Chapter 43, Chapter 43, Pitiful
Before Rong Si could react, a soft, limp body crawled onto the neatly made bed.
Her breath trembled.
It was a reaction that was clearly frightened, yet subconsciously suppressed and restrained.
Even so, she didn't scream.
She retains the dignified and elegant reserve of a well-bred lady.
In her panic, Yu Wanyin grabbed Rong Si's blanket and hastily pulled him in front of her, crying out, "There's a snake! There's a snake on my bed!"
Rong Si frowned and stood up upon hearing this.
Yu Wanyin didn't even dare to look up.
She grabbed his blanket and wrapped herself up, curling up into a ball at the foot of his bed, trying to avoid seeing that thing.
She is terrified of snakes.
Yu Wanyin had her eyes closed, but her hearing was extremely sharp.
She heard Rong Si putting on his clothes, walking past, and the sound of the mattress being lifted.
Then something else made a thumping sound, mixed with hissing, and after a period of chaos, it stopped briefly.
The man's steady, powerful footsteps echoed on the wooden floor as he walked out of the house, throwing something down in his wake.
Yu Wanyin then slowly poked her head out from under the covers.
She remained seated.
Rong Si did not return immediately.
Yu Wanyin didn't know what he had gone to do, and was so nervous that she didn't dare to move.
It wasn't until half an hour later that his footsteps were heard again.
When Rong Si returned, he threw something into the heater, then went to the bathhouse, washed his hands, and took the bedding from the bed with him.
After coming out, he asked the servants at the gate for a new set of bedding and put it back on.
About 15 minutes later, everything gradually calmed down.
Yu Wanyin smelled the fragrance of grass and trees, which seemed to be coming from the stove and smelled very similar to the village.
She then realized that he had probably just gone out to pick some insect-repelling herbs.
Yu Wanyin sat frozen on the bed, still shaken.
Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were wet, and she looked pitiful.
Rong Si finally had a moment to himself and walked over to her, sitting down. "It's alright now."
Rong Si reached out to pull the blanket off her, but Yu Wanyin did not let go.
He laughed, "Don't you want to go back?"
Yu Wanyin was like a frightened child, her breathing disordered and she didn't utter a sound.
"Then let's switch, I'll go sleep over there."
Rong Si made a move to get up, but felt resistance coming from the hem of his clothes.
Looking down, he saw slender, fair fingers clutching the hem of his clothes, refusing to let go.
Rong Si stared at the hand that peeked out from under the covers for a while, then looked up with a strange emotion in his eyes. He brought up the question again, "Do you want me to stay with you?"
Yu Wanyin's eyelashes trembled.
However, there was no denial.
Rong Si pondered for a moment and then extinguished the lamp.
Yu Wanyin gently shifted her position, gesturing for him to lie down.
Rong Si chuckled when he saw the empty seat she had left for him. "Are you sure you want me here?"
"Um."
Rong Si didn't say anything more, but simply sat down and lay down, taking up most of the space.
Yu Wanyin also realized the problem at this moment.
A Luohan couch typically only accommodates one person.
He was originally just right to lie here, but it was a bit crowded with two people.
Yu Wanyin pursed her lips, assessing her remaining position.
Rong Si asked, "Shall we go over there?"
Yu Wanyin looked up at the opposite side and saw the bed curtains tied with ropes hanging on the opposite bed.
Its winding shape is unsettling; "I'm not going."
She now has a phobia of that bed.
Yu Wanyin thought this through and could only pull up the covers and find a spot inside to lie down.
At first, they were able to maintain a precarious peace, but Yu Wanyin was prone to feeling cold, and when she first lay down by the window, she could feel the cold wind seeping in.
She pulled the blanket up, and with a slight tightening, the blanket pulled the man behind her along with her.
Realizing she had pulled the person over as well, Yu Wanyin had no choice but to let go.
She gently bit her knuckles and lay quietly for a while before calming her chaotic emotions.
But she also felt tired of lying in one position.
Yu Wanyin hesitated for a moment, then turned around and saw that he was facing away from her, so she quietly turned over.
The man's broad back formed a barrier and enclosure in her line of sight, separating her from everything outside.
After going through this process twice, Yu Wanyin found herself unable to sleep.
She idly stretched out her hand and traced the lines of the man's back in front of her.
