Chapter 24 (Bug Fixing)

“Zhang Meng, it’s been a few days since I’ve seen you. How did you end up in this ghost-like state?”

As soon as Zhang Meng stepped out of the room, Jin Yue flew over and hugged her tightly. Zhong Huo’s face darkened as she pushed Jin Yue’s face away with one hand: “Her wounds haven’t healed yet, don’t touch her.”

Jin Yue quickly released Zhang Meng, expressed concern for Zhang Meng’s well-being, then turned to exchange a few pleasantries with Zhong Huo before turning back to address the two men following behind her: “A Zhe, A Yue, come here.”

Jin Yue pointed to a young man with delicate features and said to Zhang Meng and Zhong Huo: “This is my husband, A Zhe.”

Then she pointed to a 12 or 13-year-old boy who looked like a finely carved jade figurine: “This is A Yue, A Zhe’s younger brother.”

Zhang Meng and Zhong Huo smiled and nodded at them. Jin Yue then introduced Zhong Huo and Zhang Meng to them respectively.

Upon hearing that the famous Madam Zhong was the beautiful young woman before him, A Zhe became a bit nervous and hurriedly bowed. A Yue’s expression remained calm, but when he heard Zhang Meng’s name, he specifically raised his head to look at her.

Jin Yue leaned close to Zhang Meng’s ear and whispered: “See, this is A Yue. Not bad, right?”

Zhang Meng remembered that Jin Yue had previously tried to match her with A Yue. Her face immediately darkened, and she elbowed Jin Yue in the waist, whispering: “He’s only thirteen years old, you beast.”

Zhong Huo soon left as she had some business to attend to.

In the back courtyard.

After chatting with Zhang Meng for a while, Jin Yue couldn’t resist going off to the side with her husband A Zhe to whisper sweet nothings to each other, inseparable and affectionate. A Yue sat across from Zhang Meng, openly staring at her without any of the shyness typical of young men in a matriarchal country.

Zhang Meng coughed lightly and said to him in a tone used for coaxing children: “A Yue, are you hungry? Have some snacks.” She moved the plate of snacks on the stone table in front of A Yue.

A Yue had a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes, bright and moist. He stared at Zhang Meng without blinking, his delicate lips curling slightly: “You’re not bad.”

“Hm?” Zhang Meng was confused.

A Yue’s snow-white fingers picked up a piece of pastry and put it in his mouth: “I agree to marry you.”

“Huh?!” Zhang Meng was dumbfounded.

A Yue stood up straight, reached out to grab Zhang Meng’s collar, pulled her close to him, then lightly kissed her on the corner of her mouth.

He let go of the petrified Zhang Meng as if nothing had happened, sat back down, and picked up another piece of pastry to put in his mouth: “There, in three years, you must come and marry me. Okay, wife-master?”

Zhang Meng abruptly turned and walked away, dragging Jin Yue, who was canoodling with her husband nearby, to the side.

“Jin Yue! What exactly did you say to A Yue?”

Jin Yue was initially dissatisfied with Zhang Meng pulling her away, but upon hearing Zhang Meng’s words, her dissatisfaction turned to curiosity: “What’s wrong with A Yue?”

“He wants me to marry him.”

Jin Yue covered her mouth and burst out laughing: “Zhang Meng, this is good news! A Yue is a very capable child, he even manages the family business! He has high standards, I was worried he wouldn’t be interested in you. I didn’t expect your charm to be quite impressive.”

Zhang Meng kicked Jin Yue: “He’s still a child! How can this be good news?”

“Wife-master~” A Yue was waving at Zhang Meng from a distance. Jin Yue gave Zhang Meng a mischievous push.

“He’s calling you, Zhang Meng.”

Zhang Meng returned to A Yue’s side feeling a bit dejected. She sat across from A Yue and said kindly: “A Yue, you’re still young. Marriage is something that needs to be carefully considered, it’s not to be taken lightly…”

A Yue stuffed a piece of pastry into Zhang Meng’s mouth and smiled slightly: “My decision to marry you is not something anyone can change, wife-master.”

