LWSL Chapter 85

During dinner time, when Wu Ruo didn’t see Dandan or Ji Xi, he found out that the two of them had been sealed inside a piece of equipment to self-reflect for three days. During this period, they weren’t allowed to eat or sleep. Otherwise, they would have to self-reflect for another three days.

Hei Xin’s heart ached for Dandan. However, Wu Ruo had no plans to ask for leniency on the child’s behalf. He believed that children indeed needed to be properly disciplined. As for Ji Xi, there was all the more a need for someone to reprimand him. Otherwise, with his unscrupulous personality, he would very quickly stir up some kind of trouble.

“Dage, do you really intend not to let my little nephew out?” Hei Xuantang said as he aimed for a piece of pork ribs on the plate. Unexpectedly¹岂料 (qi liao): more accurately, ‘who would’ve known’., the moment his chopsticks touched the meat, the pork ribs were taken away by Wu Ruo.

His chopsticks aimed toward another piece of pork ribs. Following that, the piece of pork ribs was taken by Wu Ruo again. He looked at Wu Ruo, bewildered.

Wu Ruo placed the pork ribs into Hei Xuanyi’s bowl as if nothing unusual was happening: “Xuanyi, you have to eat more and nourish your body well. Today, someone cried and said you weren’t going to make it, you know?”

Hei Xuanyi: “…”

“…” Hei Xuantang very quickly understood that Wu Ruo was taking revenge for today’s incident: “Dasao, didn’t I do that because I wanted to see if you cared for my dage?”

Wu Ruo’s movements briefly paused for a moment: “Then, did you see it²In the previous sentence, Hei Xuantang says he wants to 看 (kan)/see if Wu Ruo cared about Hei Xuanyi. Less directly translated, he meant he wanted to ‘check’ if Wu Ruo cared about Hei Xuanyi. So, in his response, Wu Ruo asks if Hei Xuantang 看到 (kan dao)/saw. Less directly translated, Wu Ruo is asking if Hei Xuantang managed to get the answer he was looking for.?”

Undeniably, the scene that Hei Xuantang had cooked up had allowed Wu Ruo to realize that he cared about Hei Xuanyi. However, his feelings were very complicated. In his previous lifetime, he had clearly hated this person a lot.

Hei Xuantang fervently nodded his head: “I saw it! I see that dasao cares for dage very deeply.”

Hei Xuanyi looked toward Wu Ruo.

Wu Ruo’s cheeks couldn’t help but heat up. He ducked his head and ate with embarrassment.

Hei Xuantang continued by saying: “It would be nice if dage and dasao were more intimate on a regular basis.”

Wu Ruo glared at him with wide eyes: “You’ll know how intimate we can be in just a bit. Isn’t that right, Xuanyi?”

He blinked deliberately in Hei Xuanyi’s direction as he poked at the plates of food with his chopsticks.

Hei Xuanyi understood his intentions and nonchalantly hummed in agreement.

“That’s good, that’s good,” Hei Xuantang grinned happily. He picked up his chopsticks and aimed at the pork ribs again. He didn’t expect that it would again be snatched away by Wu Ruo who was faster by one step.

“Dasao!” He looked at Wu Ruo mournfully.

Wu Ruo said: “I’m just taking this piece. Next time, I won’t snatch it from you again.”

“Really?” Hei Xuantang was a little disbelieving. He didn’t try to take any pork ribs again and switched to the duck meat. Who would’ve known that there was yet another pair of chopsticks that took away the duck meat one step faster than him?

“Dasao, didn’t you say—” He thought that it was Wu Ruo again, but he looked up to see Hei Xuanyi putting the duck meat into Wu Ruo’s bowl. He said agitatedly: “Dage, even you’re bullying me too?”

Hei Xuanyi raised an eyebrow.

Wu Ruo smiled and said: “Didn’t you want to see us being intimate? We are currently intimately taking food for each other right now, aren’t you happy?”

Hei Xuantang put down his chopsticks and flopped onto Hei Xin, who was waiting on them by his side: “Hei Xin, they’re bullying me!”

“Fourth Young Master, this old servant will pick the food for you.” Hei Xin beamed and picked up an unused pair of chopsticks: “I’ll pick your favorite food for you.”

“You’re still the best to me.” Hei Xuantang turned his head back to the table, but he only saw Hei Xin picking a piece of garlic and placing it into his bowl: “… When have I ever liked eating garlic? Hei Xin, even you’re bullying me too!”

Wu Ruo snorted, bursting into laughter.

The corners of Hei Xuanyi’s lips were also holding back a hint of laughter.

The atmosphere at Hei Manor was harmonious and joyful, but the same could not be said for the residents of the Wu estate’s Southern main estate.

Ever since night had fallen, they felt stabbing pains in their bodies. It was as if something was biting them. But even after they took off their clothes, there were no wounds to be seen. However, they felt uncomfortable from top to bottom.

