Chapter 40: In the private room of Yahangya, a signing ceremony is going on...

Inside Yaxingya, a signing ceremony is in progress.

"Ms. Lin, are you clear about the transfer details of your house for sale?" asked the landlord Lao Qian as he laid out the title deed documents, writing tools, and hand-cleaning cloths in front of Lin Xiangli one by one.

Lin Xiangli nodded: "Yes, Miss Tang explained it to me in detail before coming here."

Similarly, after preparing the contract for the buyer across the table and verifying his willingness to buy, Lao Qian returned to the center of the table.

"Very good. Now, please carefully review the terms of the deed. If you have no objections..."

He then tapped the signature spot on the contract with a red ink pen.

"Please sign here."

Lin Xiangli moved the contract paper slightly and turned his eyes to the side.

"Ling An, take a look too."

The contract was only one page long. The buyer across the table quickly dipped his finger in ink and pressed his fingerprints, but Lin Xiangli did not move for a long time.

Seeing this, Old Qian couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. He walked closer to Lin Xiangli and asked, "Miss, do you have any concerns?"

Is the home that carries more than twenty years of memories really going to change hands?

Lin Xiangli's eyelids trembled slightly, hiding the reluctance and struggle in her eyes.

"Nothing wrong, Ling An, what about you?"

Ling An seemed to see through her thoughts, shook his head gently, and patted her shoulders with his hands, giving her silent comfort.

"Okay." Lin Xiangli decided not to hesitate any longer and quickly and neatly signed his name and pressed his fingerprints on the deed.

"Okay!" Old Qian carefully used a cloth to absorb the excess ink on the deed paper, then took the money from the buyer and handed it to Lin Xiangli. At the same time, he exchanged the deed paper and sang a loud "yes".

"The contract is done! The money and the goods are paid!"

＊

After leaving the pawnshop, the buyers and servants happily left with the deeds in their pockets, but Lin Xiangli stopped and felt empty inside.

Until she felt a warm touch on her shoulder and heard the voice of the person beside her, as warm as the spring breeze,

"Xiang Li, let's go."

Her nose felt sore, and she turned around and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest, "Ling An, I have no home anymore..."

Ling An's body stiffened slightly. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly raised his hand and gently stroked her hair.

He couldn't bring himself to say, "I'm still here" or "I'll always be by your side." After accompanying Lin Xiangli through this difficult time, he had to return to Tanshan Temple immediately, so he couldn't make any promises to Lin Xiangli. All he could offer her at this moment was this moment of companionship.

Time seemed to stand still for a long time, and Lin Xiangli's emotions gradually calmed down.

She slowly withdrew from Ling An's arms, put on a smile, and said softly, "Let's go."

Realizing her own misstep, she tilted her head to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes and explained with a hint of embarrassment, "Just now... it was just the wind and sand that blinded me..."

Ling An smiled dotingly and said nothing more.

In the sunlight, his face seemed to be coated with a layer of gold, and the fine hairs on his skin could be clearly seen. The red headband on his head fluttered in the wind, and a few strands of hair were fluttering on his chin. The corners of his smiling mouth were filled with infinite tenderness.

Lin Xiangli was a little dazed for a moment and blurted out: "Ling An, I..."

She stared at him blankly and asked, "I don't think I've ever asked you before, why... do you treat me so well?"

Ling An obviously didn't expect Lin Xiangli to ask this question suddenly. A look of surprise flashed across his face. After a slight hesitation, he looked at Lin Xiangli and answered in a gentle voice,

"Because you saved me."

"Um"

Lin Xiangli looked puzzled.

Ling An still looked at her tenderly, as if hoping that through her eyes, he could once again see the innocent and kind little girl from more than ten years ago.

"Don't you remember that thirteen years ago, during the famine, in the mountains and forests north of Jiusu County, you gave me a piece of steamed bun?"

Ling An decided that if Lin Xiangli remembered him, he would confess his identity as a divine beast to her, even though she might not accept it, he didn't want to deceive her anymore.

But looking at Lin Xiangli's still confused eyes, Ling An began to feel a little uncertain: Could it be that because so much time has passed, she has forgotten?

He tried to evoke Lin Xiangli's memory and further suggested,

"I remember you were carrying a basket on your back. Did you often go to the mountains to collect herbs that year?"

Lin Xiangli's expression changed slightly, and her hands unconsciously tightened the sachet around her waist.

Thirteen years ago, her father was still the county magistrate, and she was the magistrate's daughter. Although there was a famine, she was pampered by her family and lived a life of luxury. She had never been to the mountains, let alone collecting herbs.

Ling An's voice came again,

"Back then, you had a scent of camellia mixed with herbs, just like now..."

The scent of camellia... Lin Xiangli suddenly remembered that her mother had told her that the recipe for camellia sachets came from a pair of herbal remedies. Could it be that the granddaughter of that old man was Ling An's true savior?

But no matter what the truth is, what is certain now is that that person is not me!

