Red Bean Lives in the Republic of China - Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Thinking the servants might hear what they were not supposed to hear, Yu Hongdou quickly got out of bed. 

Realising what they had done earlier, she felt a bit embarrassed. Looking down, she realised her clothes were all wrinkled. ‘If I showed up for dinner like this, my in-laws would definitely find the clues.’ 

Once she arranged her clothes, she turned around and saw He Yunqin still lying there, completely still on the bed.

It was rare for her to see He Yunqin angry. She had only witnessed him lose his temper twice. The last time was when Chen Jinsheng took Chen Baidie away, and this was the second time.

Noticing his unusually dark expression, she immediately understood what was bothering him. She had always thought of him as calm and intelligent, but she didn’t expect him to have such a childish side. She couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, pretending to be oblivious and nudging him, “Are we going or not?”

He Yunqin lowered his gaze and looked at her. Even though the He family had become completely westernised, Yu Hongdou had just joined the family. If his parents heard anything, it wouldn’t be good for her now. So, he had no choice but to get up.

The red silk quilt on the bed was already wrinkled from their earlier activities. 

When Yu Hongdou turned around, she caught a glimpse of it. Remembering what had just happened, her cheeks flushed. She shot him a glare before turning back to smooth the bed sheet, running her hand over it several times until it was nearly flat again.

Once outside, He Yunqin naturally took her hand. After the earlier incident, neither felt awkward at all.

Yu Hongdou could sense that his palms were quite warm, indicating he was just as affected as she was, and his calm demeanour was merely a facade.

Luckily, no one in the dining hall seemed to notice it. From Mrs. He to He Lanzhi, everyone was engrossed in discussing the murder of Manager Xu from Langyuan Bookshop that had occurred the previous night. They were all familiar with one another and were taken aback by the grim news so early in the day. 

While they were eating, Yu Hongdou made a point to glance at Duan Mingyi, who was seated across from her. 

Duan Mingyi was seated in an exquisite and dignified posture while eating. Occasionally, she would quietly set down her bowl and chopsticks, resting her chin on her hand as she listened intently to He Lanzhi and the others. When their eyes met by chance, she would offer Yu Hongdou a gentle smile. Her demeanour was so open and generous that Hongdou almost doubted her own suspicions.

Right after the meal, a bunch of rickshaws pulled up at the mansion’s gate. It turned out they were friends of Mrs. He.  They felt like they didn’t have enough fun at the wedding yesterday, so they decided to revisit Mrs. He today—some to congratulate her and others to enjoy a game of mahjong.

Mrs. He welcomed them with a smile and asked the servants to take everyone in. 

 He Yunqin looked there and realised he had to give up on the idea of going back to his room for a nap with Yu Hongdou.

His dad often had to entertain guests in the big living room downstairs, while his mom preferred to play mahjong in the smaller living room upstairs. Even though it was a few rooms away from his bedroom, they were still on the same floor, and with people coming and going, there was always a chance someone might walk in unexpectedly.

After what just happened, he felt he had gotten Yu Hongdou’s unspoken approval, and he wanted to take a further step with his new wife. 

Although he wasn’t sure if Yu Hongdou would make any noise, he knew the bed frame would definitely creak, and it wouldn’t be good if someone heard it. 

Feeling hot behind his ears, he suddenly stood up, shoved his hands in his trouser pockets, and looked at Yu Hongdou. “I’ll show you around the house today.”

Yu Hongdou also felt shy and a bit guilty about returning to her room in broad daylight in front of everyone. “Okay.”

After greeting the ladies, the two of them exited the banquet hall one after the other.

Once outside, they strolled slowly down the path. 

He remained silent for quite a while. 

She glanced up at him and said, “By the way, when I heard Inspector Wang discussing Manager Xu’s situation this morning, it jogged my memory about something.”

As she recounted this, the smile on her face noticeably faded. “Back then, my aunt secretly fell in love with a young master of a foreign company. Later, when he fell for someone else, my aunt was so confused that she ended her life by hanging herself in an empty classroom at a women’s school. By the time my mother and uncle found her, it was already too late. Everyone said that my aunt had taken her own life. My mother mentioned that my aunt never smoked, yet there were several cigarette butts on the floor of the room where she hanged herself. The police officer simply claimed that someone must have left them there earlier and refused to look into it any further. There was no more information about this case.”

Upon hearing that, He Yunqin was taken aback. He remembered Yu Hongdou mentioning this last time. ‘So, her aunt had died in such a tragic way.’ Feeling a bit suspicious, he asked, “What year did your aunt’s incident happen?”

Yu Hongdou had a dejected expression on her face. “It’s been over ten years. I can’t even recall what my aunt looked like. Besides, so much time has passed. Maybe it was just a coincidence.” Not to think about the sad past anymore, she quickly changed the topic. “By the way, didn’t you study engineering in Germany? What made you switch to studying traceology?”

