Lu Chen’s face burned a little, and he didn't dare look at Jiang Hanyan again. His grandfather’s voice echoed in his ears: "A wife destined by heaven..."
Yet, his mind was filled with the vivid, sensual memories of that night. He had been so dizzy and hazy that he couldn't remember anything clearly, only the fragrant softness in his arms.
So, had he actually slept with this woman or not?
Lu Chen gritted his teeth and looked around. Dou Dou was focused on playing with Jin Shanshan, so he walked over to Jiang Hanyan’s side and asked in a low voice, "That night, did we..."
"Did we what?"
Jiang Hanyan didn't look up, completely immersed in Grandpa Lu’s treasures; they were all such good things.
"Did we sleep together?"
Lu Chen asked through gritted teeth.
Jiang Hanyan’s hand froze in mid-air. She looked up at him with a half-smile. "I hadn't even arrived yet that night. Don't you know if we slept together?"
Lu Chen’s face burned even more. He felt so stupid for asking such an idiotic question.
"We didn't!"
Lu Chen turned and walked away. It was the original Jiang Hanyan who had drugged him; he was a victim too, so he would just pretend it never happened.
"Oh!"
Jiang Hanyan responded indifferently. She didn't care much about that layer of membrane in this body. She had a friend who was a plastic surgeon who repaired them every day, and there were even group wholesale discounts.
Lu Chen felt a bit unhappy. This woman didn't seem to care much about that kind of thing. What kind of place did she come from?
He shoved the coal pile a few times with force, his mind cooling down significantly. Regardless of whether she was a "wife destined by heaven," debts always had to be repaid.
The remaining massive debt of 115,000 yuan was colder than a giant basin of ice, and the restlessness in Lu Chen’s heart vanished instantly.
Jiang Hanyan finished organizing Grandpa Lu’s belongings and tucked them all into her space to study slowly later.
Now, she was full of confidence in the future. With the medical books in the space, the zither scores, Grandpa Lu’s mystical arts, and the aid of the spiritual spring, with her intelligence and talent, she could definitely become a powerful woman who could command the wind and rain.
The more Jiang Hanyan thought about it, the happier she became, and she laughed out loud. Lu Chen glanced at her as if she were a fool.
After a while, a hideous sound came from the room, like an eighty-year-old woman ginning cotton—out of breath and particularly grating to the ears. Lu Chen frowned tightly; this was even more unbearable than sleeping in a crowded dormitory at the mine and listening to a group of people snoring.
What was this woman doing?
Dou Dou covered his ears and freed a hand to cover Jin Shanshan’s head.
Lu Chen put down the mold and walked to the room door. He saw Jiang Hanyan sitting upright, playing the guqin with a serious demeanor, but unfortunately, what she produced was noise.
"Gong, Shang... which string was it again? Why isn't there a staff notation?"
Jiang Hanyan patted her forehead in annoyance. The guqin was too hard to practice. To reach the realm of "harmony between heaven, earth, and man" mentioned in the Lingshu Zither Scores, how long would she have to practice?
Although it was difficult, Jiang Hanyan persisted. The zither scores said that as long as one reached ten percent proficiency, one could heal many illnesses just by playing, without even needing medicine. If combined with the prescriptions in the medical books, the effects would be even more miraculous.
If she could reach the pinnacle realm of harmony between heaven, earth, and man, there would be almost no illness she couldn't cure. As long as the body hadn't stiffened, even if the breath was gone, she could bring the dead back to life.
If she mastered this skill, how much money would she make, and how much merit would she accumulate?
Jiang Hanyan, focused on her practice, didn't notice Lu Chen leaning against the door frame. Watching her read the scores, play a bit, and mutter complaints to herself from time to time, the corners of Lu Chen’s mouth curled up, the smile in his eyes deepening as he went back to making coal briquettes.
The intermittent sound of ginning cotton drifted out. Once one got used to it, it wasn't as unbearable, but someone else couldn't stand it.
