The Zhu family and the Murong family could not be described as "familiar" or "unfamiliar". The words "unrelated" should be the most appropriate. However, after Zhu Yutang bought five red cards from Love Sleeve House, they had an inexplicable connection.
The reason was that the Murong family had invited a servant who looked to be in his teens but was in fact nearly thirty years old to the inn the next day and invited them to stay in the Murong family's courtyard.
As for why?
The servant who called himself Dingei said that because his young master wanted to get to know them, his young master sent him over to invite them to stay for a period of time.
Along the way, Ding Rui stared wide-eyed at Lian, who was still unconscious due to excessive blood loss. He frowned, pondered, and then smiled.
"What are you doing?" Even though he wasn't looking at him, Hong Yu, who loved Lian 'er, knocked Dingei's head unhappily.
Ding Rui did not mind his outburst at all and explained to him seriously,"I'm thinking which is more beautiful, my young master or this little thing.”
Hong Yu didn't think that anyone could be more beautiful than Lian 'er, but he still asked curiously,"Is your young master very beautiful?" He knew about the Murong family and had secretly seen the young masters of the Murong family. Each of them was a rare handsome man.
Unlike Young Master Zhu's masculine boldness, the men of the Murong family were more beautiful than women. They carried a faint evil aura, but the masculine aura they emitted was extremely attractive.
Ding ei grinned at his question. "We've arrived at the courtyard. You'll know when you see for yourself.”
The carriage stopped, and the few of them dismounted. As soon as they got off the horse, they were stunned by the beauty of the two people. The Murong Fourth Young Master's devilish beauty was still compelling, but at this moment, he spoke to the person in his arms with a gentle expression. As for the person in his arms, he had a beautiful face that was as beautiful as a dream. It was hard to believe that he really existed in the human world. It was as if Murong Yanhao had secretly brought him down from the sky.
The heavens seemed to think that this shock was not big enough to satisfy his vanity of wanting to show off his treasure. Lian 'er, who was sleeping in the carriage, slowly opened her eyes and woke up because of Zhu Yutang's gentle movement. He was still sick, so weak that it made people pity him. Even in his fatigue, his watery eyes were still filled with deep sleepiness, and there was an infinite laziness in them.
Ding Rui's nimble eyes swept across the room again. He had observed for the longest time and realized that if they were to compare, Young Master was actually more beautiful. However, because the two of them were so shockingly beautiful, no one would care about that tiny difference. Moreover, when a person's appearance was too outstanding, the important part became the temperament. Now, there were two completely different handsome men. Their temperament and beauty were equal. There was no way to compare them. That was why he was so troubled.
It turned out that Master Mu Rong also had the habit of having his sleeves broken, and even hid an astonishing beauty in his own residence, no one knew.
Zhu Yutang was a little surprised by this fact, but he didn't express his thoughts at all.
"Hao, can I touch them?”Purple Eye caressed Murong Yanhao's face and kissed him habitually.
Murong Yanhao glanced at Zhu Yutang and Lian 'er. "You can pat the big one and touch the small one.”
Zhu Yutang and the rest widened their eyes at his words. Did he treat them as animals?
Ding Rui sighed, understanding that his master would never open his mouth to explain the reason. This was why not only was he at risk of hearing loss, but there was also the possibility of his voice changing.
"My young master can't see, so he has to use his hands to confirm your appearance. As for why I can only pat Young Master Zhu once, that must be attributed to my master's desire to monopolize the world.”Oh! Just now, he was stabbed by Master's invisible cold arrow.
Dingei's explanation made Hong Yu and the others shut up and hold back their laughter. They were a little envious of the beautiful young man's encounter. He could get such a gentle and secure man to dote on him wholeheartedly.
Lian 'er, who had just woken up, was a little confused. Even the pair of arms hugging her was very unfamiliar. She looked up at the face above her head and her heart beat faster because of the face that was smiling at her boldly.
"Who are you?" She finally managed to make a sound, but she realized that her neck was in pain. She reached out to feel what was wrong with her neck, but then she saw that her weak wrist was wrapped in white bandages, and she could vaguely smell the smell of herbs.
Before Zhu Yutang could reply, Murong Zitong had already reached out her small hand to pat his face. She then carefully touched Lian 'er's face and finally revealed a child-like innocent smile.
