Chapter 44: She Felt Sorry for Lu Cha

“Zhang Meng, are you really not going to see him?”

The round-faced constable asked anxiously, “He’s been standing outside without sleep or rest for several days now. I think he’s about to collapse.”

Zhang Meng was wiping her knife with a handkerchief. Hearing the constable’s words, her hand paused for a moment, but she said nothing. She sheathed her sword, then threw the dirty handkerchief into a basin of water and slowly washed it.

Seeing that Zhang Meng was ignoring her, the constable hurriedly moved in front of her and asked, “Zhang Meng, he’s been waiting for you there for days, causing a large crowd of nosy people to gather at the entrance of the government office. We can’t chase them away. The magistrate has been angry about this for several days now. If this continues, our wages will all be deducted by the magistrate. Can you help us out and go see him?”

Zhang Meng hung the handkerchief on a rack and said calmly, “If he refuses to leave, you can arrest him and put him in jail. After all, he’s disrupting the work of the government office. That’s a crime.”

The constable’s eyes widened, “Zhang Meng, when did you become so heartless?”

Zhang Meng frowned, “Why do I need to show any kindness to someone like him?”

She had been lenient with him time and time again, only for him to take advantage of her kindness each time. The moment he drugged her, any friendship between them was over. When he did that despicable thing, she was already being kind enough by not arresting him and bringing him back to the government office. Yet he still had the thick skin to come to the office every day to wait for her, seemingly having thrown away any sense of male shame. If she still showed kindness to someone who resorted to such desperate and unscrupulous methods, she would only be inviting more abuse.

The constable wanted to say more, but Zhang Meng simply pushed her shoulder, “Go about your business. Don’t mention him to me again. Just thinking about him puts me in a bad mood.”

The constable tried to persist, “Zhang Meng, what’s wrong with seeing him for a moment? He looks so pitiful. Do you know what the people of Yun City are saying about him…”

“Qian Lu, you’re going to be late for your street patrol. Be careful, or the magistrate will dock your pay,” Zhang Meng interrupted her.

Remembering her patrol duty, the constable’s expression became anxious. She hurriedly tightened the sword at her waist, turned and ran, waving back at Zhang Meng as she went, “Zhang Meng, I’ll talk to you about Young Master Xu again when I get back tonight.”

Zhang Meng exhaled wearily and closed the door.

Ever since Xu Lu Cha had been waiting for her outside the government office, everyone in the office except Zhong Huo had been urging her to go out and see him.

At first, they were annoyed that Xu Lu Cha was blocking the entrance to the office every day, making it inconvenient for people to work and causing traffic congestion. Most importantly, because of him, Zhong Huo was like a lit fuse every day, exploding from time to time. If someone accidentally provoked Zhong Huo, they would be in for a world of trouble.

As time went on, they all began to pity Xu Lu Cha. Because he stood at the door without sleep or rest, his health deteriorated, and he would occasionally faint. Zi Yi came to take him home, but he refused. A few days ago when it rained, he stood in the rain all night and developed a high fever. The constables of the government office couldn’t bear to see it, so they carried the unconscious Xu Lu Cha back to the office and found a doctor to treat him.

The first thing Xu Lu Cha did when he woke up was to frantically search the entire courtyard for Zhang Meng. Zhang Meng didn’t want to see him, so naturally she didn’t let him find her. She hid in a relatively secluded corner, watching his frenzied behavior dispassionately.

That was the first time Zhang Meng had seen him since their intimate encounter. Zhang Meng hadn’t expected Xu Lu Cha to become so haggard in such a short time.

His clothes were still neat and elegant, his hair still smooth and tidy, but no matter how much rouge he used to conceal it, his delicate features always revealed a kind of pale, deathly aura. His eyes, once as gentle and captivating as water, had turned a frightening bloodshot red, like those of a demon. His body, emaciated to little more than skin and bones, seemed as if it would fall apart at the slightest push.