When they were sleeping, some of them felt cold all over, and some of them felt unusually and incomparably hot. Some of them felt itchy, and some of them felt pain across their whole bodies. After a miserable night, when they woke up, they suddenly felt as if there was nothing wrong after all so everybody didn’t take it seriously. However, their complexions were quite unpleasant.

When Wu Ruo arrived at the Wu estate’s Southern main estate, he noticed that everyone’s complexions were pale and that they were not in good condition.

“Erge!” Wu Xi ran happily to Wu Ruo’s side.

Wu Ruo sized her up: “Did you sleep well last night?”

“Of course! It would’ve been even better if I had dreamed of how erbomu and the others had looked when they were angered to death by us!”

Wu Ruo rubbed the tip of her nose good-naturedly: “Don’t let them hear you saying this.”

He swept a glance over Shuqing Garden. He only relaxed when he saw that everyone was the same as they always were.

Wu Ruo and Wu Xi passed by Shutong Garden. Wu Bo, Wu Xiao, and Wu Yun walked out.

Wu Bo yawned as he greeted: “Liuge, good morning.”

Wu Xiao and Wu Yun ducked their heads, looking like they were about to fall asleep.

“Erge, we’re almost late. Let’s walk a little faster,” Wu Xi didn’t want to hang around together with them in the slightest. She grabbed Wu Ruo and ran.

Wu Ruo turned back to take a look at Wu Bo and the others.

The three of them looked especially listless. Even their walking gaits were listless.

When they arrived at the academy, Wu Ruo saw that Wu Shi and Wu Hao were also the same. When the two of them entered the academy, they immediately went into the classroom to sprawl over their tables.

“I didn’t sleep well last night, I’m so tired.” Wu Shi said to Wu Hao.

“I didn’t sleep well either.” Wu Hao rubbed his shoulders. “It was so hot last night, there was no way to fall asleep.”

“How could that be? I was freezing to death last night, I even used three layers of thick blankets.”

Wu Hao asked, confused: “Could it be that I’m sick with a fever?”

“You had better go and see a physician.”

“I don’t feel warm anymore.”

As Wu Ruo was eavesdropping on their conversation, he looked toward the disciples from the Northern main estate. He saw the disciples from the Northern main estate occasionally glancing at Wu Shi and Wu Hao.

“Erge, what are you looking at?” Wu Xi asked quietly.

Wu Ruo said: “In the next couple of days, after you go back to Shuqing Garden, don’t go running around elsewhere, got it?”

Wu Xi nodded her head: “After I go home, I rarely go out. There’s no one to accompany me to go out and have fun anyway.”

In the past, before they had gotten into such a debacle with the people from the other estates, she would occasionally still go out shopping with Wu Qing and Wu Yun. Now, however much she could hide from them, she would, so that she could avoid having to put up with their poor characters for no good reason.

Wu Ruo comforted her: “It’ll get better in the future.”

“Hn, after a few more years, I’ll be able to be like dage and leave for my experience training. When that time comes, I will definitely be able to make a lot of friends.”

“You have to be careful when making friends.”

“I know.”

After classes ended, the two of them immediately left the academy. When they reached the courtyard that split off into all the main estates, they heard someone calling: “Xiao-Ruo!”

Wu Ruo turned back to look. Ba Se walked over, holding onto a red gift box, with a happy expression: “Xiao-Ruo, this is for you.”

Wu Ruo frowned a little.

Recently, this person kept giving him this and that and was being extremely solicitous.

“Thank you, but I can’t keep this.”

Ba Se carefully asked: “Is it because you don’t like the gift that I’m giving you?”

“That’s not the problem. It’s just that we haven’t been acquainted for long. How could I have the cheek to receive a gift from you? I think it’s better if you take it back. In the future, please don’t give me any gifts³From what I understand of the general Western gift-giving culture, it’s not polite to reject a gift. However, to my knowledge, in Chinese culture for the vague time setting we’re in, gifts are not given just because one ‘feels’ like it. Normally, it’s because someone has a favour to ask or they’re repaying something to the person they’re giving the gift to. There’s a whole complex, unspoken etiquette about it and I’m not well-versed. Just wanted to make a note that Wu Ruo isn’t being impolite or disingenuous..”

“You just have to take it.” Ba Se grabbed Wu Ruo directly by the hand, shoved the gift box into his hands, then turned and ran away.

Wu Ruo: “…”

Wu Xi frowned and quietly asked: “Erge, do you think it’s possible that he likes you?”

Wu Ruo looked toward her: “You mean…”

“I’m referring to the type of ‘like’ between men and women⁴What Wu Xi means here is romantic love.. I think that he likes you in that manner. Otherwise, why would he always come looking for you every time we end classes?”

