Chapter 72 I don't want to miss out, but I can't let go anymore...

"Ji Yun, he seems to be asleep."

Meng Yutong's voice brought Ji Yun back from his chaotic thoughts.

He turned his head and looked at the person in her arms.

Ji Ming was curled up there, his small body thin and frail, but he was fast asleep.

His clothes were disheveled from running, covered in grass clippings, and his face was no better off, still bearing traces of wet tears, making him look pitiful and heartbreaking.

Seeing his gaze, Meng Yutong softly suggested, "Ji Yun, it's late at night, and the dew is chilling. If the child sleeps here, he'll definitely catch a cold. Why don't you ride your horse back to the city to settle him in?"

Ji Yun rejected the idea almost without thinking: "No, we can't leave you here alone in the middle of nowhere."

Before he finished speaking, he had already bent down and gently taken the sleeping Ji Ming from Meng Yutong's arms, supporting him steadily with one arm and holding him back in his embrace.

With his other hand, he grasped Meng Yutong's wrist and pulled her up from the ground with a slight force.

“You two will ride together,” he said calmly, then quickly decided, “you will mount your horses, and I will lead them on foot to take you back.”

Walking back to Zhaoyutang from here is quite a distance.

Meng Yutong hesitated for a moment, but after thinking about it, she realized that there was no other safer option at the moment.

After all, you can't have three people riding one horse, can you? It would be dangerous and really difficult.

Thinking of all this, she had no choice but to nod in agreement.

The two walked to their horses. Ji Yun carefully put his arm around Ji Ming's shoulder, holding him firmly with one hand. His free hand then supported Meng Yutong's arm, helping her mount the horse.

Once she was seated, he carefully handed Ji Ming, who was in his arms, to her.

During the process, Ji Ming shifted restlessly, but ultimately succumbed to his deep weariness, found a comfortable position in Meng Yutong's arms, and continued to sleep.

Seeing that the two were already seated, Ji Yun turned around, gripped the reins, led the horse, and walked step by step back the way they had come under the cool moonlight.

Meng Yutong sat on horseback, gazing at the tall, somewhat lonely figure of the man in front of her.

The moonlight bathed his robes in a pale silver glow. He walked with a steady gait, as if he had a clear goal and direction, and it seemed that no disturbance in the world could shake him in the slightest.

She recalled how, since her rebirth, she had been determined to sever all ties with him and never see him again. But fate played a cruel trick on them, and the two were always drawn together by various reasons.

Even now, the clinic is constantly busy and there are still many complicated matters to attend to. All of this has given her a strange sense of exhaustion and helplessness.

She was even too lazy to bother hiding anything from Ji Yun anymore.

Just then, Ji Yun slowed down and turned his head to look at Meng Yutong on horseback.

The question that had been lingering in Ji Yun's mind all night was finally asked: "How did you know that Ji Ming would be here? No one from the Ji family has ever brought him here before."

Meng Yutong's eyes flickered slightly, and she casually replied, "I dreamed about it."

This was the truth, but her tone was too casual and frivolous, making it sound like an excuse for not wanting to say more.

After saying this, her usually straight and upright back seemed to relax slightly, revealing a rare sense of uninhibitedness in her.

Upon hearing this, Ji Yun's deep eyes appeared even more profound and unfathomable under the moonlight, a fleeting thought flashing through them before returning to a calm and cold demeanor.

He knew perfectly well that she had once again chosen to avoid the issue.

Strangely, however, the exact answer no longer seemed as important to him as it had been before.

He suddenly realized that he seemed to have been trapped in some kind of invisible constraint for a long time, living his life in a state of chaos.

Lately, however, I have gradually come to realize that instead of obsessively seeking out vague and ethereal reasons, it is better to truly grasp everything that is within reach in the present moment.

He turned his head slightly and, by the dim moonlight, looked at the two figures, one large and one small, nestled together on horseback.

An indescribable warmth quietly spread through my heart, tinged with a touch of bittersweetness, but more so with an unprecedented sense of determination.

There are some things he doesn't want to miss, and he can no longer let go of.

Returning to the city from Qingleyuan in the western suburbs, if one rides at full speed, it takes no more than half an hour.

But at his leisurely pace, it would take him at most an hour and a half. Yet, for some reason, this stretch of road took him nearly two hours to cover.

By the time they returned to the entrance of Zhaoyutang, the first light of dawn was already appearing in the east, and it was nearly the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).

Ji Yun naturally reached out and helped Meng Yutong down from her horse by pulling her elbow.

With his help, Meng Yutong carefully dismounted from the horse. Her movements were very gentle and slow, as she did not want to wake Ji Ming, who was still fast asleep.

During the process, she saw that Ji Ming was sleeping soundly on the horse's back and there was nothing wrong with him, so she was relieved.

But for some reason, after she stood still, Ji Ming still shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his eyes as he woke up.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw that Meng Yutong had dismounted and seemed to be leaving. He immediately pouted, stretched out his little hand and grabbed her urgently, crying out in a tearful voice, "Sister-in-law! Don't go!"

