Perfect Match – CH 043

Chapter 43

After Deng Ruyun finished speaking, the entire narrow alley fell silent.

She desperately wanted this small pharmacy. Whether considering its location, the medicine it carried, its reputation in the surrounding neighborhood, or the money she could afford, it was the most suitable.

But now, with things having turned out this way and everyone offering her favors, she could not accept any of them.

This shop—she only wanted it to be hers alone, her livelihood to support her family. She did not want to get involved too much.

Since that was the case, she no longer wanted it.

She apologized to Inspector Sun, “I am sorry to have delayed your sale. Perhaps you could ask Yanchun Hall again if they are willing to take it? If they are not willing to pay the previous price, I will try to compensate you.”

Inspector Sun was not short of money. He waved her off repeatedly, wanting to rush forward and say a few words, but two glares from either side made him freeze in his tracks.

But Deng Ruyun had already said goodbye and was leaving.

She turned away with her head down. Things had come to this; she simply did not have the energy for any more polite words.

But as she turned away dejectedly, someone called out to her from the side.

“Yunniang…”

“Yunniang!”

The two voices rang out simultaneously, one from the left and one from the right, leaving Deng Ruyun unsure which way to look.

But Teng Yue looked at Bai Chunfu with surprise.

After calling out Bai Chunfu’s name, he realized he had been too hasty.

But he had already called out; even if someone was glaring at him, could he take it back?

But Teng Yue could not help but speak.

“Sixth Master Bai, please show some respect.”

These words were spoken directly to Bai Chunfu’s face; even Zhu Huang’s face twitched.

Bai Chunfu remained silent.

Indeed, Yunniang was still his wife, Teng Yue’s wife, and for Yunniang’s reputation, he could not call her that in public.

Bai Chunfu pursed his lips and said nothing more, only hearing her whisper something to him.

“That’s enough for today. Fu, no, Physician Bai, do not trouble yourself with the loan.”

Bai Chunfu sighed inwardly.

Deng Ruyun turned to look at the man beside her.

His lips were also pursed, but much tighter than others. His handsome eyes were half-closed, looking at her with that same annoyed yet aggrieved expression.

Deng Ruyun did not know what to do and could only say to him, “General, let’s go home first.”

The word “home” finally brought a slight sense of reassurance to Teng Yue.

No matter what, she still wanted to go home with him.

They headed towards the alley entrance, where the horse was parked.

When they reached the horse, he reached out to her waist, preparing to lift her onto the horse and ride her home.

But as his hand reached out, she turned away.

Teng Yue was stunned.

She did not even want him to carry her? Was she angry that he had ruined her shop’s business, or was it because she had someone else in her heart?

The shop was not Teng Yue’s intention today; he would find a way to help her again. But what if she had someone else in her heart?

Deng Ruyun only thought of his considerable reputation in Xi’an Prefecture. Riding a horse through the streets, he would inevitably attract attention.

Today, he was not dressed inconspicuously, but if she rode with him, they would inevitably be seen by everyone in the streets and alleys of Xi’an Prefecture, which would not be good.

She told him, “It’s not far from home; I can walk back myself.”

As she spoke, afraid he would overthink it, she added, “I want to walk around the streets by myself.”

But he immediately followed. “Then I will go with you.”

Deng Ruyun shook her head. “No need, General.”

She still called him “General,” her words distant, as if he were not her husband and she were not his wife.

Teng Yue directly gestured for Tang Zuo to take the horse, speaking only to her.

“I want to be with you.”

Deng Ruyun did not understand why he was so insistent, but she had no choice. She could only agree and leave the alley with him, walking towards the main street.

The further they walked into the main street, the more bustling the crowds became.

In the twelfth lunar month, the streets were lined with all sorts of festive items for the New Year.

Scholars were writing Spring Festival couplets by hand, and nearby were vendors selling New Year pictures and door god statues.

Boys dressed up as door gods, playfully frolicking. Little girls, however, preferred the demure and plump figures in the New Year pictures, holding a picture in one hand and a clay doll in the other, comparing and laughing. Adults, on the other hand, gathered around the stalls selling offerings, selecting incense burners and offerings, and discussing whether to invite a particular deity into their homes for worship this year.

The street was bustling with activity, but a tight, impenetrable silence clung to the two people walking one after the other.

Just then, the sound of barking dogs rang out from the crowd.

A richly dressed young master was strolling along the roadside, leading two enormous dogs, each as tall as a person when they stood up.

Adults would step aside to avoid him, but this young master seemed determined to approach children.

The dogs were on leashes, but these huge dogs, baring their teeth, would suddenly lunge at the children, and within moments, several children on the roadside were crying in fear.

