Chapter 47 Miss Ning Yao?

"Those going to Beijing, hurry up and get on the train, it's about to leave."

The train station staff stood on the platform with a small loudspeaker, repeatedly urging people to board the train.

Urged on by these voices, Ning Yao had no choice but to follow Lou Yu to the private train compartment she had booked.

The private room had everything, even a toilet.

Ning Yao was also sitting there for the first time, looking at it with some curiosity. "Looks like you're doing well."

Lou Yu looked at her with concern, "Why do I feel like you're living a very tiring life? Are you... short of money?"

She spoke carefully, afraid of hurting Ning Yao's self-esteem.

But Ning Yao was someone who had seen life and death many times, so why would she care about money?

When she found out she couldn't buy back the courtyard with the gold Ning Yiwen had given her, she simply used it to buy a camera. This camera was practically her entire fortune.

Ning Yao didn't want to bring it up, so she just shrugged and said frankly, "Money, it's all the same no matter how much you spend."

"Then why don't you sit down!" Lou Yu retorted angrily.

"That's because I was afraid of getting the chair dirty."

The chairs in the private room were covered with a layer of white lace-embroidered fabric. Ning Yao was certain that once she sat on one, any mud stains would be impossible to wash off the fabric.

Lou Yu glared at her and said to Xiao You, "Bring out one of my clothes that I haven't worn."

Ning Yao was also curious about what clothes she had brought, and when she peeked out, she found that the suitcase was full of cheongsams.

Ning Yao: "..."

"Forget it, don't give me a cheongsam to wear, I can't wear it now." She couldn't help but imagine herself wearing a cheongsam, crawling and rolling on the edge of the battlefield, and she chuckled.

Seeing that Lou Yu was still glaring at her, Ning Yao wasn't intimidated and directly asked Xiao You, "Do you have any spare clothes? Could you lend me a set?"

Xiao You was surprised that the lady's friend didn't even want the lady's clothes, but wanted hers instead. She was a little flustered and turned to look at Lou Yu.

Lou Yu waved her hand, looking utterly exhausted, "Give it to her, give it to her."

At school, no one can go against Ning Yao's wishes.

She didn't believe it, but after a few years, she would be able to overcome it.

Ning Yao took Xiao You's clothes and went into the washroom.

When she came out, Ning Yao, who was completely clean, sighed and sat down happily opposite Lou Yu. "That felt good."

The more she acted this way, the more upset Lou Yu became. "How...how can you go back to the way things were..."

"It's okay, I'm fine." Ning Yao smiled broadly.

She came to Beijing to pay respects to Ning Ge, and never went there with a trace of sorrow. Over time, she let go of many things.

Apart from life and death, nothing else matters.

...

Three days later, Ning Yao arrived at a cemetery on the outskirts of Beijing, carrying a bouquet of chrysanthemums.

Three years ago, this place was just a small mound of earth. Over the past three years, more and more people, whose names are unknown, have been buried here, turning it into a well-known cemetery, although most of them do not have tombstones.

Ning Yao arrived at the small mound in the center. In front of the mound, there were already many flowers and offerings for worship, including fruit and grain.

The weeds had been pulled out cleanly, and it was clear that someone had already taken care of it.

She placed the flowers in the middle and murmured, "Brother Ning, look, so many people have come to see you. You shouldn't be lonely, right..."

She took out a piece of paper from her bosom, sat down on the ground, and started folding paper cranes on her knees.

She had heard that paper cranes could convey messages, so she would fold one every time she wanted to talk to Ning Yiwen over the past few years, and this time was no exception.

Ning Yao folded the paper while speaking, "I've been doing very well lately. I really enjoy being a war correspondent, and my pay is getting higher and higher. I sometimes even run into people on the street discussing my articles. It's a magical feeling. I've finally experienced what it felt like for you to have readers around you back then."

"I also ran into Lou Yu. I don't know if you remember her. She got married, had a little boy, and married a man from Beijing. I heard he's quite capable. She told me that Hongye and Shuli are also married..."

Ning Yao talked on and on, folding paper cranes one after another, until the sun gradually set and a chill began to rise from her feet. Ning Yao knew it was time for her to go back.

She lit the folded paper cranes, and after they burned to a small pile of ash, a bigger and brighter smile spread across her face as she looked at the mound of earth and said, "Brother Ning, I'm leaving now. Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself."

Just as she was about to leave, nearing the quiet cemetery, a group of people suddenly arrived, making a ruckus.

Ning Yao frowned and kept her distance. When she reached the entrance of the cemetery, she turned around and coldly watched the group of people enter the cemetery. They went to the small mound where she had just paid her respects for a while, and then, after discussing something, they walked straight in her direction.

Ning Yao thought they wanted to leave the cemetery and was about to make way for them, but she didn't expect them to stop right in front of her.

My guard immediately went up.

The leader approached her, staring intently at her for a long time before suddenly asking, "Miss Ning Yao?"

Ning Yao's pupils contracted slightly, and she took a few steps back. "You've mistaken me for someone else, haven't you?"

She plans to run away if the other party's reply is even slightly problematic.

“No,” the leader said softly, raising his hands in front of his chest when he saw Ning Yao’s wariness. “I mean no harm. We are from the Jianghe Literary Society. My name is Zhao Yishi.”

"Jianghe Literary Society?" Ning Yao frowned. This name... "What's its connection to the Jianghe Daily?"

"Jianghe Daily is the name we used to use. We are here to find you on behalf of President Ning Yiwen."

Ning Yao's mind went blank for a moment, and she stood there stunned.

"Tell me, who asked you to do this?" she asked again, still incredulous.

"President Ning Yiwen." The man's expression flickered for a moment, but he quickly understood Ning Yao's meaning and added, "He's not dead."

