Dandy Escapes From Marriage - Chapter 39

Liu Shu was really feeling numb in his legs. He stood up, leaned on the bed, pounded his legs, paced back and forth, and it took a while before he felt better.

“Still numb?” Shen Ke got out of bed and asked.

“Much better.” Liu Shu reached out, hooked his neck, and looked up with a smile, “Let’s continue.”

*Rumble—*

“Looks like you’re not just a bit hungry.” Liu Shu looked down at his stomach, pulled him to the table, and took out the pastries they had packed from the wine table earlier, “I guessed you’d be hungry. The kitchen staff are probably all asleep by now. Have some of these to fill your stomach.”

“Okay.”

Shen Ke started eating cloud cakes, while Liu Shu propped his head up and watched him eat. After Shen Ke finished eating and filled his stomach, he fell asleep on the table.

“Xiao Wu?”

Liu Shu responded groggily, but couldn’t resist the drunkenness and fell asleep completely.

The next day, he woke up alone in the room. There were several hot buns on the table, with a note underneath:

“I’ve gone to the yamen. Remember to have breakfast.”

Liu Shu opened the window. Groups of people were bustling on the street, and the bright sunlight shone on his face. He was in a great mood, nibbling on the buns and listening to the chatter of passersby.

Just as he finished the last bite of the bun, he saw a familiar figure in the crowd—Yu Qiaohui, with her parents, heading towards the yamen.

He tidied up and set off to the yamen to check on Shen Ke, then he had to attend to official business.

Inside the yamen, Yu Qiaohui and her family were expressing their gratitude to Shen Ke and inquiring about the whereabouts of the others who had been rescued, wanting to thank them as well.

Shen Ke looked up and smiled, “He’s here.”

Yu Qiaohui turned her head and saw the young man striding in. For a moment, she didn’t react, but he greeted her first, “You didn’t rest well at home?”

“That voice!”

Yu Qiaohui looked at him in surprise for a while, blushing, she praised, “I didn’t recognize you because you look so handsome.”

“It’s normal not to recognize me.” Liu Shu smiled and looked at the person who could recognize him at a glance, “How long will you be busy?”

“I’ll be reviewing the bandits.”

“Then you’re busy, I’ll come back later.” After Liu Shu finished speaking, he left first, found Chen Yinglian, and took her outside the city to pick flowers, which were materials for making rouge.

Chen Yinglian knew the terrain well and knew where to find what he needed. She was also skilled and could handle hunting along the way.

After a day’s work, both of them made significant gains.

As they returned to the city, they attracted quite a bit of attention.

A big man, holding so many flowers; a big woman, carrying bloody animal carcasses.

People whispered and pointed at them as they passed by.

But these two didn’t care at all. After saying goodbye to each other, Liu Shu returned to the inn. As soon as he entered the room, he smelled a fragrant scent.

“Roast chicken!”

“Where did you go?” Shen Ke turned around and asked.

“I went to pick flowers.” Liu Shu took a few steps forward, tucked the red and blue flowers in his arms, and eagerly opened the roast chicken on the table, “I’m starving.”

“Eat quickly.” After Shen Ke finished speaking, he looked down at the flowers and asked, “What are you going to do with these flowers?”

“I’m planning to do a little business and sell rouge.” Liu Shu ate roast chicken while explaining his plan, “But I lack capital and connections, so I partnered with Zhang Moseng.”

“How much money do you need?” Shen Ke asked.

“I need to see the shop first to know, mainly because it’s difficult for us to get started.”

Shen Ke estimated the money he had left from selling paintings, which should be enough to open a shop for him. But how could he give the money to him?

“Xiao Wu, actually, I…”

“What’s wrong?”

“About the money, you—”

Just as he was about to say not to worry, someone came to find him outside the door. The steward hurriedly knocked on the door, “Young Master Ke, the magistrate has come. Please come over!”

“Not yesterday, I just wrote to him? He’s here so soon? Is he Cao Cao?” Liu Shu exclaimed in surprise.

