Chapter 38: CH 37

Lu Qiaosong died suddenly from a medicine overdose.

It happened too suddenly. At noon, Lu Qiaosong was still in high spirits, with matchless energy, feeling as though he could lift up a mountain. In the evening, blood came gushing from all seven apertures of his head; he lost control over his bladder and rectum. He died in Qingdai Pavilion.

Liang Shi couldn’t take such a blow. Upon hearing the news, she lost consciousness. Nan’an Hou only went to Qingdai Pavilion to take a look, after which he then stumbled to the Lu Family’s ancestral hall. In the end, Lu Qiaosong’s funeral was actually handled by Pan Shi. 

Pan Shi had already been preparing for a funeral but she had been preparing it for Lu Wancheng. No one could have imagined that Lu Qiaosong would actually walk in front of Lu Wancheng and that it would be such a tragic way to die too. Naturally, she couldn’t use the things she’d prepared for Lu Wancheng so Pan Shi had to have people purchase the supplies at the last minute. They had to make do with what was available for a lot of the things.

There were mourning flags hung in the Nan’anhou Mansion. Paper money wafted in the wind. Lu Qiaosong’s coffin was placed in the main hall. Liang Shi, dressed in plain white mourning clothes, knelt down in front of the coffin. Her eyes though, were empty; her expression, numb. Her tears seemed to have dried up.

Although Lu Qiaosong died disgracefully, he was, after all, the son of the official wife. During his life, he had created a wide network of contacts; he had everything going his way. A lot of people came to offer their condolences. Among them was an unfamiliar man who claimed to be a eunuch of the Eastern Palace, who came to kowtow to the Third Young Master in place of the side concubine.

Finally, Liang Shi’s face showed some reaction. She asked in a hoarse voice, “The side concubine… Is she, is she doing well?”

The man showed signs of hesitation. Under repeated questioning from Liang Shi, he told her that Lu Niantao had been confined in the cold palace by the crown prince.

Liang Shi was stunned for a long time. Her eyes fell on Lin Qingyu and she suddenly shrieked, her whole body quivering all over. She pointed at Lin Qingyu’s face and said hysterically, “Evil monster…the Nan’an Hou’s Mansion married a monster into the family!”

Lin Qingyu said indifferently, “Madam must be joking. At the beginning, wasn’t it you who said that I’m the Mansion’s lucky star?”

Liang Shi’s eyes widened. As if someone was strangling her throat, she kept spouting weird nonsensical words. 

Liang Shi went completely insane. The doctor said that she was suffering from hysteria and that she will probably never be able to recover. Nan’an Hou suffered one blow after another. He was exhausted both mentally and physically; he took to his bed and remained there. He no longer had the energy to look after the family’s affairs so he simply let the servants look after his wife, warning them against letting her run out and making a spectacle of herself. All other things were left to Pan Shi to take care of.

Lu Wancheng’s body improved a little during Lu Qiaosong’s funeral. However, it meant only that he was awake a little more and that he was able to speak for a while.

After learning of Lu Qiaosong’s sudden death, Liang Shi’s insanity and Nan’an Hou’s bedridden condition, Lu Wancheng wasn’t the least bit surprised. Instead, he looked at Lin Qingyu in admiration and said, “Qingyu, you seem to have become even more good-looking.”

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The sound of a suona horn came from outside. It was the person from the Xiong Si, sending Li Qiaosong off to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The two were silent for a while. Then, Lu Wancheng suddenly asked, “Qingyu, where do you think Lu Qiaosong will go?” 

“When a person dies, naturally there is nothing left. Where else can they go?”

“Then do you know how I got here?”

Lin Qingyu was startled and said, “You’ve never told me. How would I know?”

“One day, as I was heading home from school, I rescued a pregnant woman on the road but lost my own life.” Lu Wancheng sighed, “I’m really a good person.” 

Lin Qingyu’s eyes went wide. “You mean, you… died once?”

Lu Wancheng nodded. “A car fully loaded with cargo, ran over me. Don’t mention it though, it was quite painful.” Lu Wancheng smiled, “They say, retribution is paid out in kind. I saved two people so doesn’t that mean that I’m entitled to live twice? Xu Junyuan performed a divination for me. He said, I… may not be destined to die yet.”

Lin Qingyu suddenly stood up and blurted out. “How could that be possible!”

Lu Wancheng could no longer pretend to be relaxed, and said in a stern tone, “It’s… possible. When I die, I might really die and be reduced to nothing. Even if I am lucky enough to reawaken, it may not be in here in Dayu or it might not even be here in this world. Do you understand?” 

Lin Qingyu stared blankly at Lu Wancheng. After a long time, he asked, “How sure are you of this?”

Lu Wancheng was silent for a long time, and said softly, “I don’t know.”

Lin Qingyu tried his best to restrain his emotions. “Then what is this for?”

Lu Wancheng seemed to have expected this reaction. He said, voice sinking, “I’m sorry. I hesitated for a long time and in the end, I thought that I should still tell you. 

“Why tell me something you’re not sure about?!” Lin Qingyu couldn’t bear it any longer. He was ready to lose Lu Wancheng forever, but Lu Wancheng told him that he “may” still have a chance.

