When he returned to the inn, he found that Lu Ling had indeed stayed home obediently. However, he hadn’t taken a nap. He was upstairs in the second-floor hall, repairing the building.
Hearing Shu Rui come back, he went downstairs.
Shu Rui set down the basket and couldn’t help scolding him lightly. “You were supposed to rest at noon. How are you still busy?”
“I dozed a bit. I’m not used to sleeping long at midday. When you hadn’t come back for a while, I went to tidy up the shop.”
Then Lu Ling added, “Everything that could be repaired inside has been fixed. The damaged floorboards will need new planks—ones that were soaked and have rotted and molded can’t be repaired.”
Shu Rui cleaned regularly and knew the situation well.
Repairing the inside was like repairing the roof. When tiles were shattered or cracked, leaving big holes, you couldn’t just pull intact tiles from elsewhere to patch them up. You had to buy new ones to fix the roof properly.
He said, “I was planning to set up a table by the main entrance to sell some drinks. That side faces the street—people come and go, so there should be at least a bit of business.
“With an extra source of income, we can save up faster to buy lumber, hire craftsmen to do repairs, and make furnishings.”
Hearing Shu Rui’s words, a surge of tenderness rose in Lu Ling’s heart.
Before, when he was foolish and muddle-headed, he didn’t think deeply about anything. Living here with Shu Rui felt peaceful and fine, and he never thought much of it. Only now did he realize how resilient Shu Rui, a ge’er, truly was.
He was always thinking of ways forward, always taking action.
Had he not encountered Shu Rui halfway along the road, Shu Rui would have come here alone, with little money in hand, yet still managed to gradually clean up a dilapidated old shop. Though it hadn’t officially opened for business yet, he was maintaining three meals a day and getting by.
If it were an ordinary ge’er of the same age, how many could have endured until now? Even without knowing Shu Rui’s family background in detail, one could glimpse that it likely wasn’t good.
Lu Ling truly wanted to take out his own money and repair the shop completely, arranging everything so Shu Rui wouldn’t have to run around every day, wracking his brains to save money. He could just focus on preparing for opening and slowly running the inn.
He had left home at a young age and trained in martial arts at a martial hall for many years. After achieving some skill, he drifted through several lines of work, and later served influential figures in the capital. His income had been fairly good.
He had no expensive hobbies, didn’t indulge in outside entertainment. Aside from sending money home to his family, over the years he had saved up a modest sum.
Before returning to his hometown, worried that his mind might not always be clear, he had deposited his savings in a money bureau for safekeeping—five to six hundred strings of cash.
Chaoxi Prefecture was prosperous, with many money bureaus, making withdrawals easy.
In the past, his family had been poor, and he had to send money back to help them. Now that his father had passed the provincial examination and was receiving a government stipend, as long as they managed things with care, they would no longer live hand-to-mouth.
Now that he had met Shu Rui and had a new plan for life, that money naturally all belonged to Shu Rui.
Only, Lu Ling was troubled. Money earned under Shu Rui’s nose each day could be given to him with some justification, and Shu Rui would reluctantly accept it. But money without any clear record—how would someone with Shu Rui’s temperament ever take it?
If he didn’t let the money pass through Shu Rui’s hands and instead hired people himself to do the repairs… Lu Ling sighed lightly. Repair what? He wasn’t even the master of this household. What right did he have to make decisions? He’d probably be driven out, blade and all.
Lu Ling’s eyes shifted, another idea forming as he decided to test Shu Rui’s tone a little.
He said, “If only I had some money. Then you wouldn’t have to work so hard selling meals and running a drink business.”
Hearing this, Shu Rui raised an eyebrow slightly. “That’s rare—such filial devotion from you. Then I’ll wait until you have money, and I won’t work so hard anymore.”
Lu Ling had taken a small advantage with his words and didn’t get angry. He continued, “I’m a martial artist, and my skills aren’t bad. I couldn’t have done nothing at all—didn’t I have any savings before?”
“How would I know?”
Shu Rui wondered what had gotten into him today. Was he suddenly poor enough to question his own life?
