The General Seized Her by Force - Chapter 10

Wen Shu turned her head to look at her mother, then back at the person sitting close to her grandmother while holding a bowl, and let out a sound of disbelief, “You… you are General Li Chu, the Young General?”

Wen Shu still could not believe that the person who had been lying on the window sill on the second floor of the Immortal Visitor on the main street, whistling and teasing her, was the Young General Li!

It was the Young General whom she had revered in her heart since she was a child.

Li Chu set down her bowl and chopsticks, stood up, raised her hand, and performed a standard, upright, same-generation salute to Wen Shu, “If I may be so bold, I am indeed Li Chu.”

Wen Shu instinctively returned the salute. While her head was bowed, she was doubting herself—whether she had been hallucinating during the day, or if it was a hallucination now.

After all, at this moment, the Young General Li before her acted with grace and propriety, fully displaying the demeanor of a general’s household.

This was exactly how she had imagined a general should be.

The Old Madam said with a smile, “We are all family, there is no need to be so formal. Besides, you two have known each other since you were children.”

Wen Shu looked up, dazed.

Li Chu smiled faintly and remained silent, sitting back down slowly, her eyes fixed on Wen Shu the entire time.

Madame Wen finally realized that Wen Shu did not recognize Li Chu, and quickly tried to smooth things over, “Although you have known each other since childhood, it has been many years, so it is inevitable that you would forget what the other looked like.”

Madame Wen whispered to Wen Shu, “When you were four years old, you got lost while out on an outing with your tutor and sprained your ankle. It was little Chu who carried you back.”

Wen Shu looked at Li Chu in astonishment, but she could not recall a single thing when facing this excessively beautiful face.

The Old Madam added, “It does not matter. It is normal for children to have poor memories. Now that you are grown up, you can simply get to know each other again.”

Li Chu nodded, “Grandmother is right.”

Wen Shu, “?!”

Grandmother?

Wen Shu began to suspect that she was truly drunk. She slowly turned around and pinched her own arm, gasping in pain as she winced.

The Old Madam said, “Since Shu’er is back, sit down and eat.”

Wen Shu rubbed her arm, walked over to sit on the other side of her grandmother, and kept glancing at Li Chu from the corner of her eye.

Li Chu, sitting beside the Old Madam, behaved with the refinement of a gentleman, without a trace of frivolity.

Could it be that the person who acted in such a light and flirtatious manner on the second floor today was not her?

Wen Shu thought she was being subtle, but for the sharp-reacting Young General Li, Wen Shu’s furtive glances were no different from staring directly at her.

Li Chu, harboring a bit of mischief, suddenly turned her head to look at Wen Shu.

Wen Shu was startled, just as she expected! The bowl she was holding almost flew out of her hands. She hurriedly withdrew her gaze, not daring to look at her again.

Li Chu succeeded in her mischief and broke into a smile, picking up her rice bowl to hide the upturned corners of her mouth.

Wen Shu’s heart was thumping, and she blinked her eyes rapidly, only then realizing—this was her own home!

Why was she feeling guilty…

Wen Shu pursed her lips, straightened her back, opened her eyes wide, and looked at Li Chu openly and honestly.

Li Chu, however, had already turned her gaze away and was laughing and chatting with her grandmother.

They were talking entirely about the customs and traditions of the borderlands.

The Wen family’s ancestral home was in the south, and the farthest place they had ever traveled in their lives was the capital; they had never stepped foot in the north. For a time, all three members of the family listened with great interest.

Wen Shu had read local chronicles describing northern customs, and having the descriptions she had seen in books described through Li Chu’s mouth, it was as if she had finally caught a glimpse of that vast, yellow-earth landscape.

The meal went quite harmoniously.

After the meal, Madame Wen said, “There are many gifts in the courtyard; it will take some time to organize them. Shu’er, why don’t you accompany little Chu for a walk to help digest the meal?”

She left the two of them alone to have some private conversation.

If it had been a moment ago, Wen Shu would certainly have been unwilling to see Li Chu off, but after the meal, her impression of Li Chu had improved thanks to her introduction to the border scenery, and she had even separated her from the red-clad woman of the daytime. She happily stood up and gestured toward the door, inviting Li Chu out.

This was the first time Wen Shu had ever been tasked with entertaining a guest, so she felt a bit shy and restrained, not knowing what topic to bring up.

The two walked out of the main hall and wandered aimlessly along the corridor.

Wen Shu’s eyes drifted left and right, her hands clutching her sleeves, and she said in a joking tone, “General Li may not know this, but I met someone today who looked exactly like you…”

Li Chu, hands tucked casually behind her back, walked with a light step and laughed upon hearing this, “How much like me?”

Wen Shu stopped, leaned in to look at Li Chu, and examined her seriously, “Eight parts similar… I would say.”

The remaining two parts were the difference in temperament and demeanor.

A lantern was hung under the corridor for illumination. As she leaned in close, Li Chu, who was slightly taller than her, could see her clearly.

After the meal, the effects of the alcohol on Wen Shu’s face had faded. The unusual flush on her cheekbones had dispersed, leaving only the natural rosy glow of someone who had eaten well—she looked like a soft, fragrant peach bun.

Her brows and eyes were earnest and serious as she looked over, her eyes watery and clear, her lips red, and her teeth white—a serious, androgynous little pedant look that made one particularly want to bully her.

Li Chu raised an eyebrow, sat casually on the beauty bench under the corridor, crossed her right leg over her left, and stared straight up at Wen Shu. As she watched Wen Shu’s expression turn from shock to total disbelief, she raised her hand to her lips and gave a light, flirtatious whistle.

She asked Wen Shu, “Then take another look. How much do I look like her now?”

Wen Shu, “???”

Wen Shu, “!!!”

Wen Shu could not describe her feelings at that moment. It was as if she had been walking a sheep, only for the sheep to suddenly strip off its wool to reveal that it was a wolf!

Wen Shu was so frightened that her back pressed tightly against the wall, her mouth wide open as she looked at the person sitting before her with such a roguish posture.

Li Chu’s current demeanor could not just be described as two different people compared to inside the house—it was a total, world-spanning difference!

The image of the noble Young General Li that Wen Shu had held in her heart was now completely shattered, beyond repair.