“Third Brother…” She had so many things to say but did not know where to begin.
“Why are you…” Fu Tao grabbed onto Fu Yin’s elbow. He felt as if smoke was going to appear from the top of his head. “Do you know what kind of person Lu Qi is? Do you know what kind of place the Lu Residence is? How did you end up as his concubine? And...and you even got pregnant?”
On the contrary, Fu Yin became calm. “In Guangzhou, the Lu family set our house on fire and caused our mother’s death. They caused our entire Fu Residence to be reduced to ashes. I came to take revenge.”
“I already said to leave it to me to take revenge.” Fu Tao let go of Fu Yin and paced around. “Aren’t you making trouble? I have already become one of Lu Yunji’s trusted men and will soon be able to make my move. Why did you bring yourself into this? Did Lu Qi force you? That bastard, I will kill him!”
Fu Yin shook her head vigorously, “No, he did not force me. Amongst everyone here, he treats me the best.”
“What did you say?” Fu Tao was burning with anger as he pointed over the high wall. “Do you still remember a man called Du Ning outside of here? He is going crazy looking for you. Yet you are in here helping our enemy to give birth…”
Fu Yin covered her mouth to muffle her sobs.
The two of them did not realise an evil shadow was hiding in the corner of the courtyard.
Lu Hanxing had escaped and never thought that he would witness this scene. He sneered. Great, he could save himself now thanks to these two dumb siblings.
Chapter 49.2: Misunderstanding
Sheng Chumu was back from hunting but could not find Fu Rou anywhere. He felt his heart drop and was afraid that she had left without saying goodbye. He knew that she was feeling torn internally. That was why he had been trying his best to use his actions to prove that he could give her a family.
Sheng Chumu rushed by the lake and suddenly heard the sound of water splashing. He looked over the lake and halted. He laughed at himself for thinking too much. Fu Rou was wearing only thin innerwear and was washing herself by the lake. It was like a painting of a beauty beside water. The only thing lacking was the radiance of spring.
“You...close your eyes.” Fu Rou very soon felt Sheng Chumu’s presence. She saw how he was hugging his knees with his mouth open, saliva about to drool out.
“I have already seen everything. I am not closing my eyes.” He laughed and opened his eyes wider.
“Frivolous.” Fu Rou said in a displeased tone. She slowly walked onto the shore and combed her hair on the grass. “You can at least bring my outer robe to me.”
Sheng Chumu’s gaze did not shift as he looked at her back view. “What outer robe?”
Fu Rou turned back and laughed, “Look by your feet.”
Sheng Chumu lowered his head and realised that he was stepping on her outer robe. Although he wanted to look at her more, he was worried that she would be cold and eventually picked up her outer robe. Something fell out of her robe and he stared for a moment before bending over and picking it up. It was Yan Zifang’s beloved Longevity Pendant. He said that it was a betrothal gift.
Sheng Chumu kept the Longevity Pendant and handed the outer robe to Fu Rou.
“Rou’er, I think we need to redo something.” He tested.
“Redo what?” Fu Rou did not understand.
“Didn’t you say that a hunter’s family saved you on Cangshan Mountain and even gave you a set of clean clothes? Before we leave, we should go and thank them.” Tell him the truth. Don’t let his imagination run wild.
“...” No matter how smart Fu Rou is, she could not read someone’s mind. “Let’s talk about it when we get a chance in the future.”
“...Okay, we can talk about it next time.” He changed to a casual tone, “I shot a few wild ducks. Let’s keep one to eat and sell the rest in the city. We will get money once we sell them.”
“Chumu…” Fu Rou had thought about this multiple times. “I want to see my family.”
Sheng Chumu’s expression hardened. “So in the end you still want to return to Chang’an.”
Fu Rou explained, “No, I meant my Elder Sister, Fu Jun. She is in Guangzhou with my Brother-in-law. It is not far from here.”
Sheng Chumu was slightly surprised as he chuckled, “Okay, let me go with you. Let’s sell the ducks first to get some money for the journey.”
Fu Rou nodded as she wore her outer robe and muslin hat. As the two of them walked down the mountain, they met with two minor officials.
“Eh, what do you have in your hands?” One of the minor officials spoke rudely.
“Wild ducks. I just caught them” Was there even a need to ask?
“You look pretty strong for a petty thief.”
“Who did you call a thief?” As soon as his young master temperament flared, he was formidable.
“I am talking about you.” The minor official pissed Sheng Chumu off even more. “My grandfather is Guangzhou’s Lord Cao, Cao Junlin. Lord Cao said that all the natural areas around Guangzhou belong to the Emperor. If you hunt in the Emperor’s mountain, you have to pay hunting taxes. If not, you are considered to be stealing from the Emperor and the punishment is death. Country bumpkin, you are lucky that I shall let you go this time. However, the wild ducks are stolen goods. Out of the goodness of our hearts, we shall help you get rid of it.” As the minor official said this, he extended his head. However, Sheng Chumu twisted his arm causing the minor official to cry out in pain.
Fu Rou spoke softly to Sheng Chumu, “Don’t create more attention, we need to hide our identities.”
Sheng Chumu fiercely let go of the minor official.
Fu Rou handed the wild ducks over and spoke gently, “We are sorry. Young officials, please be magnanimous and not bother about us.”
“Peh, lowly things, I want…” However, his imposing manner shriveled away as soon as Sheng Chumu glared at him. His hand still hurt. “I shall not bother with you all!” He snatched the wild ducks and walked off.
“He is just an official in Guangzhou but dares to use the Emperor’s name to collect taxes and prey on the citizens. If I were in Chang’an, a single sentence would…” Sheng Chumu took two steps but did not hear Fu Rou’s footsteps. He turned back to see her still standing on the spot. “Rou’er, is there something wrong?”
“Chumu…” Fu Rou lifted her gaze, looking like she had made up her mind. “I don’t want to go anymore.”
“What did you say?” Sheng Chumu clenched his fists.
“We have a close relationship and it is important that we stay together, but does it mean that other things are not important? Just for our happiness, we are causing our family to worry about us day and night. Moreover, we have to hide our identities and cannot go out in the open.”
“Do you regret it so much?” It did not matter how much he did, it was all useless.
“You are talented in literary and martial arts. You are an outstanding hero and can fight for the country and free the citizens. You can contribute to a better future for our country and make your parents proud. But what are we doing now? Because of me, you get insulted by those men and have to bear with it. I can’t let you do this any longer and diminish your ambition. I can’t let you live the rest of your life so ordinarily.”
In the end, she would regret it, so would he. They should turn back while they have the chance. “We were wrong right from the beginning. We only thought of ourselves and wanted to escape. But if we run now, we have to run for the rest of our lives. Our parents will have to worry about us for their entire lives. We can no longer show what we learn and are capable of. We can’t repay our parents. As long as we work together, we will definitely find a solution.”