Married Thrice to Salted Fish

4

Too many things had happened today so it wasn’t until he was about to go to bed that Lin Qingyu realized that he had miscalculated — He forgot to ask someone to put up a bed in the study. He originally planned to sleep hunched over a table in the study, but Lu Wancheng actually had Hua Lu come and invite him to sleep in the room.

Lin Qingyu came to the room, a calm expression on his face. Lu Wancheng had finished drinking the medicine and was about to go to bed. When he saw him, he smiled. “You’re here.”

Lin Qingyu asked bluntly, “What do you mean by this?”

Lu Wancheng didn’t understand, “What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you say that we don’t have to take this marriage seriously?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why do you want me to come back here to sleep?”

Lu Wancheng understood and he said with a smile, “You misunderstood. I didn’t ask you to come back here so that I could sleep with you…”

The simple and direct words made Lin Qingyu’s face go hot. “Whatever the case may be, you are still the Young Master of a noble house. Can’t you speak with a bit more dignity?”

Lu Wancheng said, assuming a very dignified tone of voice, “I didn’t ask you to come back here for me to sleep with you. After all, no matter how good-looking you are, you are still a man and I am not a cut-sleeve.”

Lin Qingyu took a deep breath and decided not to bicker with Lu Wancheng. “If you’ve got something to say then just say it.”

“I want some of your good fortune to rub off on me.” Lu Wancheng looked pensive as he said, “I feel that when I’m with you, my body feels more relaxed.”

Lin Qingyu paused. “Are you serious?”

Lu Wancheng nodded. “Very serious.”

The corners of Lin Qingyu’s mouth moved slightly and he sneered out a “stupid”. “I didn’t expect you to believe in these things too.”

He thought that Lu Wancheng was different from the other people in the Nan’an Hou Mansion. He had overestimated him.

“Before, I believed it even less than you do. But now, I believe it a little bit. Lu Wancheng said slowly, “Doctor Lin, do you believe that people have three immortal souls and six mortal souls and that we transmigrate between life and death?”

Lin Qingyu resolutely said, “I don’t believe it.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve never seen it.”

“But I’ve seen it.”

“Then you must have been mistaken.”

Lu Wancheng said quietly, “Oh, I know no one believes it.”

Lin Qingyu furrowed his brows, “So, you also believe the National Teacher’s nonsense?”

If it hadn’t been for the National Teacher coming out with those Eight Characters, the subsequent Chong Xi would have never happened. Naturally, the National Teacher’s great name, was also on his Great List of Grudges.

“The National Teacher…” Lu Wancheng muttered to himself, “You’ve reminded me that I should find the time to go meet with this National Teacher of the Dayu who ‘has access to the Heavens and knows the ways of ghosts and gods’.”

Lin Qingyu said bluntly, “You’ll need to be able to get out of bed first.”

Although the National Teacher has never been tainted by political affairs, he nevertheless held a very a distinguished status, comparable to descendants of the Imperial Family. He was often called by the Emperor to accompany him in the palace. If Lu Wancheng wanted to see him, he could only beg for an audience.

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Lu Wancheng returned to his senses and said, “Let’s not talk about that for now. Doctor Lin, look at the luohan bed that Hua Lu has prepared for you.”

“…What luohan?”

Lin Qingyu only then noticed that the luohan bed he had slept on last night was now covered with a thick mattress and quilt. It even had a soft pillow. It now looked no different from a small bed.

Lin Qingyu momentarily lost control over his expression. He didn’t know whether to praise or scold him.

Lu Wancheng said generously, “While I don’t mind sleeping with a man, I’m afraid you would.”

When Lin Qingyu had left home to study, he traveled with his teacher and sometimes slept on the same bed with his fellow apprentices. It wasn’t a big deal for two straight men to sleep together, but Lu Wancheng…was still his husband in name. He simply couldn’t interact with Lu Wancheng the same as he would any other man.

In any case, sleeping on a luohan was more comfortable than sleeping over a desk. And this way, it will also save him the bother of Liang Shi kicking up a fuss if she discovers that they’ve been sleeping in separate rooms.

Lin Qingyu took notice and said, “I’ll go wash first.”

As the night got deeper, the lights in the Hou Mansion went out one by one. Two newly married men, one sleeping on the bed, the other lying on the luohan, separated by a screen embroidered with a picture of mandarin ducks playing in the water.

Lu Wancheng had slept too much during the day and he wasn’t very sleepy right now. He folded his hands behind his head and chatted with Lin Qingyu, “Doctor Lin, how old are you this year?”

Lin Qingyu had his eyes closed. Not the least bit interested, he said, “Eighteen.”

“From a normal perspective, you’re probably a few months older than me. How about I call you ‘Yu Ge’ from now on?

Lin Qingyu asked, “Do you have a headache?”

Lu Wancheng paused to see if he did, “No, it doesn’t hurt.”

“And here I thought the sickness must have addled your brain and you forgot your own age.”

“Oh? How old am I?”