If not for the incident where her erge had married a man, she would definitely not have thought in this direction. But on top of that, her erge was now more beautiful than a maiden. It wasn’t strange that a man would chase after him.

Wu Ruo: “…”

From the first time that Wu Ruo had met Ba Se, he had also felt that Ba Se fancied him. However, in his previous lifetime, Ba Se had clearly liked his younger sister and had only shown interest in women. As such, he’d thought that he had made a mistake and that Ba Se was sending him gifts to curry his favour because he was Wu Xi’s older brother.

Now that he heard Wu Xi saying this, could it really be…?

When Wu Ruo thought of Ba Se bearing those feelings toward him, he couldn’t help but shudder in disgust: “Don’t bring this up anymore.”

“Erge, I think it’s better if you make haste and reject him properly, lest Yi-ge⁵Wu Xi’s very adorable way of addressing Hei Xuanyi. She is taking the last ‘Yi’ character in his name and tacking a polite ge onto it. finds out and this results in a pile of misunderstandings.”

Wu Ruo stared at the gift box without speaking, but his gaze seemed to flicker subtly.

In the coming few days, the situation at the Southern main estate became worse and worse. A lot of people were vomiting and having diarrhea, then there were others who would suddenly faint on the ground. The situation was extremely terrible. They had hired the best doctors in Gaoling City but they were still unable to figure out the cause of the illnesses. Later on, even a few servants died and they died very miserably.

Wu Qianqing was the first person to notice that something was amiss. He felt that the people of the Southern main estate had been infected by gu parasites, so he hurriedly invited Wu Bofang to the Southern main estate.

Wu Bofang had seen and experienced much. With one glance, he could confirm that the people of the Southern main estate had indeed been infected by gu parasites.

“Infected by gu parasites?” Liao Liuyan clutched at her painful stomach and asked weakly: “We haven’t left the estate recently at all, how could we have been infected by gu parasites?”

Wu Bofang explained: “You don’t necessarily need to leave the estate to be infected by gu parasites. For all we know, the person who infected you could’ve let the parasites into the Southern main estate.”

Ruan Lanru asked: “Then who let these parasites in?”

Liao Liuyan said: “Only people from the South practice the parasitic arts. We’ve never offended anyone from there before. Why would they infect us with gu parasites?”

Wu Qianqing said: “For all we know, someone else could’ve hired a shaman to get back at us.”

“Ah!” Dong Mingji screamed.

Everyone was startled by her.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m in so much pain.” Dong Minji’s complexion was green. She sunk onto the chair, her lips purple, and it was just as if she had been struck by a hypertoxin. Following that, she raised her head, both shocked and angered: “Grandfather, I thought of something…”

Wu Bofang asked: “What is it?”

“I remembered last year, about two days before the winter solstice, something strange happened. A ton of insects suddenly appeared in Gaoling City, so we sent people to investigate this matter. Later on, the guards reported back and said that Hei Manor had a shaman doing a ritual ceremony.”

Wu Bofang was unconvinced: “Hei Manor?”

“The manor estate of Wu Ruo’s husband.” Dong Mingji’s eyes widened, turning red: “It definitely has to be Wu Ruo. He definitely must have hired a shaman to infect us with gu parasites.”

Wu Qianqing said, infuriated: “Nonsense! Why would Xiao-Ruo want to hurt any of you?”

“Because we took his betrothal gifts before, so he bore the grudge and resentment in his heart. That’s why he hired a shaman to infect us with gu parasites. He’s really so sinister and vicious!”

“It can’t be Xiao-Ruo, Xiao-Ruo couldn’t possibly hurt any of you.”

Dong Mingji agitatedly shouted: “Then how do you explain how you, your wife, and Xiao-Xi are all completely fine?”

• 1
  岂料 (qi liao): more accurately, ‘who would’ve known’.
• 2
  In the previous sentence, Hei Xuantang says he wants to 看 (kan)/see if Wu Ruo cared about Hei Xuanyi. Less directly translated, he meant he wanted to ‘check’ if Wu Ruo cared about Hei Xuanyi. So, in his response, Wu Ruo asks if Hei Xuantang 看到 (kan dao)/saw. Less directly translated, Wu Ruo is asking if Hei Xuantang managed to get the answer he was looking for.
• 3
  From what I understand of the general Western gift-giving culture, it’s not polite to reject a gift. However, to my knowledge, in Chinese culture for the vague time setting we’re in, gifts are not given just because one ‘feels’ like it. Normally, it’s because someone has a favour to ask or they’re repaying something to the person they’re giving the gift to. There’s a whole complex, unspoken etiquette about it and I’m not well-versed. Just wanted to make a note that Wu Ruo isn’t being impolite or disingenuous.
• 4
  What Wu Xi means here is romantic love.
• 5
  Wu Xi’s very adorable way of addressing Hei Xuanyi. She is taking the last ‘Yi’ character in his name and tacking a polite ge onto it.