Amongst the many voices, Zhong Shang instantly recognized the one that belonged solely to Xie Xun.
The young girlâs voice was sweet and pleasant, even more pleasant than the oriole bird on the tree. She excitedly asked Madam Leng, âMother, is the fast food here delicious? When are we going to have our fast food? â
Madam Leng grudgingly said, âYou just want to eat. You didnât even put your heart into offering Buddha incense just now. What are you thinking with your head lowered? â
She stopped and replied with a guilty conscience, âI didnât think of anything â¦â
When she made that wish in front of Buddha, for some reason, she suddenly thought of Zhong Shangâs face. The last time he had such a bad fever, I wonder if itâs ready now? Did you burn your brain?
Since she came, she would ask Buddha to protect Zhong Shang and help him recover quickly. Although he kissed her to the point of hating her, and her mouth swelled up all night after she returned, and her tongue hurt for a long time, she still hoped that he would be healthy and full of life.
Madam Leng tapped her forehead, âYou â¦.â She complained, but her eyes were filled with love, âItâs time to find someone to manage it properly.â
Xie Xun held her forehead and moaned, she looked at Madam Leng aggrievedly, âWhat did Mother say?â
Mrs Liu laughed and pulled Xie Xun over, she rubbed her forehead and said: âLook at you, I like Ah Xunâs gluttony, itâs so rare. If youâre not willing to take care of it, why donât you let me take her home?â
Liu Shi Tong had two children, one was Gu Yi and the other Gu Ruyi. These two children were not easy to feed when they were little. They would not eat even if they did not eat. Who knew how much effort it took for the Liu Clan to raise them? Therefore, Liu Shi Ge really liked Xie Xun who could eat and feed well. She felt that being able to eat was a blessing, and the children she had in the future would definitely be as easy to support as she was.
Both families had thoughts of marriage in their minds, and these days they moved more and more closely together. Mrs Liu planned to go down the mountain this time and get someone to send her a birthday present for her. If she had settled this marriage earlier, she and Madam Leng would be at ease.
Xie Xun heard and slowed down her pace.
It wasnât that she couldnât make out the meaning behind Lady Liuâs words, but she didnât want to marry Gu Yi ⦠She didnât have any feelings for Gu Yi. At most, she treated him as a caring brother. If she were to marry him, it would be different. But right now, in front of everyone, she could not speak frankly, even if she did, Madam Leng might not listen to her opinion.
Her opinion might not be so important as the words of her parents and matchmakers.
If she didnât want to marry Gu Yi, then who did she want to marry? Zhong Shang? Xie Xun frowned as she thought about it. She didnât hate him when he kissed her, did that mean she liked him too? But Mother would definitely not agree to the marriage with the Zhong Family.
Just as she was thinking this, the water chestnut door to the room on the left opened. Gu Yi appeared in the crowdâs line of sight, wearing a green robe. He bowed to everyone and said, âMother, thank you Madam.â
He was reading in his room, so when he heard the noise outside, he put down the book and opened the door to greet the crowd.
He walked in front of them and said with a smile, âThe Ramadan of the Temple of Precious Elephant is indeed the best, but it is only provided for breakfast. If Little Sister Ah Xun wants to eat fast food here, Iâm afraid that she will have to wait until the morning of the next day. â
It was obvious that he was listening to their conversation.
Xie Xun hid in the crowd, silently hiding behind Madam Leng, struggling between eating and not eating for a long time, âI â¦â
She wanted to have a fast meal, but she didnât want to be with Gu Yi.
Thereâs my mom and brother in this temple, so it should be fine to stay for the night, right? However, she didnât know that while she was hesitating, Zhong Shang was lying on the bamboo bed near the window. He had one leg bent, and his left hand covered most of his face, making it impossible to see the expression on his face.
In the end, the Madam Leng still made the decision for her, âThen let us stay here for the night, coincidentally there is a maple leaf forest at the back of the mountain, and at this time, the scenery is always beautiful. If there is nothing in the afternoon, we can still go there to pass the time.â With that, she turned to Xie Xun and asked, âWhat does Ah Xun think?â
She pondered for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief. âIâll listen to my mother.â
From the other room on the left came a âkachaâ sound. It seemed to be the sound of bamboo breaking.
The few of them were startled, then the Madam Leng asked: âWho is living in this room?â
Gu Yi thought about how they were all female and how there were even a few girls who had yet to leave the pavilion. This was not convenient for Zhong Shang to come out, so he only said, âHe is one of my friends.â
Madam Leng nodded and did not ask further.
Since they had already decided to stay, Gu Yi would ask the host to arrange a place for them to stay. Fortunately there were a lot of guest rooms in backyard, so staying one night with the two families was not a problem. Xie Xun and Madam Leng each took one room, which was a distance away from Gu Yi and Zhong Shangâs room.
