Dandy Escapes From Marriage - Chapter 18

Liu Shu slowly opened his eyes, caught off guard by the sudden light, causing his pupils to momentarily contract before he averted his gaze from the slightly reflective ceiling. He coughed.

Huishang, who was dozing off, suddenly woke up, yawning, “Awake? Hungry?”

“Yes.” Liu Shu rubbed his stomach and looked around, “Where is this?”

“Inn.” Huishang pulled him up and dragged him to the table, “Let’s eat.”

“Can you be quieter? You have no idea what discretion is!” Liu Shu grumbled.

“If I knew that thing, I wouldn’t have become a monk.” Huishang yawned again, laying his head on the table, ready to continue his nap.

“Hey, where’s Ake?” Liu Shu drank the almost cold rice porridge, looked around, but didn’t see Shen Ke’s figure.

“Went to borrow money from Master Zhang.” Huishang said without raising his head.

“Borrow money?” Liu Shu looked at the sky outside. It was already noon, which meant he had slept from yesterday afternoon until now. Although his head still felt a little dizzy and he didn’t have much of an appetite, he was much better than yesterday. It should be because a doctor had come to see him. He asked again, “Does it cost a lot to see a doctor?”

“What do you think?” Huishang said drowsily, “Poor people dare not get sick. You really have no sense of poverty. Now, our already poor life is even worse.”

Liu Shu lost his appetite even more after hearing this. He looked down at several chicken bones in his hand, reluctantly put down the chicken leg, and weakly crawled back to bed.

After a while, the door creaked open, and footsteps were very light, as if afraid of disturbing someone resting. However, when the person reached the bedside, the footsteps suddenly paused.

“Xiao Wu?” Shen Ke looked at the person lying on the bed in disbelief, unmoving, with two lines of tears slowly rolling down his cheeks, his eyes red. He immediately sat down beside the bed, grabbed the person’s hand, and asked anxiously, “What’s wrong? Is there still something uncomfortable?”

“I’m sorry.” Liu Shu slowly turned around, his back facing Shen Ke, muttered, “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t gotten sick, you wouldn’t have had to borrow money. It’s embarrassing.”

He had seen it all, those people who borrowed money everywhere and endured all kinds of torture for the sake of begging. His friend’s younger brother liked to lend money to others, and watching others endure all kinds of torture for his sake made him excited.

Although he didn’t like this approach very much, he didn’t care about it. He was just a bystander. If the tortured person wanted to hold a grudge, he would only hold a grudge against the initiator. What did it have to do with him?

But now, he didn’t know what kind of person the Master Zhang, who Shen Ke borrowed money from, was, but just thinking about Shen Ke begging others made him angry, angry at himself for implicating him.

“You haven’t lost face.” Shen Ke pursed his lips, a hint of a smile in his eyes, “Are you crying because of this?”

Liu Shu belatedly realized that he was the one who lost face!

He, the young master of the Liu family, had transformed into a farmer who planted rice and wove mats, eating inexplicable food every day, and had never shed a tear!

Shameful, shameful! What would his brothers think if they found out?

He slowly pulled up the blanket, covering himself completely.

“Xiao Wu.” Shen Ke went to pull his blanket, “It’s hot, loosen it up, don’t get heatstroke again.”

Liu Shu shivered suddenly, sat up abruptly, and put on a smile again—yes, it was Xiao Wu who lost face, what did it have to do with him, Young Master Liu!

“That Master Zhang gave you money?” Liu Shu immediately focused on the main topic.

“I didn’t borrow, it’s an advance payment for the reward.” Shen Ke said.

“But it’s just a small advance.”

Instead, the famous painting left by the previous dynasty exchanged for over nine hundred taels. However, suddenly bringing out such a large sum of money would definitely arouse suspicion, so he pretended to go back to Master Zhang to advance a little more monthly salary.

His gaze drifted towards the pawnshop across the street.

This place was remote, and there were very few people who understood art. It should be unlikely that someone would come to buy that painting in the short term. He specifically instructed the shopkeeper to wait until he had the money to redeem it in the future.