“Perhaps he set off early,” Shen Ke stood up. “I’ll go over first.”

“Go ahead.”

There were more guards at the yamen gate. Shen Huai sat in the hall, flipping through the old books.

“Lord Shen, Master Ke has arrived,” the steward said respectfully, glancing at the figure sitting in the hall—a young man who had ascended to the position of magistrate at a young age, indicating significant backing.

“I greet Lord Shen,” Shen Ke bowed his head respectfully.

Shen Huai smiled mysteriously and looked at him with interest, finding his appearance quite amusing, so he observed him for a while longer.

In fact, the two brothers didn’t resemble each other much, one favored their mother, the other their father, and their personalities were different too.

Shen Huai was the eldest son of the family, accompanying his father in and out of the house from a young age, having learned the art of diplomacy early and having been influenced by his father’s authority.

Shen Ke, on the other hand, was much milder. Born prematurely and in poor health as a child, he spent much of his early years at home, keeping company with books and causing no trouble at all.

Sometimes Shen Huai deliberately provoked and bullied him, but he never seemed to get angry, lacking the mischievousness expected of his age, which was rather dull.

If someone his age bullied Shen Ke, Shen Huai would often watch to see if he would get angry, but he always remained as calm as a smiling Buddha.

However, children from prestigious families in the capital mostly knew each other and dared not bully others too much. There was once a child from out of town who managed to make Shen Ke miserable.

It was vaguely remembered as over a decade ago, when a family of three came to visit, reportedly from Jinling, though they didn’t say why they had come.

The child was very cute, about the same age as Shen Ke, four or five years old, just at the age when they love cats and dislike dogs. When the adults were discussing serious matters, they let these two children accompany them and play in the backyard.

At that time, Shen Huai was reading in his room and saw through the window that the child from out of town was pulling the flowers in the courtyard one moment, kicking the trees the next, unable to sit still.

Shen Ke followed him, “Don’t pull the flowers, don’t kick the trees, okay? As the saying goes, ‘A flower for a world, a leaf for a bodhi…'”

“Annoying! Don’t recite these things to me, or I’ll go crazy!” The child covered his ears and ran away. Shen Ke was afraid he would run away, so he chased after him.

The two ran around the courtyard for more than a dozen laps, unable to run anymore, panting heavily and gasping for breath. The little boy even took out a purse and threw it at him, “Shut up, and all this money will be yours.”

“It’s not mine, I don’t want it.” Shen Ke threw the purse back. Rarely did he encounter a peer, so he invited him, “Do you want to come to my room to play?”

“What to play?” The little boy’s eyes lit up.

“Read.”

“Get lost! If you mention books to me again, I’ll beat you!”

“Why? Reading is fun. You can learn—”

Before he could finish, the child kicked him, leaving Shen Ke stunned.

Shen Huai saw this and finally couldn’t sit still. It was the first time he had seen someone dare to fight in their house. However, when he approached, he found that the two were evenly matched.

“Wow.” He watched his younger brother panting and fighting with someone, feeling inexplicably amused.

In the end, the two children stood there with bruised faces and were asked by their elders to apologize to each other.

Shen Ke obediently apologized, and the little boy stopped looking around, embarrassed and guilty, raised his chin, “It’s okay, I’m sorry too!”

Afterward, Shen Huai was also scolded for not taking care of his younger brother, but at the time he said, “Don’t you think you’re protecting Ah Ke too well?”

This matter may not be remembered by children aged four or five, but he was deeply impressed. Perhaps because it was the first and only time he saw his brother angry and resisting.

Later, that child never came again. Shen Ke mentioned it a few times at first, but later he never mentioned it again. As he grew older, he gradually forgot about it.

Shen Huai put away his memories and looked at the person standing in the hall, who had been under his nose all along, seeming not to notice anything. Separated for most of the past half year, he discovered that his gentle brother had undergone some changes. He smiled slightly, “You’ve handled the bandit issue well.”

Shen Ke smiled lightly, “This credit doesn’t belong to me, but to my friends.”