"Lu Chen, is your family ginning cotton?"
A loud voice came from over the wall. A woman in her forties or fifties was leaning against the wall to ask. It was Auntie Xu, the Lu family’s neighbor, known in the alley for being a big-mouthed, greedy, stingy, mean, and gossipy woman.
Auntie Xu stood on a ladder, grabbed a handful of melon seeds to crack, and spat the shells into the Lu family’s courtyard.
Lu Chen ignored her and focused on making coal briquettes. Auntie Xu pursed her lips and asked again, "What is your wife doing? It sounds worse than ginning cotton. Your Uncle Xu was woken up from his nap, and he has to go to work this afternoon!"
"Spit your shells in your own yard!"
Lu Chen looked up and reminded her coldly.
The smile on Auntie Xu’s fat face stalled, and she didn't dare crack any more seeds. She faked a smile and said, "We’re neighbors, why be so distant? Ah Chen, let me tell you something. That homestead of yours is empty anyway, why not sell it to me? I’ll offer eight thousand yuan; I won't let you suffer a loss."
"Not for sale!"
Lu Chen refused. That homestead in the west of the city was left by his grandfather. Originally, the west side was the suburbs and the land wasn't worth much, but in the last few years, it had become a development zone. A shopping mall had been built there, and many shops had moved over, causing the land value to skyrocket.
His homestead had four plots and was right by the road. Once built, it could be used as a storefront, making it a prime location. Many people had come to ask for the price, but Lu Chen had refused them all.
Auntie Xu gave a forced, insincere laugh and said sarcastically, "Lu Chen, you still owe quite a bit of debt, right? Selling this land would make things easier for you. You have a place to live anyway, and you’ve already taken a wife. What a waste to leave that land empty!"
"Even if it's empty, I’m not selling!"
Lu Chen sneered, shoved the coal a few times with force, picked up the mold, and walked to the side, squeezing out a perfect honeycomb briquette.
He did intend to sell that land, but not now. Once he paid off his debts, he would sell it as starting capital to go out and make his way in the world. This land was the fallback his grandfather had left him; he wouldn't sell it until the very last moment.
A piercing, screeching sound rang out, like wire cutting through a neck. Auntie Xu was so startled she almost fell off the ladder, her fat body swaying a few times before she barely managed to stand steady.
"Are you trying to kill someone? It’s so noisy!"
Auntie Xu grumbled as she climbed down, but she hadn't given up. She had to get her hands on that Lu family homestead. She had three sons and only two rooms at home; as long as she got that land, all three sons could get married.
A few melon seed shells drifted onto her head. Auntie Xu turned and saw the cat, Ben Dou, flash across the wall. She opened her mouth to curse, but remembering the legends about Lu Chen, she didn't dare.
"A scoundrel paired with a whore, hmph!"
Auntie Xu spat toward the wall and returned to her house, disgruntled.
Jiang Hanyan’s "ginning cotton" continued until dark. Her fingers felt like they were about to break, but there were gains. Perhaps because she had drunk the spiritual spring water, her musical cells had been activated a bit. Relying on guessing and fumbling, she could actually manage to play a few notes.
At dinner, Jiang Hanyan fed both Lu Chen and Dou Dou some spiritual spring water, and even Jin Shanshan got a drop.
Late at night, Jiang Hanyan was fast asleep on the inside of the bed, and before long, she rolled into Lu Chen’s quilt, skillfully hugging him and snuggling close.
Lu Chen subconsciously reached out and embraced the woman in his arms, but when his hand touched her softness, he recoiled with a jolt, his face burning like a boiled shrimp in the darkness.
However, he didn't push her away again, and gradually, he fell asleep too.
Jiang Siyuan, meanwhile, was exceptionally excited. She had finally waited for the dead of night. She took the string of beads from her pocket and placed them on the table, along with a needle.
(End of chapter)