Chapter 22 Chapter 22 He is worried about gains and losses

Wen Yu twisted her wrists, unable to break free. Wen Yu was so strong that her hands felt like they were shackled, unable to move.

"It hurts." She had no choice but to show weakness.

Wen Yu loosened his hand.

His expression remained grim, and he stared at Wen Yu like a hound. He glanced disapprovingly at Wen Yu and the phone she clutched tightly in her hand, saying, "They've all gone into the ancestral hall, and you're still here playing with your phone?"

Wen Yu pleaded with Wen Yu again, saying, "Wen Yu, can I not go in to keep vigil? I'm really scared. I'll wait for you outside, okay?"

Wen Yu said, "No. They have all gone in, so you have to go in too."

Wen Yu took a step back.

Wen Yu tried to grab her wrist again, but this time she was on guard and dodged his hand.

Wen Yu was annoyed and scolded her: "Stop being unreasonable! You haven't been able to help me at all all day, and you just know how to make excuses!"

Wen Yu's nose felt sore, and he defended himself: "You said that I don't have to do anything when I come here, just follow the crowd."

"Then please follow the crowd and go to the wake!"

"I don't want to guard." Wen Yu paused, not wanting Wen Yu to hear her crying. "I'm cold and hungry now. I want to find a comfortable place to lie down for a while."

"Cold and hungry?" Wen Yu sneered, "It's summer! It's 30 degrees today! Why are you cold? And being hungry is even more of a mystery. Do you find the country food unpalatable? Count how many bites you've taken."

Wen Yu fled into the distance, and Wen Yu followed closely. They walked from the ancestral hall gate along a muddy path into the forest. Wen Yu's leg injury prevented her from walking fast, and after only a few steps, Wen Yu caught her.

"If others see you like this, they will think I am trying to force you to do something." Wen Yu pulled her back, and Wen Yu's body swayed and she fell to the ground.

"Get up." Wen Yu looked down at her.

Wen Yu glared at him, slapped away his hand that was extended to help her, got up without a word, and continued walking in the opposite direction of the ancestral hall.

Wen Yu shouted angrily behind her: "If I had known you would be like this, I shouldn't have let you come!"

"I shouldn't have come in the first place." Wen Yu said without even turning his head.

Wen Yu followed closely behind. Wen Yu's silent, hard, and carefree figure deeply hurt him. His elders and peers had already arranged themselves in pairs according to the family tree, and everyone was proceeding according to the funeral rituals. He alone was the laughingstock.

His steps gradually slowed down until he stopped.

"If you go any further, you'll go into the mountains." Wen Yu said coldly, "I don't have the time to waste with you here."

Wen Yu paused. If Wen Yu hadn't reminded her, she wouldn't have noticed the change in scenery. The eerie ancestral hall was gone, and the muddy road beneath her feet was covered with thin layers of dead leaves, which crunched softly under her feet. Camphor trees several meters tall stood around her, their branches swaying in the howling mountain breeze. A thick darkness enveloped her vision, and the moonlight and starlight above her were dim. She seemed to have already walked into the mountains.

Wen Yu hurriedly turned around and shouted, "Wen Yu!"

Wen Yu was no longer behind her. She vaguely saw a dark figure in the distance, walking away from her as if ignoring her.

He left?

Just leave like that? Leave her here?

Wen Yu felt bewildered, then startled and panicked. Wasn't it just a wake? If she didn't want to go, he'd just leave her here alone to feed the wolves, snakes, and insects? Wen Yu turned her head and looked around. It was pitch dark, nothing to see. She didn't know if there were any wild wolves or boars in this mountain. She just felt dizzy and dazed. She hadn't lied to Wen Yu; she really was cold.

She didn't dare touch any of the plants or trees here, for fear of disturbing any of the creatures that lived there. She continued to shout at Wen Yu's back, "Wen Yu! Come back! I'll go with you to the wake!"

There were no other figures in sight. Wen Yu could only hear the sound of the wind whistling through the forest.

Wen Yu: “…”

What next? Wen Yu had no experience navigating the wilderness. Born and raised in the city, she was familiar with the bustling streets and vibrant lights. She had only learned from elementary school textbooks that she could tell north from south by observing the sparseness of tree rings. But here, there was nothing to be seen.