He made sure Lu Ling never missed a meal of meat every three days. His clothes weren’t luxurious, but they were decent. He hadn’t treated him harshly at all.
Back when the shop was so rundown it was barely habitable, Lu Ling hadn’t acted like this either.
“You don’t know either? Aren’t we supposed to be the closest?”
That line rubbed Shu Rui the wrong way. “I didn’t pocket your savings!
“The money you placed with me in Chaoxi Prefecture—I’ve kept clear accounts of every bit. If you want it back, I can get it for you right now.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Lu Ling hadn’t expected to be misunderstood and frowned slightly. “Why haven’t you spent what I gave you before? You even kept accounts of it. It wasn’t more than a few copper coins—why keep track so meticulously?
“Even if I lost my arms and legs, I wouldn’t ask you to return it.”
“What nonsense curses are you spouting? Have you no sense of taboo at all!”
Shu Rui widened his eyes a little, stopping Lu Ling from talking further.
“I was just thinking—since I can’t remember my past, maybe I had some savings that I’ve forgotten too.”
Lu Ling looked at Shu Rui and said, “Right now is when money is needed the most. If it could be found again, wouldn’t that solve our urgent needs for the time being?”
Shu Rui said, “What would you know? I don’t want that kind of windfall. Saving up three copper coins, five copper coins at a time—that’s what makes me feel at ease.”
He was only speaking casually. After saying it, he fell silent again.
In the past, there were some things that Lu Ling had never been willing to listen to. Now that Doctor Yu had administered acupuncture, although it could not be said that it had immediately restored his memory, it was not without any effect either. He had gained some vague recollections—this was already a sign of improvement.
If he went for treatment a few more times, perhaps there would be further results.
Hadn’t he said so himself? In his memories, there was not a single trace related to Shu Rui. Now, by slowly letting him understand, and combining that with his vague memories, he should be able to accept the fact that they were not husband and wife.
So Shu Rui took the opportunity to say, “I only know what happened during the months from the courier station all the way to Tidewatch Prefecture. Anything before that, I don’t know. Asking me about it is useless—you can only rely on yourself to remember.”
Hearing this, Lu Ling frowned and fell silent.
Shu Rui had thought Lu Ling would argue back, just as he used to—get angry, perhaps. Unexpectedly, the man only knit his brows tighter. Shu Rui had already prepared the words to debate with him, but in an instant they had nowhere to be used.
Seeing Lu Ling react like this, Shu Rui should have been happy. Yet for some reason, a faint discomfort suddenly welled up in his heart.
He lowered his head slightly, intending to avoid Lu Ling and head toward the kitchen, when he heard him say, “Then I won’t ask about things before the courier station anymore. I was just thinking—if I had savings from before and could find them, I wouldn’t have to let you work so hard.”
Shu Rui’s steps halted. After struggling internally several times, he finally spoke the blunt truth: “Lu Ling, we really are not husband and wife.”
“I know. You said we are cousins.”
Shu Rui looked at Lu Ling. “We aren’t cousins either. I make up a different explanation every day—those words can be invented at will.
“I didn’t want to lie to you. Those were things I made up because I had no way to explain to others what kind of relationship you and I had. If you take them as truth, you’ll only be misled.”
“I don’t care whether it’s true or false. If it’s true, I’m very happy. If it’s false, I still won’t change my mind—I still want to give everything I have to you.”
Hearing this, Shu Rui couldn’t help but freeze. That foolish earnestness of his—how had it come back again?
But when he looked at Lu Ling, those eyes were unusually calm, so much so that Shu Rui couldn’t quite tell anymore. He frowned and asked, “Do you know what you’re saying?”
“I do.”
Lu Ling looked back at Shu Rui. Their gazes met, and his eyes grew even more resolute. “I also want you to know that no matter what kind of relationship we truly have, it won’t change what’s in my heart.”
“I really like you.”
Shu Rui’s chest tightened abruptly, as if he had been struck head-on. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.
Only then did Lu Ling realize what he had said. He had originally only wanted to test Shu Rui’s attitude, to see whether there was any chance Shu Rui would accept his savings. Somehow, as they argued back and forth, the words had veered to this point.
