After walking through a maze-like road and arriving at Ranshui Pavilion, we found that the whole house was very small and simple. It was hard to imagine that this was the home of a nobleman before.
Although there is a garden, it is completely incomparable to Qinghe Hall and is only slightly larger than Lian Mei’s hometown.
Compared with Lu Wuxian's previous living environment, the gap was so huge that it made people feel sour.
Not long after I moved into Ranshui Pavilion, there were surveillance officials and interrogating censors coming in and out no matter day or night.
Ten days later, the surveillance people also withdrew outside the house, leaving only Lu Wuxian and Lian Mei living under the same roof.
However, Lu Wuxian hardly spoke.
Not only did he not talk to Lian Mei, he even answered the censor's questions in a very low voice. His previous cheerfulness and willfulness were completely gone.
After he was untied, he sat in a chair all day in a daze.
Lian Mei could only do housework silently.
She has a room of her own in Ranshui Pavilion, but with the current living environment, even if she wants to recruit other maids, she can only accommodate two more people living here.
Since it only takes two people to do the cleaning, laundry and meals, Lian Mei can do it alone.
Sister Lian placed the tea cups and basket of snacks she brought from the Qinghe Palace beside the pillow in Lu Wuxian's bedroom. She put the wild flowers picked from the garden into a bamboo vase and placed them by the window.
Although these wild flowers have no fragrance, they can only make do with it. Lian Mei really wants to look like the bedroom in Qinghe Palace, but she still cannot hide the simplicity and darkness here.
This has nothing to do with the house.
Any house changes depending on its owner.
Even though it was summer, Ranshui Pavilion was lifeless because Lu Wuxian who lived here was completely lifeless.
Lu Wuxian didn't think about food or tea, and became more and more haggard every day.
Although it is indeed difficult to regain energy when encountering this kind of thing... But Lian Mei can't bear to see him continue to languish.
……what to do?
There is no one else here except me...
Although he hoped that Lu Wuxian would lose, and although he hoped that he could be by his side when he was alone after his defeat, now that the two of them were alone, they could not do anything for him.
Ordinary days passed day after day, and I don’t know how long it took.
Even though I don’t know how much time has passed, night still comes.
Lian Mei changed into her pajamas and walked to Lu Wuxian's room with a candle.
Lu Wuxian was still sitting on the chair blankly, and he wouldn't even lie down to rest if he wasn't taken from the chair to the bed.
...is he asleep?
Lian Mei made him lie down on the bed as usual. Lu Wuxian opened his eyes, but didn't know where he was looking.
When I looked up, I found that the flowers placed by the window were withered.
……I……
How could you make such a wish?
She had long known that once Lu Wuxian lost power, those who were close to him for glory and wealth would leave, so she wanted him to lose.
As long as you lose, those people will leave.
As long as there aren't those people, then...
"..."
Ranshui Pavilion, where sinners live.
Maybe he is more suitable to live here than Lu Wuxian.
Because I prayed for something I shouldn't have expected... This wish was simply a sin.
Lian Mei sat next to Lu Wuxian, who was lying dazedly on the bed, and gently touched his forehead.
The warmth of the skin is the warmth of life.
"Your Highness, please cheer up..."
No matter how willful you are, it doesn't matter even if you lose your temper.
"It's over... Have a good rest, eat well, and cheer up soon."
Lu Wuxian's eyelids twitched.
He opened his mouth slightly and muttered something unknown.
It's over... Is that what he muttered just now?
"It's over...yes, it's over."
"..."
At this time.
His empty expression relaxed slightly.
...did he hear it?
Just like that night, can we get closer to him?
Sister Lian sang quietly.
As long as Lu Wuxian hears it.
She sang softly so as not to disturb his sleep.
Lu Wuxian heard the lullaby and narrowed his eyes.
Then, two lines of hot tears fell from his eyes... Lu Wuxian just fell asleep.
...Tomorrow morning, when he wakes up.
I will be the most disrespectful maid in the country.
If he becomes willful again, and if others fail to do what he wants, he will be noisy like a child and turn back into that difficult-to-deal-with young man, and he will definitely be furious with me.
As long as he loses his temper, he will never be depressed again.
No matter how much he scolds me, no matter how much he hates me, now, he only has me.
For him, I became the most annoying maid in the country...
I don't expect him to like me.
I am the real sinner.
so.
This... is my punishment.
…
"Why aren't you cute at all?"
"Is it necessary to be cute?"
"This is not a necessary issue!"
The green leaves in summer have turned red or yellow and are falling in the garden.
There are only two of them in Ranshui Pavilion...