She could only go back based on the feeling she had when she came.

She walked, and walked, for who knows how long, but she still hadn't seen the ancestral hall with its red lanterns. She wondered if she was wandering in circles in the woods. She couldn't walk fast, but her foot injury didn't matter now. She kept walking, desperately, oblivious to the pain in her right foot. Her body seemed to be getting less cold, and she began to sweat, on her forehead and back. The sweat, freshly formed, dried away by the wind, leaving her clothes cold against her body.

I don’t know where I was when my cell phone rang.

There's a very weak signal here.

At around eight o'clock, Pan Xianchen sent her another WeChat message: Why didn't you reply to me all day?

Wen Yu was afraid that the pitiful signal would disappear, so he stood still and quickly pressed the number 1 to send it out.

Sent successfully.

Soon, Pan Xianchen returned the voice call.

"Hello?"

Hearing Pan Xianchen's voice, Wen Yu was speechless for a moment. Her nose suddenly felt sore, and tears flowed like a dam bursting. She covered her mouth, not letting out a sound.

“…”

“…”

"Wenyu?" Pan Xianchen said, "What's wrong with you? Speak."

“…”

“…crying?”

The signal is cut off.

Wen Yu held her phone, tears streaming down her face. The WeChat icon began to spin again, and the signal bar in the upper right corner was down to one. She took a deep breath, wiped her face, wiped her damp palms on her clothes, and continued walking.

Xiahe Village was nestled against a dense, rolling mass of mountains. But there were no wild animals in the mountains. If it were daytime, Wen Yu would have realized he hadn't gone very deep into the forest; he could have walked out in ten minutes at most. In the darkness, Wen Yu walked for nearly half an hour before reaching the edge of the woods and spotting the two bright red lanterns.

Wen Yu was at the entrance of the woods, walking towards her.

Wen Yu saw him, rushed over, and slapped him. The crisp applause attracted the attention of those near the ancestral hall.

Wen Yu asked, "Why did you abandon me in the mountains?"

Wen Yu covered his face, seemingly in disbelief: "You were the one who wanted to go into the mountain. Besides, you didn't go very deep, just to the outer edge of the mountain."

"What if I can't get out?"

"I'm not going to get out. And I'm going to look for you."

Wen Yu had nothing to say to him. Avoiding him, Wen Yu continued to walk forward. Wen Yu hurriedly pulled her arm and asked, "Where are you going?"

She said, “I want to go home.”

Wen Yu thought it was outrageous: "We're still in mourning. Why are you going home? How are you going to get home? Are you planning to walk back? It's nearly an hour's drive into the mountains and into the village. You're going to walk back? You can't walk back without a car."

Wen Yu shook off his hand, turned around and glared at him fiercely.

Wen Yu said, "Okay, I was wrong to leave you alone in the mountains just now. But can you please also consider my feelings? Many relatives have seen you lose your temper here. Can you please give me some face?"

They stayed there too long, and someone came over to see what was going on.

The woman who had taken Wen Yu to the dry toilet came over and acted as a peacemaker: "What's the matter? Did you have a fight? During this special period, both of you should give in!" She first persuaded Wen Yu, saying, "You're a grown man. Be more open-minded and don't be angry with your wife!" Then she persuaded Wen Yu: "What about you? Are you afraid of keeping vigil? Then I'll take you to rest first. When you're ready, I'll accompany you to the ancestral hall. How about that?"

Everyone around them chimed in. Wen Yu turned her head away, silent. Seeing her stubborn defiance, Wen Yu also turned away.

The woman came to pull Wen Yu: "Come on, come on, don't stand here!" As soon as her hand touched Wen Yu, she screamed, reached out to touch Wen Yu's forehead, and shouted: "Oh! Why is it so hot? You have a fever!"

Wen Yu kept her mouth shut, not saying a word. Yes, she had a fever. She had been shivering, and it turned out she had a fever. She was cold because she had a fever. She hadn't even realized it.

Now that someone suddenly pointed it out, Wen Yu felt a strong sense of grievance rising from the bottom of her heart. She pursed her lips and gritted her teeth, not wanting to cry in front of these people.

Wen Yu looked at her in surprise. He hadn't expected that. He had been too busy all day to pay attention to her.

