AMLFS Chapter 127

“You’re really strong, usually it takes me more than half an hour to chop this myself.”

Liang Xiuzhu ladled a bowl of perilla seed porridge for him: “Try this, it’s good for your health.”

“No need.” Sun Shu brushed the wood shavings off his hands, not very interested in the medicine-smelling perilla seed porridge.

“Uh…”

Liang Xiuzhu withdrew his hand, looking a little embarrassed at the porridge in the bowl: “Um, I’m sorry. You’ve helped me so much. I don’t have much to offer you. I’ll kill a chicken for you to eat later.”

“No need to trouble yourself.” Sun Shu saw the embarrassment on his face and explained, “It’s not a big deal. No need to be so polite. I have to leave in a little while.”

“Right, you have to go on duty.” Liang Xiuzhu slapped his forehead, remembering, and quickly carried the porridge into the house: “Then come quickly, my mother has been wanting to meet you.”

Jiang Wenyi had regained consciousness after the treatment. Liang Xiuzhu helped her up and fed her the perilla seed porridge. She was still a little weak from not having eaten for a long time.

Seeing Liang Xiuzhu return, countless words turned into tears streaming down her face. She hated how fate played tricks on people.

She had clearly escaped the tormenting Liang Mansion, where she had spent half her life. She had finally been able to live her own life, yet she had suffered so many unwarranted disasters.

What made her even sadder was that her sick body could not only not become Liang Xiuzhu’s strength, but could only drag him down. This was what she least wanted to see.

“Mother, don’t cry.” Liang Xiuzhu reached out to wipe the tears from her face, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Since childhood, the two of them, mother and son, had depended on each other for survival. The first wife of the Liang Mansion was jealous and had great skill, appearing generous and virtuous on the surface but using all sorts of methods to torment people behind the scenes.

Therefore, Jiang Wenyi lost favor soon after entering the mansion, simply because of her low status. Later, Liang Xiuzhu was also disliked by his father.

The two of them were nominally masters in the mansion, but they were not even as good as some servants.

Because of their low status and lack of favor, they could only live a hard life in the mansion under the snobbish eyes of the servants who stepped on the low and flattered the high.

Liang Xiuzhu was beautiful since childhood, but he was bullied by his other brothers. The servants also often spoke rudely.

In such an environment, although Liang Xiuzhu was born into a wealthy family, he had the air of a commoner. Otherwise, he would definitely not have survived until now.

Sun Shu sat beside the bed, looking at the woman. The woman’s face, weathered by the years, was still very charming, and one could see her beauty when she was young. Her eyebrows and eyes were exactly like Liang Xiuzhu’s.

But now she was thin and pale, very weak. The brocade quilt covering her body was light and didn’t show any rise or fall, like a wisp of a ghost.

The woman’s eyes met his, and Sun Shu nodded politely in greeting.

“Mother, this is the one I told you about. My good brother Sun Shu!”

Seeing her looking at Sun Shu, Liang Xiuzhu quickly introduced him: “He was the one who asked someone to bring me your letter last time. This time, it was also thanks to him that I found a doctor to treat you. He has also fought in wars and is now a favorite of His Majesty…”

Liang Xiuzhu’s tone was very enthusiastic, praising Sun Shu to the skies. But he concealed the fact that he had been deceived.

Sun Shu sat to the side, hearing him treat him as a brother. He didn’t know why he became very anxious. He was a very straightforward person, and his emotions were all on his face.

As Liang Xiuzhu spoke, he noticed that Sun Shu’s face was not good, and his voice gradually lowered. He thought he had said too much and made him unhappy.

“So that’s how it is.” Jiang Wenyi looked at the young man with a righteous face and unsmiling expression and was very satisfied: “This is the first time our Xiao Zhu has had a friend, so I have always been curious and wanted to meet you.”

“Seeing you today, you are truly extraordinary. Xiao Zhu has been taken care of by you.” Jiang Wenyi spoke slowly, and was very happy for Liang Xiuzhu to have made a friend.

After all, since childhood, Liang Xiuzhu had no friends and was trapped with her in the deep mansion.

Because of his appearance, he also didn’t like to contact outsiders. It seemed that Sun Shu was a good person to be able to make friends with him.

“You’re too polite, Auntie.” Sun Shu heard that he was Liang Xiuzhu’s first friend. The depression in his heart dissipated a little.

Before leaving, Sun Shu sat on his horse. Looking at Liang Xiuzhu who had chased after him to see him off, his brows were filled with worry: “What are you planning to do in the future?”

