FDNL CH 35

Chapter 35

 Trust (1/2)

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On this day, Su Lianyi could finally take a bath.

The room’s door was tightly closed, the air inside thick with steam, and faintly scented with medicinal herbs.

While other women liked to put flower petals in their bathwater to make their skin fair and smooth, Su Lianyi’s tub had not a single petal. Instead, there were a few scattered medicinal herbs.

Lotus leaves, Alisma, and Platycladus seeds—these were herbs Lianyi had bought from the county pharmacy while purchasing a small mortar, intended to be soaked in water to accelerate blood circulation, promote metabolism, and aid in weight loss.

The room was very quiet. Lianyi closed her eyes and leaned against the edge of the bathtub, yet her mind never stopped thinking.

Was she really going to live her entire life as Su Lianyi in Sujia Village? Of course not! She had to leave this place and gain her freedom.

Before, the problem was lack of money. Now that she had money, she could plan ahead. The next problem to face was how to actually leave.

Her relationship with Da Hu was a cooperative one. Da Hu would certainly never allow her to leave so easily. She had to come up with some excuse. Going alone to the county? Da Hu would surely be suspicious! Escaping while delivering wine to the Li household? No, that could endanger Uncle Ma.

The room remained quiet; not even the occasional sound of water broke the silence. Su Lianyi quietly soaked in the bathtub, resting against the edge, eyes half-closed, her head gently resting on her jade-like arms.

Her hair, black and thick like underwater plants, hung messily yet without disorder, draping over her shoulders and floating on the water. Thick eyelashes brushed against her fair cheeks like two feathered fans.

After the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, the quiet room suddenly seemed alive. Su Lianyi rose like a snow lotus breaking through the mud. The dim room seemed to shine—not because of her skin, but because of her eyes.

Her eyes were black and bright, carrying a victorious smile, as if after her recent contemplation, she had made a life-changing decision. No more hesitation, only determination.

She dried herself and glanced at the bronze mirror nearby. In the mirror, her figure appeared tall, her skin smooth as congealed cream. Though still slightly plump, her body was proportionate, giving a comfortable impression, beyond notions of beauty or ugliness.

Su Lianyi felt fortunate. Her body was only seventeen, still a young girl, highly malleable. If she aged another ten years, it likely wouldn’t be so easy to slim down.

The white undergarment and pale blue dress did not make her slender in the usual sense but gave her a unique, full-bodied charm. Lianyi touched her clothes, thinking of her newly acquainted friend Chu Ying over the past few days, and her chest felt as if something were lodged there.

It was reluctance.

Pushing open the door, she saw Da Hu sharpening a knife in the yard. The moon was bright, and no lamp was needed; silver light bathed the entire courtyard.

Da Hu glanced up while sharpening the knife. His usually cold, calm gaze flickered with a trace of surprise, but it disappeared quickly, and he lowered his head to continue.

The evening breeze blew—not as cold as before, but warm. Early summer had arrived.

“Da Hu, I want to discuss something with you.” She spoke casually, walking to the kitchen, grabbing a handful of vegetables, and sitting on the small bamboo stool at the kitchen door, picking vegetables as if nothing were amiss. Only she knew the anxiety in her heart.

Da Hu’s hand paused again. His thick eyebrows furrowed. “Hmm.” For some reason, seeing Su Lianyi today gave him an inexplicable sense of distance—both familiar and unfamiliar.

The silver moonlight was dreamlike, making the world seem unreal. In this strange silver glow, Da Hu felt that Su Lianyi was going to leave. Where would she go? Escape?

“I’ll be going to Fangchi in the next few days, to visit my second elder sister at Aunt’s place, and I’ll buy some seaweed along the way.” This was Su Lianyi’s excuse—implicating no one.

As expected! Da Hu dropped the sickle in his hand, sat upright on the small stool, frowned, and stared at Su Lianyi picking vegetables, “What scheme are you plotting?”

Lianyi let out a small laugh, dropped the vegetables in her hand, and smiled brightly at Da Hu, who sat just a few feet away, meeting her gaze. “I’m just a village woman. What scheme could I have? Sun Dage’s body has recovered enough to work in the fields, but as long as he stops eating seaweed, who knows when his condition might relapse? You’ve seen the Sun family’s situation—they have nothing. Shouldn’t we help them a little?”

The speaker meant nothing, but the listener interpreted much.

The word “we” from Su Lianyi stunned Da Hu. He felt a strange sensation in his heart, as if the two of them were already a family, a single unit.