Some adults with children nearby managed to protect them and carry them away, but others, whose parents were not around, ran around in terror.

Deng Ruyun had nothing to do with this.

But then, seeing the two little girls run away hand in hand, frightened, the young master did not let them go. Instead, he ordered his two large dogs to chase after them, constantly urging them on.

“Quick, bite their trouser legs!”

The two little girls were running past Deng Ruyun, crying and panicking. Deng Ruyun stumbled from the impact, but it was not a big deal. However, the young master’s two large dogs also rushed over.

The dogs bumped into Deng Ruyun, and she instinctively grabbed onto a wooden pole of the nearby tea stall. Even so, she was nearly knocked over by the dogs. Teng Yue stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.

But in the chaos, Deng Ruyun’s finger was cut by a splinter from the tea stall pole, and blood immediately welled up.

Teng Yue, already seething with anger, saw his wife being injured by the dogs and immediately stopped the young master, who was frightening people.

“Is this your dog? Who taught you to scare people like this in the street?!”

He glared coldly at the young master.

“If you dare to let your dogs scare people like this in the street again, I will have both of your dogs dragged out of town and beaten to death!”

His words terrified the young master, turning his face deathly pale. Before Teng Yue, he did not dare utter a sound, his shoulders trembling.

His servant rushed over, but seeing Teng Yue’s imposing presence, he did not dare argue. He quickly reined in the dogs, pulled the terrified young master away, and left.

Once the group left, the street became much quieter.

But Teng Yue noticed that his wife’s hand injury was far more serious than it had appeared before. Blood was dripping from the cut on the side of her finger.

Deng Ruyun, startled by his anger, had not noticed the amount of blood on her hand.

But Teng Yue immediately took out a handkerchief and wrapped it around her hand, then bent down and picked her up.

“To the clinic!”

Deng Ruyun’s eyes widened.

She had only cut her hand with a piece of wood, not her foot.

She said she was fine: “Put me down quickly.”

So many people were watching in the street.

But even after she repeated it twice, he acted as if he could not hear her, insisting on carrying her to the clinic.

People on the street had already turned to look. Deng Ruyun hurriedly grabbed his sleeve. “Put me down quickly; I can walk to the clinic myself!”

But he still pretended not to hear her, and she grew increasingly anxious.

“Do not do this!”

This finally stopped him. Deng Ruyun pulled herself out of his arms, even taking a step back from him.

But Teng Yue’s frustration had reached its peak, and he could not help but ask her.

“What do you not want?”

He stepped forward, staring at her.

“You even let him call you by your maiden name!”

This statement seemed completely out of the blue, leaving Deng Ruyun even more confused.

“I did not let him call me that.”

But he still pressed, “Then you told him your maiden name, too.”

Deng Ruyun did not understand why he was so insistent on bringing up Physician Bai’s identity. Admittedly, she had not expected Physician Bai’s identity, but it was just a normal interaction.

Deng Ruyun did not know what else to say. She had already explained everything to him. All she could say now was, “I really have nothing to do with him; please stop making a fuss.”

A crowd had already gathered around.

Teng Yue also noticed how concerned she was about being watched. Not wanting to upset her further, he could only shut up and go home first.

*

Deng Ruyun left home in high spirits, only to return in a complete mess. The day’s chaos left her speechless.

She remained silent, and so did Teng Yue.

He simply began to wrap her fingers, one loop after another, into a large bamboo tube, like a rice dumpling. Lost in thought, he was about to wrap two more loops with cloth when Deng Ruyun quickly stopped him.

“It’s thick enough already. General, you do not need to wrap it anymore.”

Only after she spoke did he sullenly put down the cloth he had brought, giving her a silent, half-raised glance.

The sky outside was dark and heavy, as if rain were about to fall but would not, swirling aimlessly in the air and gathering above Xi’an.

Deng Ruyun was truly exhausted today and decided to go to bed early, hoping that at least a good night’s sleep would clear her mind.

But when she reached the bedchamber, he followed.

“Is the General tired too? Then rest early,” she said.

But he took off his clothes and pulled her straight into his arms.

The lamplight crackled, and he spoke.

“Yunniang, I want you.”

These words seemed to have been taken from a scorching furnace, making Deng Ruyun’s heart skip a beat. His hands, holding her, and his entire arm, with its bulging veins, were as hot as summer iron.

He said, “We have not been together for quite some time.”

Indeed.

Since Deng Ruyun decided to reject him and try her best to restore their original relationship, they had not been together.

Now that he asked this, the entire canopy bed heated up with his words.

Thinking of his actions earlier that day, Deng Ruyun could only nod and softly say, “Alright.”

