Chapter 59: Don't go around shipping CP, hey!

Actually...

Du Shanü didn't know what had happened to Chinu outside, nor why he spoke of his three betrayals.

But this didn't affect her saying those words at all.

In her heart, the moment she first met Chinu, he was a mad, resentful, ill-tempered person.

However, she always remembered those two scalding water droplets that fell onto the back of her hand.

Du Shanü knew that Chinu might be worse than anyone imagined.

But whenever she thought of those two tears, she always felt as if they were intertwined like a hidden dream.

This is also why everyone in the household, both openly and secretly, now fears Chinu.

Everything stems from her first initiating indulgence.

Yes.

Not fear, but indulgence.

She is willing, and she wants to indulge.

Even if she's a bit fierce, it's fine.

After all, even a monkey has its way of being tied!

Everyone calls him Chinu, so what's there to quibble about?

Just go along with his fur and coax him!

As the saying goes, exchange sincerity for sincerity.

Du Shanü always felt that, since she could like someone as sincere as Yu Baobao, Chinu, who had followed her all the way here, must also like her.

But he doesn't understand, he doesn't say...

He might not even know.

Du Shanü reminisced about those two tears, as if lost in a dream.

She occasionally thinks, "Today her eloquence is good, Chinu will surely be convinced," and occasionally thinks, "But when Chinu is angry and sneers, he looks better when he's not crying; I wish he would cry again sometime."

Du Shanü thought seriously, but her seriousness, in others' eyes, carried an indescribable meaning.

She was naturally pure and lovely; when she smiled with her brows and eyes, there was always a deep affection she herself hadn't noticed.

Seriousness, a smile, deep affection.

Matching her unwavering gaze...

It's too easy, too easy to give people an illusion.

What kind of illusion?

Chinu couldn't say.

He just kept recalling, over and over, what Chen Weifang had said to him.

Chen Weifang said, "...... No matter how miserable you are, no matter how recklessly you act and commit mistakes, someone will always love you."

He doesn't need anyone's love.

But Chen Weifang also said, "Then I will always tolerate you."

Tolerate?

Nonsense.

She clearly just wants to use him.

Chinu's slightly mysterious, alluring gaze swept over her face, then quickly shifted; when he spoke again, he only said:

"...... Don't think that just because you say this, I'll loudly call the Wise Lord and have a heart-to-heart talk with you."

"Moreover, I won't withdraw from between the two of you."

Detestable!

Detestable!

That's exactly what's wrong with Chinu!

Du Shanü, with eyes open, wants the world; with eyes closed, wants a beauty.

The world is far off and unattainable, but the beauty is surely already by her side!

But she can't have it!

Du Shanü suffered, struggled, tangled, finally gave up, and fiercely issued a 'threat':

"Then you'd better watch yourself!"

"Watch out for her when her beastly nature erupts at night—she'll get up in the middle of the night and sleep with him, sleep with Yu Baobao, and pack everyone together to sleep!"

"Sleep with this one, then that one; sleep with that one, then this one!"

She's basically just fight fight fight kill kill kill...

Du Shanü wore a resentful look; Chinu, having vented his anger on people, seemed finally satisfied, and leisurely began to gnaw at the hard-to-eat bean paste, then let out an 'oh'.

"Oh? Speaking of which, I was earlier curious why Hei Lao Daifu didn't take your pulse......"

Retaliation.

It's definitely retaliation.

Du Shanü completely wilted.

Such an honest woman like her always has a thief's heart but no thief's guts! Where have you ever seen this!

Such an embarrassing topic...

Don't talk about it, don't talk about it!

Du Shanü tightened her face and shoved the last bit of food from the bottom of the bowl into her mouth.

Yu Baobao, beside her, was beside herself with joy, suddenly uttering thunderous words:

You two are a great match!

Both of them are fluffy!

Although they look like little foxes, in his eyes they're both good raccoon-cats.

Their personalities are alike, their shy smiles are alike, and even the way they oppose each other looks like a puffed-up raccoon-cat treasure.

He spoke happily, but who would have thought his words would fall flat?

Chopsticks stalled in Chinu's hand, and Du Shanü nearly choked——

She still wanted to date Yu Baobao!

Yu Baobao, meanwhile, actually thought she and Chinu were a great match!?

Isn't this all messed up!

Du Shanü's scalp tingled, and she feared Chinu would fly into a rage if angered; she thought she had spurned him first, so she only frantically signaled Yu Baobao with her eyes.

Yu Baobao half-understood, and even became a bit more certain:

"It's true!"

"I often feel that when you two laugh, each of you looks like you have eight hundred words' worth of scheming!"

Although they often look like they're about to fight, if he had to compare, their squabbling reminds him of his mother and Emperor Taizong.

When Taizong spoke of his mother back then, he too was always full of reproach......

Yu Baobao fell into reminiscence, and Chinu tapped the back of her hand with his chopsticks:

"...... No matter how many scheming thoughts you have, added together they still don't make up for what you lack!"

This time, Yu Baobao also turned honest.

The three of them buried their heads in a frantic eating spree, while outside the sky turned completely dark, evening mist like ink, heavily pressing over the village, so that even the old pagoda tree in front of the house was reduced to a vague outline.

Du Shanü repeatedly failed to pick up vegetables with her chopsticks, and was about to rise to light an oil lamp when, at that very moment, the Ouyang father and son, who had been sitting outside the gate eating, rushed in panic, their voices trembling:

"Wife Master, it looks like there's a fire in the distance!"

A fire is never a minor matter, no matter when it occurs.

Du Shanü's hand shook, and she immediately rose and ran to the courtyard gate.

As soon as she stepped outside she realized the situation differed somewhat from what she had imagined——

She lifted her gaze and saw that the distant horizon had been tinged with an eerie dark red.

Immediately, a mass of black-gray smoke billowed up, like rolling dark clouds, drifting slowly on the evening breeze, carrying a faint burnt smell.

Beneath the smoke, flames suddenly shot up, bursting through the clouds and soaring skyward, setting half the night sky ablaze red, even casting the ground with a warm orange glow.

That firelight is far away.

But the fire is huge.

Du Shanü's heart tightened, her steps unceasing, she hurried out of her little courtyard and climbed the village rise to look again——

That firelight and smoke are clearly coming from the direction of the county town!

Her heart sank—the county town is a full thirty li from the village!

If the blaze in the county town can be seen from the village, just how huge must the fire be?!

At that moment, lights began to flicker on in village homes one after another, villagers poured out of their doors, following her gaze, and instantly the place erupted in clamor.

Some wrung their hands and stomped their feet in panic, some tiptoed and craned their necks to inquire, while others shouted loudly at the neighbors, their voices full of anxiety.

"Isn't that the county town? How could it catch fire?"

"Could it be that a shop had a water accident?"

"A shop flooded? With a fire like that, half the county town might burn!"

Voices of discussion and worry mingled together.

The once tranquil village was instantly thrown into panic by the sudden fire.

Everyone looked at each other, no one knowing what had really happened; they could only stare at the soaring flames, anxiously awaiting news.

Du Shanü steadied herself, turned to Chinu, and said:

"Let's go, we'll head to the county town to see what's happened...... At the very least, we must bring back Afang's remains."

Eh, Yu Baobao really ships Shasha and Chinu...... but with Chinu's personality, if he rises to power, catching a mistress would be terribly harsh.