Is this man stupid or just pretending to be stupid?

For the sake of one’s health, it wasn’t advisable to go to sleep feeling irritated. Lin Qingyu tried his best to calm down. “Nineteen.”

“What luck!” Lu Wancheng smiled, “Then you call me ‘Wancheng Gege’ instead.”

Lin Qingyu turned over, leaving only the back of his head to Lu Wancheng. “Go to sleep, Young Master Hou. In your dreams, you can have anything.”

Lu Wancheng laughed lowly. Sounding puzzled, he thought aloud to himself, “A bad-tempered beauty, such a charming character design was unexpectedly not made into the protagonist…”

The night was deep and Lin Qingyu was exhausted both physically and mentally. He allowed himself to sink into a dream.

The Dayu placed great importance on medicine. In addition to the Imperial Hospital and the Imperial Pharmacy within the palace, it also set up the Imperial Medical Office outside it to train and select medical talents. Similar to the imperial examination, the Imperial Medical Office would hold an examination every three years. Regardless of one’s social status, no matter who one’s teacher was, as long as they were able pass the examination, they could enter the Imperial Medical Office. There, they could read the world’s most remarkable books, be awarded the world’s precious materials, work together with famous doctors from within and without the Dayu; perhaps they would enter the palace, or write a book, or journey to other countries to study and do research.

The Imperial Medical Office, the holy land of healers. How many people have squeezed broken their heads trying to get in? The assessment and selection were extremely strict. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was one in ten thousand. Lin Qingyu was extraordinarily talented with incomparable skills. His teacher once asserted that he would pass the exam with a single take. But he still didn’t dare to slack off and prepared for this exam for three whole years.

It was finally the day of the exam. He and a few fellow students waited outside the examination venue. The young man was full of spirit. Having already prepared in advance, he was talking and laughing happily. In him, there wasn’t the slightest bit of nervousness or apprehension seen in the others.

The vermilion door of the examination venue slowly opened, and Lin Qingyu’s eyes lit up. He walked up the stairs step by step, walking towards his ideal holy land. In a moment, he was about to touch that beam of light, when a strange voice stopped him.

It was a man in eunuch’s robes. Lin Qingyu couldn’t see his face clearly, only the bright yellow imperial decree he was holding in his hands.

“The imperial edict is here. Lin Qingyu, please accept the decree–”

Lin Qingyu knelt down and listened to the decree. The other candidates didn’t seem at all to care about this sudden change, and one by one, they walked into the examination venue, forming empty shadows behind Lin Qingyu.

“By the grace of the gods, the Emperor bestows a wedding upon Lu Wancheng, son of Nan’an Hou, of precious moral standing, of extraordinary appearance, and soon to reach weak crown and the son of Lin Zhaoxing, yuan pan of the Imperial hospital, of commendable conduct and filial piety, and of dignified appearance. Choose an auspicious day for the big wedding. The Emperor himself so decrees.”

Lin Qingyu looked up in amazement, the bright yellow light was so blinding, he could hardly open his eyes.

The doors of the Imperial Medical Office slammed shut.

…

Lin Qingyu abruptly woke up from his dream. In the silence, there was only the sound of him gasping for breath.

His rapidly beating heart gradually calmed down. But the pent up frustration and unwillingness were like thick ink stones; they could not be dissipated nor dispelled from his heart.

The dream and reality were not the same. In reality, the eunuch who passed the decree went directly to the Lin Residence, after which his qualifications to take the exam were cancelled. Way before the day of the exam, he became the male wife of the Nan’an Hou Mansion.

There was still an hour before dawn but Lin Qingyu could no longer sleep. He got out of bed and wanted to pour himself a cup of tea, when he heard a deliberately muffled groan.

It was Lu Wancheng’s voice.

Lin Qingyu lit a lamp and walked quickly to the bedside. “Young Master Hou?”

Lu Wancheng curled up on the bed, his body slightly arched, his eyes tightly closed. His face was somewhat twisted and his long hair stuck to his face with cold sweat.

Lin Qingyu called again, “Lu Wancheng?”

Lu Wancheng opened his eyes, the expression in his eyes slack, “Doctor Lin?”

“It’s me.”

“Doctor Lin, I feel a little uncomfortable.”

Lin Qingyu felt Lu Wancheng’s pulse and determined that he was the victim of heart palpitations.

“I know.” Lin Qingyu said in rarely-heard gentle tone of voice, “It feels uncomfortable on your chest, doesn’t it?”

Lu Wancheng nodded.

“Bear with it. I’ll be back soon.”

Lu Wancheng said feebly, “Are you going to get a knife?”

Lin Qingyu could make neither head nor tail or it, “What would I do with a knife?”

” Finish off a wounded combatant?”

Lin Qingyu’s tone returned to its usual indifference. “…I have no interest in killing people.”

But before the wedding, he really had entertained the idea of drugging Lu Wancheng with something that would render him impotent. If it hadn’t been for Lu Wancheng’s good performance on their wedding night, proposing first that he not to take the marriage seriously, Lu Wancheng might now already be halfway to becoming a eunuch.

