Long after Yuanyang had left, Tang Zhou still hadn’t touched his spoon.
At first, the bowl of sweet congee on the table was steaming hot, but eventually, the warmth faded with time. By the time he finally picked up his spoon, the congee was almost cold. Yuanyang passed by the door several times, wondering why he was still sitting there without having finished.
No one knew what he was thinking, but it was likely related to Shen Zhixi.
His expression had grown distant, especially after hearing about Shen Zhixi’s impending marriage to the hunter.
He ate the bowl of congee slowly, and by the time he reached the bottom, it was completely cold.
Before lunch, Shen Zhixi indeed returned.
Unexpectedly, she came back reeking of alcohol.
She merely passed by the door, but Tang Zhou could smell it. What’s more, she walked right past him without even greeting him. At that moment, Tang Zhou was standing at the doorway; even though he couldn’t see, he could hear the footsteps.
“Lily,” he said, certain that the footsteps were different from Herb’s.
Shen Zhixi paused, brushed away the stray strands of hair from her forehead, and smiled knowingly.
As for the smell of alcohol, of course, she had deliberately splashed wine on herself.
She smiled, but her brows were deeply furrowed, and her voice carried a sob. “I just went to the kitchen. Herb said lunch will be ready soon, so just wait a little longer.”
With that, she turned away, hurried up the steps in front of the house, entered, and closed the door behind her.
Leaning against the door, she listened carefully for any movement outside.
Across the way, Tang Zhou clenched his fist slightly, his brow furrowing at the sound of Shen Zhixi’s choked voice.
A hunter addicted to alcohol, with a violent temper…
With just a little thought, he could piece things together.
And with such a strong smell of alcohol on her, coupled with her tearful tone, it was clear she had been mistreated.
He owed her a debt of gratitude—how could he simply turn a blind eye?
He stepped down from the porch and slowly made his way across. Though he had never set foot there before, he knew Shen Zhixi lived opposite him. Once he reached the door, he felt around until his hand found it, then stopped.
He didn’t push the door open recklessly but instead knocked gently.
Inside, leaning against the door, Shen Zhixi’s smile deepened. Her careful planning hadn’t been in vain—Tang Zhou had finally lived up to her expectations.
“I have something to say to you,” Tang Zhou said.
Suppressing her smile, she continued in a choked voice, “I know what you want to say. My sister already told me she informed you about the hunter. I understand your concern, and I understand it myself too. But this is my own choice. Whatever the outcome, I’ll bear it myself.”
Tang Zhou fell silent, unsure how to respond.
He wanted to respect her choice, but he knew it wasn’t a good one.
“Marrying a man in his fifties is bad, but marrying a violent drunkard is any better?”
With a creak, Shen Zhixi opened the door.
“What do you know?” she exclaimed loudly.
“That Steward Liu already has over a dozen concubines, but do you know what happens to them? At any drinking party, he can give them away to his friends for their amusement. Rather than that, I’d rather marry a widowed hunter. Even if he has a bad temper, at least I won’t have to live in constant fear, afraid of being treated as a gift, passed around from one person to another as nothing more than an object of pleasure.”
“…”
Tang Zhou’s expression grew increasingly grim, his words stuck in his throat.
The more he learned, the more he understood her sorrow.
Indeed, compared to being treated as a plaything without dignity that could be sent away at any moment, marrying a hunter seemed like the better choice.
One good, one bad—that’s not a choice.
No fool would choose the bad one. When both are bad, yet you’re forced to choose one—that’s the most agonizing.
“After all, you are my savior. Naturally, I don’t wish for you to suffer.”
His expression was grave, genuinely sincere.
Shen Zhixi stared at him, scrutinizing him carefully.
His demeanor was truly heart-stirring. If she were just an innocent, ignorant young girl, she might truly have fallen for him.
Unfortunately, she no longer dared to trust men.
No matter how deep the affection, it would eventually fade like fallen petals carried away by the wind—not worth it.
“Good or bad, it’s all the same. I have no choice. The alternative is another path: disfiguring myself and living alone until old age. But I’m just an ordinary person. I lack the courage to endure the bitter fate of solitude in old age. I can’t bear the thought of lying alone in bed when I’m old, with no children to care for me, dying in loneliness.”
“But…”
“Actually, that hunter is usually quite decent. It’s just that his temper worsens when he drinks. This morning wasn’t a big deal—he was drinking again and insisted I join him, which is why I got splashed with wine. It’s nothing serious.”
“Lily…”
“Let’s not talk about this anymore. I’ve already made my decision. Lunch is almost ready. Let me help you back inside first. Wash your hands and get ready to eat.”
Shen Zhixi stepped over the threshold, supporting Tang Zhou to guide him down the steps.
But Tang Zhou didn’t move, standing rigidly still.
Confused, she looked at his stern, tense face and asked with a smile, “What’s wrong? So unwilling for me to marry that hunter? Do you have a better solution? Or… do you want to marry me?”
He lifted his long lashes, seemingly shocked.
Shen Zhixi chuckled softly beside him, a low laugh tinged with mockery and self-ridicule. “I’m joking. Don’t think about it. Your most important task right now is to recover from your injuries. If possible, I’d even like you to attend my wedding banquet.”
She waited for Tang Zhou’s response, but he pressed his lips together.
Though he didn’t reply, his expression remained serious and grave, his brows furrowed as if permanently fixed in place.
“Let’s go.”
Shen Zhixi exerted some force, finally managing to turn Tang Zhou around.
After helping him back to the room, Shen Zhixi went to the kitchen to bring over the meal. As she was leaving, he called out to her again.
“The wedding… is it settled?” he asked in a low voice.
Shen Zhixi turned back, watching him closely to gauge any changes in his emotions. “It’s settled. In half a month. Steward Liu will likely be away for about a month, so it’s just before he returns.”
Thus, Tang Zhou didn’t have much time left to hesitate.
Half a month. If he still didn’t act by then…
Then she’d have to resort to drugging him, forcing him to offer himself.
Otherwise, once his injuries healed and his eyesight recovered, it would be much harder to do anything.
“You…” Tang Zhou opened his mouth again but couldn’t find the words.
“What about me? Want me to think it through carefully? Don’t worry, I’ve already thought it through very clearly.”
She left decisively, leaving Tang Zhou alone, his mind unsettled. He couldn’t bring himself to pick up his chopsticks and eat. When he finally did, he immediately set them down again.
How could he eat when the person who saved his life was enduring such torment, both physically and mentally?
Yet no matter how troubled he felt, he couldn’t change anything.
The following days were relatively calm. The domineering aunt who had caused a scene that day did not come back to stir up trouble, but the two sisters were still affected. Fearing further incidents, they did not set up their stall in town for quite some time.
Before they knew it, the half-month deadline was fast approaching.
Apart from Tang Zhou’s health improving day by day, the moods of the three individuals grew increasingly somber.
Shen Zhixi and Yuanyang were merely pretending, but Tang Zhou’s unhappiness was genuine.
“Young Master Tang Zhou, has my sister returned yet?”
That day, as dusk began to settle, Shen Zhixi, who had gone out on an errand and promised to return by the afternoon, still had not come home.