Tang Zhou’s body was far too weak; even those few short steps had exhausted him to the point of vomiting blood.
He furrowed his brow, pressing a hand to his chest to steady his breathing.
They always urged him to rest and recover peacefully, but he truly couldn’t settle his mind. His thoughts were constantly occupied with his sister and little nephew, worrying about their safety. Even when he closed his eyes, sleep eluded him.
His face contorted as he leaned forward and spat out another mouthful of blood.
Unconsciously, his face was now covered in sweat.
What troubled him most was still his sightless eyes. Every time he opened them, all he saw was darkness, a constant source of discouragement.
After vomiting blood, his body gradually lost its strength, sinking downward. The hand resting on his knee could barely support him, and he was on the verge of collapsing to the ground. Yet, with his last ounce of effort, he resisted falling, afraid that the filthy blood on the floor would stain his clothes and burden the two young women with washing them.
But then it occurred to him—his wounds were still bleeding and would soil his clothes anyway…
So, the best course of action was exactly what they had said: focus on recovering.
He sighed, mustering his strength to lie down on his side.
His mind drifted back to the line he had heard during the day: “May you grow wings and transform into a northern sea fish.”
“May you grow wings, may you grow wings…”
He closed his eyes, murmuring the words repeatedly until he slowly drifted into sleep.
…
The next day.
Tang Zhou’s weakened body slept deeply, and he didn’t wake until nearly noon, startled by the sound of the door opening.
Still, the long sleep had left him feeling much more comfortable.
“Mr. Tang, did I disturb you?”
At the doorway, Shen Zhixi pushed the bamboo door halfway open and saw Tang Zhou still lying in bed, seemingly just awakened. She carried a large bowl of medicinal porridge, entered the room, and placed it on the table. She then moved to help Tang Zhou sit up, but he had already propped himself up on his own.
Shen Zhixi glanced at his collar. Though there were still traces of blood seeping from his chest, the bleeding had significantly lessened compared to the day before.
Yet, when he spoke, his voice still sounded weak.
“Miss Lily, what time is it now?”
“It’s already nearing noon on the second day. We tried to wake you earlier, but you were sleeping so soundly that we didn’t want to disturb you. I’ve prepared medicinal porridge—your body can only handle light, liquid foods for now. Let me help you over. You haven’t eaten breakfast yet, so you must be very hungry.”
“By the way, my sister and I are setting up our stall today, so we might return a bit later in the evening.”
“Setting up the stall…”
Halfway to the table, Tang Zhou stopped.
“I remember Miss Lily mentioning that it’s very far from here to the city—you leave in the morning and only arrive around noon. If you’re leaving now, wouldn’t that…”
Wouldn’t that leave them with very few hours to run their stall?
And on top of that, they still had to return in the evening to care for him.
“Is it because I slept so late that you were worried and delayed leaving?”
“Mr. Tang, you’re doing it again.”
Shen Zhixi half-led, half-pushed him forward, guiding him to sit at the table. Her tone was stern, but a smile played on her lips. The more guilty Tang Zhou felt, the more advantageous it was for her.
His soft-heartedness was precisely what she needed to succeed.
“How many times have I told you? Besides focusing on your recovery, don’t worry about anything else.”
Tang Zhou remained tense, his expression unchanged.
“The medicinal porridge is right in front of you. Just reach out to the table and you can touch it. I’ll bring a basin of water for washing your face in a moment, so there’s no rush to wash up after eating. I’ll also go to the kitchen to get some cooked pastries in case we return late and you get hungry again—they’ll help fill your stomach.”
After saying this, as if afraid Tang Zhou would continue questioning her, she quickly left the room.
Tang Zhou naturally sensed her nervousness, though he didn’t realize it was feigned.
Yet it only reinforced his belief that Lily was hiding something from him and had lied to him.
As for whether this lie was well-intentioned or malicious…
He reached out, groped for the bowl on the table, and brought it close to smell it. His expression grew even more solemn.
There was an additional piece of jade ginseng in it today. Though not extremely rare, it would cost at least fifty taels per root. Fifty taels, plus the other medicinal herbs and the several sets of clothes delivered yesterday, would easily amount to over a hundred taels in total.