Meng Yutong paused slightly, glanced at him helplessly, and finally gave in to the child's pitiful appearance. So she said to Ji Yun, "It's almost dawn, and it's not good to go back and forth. Why don't you let him stay here and rest for now, and you can come and pick him up after daybreak?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Ming immediately nodded vigorously and struggled to get off the horse.

Ji Yun picked him up and put him down. As soon as the little guy's feet touched the ground, he shook off his brother's hand and hugged Meng Yutong's leg tightly, as if afraid of being separated.

"In that case, you should go back first." Meng Yutong took Ji Ming's hand and turned to Ji Yun to say.

Ji Ming also turned his head and snorted at Ji Yun with dissatisfaction, looking sullen.

Ji Yun remained expressionless, only nodding slightly, seemingly accepting the offer calmly. However, his fingers, hanging at his sides, curled up almost imperceptibly, and a dark glint flashed in the depths of his eyes.

"Then...you should get some rest." He said, his voice noticeably hoarse and tired, sounding like he was overworked.

Before Meng Yutong could investigate further, she saw Ji Yun sway slightly, stumble forward, and fall straight towards her and Ji Ming.

The incident happened so suddenly that Meng Yutong instinctively reached out and caught him.

Ji Yun's tall frame suddenly weighed heavily on her shoulders.

Ji Ming was pushed aside by this sudden situation. He wanted to lash out, but when he saw that his older brother seemed to have fainted, his little face was immediately filled with panic and worry.

After a moment of internal struggle, reason prevailed, and he quickly pressed his small body against Ji Yun's waist, trying his best to help Meng Yutong share some of the weight.

Meng Yutong then had a free hand and hurriedly reached out to touch Ji Yun's forehead. The temperature from her palm was indeed quite high, as if he had caught a cold.

Given Ji Yun's physique, a mere cold shouldn't have caused this...

There was no time to investigate further, so she and Ji Ming struggled to help the seemingly unconscious Ji Yun into the clinic.

Everyone inside was still asleep, and Meng Yutong, not wanting to disturb them, struggled with Ji Ming to move Ji Yun to his previous room on the second floor. Fortunately, although the process was somewhat strenuous, they managed to get him up there.

"I'm going to brew some medicine for a cold. You stay here with your brother," Meng Yutong instructed Ji Ming.

Ji Ming shook his head, his face full of fatigue, but his tone was unusually firm: "I'll go with you."

Seeing this, Meng Yutong said no more and agreed to his request.

The courtyard was completely silent at this moment. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the air was filled with the crisp scent of dew.

The two entered the pharmacy one after the other. Meng Yutong skillfully lit the small stove, placed the medicine pot on it, poured in water, and then picked up the herbs and deftly put them into the pot.

Ji Ming followed closely behind her like a little tail. The two sat down in front of the medicine furnace, their long shadows, one big and one small, cast on the wall.

“Sister-in-law,” Ji Ming looked up, his dark eyes darting around anxiously, “What’s wrong with my brother?…”

His voice was timid, "Did you catch a bad cold?" After saying that, he lowered his head guiltily, his voice growing softer and softer, "Is it all my fault...? He must have been looking for me..."

But then, as if remembering the injustice he had suffered, he suddenly raised his head and said with a stubborn self-affirmation, "But, but no matter what, he lied to me first! He broke his promise, that's wrong!"

Meng Yutong was amused by his guilty yet stubborn appearance, and gently pinched his soft cheek, comforting him, "Don't worry. He was just a little feverish and dizzy because of a sudden surge of anger and exhaustion. After taking this medicine and resting well, he will be fine."

After hearing her explanation, Ji Ming still pouted and looked arrogant, but his tense shoulders visibly relaxed, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"By the way," the medicine in the pot began to bubble, and the bitter aroma of the medicine slowly filled the quiet pharmacy.

Meng Yutong turned her head, her gaze gentle yet probing, landing on Ji Ming's face. "Your brother mentioned that you had a dream a few days ago, and after waking up you insisted on seeing me? Could you tell me what you dreamt about? And why... did you call me 'sister-in-law'?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Ming unconsciously clenched the hem of his clothes, his eyes flickering, revealing obvious unease.

"I dreamt... I dreamt that you were wearing a bright red wedding dress, marrying my brother and becoming my sister-in-law." Ji Ming said softly, his eyes somewhat unfocused, as if he were immersed in that dream that seemed to have really happened.

"It started off so well. The house was so lively and fun. You were so good to me. You cooked lots of delicious food for me and played with me... I really like you."

His voice choked with sobs, "But in the end... in the end I dreamt that you were very sick, lying in bed, and I couldn't wake you no matter how much I called you... That dream was so real, and when I woke up I felt so sad. I... I just wanted to see you right away, just to see you for a moment... I went to beg my brother, but he... he lied to me..."