After eating lunch, Xie Xun rested in her room for a while. They had initially planned to go to the back mountain to see the Maple Forest, but for some reason the Madam Leng suddenly changed her mind and refused to go. Xie Xun was greatly disappointed, she could only go and find Gu Ruyi, but luckily Gu Ruyi agreed to go with her, and had one condition: âMy brother also likes the maple tree, why donât we call him along?â
Xie Xun cried out, âAh, thatâs not good â¦â
As for why it wasnât good, she couldnât say.
Just like this, the two young ladies arrived at Gu Yiâs room. Gu Ruyi knocked on the door and entered.
⦠â¦. Would it be too late to go back on her word? She had clearly invited Elder Sister Ru Yi, so if she didnât go now, wouldnât she be angry?
Xie Xunâs delicate eyebrows were knitted, and she was at a loss as to what to do.
She thought that it was Gu Ruyi and Gu Yi who had come out. Just as she was about to turn around, a big hand covered her mouth, and brought her to the next room.
Xie Xun was about to scream, but the other party held her back against the water chestnut door and leaned over to look at her: âYou guys want to go to the back of the mountain to see the maple leaves?â
The face in front of him was extremely familiar, with sharp eyebrows and clear eyes â Zhong Shang?
Xie Xun opened her eyes wide in shock. She did not understand why he would appear here, and why he would kidnap her inside the house. She noticed that his complexion wasnât too good. It had only been two days, but he seemed to have lost a lot of weight. Even his eyes had turned dark under his eyes, as if he hadnât slept well for the past two days. It was like holding her hand like an iron pincer. It was so tight that it made her feel like she was being strangled.
âWhy is Big Brother Zhong Shang here?â Her sandalwood mouth slightly opened, completely astonished.
Zhong Shang lowered his head, bit her lip, and repeatedly kissed her lips, âI want to see you, Ah Xun ⦠Do you know how much I want to see you? â
You heartless little thing, what was she doing when he thought of her that way? She was actually going to have a private meeting with another man?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the more he couldnât help but increase the power of kissing her. Biting her, licking her, messing with her, turning her into his. Xie Xun was unable to resist, she struggled in his embrace and resisted, but that bit of strength was insignificant to him. It was like a kitten acting coquettishly, timid and cowardly, making him want to love her even more.
The door next door opened, and Gu Ruyi and Gu Yi walked out. They looked around but did not see any trace of Xie Xun.
Gu Ruyi let out a strange âehâ, and called out to Ah Xun a few times, but she did not get a reply. âWhy did the person who was here just a moment ago suddenly disappear?â
Thus, she began to search the surroundings.
At the same time, Xie Xun was pressed on the door as she endured his intense kiss. She heard Ru Yiâs sisterâs voice, but she dared not make a sound, not even a whimper. She was afraid that Ruyiâs elder sister would discover that she was in Zhong Shangâs room, and that the two of them were even doing such a shameful thing ⦠If this got to her motherâs ears, it would not be as simple as just a scolding or two.
She tried to pry open Zhong Shangâs irregular palm and said with a voice as soft as a mosquito, âBig Brother Zhong Shang, donât â¦â
Zhong Shang finally let go of her lips, lowered his head, and stuck close to her smooth neck, âDonât go, Ah Xun, donât go to see the maple tree.â
Xie Xunâs heart almost jumped out from her throat, her eyes filled with tears, âLet go of me first â¦â
Outside, Gu Ruyi and Gu Yi had not left yet, but Gu Yi had even knocked on Zhong Shangâs door, âChong Yuan, have you ever seen a girl pass by?â
Zhong Shang said hoarsely, and after a long while, she said, âNo.â
Xie Xun was so scared that she did not even dare to make a single sound.
After Gu Yiâs footsteps disappeared in the distance, Zhong Shang buried himself in her neck and asked hoarsely, âIâll let you go, youâre not allowed to go to the back of the mountain, okay?â
Even after waiting for a long time, the little girl still did not reply.
He raised his head and saw that Xie Xunâs tears were flowing down, and in a blink of an eye, large droplets of them had fallen from her eyes. She wept silently, looking extremely pitiful. She grabbed his sleeve and nodded in fear and compromise. âAll right, all right.â
Zhong Shangâs heart clenched as he felt extremely guilty. He wiped away the tears on her cheeks with extreme pity. But the more he wiped her, the more she cried and left him, and in the end he had no choice but to lower his head and eat her tears one by one, not even letting go of her eyelashes, until she forgot to cry, blinking her big watery eyes, âNo, itchyâ¦â
He held her, his voice heavy with longing. âDonât be afraid. Ah Xun, I wonât hurt you, I just like you too much. â