Dandy Escapes From Marriage - Chapter 32

Liu Shu recently started waking up earlier than usual. Previously, he would begrudgingly get up only after the sun had risen. Now, he could wake up right when dawn broke, mostly to catch a glimpse of Shen Ke during his morning exercises.

 

The first thing he did upon waking was to push open the window. To his surprise, Shen Ke, the expected person, wasn’t in the courtyard. Perplexed, Liu Shu ran out and searched all around, finally finding him in the backyard.

 

“A Ke, what are you doing?” He spotted Shen Ke squatting by the wall, his expression tinged with joy and excitement.

 

Shen Ke turned around, showing a hint of joy. “Looks like the hen is about to lay eggs.”

 

“Really?!” Liu Shu ran over in excitement, crouching beside him. Together, they observed the chicken coop.

 

In the hen’s nest, the hen’s rear end was bobbing up and down, making Liu Shu nervous. Instinctively, he grabbed Shen Ke’s hand and encouraged, “Come on, lay the eggs… lay the eggs…”

 

Finally, there was some movement from the hen. In their expectant gazes, the hen laid some droppings.

 

Both of them: “…………”

 

Liu Shu’s face contorted as he covered his nose and swiftly fled the scene.

 

Shen Ke sighed and went to the kitchen, grabbing some ash to cover the chicken droppings. He then shoveled it into the vegetable garden to use as fertilizer, a method suggested by Aunt Zhu a few days ago.

 

Liu Shu stood in the fenced yard, watching Shen Ke busy himself without any sign of disgust. He felt admiration and, in a moment, realized he might have been overly squeamish.

 

Since they started keeping chickens at home, he had never dealt with feces because Ke would feed the chickens before he woke up, then take them to the open area outside the yard, and clean up the yard almost completely, making it difficult to smell anything strange indoors.

 

He also remembered that in the village, there were people who didn’t like to clean and manage, and the chickens and ducks would sneak into the house when they were free, creating an unbearable smell that kept visitors away.

 

“Do you want to eat porridge or noodles for breakfast?” Shen Ke returned, washing his hands carefully with a basin of water.

 

“Porridge porridge porridge!” Liu Shu plunged his hands into the basin as well.

 

The basin wasn’t big, and their hands quickly squeezed together.

 

Shen Ke looked up at him.

 

Liu Shu wasn’t the least bit guilty: “Save water, let’s wash together.”

 

His reasoning was too straightforward, and Shen Ke silently lowered his head, pulling his hand out from Liu Shu’s fingers and turning to prepare breakfast.

 

Liu Shu stared at his reddened ears, a smile playing on his lips.

 

After eating two bowls of rice porridge, the two of them hitched a ride on the bamboo craftsman’s donkey cart to town.

 

“Brother, I have something else to do today and can’t help you sell your goods.” Liu Shu said.

 

The bamboo craftsman was somewhat anxious: “Then what will you do… I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle it alone.”

 

“You’ll be fine, you used to do it alone.” Liu Shu squeezed his cheeks with both hands and stretched them to both sides, smiling happily, “Did you shave, and your courage grew smaller?”

 

The bamboo craftsman tried to lower his head, but he couldn’t help but have a face.

 

“Don’t be afraid, I’m still at the guesthouse where Ke often goes, you know the place, you can’t handle it, come to me,” Liu Shu said in a low voice, “but if it’s to meet that girl, don’t come to me, you like her, do it yourself.”

 

“I… I don’t know what to do. What should I do?” The bamboo craftsman nervously rubbed his hands. “Should I try to appear more cheerful?”

 

“Just be yourself,” Shen Ke patted his shoulder. “Temporary disguises won’t work. If she doesn’t like you for who you are, she won’t be happy with you in the future, even if you’re together.”

 

On the way to the inn, Shen Ke unexpectedly noticed Liu Shu seemed quiet, looking deeply troubled. He asked, “What’s wrong? Are you worried about Big Brother?”

 

“Not really…” Liu Shu hesitated, looking at Shen Ke. More than worrying about the bamboo craftsman, he was concerned about himself.

 

Temporary disguises wouldn’t work…

 

If Ke found out about his true self, would he dislike him?

 

“What are you worried about then?” Shen Ke asked again.

 

Liu Shu thought for a moment, then casually asked, “What do you think of Zhang Moyang?”

 

“In what way?” Shen Ke inquired.

 

“In terms of character, personality… Would you be willing to marry someone like him?”

 

Shen Ke suddenly stopped, wearing an expression that said, “Have you lost your mind?”

 

Liu Shu rephrased his question, “I mean, he has a lot of behaviors you don’t like. What do you think of him as a person?”

