Chapter 122: The Beginning and End of Love (Middle)

  Shu Hua poured tea and placed it in front of Zhao Xuanhuan, who didn't even lift his head. Shu Hua bit her lip, "I have something to tell you."

  The two people hadn't had a good conversation in a while.

  Zhao Xuanhuan put down the book in his hand, and Shu Hua said, "Among so many corpses in the chaotic burial mound, how did they dig up my fifth sister? The Shuntian government even believes such words. You go and ask for help to see if someone wants to extort our Tao family, and ask what the price is. At worst, we'll just spend more silver."

  Shu Hua was talking to herself, and when she finally looked up, she saw Zhao Xuanhuan staring at her without blinking.

  Suddenly, a loud meowing sound came from outside, and two stray cats appeared out of nowhere, biting and scratching each other. They were making such a racket that it was unbearable. Just as suddenly, one of them let out a screech, as if someone had shouted at them, and the two stray cats scattered in all directions.

  Shu Hua stared at Zhao Xuan Huan's eyes, stunned.

  Zhao Xuan Huan's mouth seemed to be carrying a hint of mockery, it was unclear whether she was laughing at the cat or at her.

  Shu Hua's heart skipped a beat, but she still took a deep breath and asked Zhao Xuanhuan, "What are you laughing at? Say something, are you going or not?"

  Zhao Xuanhuan said lightly: "Since it's a false accusation, there's no need to go find someone to talk about it."

  Shu Hua didn't understand the meaning of these words, but felt that Zhao Xuan's tone was higher than usual, and it made her ears very uncomfortable. If it were an ordinary day, she would have just let it go, at most being annoyed with him and not speaking to him again. But now, with all the grievances accumulated in her heart, she spoke in a low voice: "What do you mean? If the government can solve this directly, why come to me?"

  Zhao Xuan Huan didn't bat an eyelid. "You don't need to come and tell me, the Shun Tian Fu government is a place where right and wrong are clearly distinguished. Whether I speak or not makes no difference."

  Shu Hua heard this and her fingers trembled with rage, "You refuse to speak?" Her voice became shrill at this point, "Do you also believe those rumors?"

  Zhao Xuan Huan didn't say anything.

  Shu Hua was not to be placated, "I'm surprised you didn't mention it today, but you're not even surprised. Did you hear something outside? What's going on with the Tao family? You actually believe this too? How can a stray cat or dog's bones be said to be Wu Mei's? The burial mound is full of bones upon bones, without any names written on them. Can anyone really tell who's who? If even this is believed, what else will people believe?"

  Zhao Xuan didn't speak, and Shu Hua sneered coldly again, "What kind of fool would believe this? Isn't it just a scam to extort money?"

  Zhao Xuanhuan looked at Shuhua with a cold gaze, and for some reason, his eyes revealed a few hints of pity.

  Shu Hua's eyes were suddenly scorched, and her hot blood rushed to her face. The emotions of being ridiculed, belittled, and pitied all burst out at once. After enduring for a long time, the words finally reached her lips: "Don't think I don't know about your shady dealings. Someone mentioned her name, and you thought it was her remains that made you so grief-stricken."

  Zhao Xuan Huan heard this and was slightly surprised.

  "Shu Hua sneered, 'If you don't want others to know, then don't do it yourself. Why didn't you persist back then and instead married me? Now even if you regret it until your death, she's already dead, and there's no use thinking about it anymore.'"

  "If only we had invited her to the Zhao family's ancestral tomb, there wouldn't have been any trouble at the public cemetery. You also wouldn't have to suffer for her again, and our Tao family would have avoided such a great calamity."

  Zhao Xuanhuan turned his head, and Shuhua suddenly felt that the eyes had a fierce and cold glint she had never seen before, like two swords piercing her chest.

  Shu Hua was suddenly shaken by this gaze, and with a burst of unknown strength, she charged at Zhao Xuanhuan with all her might, as if to vent all her resentment and pain in that instant.

  ……

  Miao Tong and others were chatting in the house on Lu Ding, Miao Tong liked someone else's needlework and was carefully looking at it. The little maid next to her smiled and said: "Sister, why are you so free today? Don't you need to go serve in front?"

  Miao Tongfang smiled slightly: "I'm in the middle of a conversation, it's not good to be interrupted."

  The little maid joked: "I think Big Sister can't bear to part with her sister, maybe after a while she'll call her over again."

  Miao Tong thought that today, Master's face seemed to have a smile on it, and he might be staying in the house overnight. She couldn't sit for too long and was about to get out of bed to put on her shoes when a second-class maid rushed in from outside and whispered in Miao Tong's ear: "Master and Madam are quarreling again, sister, please go take a look."

  Miao Tong heard it suddenly, the foot that was putting on shoes suddenly twisted to one side, and she suddenly let out a "ya" sound, her ankle felt like it had cracked bones.

  ……

  Ronghua made her bed and changed her clothes, then leaned back in her chair to read a book. Ronghua had something on her mind and was distracted while reading.

  Last night, Ronghua and Xue Mingrui had an unpleasant argument. Xue Mingrui was reading documents in the study room, she just went in to deliver tea and didn't stay for a moment, not even exchanging a word. When it was time for bed, she went to bed early.