"Do you have any medicine to reduce the fever? And get some hot water."

"Don't keep vigil if you have a fever. Go to bed! There's a cot available."

"How can she sleep on a plank bed? Drive her to town and find a comfortable hotel."

…

Enthusiastic villagers from Xiahe Village drove Wen Yu to town in a pickup truck. Wen Yu's relatives couldn't leave, and according to the rules, Wen Yu couldn't leave either. Standing outside the pickup truck, he said to the window, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were sick. Go to town and get some sleep. Don't worry about what's going on here."

Wen Yu didn't want to see him, so she closed the car window.

After sending Wen Yu off, the kind-hearted villager had to rush back to help. He said to Wen Yu, "Here are the medicines for you. Remember to take them! I'm leaving now!"

Wen Yu said, "Thank you, uncle."

As soon as the door closed, Wen Yu swallowed the fever-reducing medicine with hot water and dozed off for two hours. Before dawn, she woke up and checked out with her room card. After leaving the hotel, she hailed a taxi and headed straight back to the city. The driver said, "Two hundred!"

Wen Yu agreed. She didn't care about the hundreds of dollars now. She wished she could grow wings and fly back.

When she got home, she plopped down on her bed. Her phone had long since died and turned itself off, but she didn't bother to bother. She finally fell asleep, feeling sleepy.

Another two hours passed. Wen Yu, sweating profusely, slowly woke up. She picked up her phone to check the time, only to discover it wasn't charging. Within minutes of plugging it in, a flood of messages and missed calls popped up on her phone.

Pan Xianchen called her dozens of times. She struggled to stand up and called Pan Xianchen back. The call was connected instantly.

"Wen Yu?"

"Um."

He didn't speak immediately, but paused for a moment. During this time, his pounding heart gradually calmed, and the feeling of being out of control and helpless gradually receded like a tide. The hand holding the phone seemed to slowly regain consciousness. Only then did he realize that his hand was shaking slightly.

"Wenyu." Pan Xianchen hadn't had water in a while, and his mouth felt dry. He swallowed and said, "Wenyu, I beg you, please don't let me lose contact like this, okay?"

Wen Yu blinked, her mind still a little confused. She didn't drink any water, and her mouth was also dry. "I'm in the mountains, there's no signal."

"What happened to you then? Were you very sad?"

"……Um."

"How about now? Are you feeling better?"

Wen Yu shook her head, her eyes reddening again. Suddenly realizing that Pan Xianchen couldn't see her expression, she said, "No, Pan Xianchen, I have a fever."

"Have you taken your medicine?"

"have eaten."

"Is there anyone taking care of you now?"

"……No."

"So where are you? I could come stay with you."

Wen Yu took the phone from her ear and checked the time. She said, "It's so late, aren't you asleep yet?"

"No."

Pan Xianchen spoke, looking out the window. He couldn't sleep, and now he wasn't in bed, he wasn't even at home. Pan Xianchen was in his car, parked in front of Wen Yu's villa. The security guard wouldn't let him in. He couldn't contact Wen Yu, didn't know where to find her, so he drove to her door.

More and more like a puppy wagging its tail.

He looked at the lonely moon hanging in the sky and said, "Wenyu, if I say I want to see you right now, will you come to me?"

"...Pan Xianchen, I'm sick." Wen Yu pulled the corners of his mouth weakly and smiled silently. "Maybe I'll feel better after a good sleep. You should go to sleep too."

The phone was hung up.

Pan Xianchen sat in the car, eyes closed, in silence. He knew his actions were inappropriate. Forcing someone, grieving the loss of a loved one, to come see him? Simply to satisfy his longing for love? This was irrational and excessive.

but--

He thought about it carefully and decided that if the situation were reversed and he had to overcome all difficulties to rush over to see her, he would be willing to do so.

Pan Xianchen drove aimlessly down the road. He stopped at a red light. His gaze drifted vaguely into the air, somewhere in the air.

Suddenly, it started raining.

Raindrops dripped onto the car window, sticky and sticky. A long rain thread slid down from above, with a heavy drop condensed at the bottom, refusing to fall off.

Pan Xianchen stared at it, wondering what was going on. After a moment, he gave a wry smile.

He is like the rain.

He is worried about gains and losses.

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