The image of Xu Lu Cha from a few months ago, unparalleled in beauty and otherworldly grace, flashed through Zhang Meng’s mind. Back then, Xu Lu Cha had been confident and cunning, radiant, with every move full of charm. Compared to his current state – thin as a rail, face as pale as paper, emanating an aura of death – Zhang Meng’s heart felt as if it had been violently struck.

Before seeing Xu Lu Cha, she had almost hated him to death. But seeing him in such a haggard state, although she thought he had brought it upon himself, her heart inexplicably ached.

Seeing Xu Lu Cha hysterically calling out her name, for a moment, she wanted to rush out. But in the end, she still restrained herself. She comforted herself, thinking she couldn’t forgive him so easily.

Later, Xu Lu Cha didn’t stay in the government office for long before going out. Zhang Meng breathed a sigh of relief, but her sisters in the office told her that Xu Lu Cha hadn’t returned to the Xu residence, but was still waiting outside the office for Zhang Meng to come out and see him.

The sisters in the office all thought that Zhang Meng usually seemed easy to talk to, but they never expected her to be so ruthless towards a man who admired her. They all criticized Zhang Meng. What they didn’t know was that because of Xu Lu Cha’s matter, Zhang Meng hadn’t been able to eat or sleep well for several days.

Zhang Meng was indeed still resentful towards Xu Lu Cha. She wasn’t from this world and couldn’t calmly accept what Xu Lu Cha had done to her. She believed that what Xu Lu Cha had done was very serious and unforgivable, but when the few constables she was close to heard about her and Xu Lu Cha’s situation, they believed that even if Xu Lu Cha was wrong, he had also sacrificed his entire life for her. As a responsible woman, she should take responsibility for Xu Lu Cha. Instead, Zhang Meng chose to avoid him, ruining the young man’s life, making her a true heartless woman.

When Zhang Meng heard them evaluate her like this, she felt both surprised and wronged.

Just now when Qian Lu came to persuade her to go out and see Xu Lu Cha, although Zhang Meng appeared calm, she wasn’t really at peace inside. She didn’t know what emotions she was feeling. Grievance, unease, anger, impatience… All emotions finally turned into a huge stone, pressing on her chest, making her feel tight and unable to breathe.

Clearly everything was Xu Lu Cha’s fault, so why were they speaking for Xu Lu Cha and accusing her of being heartless? Why did she feel somewhat inexplicably uncomfortable even though she firmly believed she had done nothing wrong?

Zhang Meng lay on the bed, weakly placing the back of her hand on her forehead. To avoid Xu Lu Cha, she had specifically asked Zhong Huo for several days off. Staying in the government office, she felt like she had become a person hated by all. Zhong Huo was inexplicably angry with her and no longer saw her. Wherever Zhang Meng appeared, Zhong Huo would definitely not show up. On the rare occasions when she did see Zhong Huo, Zhong Huo’s expression towards her was extremely cold.

Meanwhile, the other constable sisters would occasionally come to her with stern faces to lecture her on morality, as if Zhang Meng had committed some terrible wrong.

Zhang Meng pulled out the resignation letter from under her pillow and slowly unfolded it. Although the handwriting was neat and graceful, the strokes had a trembling arc, showing that her mood was not calm when she wrote this letter.

After seeing Yang Qing, she had thoughts of resigning. She wanted to accompany Yang Qing and live in the mountains forever. This was the life she liked. But she also knew this was unrealistic. After Yang Qing knew about her feelings for him, he wouldn’t treat her the same as before. Moreover, Yang Qing would find a husband for her.

So, her desire to resign faded, and besides, she couldn’t bear to part with her sisters in the government office and the citizens of Yun City.

But these past few days, because of Xu Lu Cha’s matter, all her sisters in the office were urging her to see Xu Lu Cha, persuading her to take responsibility for him. While she herself was still resentful towards Xu Lu Cha, she inexplicably felt sorry for him. The mixture of various emotions made her heart ache.

She wasn’t happy at all in the government office. She even thought about resigning and leaving this place.

Zhang Meng put the resignation letter back under her pillow, got up, opened the door and walked out.