He then recounted the process in detail. After listening, Shen Huai nodded, “Good, I’ll reward them accordingly. But for now, let’s bring County Magistrate Fang up.”

In no time, the subordinates brought County Magistrate Fang forward, along with the second-in-command and the elderly man Qi, and interrogated them for over an hour before County Magistrate Fang confessed. Those several missing women were originally intended for presentation to the new magistrate.

County Magistrate Fang was also imprisoned for forcibly seizing the village women.

Although the steward didn’t know about County Magistrate Fang’s private dealings with bandits to buy good women, he had followed the county magistrate in his mischief and was dismissed and investigated.

After handling these matters, it was getting dark. Shen Huai invited Shen Ke to dinner, as they hadn’t been able to have a meal together since they met a few days ago.

“You’ve got quite the appetite,” Shen Huai laughed.

“It’s okay.” Shen Ke took a few bites but couldn’t help looking outside.

“What’s wrong? Waiting for someone?”

“Yeah, I wonder if he’s eaten.”

“Is it a friend who helped you catch the bandits? Invite him to join us for dinner, I’d like to meet him too.”

“Alright.” Shen Ke put down his bowl and was about to go find the person. Suddenly, he remembered something and reminded himself, “I’ve been hiding my identity all this time, and I don’t even know our relationship. I plan to find a good opportunity to be honest with them.”

“What relationship do you have, Lord Ke?”

Shen Ke smiled.

“Sit down, let’s eat well. It’s rare for us to be together. Let the servants go find him,” Shen Huai said.

Shen Ke turned to his attendant and said, “Please go to the Yunlai Inn and find someone named Xiaowu.”

Before long, the attendant returned and reported, “Young Master Xiaowu is drinking with his friends and feels sorry to come see Lord Magistrate. He asks Lord Ke to take his time eating and enjoy the meal.”

“Your friend is not giving face?” Shen Huai chuckled.

“Is he out drinking with Zhang Moyang again?” Shen Ke asked.

The servant scratched his head. “I don’t know what his friend’s name is.”

“Got it.”

Shen Ke finished his meal with a heavy heart, wanting to find Xiaowu, but reluctant to end the reunion with his elder brother.

Late at night, Shen Ke returned to the inn. After washing up, he waited for a while before Liu Shu returned.

Liu Shu came back smelling of alcohol, looking silly as he looked at him, “Why are you still up so late? Waiting for me?”

Shen Ke glanced at him lightly, “Why are you drinking again today?”

“Just drinking, no need for reasons,” Liu Shu chuckled.

“Is it with Zhang Moyang again?”

“Yeah.” Liu Shu stumbled and sat down beside him, “Let me rest for a while, just a while.”

Shen Ke sat still, seeing him about to fall back, he hugged his back and asked, “Do you prefer to drink with Zhang Moyang rather than eat with me?”

“No, not at all,” Liu Shu swayed, leaning his head forward and resting it on his shoulder, he mumbled in a daze, “I just don’t want to meet the magistrate.”

“Why?”

“Don’t want to be official, very annoying.”

“No need, Lord Magistrate is not a stickler for formalities,” Shen Ke smiled.

“Oh.”

“Would you like to have dinner with him tomorrow?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know him, what’s the point of having dinner? Don’t want to know officials, annoying!” Liu Shu said, getting a bit upset, his cheeks puffing up roundly.

Shen Ke was a bit headache. In this family of four, two were already officials. What could he do?

“You shouldn’t be so absolute with your words. There are still good officials. You can take your time to understand.”

“Why should I understand what they do? What’s it to me?”

“…” Seems like that’s true too.

Shen Ke looked at his drunken appearance and tentatively asked, “What if I were a young master from a prestigious family? Would you be annoyed with me too?”

“Hehehaha,” Liu Shu laughed awkwardly, “If you were a young master from a prestigious family, then I’d be a rich young master.”

“Alright, go to sleep.”

Neither of them believed each other’s nonsense.