She was completely unaware that her light breath was falling on him. Occasionally, her fingers would even accidentally touch the back of his clothes.
After an unknown amount of time, the person who had been facing away from her suddenly made a move.
Yu Wanyin immediately pressed the blanket up to her nose and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep.
I could vaguely sense that he had turned around, his breath deep and resonant.
Rong Si had mostly calmed down on his own, but now he was being teased by her every now and then and was incredibly energized. He turned around to confront her, only to find that she was pretending to be asleep.
Rong Si moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but then lowered his voice.
If it weren't for the fact that she had just been frightened...
He really wanted to just pull back the covers, go in, and ask her if she didn't want to sleep and wanted to do something else.
That's true.
She's probably planning to feign a three-day illness for him again.
Yu Wanyin lowered her eyelids and remained motionless.
She could feel that obscure gaze fixed on her brow for a long time.
Then Rong Si stood up.
Without saying a word, he went to the bathhouse.
Yu Wanyin opened her eyes only after the bathroom door closed.
She sat up in surprise and looked in the direction of the bathroom.
Why did you leave?
What did he go to do?
Perhaps because she was startled, as soon as he left, Yu Wanyin felt as if the hissing sound was still around her.
Yu Wanyin curled herself up, gently clutching the corner of the blanket, and defensively pricked up her ears to listen to the sounds around her.
I don't know how long Rong Si has been gone.
Yu Wanyin braced herself until the bathroom door creaked open, and then her tense nerves relaxed, and she unconsciously drifted into a dream.
Heavy footsteps echoed in the darkness as Rong Si approached her, bringing with him the fresh, damp scent of morning dew.
A few water droplets clung to his forehead, dripping down his hair and onto Yu Wanyin's wrist.
This startled her, causing her to tremble slightly.
But exhaustion overcame the momentary stimulation, and Yu Wanyin did not wake up.
Rong Si leaned down to look at the culprit who had been tormenting him, now asleep, and maliciously pinched its soft, white cheek.
Then he casually pulled back Yu Wanyin's blanket.
Her shapely figure was revealed beneath the blanket.
Yu Wanyin slept soundly that night, only to be woken up by the sound of the night watchman's drum early in the morning.
She groggily opened her eyes and saw that the window beside her had been blown open a crack, letting in the scent of grass in the early autumn dew.
The room was filled with a fresh and elegant atmosphere.
Yu Wanyin suddenly heard rustling sounds under the bed again.
The familiar sound startled her awake instantly. As if thinking there were snakes coiled around her, she sat up abruptly!
He then made eye contact with the man sitting under the bed.
Rong Si was busy tidying up the bedding on the ground. He only glanced at her before looking away, and said in a drawn-out tone, "My little darling is awake."
Yu Wanyin blinked and then noticed that her own soft pillows and bedding had been replaced on the daybed.
He took Rong Si's belongings and used them as a mat on the floor to make a sleeping platform.
Yu Wanyin remained silent for a long while before asking hesitantly, "Did I kick you down?"
That shouldn't be the case; she sleeps very soundly.
Rong Si raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this.
He got up, put his things aside, walked up to her, and teased her in his hoarse morning voice, "It's a wonder you still remember."
The man leaned down, his hands bracing himself on either side of her, the veins in his arms bulging and throbbing slightly with his movements. "How do you plan to make it up to me?"
As he spoke, his gaze swept back and forth between her eyebrows and eyes before slowly moving down to her lips.
Yu Wanyin felt that he was acting like a scoundrel, so she shrank her neck and went around his barrier. "No compensation."
"It's your own fault for not climbing up."
Rong Si heard her muttering as she got off the other side of the daybed.
He stood up straight and looked at her.
They really do just use it and then throw it away.
They didn't have much time to rest in Long'an. The early morning watchman's call was to call the Long'an soldiers to organize their ranks for morning training.
Of the people who migrated from Long'an, almost all have left by now.
Those who were too difficult to move were also moved to a safe place.
There are ten security checkpoints in the city.
These are all places to resettle people with mobility issues.
Such preparations for defense took a full three days.
The city lights up in the evening, in a grand and elaborate display.
The entire city of Long'an is brightly lit and bustling with activity at night, with high morale.
The Daizhou inspector outside the city gate was puzzled.
