Married Thrice to Salted Fish

Chapter 38

Lin Qingyu came to the door of the bedroom. It had been left open.

For his trip back to the Lin Residence today, he hadn’t brought along Huan Tong. Huan Tong was squatting beside Lu Wancheng’s wheelchair, covering his legs with a blanket. Huan Tong had grown experienced and knowledgeable after following him for so many years. Seeing that Lu Wancheng’s vigor was unusually good today, he wasn’t overjoyed like Hua Lu. He merely forced himself to put on an air of cheerfulness as he talked to Lu Wancheng.

“What would Young Master Hou like to eat tonight? I’ll have the kitchen make preparations.”

Lu Wancheng thought about it and said, “I want to eat plum cake.”

Huan Tong said in a hoarse voice, “Alright.”

“What time is it?” Lu Wancheng asked, turning to the direction of the wardrobe.

Lin Qingyu followed and looked at the wardrobe too but couldn’t find anything special.

Huan Tong said, “Shen Shi is over.”

“Why hasn’t your Young Master come back yet?”

“He should be here soon. Young Master said he’ll be back for dinner.”

Lu Wancheng kept looking in that direction, a little worried, “Hurry up.”

Lin Qingyu withdrew.

In the yard, Hua Lu was still humming a little tune. The tune was brisk and melodious. She turned around and saw Lin Qingyu standing at the door. She said, puzzled, “Shaojun, why haven’t you gone in yet?”

Lin Qingyu came back to his senses and said, “Hua Lu, lend me your makeup box.”

Lin Qingyu has only ever put on makeup once in his life — on the day he married Lu Wancheng. Because it wasn’t suitable for a man to wear heavy makeup, he was extremely averse to the idea. When he got married, the matron of honor only painted his eyebrows, colored his lips and placed a huadian in the middle of his brows.

Lu Wancheng didn’t care whether he painted his eyebrows or lips. He seemed to just want to see him wearing his bridal attire with a huadian on his brows.

Lin Qingyu looked at himself in the bronze mirror. He suddenly found that he seemed to have lost a lot of weight. He picked up the brush and looking into the mirror, made stroke after stroke to recreate the huadian that had been painted between his brows that day. It was a simple symmetrical huadian. With just three strokes, it was enough to change a person’s qualities. He no longer seemed like himself, transforming into a wife that relied on her looks to please her husband.

It turns out even a gentleman can make himself beautiful for a friend who understands him.

Then, he took off the plain and simple clothes he had on, putting on the complicated bridal attire, layer by layer. He tied the jade belt around his waist and finally draped the embroidered tasseled cape on his shoulders. He took off the jade crown tying his hair and let his long, fine black hair fall like a waterfall. He picked up the bridal crown, thought about it, and put it back down.

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It was already enough. In the end, he was sending him off, not marrying him.

“Young Master?” Huan Tong’s voice came from outside, “Young Master, are you back?”

Before Lin Qingyu could answer, Huan Tong rushed in and was stunned when he saw him.

Lin Qingyu stood up, the back of his wedding dress dragging against the ground. He didn’t have a crown on his head and he simply let his long hair hang down naturally. When he lowered his head, his hair blocked half of his face.

Huan Tong has never seen his Young Master look like this before — so bright and colorful, so made up; his every gesture was full of amorous feelings. He stayed dazed for a while. Until Lin Qingyu walked in front of him, only then did he slowly come around. “Young Master, why are you…”

Lin Qingyu asked, “Where is Young Master Hou?”

“Young Master Hou thought that Young Master hadn’t come back yet so he said he was going to wait in the yard.” Huan Tong remembered what he was here for and his voice grew choked, “Young Master, Young Master Hou, he-he…”

“I know.” Lin Qingyu was unusually calm. “Have them prepare dinner. Tonight, you and the others don’t need to serve by our side.”

