Dandy Escapes From Marriage - Chapter 7

The two of them bought some vegetable seeds again, then filled their stomachs at a wonton stall by the roadside.

Thin skin, rich filling, a thin layer of oil floating on the soup, with a sprinkle of green onions for decoration. Liu Shu had never thought that the wontons by the roadside had such a great charm, making him finish even the soup.

As he put down the bowl, licking his lips with lingering satisfaction, he suddenly realized that the person sitting across from him was gone.

He looked around, but there was no sign of Shen Ke.

Surprised, he asked the shopkeeper, “Where’s the person who was sitting with me just now?”

“He didn’t sit with you?” the shopkeeper said in confusion.

“Yeah, where did he go?” Liu Shu pointed to the empty seat and asked.

“If nothing unexpected happened, he probably left when you weren’t paying attention,” the shopkeeper speculated.

“… Analyzing it so well, you should be a detective,” Liu Shu said with dull eyes.

“I know, he probably skipped out on the bill!” The shopkeeper suddenly realized, then stared at Liu Shu, afraid he might also run away. “You should settle the money first.”

“Who’s skipping out on the bill? Look down on me, huh?” Liu Shu snorted, reached into his pocket, and then patted his waist where the money pouch should be. He cleared his throat and said casually, “I haven’t finished eating yet. I’ll pay later. Can I have another bowl of… soup, and is the soup free?”

The shopkeeper looked at him with half-belief. Liu Shu pointed to the chicken coop and said, “Can’t run away. The chicks are all here, and I can’t bear to leave them behind.”

The shopkeeper reluctantly scooped a bowl of clear soup for him. He drank it very slowly, constantly scanning the crowd, nervously shaking his leg. The uneasy feeling spread in his heart—

Could he really have skipped out on the bill?

Could it be that the guy who took him in, treated his injuries, cooked for him, and gave him the money pouch, was all just a lead-up to this grand escape?

No, impossible.

Liu Shu dispelled his doubts as soon as he thought of the other person’s righteous appearance and continued to drink the soup.

“Xiao Wu.”

Upon hearing the familiar voice, he instantly looked up and saw Shen Ke walking quickly towards him. He sighed in relief, “Where did you go? How did you leave without a word?”

“I told you,” Shen Ke blinked innocently, “It’s just that you were eating too loudly and didn’t hear me.”

“Cough, cough!” Liu Shu covered his mouth, staring with bright eyes. “Loud or not, I was just focused on eating. It’s a tribute to food, a response to human civilization!”

Shen Ke nodded repeatedly.

“Two wen in total,” the shopkeeper immediately said.

“Here, now it’s your turn to respond,” Liu Shu said.

Shen Ke paid the money and went home together with him.

“What did you just go do? What’s in your hands?” Liu Shu noticed that Shen Ke came back with a small bundle in his hands.

Shen Ke nodded, opened a corner of the bundle, and let him feel the fabric. “I was afraid the shop would close if I went too late, so I hurriedly bought a few pieces. The sizes should be right. Do you like the colors? If not, we can return them.”

Liu Shu, fingering the fabric, slowly caught on after he finished speaking. “You bought these for me?!”

“Yeah, just a set of clothes for you. The ones you have are torn with a few holes, not suitable for going out. Since you’re staying, you need some good clothes… Xiao Wu?” Shen Ke was suddenly hugged by him, his hands stiff in place, not knowing where to put them. He said gently, “Aren’t you… feeling hot?”

“Too hot to bear.” Liu Shu let go of his hands and walked forward.

Shen Ke followed behind, carrying the bundle and the chicken coop, realizing that Liu Shu was walking even faster. “You’re walking too fast. Save some energy; the road is still long.”

“It’s long indeed.” Liu Shu mumbled in agreement.

Shen Ke paused, sensing something unusual in his tone. He stepped forward, grabbing his arm and turning to look at him. “What’s wrong?”

