Spring in Twin Streams - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

At first, I thought Shen Heng was simply young and shy.

So I indulged him in every way, gentle and considerate.

I even took out the little lingerie I had been reluctant to wear for Li Chengming and put it on for him instead.

But Shen Heng always squeezed his eyes shut, as if I were humiliating him.

When pushed too far, he would even try to bite his tongue and kill himself.

Only the change in one certain place told me he did react. He just did not want to do it.

After being pushed away yet again, I wrote to Li Chengming, gloomy and aggrieved:

“Husband, this friend of yours is treating me very perfunctorily.”

“I stand right in front of him, and he keeps his eyes shut. He cannot even be bothered to look at me.”

“I feed him well, treat him well, and take care of him in every way, yet he still gives me the cold shoulder, as if I were the one bullying him.”

Perhaps the letter was lost along the way, because Li Chengming never wrote back.

I truly ran out of patience and decided to let Shen Heng leave. “Go.”

Shen Heng pressed his lips together.

Those pitch-black eyes stared fixedly at me, his emotions impossible to read.

After being rejected so many times, I could barely hold myself together. “You are just like Li Chengming. Neither of you likes me.”

“Forget it. I will not force you.”

“At worst, I will fail to bear a child, get thrown out of the house, be ignored by everyone, and end up wandering the streets.”

I sobbed for a while.

Then I got up, straightened my clothes, and prepared to leave.

But when I pushed the door, I froze.

The door had been locked tight.

A few wisps of faint fragrance drifted in through the window.

It was aphrodisiac incense.

My mother-in-law’s voice came from outside the door. “Ruwan, do not be afraid. Go boldly! That boy will not be able to run today!”

Not only could he not run.

I could not run either.

The last thing I remembered before losing my senses was being dragged onto the bed.

Shen Heng’s eyes were red the entire time, as though he were the one being forced.

My limbs were weak as I crawled outward.

Only to be dragged back beneath him again.

The next day, I had to support myself against the wall when I went to pay respects to my mother-in-law.

My mother-in-law, heart aching for me, gifted me many tonics.

There were other brothers and sisters in the estate, so Shen Heng’s matter could not be discovered by them.

After thinking for a moment, my mother-in-law said, “I have a residence outside the city. Very few people know about it.”

“Just say you are going there to pray for blessings on my behalf. Take that boy and live there. Come back once there is good news.”

That residence was nestled by the mountains and water, with beautiful scenery.

There, I taught Shen Heng the language of the Central Plains and held his hand as he wrote my name.

He learned very quickly. In just a few days, he could already communicate with me normally.

Though all he did was curse me.

He cursed me for taking his first time, causing him to break his vows, and said that once he returned home, his father would beat him to death.

He cursed me for having no shame, for having a husband yet still seducing him, for ruining his entire life.

I asked him how he had come to know Li Chengming.

He gave a cold snort. “I saved him while I was gathering herbs in the mountains. He gave me fifty taels and asked me to treat your illness.”

“I never expected him to repay kindness with betrayal and conspire with you to trick me into coming here…”

Treat my illness?

My body was perfectly healthy. What illness did I need treated?

It was nothing but another lie Li Chengming had used to traffic a person.

Fortunately, Heaven rewards those who work hard.

I became pregnant.

Two weeks later, Li Chengming returned to the capital in triumph.

Three days after that, my father-in-law passed away.

After seeing off the guests who had come to offer condolences, my mother-in-law let out a long sigh of relief. “This is simply three blessings arriving at once!”

Li Chengming said nothing.

His gaze remained fixed on my face.

Inside the room, he lowered his head and studied me, frowning. “You have lost quite a bit of weight. Was Shen Heng slacking off?”

I shook my head. “He was very diligent. He handled everything personally.”

Li Chengming sighed and lowered his eyes. “You have suffered.”

“Not at all, not at all.”

I could not help saying, overjoyed, “Husband, the method you thought of was very effective. Shen Heng got me pregnant after only a few times.”

Li Chengming’s gaze froze in an instant.

After a long while, he said in disbelief, “What method?”

Why was he being like this?

Did he really need me to say it so plainly?

It was rather embarrassing.

In a small voice, I said, “When you brought Shen Heng before me, Husband, I understood your painstaking intentions.”

“Although using a borrowed seed to have a child is not exactly honorable, if Husband can endure it, then so can I.”

“At first, that Shen Heng did not know what was good for him and resisted me again and again. I originally wanted to give up, but Husband kept writing letters to encourage me, so I persevered… and now, at last, there is good news.”

As I spoke, Li Chengming’s face turned paler and paler.

His voice trembled. “Borrowed seed?”

I nodded.

He stared at me blankly, his gaze finally landing on my stomach. “Shen Heng?”

It seemed something was not quite right.

I did not dare nod anymore.

With an awkward smile, I slowly backed away. “Um… Mother-in-law needs to take her medicine. I will go attend to her…”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Li Chengming standing where he was like a statue, unmoving.

Only when one of my feet had already crossed the threshold did he seem to suddenly snap back to himself. With a cold laugh, he grabbed my wrist and said through gritted teeth, “He was the damn doctor I found for you!”