"Hao!"
"Hmm?"
"The big one is thick and the small one is soft. I like Hao's. It's hard and smooth.”Hao's face was the most comfortable to touch. It was elastic and smooth. The big one just now was a little prickly to touch. He didn't like it.
Other than Lian 'er, who did not find his words strange, Hong Yu, who was rolling in the dust, Zhu Yutang, and Liu Qingsheng, who loved to stay in the flower street, almost choked on their own saliva because of his words.
Seiei, who had long gotten used to it, laughed out loud without holding back, mixed with the mocking laughter of the others. After laughing, he immediately fell silent. The one who laughed was Murong Yanhao's younger brother, Murong Yuexing. The reason for his silence was Murong Yanhao's merciless palm.
Lian 'er was already confused by the current situation and the unfamiliar crowd. She didn't understand why she had fallen into such a situation.
Murong Yanhao, who had his full attention on Murong Zitong, rarely noticed his expression. He turned a blind eye to Lian 'er's prideful beauty, and his eyes turned back to Zhu Yutang after half a circle.
Humph! This was going to be fun. How could one guess the outcome of a weak and weak official paired with a tough man from the north who did not know how to adapt?
Murong Yanhao carried Murong Zitong and sat in the carriage that had just been prepared without saying a word. He didn't care if the others were ready or not. He ordered Ziyan to drive away immediately.
"My young master said that you can use this house as much as you want. You can also order the servants around, and you don't have to inform me when you want to return to the North. We have already instructed the people in the residence. I hope Young Master Zhu can get used to it.”
After Ding Rui finished explaining with a smile, his figure suddenly disappeared from everyone's eyes, leaving Zhu Yutang and the others with the smiling servants in the house.
Truly…Truly worthy of the mysterious Murong family. A group of strangers that they casually welcomed in, and after a few simple explanations, they disappeared without a trace.
Zhu Yutang blinked and almost sighed at the current situation. He carried Lian 'er into the house.
Since the other party was willing to borrow it, there was no need for him to be polite. After all, the people in the north had always been casual.
"May I ask what you're laughing about?”Wu Qing looked helplessly at Murong Yuexing, who was smiling mockingly and cunningly, but her expression suited her handsome face very well.
Murong Yuexuan got up possessively and sat on Wu Qing's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her lips on his.
"I'll laugh at whatever Murong Yanhao is thinking.”
Wu Qing frowned. He knew that he could not compare to the Murong family in seeing through people's hearts.
"Don't you understand? It doesn't matter if you don't understand. You'll see the results of those two sooner or later.”He didn't need to learn to be as cunning and ruthless as he was. The Murongs were trained to understand people's hearts in a cruel environment. There was no need to learn how to be heartless, and he would not let him encounter the same cruel opportunity.
"Yue Tan, will they face any difficulties?”He couldn't read other people's minds, but guessing his lover's thoughts wasn't difficult for him. He knew that it was usually not a good thing to make Yue Tan smile like this. Even though they had been together for more than four years, his personality of gloating had not changed much.
Murong Yuexi's eyes didn't even move. She closed the distance between them by one finger and kissed the lips that would occasionally spit out warm words.
He wouldn't shed a single tear even if everyone in the world died, let alone two people whom he had only met once. Murong Yanhao would just silently let the question remain there, so why would he be so kind as to answer them? Speaking of gloating, Murong Yanhao was definitely no less than him.
"Focus on kissing me and see how many times we can do it before we return to the village.”
"Yue Tan!"
"Hahaha!"
"Who are you?" Lian 'er did not notice the beauty of the manor at all. He only wanted to know who the person in front of him was and why he was here.
When he saw the wounds on his body, he slowly remembered what had happened before he fainted. It was this man who had bandaged him and said that he would protect him.
The funny thing was that he didn't even know the man's name or where he was from.
"Zhu Yutang, you can call me Yutang.”
Zhu Yutang arranged for him to stay in a quiet courtyard in the manor. He was quite fond of the beautiful and green manor in the south. His own mansion was elegant enough, but it paled in comparison to the Murong family's manor. It was not that the Zhu family's wealth and power were inferior to the Murong family's, but the way they spent money was different, and the family's habits were also different.