She suddenly felt like going to the mountain, wanting to see Yang Qing. When she was unhappy as a child, Yang Qing always had ways to cheer her up. Yang Qing wasn’t the cheerful type, he wouldn’t tell her jokes, but he would make many interesting and novel things for her, teach her how to set traps and mechanisms.

Zhang Meng left through the back door of the government office. As soon as she walked out, she heard several people discussing Xu Lu Cha’s matter.

“I’ve never seen such a despicable person, clinging to a woman and refusing to let go. He’s disgraced us men. Why doesn’t Madam Xu have someone tie him up and bring him back? Doesn’t she feel ashamed?”

Zhang Meng unconsciously stopped in her tracks and looked up at the men discussing Xu Lu Cha. The men, some young and some older, all had expressions of contempt and sarcasm on their faces when talking about Xu Lu Cha.

“How could Madam Xu not feel ashamed? She probably has expelled Xu Lu Cha from the Xu family. Originally, Xu Lu Cha was the child of a prostitute, adopted by the Xu family, but now he’s done such a shameful thing. How could Madam Xu still acknowledge him?”

“Getting involved with a woman before marriage, he’s no better than a prostitute in a brothel…”

Hearing their harsh words, Zhang Meng felt a surge of anger rising in her chest for some reason. She hadn’t expected Xu Lu Cha to be spoken of like this. She could imagine the scene of Xu Lu Cha standing at the entrance of the government office, countless people pointing and gossiping about him.

Xu Lu Cha was such a proud person…

“Constable Zhang?” A surprised voice rang out.

Zhang Meng looked up and saw Lin Hao not far away. Lin Hao was tall, wearing brown clothes, his deep eyes fixed intently on her, filled with suppressed sadness. He quickly walked towards Zhang Meng.

The men who had been speaking ill of Xu Lu Cha saw Zhang Meng appear and became clamorous. They were about to surround Zhang Meng when Lin Hao grabbed her wrist and led her away.

Pulling Zhang Meng to a secluded corner, he released her hand and said hoarsely, “Constable Zhang, is it true about you and Young Master Xu? Have you really been intimate?”

Lin Hao’s eyes were slightly red, staring intently at Zhang Meng.

Zhang Meng didn’t want to bring this up and didn’t answer Lin Hao’s question. She said softly, “Lin Hao, don’t listen to what those people say. Young Master Xu isn’t that… disreputable…”

After saying this, she paused, surprised that she would speak up for Xu Lu Cha. After a moment of silence with complex emotions, she bid farewell to Lin Hao and headed towards the mountain.

Lin Hao called out her name behind her, seeming to say something else, but Zhang Meng’s thoughts were all occupied by people’s criticism of Xu Lu Cha, and she didn’t pay attention to what Lin Hao said.

When she reached the mountain, Yang Qing was cooking noodles in the kitchen. He wasn’t surprised to see Zhang Meng, but told her to wash her hands, saying the food would be ready soon.

Zhang Meng sat at the stone table, and Yang Qing soon came out carrying two bowls of noodles.

The noodles were still as unpalatable as before, with a strange smell, misshapen noodles, and bitter yellowed vegetables. But Zhang Meng still ate every last bit.

Yang Qing patted her head, smiling, “Only A-Meng can finish the noodles I make.” He gathered up the bowls and chopsticks and was about to leave when Zhang Meng called out to him.

“Yang Qing, Xu Lu Cha has been waiting for me outside the government office these past few days. I don’t want to stay at the office anymore, I want to leave there…”

Yang Qing came back with the bowls and chopsticks, put them on the stone table, and sat down across from Zhang Meng. He asked gently, “Are you still unable to forgive him?”

Zhang Meng was stunned, slowly nodding, “I feel like he was the one who did wrong. I didn’t have him arrested and jailed, which I think is already being kind enough to him. But the sisters at the office all say I’m being too heartless towards him…”

Yang Qing was silent for a moment, then looked up at Zhang Meng and said seriously, “A-Meng, although I do hope you and Lu Cha will marry…”

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