Bridal attire or wedding dresses, were heavy and inconvenient to wear. If you weren’t careful, you might step on the hem. In order to get to Lu Wancheng quickly, he had to lift up his skirt like a woman, walking through the silent corridor, quickly reaching the courtyard——

Lu Wancheng, dressed in bright red clothes and a snow-white fox fur cape, sat in his long unused wheelchair that had been empty for a long time. Like a red plum in the snow, spectacularly rushing into the viewers’ eyes.

Today, Lu Wancheng was in high spirits. His cheeks and lips were rosy, his eyes were bright. He carried with him that faint youthful vigor, as though he had gone back to this year’s warm spring. At that time, Lu Wancheng didn’t have to sit in a wheelchair; he had even overestimated himself, trying to carry him.

If… if the clothes on Lu Wancheng’s body weren’t that loose and if his legs still retained feeling, he might have also thought that Lu Wancheng really was getting better.

Lu Wancheng just sat there, waiting for him to come.

Lin Qingyu opened his lips. “Wancheng.”

Lu Wancheng’s reaction was a little sluggish. He was stunned at first. Then, he turned his head slowly, looked at him and smiled, “You’re back.”

It was no different from his usual reaction to seeing him.

Lin Qingyu’s chest seemed to be hit hard by something.

Lu Wancheng had said so many times that he wanted to see him wearing his bridal attire, with the huadian on his forehead. Why was it that now that he has actually worn it, actually drawn it, he had no special reaction at all?

He raised his hand and tried to touch Lu Wancheng’s eyes. His fingertips almost brushed Lu Wancheng’s eyelashes, but Lu Wancheng still kept his eyes open, staring at him without blinking. The corners of his mouth were curved, and he smiled very beautifully, “Did you go home today and eat the plum cake made by Mother-in-law? By the way, have Qinghe’s front teeth grown back yet?”

Lin Qingyu’s hand froze in mid-air and slowly dropped. “I did have some plum cake and Qinghe’s teeth have grown back.”

How could he forget? Lu Wancheng’s body was now filled with poison. It was normal for anything to happen. How could he forget?

“I asked Huan Tong to have some plum cakes prepared.” Lu Wancheng said, “Would you accompany me to eat some more?”

Lin Qingyu nodded. When he heard Lu Wancheng call out “Qingyu” again, he then said, “Alright but It’s cold outside, I’ll push you back in.”

Lin Qingyu pushed Lu Wancheng into the hall. According to the rules of wealthy families, all meals should be had in the hall. In the past, Lu Wancheng was lazy and always had the food brought to him. Later, Lu Wancheng gradually became seriously ill and even when the food was delivered to his bed, he couldn’t eat much.

Huan Tong asked the kitchen to prepare a table of dishes and when, eyes red, he was about to withdraw after serving the dishes, Lu Wancheng stopped him, “Is there any wine?”

Lin Qingyu did not allow his patient to drink alcohol. The two have been married for so long and they have never shared a drink. Lin Qingyu said, “Your body is not suitable for drinking.”

Lu Wancheng said, “But, I’m already eighteen years old.”

“This has nothing to do with…” Lin Qingyu took a deep breath and took on a normal tone, “It has nothing to do with how old you are.”

“What do you mean it has nothing to do with age? Being eighteen means you get to do whatever you want. It’s been hard to get to eighteen, how can I just do nothing…” Lu Wancheng paused and smiled, “Doctor Lin, let me have a drink.”

Lin Qingyu stabilized his breathing and instructed Huan Tong, “Go get some wine.”

Huan Tong poured wine for the two of them and whispered, “If the two Young Masters need nothing else, I will retire first.” He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from bawling.

Lu Wancheng said, “If you go, who’ll serve me dinner?”

Huan Tong looked helplessly at Lin Qingyu. Lin Qingyu said, “I will serve you.”

Lu Wancheng was slightly dazed. Pretending to be surprised, “How nice of you?”

Lin Qingyu served Lu Wancheng a bowl of soup. He brought the spoon to his mouth. “Open your mouth.”

Lu Wancheng opened his mouth obediently and carefully took a sip of the soup. He showed a satisfied expression. “One more sip.”