When his father was still around, although the Zhu family's status was not low, they were just ordinary rich people. In addition to the strict security and strict family rules, the Zhu family's residence had always been large and simple.
However, ever since he became the head of the house, the entire courtyard had changed a lot. Now, he wanted to change even more. Otherwise, the lifeless atmosphere in the house would make it difficult for him to stay.
He had heard his name before.
Lian 'er remembered the two rich families that she often heard about from the officials, the Murong family in the south and the Zhu family in the north. The Murong family head was not suitable to deal with, and the Zhu family head was the wanton lord of Flower Street.
He had once wondered what kind of person could ignore the opinions of others and treat Flower Street as his own home, openly playing with small officials on the street. Even though the atmosphere in the south was so open, he could still see discrimination and ridicule in the eyes of others. Even the officials who came to Love Sleeves Square had the same expression, looking down on them and playing with them.
He thought that Zhu Yutang, who was known as Lord Lian Xiu, should be no different from these people. At most, he had more money and more power than others.
But he was wrong.
He did not expect Zhu Yutang to be such a tall and sturdy handsome man. The term 'handsome man' should be used on such a person, not on small officials like them who did not look like men at all.
"Why am I here? Why were Hong Yu and the others here instead of Love Sleeve Lane?”
"Young Master Zhu has bought us all. From today onwards, we are Young Master Zhu's people and no longer need to sell our bodies in Love Sleeve Shop.”Yingying smiled unhappily as she helped Lian 'er remove the bandage on her wrist and reapplied the medicine to bandage it. When she saw that the wound that was so deep that one could see the bone was still bleeding, her heart ached.
He still remembered how he had struggled the same way when he was forced to sell his body. However, his weak personality still succumbed to the threat in the end. Even the most stubborn Hong Yu betrayed her body in a half-conscious state after being whipped for several days. Only Lian 'er, he did not hesitate to use his life to threaten her.
He had not forgotten the scene of Lian 'er cutting his throat with a dagger. If Young Master Zhu had been a little late, they would have seen a lifeless corpse now.
"Ming Yan is willing?" He didn't know what emotions he should show when he learned the truth. Ever since his mother passed away, he had long forgotten the feeling of joy. Now that he was asked to smile, he realized that he had actually forgotten how to smile.
"Of course he's willing." Hiding his vicious side in the deepest part of his body, the number of people in this world who could resist him could be counted on his fingers.
"If Ming Yan is unwilling, I think we can only watch as Love Sleeve Lane is completely destroyed.”Hong Yu had seen the world the most among them. Even though he had only known Zhu Yutang for a few days, he knew very well that the formation of a tycoon would not be simple. Even if it was a slut who only knew how to wander around the streets all day long, it was just average.
He understood Hong Yu's words, but even though he knew the methods used in this situation like the back of his hand, his heart still could not adapt to such a cruel reality.
This was also why he was so stupid that Ming Yan kept lying to him.
"Thank you." Yes, no matter what his intentions were for buying him, he should thank him properly. At least he did not have to worry about handing his body over to strangers.
If the reason why he bought him was also for his unbearable body, he would still be grateful. As long as he could get rid of the days of using his body to earn money, he would not mind doing anything to him.
Zhu Yutang was speechless. Actually, buying him was just a spur of the moment. He had been wandering around Flower Street for so many years, but this was the first time he had redeemed himself for a small official. If his mother knew about it, he really did not know how to resolve it. A small official was bought to have leisure time, not to be pampered!
No matter how beautiful and cute Lian 'er was, she was still a minor official. He couldn't deal with her for the rest of his life. With his personality, even if he had family troubles in the future, he would not obediently stay at home and love his wife and raise children, let alone a small official who judged people by their looks. Although he, Zhu Yutang, was not a good person, he still had a basic conscience. The reason why he did not redeem the freedom of his beloved minor official was that he was afraid that they would covet him, a prodigal who could not give any promises, and ruin the life that he could have had.
However, since he had already bought it, he should not think too much about it. "From today onwards, you are mine. If there is anything, you can tell me. Don't let others have the chance to bully you.”
Hong Yu's eyes suddenly drooped, knowing that Lian 'er would easily notice the worry in his eyes.
They knew very well how true Zhu Yutang's words were. Even if Zhu Yutang was not as heartless as those officials who played with them, he could not be their support for the rest of their lives. When they grew old one day, it would be the time when these words would become false.