 

“He’s not malicious at heart, just a bit playful.”

 

“If someone is even more playful than him, like an amplified version of him, what do you think?”

 

Shen Ke shook his head. “Not good.”

 

Liu Shu: T_T

 

So here’s the question: should he completely change himself and start anew, or should he just be himself as Shen Ke suggested?

 

Lost in thought for a while, he couldn’t come up with an answer and nearly bumped into someone.

 

“Watch out.”

 

A hand suddenly grabbed his arm, pulling him back. When he looked up, Shen Ke’s face was just inches away, almost tempting him to lean in for a kiss. However, Shen Ke was looking in another direction.

 

Following his gaze, Liu Shu saw a couple. The man looked weathered, supporting his wife who could barely walk, tears streaking her face.

 

“Please save our daughter… save her…” the woman sobbed helplessly.

 

“Poor thing,” murmured bystanders, discussing among themselves. “Their daughter is only thirteen. She went out of town a few days ago to visit relatives and never returned. They found shreds of her clothes by the roadside.”

 

“Was it reported?” Shen Ke asked.

 

“They reported it last night, but the county magistrate is away. The magistrate’s assistant has sent people out to search.”

 

Another passerby added, “Half a month ago, a girl went missing in the neighboring town too. They say she was abducted by bandits. Who knows if it’s true.”

 

“Xiao Wu, go back to the inn first. I’ll take them home,” Shen Ke said, his brow furrowed as he helped lift the woman.

 

“Okay.”

 

Concerned, Liu Shu headed back to the inn. Shortly after, Senior Brother Zhang and his sister arrived with two maids. He asked, “Did you hear about the missing girl in town?”

 

“Is that so?” Zhang Moyang shook his head. “These days, Fang Qiong is busy with her wedding. There doesn’t seem to be any major cases at the yamen.”

 

“Some say a girl went missing in the neighboring town too. If it’s all the work of bandits, this could be serious,” Liu Shu worried. Previously, bandits only robbed valuables and crops without harming people. Now it seemed to have escalated.

 

“Where’s Shen Ke?” Zhang Moyang asked.

 

“He’s escorting the missing girl’s parents home.”

 

Liu Shu could imagine Shen Ke would also inquire about the unfortunate couple’s situation, so he was quite worried. He had seen bandits before; if Shen Ke went after them himself, that stubbornness of his might lead to trouble.

 

“How many guards does your family have?”

 

“A few gatekeepers,” Zhang Moyang replied.

 

“Just a few?”

 

“What do you expect? Our village is simple, and nothing major happens usually. Besides, the Zhang family isn’t considered a wealthy household. Have you ever seen Jinling Liu’s Jin Ye Hu…?”

 

“Stop it with the teapot. Can you stop mentioning the teapot?” Liu Shu interrupted.

 

“I don’t want to, but it’s made of gold!” Zhang Moyang retorted.

 

“Don’t worry, Ke Shen is just escorting them home. Everything will be fine. Don’t scare yourself,” Zhang Moyang reassured him.

 

Liu Shu nodded, relieved, and regained his composure. “Okay, let’s focus on the task at hand.”

 

After lunch, Shen Ke finally returned to the inn.

 

“Why did it take so long?” Liu Shu asked. “Did you eat?”

 

Shen Ke nodded slightly, then sat down and said, “The missing girl is said to be a well-behaved and obedient young lady. She went out of town yesterday to visit her sister who had just given birth. The officials and soldiers searched for a whole day but didn’t find her. They only discovered numerous footprints at the place she disappeared, indicating multiple perpetrators.”

 

“It’s very likely to be bandits,” Liu Shu said.

 

“Has the yamen dispatched more people to search?” Zhang Moyang asked.

 

“I went to the yamen. The steward said everyone has been sent out to search, but Fang Qiong is still preparing for his wedding with a portion of the men,” Shen Ke pressed his forehead and suddenly stood up, “We can’t wait any longer on this matter. If the bandits become more audacious, it could endanger more people.”

 

“What are you going to do?”

 

“I’ll figure out a way to borrow some soldiers and leave for a while,” Shen Ke paused, looking down at Liu Shu, reaching out to rub his tightly furrowed brow, “It’s alright, I’ll be careful, you stay home and wait for me.”

 

“I’ll go with you,” Liu Shu held his wrist.

 

“You stay here to help keep an eye on Fang Qiong,” Shen Ke rejected his request, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

 

After packing up briefly, he was ready to depart.

 

“Wait,” Liu Shu reluctantly called out to him, handing him the only ten taels of silver he had, “For your expenses.”

