The thunder outside had long since vanished, leaving only the sound of a drizzling rain.
Shen Xuan sat in his chair, still damp from his recent bath, and looked at Afu, who knelt before him without a word. A sense of powerlessness washed over him.
"Afu."
These two words were like a bomb suddenly ignited in the quiet air, causing Afu to flinch. Tears pattered onto the ground, but he bit his lip tightly, daring not to make a sound.
Shen Xuan sighed, his brow furrowed slightly. "Afu, I've already guessed the reason behind this. It was your father's mistake, not yours."
Before Shen Xuan could finish, he heard Afu sob, "Young Master, I, I'm sorry. It's my fault, I..." Afu couldn't continue, his sobs choking him.
Shen Xuan didn't let him say more and spoke directly, "Afu, I lost my composure in this matter. It's not your fault."
He hadn't expected Afu's father to help others frame him. Uncle Wang had been his father's dowry!
Afu clutched the hem of his clothes, unsure how to react.
Just now, while the young master was bathing, he had gone to ask his father, but the answer was chilling.
"Afu, you were implicated by me today and have also been punished. Get up and go back. Don't forget to apply medicine before resting."
Afu wanted to apply medicine to Shen Xuan's knees, but Shen Xuan waved him away. He just wanted to lie down; he was truly exhausted.
Shen Xuan rolled up his trousers, revealing his swollen and scraped knees, some parts already bloody.
Shen Xuan laboriously walked to the bed and collapsed onto it. He truly had no strength left. He would worry about the wounds on his knees later; no one cared anyway.
Lying on the bed, Shen Xuan's head felt heavy, and he soon fell asleep.
The rain drizzled all night. Listening to the rain, however, made his sleep more peaceful.
In the early morning, warm yellow sunlight streamed through the window, spilling onto the bed and making it feel cozy.
Shen Xuan slowly opened his eyes, propped himself up, and looked out the window.
The crescent moon had been replaced by the sun, and warmth had replaced the cold.
A rainbow blazed in the golden sunlight, piercing directly into one's heart and dispelling the gloom in Shen Xuan's mind.
"Broken rainbow after the rain, clearing the autumn sky, mountains dyed with newly green eyebrows." This poem by Mr. Huang Tingjian was the most fitting description for the scene.
A man's lack of talent is his virtue. Here, men were not allowed to read or write.
Over the years, to facilitate correspondence with his maternal grandmother, she had privately taught him some commonly used characters.
After Shen Xuan learned to read, he secretly copied famous articles and sold them. With the money earned, he bought books to study, repeating this process many times, and thus acquired considerable knowledge and skills.
In fact, Shen Xuan had his own selfish motive: he did not want to be dependent on women for survival like other men in this world.
The gentle sunlight also awakened Lu Yu. Lu Yu yawned, looking around in a daze, and then realized she had transmigrated.
She had fallen asleep last night while organizing her memories in bed.
The original body was also named Lu Yu, and she had died from a blow to the head, leaving this opportunity for transmigration.
Thinking of the cause of death, it was truly deserved.
Due to her mother's side, the original body had an engagement with Shen Jiading, the eldest young master of the Shen family. However, after her parents died, the original body was uneducated and infamous.
Fearing that the Shen family elders would break the engagement, the original body had deliberately come to town to set a trap, planning to lure Shen Jia out and consummate the marriage, forcing Shen Jia to marry her.
The original body's worries were not entirely unfounded.
Shen Jia's parents had already considered breaking the engagement.
This plan was indeed clever, but for some reason, due to a twist of fate, it was the second young master of the Shen family, Shen Xuan, who arrived.
This Shen Xuan had a fiery temper. Upon discovering he had been trapped, he directly knocked the original body unconscious with an inkstone and escaped. However, he accidentally killed the original body.
But this incident was widely publicized, ruining Shen Xuan's reputation and forcing him to marry her.
Given the circumstances, accepting reality and taking responsibility was what she should do.
Thinking of the thin young master in her memories, Lu Yu felt a bit of anticipation.
Last month, she had sold the only courtyard house in the village left to her by her parents, and she still had some money.
Perfect. Tomorrow, she would go to town and buy more furniture to decorate the new house. She couldn't mistreat him.
After eating, Lu Yu took out the money hidden underground and spent 40 copper coins to rent a牛车 (niúchē - ox cart) in town. She planned to go to town to buy wedding supplies.
Passing by a roadside tea stall, she ordered a cup of tea and took a break. She overheard people at another table enthusiastically discussing the events that had just happened to her yesterday.
"Did you hear? Tomorrow, the second young master of the Shen family will marry Lu Yu, a rogue from Canghe Village."
"Heard it, heard it. Is there anyone who doesn't know about this? It's said that the second young master of the Shen family fancied Lu Yu's looks and secretly went out to meet her."
"It shouldn't be. I heard that the Shen young master also knocked Lu Yu unconscious and ran away. That's how he was discovered. This doesn't sound like Shen family's second young master taking the initiative. He was probably forced." The speaker was different from them, like a scholar, dressed more simply, and somewhat out of place.
"No, no, I was there at the time and saw it clearly. The Shen family's second young master was caught by the Shen family's head of household with his clothes disheveled. Something must have happened. It's strange if nothing happened when a lone woman and a man were in the same room, right everyone!"
"As for Lu Yu fainting, everyone should understand, right?" This woman, with a fat head and big ears and shifty eyes, glanced at everyone. "How else could she faint? Exhausted!"
As soon as she said this, it caused a burst of laughter.
"Then, that means the Shen family's second young master has quite good stamina."
The woman in plain clothes seemed unable to listen further and left.
With a bang, Lu Yu slammed her palm on the table. The sudden noise attracted the attention of passersby. Lu Yu's sharp gaze swept over all of them.
"I am Lu Yu. I want to clarify one thing today. It was I who coveted the beauty of the second young master of the Shen family that led me to do such a thing. But after this incident, I have truly repented. When he marries me, I will live a good life with him."
"From now on, I will not be a scoundrel like before. I also hope that these insulting remarks about the second young master of the Shen family will not be spoken from your mouths. Otherwise, you all know my past deeds."
After speaking, Lu Yu glanced at the woman with the fat head and big ears. The coldness in her eyes was palpable, freezing her to the point where she couldn't move or speak.
Without lingering, Lu Yu turned and left. When she reached a deserted spot, she grimaced and shook her hand. Seeing someone approaching, she returned to normal and walked as if nothing had happened.
Soon, these words spread. As for how many versions there were, Lu Yu no longer cared, as long as they stopped slandering Shen Xuan.
This was something she, Lu Yu, owed him. She would not allow others to defame him.