…

Jin Yue and her group left in the evening. Before getting into the carriage, A Yue took out a small sketchbook from his sleeve and handed it to Zhang Meng.

“I drew these myself. They’re all positions I like. Please study them well, wife-master. I look forward to your performance.”

After saying this, he opened his arms and lightly hugged Zhang Meng, then let go, turned around, and got into the carriage.

Zhang Meng casually opened the sketchbook and was startled to find that it contained erotic drawings, and they were extremely detailed and lifelike.

She quickly closed the book, her face reddening.

Their carriage had already started moving. A Yue lifted the carriage curtain, looked back at her, and blinked his peach blossom eyes at her.

…

Hadn’t Jin Yue said that men in the matriarchal country couldn’t learn about matters of love between men and women before marriage? Why did A Yue know so much? If people found out, his reputation would be ruined.

Zhang Meng had received the sketchbook and, afraid that someone might see it, quickly tucked it into her sleeve. She planned to return the book to him the next time she visited Jin Yue.

As for his desire to marry her, she absolutely could not agree to it.

But even though his behavior was outrageous, in the matriarchal country, he was still in a vulnerable position. The boys in the matriarchal country were always shy, so she didn’t reject him directly. Instead, before Jin Yue and her group left, she pulled Jin Yue aside and told her her thoughts, asking Jin Yue to talk some sense into A Yue.

Zhang Meng repeatedly emphasized: “You must tell him that I already have someone I like. Even though he’s a good boy, it’s absolutely impossible between us.”

Jin Yue looked at her with disappointment at the time: “Are you sure you won’t consider A Yue?”

Zhang Meng firmly shook her head: “Don’t try to match me with A Yue anymore. I still have hope with my adoptive father, don’t mess things up.”

Jin Yue helplessly punched her shoulder: “It looks like the wedding gift I prepared for you will never be given…”

…

Zhang Meng spent two more days recovering in the government office. Only when her wounds had mostly healed did Zhong Huo allow her to go out on patrol. In the morning, she put on her sword and went out early.

The streets weren’t very noisy yet, with few pedestrians. Several uncles and aunties who were quite familiar with Zhang Meng surrounded her as soon as they saw her, asking if something had happened recently, as Madam Zhong had nearly turned the entire Cloud City upside down looking for her.

To avoid exposing Xu Lu Cha’s situation, Zhang Meng didn’t give them details about what happened to her. She merely said briefly that she had accidentally fallen into a valley and then got lost, unable to return to the government office in time. The civilians all expressed their sympathy.

When the sun rose to its zenith, Zhang Meng’s patrol work was already complete. She drank a few cups of tea outside a teahouse to quench her thirst, then prepared to go up the mountain to see Xu Lu Cha.

She bought some refreshing fruits and some pastries on the way, then headed up the mountain.

…

Zhang Meng didn’t find Xu Lu Cha at the house on the mountain. She searched the house inside and out but couldn’t find him. The house was clean and tidy, with no signs of intruders. The tea in the courtyard was still steaming, suggesting that Xu Lu Cha had just gone out.

She put the fruits and pastries on the stone table. She had planned to wait for Xu Lu Cha to return, but recently Zhong Huo had been keeping a close eye on her. If she returned too late, Zhong Huo would surely be angry.

So, she left a note for Xu Lu Cha, telling him that she had been there, and in a friendly tone, advised him to take good care of himself. She also mentioned again that he should confess to Zhong Huo as soon as possible.

She placed the note under the teacup and then left.

On her way down the mountain, she happened to encounter Xu Lu Cha.

Xu Lu Cha wasn’t alone, but with Miss Qin. Zhang Meng knew Miss Qin. Not long ago, Miss Qin and Qian Mu had fought over Xu Lu Cha and were punished by Zhong Huo to copy the penal code a thousand times. Zhang Meng had also been to her house to collect taxes. The Qin mansion was grand and luxurious, truly impressive. However, recently the head of the Qin family had fallen ill and become confused, so all the family business had been handed over to Miss Qin to manage.

Zhang Meng believed she understood Xu Lu Cha’s personality quite well. Now that he was getting close to Miss Qin, he must have some idea of using her. Perhaps he even wanted to become the main husband of the Qin family.

