"A letter? Who sent me a letter?" Luo Wu asked as he took the letter from Constable Xiao Yangâs hands, but there was no senderâs name on it, just "personally opened by Squad Leader Luo" in five characters.
Constable Xiao Yang replied, "Not quite sure, heard it was brought by a porter, might be a letter from the Prefecture."
The Guâs Workshop had a major client in the Prefecture, so Constable Xiao Yang thought it was nothing unusual for someone from the Prefecture to ask a porter to deliver a letter to Luo Wu.
However, Luo Wu frowned upon hearing this and upon opening the letter, felt like a bolt from the blue, his mind exploded... He had been poisoned with infertility drug by Xia Gu, and he could no longer have children?
It must be fake, definitely fake!
...He was perfectly normal, full of energy every morning when he woke up, and just a few nights ago had even gotten up to change his pants because...
Luo Wu did not believe it, he kept reading with a stern face, and his complexion turned instantly pale as frost... Xia Gu said that the infertility drug wouldnât prevent him from having intercourse, but that was all he could do, he couldnât get a woman pregnant.
The letter also mentioned deer meat, saying he had been given the infertility drug more than once. The earliest was when he went to the Manor to investigate a case, and the last time was the deer meat on the day of Dongzhi. If he didnât believe it, he could take that package of deer meat to the doctor for examination. But if he had eaten the deer meat, it would be certain he couldnât have children.
The letter ended with, "You were nothing but a dirty, lowly farmer, and now youâve turned into a eunuch. If you donât want to doom Sister Xiu for life, stay away from her!"
The word "eunuch" pierced Luo Wuâs eyes red with rage, and with a hissing sound, he tore the letter into shreds.
Constable Xiao Yang was scared by Luo Wuâs action and anxiously asked, looking at his pale face: "Brother Luo Wu, whatâs wrong with you? Why is your face so pale? What did the letter say?"
The contents of the letter were too embarrassing to speak about, Luo Wu did not want others to know, and after steadying his mind, he said: "Nothing much, just a threatening letter from some scoundrel I had put behind bars."
Constable Xiao Yang frowned, questioning: "Are you really okay, Brother Luo Wu? Your voice is trembling."
Luo Wu told Constable Xiao Yang: "Iâm still sick, you go back first, I wonât be able to entertain you today."
Seeing that Luo Wuâs face was indeed very ugly, Constable Xiao Yang did not linger and took his leave right away.
Standing in front of his own gate, Luo Wuâs lips turned white, his body trembling with anger and fear; he couldnât believe that he had been drugged by Xia Gu, how could that old evil man be so vicious?!
However, he told himself to stay calm, perhaps Xia Gu was lying to deceive him on purpose; that old thief never had a word of truth come out of his mouth.
...Right, the deer meat, he hadnât touched that bag of deer meat at all, it had always been in the bags on both sides of the horseâs back, and his mother said that Grandpa Qin had delivered the horse this morning, which was now in their livestock shed. Should he take the deer meat to the doctor to find out if Xia Guâs accusation was true or false after the doctor inspected the deer meat and took his pulse?
Luo Wu couldnât wait a moment longer and hurried back home, just taking a few steps before he heard Gu Jinxiuâs voice.
"Brother Luo Wu." Gu Jinli, carrying a food box and accompanied by Sister Li, came to Luo Familyâs home and saw Luo Wu before even entering the door, her heart filled with joy; but it seemed like Brother Luo Wu had not seen her, so she had to call out to him herself.
Hearing Gu Jinxiuâs voice caused both joy and pain in Luo Wu â if he really had been poisoned with the infertility drug by Xia Gu, then...
"Sister Xiu, youâve come." He turned around, forcing out a smile to look at Gu Jinxiu.
Three years had passed, and she had grown even more beautiful, with delicate features on her oval-shaped face, exuding a gentle temperament, her smile as tender as a spring breeze.
Seeing his pallid complexion, Gu Jinxiu, somewhat anxious, said: "Brother Luo Wu, why are you up with the sickness not yet gone? Have you eaten anything? I made you beef porridge, and beef buns too, eat them and then rest."