A beautiful face with a bad life was not just referring to women. It was the same for men like them who were neither male nor female.
"Brother Hongyu." Lian 'er woke up after sleeping for more than two hours and saw Hong Yu walking over and busying herself outside. She propped up her body that was still weak from her injuries and came to his side to look curiously.
"Lian 'er, why are you up? What if he caught a cold?”Hong Yu immediately took out a coat from the box she was tidying up and put it on him.
"Thank you. What are you doing? Aren't these the things we left at Love Sleeve Lane?”He saw that there were a few precious items in the box that Hong Yu's customers had given him. Hong Yu had kept them well.
Hong Yu smiled and closed the lid of the empty box that had already been tidied up. She pulled Lian 'er and sat down together.
"These things were originally left behind by Yingying and my brothers. We planned to use them to support our savings when we couldn't continue selling our bodies in Love Sleeve Square one day. You also know that we are all small officials who were sold to Love Sleeve Square since we were young. We are different from the small officials in the alleys. Other than pleasing men, we have no other skills. So what if we can draw, play the piano, and write poems? Who would hire us if they knew who we were? Are you willing to buy our paintings?"
"Brother Hongyu, I know what you said.”
Usually, other than entertaining the guests at night, the small official would spend the rest of his time idling in the workshop. They were not like the courtesans of ordinary brothels, who had so many people willing to take them out to play, so they usually gathered together to chat and gossip. In the end, even they felt like women.
"You know, but you didn't hear it. Look at these things. Many of them were thrown to us by you.”
"I don't want what they gave me.”It was proof that he had once sold his smile.
"That's why we've helped you keep them. These things will definitely be useful one day.”
Lian 'er wasn't stupid and understood what he meant. "Brother Hongyu, you don't believe that Zhu Yutang can take care of us for the rest of our lives, right?”
Hong Yu laughed mockingly. "There are not many things in this world that I can trust. Do you really believe that he will take care of you for the rest of your life?”His Lian 'er was innocent but not stupid.
Lian 'er pulled up the outer clothes that covered her body. Although it was a slight movement, it still caused a slight pain in her wrist. Her beautiful brows furrowed slightly. "I don't know. I clearly know that there are no words that can be trusted forever in this world, but when I heard his promise, I still wanted to believe it.”Especially when she looked into his straightforward eyes, even though her rationality kept telling her not to believe him so easily…
He said something that he had always wanted to hear. He said that he would protect him forever…
"Silly Lian!" How could Hong Yu not understand what he was thinking? They were like moths to a flame. They clearly knew the price of coveting the light, but they could not restrain their desire. If it were him, he did not know if he could escape the curse of the promise of forever.
Lian 'er smiled faintly. "I want to walk around. You don't have to accompany me.”He knew that if he offered to help organize things, he would be opposed. Moreover, the injuries on his wrists had not healed yet, so he could not help much.
"Your injuries haven't recovered yet."
"It's your hands and neck that are injured, not your feet. Don't worry.”
"Lian 'er!"
"It's alright." Lian 'er replied to him with a reply that was barely considered a response. Then, she slowly left the courtyard where she was recuperating, leaving only her clear and bright voice that was filled with laughter lingering in Hong Yu's ears.
Hong Yu sighed. Although Lian 'er looked delicate, her personality was more casual than anyone else. However, they all knew that his casual personality was not innate. If he were to be too calculative in that kind of environment, he would drive himself crazy first.
Unnatural nonchalance was just a forced smile under pessimism. One day, he would still be unable to suppress it.
"What should we do now? Where are you going to put the five small officials you bought?”Liu Qingsheng asked Zhu Yutang, who was still studying the Jiangnan courtyard, half gloating and half worried.
He knew very well that even if his good friend bought her, he would definitely not bring her home. Both of them were very clear about Old Madam Zhu's strict personality. If she really brought her home, there would be a huge commotion in the family.
"I've already thought it through. It's better to let them stay in Jiangnan. There are many people who do this anyway. I'll buy a piece of land to build a house, or I'll directly buy this place from the Murong family for Lian 'er and the others to live in. I'm planning to expand my family business to the south. In the future, every time I go to Jiangnan, I can come to this place to see them. Isn't this kind of life quite good?”In the past, he had heard that people from the north often set up houses here to raise small officials. Moreover, the emperor was far away, and no matter how strict Mother was, she couldn't control Jiangnan.
