Chapter 64 Farewell "Brother Wenjin, please come home safely."
Atao, dressed in light clothing, lay drunkenly on a cashmere couch, her arms hanging down, clutching the man's belt. The boudoir was warm and fragrant, and anyone who saw her would think that something must have just happened.
Lu Wenjin frowned. His clothes were still intact, but his palms were cut in many places, and blood stained his wrists red.
He struggled to open his blurry eyes, grabbed Ruan Yang's skirt, and gasped, "Yang Yang, let me explain, I didn't..."
Ruan Yang stood frozen in place for a long time, then pulled back her skirt and turned to leave.
Lu Wenjin wanted to chase after him, but suddenly felt a dull pain in his chest and spat out a mouthful of black blood. He glanced at the wine cup that had fallen on the carpet.
The wine is poisonous.
His mind was buzzing, and the thought that he might not live much longer sent a chill down his spine.
Upon hearing the news, Lu's mother and others abandoned their guests and rushed over. Seeing the scene, she cried out in alarm, "Why is he vomiting so much blood? Where is the doctor? Go and call him!"
Lu Wenjin wiped the blood from her lips and comforted her, "I'm fine. Can you help me find Yangyang? It's dark and the roads are slippery outside. I'm worried about her being alone."
"elder brother.....?"
Lu Yan arrived late, and upon seeing this, her knees buckled.
Seeing her guilty look, Lu's mother asked what had happened. In an instant, she was filled with rage and turned to slap Lu Yan, saying in a tone of utter disappointment, "You troublemaker, get out! If anything happens to your brother and sister-in-law, don't blame me for disowning you as my daughter!"
Lu Yan was the family's darling, but this was the first time she had been slapped by her mother. She looked at her mother with an incredulous expression, and then her tearful eyes glanced at her brother, who was covered in blood... and her trusted sister, Sister Tao.
She collapsed to the ground, at a loss, repeatedly apologizing, but Lu's mother seemed not to hear her. She punished her by making her kneel outside the gate and forbidding her from stepping into the Lu residence without her permission.
Outside, every household had its doors and windows tightly shut. The spring chill was still in the air, and the dew was heavy. With the door closed, Lu Yan got up from the ground and kept pounding on the door knocker with her palm. She had been pleading all night, but she still couldn't get her mother to soften her heart.
The girl was thirteen or fourteen, a rebellious age. She took one last hateful look at her home, wiped away her tears, and left resolutely.
......
Ruan Yang didn't let anyone follow her, nor did she cry or make a fuss. She quietly returned to her bedroom. As the months went by, the baby in her womb kicked harder and harder, making it difficult for her to fall asleep at night recently.
She propped herself up on her back and sat on the swing in the yard to rest, her toes leisurely touching the ground, but her fingertips gripping the ground tighter and tighter.
Ning Xian, Ning Xian, you've dug the pit, are you just waiting for her to jump in?
First, she sent people to spread rumors, making everyone guess that she was not pregnant with the Lu family's child, so as to arouse Lu's mother's suspicion. Then, A Tao appeared out of nowhere. When she saw that Lu Wenjin was not falling for her tricks, she used drugs to force him to comply.
Is this what they call a game?
She thought that this would cause their relationship to fall apart, that she would be kicked out of her husband's family and end up homeless, only able to come back crying and beg him to take her in.
It's utterly ridiculous.
Ruan Yang trembled with anger. How could he be so vicious?
But now she has no time to care about such sentimental matters. What truly frightens her is that people like Atao can move freely in this place. Just how many Ningxian spies are being lurked in this Bashu region?
Ruan Yang returned to his bedroom and asked a maid beside him, "Has anyone said how A Tao was dealt with?"
"The young general ordered him to be imprisoned in the dungeon and tortured to extract a confession."
"How is the young general now?"
The maid said, "The doctor has gone, and we don't know what he said over there. Would you like to go and see for yourself?"
