Chapter 010: Drunken Passion After the fierce battle that lasted until dawn, Lu Yun collapsed onto the bed, looking utterly drained. Though still young and full of youthful energy, his flushed cheeks refused to fade, as if the passion of their encounter had seeped into every pore. Liu Guan, the widow, rose to rinse her mouth, then smiled wryly. “Oh, you little guy—what a sight! You’ve actually fought me this long!” “I’ll admit it’s not bad,” Lu Yun replied, closing his eyes and drawing strength from deep within. “But if I hadn’t been so inactive these past days, I’d have easily won over you and had you begging for mercy.” “Hah! Even your auntie, that old hen, couldn’t soak up all your energy—what a miracle that is!” Liu Guan’s eyes sparkled with quiet admiration as she gently sat beside Lu Yun, now no longer holding onto her K47 shirt which had long since been worn thin. “Oh,” Lu Yun said, “I know you’ve noticed everything. Since you’re so perceptive, do you have any nourishing supplements I could drink to keep my strength up? My body’s going to give out if I don’t stop this soon.” Liu Guan gently traced her fingers over Lu Yun’s chest, her eyes shining with a soft, unfamiliar emotion. “Oh, you little runt—do you really think you’re getting your due just because of your own good fortune? You want to be the handsome young man of the village now, don’t you?” “Actually, I didn’t even plan on that,” Lu Yun murmured, eyes full of genuine tenderness. “I only wanted to do what I could to make you happy. After all, your eyes have been so sad lately.” “I’ve always wanted my own child,” Liu Guan said quietly, lowering her gaze. Her voice carried a quiet sorrow—worn thin by years of unfulfilled dreams. “Sister,” Lu Yun offered, “I’m not that old, am I? What if I step in as your son?” “You’re crazy!” Liu Guan scoffed, yet couldn’t help but laugh softly. “How can such a little boy have so many thoughts? If you take me on as your father—what then? Will we still be human?” Lu Yun paused, stunned, then smiled gently. “I didn’t think much about it. I just saw how sad you were and thought… maybe that’s what I could do.” “Alright,” Liu Guan said, her tone softened. “Life is a matter of destiny. I’ve lived through so many surprises—what I thought was my fate, now seems clear: I’ll grow old alone.” Over the years, she had drifted from one surprise to another, gradually realizing that no amount of effort could change what life had already laid out for her. Even drinking cold water sometimes felt like a struggle—she simply had to accept her circumstances and stop fighting. Once she understood this, she stopped hesitating. If even heaven didn’t help, why bother with others’ opinions? In her youth, she had been simple and pure. But the happiness of married life ended abruptly—leaving behind no children at all. So instead of clinging to tradition, she surrendered completely, becoming immersed in a world of passion. Now, she was known throughout the village as a woman of independent spirit—a celebrated widow. Standing up, Liu Guan stepped out of the room, then returned after a brief pause with a bottle of white wine, a bag of roasted peanuts, and several slices of ham. With a soft thud, she tossed everything onto the bed and then brought two cups over, her voice lowered in a quiet urgency. “Little Yun, I feel so full of tension inside. Could you just join me for a few sips?” Motherhood—something every woman carries deep within—is something that no amount of resilience can fully erase. Even when she has the heart of an ocean, she still feels its gentle tide of longing and sorrow. Lu Yun looked at the bottle of wine on the bed, hesitating to say he didn’t know how to drink. But as his eyes swept across Liu Guan’s face—so lined with grief—he clenched his teeth and said: “It’s not that I don’t speak well, Sister. It’s just that I’ve made you so sad. If you want to drink, then I’ll join you.” He cleared space for her to sit, poured two full glasses of wine, tore open the peanuts, and they sat there together—drinking slowly, their minds drifting far beyond any urgent matters at hand. “Little Yun,” Liu Guan said after a while, as the wine flowed gently through three rounds of conversation, “for all these years, people see me only as someone who’s lost her shape—a woman out of