Chapter 60: Preparing to Confess

To avoid disturbing Su Qingwan’s rest, Lu Yuner closed the door and spoke softly with Ma Yi, “Miss Ma, what’s the matter?”

Ma Yi held up several plump live fish in her hand, revealing a happy smile, and said, “I heard from Old Li that your husband has woken up. We don’t have many valuable things in our mountain village, but I just caught some fresh fat fish from the river to nourish your husband’s body. He’s been injured…”

“Thank you for your kindness, but…” Lu Yuner interrupted her, after all, she and Su Qingwan hadn’t reached that level. She explained, “But you’ve misunderstood, he’s not my husband. You can call him Young Master Su.”

Hearing this, Ma Yi’s face stiffened slightly, and she unconsciously rubbed the back of her head with an embarrassed smile, “Oh… I’m sorry, look at my mouth…”

“It’s alright, it’s my fault for not explaining to you in time. You don’t need to call me benefactor either, I’m Lu Yuner.” Lu Yuner said with a smile, then her expression gradually became solemn, and her tone became particularly serious, “I had unavoidable difficulties yesterday that I couldn’t explain to Miss Ma. I hope Miss Ma can keep this a secret for me. When Young Master Su’s health improves, I will leave. But for now, I’d like to ask you to help me request a favor from Old Li, to allow us to stay for a few more days. Afterwards, we will personally visit to express our gratitude.”

“Benefac… Miss Lu, rest assured, I will absolutely not tell anyone.” Ma Yi patted her chest to show her sincerity, and said with utmost earnestness, “When the time comes, I’ll help you talk to Old Li. He will definitely agree, and even if he doesn’t, there’s always my home. You and Young Master Su are welcome anytime.”

Faced with Ma Yi’s warmheartedness, it was clear she was a woman who knew how to repay kindness and valued loyalty. Lu Yuner smiled warmly, “Thank you.”

“No need to be so polite with me! If you need any help in the future, just give me a shout. I’ll put these fish in a basin in the kitchen to keep them alive for now. You can cook them whenever you want to eat.” Ma Yi skillfully entered the kitchen with the fish.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, she smelled the rich aroma of chicken soup. After putting away the fish, Ma Yi followed the fragrance and deliberately lifted the pot lid to look at the stewed chicken. Her eyes suddenly widened, and she exclaimed, “Miss Lu, did you make this?”

“Mm, how does it taste?” Lu Yuner ladled out a small bowl for her to try.

“Hey! It’s really good! I didn’t expect Miss Lu, being a woman, to have such culinary skills. I’m impressed.” After tasting it, Ma Yi immediately became excited, looking at Lu Yuner with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Ma Yi pondered, “Miss Lu, please ladle out another bowl of chicken soup for me. I’ll take it to Old Li to taste. Let me tell you, Old Li loves this kind of food. If he drinks this chicken soup, he’ll definitely agree to let you stay.”

“Really?” Lu Yuner was obviously startled, not expecting Old Li to be a foodie. She prepared a new bowl for him.

Ma Yi stared at the chicken soup in her hand again, lost in thought. It was well known that most women were responsible for earning money outside to support the family, and when they returned home, they wanted the face of the head of the household. Washing clothes and cooking were all housework for men, and few women were willing to lower themselves to do such work.

Moreover, this Miss Lu was a noble lady, with a distinguished identity and an upright and kind personality. Looking at it this way, she was indeed a rare good woman.

Thinking of this, Ma Yi smiled knowingly. Since Young Master Su and Miss Lu weren’t husband and wife, if only her unmarried younger brother could catch Miss Lu’s eye, that would be great. But unfortunately, their families weren’t of the same social status, and they weren’t a match for her.

Ma Yi was about to leave with the bowl when she suddenly turned to Lu Yuner and said, “In a few days, it will be my little daughter’s one-month celebration. I’d like to invite Miss Lu and Young Master Su to come and have a celebratory drink. However, I’m just an illiterate person who only knows a few characters. I know Miss Lu is educated, so I’d like to ask Miss Lu to come to my house later and help me write a few invitation cards to send to my natal family, to make them happy too.”

Lu Yuner knew that Ma Yi was a son-in-law who had married into his wife’s family, and now that she had given birth to a daughter, it was natural to want to share the joy with her natal family. Moreover, she had helped her so much now, so it was only right to properly thank her.

She smiled gracefully and agreed without hesitation, “Alright, but wait a moment, I’ll go back to the room first.”

Ma Yi grinned, “Okay! Then I’ll go chat with Old Li first.”

After the person left, Lu Yuner took some time to prepare a plate of deboned chicken meat and returned to Su Qingwan’s room.

As soon as she entered the room, she saw the thin and weak young man’s small body occupying only a small space on the bed. He seemed emotionally low, his eyes unfocused as he sat on the bed, presenting a sickly and pitiful appearance to Lu Yuner.

She frowned, wondering how he had become like this in just the short time she was gone.

Lu Yuner’s voice, as clear and moist as ever, rang out with a hint of urgency and unease, “Young Master Su, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Wait, I’ll go get Old Li for you right away.”

“Sister Yuner.” The young man’s muffled voice interrupted her as she was about to leave.

Lu Yuner turned back, looking at him puzzled, “Hm?”

“Sister Yuner, I’m fine.” Su Qingwan still had his head lowered obediently, but his tone was mixed with gloom.

Lu Yuner seemed to notice his change in mood and said in an undeniable gentle voice, “Look up at me. Are you really alright?”

Su Qingwan slowly raised his overly pale little face, colliding with those black and clear eyes. His beautiful eyes were as pure as jade, seemingly able to see through one’s heart at a glance. He steeled himself and weakly said, “Mm, I’m really fine.”