"Aren't you worried that your little official will run away with someone?”There were many cases of raising low-ranking officials, and there were also many cases of the low-ranking officials running away with the money. Especially when Yutang bought five at once, the possibility was naturally higher.
When he thought about how Lian 'er was with another man, his displeasure rose. "Lian 'er won't run away with others."
"Are you so sure? Don't forget that he's still a courtesan! Moreover, he was still so young, so his temperament was naturally unstable. If he saw a rich, handsome, and charming man like Murong Yanhao one day, he might run away with someone.”
"Liu Qingsheng!"
"What is it?"
"Are you so free that you have nothing to think about?”
"This is called preparing for a rainy day." You must be worried! I don't believe that you'll let such a beautiful person stay alone in Jiangnan.
"That's worrying." He believed that Lian 'er wouldn't do this. If he was such a person, he would have lost his virginity after being bought by someone for a night. He wouldn't have put up a sorry state and almost lost his life in order to resist.
He still remembered the doctor's solemn expression when he saw his wounds.
The doctor was recommended by Hong Yu. In the past, when Lian 'er was sick, she would always ask the same doctor to treat her. He knew that Lian' er's body was weak to begin with. This time, the wound was so deep and she had lost too much blood. If she wasn't careful, she might die.
"Lian 'er, this child is really too much. She clearly knows that her body is inferior to others, yet she still hurts herself like this.”The doctor's tone was like he was treating his own child. It was angry and worried.
However, he understood that Lian 'er hurt him like this because she knew his body. She would rather die than live.
Such a person would definitely not be as heartless as Qing Sheng said.
"It's up to you. You bought her anyway, so I don't care.”Liu Qingsheng casually found a seat and sat down. "By the way, are you planning to make a move on him?”It would be a pity if he didn't use such a beautiful person.
"Let's talk about it in a few days! He's still young."
"For a small official, he is already considered old. At this age, a small official is sensible and has a little innocence. If he likes this path, he would not be stupid enough to waste such a good time.”
"That's you." He knew that Liu Qingsheng liked young girls.
He had always gotten along well with him in other aspects, but this was the only difference. He felt that something was wrong playing such a romantic game with an eleven or twelve-year-old. Liu Qingsheng was different. He was similar to the average person. He liked young officials and would lose interest once he was over sixteen.
No matter how beautiful Little Guan was, she was still a man. When she reached a certain age, she would not feel so comfortable touching her. Moreover, she had as much body hair as herself. Her face that had changed its outline could only be called handsome at most. It was really difficult to say that she was beautiful.
Even if Lian 'er had grown taller, she would still be very beautiful, right?
That pair of large, watery eyes, oval-shaped outline, and small, plump lips, no matter how much he changed, it would not change his peerless beauty.
"I don't believe you can endure it." If such a beautiful person could be placed in front of him and not eaten, he, Liu Qingsheng, would definitely build a saint memorial archway for him and grant him the title of Liu Xiahui.
Even Zhu Yutang felt the same way. Unless he lost a nerve or the ability to carry on the family line, it would be difficult for him to not touch Lian 'er.
"If you can't bear it, then so be it." What he was worried about was not this problem at all. What he was worried about was that if he returned to the north and could not bear it anymore, what should he do?
Liu Qingsheng understood his answer very well. Sighing, he decided to study the construction method of the southern garden with Zhu Yutang.
In a small courtyard that was separated from the garden by a wall, Lian 'er happened to walk over and accidentally overheard their conversation.
He should be touched and even excited.
He told himself that.
However, other than a faint feeling of sadness or heartache that lingered in his heart, he did not feel much.
Shouldn't he have known earlier?
If he had known earlier that he was no different from an ordinary minor official in Zhu Yutang's heart, he would not have brought him back to the north. He would not have been reluctant to part with him. What he wanted was not a face that would wither with time.
Since he had known about it earlier, he should not have let that little ripple ripple in his heart. He should not have felt sad, should not have felt heartache, and should not have felt…disappointed.
At the very least, he had promised to protect him forever.
Not everyone could make the same promise to him…At least, he had given it to him.
This is enough…#
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