He was eager to uncover the truth, but when Shen Zhixi returned, he refrained from asking.
If he simply asked, she likely wouldn’t tell him the truth anyway.
After giving him a few more instructions, Shen Zhixi left with Yuanyang and boarded the carriage back to the city.
This small bamboo house in the woods was built by her two years ago. Due to its secluded location, few people passed by, so no one knew of its existence. In the past, she would only come here for a day or two to clear her mind when she was feeling down or troubled.
Yanzhou City wasn’t actually too far from here—it took less than half an hour to reach.
Everything she had told Tang Zhou earlier was a lie.
Since she was concealing her identity, the more far-fetched the story, the better.
Upon arriving in Yanzhou City, she first returned to the Shen residence, bathed, freshened up, and changed into exquisite, luxurious attire. Delicate pink jade bead tassels dangled from her temples, accentuating her radiant beauty. With every sway and movement, she shone brilliantly, embodying the grandeur befitting the wealthiest family in Yanzhou.
After listening to the steward’s report on the household affairs over the past two days and confirming there were no issues, she set off for the main branch of the Shen Trading Company.
It was the end of the month, and the managers of the subsidiary shops were waiting to settle accounts with her.
News of her arrival at the main branch quickly reached her fiancé, Qin Mu. After not seeing her for a month, he rushed over in a hurry. He had dressed meticulously and arrived with a personal attendant. Due to his reputation as Shen Zhixi’s childhood friend, no one stopped him. He waited for her in the pavilion outside the accounting room.
The Shen family’s business was vast, and settling accounts each time took many days.
From noon until the sun began to set behind the western hills, she finally emerged from the accounting room.
The accountants and managers from various shops filed out one after another, but Shen Zhixi was nowhere to be seen. Qin Mu grew increasingly anxious as he waited and couldn’t resist standing up to rush inside.
Just as he was about to push the door open, he collided with Yuanyang stepping out.
“Miss Yuanyang, is Ah Xi inside?” Qin Mu’s face was filled with urgency, and he truly played the part well—acting as if he were genuinely worried after not seeing her for so long.
“Master Qin, please step aside.”
Yuanyang knew Qin Mu’s true nature and naturally sided with her mistress. Though she wore a smile as she spoke, it was icy cold—almost worse than no smile at all.
As she spoke, Shen Zhixi appeared behind her.
Seeing her, Qin Mu’s eyes lit up with eagerness, but Yuanyang stood firmly between them, preventing him from approaching.
“Ah Xi, are you alright? I’ve visited the Shen residence many times, but Steward Feng always said you were ill and shouldn’t be disturbed. I’ve been so worried about you. Are you fully recovered now?”
After he finished speaking, there was a long, heavy silence.
Shen Zhixi stared intently at Qin Mu, not uttering a single word for a long while.
Having grown up together, she had genuinely believed in him, only to see him take the path of betrayal. Alongside her anger, there was also a pang of sorrow—she had once treated him with sincerity and even hoped to grow old with him…
“Ah Xi, what’s wrong with you?”
Her prolonged silence made Qin Mu somewhat nervous.
“Hah…” Shen Zhixi let out a low chuckle, tinged with mockery. “It’s nothing. It’s just that we haven’t seen each other for so long that you even seem a bit unfamiliar to me.”
“I… Ah Xi…”
“Oh, right. I have other important matters to attend to today. I have a dinner appointment with Young Master Fang, so I must be on my way now.”
“Ah Xi, but we haven’t seen each other for so long, you…”
Before he could finish, Shen Zhixi stepped over the threshold and brushed past him. He wanted to chase after her, but Yuanyang stopped him with a smile, explaining that they were running late for the appointment with Young Master Fang and couldn’t afford any further delay.
Watching the two gradually walk away, Qin Mu’s expression darkened, and he gritted his teeth.
“Young Master, I heard that Young Master Fang is from Yuejing City. They say he is exceptionally distinguished, either wealthy or noble. Yuejing is the imperial capital, after all—naturally, our Yanzhou can’t compare. Young Master Fang arrived in Yanzhou a month ago and started doing business with the Shen family. It was around that time that Miss Shen began to change, constantly avoiding you and refusing to meet.”
“Hmph, so she has a new favorite now,” Qin Mu sneered coldly.