Even though I agreed to help them, I really couldn’t figure out how to bring it up, especially with Shen Jianqing. He’d likely make some new demands.
In the evening, Shen Jianqing returned from outside.
“Li Yuze, does your foot still hurt?”
As soon as Shen Jianqing entered the room, he placed a plate of ciba and candied fruits on the table and came over to look at my foot.
I thought he was just saying it casually, but he actually did bring back sweets.
I shook my head. “It’s already fine.”
A strange regret showed in Shen Jianqing’s eyes. He turned, brought over the ciba and candied fruits, and ate one himself before saying, “You try it.”
I don’t particularly care for sweets, and I had something on my mind, but faced with his eager, expectant gaze, I reluctantly picked up a candied fruit and put it in my mouth.
A sweet and slightly sour taste instantly spread through my mouth.
I suddenly realized that this was one of the rare times we were together peacefully. Sharing a plate of candied fruits and eating ciba, it felt… it felt as if we truly lived together, a couple deeply in love and consumed by each other.
Shen Jianqing suddenly said, “Actually, my mother loved candied fruits very much.”
I froze, surprised that the conversation had suddenly turned to his mother.
“Back then, we always had candied fruits at home. But after my father died, my mother didn’t really like them anymore, and she even rarely spoke to me.”
Many believe that childhood deficiencies and unhappiness lead to a lifelong search for compensation in adulthood.
I believe Shen Jianqing wasn’t lying to me now, he really had no reason to lie to me anymore, but I thought at least his parents must have been very much in love.
I thought of my own parents and said with a heavy heart, “Both of them are still alive, but they’ve gone their separate ways, each starting a new life of their own, completely forgetting me, the symbol of their failed marriage.”
“Divorce?” Shen Jianqing found the idea quite new.
I explained, “It means an emotional break, dissolving a marriage. It’s very common outside.”
“Hmph!” Shen Jianqing scoffed disdainfully. “If I decide on one person, then that’s the only person for this life. No one can change that, not even they themselves.”
He was speaking with that obsessive, almost fanatical tone again.
Life is long; perhaps now their love runs deep and is reciprocated, but who knows if there will come a day when they grow tired of each other and go their separate ways? I believe every couple entering marriage is full of love and anticipation, but more often, daily trifles wear away that affection.
Never mind, Shen Jianqing probably wouldn’t understand any of this.
I carefully considered my words, then asked, “When did you get back last night?”
Shen Jianqing said, “Around dawn, I suppose.”
“And… what were you doing?”
Of course, I knew what he was doing; I just wanted to lead the conversation to the matter they had entrusted me with.
But before I could say anything more, Shen Jianqing suddenly looked at me with a very strange expression.
It was a complex gaze, like inquiry, contemplation, and then sudden realization. I don’t know what he was thinking or figuring out at that moment, but the conversation abruptly cooled.
“I should have known. They would come to you, you…” Shen Jianqing mumbled something softly that I didn’t quite catch.
However, I figured he had guessed my intention, so I didn’t hide it any longer. I directly asked, “Were you apprehending the traitor? How do you plan to deal with him?”
Shen Jianqing lowered his eyes, his thick, long lashes concealing his thoughts. “Everything will proceed according to the village rules.”
I said, “But Wan Ying and the others said you have the right to change the punishment.”
“I do, so you’re asking for clemency, aren’t you?” Shen Jianqing’s face hardened. “Let me guess how they convinced you. Oh, right! They must have said Ah Song chose to betray only to save those idiots Qiu Lu and Wen Lingyu, didn’t they?”
I silently watched him.
Shen Jianqing gritted his teeth, forced a smile, and raised an eyebrow, saying, “Of course I can, Li Yuze. Whatever you ask, I’m willing to do it. However… I also have something I want you to do.”
My heart sank, but I still asked, “What is it?”
“There’s no rush with that; we can take our time later,” Shen Jianqing said. “I can change the punishment, but according to the village rules, defection is a serious crime. The alternative might even be more painful, who knows?”
I said, “As long as he lives, anything is fine.”
“Good. And aren’t you always concerned about those three idiots’ fate? Tomorrow, I’ll take you to witness it all.”
“Their fate?”
Was he talking about the Gu insects he mentioned they were afflicted with earlier?
My heart thumped heavily in my chest, uneasiness rising, and fear took over.
The next day arrived quickly.
With Shen Jianqing’s support, I went with him to see how the village would judge the traitor and… and what Shen Jianqing called their “fate.”
My right foot was immobilized by the splint, completely unable to touch the ground. I could only manage to stand by relying entirely on Shen Jianqing’s strength. His right hand rested on my waist; its burning warmth permeated my thin clothes and pressed against my body.
And the faint, almost imperceptible scent of green grass from him lingered at my nostrils.
I was very unaccustomed to depending on someone like this and uncomfortably said, “You could help me find a crutch; then I can walk by myself.”
Shen Jianqing, however, seemed very pleased. The hand on my waist tightened, pulling me closer against him. “I’m not that foolish. I want you to lean on me, so every step you take, I’ll be right there.”
Me: “……”
I’d become almost numb to hearing such words.
Because of my injured leg, the journey was quite inconvenient. In some narrow spots, he even had to carry me. But Shen Jianqing seemed to relish every moment.
By the time we reached the gathering place, the Miao people had already assembled, seemingly waiting for us. It was the same large dam, but now there was no bonfire, and my mood was far from as relaxed as it had been last time. They say times change quickly, and I never imagined events would unfold so fast that time couldn’t keep up.
On the raised wooden platform, the leader was already seated, with the delicate Wan Ying beside him. As soon as she saw me, she cast an inquiring glance, and I gave a slight nod in response. Shen Jianqing, keenly sensing something, whispered in my ear, “Don’t look at anyone else; it’ll make me sad.”
He has no right to demand that of me, I thought to myself. I turned and met his gaze; he smiled and settled me to one side.
In the center, surrounded by the crowd, a young man knelt prominently. He wore a dark grey Miao outfit, his face was honest, and his hands and feet were bound. His expression was very calm.
He was the man who had knocked over Wen Lingyu’s wine cup that day!