After eating a few mouthfuls of food, Lu Wancheng said that he wanted to drink. The wine had been warmed in advance and Huan Tong had specially chosen the milder pear wine. This wine goes down smoothly and its aroma lingers for a long time. Lu Wancheng took a sip and said, “This is good wine.”

He said so even though he clearly couldn’t even taste the bitterness of his medicine anymore.

Lin Qingyu turned his head and couldn’t bear to look at him. He heard Lu Wancheng ask him, “Qingyu, is this the kind of wine that we drank when we got married?” Before Lin Qingyu could answer, he said to himself, “Don’t tell me you drank the nuptial cup with the rooster as well.”

Lin Qingyu closed his eyes. “I… don’t remember.”

Lu Wancheng said, “Then treat it as though you drank it with me.”

Lin Qingyu restrained his emotions and opened his eyes again. The night outside the window was getting darker. Without him noticing, light snow had begun to fall. Fluttering, snowflakes fell to the ground; the snow and the moon were all entirely white.

This was the first snow of winter.

Lin Qingyu felt a hint of joy in his heart. He remembered that Lu Wancheng had said that he wanted to see him standing in the snow, holding an umbrella, his cheeks dyed red by his clothes. “Wancheng, it’s snowing outside, do you want to go and…” The word “see” was stuck in his throat. He couldn’t say it.

“It’s snowing?” Lu Wancheng didn’t seem to notice that Lin Qingyu was acting strange. His tone was light, “Then I’m quite lucky. Let’s go and enjoy the snow.”

Lin Qingyu had dismissed the servants in advance. They were all waiting in their own rooms. No one saw him standing in the snow in his bridal attire, holding an umbrella with his long hair cascading down.

No one… saw.

Lu Wancheng stretched out his hand and let the soft white snowflake fall on his palm. Away from the light of the room, his face quickly dimmed. His lips lost its rosy color and only his eyes remained bright. It was like a short-lived flower, withering quickly after trying to bloom.

…Too brief, so frighteningly brief.

Lin Qingyu didn’t know how to make his bloom last longer. He could only hold his cool hand in vain. “Is it cold?”

Lu Wancheng shook his head and suddenly asked him, “Qingyu, do you still like women?”

Lin Qingyu’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He said, “Naturally.”

Lu Wancheng nodded and said with a smile, “That’s good.”

Lu Wancheng stared at the snow for a while, his eyes half-open, half-close. “Qingyu, I’m a little tired.”

Lin Qingyu’s heart felt empty and he said softly, “If you’re tired, then sleep.”

When you fall asleep, you’ll be relieved. You’ll no longer have to suffer from the pain of sickness and poison.

But Lu Wancheng didn’t listen to him, stubbornly opening wide his eyes. He smiled, embarrassed, “I’m sorry, Qingyu. I don’t think I can hold on anymore. But I’ve worked really hard. Don’t be angry.”

“I’m not.” Lin Qingyu knelt in the snow, holding an umbrella in one hand and holding Lu Wancheng’s cheek in the other. His voice soft as water, “I’m not angry.”

Lu Wancheng had probably already seen that the Eastern Palace affair hadn’t gone as they wished. Yes, Lu Wancheng was so smart, he knew everything. How could he not have seen it?

Lu Wancheng smiled under the umbrella, and told him one last joke, “On the day of Xiao Cheng’s tragic death, at the family ceremony, don't forget to tell your husband.”

Lin Qingyu couldn’t help but smile when he heard his words.

Lu Wancheng seemed to sense that he was smiling and kept looking at him. He kept watching him until he couldn’t hold it any longer and he finally closed his eyes. “Then, I’m going to sleep for a while. Remember to wake me up.”

Lin Qingyu promised him, “Okay.”

The snow came down heavier.

No matter how warm Lin Qingyu’s hand was, the man’s hand still grew colder little by little in his, so cold that it pierced through the bone.

The north wind brought evening snow, the cold color illuminated them, everywhere was silence.

He was wearing his wedding dress, a huadian on his forehead, just like when he and Lu Wancheng first met.