 

“I have some, keep it for yourself, buy whatever you need,” Shen Ke returned the silver.

 

The two argued back and forth for a while. Zhang Moyang couldn’t bear it and took out ten taels from his own purse, “Alright, take this money for your journey. It’s a long way; use it to hire a carriage and get there faster.”

 

The three watched as the carriage departed. Zhang Moyang pulled Liu Shu’s sleeve, “Let’s go, if we don’t see you for a while, are you going to worry yourself to death?”

 

“You bachelor, what do you know,” Liu Shu scoffed.

 

“I’m happy, I’m carefree, I laugh at your own misery.”

 

Liu Shu couldn’t be bothered to respond, returning to the inn to continue tutoring Zhang Mosheng.

 

In the blink of an eye, it was the day of Fang Qiong’s wedding. The girl’s disappearance seemed not to affect others. Early in the morning, the Fang family was lively, with decorations and guests arriving for the banquet.

 

Fang Qiong, dressed in wedding attire, stood at the door welcoming guests. When he saw Mr. Zhang and Zhang Moyang arriving, he glanced behind them specifically, but saw no sign of Zhang Mosheng.

 

He was deeply regretful and said to Zhang’s family, “I’m truly sorry. Although I can’t give Miss Zhang the status of a lawful wife, I will always remember her kindness. Once my household is stable, I will seek to marry Miss Zhang again.”

 

Not to mention Zhang Moyang, even Mr. Zhang’s face changed upon hearing this. Father and son entered the door with grim faces. Mr. Zhang gritted his teeth, “This brat, I almost married Mosheng to her. That was close.”

 

Zhang Moyang took the opportunity to ask, “Sister is intelligent. Dad, you could teach her business.”

 

“What business? She will endure hardships and face others’ disdain? My daughter, how could I let her be judged by others? Marrying into a good family, living a stable life, isn’t that better?”

 

“Which family is a good family?” Zhang Moyang asked, “Families with power and influence all have concubines. Just the inner courtyard alone would be enough to make her suffer. Besides, which of these men here do you think is worthy of her?”

 

Mr. Zhang looked around but couldn’t find a suitable candidate. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, “Who is that young man? He looks so handsome. How come I’ve never seen him before?”

 

Zhang Moyang glanced over and twitched his mouth.

 

It was none other than Liu Shu, who had somehow slipped into the banquet, munching on peanuts.

 

He walked over, sat down nearby, and casually helped himself to some peanuts, “Why are you here?”

 

“Having a feast, it’s been a while since I had meat,” Liu Shu grabbed a handful of peanuts and stuffed them into his bosom, picking up a straw hat, “I’m leaving.”

 

“The dishes haven’t even been served yet, what kind of feast are you having?”

 

Liu Shu smiled, “The bridal sedan is arriving.”

 

Not long after he left, there was a sudden uproar outside. Zhang Moyang hurried to the door to witness Fang Qiong’s marriage ceremony.

 

As the bridal sedan stopped, Fang Qiong smiled broadly, reaching out to escort the bride out. Her face was covered by a veil, but her tall figure was unmistakable. Her mouth was so wide that her teeth could not be seen.

 

There were many people congratulating them all around, urging them to enter the house.

 

Unexpectedly, something happened.

 

A small stone appeared out of nowhere and hit his knee. His face changed immediately. Before he could react, the other knee was hit. He knelt down in front of everyone with a thud.

 

Everyone: !!!

 

Zhang Moyang was laughing heartily, but suddenly saw Fang Qiong raise his head and point in a direction, shouting, “Get that person for me! Don’t come back if you can’t catch him!”

 

Everyone turned to look, including Zhang Moyang, who saw a man leaning against the window of the opposite tavern, flicking his slingshot and smirking mischievously at Fang Qiong.

 

“You’re asking for trouble,” Zhang Moyang thought to himself.

 

The soldiers quickly mobilized and ran towards the tavern.

 

Liu Shu turned away from the window and quickly disappeared from everyone’s sight. But the next moment, they heard the sound of a horse neighing.

 

Zhang Moyang turned his head to look. Somehow, that guy had gotten hold of a horse. He was sitting proudly on its back, deliberately riding past the chasing soldiers, kicking up dust that hit them in the face.

 

“Quick! Chase after him! Don’t let him get away!!”

 

That arrogantly proud young man on horseback gave Zhang Moyang a strange sense of familiarity…

 

Zhang Moyang stared in the direction the guy had left for a long time. Suddenly, he woke up to the realization: Could this guy be intentionally leading the soldiers outside the city?!