Love's Debt Comes Knocking - Chapter 5

“The young master is back! The young master is back!!”

The gatekeeper’s shout sent the entire Lu household bubbling like boiling water in a pot.

Seeing this, a relaxed smile spread across Lu Yang’s delicate face.

She hadn’t thought much of it before, but this debt-collection trip had kept her away for over half a year. Only after experiencing the hardships of being away from home did she truly appreciate the comforts of being back.

The stylish lanterns hanging high at the entrance of the Lu residence caught her eye. In Fengcheng, red lanterns were often hung by the door to celebrate joyous occasions. Lu Yang couldn’t help but think they were making a fuss over nothing.

Yet, seeing the familiar faces beaming with joy, she couldn’t bring herself to scold them.

A wanderer returning home—when she thought of it that way, it truly was a joyous occasion.

Stepping inside, a bright red carpet stretched far from the entrance. Even the weddings of ordinary families rarely saw such a grand display. Lu Yang was taken aback, feeling both amused and exasperated.

The steward led the servants forward in an orderly manner, bowing first. After receiving the young master’s permission to rise, he turned to take a fresh green willow branch from a maid’s hands, then bowed again to Lu Yang in apology.

The supple willow branch, dipped in water boiled with Mugwort leaves, was gently tapped three times against the back of the precious “phoenix egg.” With each tap, Lu Yang was asked, “Has the bad luck been driven away?” She answered earnestly three times. As the third “It’s gone” left her lips, the quiet Lu household seemed to break free from some mysterious seal, bursting into lively commotion.

“Greetings, young master! Welcome home!”

Hundreds of people lined up from one end to the other. Fortunately, the Lu residence was famously spacious, able to accommodate even such a large crowd. Lu Yang stood tall, her eyes crinkling with a smile as she addressed everyone. “Indeed, it’s been over half a year since I left, but now I’m back.”

The old steward wiped away a tear. “This old servant has finally waited for the young master’s return! Ever since the flood in Wuti City, our hearts have been in our throats. Only upon seeing you have we truly been able to relax.”

“You’ve worked hard, Uncle Lu.”

“Ah? I don’t deserve such words from the young master. It’s only natural for this servant to worry about you.”

Lu Yang smiled and walked forward.

Behind her followed a group of youthful and beautiful maids, all chattering excitedly, asking about her well-being.

“How is Grandmother’s health?”

“She’s doing very well. Just yesterday, the old madam was looking for someone to play cuju with.”

Lu Yang laughed heartily upon hearing this.

Her grandmother, at her age, seemed to grow younger in spirit with each passing year. Though she was the most remarkable businesswoman and household manager in the Great Zhou, when it came to cuju, she was rather inept.

Terrible at it, yet she loved to play.

In the past, it was always Lu Yang who accompanied her grandmother.

As she walked through the winding corridor, Lu Yang thought to herself: Grandmother must have missed her. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that her long absence had left her grandmother lonely at home, which truly wasn’t right.

Arriving at the bathing chamber, Lu Yang stretched out her arms. The head maid, blushing, helped her undress.

The milky-white cloud-patterned brocade robe slowly slipped from her long arms, and the jade pendant hanging at her waist was removed and placed on a prepared jade tray.

Dressed in an inner garment edged with silver thread, Lu Yang sat on a small couch. Among the row of maids, it was always the gentlest one who removed her boots and socks.

She glanced down at the maid and noticed her hands trembling slightly. Lu Yang chuckled. “Has it really been so long that you’ve grown unfamiliar with this?”

The maid’s face flushed crimson, too shy to lift her eyes.

“Alright, all of you may leave now. I can manage on my own.”

The young and lovely girls couldn’t hide their disappointment but dared not show it openly, lest the young master mistake them for being frivolous.

To speak plainly, most of the maids tasked with serving in the chamber harbored various kinds of feelings for the young master.

After all, they were only human, and humans could not escape worldly desires. In the entire Great Zhou, there was only one Lu family, wealthy enough to rival a nation. And within the Lu family, there was only one “phoenix egg.”

This egg is a golden egg; even the slightest bit of her favor is a blessing that one could never exhaust in a lifetime.

The young ladies left the room, listless and dejected. The young master had returned from a long journey looking even more charming, but just hearing her teasing laugh left some of them with legs still weak.

Unfortunately, no matter how diligently they attended to their duties or how meticulously they adorned themselves, they were ultimately not the candidates the old madam had prepared for the young master.

Jinhuan was.