Although isolated from the world, the years still pass by.
"Can you please smile! I don't look good every day... Have you ever laughed since you were a child?"
Lu Wuxian was cleaning the garden, waving a broom and yelling at the same time. Lian Mei, with a cold expression on her face as usual, was cleaning the mud from the sweet potatoes.
"You have time to please me, why not sweep the fallen leaves over. You said you wanted to eat roasted sweet potatoes."
"Who wants to please you! You made a mistake, you are the maid, it is you who should please me!"
"So I'm not preparing sweet potatoes?"
"How can a maid in the world ask her master to sweep fallen leaves in order to roast sweet potatoes!"
"There is one right in front of you."
"...I can't stand it! Why are you the only maid here!"
Lu Wuxian swept the fallen leaves angrily, but because he was so angry that he swept them randomly, the fallen leaves scattered in all directions.
Lian Mei sighed, wondering when she would be able to roast sweet potatoes if this continues.
At this time, Lu Wuxian sneezed hard.
"Because you have swept up the dust, please sweep it gently."
"Stop blabbering! It's all your fault. It's so cold and you asked me to come out!"
"Didn't I just tell you to wear a thicker coat?"
"No matter how much you wear, you will still be cold! Oh, it's so cold!"
... Even after all this time, his willfulness still remains unchanged...
"Then we won't bake the sweet potatoes?"
"You asked me to go out in such a cold weather, but you didn't even give me sweet potatoes to eat after a long time?"
"Then please sweep the fallen leaves over quickly."
"Why does this kind of drudgery fall on me..."
The conversation between the two people never intersected.
Lu Wuxian sneezed again.
"...I'm here to help you. You can quickly sweep the fallen leaves together. As long as you light a fire, it will be very warm."
Lian Mei brought a broom and water, and Lu Wuxian kept mumbling while sweeping the fallen leaves.
After Lian Mei lit the fallen leaves on fire, Lu Wuxian squatted next to him and put his hands on the fallen leaves that were still smoking.
"It won't be so soon."
"My hands are cold..."
Lian Mei looked at Lu Wuxian’s profile.
Lu Wuxian pouted his lower lip and frowned, looking like a troubled child, but now he doesn't look as childish as before...
Is it because he looks haggard?
"hand……"
"ah?"
"Lend me your hand."
Lian Mei picked up Lu Wuxian's hand and looked at it...his big hands were very beautiful.
"Only the hands are grown-up hands."
"...What do you mean, only hands are grown-up hands? What do you mean?"
"That's what you heard."
Lian Mei breathed into his cold fingertips. Lu Wuxian raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Because you said your hands were cold."
"..."
Lu Wuxian looked at Lian Mei intently.
As soon as Lian Mei raised her eyes, she saw Lu Wuxian's face right in front of her. She immediately lowered her eyes, and then breathed two or three times at his hand.
"The fire is slowly getting stronger..."
The fallen leaves made the fire even warmer. She was about to let go of her hand, but unexpectedly, Lu Wuxian tightened his grip.
"What...what happened?"
"I found you are actually quite beautiful."
"……ah?"
"I didn't notice it at all before. Because you keep a straight face all day long, which makes people feel very annoying...Hey, turn your head around."
"You are kidding again..."
Lian Mei stood up and wanted to shake off his hand, but she didn't expect it to be held tighter.
That's not the strength of a child...
Although he likes to make trouble, he is no longer a child.
"Lianmei."
When he heard Lu Wuxian calling him, he couldn't help but feel flustered... and he even accidentally wrote his panic on his face.
Lu Wuxian opened his eyes wide, looking as if he was very angry, and wanted to pull Lian Mei towards him.
"let me go."
"As soon as I let go, you will run away!"
"Where can I escape? Let me go!"
"I just want to get a good look at your face!"
"Don't you see my face every day?"
The wind blew up, blowing the smoke from burning fallen leaves, and it hit her face, causing Lian Mei to cough.
"Hello……"
"...Set...fire, danger..."
Lu Wuxian smacked his lips, suddenly let go, and poured the water from the bucket onto the fire to put out the fire.
"What do you want to do..."
"Show me your face!"
Seeing his menacing look, Lian Mei couldn't help but take a breath.
"..."
Lu Wuxian looked directly into Lian Mei's eyes, which were choked by the smoke and were crying. For some reason, he seemed to be filled with anger.
Lian Mei has never been afraid of Lu Wuxian, but for some reason, she can't move or look away now.
"snort……"
Lu Wuxian studied Lian Mei's face for a long time, and finally straightened his body.
