Chapter 400 - The Humpbacked Man
Chapter 400 The Humpbacked Man
The humpbacked old man, who had just gone upstairs with a lantern, suddenly appeared behind her.
But that deformed face looked less horrible in the firelight.
“Where’s Mr. Dongfang? Has he gone to bed?”
With no time to think about something else, Lin Mengya inquired about the result first.
However, the humpbacked old man put the lantern on the table, picked up a charred sweet potato, knocked the skin off neatly and stuck it in her hand.
“He has gone out, and will probably come back later. Eat it. It’s still warm.”
Lin Mengya nodded. Maybe the result of the negotiation was not ideal, so Dongfang Xu had to search for his niece outside like a headless fly.
The warm sweet potato in her hand was just suitable to eat. Lin Mengya smiled with embarrassment, but actually took a big bite.
Suddenly the warm and sweet flavor made her feel warm from the tip of the tongue to the heart.
A roasted sweet potato she ate tonight was more capable of relieving her mood than all the choicest delicacies she had eaten. Watching her eating with delight, the humpbacked old man smiled.
He slowly pull out the chestnuts from the fire with tongs one by one, and slowly placed them in a wooden plate in front of Lin Mengya after wiping them with a towel made of coarse cloth.
“It’s enough. Don’t bother. By the way, I ate your food, but haven’t asked your name.”
Although the humpbacked old man looked scary, he was quite considerate.
Lin Mengya accidentally saw the humpbacked old man’s hands which were the exact opposite of the scary wrinkles on his face.
It was a pair of delicate and slender hands with clear joints.
Even in modern times, it could definitely impress those with a partiality for hands. Lin Mengya was a little puzzled. How could this old man have such a pair of beautiful hands?
“My name… It belongs to the past. Speaking of this, I’m just a few years older than you. Childe, since Mr. Dongfang is not here, I would like to tell you a story.”
A few years older than her? Lin Mengya took a closer look at the humpbacked man, only to find that his skin was not as slack as that of an ordinary old man.
But his voice was hoarse and deep. This man seemed to have experienced a lot.
The humpbacked man poked the brazier with fire tongs, but his eyes drifted somewhere else. Perhaps the little brother neither dodged his gaze nor showed any sarcasm, consoling his riddled heart.
“There was a man from an aristocratic family. He was once endowed with both beauty and talent, and was famous in the Capital City. But he didn’t know that these useless bubble reputations were deadly poison to him.”
Lin Mengya was biting the fragrant sweet potato, but understood that it might be the story of the humpbacked man.
“When it was time for the man to get married, his parents had arrange a good marriage for him. But the man was so arrogant that he made up his mind to look for the best girl in the world to be his wife. Therefore, despite his parents’ opposition, he insisted breaking off the engagement. Later, he really found the most gorgeous girl in the world. She was so gorgeous indeed with every twinkle and smile that could amaze the whole world. The man liked her very much, and finally won her favor after making strenuous efforts. But unexpectedly, on the wedding night, the man discovered the illicit sexual relations between his bride and his friend. He was so furious that he wanted to kill them. Unexpectedly, the woman was really vicious. No one knew what she had done to turn this man into a disabled garbage. Later, the man was too ashamed to meet his family again, so he wanted to exile himself. What happened afterwards is not worth mentioning.”
The humpbacked man finished telling his story with a bitter smile and shook his head. Unexpectedly, he told the whole story that he wanted to seal up tonight.
Beside him, the childe had fallen silent.
The humpbacked man thought that the little childe had already guessed that and would probably despise himself for judging someone by his appearance.
He turned his head and was prepared to learn another lesson. Unexpectedly, the little childe in front of him opened his eyes wide and looked at him.
It was obviously puzzlement and surprise flickering in the little childe’s eyes?
“You are the brother from the Xiao family, right?”
Holding the sweet potato, Lin Mengya was thrilled.
She held the man’s hand tightly and eagerly asked him.
The humpbacked man dodged her eyes and wanted to withdraw his hand. Circumstances changed with the passage of time. He didn’t want to tarnish the name that he no longer deserved anymore.
“Childe, you’ve mistaken me for someone else. I heard this story from a merchant who used to stay here. Don’t misunderstand it.”
Lin Mengya caught the man again and said with great determination this time.
“No, you are the brother from the Xiao family. Don’t you remember me? I am the silly girl, and my brother is Lin Nansheng, your best friend! Brother Yixin, I am the silly girl from the Lin family. Don’t you remember me?”
On hearing the three characters Lin Nansheng, Xiao Yixin immediately felt like getting an electric shock.
His body was stiff, but his hands kept trembling.