place in society. But no one knows how deeply I’ve been hurting.” Her face now blushed with warmth and a clear glow of wine. Her eyes glistened, water droplets falling softly into the glasses, making gentle ripples on the surface. “My parents passed when I was young. After hard work, I finally married Zhu Zi—my husband—and thought that after all these years, I’d finally find peace. But then… then he just left me. When men pass away, women are expected to remain single forever. And since Zhu Zi had two elderly parents with chronic illnesses, I couldn’t bear the burden of caring for both of them alone. With only a few acres of land, how could I possibly support myself and those two elders? So I chose—what everyone else would have considered the most shameful path.” She kept speaking, her words now flowing like water—though she drank wine as though it were plain water. Her expression became dazed at times, laughing suddenly without knowing why; then weeping uncontrollably. Lu Yun had never tasted wine before and his mind buzzed with a growing fog—he felt as if someone had struck him with a heavy blow. Yet he listened carefully to every word, memorizing each one as though it were written in stone. “Sister,” Lu Yun stammered, “what…?” Liu Guan interrupted. “For survival, I gave everything—everything—I owned. I sold my clothes, my household goods, even my life itself, if it meant having money.” “What about reputation? Reputation? What’s that to me now?” She smiled through tears as she finished her glass and stood up, swaying slightly in Lu Yun’s presence. “With the money I’ve earned, not only can I support Zhu Zi’s parents with food and medicine, but I can also live the life I truly wish for.” “I have so much to say,” Liu Guan continued, “but I don’t know where to begin. What about those men in the village? When they see me—when they see my body—what do they feel?” She gently traced her hands from her chest down to her abdomen. “They… they act like a group of excited dogs—all wild and tearing at me, as if they want to crush me and swallow me whole.” “My body used to belong only to Zhu Zi,” she said with growing emotion. “Now, it’s all thanks to you—the one who has always been so troublesome—my very own son-in-law. You’ve changed everything. All of this… all of this is because of *you*!” With a sudden cry, Liu Guan rushed toward Lu Yun, grabbing his neck and shaking him violently. Lu Yun’s face turned crimson as he watched her struggle, his mind still echoing the depth of her grief—his father-in-law’s debts now demanding repayment from his own son. His breath grew labored. The pressure on his throat was iron-strong. He began to turn pale, his tongue extending like a flag, and with each shake, he felt more overwhelmed. “If you don’t stop,” Lu Yun gasped, “I’ll be completely out of it!” “Zhu Zi—what’s happening? Don’t scare me! You promised you’d come back to see me! How could you abandon me like this? How hard have I lived?” Liu Guan cried, her voice now unsteady. Her eyes locked with Lu Yun’s wide, open stare—and suddenly, the memory of Zhu Zi’s final moments flashed through her mind. In that instant, she loosened her grip and embraced him tightly in a cradling hold—her tears flowing continuously as if the weight of all her years had been pressed into this single embrace. Lu Yun coughed several times, now realizing that Liu Guan had experienced a vision—she saw him as Zhu Zi’s son-in-law. With this sudden outburst, Lu Yun began to regain clarity. As she wept with such raw intensity, he murmured anxiously: “Sister, please stop! If you keep talking like this, people will hear and wonder what’s going on!” “You’re my husband,” he insisted gently. “You’re the one I love. What could possibly make you afraid of me? You haven’t visited me for so long—did you start seeing someone else?” Liu Guan persisted, still crying. Lu Yun felt helpless. If this continued, everyone would surely notice. In desperation, he leaned forward and gently pressed his mouth against hers to block out her cries. “Ahh…” Liu Guan sighed deeply, instantly quieting. A wave of powerful energy surged through her arms—so strong that she pushed Lu Yun back down onto the bed and began pressing her body firmly against his, trying to draw him close. ... Chapter 010: Drunken Passion – Complete!