"You actually deceived me for so long."
"What?"
"You deliberately don't wear makeup, you always keep a straight face and talk nonsense to hide the fact that you are beautiful."
"……ah?"
Lian Mei doesn't wear makeup because she's not good at makeup and doesn't want to dress up, so she keeps it natural. She doesn't want to deceive or hide...Besides, there's no point in deliberately making yourself look ugly.
However, Lu Wuxian crossed his arms, puffed out his chest, and said proudly, "Okay, from today on, you are my woman."
"..."
If there were a mirror now, I would definitely be able to see the stupidest face in the world.
Lian Mei opened her mouth and was speechless.
Lu Wuxian looked at the dumbfounded Lian Mei with great joy.
I have never seen him so happy since he was placed under house arrest in Ranshui Pavilion.
"What's wrong? Are you too happy to speak?"
"...What stupid things are you talking about?"
"What are you talking about? Because you are beautiful, I let you be my woman."
"No need!"
Lian Mei took a step back, and Lu Wuxian immediately regained his displeasure.
"you hate me?"
"..."
"There are only two of us here, and you keep a straight face all day, so until the last moment, I had no idea that you were beautiful. Since you hate me so much, why did you come here with me? I know very well that I am
Sinner, why do you want to be a sinner's maid?"
Originally hoped...
Originally hoping he would never ask this question.
I just hope to make him angry at his rude attitude.
Because as long as he loses his temper, he will not complain about the situation in front of him, nor will he be depressed.
Moreover, it is okay to forget the reason why he is here...forget that he is a sinner.
"Lianmei, answer me, why did you come here with me?"
Lian Mei bit her lip and lowered her head.
She couldn't think of a reasonable lie.
Lu Wuxian stamped his feet anxiously and grabbed Lian Mei's shoulders.
"Mei Lian, what are you doing to me..."
"……I have no idea!"
Lian Mei shook off Lu Wuxian's hand and ran back into the house.
Ranshui Pavilion...the two of them were the only ones in the house where criminals were placed under house arrest.
Even if you find his reproachful look embarrassing, there is no escape.
Lu Wuxian was also in a bad mood during dinner, but he didn't ask the same question again.
Both of them fell into silence, and the night got deeper and deeper.
Lu Wuxian returned to the bedroom, and Lian Mei also returned to her room.
...how should I say it?
I hate you, but I can't find another job... Should I tell him this?
Lian Mei felt exhausted and sat on the bed in a daze.
What should I do tomorrow? Thinking of this, I feel extremely heavy.
"..."
Suddenly there was the sound of the door opening, and there was a person standing in the darkness.
Here... there is no one else.
The figure slowly approached and stopped in front of Lian Mei.
"I can not sleep."
"..."
"I can not sleep."
Lu Wuxian said as he lay down on Lian Mei's bed.
If the light in the room is bright, you will see Lian Mei's face full of fear.
Lian Mei didn't say anything. Lu Wuxian turned over and said displeasedly, "Can you sing to me?"
"..."
"Haven't you ever sung before?"
...It turns out he remembers...
Lu Wuxian pulled on the sleeves of Lian Mei’s nightgown.
"Quickly...sing!"
"..."
Lian Mei turned her back to Lu Wuxian and started singing a lullaby with a trembling voice.
However, after a long time, I still didn't hear Lu Wuxian's sleeping breathing.
Sister Lian stopped singing and looked back quietly.
"..."
The light was too dim to see clearly, but Lu Wuxian sat up.
Maybe he's looking at himself.
After a while, Lu Wuxian moved.
"Even if you hate me..."
His hands... hugged Lian Mei's body from behind.
"I don't... hate you either."
"..."
"I'm not lying to you. Although you have a sharp tongue and a straight face all day long, I don't hate you... It's not because I found you beautiful. Before that, I never hated you.
."
"..."
"I only have you now...and only you can sing a lullaby for me."
A ray of light spilled in from the gap in the closed window...it was moonlight.
But why is the light so blurry?
"Lianmei, are you crying?"
……I'm crying?
"Hey, what's wrong with you?...Did I say anything to make you cry?"
...Did he say anything to make me cry...?
have no idea.
Why is he holding me?
"Stop crying, please don't cry...Hey, Sister Lian...didn't I tell you to stop crying? What should I do..."
Old sins have not been eliminated, and new sins have been added.
Moreover, I have one more wish.
...I hope I can always be by his side...
I hope he needs me to be by his side forever.
Even if winter turns to spring, no matter how many years pass, the seasons change.
Even if one day his crimes are forgiven and he is liberated from this prison...