Chapter 27 Under the moon (3)
Chen Hui’s scream was too harsh. When she ran out of the room and shivered in the open area of the yard, everyone in the other rooms of the courtyard also rushed out.
When Li Youde ran out the room, he thought that there was an assassin. Seeing Chen Hui only adorned in her second layer of clothes and hugged herself while shivering, he immediately walked over and asked, “What is the matter?”
Chen Hui received another scare from his voice. Her whole body quivered. After hearing his words clearly, she immediately twisted her body and hid behind him. She pointed in front of her at the room where she was staying. Her lips trembled and she wasn’t able to utter a word.
Li Youde’s eyes sharpened immediately. He turned his head and motioned for Ah Da to go take a look. He didn’t move forward.
The servants slowly approached the side room. A white figure suddenly flashed inside. Everyone was startled and came to a halt. However, it was Xiao Tiao who came out with a look of horror on her face. Seeing the disposition outside, she was so frightened that her legs could hardly support her.
Chen Hui took a deep breath to calm herself. She unconsciously grasped Li Youde’s sleeve with her right hand.
Li Youde casted her a sidelong glance. He stared nervously behind Xiao Tiao. Afterwards, he felt Chen Hui tugging at his sleeve. He turned to look at her again, frowned and asked, “Who is it?”
Chen Hui shook her head and took two deep breaths. Finally, she said in a low voice, “Ra…at.”
Li Youde seemed to be puzzled, “Rat? Not an assassin?”
“”It is…such a big rat!” Chen Hui let go of him and drew a big circle in front of her chest.
In fact, she had gone once to see a psychiatrist because of this matter, but the progress was slow. Later, she thought that it was not easy to see a rat in the modern times, so, she gave up. Usually, she would be fine when she saw pictures of rats, but she couldn’t face one directly. The most terrifying thing was the situation of just now. The room was dim. For a moment, she seemed to have returned to the night of nightmare when she was seven.
“Just because of a rat?” Li Youde couldn’t believe it. His voice raised a bit. He glared fiercely at Chen Hui, “Lady Chen, is it that you don’t want to stay at Chrysanthemum Yard and deliberately picked faults?”
Chen Hui raised her head slightly. The candle lights held by the surrounding servants illuminated his face. He had removed his makeup at this moment and his ordinary face showed irritation for being awakened and coldly thought that Chen Hui was ‘deliberately making a scene’.
Chen Hui shrank and felt aggrieved.
“I didn’t…I’m really, really afraid….”
Chen Hui wanted to explain herself, but Li Youde interrupted her with a sneer, “Lady Chen, you are so courageous in the past, would you be afraid of a tiny rat?”
Today, he had been accused by someone in front of the emperor. Although, he wasn’t punished, but he was reprimanded. He hadn’t slept for long after he came back when he was awakened by Lady Chen causing a scene. Naturally, he was not in a good mood.
“But I’m really afraid of that,” Chen Hui uttered this sentence in a low voice.
“What did you say?” It was unknown whether Li Youde didn’t hear her clearly or that he was dissatisfied. He looked like he wanted to swallow her.
She didn’t say anything anymore. She acted so exaggerated in front of a rat. In the past only her parents and some good friends who knew the situation would understand her. Others would think that she was acting on purpose and say that she was dramatic. There was also no need for her to explain.
“Go back to sleep!” Li Youde said impatiently.
Chen Hui didn’t move.
Li Youde sneered, “Don’t want to sleep? Alright, then don’t sleep anymore. Just stay here!”
After he finished, he ignored her and went away angrily.
Others also gradually dispersed. Only Xiao Tiao slowly came over, “Lady…”
Chen Hui whispered, “Xiao Tiao, can you help me take out a coat?”
“Lady, this slave has already looked. The rat has already run away,” Xiao Tiao persuaded.
Chen Hui said, “Xiao Tiao, help me bring out the clothes.”
Xiao Tiao couldn’t persuade Chen Hui and could only listen to her. Chen Hui asked her to take a stool out and put it in the middle of the yard. She then persuaded Xiao Tiao to go to bed.
After Xiao Tiao was persuaded by her to go back to sleep, Chen Hui sat on the stool and looked around vigilantly. After waiting for a long time, her pounding heart finally recovered to calmness and she exhaled slightly.
She really didn’t dare to go back to sleep now. So, she had to sit all night.
Chen Hui glanced sideways at the main room and thought about her display of just now. She sighed faintly again. Li Youde didn’t believe that she was really scared and instead assumed that she did such a thing on purpose to let him throw her back to Plum Yard. There was no other way, everyone knew the story of crying wolf. Now, something unrealistic happened to her, so, he naturally would think that she did it on purpose.
She felt so wronged.
Chen Hui kicked the stool with her heel. She truly felt oppressed and unwell. Before, she didn’t have meat and went hungry. Now, she was eating and drinking well, but she had to face the menace of the rats. Why couldn’t she be spared of worries? She was truly so miserable!
Chen Hui slowly felt sleepy while sitting on the stool. Her head drooped and she became muddle-headed.
After Li Youde went back to sleep, he didn’t sleep very smoothly. He also didn’t know how long it had been, he suddenly opened his eyes. He got up, draped himself in a cloak and went outside. He poured himself a cup of cold tea and drank it.
The moonlight on the outside came in through the crack of the door and illuminated a thin slit.
Li Youde put down the cup, walked to the door and slowly opened it.
In the middle of the yard, under the moonlight, Chen Hui’s thin figure seemed to be covered with a layer of gauze. She sat there quietly as if she was a mermaid sitting on the submerged reef of the legends and waited to seduce the sailors with her singing voice.
Li Youde opened the door and walked out slowly. After a few steps, he was at Chen Hui’s side. Only then did he realize that she was asleep. For a moment, he felt that it was ridiculous. She actually could fall asleep while sitting. What kind of person was this?
He coughed once, intending to wake her up, “Lady Chen.”
The next moment, Chen Hui slanted and happened to fall to his side. Li Youde subconsciously raised his hand to support her. Then, he felt that the touch under his hands was a bit too soft. He lowered his head to look and squeezed before he realized it. The feeling on the hand was not bad.
So, is this coming? What, what should she do next? Is it useful to continue to pretend to be asleep? What, what to do? The scene of the box filled with jade genitals lingered in her mind now!
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Thanks for the chapter 🙃