Lin Qingyu took out a wooden medical box from his chest of clothes. Inside were a lot of his favorite creations, most of which were poisons. Of course, there were also some good medicines for healing and saving people.

Lin Qingyu returned to his bedside with a porcelain bottle and an acupuncture bag in his hand. “This is the Zhenxin Pill, which can relieve your palpitations. Would you like to take it?”

Lu Wancheng said, “Eat and live, I say.”

Lin Qingyu resisted the urge to turn around and leave. He helped Lu Wancheng up and put the Zhenxin Pill into his mouth. “Just in case, I will also pierce you with two needles.”

Lu Wancheng seemed to remember some kind of the shadow from his childhood. He held his arm and tried to get up. “You’re going to run a needle into me?”

“It’s acupuncture!”

Oh. Lu Wancheng lay back down, “Then, please be gentle.”

Lin Qingyu: “I’m going to use force.”

Lu Wancheng: “…”

Lin Qingyu deepened his breathing. Acupuncture was a meticulous job, and he needed to concentrate all his attention on it.

“Doctor Lin, am I going to die again already? Save my life if you can but don’t force it if you can’t.” Lu Wancheng sighed, “I only slept for a few days and woke up naturally…”

“Shut up.” Sweat was seeping from Lin Qingyus’s forehead. His eyes gleamed and he focused on the first needle. “I won’t let you die, at least not tonight.”

After taking medicine and receiving acupuncture, Lu Wancheng’s symptoms were relieved, and he soon fell back asleep. Lin Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief. He raised his eyes and looked out the window. The sky was already tainted with the grey of dawn.

The next day, the sun was already three poles high but Lu Wancheng was still not awake. Hua Lu was incessantly worried. She couldn’t help from going over to check on his breathing. Lin Qingyu saw this and said, “If you’re so free, go and sweep the yard.”

Hua Lu said, “Shaojun, Young Master has been sleeping for twelve hours. Is this really alright?”

Lin Qingyu took no notice of it. “Patients should sleep more.” But before Hua Lu could breathe out a sigh of relief, he added, “But he really does sleep a lot. Did he lack sleep before?”

Hua Lu shook her head: “No, the Young Master’s body is weak. He’s usually laid up in bed and he always sleeps whenever he feels sleepy.”

Lin Qingyu grew pensive upon hearing this.

It wasn’t until weishi that Lu Wancheng slowly woke up. Lin Qingyu was called by him to his bedside and made to accept his thanks, “Doctor Lin, I was very fortunate to have you here last night. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have even known how I died.”

Seeing that his complexion looked good, Lin Qingyu didn’t bother to hold back his mouth, “Naturally, you would have died of illness.”

“It is a great favor that I owe you, a favor that I wouldn’t be able to possibly repay. I have decided. For you, I shall do one difficult and troublesome thing.”

Lin Qingyu was indifferent. “That won’t be necessary. Just talk less before going to bed.”

“Huh?” Lu Wancheng smiled, “Are you saying I talk too much..?.”

As the two were talking, Feng Qin came in to report, “Young Master, Shaojun, the Second Young Lady is here.”

Feng Qin’s ‘Second Young Lady’ was Lu Wancheng’s younger sister, whom Lin Qingyu had yet to see.

Lu Wancheng muttered to himself as he pondered, “Second Young Lady…what is she here to do?”

Lin Qingyu said, “Naturally, she’s here to visit the sick–I won’t bother you siblings.”

Lu Wancheng grabbed his sleeves and said, “Look how impatient you are. I didn’t say I was going to see her.”

Feng Qin was surprised, “Young Master isn’t going to see the Second Young Lady? You’ve always had the best relationship. I think the Second Young Lady even brought the knee pads she made herself. She must be here to give it to the Young Master. She already came here once yesterday. Only that when she found that Young Master was asleep, she went back first.”

Lin Qingyu had no affection for the people in the Nan’an Hou Mansion. But Lu Wancheng was not him. His sister has repeatedly come to visit him. As her brother, how could he possibly turn a blind eye to it?

Lin Qingyu said, “If you don’t see her this time, she will just come again next time. She’s your sister, what are you hiding for?”

“I’m not hiding. I just don’t feel like pretending to like them. I don’t want to bother feigning civility.” Lu Wancheng thought for a while and said, “How about this? Feng Qin give her my reply. Tell her to treat me as dead.”

Saying so, Lu Wancheng turned over, leaving other people with the view of a lonely and stubborn back.

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Author’s Note:

Based on your many years of experience reading book transmigration novels, if the Grumpy Beauty is not the protagonist of the original book, then he is—?

1. The big villain
2. Cannon fodder gong
3. Cannon fodder shou
4. A great, honorable and proper member of the protagonist’s party

PS: Why do you all want the Big Beauty to quickly be widowed! The salted fish gong is going ‘are you f*cking kidding me!’