‘Sure enough. She is curious about me…’ It was unusual for her to be so open around him, so he candidly said, “Learning engineering is pretty dull, and the instructor I picked is really tough. No matter what, he only allowed me to graduate a year early. To broaden my knowledge, I intended to explore other majors. One time, my instructor’s close friend visited our university to give a talk. Coincidentally, he was an expert in traceology. This guy posed three logical questions right there, and I managed to answer all of them. After class, the professor asked my instructor to introduce me to him. During our chat, I found myself intrigued by traceology. Later, I kept discussing it with my instructor until I finally convinced him to let me pursue a degree in traceology alongside my original degree. In my second year, Peter Wang hit a wall in his detective studies research, so he decided to pay for his own tuition to come to Germany and study under this traceology professor. That’s how I met Peter Wang.”

‘So He Yunqin can be seen as a semi-professional, while Wang Peter is a newcomer. It’s no surprise that Wang Peter turns to He Yunqin whenever he faces a tough challenge.’

As she listened to him casually share all these stories, as if he was about to reveal his entire past to her without holding back, Yu Hongdou felt a warm smile gradually forming in her chest. She quickly looked down and pondered deeply, wondering if there was anything from her past that he might want to know but hadn’t asked about.

After giving it some thought, she realised her life was pretty normal, and Qin Xuekai was hardly a significant part of it. In contrast, she had been envious of Duan Mingyi on several occasions. She was definitely curious, but since he was always so open, she found it hard to ask.

It was odd that they rushed into marriage without having a serious relationship; otherwise, they would have already developed a mutual understanding. Why did they still keep things bottled up after tying the knot? Given the current atmosphere, they should at least discuss it to prevent any future awkwardness regarding this issue.

As she was trying to gather her thoughts, a group of people strolled through the garden towards the Western glass greenhouse. Leading the way were Duan Mingyi and He Lanzhi, one a bit plump and the other tall and attractive.

He Yunqin glanced at Yu Hongdou and suddenly remarked, “Back in private middle school, my sister-in-law and I were in the same grade.”

Upon hearing that, Yu Hongdou’s heart raced. From He Yunqin’s tone, she could tell he was about to bring up Duan Mingyi on his own.

She held her breath and walked slowly alongside him.

He Yunqin said, “She was the daughter of the Duan family, and she was pretty. She had many suitors at school. Maybe I was young at the time and didn’t see any difference between her and other female students, so I didn’t pay any attention to her. Later, my eldest brother began to pursue my sister-in-law, and I went to study in Germany. When I returned to China, she had become my sister-in-law.”

Yu Hongdou listened silently. He only expressed his own attitude in his words and deeds, neither praising nor criticising others. He was a gentleman. It would have been fine if he had been sharp-minded, but he was also so straightforward. Her mind suddenly became very clear. Even if she had any suspicions in the past, after his confession, she should have let them go completely.

“Hey, I haven’t seen the flower garden over there yet.” Not wanting to talk about that topic further, she turned around and walked to the other side. 

After walking a few steps, she saw that he was still looking at her, so she had to go back to him and ask, “Are you going back to school to teach tomorrow?”

“I still have one day off, and I plan to go visit Wang Peter. Will you wait for me at home, or come with me?”

Her face turned slightly red, and she said softly, “Coming with you.”

He Yunqin felt a stir in his heart and gazed up at the sky. It remained a bright blue. The more he wished for darkness to fall, the less it seemed to happen.

Seeing that, Yu Hongdou couldn’t help but look up in confusion. “What are you staring at?”

He Yunqin replied calmly, “Just checking whether it might rain tomorrow.”

‘Does traceology cover this too?’ Yu Hongdou pondered, recalling the German notes in the bedroom. She wondered if they were related to traceology. When she got back to the bedroom later that night, she would definitely ask He Yunqin to teach her about it.

After dinner, the two of them headed back to the bedroom. 

As soon as He Yunqin stepped inside, he glanced at his watch. It was seven o’clock. 

Yu Hongdou had been out for quite a while in the afternoon, and she seemed to be a bit sweaty. Without waiting for him to hint at it, she grabbed her pyjamas and headed to the bathroom for a shower.

When she came out, he was lounging on the sofa, casually holding a book. 

When she lay down quietly on the bed, he gazed at her. As he stepped into the bathroom, his gaze naturally drifted to the bathtub. The bathtub in his previous room was only half the size of this one. This spacious tub was purchased by the butler after the manager of the French company sold it to him before he got married. While studying in Europe, he had seen in some tabloids that couples could engage in activities in the bathtub, but he wasn’t sure how it worked exactly. Yesterday, it felt like a distant dream, but now it seemed possible. He just wasn’t sure if Yu Hongdou would be open to joining him.

He took a quick bath and entered the bedroom. 

At that moment, Yu Hongdou rested her chin on the pillow, casually reading the book he had just finished. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, complementing her soft nightgown. Even though she couldn’t understand a single word of German, she pretended to read it with outstanding focus. When she heard him come out, she didn’t glance his way, but her pearl-like earlobes had already turned a subtle shade of red.

End of chapter 47

Have a nice day!