Pitiful Widower (22)

Strangely enough, the other person didn't mock him.

Instead, she stared at him with a stiff expression.

She must have been disgusted by him, after all, Fu Chengsi is a straight man and a picky perfectionist who hates slow-witted and spoiled people.

Although Xue Ci never admitted that he was delicate, everyone knew in their hearts that he was afraid of pain at times.

During the prolonged stalemate, Fu Chengsi's gaze grew increasingly strange, his pupils slightly contracting, as if he were about to devour someone at any moment.

He was probably too angry to speak.

Xue Ci was a little smug, but also afraid that the other party might suddenly hit him. After all, Fu Chengsi looked quite strong.

He spoke first, "Is there anything else? I need to change my clothes."

Fu Chengsi's expression changed slightly, but he still didn't move an inch.

"I already told you I was going to change clothes, so if you're not leaving soon, don't accuse me of seducing you," Xue Ci said deliberately. "You're older than me; I wouldn't like that kind of thing."

Fu Chengsi's stiff expression gradually darkened.

He took a step toward Xue Ci, not intending to do anything, but the oppressive aura emanating from him was so strong that Xue Ci unconsciously pushed him away.

The hand wasn't positioned correctly, and the slap landed squarely on her face.

The sound wasn't crisp; it was muffled.

Xue Ci was also stunned. Fu Chengsi's breathing was particularly heavy, and he sounded very angry. He didn't dare to look at the other person's expression and first explained, "I... I didn't mean to..."

Perhaps fearing trouble from Fu Chengsi, he puffed out his chest to defend himself. "But we're even now. What you said just now was very unpleasant, and I just slapped you in the face..."

The young servant declared confidently, "We're even."

I won't argue with you.

"Of course, you still have to keep your promise and take me away from here."

Fu Chengsi squinted, his cheeks aching slightly. He watched Xue Ci's mouth move up and down, his mind buzzing, unable to hear a single word.

The man's behavior was too abnormal. Xue Ci traveling all day, didn't want to confront him. "I really need to change my clothes and rest. I'm very tired... the carriage ride is too bumpy..."

His tone wasn't as firm as before; his cheeks were pale, and his voice sounded pitiful.

Fu Chengsi finally left.

Xue Ci immediately locked the door.

I slept very soundly, without any annoying people disturbing me.

When I woke up, it was almost dark.

Xue Ci rushed downstairs and found the three of them standing near the kitchen, the aroma suggesting that dinner was ready.

Seeing him come downstairs, Qin Zhou quickly walked over. "Look, we made Chinese food. Did you miss it?"

"... Um."

Xue Ci was stunned for a moment, and the other two looked in his direction.

The young servant had just woken up; his face was still damp and soft, with lingering red marks, his cheeks flushed from sleep, and his lips a deep, vibrant color.

They seem easy to mess with.

The men subtly withdrew their gaze.

It's hard to imagine that four people would sit together quietly and eat Chinese food.

Xue Ci was relieved that he was just flirting with many people, and didn't actually have that many husbands.

The house will be in complete chaos.

Xue Ci ate quietly. The dishes were plentiful, and the ingredients were probably redeemed with points from the system shop. They had a taste of home.

Not long after the meal, the butler and several servants returned.

Mrs. West was still unconscious and was brought back in a wheelchair.

Xue Ci finally saw what she looked like.

She was a very withered old woman, tormented by illness to the point that she was nothing but skin and bones, with exposed areas showing deep wrinkles.

However, his face was not frightening; he appeared quite kind.

Xue Ci thought of his grandmother and went forward to help, but was stopped by Joel.

"Don't make things worse here." The butler was about to say something more when he saw the tall guests standing beside Xue Ci, looking at him with cold eyes.

What's going on?

Why would you speak up for a mere servant after only a few days?

Joel was furious, but dared not say anything more, and together with the others, escorted Mrs. West back to her room.

The smell of disinfectant from the hospital still lingered in the living room.

Xue Ci felt uneasy.

He sat alone on the sofa, dejected.

A shadow loomed over him. He looked up and, upon seeing Fu Chengsi, shrank back defensively.

Her pajamas were pressed down by her legs, revealing a patch of smooth, snow-white skin.

He assumed Fu Chengsi had come to demand an explanation for the slap he'd received that afternoon, and was frantically trying to figure out how to retaliate.

Then he heard Fu Chengsi squat down and whisper a string of code in his ear.

"Tell Joel this, and he'll assign you the task of looking after Mrs. West."

Xue Ci is incredible.

How did Fu Chengsi figure out what he was thinking...?

Fu Chengsi stared at Xue Ci's blank yet grateful face, his limbs going numb.

Before he could even hear Xue Ci speak, just being stared at like that made him feel his heart pounding in his chest, the sound spreading to his limbs.

Having not experienced anything so novel for nearly thirty years, Fu Chengsi felt quite uncomfortable. He straightened up slightly, his tone deliberately indifferent. "Go quickly."

"Thank you..." Although there had been a disagreement that afternoon, Xue Ci was a very polite and good boy. He immediately got up from the sofa, ran forward a couple of steps, and then came back.

I owe you a favor!

After saying that, she slipped upstairs like a little rabbit.

The remaining two clueless men looked at Fu Chengsi's lustful expression with disdain, while also feeling jealous of how their relationship had suddenly become so close.

They always thought they were rivals in love, but it turns out Fu Chengsi also became a dog.

*

Xue Ci was soon given the job of cleaning Mrs. West's room.

When he told Joel the code, Joel seemed to freeze for four or five seconds before agreeing with him with a gloomy face, and warning him not to rummage through the castle owner's things.