The message was delivered to Taixi, the garrison city of Daizhou. Wang Helun, a junior officer of Daizhou, flipped through the message, smacked his cheek, and said, "That old man from Long'an really doesn't listen to reason and will have to suffer the consequences."
"He refused when we tried to surrender to him; it turns out he'd already found a powerful backer."
The attendant frowned. "They've come with great force; it might be difficult to defeat them."
“What’s so hard about fighting? Yanzhou is such a large territory, and we’ve already flattened it,” Helun said, throwing down the military report. “Every soldier in my Daizhou is worth ten men. How could we be afraid of those weak and cowardly people from the Central Plains?”
"They dare to challenge me at the city gate with such a small force. They're asking for trouble. Even if I launch a direct attack, they might not be able to withstand it."
Everyone in the room waited for Herren to give the order.
“Since they dare to shout at the main gate, we’ll not attack the gate,” Herren stood up, “we’ll besiege the side gate.”
"Doesn't the Prefect of Long'an care about his people? Then let's just attack his people! Arrest as many as we can!"
“Once we hold them off, the Northern Chi will reach Shang’an, and we’ll have reinforcements. Long’an will be ours sooner or later.”
That's the inevitable trend.
The entire Central Plains will eventually be gradually disintegrated.
The morale of the crowd soared, after all, they had the support of the Northern Chi army.
They all accepted the order and went to make arrangements.
The city of Long'an is becoming increasingly empty.
Within five days, everything had been arranged.
The prefect of Long'an and Rong Si planned to deliberately provoke the enemy the next day and lure the troops from Daizhou into the territory.
Instead of waiting to die, it's better to take the initiative.
Every day, Yu Wanyin would use the excuse of helping out to go out and check if any people from the escort agency had come. Rong Si didn't restrict her movements, since as long as she didn't leave the city, he could find her.
In these war-torn times, Yu Wanyin would not easily leave a safe place.
Rong Si wouldn't let her go out today. "Things have been a bit turbulent lately, so you should stay inside."
Yu Wanyin hesitated for a moment.
However, the security agency's doors remained closed from the day she arrived until yesterday.
She wanted to go see it again, but she said, "I understand."
As soon as Rong Si stepped out of the gate, Yu Wanyin put on a veiled hat and left the prefect's residence.
She walked down the empty street, flipping through the documents she had prepared for a long time, feeling a little discouraged.
She didn't plan to stay out for long; she would just take one last look at the security company and then head back.
After all, if she hadn't found someone from the escort agency to deliver the letter by today, she wouldn't be able to send it out once the war started tomorrow.
When will she be able to send the letter out?
Yu Wanyin walked to the entrance of the escort agency as usual, but the gate was still closed, and everything was as usual.
Yu Wanyin sighed and could only leave first.
She had just turned around when she suddenly heard crying coming from inside the door.
Yu Wanyin paused and turned around.
Just then, a little girl ran out of the door crying, "I don't want to be here, I want my father and mother."
A woman with her hair tied up and dressed in a tight-fitting outfit caught up with her from behind, saying, "Little Miss."
She pulled the little girl back, and the big yellow dog next to the little girl suddenly started barking wildly, trying to stop the person from touching its little owner.
The woman raised her hand repeatedly.
The little girl probably wanted to run away, but looking at the unfamiliar streets around her, she didn't know where to go.
After a brief standoff between the two people and the dog, the woman sighed helplessly, "I'm just doing this job for money. Bringing you to Long'an was already very risky, with war going on everywhere. If you run back to Taixi, this job will be for nothing."
Yu Wanyin stopped in her tracks.
He vaguely discerned the woman's identity.
She was somewhat surprised that there were female bodyguards here.
The little girl stood there without saying a word. "Could you send my father and mother over from Taixi as well?"
The woman sighed and didn't answer her question directly. "I can't worry about the rest. Just walk a few more steps and you'll see people. Go find the guards on the street, and they'll take you to a safe place."
She went back into the house as she spoke.
Yu Wanyin saw the door of the escort agency wide open and followed them inside.
No one had come to the escort agency for a long time, and the room was filled with the smell of smoke and dust.
She didn't bother to clean up, just quickly wiped the table, went inside to get her luggage, and prepared to leave Long'an.
When she came out, she saw Yu Wanyin standing in the house. She didn't expect there would still be business at this time.