Jinhuan was a child adopted by the old madam, given the Lu family surname. Her appearance was striking, and her every gesture, though not quite on par with the meticulously cultivated noble ladies of the top-tier families, was more than sufficient to outshine those of the second tier.

When they ran out of topics to discuss, they would privately speculate about when the old madam would send Jinhuan into this room.

Lu Yang walked barefoot on the fine woolen carpet, steam rising from the bath pool. After a brief glance, she jumped into the water without even taking the time to remove her undergarments.

A quarter of an hour later, the door to the bathing chamber was pushed open.

Lu Jinhuan swayed her hips and walked in with a seductive smile.

As the old madam’s person, her every move represented the old madam’s will. The maids serving Lu Yang tacitly acknowledged that she would one day belong to the young master and treated her with respect.

Though almost everyone in the Lu family was aware of this, the old madam insisted on keeping it from her precious granddaughter, fearing that the young girl might lack self-control and harm her vitality prematurely.

Lu Jinhuan was a beauty.

She was proper in front of outsiders, but in Lu Yang’s presence, she often exuded a provocative allure.

Entering this room, she had expected to catch a glimpse of the young master in all her glory. However, as she stepped around the embroidered screen, Jinhuan saw only her dear A’Yang, fast asleep in the bath pool.

The journey by water had exhausted Lu Yang. It wasn’t just the fatigue from traveling; her spirit had been worn down for some time, leaving her with a deep-seated weariness.

Jinhuan crouched nearby, patiently waiting for a while. When Lu Yang showed no signs of waking, she boldly untied her sash and stepped into the pool, where hot steam continued to rise.

The water reached her waist.

From the moment she could remember, she knew she would belong to Lu Yang—perhaps as a maid instructed by the old madam to teach the young master about matters of intimacy, or, if she proved herself worthy, she might even become the future young mistress of the Lu family.

At first, she had felt some resentment, but her life had been given to her by the old madam, leaving no room for defiance.

Fortunately, Lu Yang had grown into an exceptional person, both in appearance and talent. At eight, she could play with a golden abacus blindfolded, outmatching an entire room of accountants. At nine, she completed her first major business deal, laying a solid foundation for the Lu family’s maritime trade.

Though Young Master Lu’s reputation was not widely known within the country, her fame had spread far and wide across foreign lands.

Jinhuan was satisfied with this future prospect, and even more so with Lu Yang herself.

As the water soaked through her clothes, Lu Yang was roused by a soft, coquettish moan.

Her eyelids fluttered open to find her Jinhuan sister casting a flirtatious glance her way. “Awake? Why are you so tired?”

Lu Yang felt something soft beneath her foot. When she realized what it was, she blushed and hurriedly tried to pull her leg back. Jinhuan held her ankle firmly, refusing to let her escape, and said matter-of-factly, “Don’t fuss. Isn’t it good that I’m washing your feet for you?”

“No, it’s not!” Lu Yang had never been this intimate with her even before she understood such matters. Now that she knew about the closeness between women, how could she allow such liberties?

Flustered and angry, she snapped, “What else have you been ‘serving’ me?”

Jinhuan blinked. “I’ve only just started. There hasn’t been time for anything else. But if you want…” It wasn’t impossible.

“I don’t want to.” This time, Lu Yang used more force, pulling her calf back from Jinhuan’s embrace. Her mind was in a daze: Since when did washing feet involve using one’s chest instead of hands?

“Get out.”

Jinhuan didn’t want to move.

Young Master Lu put on a stern face: “Sister Jinhuan, aren’t you listening to me anymore? Get out now!”

Lu Jinhuan found her reaction oddly adorable and deliberately puffed out her chest: “Aren’t you really tempted?”

“…”

Lu Yang refused to look at her, pouting angrily: “If you dare barge in again while I’m bathing, you’ll regret it.”

She was gentle and obedient by nature. Lu Jinhuan dared to tease her when she was in a good mood but wouldn’t dare to provoke her when she was serious. Lu Yang’s likes and dislikes determined the will of the old madam, and the old madam’s will concerned the lives of hundreds of people in the Lu family.

Including Lu Jin Huan’s.

She stood up boldly from the pool, noticing that Lu Yang indeed didn’t even glance her way. She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person could make their young master ‘lose control.’

Imagining Lu Yang pinning someone down and bullying them, she covered her mouth and laughed: “How are you going to attract girls like this?”

“I’m not a peacock!”

Fine.

Lu Jinhuan dressed slowly, swaying her hips seductively.

Lu Yang frowned deeply: “Hurry up and get out of the bathing chamber.”