To his surprise, he saw Liu Shu’s eyes slightly reddened. Shen Ke panicked and asked, “What’s wrong? Is it too windy?”

Liu Shu hesitated for a moment, then laughed, “What wind? Clearly, I was moved!”

Shen Ke said slowly, “Could it be because of these clothes?”

“Yeah!”

Shen Ke didn’t expect such a simple gesture to move him to the brink of tears. He couldn’t help but feel more pity for him—what kind of difficult days did he experience before? Just a few pieces of clothing?

He had never lacked clothes before, Liu Shu thought. Whether it was from his own shop or other stores, whenever there were new and good clothes, they would be sent to his house for him to choose. It was just a trivial matter to pass the time for him. Moreover, the value of one piece of clothing could possibly equal the money Ah Ke earned in three to five decades, yet the other person was willing to use his limited money to buy him clothes…

“Is it nice?” Liu Shu couldn’t help but ask.

“Want to see for yourself?” Shen Ke directly took out the clothes and held them in front of him. “How is it?”

It’s quite good; a bit more delicate, and it could match up to the clothes his family’s servant wears.

“Thank you, I really like them!” Liu Shu hugged him and didn’t want to let go.

Seeing his expression as if he had gained a treasure, Shen Ke was even more moved by his pitiful background. These rough and ugly clothes made him so happy, like a child. If only he had extra money now. If he returned to the capital in the future, he would buy him better clothes. Shen Ke thought of this and patted his head, “Do you want to go to the capital?”

“The capital? Why go to the capital?” Liu Shu was puzzled.

“To… visit?”

“Visit who?” Liu Shu suddenly thought of his engagement with someone from a certain family in the capital, shook his head, “No, no. I’m not going. What’s fun in the capital? It’s full of aristocrats. I’ll be easily crushed there. I want to stay away from the capital and live freely and leisurely.”

Huh?

Shen Ke didn’t expect him to refuse, lowered his head to look at the vegetable seeds and the chicken coop, “Freely and leisurely?”

“…Farming freely, dressing freely.” Liu Shu smiled awkwardly.

Shen Ke pondered for a moment, then suddenly burst into hearty laughter. “You’re right, you live authentically.”

Under the thin twilight, the two returned to the village, chatting and laughing. Passing by the bamboo craftsman’s house, Liu Shu curiously glanced into the fenced yard. Coincidentally, his eyes met with those of a middle-aged man, startling him to quickly bend down and hide.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Ke also crouched down, whispering.

“I just made eye contact with him!”

“So why are you acting guilty like a thief?”

“Yeah, why am I feeling guilty? I’m not a thief.” Liu Shu stood up immediately, grinned at the man inside, and shouted, “Hey, have you had your meal?”

The man: “…?”

“How coincidental! We haven’t eaten either.” After saying this, the man stood up. He had well-built muscles, a stubbled face, and a scar on his eyebrow. He looked like someone not to be messed with. The moment he moved, Liu Shu screamed, grabbed Shen Ke, and ran, “Ah, help!”

“Watch out for the chickens.” Shen Ke protected the chicken coop with both hands, preventing them from falling out.

“That guy looks too scary.” Back at home, Liu Shu patted his chest in relief. “Luckily, I ran fast; otherwise, I would have been beaten to death.”

“Why would he want to beat you?”

“Don’t know. Some people just want to hit others when they’re not happy.”

“He probably wouldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“If he was prone to violence, the village would have known by now.”

True, even Cao Cao couldn’t keep up with the village’s gossip speed.

Having already eaten in town, there was some leisure time tonight. Shen Ke needed to organize herbs and read, so Liu Shu went out for a stroll.

The moon hung high in the sky, casting a faint light on the road. Swinging a straw fan and humming softly, he walked until he saw lights and heard lively voices not far away, prompting him to quicken his pace.

As he got closer, the lively sounds became clearer. It turned out everyone had gathered in a family’s yard after dinner, chatting and laughing.

