Chapter Thirty-Four: Consider it as me having feelings for you, alright?

  Liu Qing quickly followed Hu Zhongren back to the Yangsheng Hall, only to find him lying down with his face to the wall in the east wing. Liu Qing walked up to him, looking at him with a mixture of guilt and apology, but Hu Zhongren remained still, facing the wall. Feeling uninterested, a wave of desolation rose from the bottom of her heart - she couldn't remember anything herself, and had to rely on others' accounts. But who was telling the truth? Thinking about it, tears began to fall as she stammered: "Then... you rest well, tomorrow... I'll leave." Her voice was barely audible, a far cry from Liu Qing's usual demeanor.

  Hu Zhongren was even angrier after hearing Liu Qingqing's words. He slapped the wall with his hand and shouted, "Get out! I never want to see you again!" This ignorant woman!

  Liu Qingqing said reluctantly, "Fine, I'll leave!" She turned and walked out the door. Hu Zhongren quickly got up and hugged her tightly, pinning her to the bed. "You think you can just leave? Don't think a contract can restrain me!"

  After finishing, Hu Zhongren stormed out of the door in anger. Liu Qingqing thought to herself, "This is ridiculous! I'm the one who should be angry, right? Fine, I won't bother with him. I'll just get a good night's sleep and tomorrow, I'll rush to Kyoto. I must find the Bixi Buddha and cure this foolish illness."

  Hu Zhongren rushed out and ran to the second floor of Feng Qi Building. He saw a dim light in the side hall, and on the wall, a huge painting of Guanyin Bodhisattva looked at him calmly. He couldn't help but kneel down with a thud, facing the Buddha statue, praying sincerely. "Guanyin Bodhisattva, please help me, Qingqing is leaving me, I'm really heartbroken, I'm really suffering!"

  "Hú Shǎo, you've really fallen in love this time!" Lǎo Ní said slowly and deliberately as she came up the stairs from behind and stood at the door.

  "Don't talk nonsense, I didn't!" Hu Zhongren defended himself. "How could I like her? She's so domineering and unreasonable, rough and rude. In my heart, there's only Xiulian, Xiulian is so gentle." Hu Zhongren's heart was filled with tender feelings as he thought of Xiulian, feeling warmth. Xiulian was like a sister to him, caring for him and protecting him, whenever he had difficulties, she could always resolve them.

  "No, your love for Xiulian is a friendly love, not a conjugal love. Conjugal love is a kind of heart-wrenching feeling. When Xiulian left, you only felt that you had wronged her, and you were filled with remorse. But if Jiufuren were to leave, you would be in great pain."

  The old nun saw Hu Zhongren's frantic destruction of the trees, saw him and Jiu Fu Ren's passionate kiss, and heard his prayers to the Bodhisattva not to let Liu Qingqing leave. She was certain that Jiu Fu Ren was Hu Shao's lifelong partner, but Hu Zhongren's enlightenment had come too late, Jiu Fu Ren had already accepted the divorce papers, and she also suffered from a mental illness, they were destined to have another difficult journey ahead of them.

  "Hu Shao, if you come out like this, won't Ninth Madame take advantage of the night to leave?" asked Old Nun.

  "I don't know, she wasn't when I came out, but she'll definitely be gone tomorrow," Hu Zhongren said dejectedly.

  "Go and apologize to her, speak from your heart."

  "She's a woman, how can I, a big man, speak softly to her?" Hu Zhongren still had a hard mouth.

  "Do you want her to disappear like Lady Hyun?"

  "I certainly don't want her to leave."

  "Hurry back and apologize to her, sincerely persuade him, most importantly, show your true feelings."

  "But she said she would leave, he would leave!"

  "As long as you treat her sincerely, she might change her mind. But if you continue to be stubborn, you will really lose her." Old Ni said with a heavy heart, "Listen to my advice, hurry back to Yangshengtang and don't regret it again. Since the divorce papers can be written, they can also be destroyed."