He turned around stiffly and looked at the girl dressed as a man in front of him in disbelief. He looked at her carefully again and again. Yes, the facial features and the eyebrows were indeed similar to those of his friend.
However…
Lin Mengya thought he didn’t believe her, so she reached out to mess up her long hair fixed with a silver hairpin and make it hang down her shoulders.
Her hair as black as ink fell down, making her face look as bright and white as jade.
A pair of watery eyes with ripples, held back the artificial maturity and prudence, but restored the charm and vivacity of a girl.
Although she was dressed as a man, she was indeed a girl.
“Why are you here…”
Xiao Yixin only felt a flash before his eyes. However, it was difficult for him to connect the little girl, who had always been silly in his memory, with the intelligent and elegant person in front of him.
Nevertheless, now the same features were getting clear in his memory.
“Because I…”
Lin Mengya just wanted to explain, but at this moment, the door of the inn was suddenly opened by someone.
They looked towards the door at the same time. No one knew when a dark figure appeared at the door, and was staring at them, who were recognizing each other, in rage at the moment.
“Because she married me and became my wife.”
His handsome features were twisted tightly.
However, after seeing him appear, Lin Mengya showed a panicked expression, and then let go of the other man’s hand and quickened her pace to walk up to him.
At the sight of this, he eased his eyebrows a little bit.
“Long Tianyu, didn’t you go on a business trip? Why are you here?”
He was everything in her dark eyes.
He held her in his arms with his big hands while she was not paying attention.
He hadn’t seen her for a few days, and this girl seemed to be thinner.
She really couldn’t get fat. In only a few days on the way, she had lost the weight she had gained in the past six months.
However, Lin Mengya still insisted that he should tell the truth.
Beside them, Xiao Yixin’s eyes had glazed.
He had never expected that the silly little girl would actually grow into such a gorgeous lady.
Surprisingly, she married one of the most outstanding men.
He felt his heart overflowed with bitterness, which seemed to mock that he didn’t cherish her at that time.
No matter how Lin Mengya questioned him, Long Tianyu just refused to say it.
Fortunately, she knew that now it was not the best time for interrogation. After rolling her eyes at Long Tianyu, she still dragged him to Xiao Yixin.
“Brother Yixin, you should know him. Humph, my brother Yixin’s reputation was much better than that of someone in the Capital City.”
Lin Mengya wrinkled her nose, picked up a chestnut casually and peeled it off.
Seeing her do that clumsily with her little hands, Long Tianyu could only grab it silently, crushed it and fed the kernel to Lin Mengya.
The subtle interaction between them was inadvertent, but Xiao Yixin felt slightly envious at the sight of it.
If he hadn’t trusted the wrong person at that time, he wouldn’t end up like this.
Of course, he had heard of Prince Yu. He was about to bow, but was firmly supported by Long Tianyu.
Long Tianyu glanced at Lin Mengya, and his gaze obviously told Xiao Yixin that he did this because of Lin Mengya.
“Sit down. Since you are an acquaintance, these formalities should be foregone.”
Long Tianyu sat down first, and Xiao Yixin had to sit behind him.
There was a subtle embarrassment between them. But Lin Mengya had already picked up a cooked potato and enjoyed it.
“Brother Yixin, tell me, is the woman the one making you look like this? But I don’t think you were wounded by external forces. If it is convenient, can you tell me what happened? ”
Long Tianyu glanced at the woman next to him and thought that she wasn’t elegant at all. It was just a potato. Was it necessary to eat with scraps around her mouth?
He has no interest in other people’s affairs.
Unexpectedly, Lin Mengya naturally wiped her mouth with her sleeve later.
Long Tianyu became speechless at once. Why was this girl always so rude?
However, he did not stop Lin Mengya, but let her wipe the ashes in her hand with the lower hem of his clothes.
Xiao Yixin smiled bitterly and said.
“Nothing inconvenient. When I discovered the relationship between them, I was extremely furious. Unexpectedly, the woman cast a spell on me. I felt severe pain in my stomach, and then passed out in pain. After waking up, I look like this.”
A spell could cause a stomachache? This was the first time that she had heard of it.
As a doctor, she became curious again.
Lin Mengya wiped her hands, raised a mild smile, and asked carefully.
“Uh… I’ve learned a few medical skills later. If you trust me, can I take your pulse?”
Watching her sincerely request, Xiao Yixin, who hadn’t felt warmth for a long time, just felt warmth in his heart.
He extended his hand generously and placed it in front of Lin Mengya.
“Thank you.”
Lin Mengya began to take his pulse cheerfully at once, but did not find that Long Tianyu’s gaze became awkward from the moment she touched Xiao Yixin’s skin with her hand.
However, as a doctor, it was quite normal for her to take the pulse.