Ji Ming became more and more aggrieved as he spoke, wiping his face haphazardly with his dirty sleeve, but the more he wiped, the more tears flowed. With a heavy sob, he said, "Sister-in-law, do you also think I'm being unreasonable? But I really did have such a dream! And from the first time I met you, I felt a special, special closeness to you, as if... we had known each other for a very, very long time."

Meng Yutong felt a pang of sadness. She reached out and gently wiped away the tears and stains on his face with a clean handkerchief. Her voice was gentle: "Ming'er, a dream is just a dream. It's like a shadow in the night. No matter how vivid it looks, it's still an illusion. It will dissipate when dawn breaks. Look, I'm standing right in front of you now, perfectly fine. Don't be sad about what happened in your dream anymore."

She carefully wiped his face clean, looking at his still red eyes, and her tone turned serious as she laid down three rules for him: "Since you feel close to me, will you listen to what I say?"

"I'll listen! I'll listen to my sister-in-law!" Ji Ming nodded vigorously.

"Alright, you must never act so recklessly again, doing foolish things that would cause your family so much worry. Can you do that?" Meng Yutong looked at Ji Ming, her gaze calm but her expression very serious.

“Sister-in-law, I can do it!” Ji Ming immediately replied.

Meng Yutong nodded in satisfaction and then said, "Also, you're not allowed to call me 'sister-in-law' anymore. Can you do that?"

Ji Ming nodded subconsciously, but suddenly stopped halfway through. He pouted, slowly shook his head, and argued in a low voice with a hint of stubbornness: "But...but you are my sister-in-law."

Meng Yutong sighed and ruffled his hair, patiently explaining, "Ming'er, you said it yourself, it was just a dream. How can you confuse things in a dream with reality?"

"It's like you dream that you've turned into a little bird and are flying in the sky, but when you wake up, you're still Ji Ming, and you haven't grown wings, right? The name you use in your dream can't be carried over into your real life."

After listening, Ji Ming nodded thoughtfully and muttered to himself, "It's better not to turn into a bird. My brother is terrified of birds. He gets stiff and breaks out in a cold sweat whenever he sees a pigeon."

"Hmm...that's not the point," Meng Yutong sighed, seemingly helpless, and said firmly, "Anyway, you can't call me that anymore. Otherwise, I'll get angry."

Ji Ming raised his head, not intimidated by Meng Yutong's 'threat'. His eyes darted around, and he began to bargain: "Then... when it's just the two of us, can I call you that?"

After saying that, fearing that Meng Yutong would not agree, he quickly added a guarantee, "If there were other people around, I definitely wouldn't shout like that! I swear!"

He blinked his big, round, dark eyes, with tears still clinging to his long eyelashes, looking at Meng Yutong with pleading eyes like a little puppy afraid of being abandoned.

Meng Yutong's heart softened at his pitiful yet adorable appearance, and she finally nodded gently: "...When it's just the two of us, then it's up to you."

Upon hearing this, Ji Ming's face instantly brightened, and he happily grabbed Meng Yutong's arm, pulling his small stool closer to her, almost pressing it against her body.

"Sister-in-law," he asked softly, as if gathering his courage, "then... will you still marry my brother in the future?"

Meng Yutong was taken aback at first, then slowly shook her head. She stared quietly at the medicine pot in front of her and said nothing more.

Upon seeing this, Ji Ming immediately drooped his head, looking very disappointed.

But after a short while, he seemed to have thought of something, and looked up at Meng Yutong with bright eyes. He shook her arm and said excitedly, "Then... can I become your younger brother? You can take me from home, and I... I'll change my surname to Meng and be called Meng Ming! I'll help you at your clinic from now on!"

He looked at the bubbling medicine pot in front of him, his eyes lit up, and he pointed at it, saying, "I can help you brew the medicine! I can also help you sweep the floor and wipe the table! I... I can even help you chase away those disobedient patients! I'm very strong!"

Meng Yutong smiled at his words, but still gently shook her head: "Ming'er, you are a child of the Ji family, and your father, mother, and brother all love you very much. However, if you like it here, you can come to the clinic often in the future, okay?"

She patiently guided him, explaining in a way he could accept, "Everyone has their own place. Being a guest at my clinic is different from leaving home, understand?"

Ji Ming seemed to understand but not quite, but looking at Meng Yutong's gentle yet earnest eyes, he nodded: "Hmm... then I'll come to visit you often in the future."

As they were talking, the medicine was ready. Meng Yutong filtered out the liquid, then carried the bowl back to Ji Yun's room with Ji Ming.

Ji Yun was still unconscious. Meng Yutong helped him up and, together with Ji Ming, carefully fed him the medicine.

After finishing these tasks, Meng Yutong tidied up the medicine bowl and said softly to Ji Ming, "You must be exhausted after a whole night of this. Rest here by the bed and keep your brother company."

Ji Ming nodded obediently and climbed onto a low couch next to the main bed.

Outside the window, the sky was already beginning to lighten, with the first rays of dawn appearing. Meng Yutong tucked him in before dragging her weary body back to her own room for a brief rest.