“A-Shao, I—”
Shu Rui quietly looked at Lu Ling, even scrutinizing him, feeling from the depths of his heart that something was off. This feeling had already arisen earlier, back at the medical hall.
He slowly opened his mouth. “Have you recovered your memories? You actually remembered everything already while we were at the medical hall!”
At these words, Lu Ling’s body stiffened.
Seeing his reaction, Shu Rui quickly added before Lu Ling could speak, “If you have any conscience at all, you’d better not lie to placate me!”
Lu Ling truly wanted to patch things up for himself, to say that he had only remembered a little. But seeing Shu Rui like this, he no longer dared to lie.
He had known it—given Shu Rui’s intelligence, he was not easy to fool.
Lu Ling didn’t quite dare to meet his eyes and turned his head slightly. “Yes. I… I remembered.”
Hearing this definite answer, Shu Rui was overcome with shame and anger. This man had clearly recovered his memory—he wasn’t muddle-headed or foolish anymore—yet he still said he liked him! Even when he had been clueless before, he had never spoken so bluntly!
His chest rose and fell once as he tried to calm himself. “Since you’ve remembered everything, why are you still pretending and playing tricks!”
As he spoke, a wave of grievance surged up in Shu Rui’s heart.
“Are you angry that you were brought to Tidewatch Prefecture all this time, made to be ordered around like an ox or a horse by someone like me—a mere ge’er—and you find it ridiculous and infuriating, so you deliberately hid the truth to toy with me?!”
“I didn’t. Is that really the kind of person I am in your heart?”
Hearing Shu Rui draw such a conclusion about his concealment, Lu Ling’s emotions churned violently—wronged and anxious. “I truly believed before that we were husband and wife. Later I felt something was off, but I always believed at the very least that we were mutually in love.
“When I woke up and remembered the past, and realized that we weren’t even mutually in love, the fear and pain in my heart were overwhelming. I wanted to tell you the moment I woke up, but before I even opened my mouth, you were already so distant with me. What was I supposed to do?”
Lu Ling frowned deeply, his eyes growing hot. “I was just afraid you’d drive me away.”
Seeing Lu Ling’s reddening eyes, Shu Rui’s fingers curled slightly as he stood frozen in place.
He hadn’t expected his words to hurt him this much. His anger weakened at once, and he realized he had indeed misunderstood him.
“You… your home wasn’t here to begin with. You were always going to go back eventually. It doesn’t depend on whether I drive you away or not.”
“But I don’t want to leave, and I don’t want to go back! I just want to stay with you.”
Shu Rui looked up. Facing Lu Ling’s earnest gaze, his face suddenly flushed, and he hurriedly looked away again.
His mind was in utter chaos. It felt as though he had been forced to take in far too much information without any preparation, leaving him unable to process it all.
What had begun as the usual banter and bickering had somehow escalated into this.
Shu Rui felt overwhelmed, and at a loss.
He fiddled with his fingers, trying his best to calm himself. “You… you should think of it as having lost your memory before. With your memory gone, and then being influenced by my nonsense, you developed some dependence.
“Now that your memory has just recovered, you can’t adjust all at once. That’s why you’re feeling this way.”
Lu Ling wanted to argue for himself, but Shu Rui hurriedly said, “Calm down first—you need to, and so do I!”
Lu Ling looked at Shu Rui and could only comply, closing his mouth.
What should have been said and what shouldn’t—everything had already been said. All his calculations, all his plans—his head had been muddled. When faced with Shu Rui, he couldn’t restrain himself at all.
Shu Rui was right. He should calm down. The composure and restraint he used to have when dealing with matters had all been lost along with his memory.
But no one had ever taught him whether one should also remain restrained in matters of the heart.
Lu Ling looked at Shu Rui with a pleading expression. “Then… can I still stay here?”
Shu Rui didn’t answer. He lowered his head and slipped into the room. With a creak, the door closed.
Lu Ling stood at the doorway like a wooden post, staring blankly at the door panel.
Since he hadn’t been told to leave, it probably meant he didn’t have to leave.