“Alright, alright, Young Master Lu, I’m leaving, I’m rolling out right away.” Jinhuan thought she was utterly lacking in charm.

Lu Yang looked herself up and down, seeing her clothes and pants properly worn. She gritted her teeth and muttered under her breath: “Shameless!”

Jin Huan, who had just stepped out the door, heard this. Not one to back down, she raised an eyebrow and retorted: “Even shamelessness can’t attract you. You’ll have to carry on the Lu family line someday!”

Carry on the family line?

Lu Yang gritted her teeth. She didn’t want a woman washing her feet with a pair of plump, white breasts either!

She preferred someone a bit more obedient, with a nice curve, and not so plump.

Like she rubbed her face, like the girl she had encountered in the broken-down temple. That girl was extremely beautiful, just perfect.

Lu Jin Huan’s first attempt to charm Lu Yang had failed. Returning to the old madam’s side, she toned down her seductive demeanor and, after a moment of contemplation, said seriously: “The young master probably has someone in her heart.”

Otherwise, she would have at least touched her a little, instead of keeping her at arm’s length.

The old madam suddenly asked: “How does her spirit look?”

“Not very good. Though she appears bright and radiant, with an indescribable charm, she looks exhausted. When I arrived, she hadn’t even taken off her clothes and had fallen asleep leaning against the bath.”

The Su family had served as physicians for the Lu family for generations. To be cautious, Physician Su said softly: “It’s better to wait until we see her in person to say.”

“That’s all we can do.”

Lu Jinhuan didn’t understand what they were talking about, but she had a vague feeling that the young master might have gotten involved in a romantic entanglement outside.

Lu Yang carefully washed every inch of her body, changed into her undergarments, and called for the servants outside to enter.

In no time, there were people to comb her hair, put on her boots and socks, and hang her accessories—everything was taken care of.

A crimson brocade robe with silver trim and large embroidered peonies fit her perfectly. Her hair was tied up with a jade hairpin. A maid called out: “Where is the young master’s cat?”

As soon as she finished speaking, another maid entered, carrying a freshly washed orange cat.

The cat was quite intelligent, knowing exactly who its master was. Seeing Lu Yang, it greeted her sweetly, clinging and acting coquettishly. Judging by its behavior, it hardly seemed like a male cat.

Once everything was ready, Lu Yang carried her beloved cat and headed toward the main hall.

It was August, and the breeze was neither warm nor harsh, lifting the stray hairs by her ears and enhancing the graceful demeanor befitting the young master of the Lu family.

“Grandson pays respects to Grandmother and greets Physician Su.”

Physician Su dared not accept her bow and stepped aside to avoid it.

Upon seeing her fair and handsome grandson, the old lady instinctively wanted to pull him into her arms for a good cuddle. But just as the words were about to leave her lips, she remembered the matter at hand. “A’Guai, come sit here and let the female physician examine you properly.”

A’Guai was the childhood nickname of the young master Lu, and only the old lady in the family could call him that a few times.

Hearing this harmless nickname so abruptly, Lu Yang’s ears flushed red. He stroked the cat’s head and obediently sat down beside his grandmother.

“Troubling Physician Su.”

“Not at all, it’s my duty.”

Physician Su had a favorable impression of this gentle-tempered young master. Placing her fingertips on his pulse, she focused intently on the diagnosis.

The cat yawned, its round face shamelessly burrowing into Lu Yang’s embrace.

Jin Huan, standing by the old lady’s side, watched with envy.

No one in the hall spoke, and even the sound of breathing was light.

Physician Su raised an eyebrow in surprise, and Lu Yang, under her gaze, felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.

“How is it?” Lu Jinhuan asked on behalf of the old lady.

Physician Su remained silent for a moment, glancing at the old lady before returning her gaze to Lu Yang’s face.

Staring into those clear and spirited peach blossom eyes, she still found it hard to believe. Slowly, she said, “The young master’s vitality is depleted, a sign of indulgence. For the entire next month, he must refrain from any amorous thoughts. With proper rest and nourishment, he will recover.”

Her words caused a stir.

Lu Yang’s face flushed crimson. In front of his grandmother, he wished he could dig a hole and bury himself like a radish.

Good heavens, his dignity was utterly lost!

He had been well-behaved for eighteen years, and the one time he did something improper, it was exposed so quickly?

Young Master Lu felt utterly ashamed. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he pulled out his plump orange cat and buried his face in its belly, avoiding his grandmother’s shocked expression.

But could avoiding it make the matter go away?

“A’Guai, tell your grandmother the truth.”