Zhang Meng had never liked to interfere in the romantic affairs between men and women. She didn’t intend to disturb Xu Lu Cha’s attempt to seduce Miss Qin, so she silently took a detour, preparing to leave.

However, Miss Qin had sharp eyes and immediately spotted her, even greeting her: “Constable Zhang, what are you doing here?”

Although Miss Qin wasn’t particularly talented and was prone to impulsiveness, she was still quite warm and considerate, and knew how to show gratitude. Ever since an incident where Zhang Meng had coincidentally helped her teach a lesson to some ruffians who had stolen her purse, she would actively greet Zhang Meng whenever she saw her, sometimes even inviting Zhang Meng for drinks, though Zhang Meng had never accepted.

Seeing that Miss Qin had already discovered her, Zhang Meng didn’t try to avoid her anymore. She smiled openly at her and said: “I had some business up on the mountain, but I’ve finished now, so I should be heading back.”

Miss Qin nodded and smiled: “Constable Zhang, I’ll treat you to a drink another day.”

Since seeing Zhang Meng appear, Xu Lu Cha had been in a state of shock. When he saw Zhang Meng saying goodbye and preparing to leave, he seemed to suddenly wake up. Ignoring Miss Qin, who had just been discussing business with him, he hurriedly took a few steps towards Zhang Meng.

“Zhang Meng, are you…” Here to find me?

For some reason, his heart started beating rapidly. The person who had been constantly on his mind these past few days suddenly appeared before him, leaving him somewhat at a loss.

She must still care about him, right?

She must have feelings for him, right?

Otherwise, why would she keep showing concern for him time and time again?

Zhang Meng heard Xu Lu Cha’s somewhat anxious voice and turned back to smile at him: “Young Master Xu, is there something you need?”

However, Xu Lu Cha seemed to have his throat constricted and couldn’t say anything. Usually confident and eloquent in front of others, at this moment, facing her, he seemed to have lost the ability to organize his thoughts into words.

Seeing that he wasn’t speaking and was just staring at her, his eyes fixed on her, surging with what seemed like many things he wanted to say but couldn’t find a way to express, Zhang Meng felt it was a bit strange. But she didn’t want to delve deeper into it, so she just smiled at him: “If there’s nothing, I’ll be going then.”

With that, she turned to leave. Xu Lu Cha hurriedly took a few more steps towards her. The ignored Miss Qin felt a bit displeased: “Lu Cha, do you have something to say to Constable Zhang?”

Xu Lu Cha stopped in his tracks and looked back at Miss Qin. His beautiful eyes flashed with disgust.

Zhang Meng had specifically come to find him, but she didn’t talk to him, didn’t pay attention to him, and just left like that. It must be because she saw him with Miss Qin and felt upset.

The more he looked at Miss Qin, the more disgusting and annoying he found her. Both were women, but Zhang Meng gave him a feeling of growing more enchanting the more he looked at her, becoming more and more irresistible, while this ugly creature Miss Qin had driven Zhang Meng away.

Xu Lu Cha, who had always pretended to be gentle and graceful in front of Miss Qin, coldly faced her for the first time: “Miss Qin, if you have any business in the future, just send a servant to inform me. You don’t need to come find me yourself anymore.”

“Lu Cha?” Miss Qin was both shocked and confused to see the usually gentle Xu Lu Cha turn cold towards her.

Author’s note: High-quality novels are being serialized here: Meiwu Novel Website (MEIWUXS.COM)

However, Xu Lu Cha no longer paid attention to her and quickly chased after Zhang Meng, who had walked far away.

His sprained foot hadn’t fully healed yet, and he usually didn’t dare to walk forcefully. Now, seeing Zhang Meng getting further and further away from him, his foot seemed to have lost all sensation of pain. He quickly pursued Zhang Meng, his heart both anxious and aggrieved.

Zhang Meng was quite foolish too, so easily believing that he had a relationship with Miss Qin? Wouldn’t she think about it? How could he possibly like someone like Miss Qin!

She was so weak, unlike a woman at all. If she liked him, she should be more assertive and possess him.