Ning Yao's heart suddenly pounded, her blood surging wildly through her veins; she could even hear the turmoil within her own body. She stepped forward and grabbed Zhao Yishi's arm. "You're saying Brother Ning is still alive?! Where is he?"

“Shanghai,” Zhao Yishi said. “You should come back with us first. Our Jianghe Literary Society has a courtyard house in Beijing. It’s too late tonight, so we’ll go back there to stay for now.”

Ning Yao paused for a moment, then, with a last shred of wariness, said, "Do you have anything related to my brother Ning that can serve as evidence? I can't just go with you without any proof."

The man reacted quickly, turning his head to look at the group behind him, "Does anyone have any of President Ning's tokens? Manuscripts or anything else are fine."

One of the men, dressed in a light brown short-sleeved shirt, stepped forward and pulled a paper crane from his pocket. "My name is Lin Wang. This is a little thing that Brother Wen often folds. I thought it was interesting, so I brought it with me."

Ning Yao stared intently at the paper crane, reached out and took it from his hand, holding it lightly in her grasp, tears welling in her eyes. "Can I have this one?" she asked Lin Wang.

Lin Wang nodded, "That's fine."

Ning Yao then followed them back to the courtyard house they had mentioned.

This courtyard is very large. Although it is called a siheyuan (traditional courtyard house), it is actually a traditional three-section courtyard house.

They led Ning Yao to a small courtyard at the very back, to a room in the center of the courtyard. "This is President Ning's room. It's usually cleaned, so you can just move in."

Ning Yao nodded and entered the house in a daze. Was this the place where Brother Ning used to stay when he came to Beijing?

The room was not small. There was a table in the outer room and a landscape painting on the wall. A screen was set up between the outer room and the inner room, and the screen was also painted with landscapes.

Ning Yao walked around the screen, and inside there was a desk, a washstand, and a bed with a gauze curtain.

She sat down behind the desk, imagining Ning Yiwen working, studying, and writing here on a daily basis.

So he's still here... still alive...

Ning Yao suddenly covered her face and cried silently.

So he's still around!

She had lived alone for three years, and she didn't even dare to think that one day she wouldn't be able to hold on anymore... She never expected that he would still be there, which was really wonderful.

Ning Yao started crying and then laughed.

Very good……

By the time Ning Yao had composed herself, it was already evening.

There was a knock at the door. "Miss Ning Yao, are you asleep? We have something we'd like to discuss with you."

Ning Yao walked to the door, opened it, and was startled.

There was a large crowd standing outside the door, roughly twenty people.

"What's wrong?"

Standing at the front, the person who knocked on the door was Zhao Yishi, who was also the first person to recognize Ning Yao tonight. "This way, please. It's not appropriate to talk while standing at the door."

"Let's go," Ning Yao nodded, also somewhat curious about what they needed to discuss with her.

Ning Yao followed them to the left wing room in the front yard, where many stools were placed, indicating that it was a place for receiving guests.

She was invited to sit in the seat of honor, the one right in the center.

Ning Yao felt a little uncomfortable, but thinking that she couldn't tarnish Ning Ge's reputation, she forced herself to sit up straight and asked, "What do you want to discuss with me?"

Zhao Yishi carefully said, "It's like this. For the past three years, President Ning has been looking for you, which has caused a lot of delays in the club's affairs. We would like to ask you to put in a good word for us. We hope that he can come back and continue to lead our literary club."

Looking for me? Is it causing delays? Are you coming back to lead?

Ning Yao lowered her eyes. There seemed to be some connection between the two, but this connection... she would believe it if someone came to her to settle accounts, but it wouldn't be necessary to consult her.

“His preoccupation with affairs shouldn’t have much to do with me, right?” Ning Yao said slowly. “If it’s just because he’s looking for me, then after we reunite, the affairs of the organization will naturally not be delayed.”

As she spoke, Ning Yao had a sudden inspiration. She looked at Zhao Yishi, staring at his expression, and tentatively asked, "Did something else happen?"

When Ning Yao pointed it out, Zhao Yishi looked embarrassed. He touched his nose and said, "There is indeed such a thing."

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Yishi recounted what had happened in the literary society three years prior.

It turns out that three years ago, when Ning Yiwen learned that Ning Yao had disembarked in Beijing and had not gone to England, he risked his life to return to Beijing to find her.

What kind of place is Beijing? It's heavily guarded, with sentries every three companies and every five steps. After arriving in Beijing, this group of people could only live in hiding and had to look for people. They were quickly discovered.

Ning Yiwen was naturally fearless, but the others could not watch him be arrested and sacrificed in vain.

So, Yu Wang, who had the most volatile temper, came up with a plan—to impersonate Ning Yiwen and go on the trip in his place. After all, Ning Yiwen was neither good at literature nor martial arts; he had only accumulated a title in the society over time.

When Yu Wang came up with this terrible idea, the society was divided: some remained silent, while others opposed it.

But they all unanimously chose to keep it from Ning Yiwen.

Later, Yu Wang indeed took Ning Yiwen's place and died a martyr.

But he died a martyr, while Ning Yiwen survived. When he learned of this, he threw a huge tantrum at everyone in the society.

That was the first time he lost his temper within the organization. And also the last. Because from then on, Ning Yiwen wandered alone, searching for Ning Yao.

Hearing this, Ning Yao said sadly, "So, someone else is bearing the burden of death for us..."

She felt as if a heavy stone was pressing down on her heart, making her feel heavy and suffocated.

She was happy that Ning was alive, but the thought that someone had died in his place made it possible...

"I'm sorry..." Ning Yao felt a mix of emotions and didn't know what to say for a moment.