The moment he entered the yard, a loud voice called out, “Isn’t this the guest from Brother Ke’s house? Come, have a seat. Want some sunflower seeds?”

“Thank you.” Liu Shu gracefully joined in, grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds to eat. Soon, he noticed everyone quieting down, so he smiled, “It’s okay, continue chatting, you don’t need to mind me.”

“But how can we not mind?” Auntie Zhu sitting next to him stared at him for a while, then chuckled and patted him on the back, almost sending him to the afterlife, “Oh, we heard a few days ago that Brother Ke’s house had a guest as handsome as him. Now we finally see you, looking handsome indeed. How old are you? Where are you from? Married yet?”

“I’m seventeen and not married yet.” Liu Shu chuckled.

“Seventeen is not young. You’re so handsome, why haven’t you found a wife?”

“I’m poor,” Liu Shu casually replied.

“Don’t be afraid of being poor. As long as you have hands and feet, it’s enough; the key is not being lazy,” Auntie Zhu comforted.

“Yeah, that’s right. Unfortunately, I’m both poor and lazy, so I’m afraid I won’t find a wife in this lifetime.”

“How about I introduce you to someone? I have a niece—”

“Thank you, sister. I don’t have any plans to get married yet.”

“Oh, what’s with the sister? I’m much older than you, hehehehe…” Auntie Zhu forgot the main point due to his calling her sister.

Others laughed too, and another aunt marveled, “That family is really unlucky.”

“Who says they’re not? But that kid is really adept at everything, eating, drinking, gambling, you name it.”

“Can’t be fake. My cousin’s sister-in-law’s brother works for that family. I’ve seen him go to brothels every day with my own eyes.”

Liu Shu heard they were continuing the previous topic, so he quietly asked Auntie Zhu next to him, “What happened?”

“It’s about a rich young master who frequents brothels, drinks, gambles, and harasses decent women.”

“Oh, that’s outrageous.” Liu Shu immediately joined the conversation.

“Yeah, it’s well-known throughout the city. His parents felt ashamed, so they arranged a marriage for him with another man.”

“Oh, it’s hard to say which is more embarrassing.”

“In the end, he took his wealth, brought a concubine, and ran away.”

“Wow, which young master is this?” Liu Shu was full of curiosity.

“It’s the nephew of my cousin’s sister-in-law’s brother’s family!” the previous aunt continued, “He works in a restaurant in Jinling.”

“Jinling? I know that place well. Which family is it? I might even know him.”

“How could you know him? Oh, right, the family’s surname is… Oh, yes, Liu!”

Liu Shu’s smile froze, and he raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Isn’t it Yang Liu’s Liu?”

“No, it’s Liu Shu’s, Liu.”

Liu Shu: …Why did you have to directly point at me?

Eating sunflower seeds for a while, he found himself involved in the conversation. “What happened? Does Young Master Liu really have a concubine?”

“News from Jinling. Do you think it’s reliable? Besides, for someone who almost lives in a brothel, how could he not have a concubine?”

“Perhaps, he lives in a brothel just to listen to music and drink?”

“Do you believe that?” the aunt turned to ask the men in the yard. “You guys go to brothels, leaving young girls alone, just to drink? Do you do that?”

The men fell into silence, and the women shed tears.

Liu Shu: …

Hmm, there’s some truth to that.

After eating sunflower seeds for a while, he found himself at the center of attention. “Is the information reliable? How did Young Master Liu get a concubine?”

“It’s news from Jinling. Do you think it’s reliable? Besides, for someone who almost lives in a brothel, how could he not have a concubine?”

“Perhaps, he lives in a brothel just to listen to music and drink?”

“Do you believe that?” the aunt turned to ask the men in the yard. “You guys go to brothels, leaving young girls alone, just to drink? Do you do that?”

The men fell into silence, and the women shed tears.

Liu Shu: …

Hmm, there’s some truth to that.

They almost convinced him!