Lin Xiangli's heart grew heavier and heavier, and his face began to turn pale.

Her mother had become a nun, her father was gone, and the house she had lived in since she was a child had been sold to someone else. She no longer had a home, and now she was going to lose Ling An, the only person who had been by her side? ...

She lowered her head, not daring to look Ling An in the eye, and staggered back two steps.

Ling An noticed her strangeness and quickly held her shoulders to steady her. "What's wrong, Xiang Li?"

Lin Xiangli didn't dare to think any further. She suppressed the turmoil in her heart and looked up at the man in front of her. His face was clear and cold, but his eyes were always gentle when he looked at her.

She couldn't say anything to deny it, so she could only respond in a low voice.

"It's been so long, I can't remember..."

"It's okay. If you can't remember, just forget it." Ling An comforted him gently, "You look tired. I'll take you back to rest."

As he spoke, he supported Lin Xiangli and prepared to leave. However, just as he took a step forward, Lin Xiangli suddenly broke free from his support, put her hands around his arms, held his arms tightly, and looked up at him: "Ling An, thank you!"

Also, forgive me for not telling you the truth. Forgive my greed, I just wanted the little happiness and warmth I had left in my hands to last a little longer, just a little longer...

＊

However, the happiness did not last long. Before they had taken a few steps, their attention was drawn to the shouting behind them.

To be precise, it was the rumbling sound of wheels, the deafening neighing of horses mixed with cries for help.

"Stop! Stop! Get out of the way!"

"Help! Help!..."

Turning around, he saw that not far away, on a carriage, the driver was desperately trying to stop a horse with an arrow stuck in its leg, but to no avail.

The horse, in unbearable pain, was pulling a carriage along the street like a madman, and was coming towards them with the force of thunder.

People who were originally going to the market on the street all made emergency avoidance. Some people were hit by the carriages and fell to the ground. Looking at the out-of-control carriages in front of them, they were still in shock and were just glad that they did not die under the galloping horses' hooves and wheels.

Ling An protected Lin Xiangli's body and dodged to the side in time, but at the moment he dodged and turned around, he caught a glimpse of the person in the carriage who lifted the curtain and called for help.

Lin Xiangli also saw it,

"Isn't that... Miss Tang and Miss Chen?!"

＊

Half an hour ago.

In the Zhou family's old house, Tang Suzi squatted beside the camellia tree in the yard, holding the trunk with one hand and carefully untying the vines wrapped around the branches with the other hand.

The camellia tree in Fang Mansion was rescued by Fang Buyu. While she was feeling confused, she remembered that there was another camellia tree.

This camellia tree, which my grandmother took great care of during her lifetime, has continued to grow tenaciously in the ten years since she passed away, despite countless days of scorching sun, severe cold, and heavy rain.

When Tang Suzi saw it, he seemed to see his grandmother again.

The vines were intertwined with the branches of the tea tree, winding from the trunk to the branches and leaves of the crown. Tang Suzi stood on tiptoe, with almost half of his body inserted into the branches and leaves of the tea tree, struggling to dismantle the vines. After a while, sweat had already seeped out of his forehead.

Finally finding the tip of the vine, Tang Suzi felt relieved and landed on the ground, pulling the whole vine. Unexpectedly, the branch caught the ribbon on her collar. With a "whoosh" sound, she looked up quickly. Fortunately, only a few leaves fell off and the tea tree branches were not broken.

She groped along the vine and found the root. The root was stubborn and she pulled it several times but failed. Finally, she could only wrap the vine in her hand several times and pull it up more than ten times before she was able to completely pull it out.

She cleared the weeds around the tree and made a circle of earth. She walked out of the shade and stood outside, watching the sunlight falling on the tea leaves in spots. The light was so vibrant and vivid that she felt particularly satisfied.

She looked at the camellia tree quietly for a long time before reluctantly stepping out of the dilapidated courtyard.

Just when I was thinking about whether to look for Ling An and Lin Xiangli to see how the sale of Lin's house was going, I inadvertently caught a glimpse of a figure walking around the corner at the end of the street.

Zhou Jin was supporting her mother and father, and the three of them were walking towards her while talking.

She panicked and quickly turned around and walked forward with her back to them.

Because he was too panicked, he almost hit a passing carriage when he reached the intersection.

“Oh…”

Fortunately, the driver pulled the reins in time.

"Girl, watch your way!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Tang Suzi apologized hurriedly.

The people in the car stuck their heads out because of the noise.

"Miss Tang"

Hearing the familiar voice, Tang Suzi grabbed Chen Weiyu's hand as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

"Wei Yu, can you give me a ride?"

It was the first time that Chen Weiyu saw Tang Suzi so flustered. She was a little surprised but agreed without hesitation and quickly supported Tang Suzi's arms.

"Of course, come on up."

Tang Suzi climbed onto the carriage. She didn't dare look back. She didn't know whether they saw her or followed her. She just wanted to leave here quickly.