And as for the redemption method, either quickly earn more money, or return to the capital…

“Did he really not trouble you?” Liu Shu’s words interrupted his thoughts. He turned back and smiled slightly, “No, the food is getting cold, do you want to get up and eat something?”

“Yes!” Liu Shu hadn’t eaten enough just now. When he heard this, he got up again, picked up a chicken leg, and asked anxiously while eating, “What does that Master Zhang do? How wealthy is his family? What’s his personality like? Did he mention any conditions when you begged him? Like selling yourself or your skills? Or making you agree to unequal treaties?”

Shen Ke was stunned for a moment. “There is actually one…”

“Who?” Suddenly, a loud voice came from outside, and the door was kicked open, “Who’s talking behind my back?!”

The two of them were startled, and Huishang, who was half-dead and half-asleep, sat up suddenly, looking blankly at the door. A man in a blue brocade robe walked in, fanning himself in a pretentious manner. His gaze swept around the room, and he walked straight to Liu Shu, folding his fan, pointing at him with narrowed eyes, “Is it you?”

Liu Shu glanced at his exaggerated appearance and arrogant actions, confirmed with eye contact that he was a fellow like him.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“You’re the friend of Shen Ke who’s sick?”

“Indeed.”

The young master looked at the nearly finished roasted chicken in front of him, finding it hard to believe that this was the weak person Shen Ke had described. He raised his gaze to his face and stared at it for a long time before snorting disdainfully, “You’re quite good-looking.”

“Yes.”

After waiting for a while, the young master frowned, “Aren’t you going to reciprocate?”

“You look… um, you also have two eyes.”

“?” If you’re not going to compliment, then don’t force it!

Zhang Moyang’s forehead twitched twice, angrily glared at him, then turned to Shen Ke and said meaningfully, “I forgot to bring today’s homework, so you can go to my house to get it.”

Shen Ke nodded, reminding Huishang, who was still half asleep, to take care of Xiao Wu, and then left the inn.

He hurried to the Zhang family’s residence, where someone was already waiting at the front gate. Zhang Gongzi’s sister waved her hand eagerly when she saw him, even before he could explain his purpose. She handed him the homework, smiled at him, her cheeks flushed from the sun.

“Thank you, Miss Zhang. It’s hot, let’s go inside quickly,” Shen Ke said, taking the items and turning to leave, not noticing Miss Zhang still standing there waving.

“Miss, although he looks handsome, he’s ultimately a poor boy. Misery loves company…” the maid reminded her.

“He didn’t choose his background. Besides, he’s talented, at least he should pass the imperial examinations. More importantly, he has a good character,” Miss Zhang said, watching him leave with a dreamy expression, then shyly asked, “Did he really promise my brother not to marry until he passes the exams?”

“Yes, Master did as you instructed.”

The sun hung in the sky like a furnace, with few people on the street. Shen Ke started sweating as he walked, not understanding the promise he made to Zhang Gongzi last night when he advanced his monthly salary. Fortunately, he didn’t want to marry now since he hadn’t established himself, so he had agreed.

It was Xiao Wu who actually guessed that the other party would make demands.

Thinking of Xiao Wu, he quickened his pace, running back to the inn, worried that something might happen with him and Zhang Moyang, the playboy, being together.

As soon as he reached the downstairs, he heard a shout, “Ah–!”

It was Xiao Wu’s voice. His expression changed, and he quickly ran upstairs, pushing the door open with one hand. He saw Xiao Wu excitedly clapping his hands, dropping the wooden dice in his hands, and pointing at Zhang Moyang, who looked like he was about to collapse, “You lost again, hurry up and call me dad!”

Hmm?

Shen Ke paused.

“Another… another round!” Zhang Moyang shouted.

“It’s the same no matter how many rounds we play. You’ve already lost eighteen times. A real man accepts defeat. Are you still a man?” Liu Shu asked, rolling the dice.

Shen Ke walked in and looked at Zhang Moyang, who was holding his head in his hands and about to cry. Just as he was about to speak, Zhang Moyang’s rough voice interrupted him.

“Who said I’m not a man! Dad–!!!” 

Shen Ke: “.”

He glanced at Liu Shu, who shyly smiled at him, “Sorry about that, I’ve become a father again without feeling anything.”