  Ronghua ate less in the evening, and Mugen went to the kitchen to make a soup that Ronghua loved to drink every day. As soon as he brought it into the room, Jinxiu came out to say: "The lady has already washed up and gone to bed."

  "Isn't it enough for tonight?"

  Jinxiu nodded, "Probably worried about family matters."

  Two people were talking, Xue Mingrui came out of the study room, Jinxiu and Mugun hurried forward to pay their respects.

  Xue Mingrui entered the inner room, and Rong Hua was already lying asleep on her side. Perhaps the quilt covering her was too thick, and she had begun to sweat from the tip of her nose, with a flush spreading across her cheeks.

  Ronghua was asleep and felt someone coming in to change the sheets, so she opened her eyes to see Jinxiu slightly startled.

  Jinxiu immediately said: "Let Hou Ye change into something lighter."

  Ronghua's face involuntarily flushed, thinking that Xue Mingrui felt the quilt was too thick. Just now, Xue Mingrui had asked her to sleep first, and after lying down, she originally thought the quilt was too thick, wanting Jinxiu to come in and change it, but somehow she was too lazy to move, and fell asleep in a daze.

  In the end, he still had to give the order himself.

  Jinxiu changed into a thin quilt and went out. Ronghua got up to help Xue Mingrui take off his outer robe, and the two of them lay back in bed again.

  Ronghua wanted to tell Xue Mingrui about today's events, but thinking of last night's events made her unsure of how to start the conversation. She decided to take advantage of Xue Mingrui reading a book and closed her eyes to fall asleep again.

  Maybe I thought too much about past events, especially that night when Mrs. Tai's ferocious face appeared clearly in my dream.

  Qi Qi was still struggling in the side room, Rong Hua explained a few words to Madame, but Madame seemed not to hear, everything continued as usual.

  She felt the poison flowing into her mouth, pungent and salty, with a stinging pain like needles on her lips, and Rong Hua involuntarily clenched her fingers.

  It seemed like she heard someone calling her name, and Rong Hua suddenly woke up and opened her eyes.

  In front of her was a red silk curtain, and the lamp shadow was faint. Only then did she realize that what had just happened was a nightmare. She had long since left that matter far behind. Her current self had been reborn, married into the Hou Manor and conferred as a first-rank lady, neither Tao Zheng'an nor the Eldest Madam had the right to arbitrarily decide her life and death anymore.

  Rong Hua opened her eyes wide and thought for a while before realizing it was Xue Mingrui who woke her up. Her mouth had a fishy smell, and her lips were slightly painful when she pursed them, as if they had been bitten by herself.

  Rong Hua turned her head to look at Xue Mingrui, his slender eyes showing some concern, which made her heart warm up involuntarily. Rong Hua's face turned red as she lowered her head and explained, "I had a nightmare."

  "What dream?"

  How could she tell him about that dream? Even if she told others, no one would believe her. Rong Hua lowered his head and said, "I don't remember it very clearly either, I just felt it was very scary." Such a vague reason, he might not necessarily believe it.

  Ronghua felt like a child who was eager to hide his secrets, not daring to look into the eyes of adults, and could only respond stiffly, hoping to get through it smoothly.

  Xue Mingrui's long and narrow eyes narrowed slightly. It was unclear whether it was because she had just woken up and was still a bit dazed, but the usual clear and cold gaze in her eyes had become extremely gentle, without any inquiring or questioning look, and also without asking for her meaning. Only then did Rong Hua let out a deep sigh of relief.

  Nor did I know if she had just talked nonsense, and if she had lied about talking nonsense, then it would really be...

  Ronghua lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought. Her long eyelashes fluttered twice as she stole a few cautious glances at him. Then, like someone who had done something wrong, she looked away, revealing a vulnerable side to this intelligent and strong-willed woman. She desperately concealed the secrets deep within her heart, refusing to trust anyone or utter a single word to others.

  The small shoulders that seem stronger than anyone else's in everyday life are actually weak and need protection from others.

  Xue Mingrui turned around to blow out the lamp, but his arm was gently held back by Rong Hua. "I want to read for a while."

  She said softly, with a lingering fear in her eyebrows, perhaps it was the remnants of the nightmare earlier.

  "You go to sleep, I still have some official documents to read and need to keep reading by the light for a while."

  Rong Hua was taken aback for a moment, he had just been about to blow out the lamp and go to sleep, but how did he end up flipping through official documents again.

  It's impossible to say that I'm not afraid, especially during the time when I was with Miss Eight. I didn't trust anyone around me and was particularly afraid of dark rooms. Every night, I had to keep the lights on in order to fall asleep.

  As she gazed at Xue Mingrui's figure, Ronghua's flustered heart gradually calmed down. She woke up several times in a daze and every time she opened her eyes, she saw Xue Mingrui still sitting by the lamp reading. The last time she woke up, she saw Xue Mingrui looking at her book "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature". When she woke up again, there was no one beside her, Jinxiu was sitting on a stool in front of the bed doing needlework.

  Still have to queue up for registration today...

  The endocrine is hanging, and the number is extremely tight, earlier than the last trip.