Ruan Yang lowered her eyes and shook her head: "No, he needs to rest now. You come with me to the dungeon now."
study.
After Lu's mother left, Lu Wenjin finally vomited the blood he had been holding back, and a dark, viscous liquid appeared in the basin.
He regained his composure and asked calmly, "How much longer can I live?"
The doctor just took the pulse and found that the poison this time was not as simple as the Hehuan Powder, but a chronic and rare poison that had no antidote.
"It could take a few months to a year."
Lu Wenjin paused, then made a decision: "Understood. Keep this a secret for now, and don't let anyone know."
After speaking, he put on his clothes, pretended nothing had happened, and went to Ruixue Pavilion.
Seeing this, the doctor advised, "Young General, you should rest and recuperate recently. If you continue to overwork and travel, your body may not be able to take it. In fact... the young general's poison is not incurable."
"What method?"
"Folklore tells of a traditional remedy: plant a double-heart cotton plant, take the heart's blood of a close relative, and consume it once a day for six months to cure the ailment. If the young mistress can give birth prematurely, the infant..."
Lu Wenjin frowned and interrupted him: "Alright! No need to say anymore. There is no cure for this poison. You can go now. Just prepare some painkillers for me in the future."
".....yes."
Lu Wenjin pushed open the door, gritting his teeth to endure the dull pain caused by the poison taking effect in his body. The evening breeze swept up the fallen locust leaves on the ground, and he picked up a few tender new shoots and stared at them for a long time.
He thought of Ruan Yang and their unborn child. How could a widow and orphan protect themselves in this chaotic world? In what cruel ways would Ning Xian take his anger out on his mother and younger sister?
Since joining the army, he had thought that his final fate might be to die on the battlefield, wrapped in a horse's hide, but he never imagined that he would die in such a wretched way, bleeding from all seven orifices.
Since they were destined not to grow old together, he would fulfill her wish in his final moments to grant her freedom, so that he could rest in peace.
......
Lu Yan woke up from her coma. When she opened her eyes, she saw a small wooden house. The house was simply furnished, with only a few clivia plants in the corner and a pleasant lotus fragrance wafting from the gauze curtains.
Where is this?
She rubbed her throbbing temples, recalling what happened after she ran away from home: the dark alley, the masked man who knocked her unconscious with a sword.
Was she kidnapped by bad guys?
A flicker of fear crossed Lu Yan's mind, but it vanished in an instant. It was better that she was missing; her brother and mother would never find her again, which suited their wishes perfectly.
The little girl sat on the bed, comforting herself for a while, but finally hugged her knees and couldn't help but cry.
As she was secretly sobbing, the bed curtains were lifted by a hand with distinct knuckles. Standing in front of her was a man who looked to be about the same age as her brother and was just as handsome.
With fair skin and red lips, she possessed an air of refined elegance and aloofness, but her brows held a sharper edge than her brother's, making her appear somewhat fierce.
She looked up, captivated by the man's handsome face for a long while.
Ning Xian gave Lu Yan a cold look: "What are you looking at me for?"
Lu Yan was startled and shrank to the corner of the bed: "...Who are you?"
"Was it the person who kidnapped me, or... the person who saved me?"
She spoke the second half of the sentence because she saw several steaming dishes and porridge on the table, and she was covered with a very soft quilt. In her eyes, no one would treat a prisoner so well.
Ning Xian was stunned, then chuckled, suddenly finding this game much more fun than he had imagined.
He examined the face that bore a resemblance to Lu Wenjin, then turned his head and gave a wink to the guards who were about to escort Lu Yan, signaling to them that the plan had changed.
He laughed and said, "I'm the one who saved you. Tell me, how old are you? How did you end up running away all by yourself?"
Lu Yan swallowed hard, and looking into the man's smiling eyes, her heart pounded wildly. She was so nervous that she couldn't speak!
It felt strange and unfamiliar.
"I...I am Yan'er, and I will be fourteen next month."