Xue Ci could sense that something was wrong with Joel, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

Having been in this world for some time, this was his first time entering Mrs. West's room.

There is a huge window inside, from which you can enjoy a panoramic view of the garden.

Mrs. West's room was filled with many things, revealing her many hobbies: sewing machines, handicrafts, and stamp carving.

She's a very interesting old woman.

Xue Ci opened the window to let the room through, trying to dissipate the strong smell of medicine and mold.

The table was cluttered, yet arranged in a neat and orderly fashion. On the far right was a stack of letters with the sealing wax still attached.

The letter was on kraft paper and looked very old; it must have been exchanged with someone many years ago.

Xue Ci saw the name "Aidean" written on the envelope.

It sounded familiar; Xue Ci felt like he'd seen it somewhere before, but couldn't quite place it. He wrote the name down and planned to ask the others if they recognized it later.

Several sheet music pieces were placed on the right side of the letter. Xue Ci couldn't understand them, but she noticed that they were all signed Aidean.

At the very bottom of the basket containing these letters, a sliver of the paper's edge was visible.

Xue Ci pulled it out and froze when she saw it.

This is Mrs. West's last letter.

This was probably written while she was still able to hold a pen and write. It's more like a bucket list than a will.

Mrs. West's tone suggests that she is not pessimistic.

"I am so grateful that my daughter and granddaughter are growing up healthy, and I pray for them. I hope someone will take good care of my rabbits, but I doubt anyone will care about them after I die."

"My youth is haunting me again; memories are attacking me, keeping me awake these past few days. I don't blame fate for being unfair, nor do I blame anyone else, but I still have one regret."

"I hope I can play the violin one more time before I leave."

"I still have one very, very last song left to finish."

The smell in the room lingered for a while, so Xue Ci put the suicide note back where it was.

The wardrobe was full of clothes sewn by Mrs. West, with dense stitches and even the pleats at the necklines were meticulously made.

Perhaps genius isn't just about the violin, but about an excessive amount of focused energy.

Xue Ci took down the clothes, which reeked of decay, and put them in the washing machine downstairs. He then went to lie down in the garden.

Fruits and flowers can bring life to a dull room.

When her grandmother was hospitalized, Xue Ci would visit her every few days with these gifts.

In the living room, Joel and the servants were all at their respective tasks.

When Joel tell the others that he was going back to the West Family to report on the situation, Xue Ci had a strange intuition—he felt that Joel was there to spy on him.

The secret concerns the lady, which is why Joel hadn't left the castle before, but now that the lady is unable to speak, Fang Ming relaxed.

Joel noticed him too, but surprisingly didn't cause any trouble.

Xue Ci went straight to the garden, and before picking any flowers, he went to the rabbit hutch.

Fortunately, Qin Zhou fed the rabbit on time every day, and it grew plump and soft with clean white fur.

Xue Ci got up and was about to leave when her wrist was entangled by vines.

What's wrong...

Xue Ci puzzled, so he followed the path indicated by the branches and arrived at a place he had never been before.

This was a corner of the garden, blocked by several dense trees, almost devoid of sunlight. The overly dark green color felt eerie, and the servants added that plants only grow so well where corpses are buried. Xue Ci timid, dared not go any further.

This time, it was the vines that gave him courage, allowing him to step across the lawn.

The soft, fallen leaves sent chills down Xue Ci's spine. "Aren't we... here yet...?"

The vine gently rubbed against his palm, then produced two flowers from somewhere and placed them in his hand.

Xue Ci explored cautiously.

After passing two trees, the surrounding area was almost completely shaded by the canopy of trees, making it nearly impossible to see the sun.

The vines finally indicated that they didn't need to go any further. Xue Ci looked around, and when her gaze accidentally fell to her right, her eyes widened—

There is a row of graves there.

Xue Ci so frightened her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

... So many dead people?

Is it true that the rumors of buried bodies are true? And who killed these people? Joel? Or someone from the castle, or the West Family?

So... are the bodies of West and her daughter also here?

That's why ghosts only come out at night.

Xue Ci grew increasingly frightened, her hands and feet turned cold, and her teeth chattered.

He turned around and immediately tried to walk towards the light, but he tripped over a tree branch.

A pair of hands caught him just in time around the waist.

Xue Ci was terrified, but breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Fu Chengsi's face.

The person in his arms was very hot, Fu Chengsi didn't immediately let go of him. "Don't worry, those are rabbit graves."

Xue Ci was stunned. "A rabbit?"

He was surprised, and mustered up his courage to look back.

... But there are more than a dozen tombs here!!

"Mrs. West raised her from a baby." Fu Chengsi seemed to know what Xue Ci was thinking, straightening her up before slowly letting go. Ignoring the soft touch in his palm, he continued, "You've already seen the little girl, haven't you? She appeared last night."

Xue Ci.

Their timid appearance is actually quite endearing.

"She also had a rabbit back then, but it wasn't the one she has now."

What?

Xue Ci then saw Fu Chengsi walk to the grave and point to the first tombstone. "If I'm not mistaken, this is probably the one."

"The little girl is not Mrs. West's granddaughter either."

Xue Ci was stunned for a moment, then her eyes widened.

"I think I know..."

The identities of that mother and daughter.

Author's Note:

This chapter is about the plot; I sat in front of the computer for six hours and managed to squeeze out three thousand words...

[Poor thing][Poor thing][Poor thing] More kisses and hugs in the next chapter.

The next chapter is Bill's kissing scene, and Bill will get to eat it.