  A sentence awakened the dreamer, Hu Zhongren hastily returned to Yangsheng Hall, fearing that he might not see Liu Qingqing. When he saw Liu Qingqing sleeping on the bed in an un-ladylike manner, his heart felt like a stone had fallen to the ground. He stared intently at Liu Qingqing as she slept, sprawled out in a big X shape on the bed, with drool still flowing from her mouth, completely without the demeanor of a proper lady. Yet, he liked her natural appearance. Thinking that she might leave tomorrow, his heart felt even more unhappy. She had once been his lawfully wedded wife; he hadn't divorced her - it was his mother who had made the decision. How could she just leave? He wanted to keep a close eye on her, not leaving her side for even a moment.

  Hu Zhongren lay on the kang, holding Liu Qingqing in his arms, and fell asleep peacefully. Liu Qingqing was still dreaming, her small head nestled even closer to his chest. This made Hu Zhongren's remaining worries turn into joy, and he finally fell fast asleep.

  Liu Qingqing woke up to find herself sleeping in Hu Zhong's arms. She tried to leave, but Hu Zhong's arm was tightly wrapped around her, unable to move. "Sleep a little more."

  "I don't want to." Recalling Hu Zhongren's behavior last night, Liu Qingqing pushed his chest hard.

  "Sorry, sorry for last night." Hu Zhongren hugged Liu Qingqing tightly and whispered on her forehead.

  "What? Hu Dashi actually knows how to say sorry?" Liu Qingqing raised her head to take a look at the expression on Hu Zhongren's face.

  "Sorry, I shouldn't have lost my temper yesterday. I was just a bit upset that you didn't care about me." Hu Zhongren pulled Liu Qingqing closer, "You clearly know that I care about you."

  It's too late for regrets after divorce.

  "Does it matter?" Liu Qingqing felt puzzled.

  "You——." Hu Zhongren got even angrier at her lack of understanding. He grasped his hair, his eyes in pain. "Do you want me to say it clearly? I like you, care about you, love you. Will you only stop then?"

  "What? Don't you think I'm suffering from some kind of madness? What do you like about me?" Liu Qingqing seemed to have lost confidence, suddenly becoming somewhat uncertain. Now, Hu Zhongren's confession had left her perplexed.

  Looking at Liu Qingqing's hazy eyes, Hu Zhongren analyzed his own heart once again.

  "I don't know, but with you by my side, I feel so at ease. You always seem to understand what's on my mind. I don't know if this feeling is love or not, but I'm really scared of losing you and the feeling of having you."

  Hu Zhongren's face showed weakness, not the cold and stern man in front of people. Liu Qingqing looked at him, thinking that he was just a man who needed love, a big boy who needed her care. She couldn't help but lean closer to Hu Zhongren, resting his head on her chest, comforting him like a child, "I know, I understand, falling in love with someone is a very happy thing, don't be troubled, you said this feeling although I haven't experienced it, but others say so, maybe I'm born to be a good listener, just treat me as your Guanyin Bodhisattva."

  She said, "Although you're a bit weird, these few sentences seem like they come from the heart. Alright, I believe you have some feelings for me, that's enough." After saying this, she lightly kissed Hu Zhongren's forehead, seemingly playful. In her heart, she was secretly delighted: pulling along a rich guy to travel the world, finding a long-term meal ticket for herself, she had profited. As for whether she had any real feelings for Hu Shao, she'd just have to wait and see!

  There's already tofu available, not eating it isn't her style. She quietly gets close to Hu Zhongren, gently stroking his broad back with slender hands, touching the good physique of this model-like man, truly a stunning appearance. Stretching out her flirtatious hand, she leans in close to Hu Zhongren, feeling him up thoroughly.

  Hu Zhongren pushed her hand away, not letting her make a scene. He quickly walked out of the east house and saw that Yingying had already brought over a basin and other washing utensils. "Mr. Hu, please wash your face." After Hu Zhongren finished washing up, he moved to the main hall, where Xiaolian had already set out bowls and chopsticks, waiting for Mr. Hu to eat. As soon as Hu Zhongren sat down to eat, Liu Qingqing immediately ran out and sat across from him, picking up a bowl of porridge and slurping it loudly.

  "Miss, can't you wash up and have dinner afterwards?" she said helplessly as she walked over to apply a dressing to his wound.