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What did Lu Wancheng want him to do? Do nothing all day, thinking about whether he died or not, waiting for an answer that he wasn’t even sure would come?!

If… if in the end, it was simply a ‘possibility’, he would rather not have this possibility.

“Wait for me for a year.” Lu Wancheng said. He then wondered if a year would be too long. He and Lin Qingyu had only known each other for a year. For what reason would he ask him to wait for him for a year? 

“It doesn’t need to be a year, cough, cough—half a year… No, a hundred days is enough.” Lu Wancheng said urgently, for fear that his request would be rejected for being too excessive. “If I don’t come to you within a hundred days, just treat me as having died. We can agree on a secret signal. If I don’t die and transmigrate to someone else’s body, we’ll use this signal to recognize each other, okay?”

Lin Qingyu’s mouth was twisted. His state of mind was thrown into confusion. He gritted his teeth and said, “Lu Wancheng, you bastard.”

Lu Wancheng forced a smile on his face: “Other beauties would at most call their  husbands a ‘jerk’ but Doctor Lin is better. He uses ‘bastard’ from the get go; truly worthy of being my wife.”

“Get lost!” 

Lu Wancheng teased, “I can’t get lost, Qingyu. My legs are broken.”

Lu Wancheng had not only lost his legs, none of his internal organs were intact as well. He would take poison every day, dazed with pain, he could only call out his name.

Lin Qingyu closed his eyes. “Tell me.”

Lu Wancheng was taken aback. “Tell you what?” 

“The signal.”

Lu Wancheng smiled slowly. “Let me think about it.” This signal needed to be catchy, easy to remember; one that no one else would know. After some deliberation, Lu Wancheng said, “Then——if odd, change; if even, remain the same; for the symbol look to the quadrant?”

Lin Qingyu said coldly, “What in Heaven’s name is this? Can’t you say something that I can understand?”

“If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask and I’ll explain it to you.” 

Lin Qingyu asked him, “What you said just now, what does it mean? What does the word ‘Lao Po’ mean? What does ‘sexuality’ mean?”

Lu Wancheng automatically ignored the last two questions and said, “This starts with the basic theorem of trigonometric functions…”

Lu Wancheng was in the middle of talking with gusto when his brows suddenly wrinkled and he bit his lip. This was a sign of his poison breaking out. Lin Qingyu said, “I’ll go get the needles.”

Giving Lu Wancheng acupuncture could reduce his pain a little. It was a drop in the bucket but it was better than nothing. 

Lu Wancheng grabbed him. He shook his head and said, “No need, just stay with me.”

Lin Qingyu sat down beside the bed and let Lu Wancheng lie in his arms.

Lu Wancheng futilely opened his eyes wide. He stared straight ahead, his fingers gripping Lin Qingyu’s arm tightly. He asked him with a smile, “Qingyu, the signal… Do you remember it clearly?”

Lin Qingyu covered his eyes with his hand. “I remember it clearly.” 

“You really only need to wait a hundred days…” Lu Wancheng closed his eyes beneath Lin Qingyu’s palm. “Don’t wait too long, I will feel distressed.”

After the Beginning of Winter, it was the time of Lesser Snow. This year’s snow was a lot later than usual. The sky was always gloomy. It seemed that even Heaven wasn’t sure whether it would snow or not.

Lu Wancheng spent less and less time awake and whenever he was, it was because of the pain from the poison. In the past, he could sit in a wheelchair and go to the yard to bask in the sun, but now he couldn’t even sit up. Save for the bed, he couldn’t go anywhere.

At the end of the month, Lin Qingyu returned to the Lin Residence to celebrate Mother Lin’s 40th birthday. Seeing that he had come back alone, Mother Lin knew that Lu Wancheng’s situation was not optimistic. She was afraid that her eldest son would be uncomfortable, so she didn’t ask much. But Lin Qinghe asked why Wancheng Ge didn’t come with him. Lin Qingyu rubbed his head and said that Wancheng Ge would come next time. 

Mother Lin preferred the quiet over the bustle and excitement. In addition, her husband was away. And so, she simply made some dishes that her sons liked and spent her birthday quietly with her children. She looked at the cloudy sky outside the window and said, “When the snow falls, it’ll be time for your father to return home.”

Lin Qingyu didn’t dare to be away from the Hou Mansion for too long. After having lunch with Mother Lin, he returned to the Hou Mansion. Back at the Blue Wind Pavilion, Lin Qingyu saw Hua Lu humming a little song in the yard watering the withered osmanthus tree. He asked, “Why are you so happy?”

Ever since Lu Wancheng vomited blood, the entire Blue Wind Pavilion has been bleak and gloomy. He hasn’t seen Hua Lu looking so pleased in a long time.

Hua Lu happily said, “Young Master Hou just woke up. He’s in a good mood today. He managed to sit up by himself and drank half a bowl of porridge in one go. He even had me change him into red festive clothes. Shaojun, do you think the Young Master is getting better?” 

Lin Qingyu was stunned for a moment and then his heart suddenly sank.

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