Although Sister Yuner and Miss Ma had been speaking very softly just now, the room was very quiet, and their conversation had been heard clearly through the door, word for word.

To be honest, he had always known Sister Yuner’s feelings towards him, but he himself still couldn’t let go of her, always painfully struggling. Each time he hoped to gain a little bit of Sister Yuner’s affection, but each time he was disappointed.

Sister Yuner’s kindness to him, her care and concern, all stemmed from her inherent goodness and her feeling of not wanting to owe him anything. He also didn’t want Sister Yuner to have any emotional burden because of his injury in saving her, thereby doing something against her will.

He couldn’t bear it.

The young man’s timid demeanor touched Lu Yuner’s heart. She slightly lowered her eyes, knowing he was hiding something but deciding not to pursue it further, planning to have a good heart-to-heart talk with him in the evening.

Lu Yuner helped him arrange his bedding while instructing him, “I’ve brought you some deboned chicken meat. If you get hungry later, just eat it. I need to go out for a while now.”

“Sister Yuner, where are you going?” Upon hearing that Sister Yuner was leaving him alone, the frightened Su Qingwan couldn’t help but grab Lu Yuner’s hand, which still felt cold. He temporarily suppressed the worry in his heart.

He frowned slightly, his eyelashes trembling, his eyes gradually becoming moist, “Wherever Sister Yuner goes, I want to go too. I want to be with you.”

Seeing Young Master Su’s somewhat agitated state, Lu Yuner patiently comforted him, “Listen to me first. You’re injured now, you need to rest well in the room. Miss Ma is a kind-hearted person. She just sent some fish, saying it’s to help nourish your body. But she recently gave birth to a daughter, and in a few days, they’ll be holding a one-month celebration. She has invited us too. Right now, she wants me to help her write some invitation cards, so I need to leave for a while. Besides, they’ve shown us such great kindness, we should be grateful and thank them for their help.”

Su Qingwan understood this basic etiquette. He pursed his lips, his eyes full of reluctance, “Then… Sister Yuner, please come back soon.”

“Mm, I’ll be back soon.” Lu Yuner raised her other hand and patted Young Master Su’s little head, looking at his beautiful but weak little face with a smile in her eyes, and said gently, “When I come back, I have something to tell you.”

Faced with Lu Yuner’s sudden intimate gesture, as she raised her hand, the familiar cool fragrance wafted out with her movement. Su Qingwan’s cheeks instantly felt as if they were on fire, gradually becoming hot. His clear, moist eyes also brightened.

Because he knew that only when he was very close to Sister Yuner could he smell this fragrance. At the same time, hearing that Sister Yuner had something to tell him, his heart instinctively skipped a beat.

Not knowing why Sister Yuner was acting this way, although Su Qingwan was a bit stunned, those bright eyes rippled with quite a bit of emotion.

Nervous yet expectant.

“I’m going now.” Lu Yuner ruffled his hair.

Su Qingwan watched her leave reluctantly, “Mm.”

Lu Yuner followed Ma Yi to her home. Yesterday, the sky had been a bit dark, and she only now realized that Old Li lived alone on the east side of the village, clearly a person who enjoyed tranquility.

Along the way, she chatted casually with Ma Yi, gradually gaining a general understanding of the village. Occasionally, they encountered a few villagers carrying hoes heading out to work, who warmly greeted her, showing that this village had simple and honest folk customs.

“Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law!” Suddenly, a cheerful and pleasant voice came from behind.

Ma Yi heard the familiar voice and stopped, turning around first. Seeing her younger brother, she smiled, “Ah Qing, have you finished washing the clothes? Quick, give them to me, I’ll carry them for you.”

Lu Yuner saw the person beside her respond and also turned around. She saw a young man approaching with a wooden basin. Although his appearance wasn’t particularly stunning, he was poised and smiling, with a pair of clear dimples visible, like they were filled with rich wine. He looked very comfortable and refreshing.

When Chen Jinqing saw Lu Yuner, the smile on his face briefly froze, then he smiled and said, “Is this the benefactor my sister-in-law mentioned?”

Ma Yi took the wooden basin and began to introduce them familiarly, “This is my younger brother, Chen Jinqing. You can call him Ah Qing.”

So he was Ma Yi’s younger brother. Lu Yuner smiled slightly and politely replied, “I am Lu Yuner.”

“Lu Yuner, Lu Yuner, your name sounds so nice!” Chen Jinqing murmured softly, then said with slight shyness, “Can I call you Sister Lu?”

Lu Yuner felt there was nothing inappropriate about it and nodded, “You may.”

Then the three of them returned to the Chen family home. However, because Lu Yuner was worried about Young Master Su, she quickly finished her business and declined the Chen family’s warm hospitality, returning early.

It was now noon. As soon as Lu Yuner entered the courtyard, she saw Old Li leisurely lying on a rattan chair under the osmanthus tree with his eyes closed, resting. A pot of tea was placed on a small table beside him, looking very comfortable.

Lu Yuner approached with gentle eyes and said simply, “I am Lu Yuner. Thank you.”

Old Li didn’t open his eyes and said in a flat tone, “That young master just finished his medicine and is having trouble sleeping. Miss Lu, please go and comfort him!”

“Your kindness, I will remember in my heart, and will surely repay you in the future.” After saying this, Lu Yuner turned and hurried straight to Young Master Su’s room.

As Lu Yuner left, Old Li opened his eyes, his pupils pitch black, his expression unchanged.

Lu Yuner pushed open the door, and was immediately hit by the smell of alcohol. She frowned slightly, and just as she was puzzled, she heard a slightly drunken voice, “Sister Yuner, you’re back!”