  "Don't disturb me while I'm eating, eating is the emperor's business, people live to eat, and I need to eat my fill before I can do other things!" Liu Qingqing defended herself while attacking the dishes.

  "Hu Zhongren waved his hand: 'You two sit down and eat too. You can't argue with your family's young lady, she always has a reason.'"

  Two people sat down, Xiaolian kept serving Liu Qingqing dishes, she knew what Jiu Furen liked to eat, looking at the two of them coming and going, last night should have been a pleasant get-together, how many days had Hu Shao not had such a smile?

  "Hu Shao, you should eat more too." She gave Hu Shao some more porridge. Hu Shao's face lit up with a smile, thinking that Xiaolian was indeed understanding and reasonable, unlike Xixi who had a sour expression and ulterior motives, but instead showed only concern for him. He couldn't help but say: "Xiaolian, you should eat more too."

  Xiao Lian blushed and lowered her head to drink porridge, not saying a word. Liu Qingqing looked at Xiao Lian, then looked at Hu Zhongren, and smiled: "Hu Shao, you're right, you know how to care for your wife, this child is teachable."

  Here is the translation:

  With one sentence, Hu Shao put down his bowl and chopsticks, stood up, and everyone thought he was embarrassed. However, they heard him loudly say to the entrance: "Yue Xian-di, since you've come, come in and talk!" Xiaolian and Yingying quickly followed Hu Shao out of the main hall. It turned out that Yue Qianshan had arrived with his entourage.

  Yue Qianshan and a group of followers were already standing in front of the Yangsheng Hall, his followers behind him were all tiptoeing to look inside, naturally they were looking at Liu Qingqing.

  "Hey, everyone, just a minute, I'll be right there!" Liu Qingqing looked up at the door and saw that everyone was staring at her. She quickly gave a polite greeting. Putting down her bowl and chopsticks, she dipped her hands in the water basin prepared by Yingying three times, and her face was considered washed. Taking up the wooden comb, she didn't even look in the mirror, but roughly combed through her hair a few times, which turned out to be smooth and clean. She casually picked up a long pin from the table, twisted it into place, and her black hair obediently curled behind her head, looking like a lotus flower in clear water. Her movements were so fast they seemed like magic tricks, leaving everyone stunned until she picked up her bundle: "Alright, let's go!" She walked out of the main hall with ease, standing in front of everyone, who was still staring at her in amazement.

  "We're leaving for Kyoto today, let's travel together. Who wants to go?" Liu Qingqing said one sentence after another.

  Hu Zhongren looked at her bright eyes and white teeth, sharp and neat, just like a great general deploying troops. He said: "You see, who do you think is suitable?"

  "I think we should bring along Yingying, she's my personal maid and can't be left behind. We should also bring along Xiaolian, she's loyal to you and very meticulous. As for Yanyan, she's already become Yangliuqing's concubine, so let her stay here. As for the others, it's up to you, Hu Shao, to arrange."

  Hú Shǎo shuǎng lǎng xiào dào: "Wǒ hái shì dài zhe wǒ de sì dà jīn gāng, jiù gòu le. Chē liàng yǐjīng zhǔn bèi hǎo le ma? Wǒmen zhè jiù xiàshān!"

  Translation:

  Hu Shao laughed loudly and said: "I'll just bring my four great golden men, that's enough. Is the vehicle ready? Let's head down the mountain now!"

  Just as they were talking, a servant rushed in: "Master Hu, something big has happened! In the capital city, our shop has been secretly calculated and suffered losses, almost closing down. Manager Chen sent me to report this to you and wants you to rush back to the capital immediately to discuss matters."

  Yue Qianshan said: "Big brother, apart from this matter, why don't we two go ahead to the capital first, and they can follow later."

  "Hu Zhongren said, 'No need, I'll head to the capital first, you lead everyone and follow later!' After saying that, he called out: 'Hu Dong, Hu Xi, you two go with Yue Shao and escort Ninth Lady to the capital. Hu Nan, Hu Bei, you two come with me to the capital. Hu Zhong, you stay home and take care of Old Lady and handle everything at home.'"