The candlelight in the room was still on, and as she nodded, her thin shadow cast on the curtain trembled.

The trembling stirred Teng Yue’s heart, stirring the aching, numb feeling that had returned earlier.

He pulled her into his arms and bent down to loosen her sash.

His movements were inexplicably slow, or perhaps every movement was incredibly clear to Deng Ruyun, as if slowed down.

The candlelight cast their shadows on the curtain. He untied the sash of her upper garment, his fingers brushing against her collarbone, and pulled the garment down from her shoulders.

The lingering candlelight and the slight chill of the curtain enveloped her shoulders, and at that moment, his hands, as warm as burning coals, grasped hers.

That night, he was different from usual. He was not as energetic as a calf before, nor was he like he had been when she had deceived and angered him, pinning her down as punishment; nor was he as gentle as before, his fingertips flowing like fine silk over her body.

This time, he was completely silent, yet his hands never loosened their grip on her, as if trying to squeeze out all the air, again and again, as if trying to merge with her, to completely possess her, their bodies so close they were almost indistinguishable.

Deng Ruyun’s strength was quickly exhausted, but he did not relax for a moment, facing her directly, pressing against her tightly without leaving any gap.

He continued to ride with her across the chaotic wilderness until they galloped into the marshes, sweat soaking her long hair, which clung to her shoulders and neck, the ends tangling with his.

She had no strength left and could only let him steer the horse as it pleased. The bell tower in the distance of Xi’an tolled a few times, but she could not hear it. The watchman called out a few times nearby, but she could not remember them either.

The rain that had not yet fallen did not, but snowflakes drifted down from the dim sky.

Unbeknownst to her, a thick layer of white brocade had covered the rooftops and eaves of Xi’an’s streets and alleys, shimmering with a crystalline light under the occasional sliver of moonlight breaking through the clouds.

The snowy night in Xi’an was utterly silent.

Only in Liumingxuan of the Teng Mansion, Teng Yue held his exhausted, sleeping wife and sighed softly.

Was she truly afraid of him? Was there someone else? Or were there more reasons than one for her inability to be truly close to him?

Teng Yue did not know, but on this quiet snowy night, at least he had this moment of her closeness.

*

The next day, when Deng Ruyun got up, exhausted, it was already late.

She asked Xiuniang why she had not been woken, and Xiuniang replied, “The General forbade me to wake you, saying it would be better for you to sleep until the afternoon.”

Deng Ruyun genuinely could not remember what time she had gone to bed the night before, but Xiuniang added,

“The General said the snow was heavy last night, and the roads are slippery today. He advised you not to go out today. If you still want to go out, inform him, and he will come home to fetch you.”

Hearing this, Deng Ruyun could almost picture his expression as he spoke.

Did he only feel at ease keeping her under his watchful eye from morning till night if he did not have to go to the government office?

She had wanted to return to their former relationship, but now it was completely reversed; his reactions to her were even more exaggerated than before.

Deng Ruyun was filled with melancholy. Just then, someone arrived at her house—none other than the messenger sent by Old Madam Lin.

The journey was difficult. The messenger said bluntly, “I am two days late. The old lady will probably be back in three or four days.”

Upon hearing that her mother was returning, Teng Xiao’s bright face immediately fell, while Deng Ruyun’s heart tightened.

Given the current state between Teng Yue and her, how would she explain it to the old lady?

It was clear that things between them could no longer simply return to what they were before. Deng Ruyun could not help but bury her head in the sand, thinking that even if they could not go back, at least the old lady would not notice anything amiss.

Otherwise, the contract that Old Madam Lin had carefully planned would be completely ruined by her.

Deng Ruyun frowned in deep thought.

Just then, someone else arrived at the door. The gatekeeper announced that it was Inspector Sun.

Deng Ruyun, unaware of his purpose in coming and knowing he was not there to see Teng Yue, quickly had him invited to the outer courtyard for tea. She changed her clothes and, following protocol, spoke to him through a screen.

“May I ask what brings you here today, Inspector, braving the snow?”

Inspector Sun heard her voice, though through the screen; it was as clear and melodious as snowflakes falling from a tree.

He said softly, “I’ve come again to sell Cixin Hall to Madam, but the three hundred taels you cannot raise right now do not need to be paid at once. Perhaps we can postpone it for six months, and then you can pay interest when you have more funds.”

Upon hearing this, there was a moment of silence on the other side of the screen, but no immediate refusal was made.

Sun Li felt relieved.

This morning, he had been thinking about what happened at his door yesterday and how she truly wanted to take over his shop, but now it was impossible to keep it—a regret he deeply felt.

Before he could even eat breakfast, two groups of people came to his door. These two groups were all insiders; the first to arrive was General Teng, and the second was Master Bai.