After a moment ofStupid, confusion appeared on Liang Xiuzhu’s face. He kicked the pebbles on the road with his foot and said in a low voice, “Sigh, I’ll take it one step at a time. I’ll talk about it later.”

“You are the young master of the Liang Mansion, could it be…” Sun Shu was interrupted sternly by Liang Xiuzhu before he could finish speaking.

“Even if I die, I won’t beg the people of the Liang Mansion. They are all rotten-hearted and lunged. A bunch of despicable villains.”

After saying that, Liang Xiuzhu’s chest rose and fell sharply, and the hatred in his eyes was very strong. Knowing that he had said something he shouldn’t have, Sun Shu closed his mouth.

After a long time, after Liang Xiuzhu calmed down, Sun Shu reached into his arms and took out a silver note and handed it to him: “Take this first to buy medicine for your aunt.”

Liang Xiuzhu looked at the silver note and refused to accept it: “No need, what you gave me is enough…”

Before he could finish speaking, Sun Shu directly folded the silver note and inserted it into his hairband. He kicked his horse in the stomach and galloped away.

Leaving Liang Xiuzhu standing in place, holding the money and looking at his receding back, thinking: “Sun Shu, this brother is really righteous!”

In the Imperial Palace, it was already dark.

After finishing dinner, Song Huaixi nestled on the soft couch in the Imperial Study. He waited for Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district to finish processing the memorials so he could carry him to sleep.

The weaving bureau had created a few trinkets and presented them to Song Huaixi to relieve boredom.

There were small clay animals with cute and well-behaved appearances, some delicate porcelain whistles, and a Luban Lock.

Song Huaixi liked them all very much, and placed a small row of clay pigs, clay puppies, etc. on Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district’s desk. They looked very naive and cuddly, and were very out of place with the serious and neat desk.

If the ministers who came to discuss matters saw it, they would definitely not be able to help but laugh. The Emperor’s desk actually had such childish trinkets on it.

But Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district tacitly allowed his behavior, which damaged the Emperor’s dignity, and even made a small space for his little animals to avoid squeezing them off the desk.

Song Huaixi listlessly read the book for a while. There were many words on it that he didn’t recognize. It looked very difficult. He put the book aside, turned over and sat up, holding his stomach and saying, “Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district, I want to eat milk dates.”

Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district, who was annotating memorials, did not even look up: “Don’t.”

Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district had been watching him eat during dinner today, and he had eaten a lot.

Asking for snacks at this time was definitely not because he was hungry. It was purely because he was greedy. It was close to bedtime, and if he ate now, he would definitely have indigestion in the middle of the night.

“I’ll take you to sleep after I finish reading these.” Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district looked up at him pouting his mouth, obviously unhappy.

“Can’t I eat one or two?” Song Huaixi tried to bargain.

Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district was very straightforward: “No.”

Hearing his words, Song Huaixi wilted like a frost-beaten eggplant. He lay on the soft couch, bored and picking at his fingers.

It wasn’t that Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district was being harsh, but Song Huaixi always ate snacks without restraint.

That’s why he was so strict. Seeing him unhappy, Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district still had memorials to read, so he had to pick up the Luban Lock next to him and mess it up.

“If you can restore this before I finish approving the memorials, I will allow you to eat milk dates.”

“Really?”

Song Huaixi immediately got up, walked over and took the Luban Lock. He sat aside and worked hard to study it.

Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district looked at his focused appearance and slightly curled his lips. He picked up the memorial in his hand and sped up.

After fiddling with it for a while, Song Huaixi racked his brains and could not restore the opened Luban Lock. Just as he was about to try harder, Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district stood up.

“Time’s up.” Saying that, Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district reached out and took the Luban Lock from his hand, and carried him up by scooping his knees: “Go back to sleep.”

“Ah? Why so fast?” Song Huaixi was a little disappointed that he didn’t get to eat the milk dates, and looked up at him, blinking his big eyes: “Can’t I really eat them?”

“You can, but is Huaixi sure he wants to eat them?” Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district carried him towards the bedroom, his eyes teasing.

“Want to eat.”

“Okay.”

In the end, Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district fulfilled his promise. In the middle of the night, when the swaying bed curtains occasionally stopped.

Prince Zhao Fangye of the Ning district’s slender fingers pinched a milk date and fed it into Song Huaixi’s mouth with a smile: “This way you won’t have indigestion, right? Huaixi.”