Yu Wanyin cut to the chase, "Are you still doing escort work these days?"
“It depends on the situation,” the woman put down her luggage, pointed her chin at the little girl by the door, and said, “I’m not doing this kind of thing anymore, leading people to escape.”
She herself might not be able to escape.
Besides, to be honest, Long'an is not safe.
However, the little girl's parents could only give her enough silver to reach Long'an, and she couldn't take more.
The worst thing a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) can do is meddle in other people's business.
If the family comes looking for her later and, unable to find the child, turns around and blames her, she'll be in trouble.
The woman poured half a cup of wine and drank it all in one gulp, then slammed the cup down on the table with a "bang".
Yu Wanyin blinked in surprise at this uninhibited attitude.
She smiled and said, "No need."
"I can't leave now." The plan to build Long'an was her idea, and she has to take responsibility for whether it's life or death, victory or defeat.
At the very least, we should wait until the fighting in Long'an comes to an end before making any decisions.
Yu Wanyin took out the letter and handed it over, saying, "Just help me send this letter out."
Delivering messages was a fairly easy job.
The female bodyguard took Yu Wanyin's letter. "This is easy to handle."
She accepted Yu Wanyin's payment, then promptly picked up her luggage and left the house.
The security company's doors were closed again, and the female bodyguard reminded the little girl, "Remember to find the guards and hide."
The little girl at the door remained standing there, her eyes red and silent.
After the bodyguards left, the long street became empty again.
It's just that Yu Wanyin isn't alone anymore.
There was also a little girl and a dog.
Yu Wanyin stepped forward. "Shall I take you to find the military guards?"
The little girl looked up at her, her eyes quickly filling with tears.
Yu Wanyin looked down and saw large bruises on her legs, wondering if she had gotten them while escaping.
Yu Wanyin tugged at her hand, and the little girl did not refuse.
On her way to find Junwei, she took him to a nearby clinic.
There was no one at the clinic.
Yu Wanyin knocked on the door, and the room was clean and refreshing, unlike the one in the escort agency.
There were people there a few days ago, but they were only removed in the last two days. The shop owner left in a hurry, and the account books were still on the table and they didn't have time to collect them.
Yu Wanyin could only lead the child into the house to sit down and go to the counter to find medicine.
Yu Wanyin opened several cabinets, looked at the various medicines inside, took out the common wound medicine, and put the silver for the wound medicine into the cabinet.
The little girl sat there in a daze.
Yu Wanyin stepped forward and simply cleaned her wound and applied medicine.
When the girl touched the wound, her legs would tremble slightly.
Yu Wanyin then moved quietly and chatted with her to distract her, "Is your home in Taixi?"
"Um."
What kind of business did your family usually run?
"The official gazette." The little girl's eyes were lowered. "Business is bad this year. There's a war."
"My father and mother closed the official gazette and took me to the countryside to hide."
You can't escape it even in the countryside.
Because of the high cost of escorting goods during wartime, her parents used all their savings to hire a female bodyguard to send their daughter away.
They said that if the child were sent to Long'an, the prefect of Long'an would love the people like his own children and would surely protect him.
Yu Wanyin listened in silence, letting out a silent sigh.
She touched the little girl's cheek. "I'll take you to see the prefect in a little while."
The little girl looked at her and softly hummed in agreement.
After applying the medicine, Yu Wanyin helped her up.
The little girl tugged at the rope in her hand. "Nian Gao, let's go."
The big yellow dog obediently followed.
Yu Wanyin led them out of the clinic, closed the door, and not long after they left, there was a sudden loud "boom"!
The earthen ball exploded from the city wall, and the broken pieces of earth fell into the streets inside the city wall.
Suddenly, Nian Gao shouted loudly towards the outer wall of the city.
Yu Wanyin was startled and turned to look at the city wall.
Immediately afterwards, a heavy earthen sling wrapped with explosives flew in from outside the city, its attack swift and fierce, penetrating straight into the city!
It landed and exploded with a bang!
The wooden planks of the houses, windows, and coffins were shaken to pieces.
Smoke and fire instantly filled the long street, and the gunpowder that exploded set off the houses, spreading rapidly like wildfire!
Immediately afterwards, another dark shadow fell from above, crashing down on the street where they were!
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