Brother Luo Wu once said that when Uncle Luo was still a courier, his family could eat beef during every festival. Beef is delicious, and once he makes money, heâll buy some for her to eat.
She knew therefore that he really liked eating beef. A couple of days ago, Xiao Yu made some beef jerky. She asked Xiao Yu for a few jin of beef to freeze in the yard, and today she specially cooked it for Brother Luo Wu to eat.
Luo Wuâs heart was filled with mixed emotions as he took the food box from her hand and said, "Donât do these things in such cold weather, your hands are not made for cooking."
Gu Jinxiuâs heart tightened upon hearing this, and she quickly said, "Iâve been doing household chores since I was little and I also followed my parents to work in the fields. My hands can handle any task."
Gu Jinxiu felt that her past self had been too naive, guessing that Brother Luo Wu might have thought she was not interested, which is why he became distant. So, she decided to take the initiative, especially since her parents and Uncle Luo and Aunt Luo seemed to be finalizing her marriage to Luo Wu.
Luo Wu looked at the girl in front of him, her face somewhat anxious, showing a mix of shyness and joy as she looked at him. His heart ached as if pricked by needles. In the moment he turned his head to avoid her gaze, he saw the small gold hairpin in her hair and a red cord that tied it.
The red cord was bought for her when he first received his salary, the small gold hairpin was the coming-of-age gift he supplemented for her... She had not thrown them away but kept them all along. Today she wore them especially for him to see, the meaning was self-evident.
Luo Wu raised his hand and touched the hairpin and the cord on her head. Gu Jinxiu did not move away but stood still, allowing him to do as he wished.
After a short while, Luo Wu withdrew his hand and looked down at her, noticing her face was a bit red, she was shy.
The bitterness in Luo Wuâs heart grew as he forced a smile and said, "Sister Xiu, it looks good on you."
Gu Jinxiu looked up at him, the corners of her mouth carrying a joyful smile. She seemed very happy, but such a smile made Luo Wu feel even more bitter.
His eyes reddened, thinking what if the story about the infertility drug is true?
"Brother Luo Wu, whatâs wrong?" Gu Jinxiu asked as she saw the redness in Luo Wuâs eyes and felt very uneasy.
Luo Wu smiled and said, "I havenât fully recovered from the cold, my eyes are sore and keep tearing up."
Gu Jinxiu felt somewhat relieved and, feeling sorry for his illness, handed him a pair of gloves, "Your hands are always exposed when you ride the horse. Wear these gloves from now on; they can keep out some of the cold. Theyâre made of sheepskin, warm and resistant to rain and snow."
Luo Wu looked at the sheepskin gloves, feeling very upset inside, but he did not want to disappoint Gu Jinxiu. He took the gloves and put them on, saying with a smile, "They fit very well, everything Sister Xiu makes is the best."
The person as well.
Gu Jinxiuâs eyes curved with a smile, and after pondering for a while, she finally said what she had hidden for a long time, "Before, when I avoided Brother Luo Wu, it wasnât without reason. I thought since we werenât engaged yet, I shouldnât break the rules."
As the eldest daughter, everything she did could affect her family and her younger siblings. She didnât want to cause trouble for her family.
Luo Wu smiled upon hearing this, "I understand, I donât blame you. Initially, my mother thought I wasnât able enough to protect you, which is why she didnât let me come to ask for your hand in marriage."
Gu Jinxiu replied, "Brother Luo Wu is very capable. Since we were children, youâve always protected me. If it wasnât for Brother Luo Wu, our family wouldnât have survived the journey to escape the famine."
On their journey to escape the famine, they encountered all sorts of bad people. Before Xiao Yu found the water source to exchange for food, before they met Grandpa Qin and his grandchildren, it was all thanks to Brother Luo Wu and Uncle Luo who fought off the evildoers.
Luo Wu, listening to her compliments, recalled the letter from Xia Gu â if the matter of the infertility drug was true...