus…”
Shen Zhixi paused, leaning against the bamboo door.
“Plus, he’s blind now. Heaven is really helping me. He doesn’t know what I look like, and I can fabricate an identity, so even if his eyes recover in the future, he won’t be able to find me. Otherwise, I’d have to worry about the child’s father coming back to claim me or using the child as an excuse to seize my family fortune.”
“But Miss, how do you know that Tang Zhou is willing to have a child with you? Why don’t we just drug him? It’d be so much simpler.”
Shen Zhixi turned around, pretending to glare at her angrily.
“What nonsense are you talking about, you little girl? Is your miss the kind of person who would do that? If I really drugged and forced him, it would be an immense humiliation to him. Judging by his demeanor, he doesn’t seem to come from an ordinary family. If he were to go mad, he’d hunt me to the ends of the earth, and then would there ever be peace in my life?”
Finally, she added,
“Don’t worry, your miss has her own methods. Besides, I saved his life. Giving me a child can be his way of repaying me. As for keeping the child and ditching the father, he has no reason to feel wronged.”
“Enough talk. The medicine is almost ready. Take it to him.”
Lunch and the medicinal soup were brought together to Tang Zhou’s room.
Seeing the blood on the quilt and the floor, both Shen Zhixi and Yuanyang were startled.
His health being this poor wouldn’t do. He needed to recover quickly, and the matter of having a child had to be settled soon. Otherwise, if things dragged on, his eyes might even heal.
“I’ve caused trouble for both of you ladies.”
Tang Zhou sat at the dining table, a hint of apology on his face.
“Mr. Tang, there’s no need to dwell on such matters; overthinking is not conducive to your recovery. Since I decided to bring you back, I was fully prepared to take care of you. The greatest comfort for me would be seeing you recover quickly.”
Tang Zhou lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes trembling faintly, lost in thought.
“Mr. Tang, please have something to eat first. It’s not good to take medicine on an empty stomach, and the medicine is still scalding hot right now. By the time you finish your meal, it should have cooled down.”
Shen Zhixi scooped a bowl of porridge and pushed it toward Tang Zhou.
Then, holding a spoon in one hand, she reached out with the other to take his hand, intending to place the spoon in his palm.
But as soon as her fingers brushed the back of his hand, he recoiled sharply, like a startled bird.
Shen Zhixi’s outstretched hand grasped empty air. Looking at his still wary expression, she raised an eyebrow and curled her lips, feeling a surge of desire to conquer him, determined to win him over.
She, too, wanted to enjoy the pleasures that men indulged in.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Tang, I was just…”
Though her words were apologetic, the amusement in her eyes grew increasingly evident, revealing her unwavering determination toward him.
“I’ll leave the spoon in the bowl. The bowl is right in front of you; you can reach it by lifting your hand.”
She gently stepped back and sat down opposite him with a smile.
He seemed to realize his own rudeness, frowning slightly with a hint of apology. “I’m sorry, Miss Lily, I…”
“It’s alright.”
Shen Zhixi tried to make her voice sound as gentle as possible, hoping he wouldn’t dwell on it.
“The apology should come from me. I was too abrupt. Please don’t blame me, Mr. Tang Zhou. Since you’re injured, you need to eat something light, so I prepared a pot of medicinal porridge. Please eat.”
“Thank you, Miss Lily.”
Tang Zhou no longer refused, as further protest would only seem pretentious.
He raised his hands to the table, carefully feeling the surface until he found the bowl. Holding it with both hands, he steadied it with one hand while using the other to locate the spoon inside. Then, he scooped a spoonful of medicinal porridge and brought it to his mouth, relying on his sense of smell to guide it.
Across from him, Shen Zhixi rested her chin on her hand, leaning on the table as she watched him with smiling eyes.
She thought to herself, he truly was incredibly handsome.
Every movement of his stirred the heart. On the surface, he appeared calm and composed, yet he possessed a devastating allure. A single lift of his gaze or a slight raise of his eyebrow was enough to intoxicate anyone.
How beautiful would their child be in the future?
Shen Zhixi could hardly wait to see.
“Miss Lily.”
“Hmm? What is it? Does the porridge taste bad?”
Shen Zhixi straightened up slightly, noticing a change in his expression, which had suddenly grown more serious.
“No.” Tang Zhou carefully placed the spoon back into the bowl and asked with lowered eyes, “Earlier, I heard Miss Lily mention that you and your sister make a living by selling cosmetics at a stall. But now, taking care of me is delaying your business, and I feel truly uneasy about it. I can’t hear any sounds of carriages, horses, or people outside—only the clamor of insects and birds. Are we in the mountains?”
“Yes.”
Shen Zhixi narrowed her eyes slightly, sensing the probing intent behind his words.
“We live quite far from the city. If we take a carriage in the morning, we won’t reach the city until nearly noon, so we can’t set up our stall for very long each day. We have to stay out late at night and return later. Ideally, we should have found a place to stay closer to Yanzhou City—that would be much more convenient. But my sister and I only started selling rouge last year. Before that, we were just selling vegetables and couldn’t save much money. Even the houses in the outskirts near Yanzhou are expensive, so we really couldn’t afford it.”
“I see.”
Tang Zhou lowered his gaze, concealing the sharpness in his eyes.
From the sound of it, Lily and her sister must be living a very frugal life. Yet, how is it that this bowl of medicinal porridge on the table contains so many fine ingredients—all nourishing herbs that a poor family could hardly afford?