The two arrived at his place, and both proposed the installment payment plan, insisting that he persuade her to agree.

They both added that she should not mention it was their idea.

Inspector Sun thought this was a brilliant idea. He did not actually need any interest, but after some consideration, he decided he had to include it; otherwise, what if the madam would not agree?

At this moment, Sun Li spoke, his gaze slowly moving from the hem of her skirt beneath the screen to her indistinct figure reflected on it.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment. “Will this work? Will it not interfere with your business?”

Sun Li readily acknowledged.

She then asked, “Is this your idea?”

Sun Li thought to himself that neither of them wanted credit, which was perfect; he would certainly take the lead.

He chuckled, “Yes, that’s exactly the idea I came up with. Anyway, I do not need the money urgently. I can get some interest from you after six months. What do you think, Madam?”

The breeze blowing in from outside carried the crisp scent of snow, and Deng Ruyun’s heart instantly cleared.

This was a good idea. This way, the transaction would only involve her and Inspector Sun, without involving anyone else.

Deng Ruyun could not help but smile. She agreed.

“I will have someone fetch pen and ink right away, and I will sign a contract with the Inspector. If I forget, he can use this to come and collect the debt.”

She even spoke jokingly. Sun Li, hearing her speak like this for the first time, was momentarily stunned.

Deng Ruyun thought he had another objection. “Do you have any other requests?” she asked.

Sun Li had no requests. If he did, it would be if she could say a few more words, her voice even more melodious than falling snow.

But this was General Teng’s mansion; if he dared to bring it up, he’d probably be meeting his end at the mass grave tomorrow.

He could only repeatedly agree, but then he saw the loan agreement she had written for him.

Inspector Sun, though of modest learning, could still see the elegant and beautiful handwriting on the agreement, almost like a person. He carefully put the writing away, tucked it into his robes, and took his leave.

The matter of taking over the pharmacy had gone through several twists and turns; Deng Ruyun had almost given up hope, but unexpectedly, it had finally come to fruition today.

Although there were still many other matters to attend to, this matter made her extremely happy.

Moreover, Inspector Sun said he could help her register the business under a man’s false identity and name, as long as Changxing went with him to the yamen.

Deng Ruyun did not have to go out in the snow, and she also did not have to report to anyone, so she instructed Changxing to go with him.

With a weight lifted from her heart, Deng Ruyun thought for a moment and then had a stove set up under the eaves of Liumingxuan. She invited Teng Xiao over and brought Linglang along as well. Enjoying the snowy scenery in the courtyard, they ate a steaming hot pot of mutton.

Teng Xiao suggested, “Sister-in-law, should we not eat at the lakeside pavilion in the garden? Would that not be more romantic?”

That would be too ostentatious. Deng Ruyun smiled and said it was too cold there. “It’s fine here today.”

With the hot pot to eat and Deng Ruyun and Linglang to keep her company, the gloom brought on by the news of Old Madam Lin’s impending return was briefly forgotten.

The three chatted and laughed, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

At the Military Command’s office, news of Sun Li’s successful handling of the matter arrived quickly. Teng Yue, standing under the eaves, acknowledged the news, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

Inside Cixin Hall, Shopkeeper Qin worked through the night to replace the old chair with a carved rosewood one for Master Bai, who had come from the capital. Even though the new chair seemed out of place in the small pharmacy, Shopkeeper Qin dared not neglect his duty.

Bai Chunfu appreciated his kindness but still had Zhu Huang replace the old chair with the new one.

He kept looking towards the door. Soon, Sun Li sent a messenger with a message saying that everything was settled and Cixin Hall had changed hands.

Upon hearing this, Bai Chunfu, who was examining a patient, relaxed.

Seeing his expression, the patient asked happily, “Physician, is my illness not serious?”

Bai Chunfu removed his fingers from the pulse and replied with a smile.

“Indeed.”

All day long, the heavy snow in Xi’an Prefecture continued.

The snow covered everything in white, making the whole city seem more peaceful and serene.

*

At the Teng Mansion.

Although Old Madam Lin would be returning in a few days, an invitation for the Zheng family’s grandchild’s one-month celebration arrived the following day.

Teng Xiao had been studying at the Zheng family’s school, so Deng Ruyun could not refuse the invitation.

The snow had melted somewhat that day, and Deng Ruyun, following protocol, took Teng Xiao and gifts to the Zheng family’s celebration.

Unexpectedly, Teng Yue arrived shortly after she left.

Deng Ruyun lifted the carriage curtain to look at him. He sat tall on his horse but now bent down to look at her, his voice still carrying the same melancholy and determination of the past few days.

“I will go with you.”