Fourteen? This was the first time Ning Xian had met Lu Wenjin, her precious little sister, but she never expected her to be so young and innocent.
"Since you're not hurt or in pain, how about I take you home?"
No, I don't want to.
"Hmm? Did you have a fight with your family?"
Ning Xian raised an eyebrow, a half-smile playing on her lips. It was just a simple gesture, yet it looked so alluring that Lu Yan lowered her head shyly.
She nodded, tentatively asking innocently, "Could you take me in? I'll do anything you ask, I can help you with chores!"
Ning Xian looked into the girl's sincere eyes and said, "Then tell me first, why do you want to leave home?"
“I was wrong first, but my mother can’t kick me out of the house. My sister-in-law is about to give birth, so it’s right that she should be treated with more care, but she can’t just blame me for her sake. I was also deceived.”
Mentioning Ruan Yang brought a pang of bitterness to Ning Xian's heart; he hadn't heard from her in a long time.
What is the relationship between your sister-in-law and your brother?
"They're great. They never argue and spend all their free time together. Especially after the baby was born, my brother spoiled her even more. He even laughed when his sister-in-law pulled his ear."
"But......"
Lu Yan started crying as she spoke: "Because of me, they might have to fight."
Ning Xian scoffed after hearing this: "Then do you think they can make up?"
Lu Yan didn't know and could only shake her head.
"I've finished explaining. Now, can you tell me who you are? And can you take me in?"
Ning Xian came to her senses and said, "I'll keep who I am a secret, but I can take you in as a helper."
Lu Yan's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Thank you, young master!"
......
The spring rain falls gently, and all things revive.
Before long, Ruan Yang and Lu Wenjin hadn't spoken properly for over twenty days. During this time, Lu Wenjin came to Ruixue Pavilion several times to look for her, but Ruan Yang was in a huff and refused to see him no matter what.
Until today, Ruan Yang received a letter, written by Lu Wenjin himself, informing her that he would be setting off to leave Bashu the next day.
After reading the letter, Ruan Yang was extremely anxious. As she stood up, she knocked over the needle and thread beside her, scattering them all over the floor. She scolded, "Why did it take you so long to give me the letter?"
"Has the young general left the city yet?"
"No, I just went to see the young general off."
"Then quickly prepare a carriage for me! Go now!"
The maid glanced at Ruan Yang's heavy body; she was hardly someone who could withstand the jolting of a carriage. But seeing that Ruan Yang was on the verge of tears, she had no choice but to comply.
The sky was overcast and a light drizzle was falling. The carriage sped along at Ruan Yang's urging. She clutched her belly and wept bitterly. The maids, fearing that she would harm her baby, gently comforted her, "Madam, don't cry. The young general will be back soon."
They were puzzled. This wasn't the last time they would see each other, so why be so sad?
When the carriage arrived at its destination, Ruan Yang clumsily jumped off before it had even come to a complete stop and ran towards the young man in armor on horseback outside the city gate.
The mud stained her skirt and embroidered shoes. She ran for a while and then became out of breath. Fortunately, Lu Wenjin saw her too.
Before Ruan Yang could open her umbrella, the fine rain soaked the ends of her hair. Upon seeing this, Lu Wenjin immediately pulled on the reins and jumped off his horse.
He kept wiping the water droplets from her face, and said angrily, "It's raining so hard, who told you to run around like that? If I'm not around, who will take care of you if you get sick!"
Ruan Yang looked up at the young man with her wet face, the transparent liquid making it impossible to tell whether it was tears or rain. Her nose was red, and she stared at him for a long time before saying nothing more.
Under the young man's playful scolding, she tiptoed and kissed his lips, crying and laughing at the same time, saying, "Brother Wenjin, please be safe and sound. My child and I are waiting for you to come back."
Lu Wenjin was stunned for a moment, then returned the kiss with deep affection. Their tears mingled in the rain, and he chuckled hoarsely, "Okay."
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