After Huan'er safely escorted Xiao Nizi home, she told Xiao Nizi's parents a lie, based on the story Xiao Nizi had prepared for her on the way. She said that Xiao Nizi had been helping her wash clothes by the river and had accidentally twisted her ankle while playing, which also dirtied her clothes.
Upon hearing this, the kind and simple-minded parents of the little girl felt very sorry for their daughter, but in the end, out of consideration for the old lady, and because it was just a minor bump between the two children that was unintentional and not serious, they really didn't say anything more. Instead, they repeatedly apologized, saying that they had caused trouble for the old lady.
This made Huan'er feel even more guilty. It was clearly because of her carelessness that the two of them not only made a wasted trip to Dongshan, but also caused the little girl to get hurt. Now, it was the little girl's parents who were apologizing to her.
Therefore, he felt even more ashamed towards Xiao Ni's family. He pursed his lips and massaged Xiao Ni's ankle again with great care, while gazing into Xiao Ni's big, innocent, watery eyes that were also looking into his eyes. He thought to himself, "Xiao Ni, thank you!"
It was almost midnight when I left Xiao Nizi's house.
In the village, which seemed isolated from the world, a silvery moonlight was shining brightly on the vast land.
The soft chirping of insects, the babbling of the river, and the delicate fragrance emanating from the spring flowers that quietly bloomed in the night, all blended together in the air like a giant net woven by immortals, enveloping all the most beautiful moments of the quiet night and bestowing them upon every mortal in the world.
However, Huan'er felt that everything she saw, every tree and blade of grass, and every sound she heard seemed blurry and unreal. She felt dizzy and drowsy, as if in a dream.
No matter how much she longed for it or wanted to escape it, the reality was that Ruoxi was now lost. No, her true identity was Miss Yi, the noble eldest daughter of the Yi family in the west of the city.
Now that she's gone back, how can she explain this to her master? At this moment, she only hopes that the road home can be longer, preferably one that never ends.
And so, with her two small, tender hands unconsciously rubbing the hem of her clothes, she walked home alone, her face gloomy and her heart filled with unease and timidity.
As I approached the door, my pace unconsciously slowed down, but then I suddenly remembered that I hadn't cleaned up the food I had spilled, so I quickened my pace again.
"Who cleaned this? Could it be... the old lady?" To her surprise, when she reached the front door, she saw that the ground was already spotless. She muttered to herself, puzzled, and with a mix of worry and hesitation, she finally reached out and pushed open the door to go inside.
In the exceptionally quiet, square courtyard, a crabapple tree was already in a state of lush greenery and faded red blossoms, quietly exuding a sense of desolation.
In the quiet and elegant east room at the east end of the courtyard, under a dim, solitary lamp, an old woman sat peacefully at the table by the window, turning the pages of an ancient book.
It was late at night. Perhaps he had been waiting for too long, he finally couldn't help but yawn. Then he glanced outside again and muttered to himself in puzzlement, "It's so late already, why haven't those two girls come back yet?"
With a soft sigh, the old woman couldn't help but recall Lu Tianlin's every smile and gesture during the day. A faint smile appeared on her face as she became engrossed in memories of the events from eight years ago.
Suddenly, as if noticing Huan'er lurking suspiciously outside her door, she merely raised her eyes slightly to glance at the familiar figure reflected on the ground in the empty doorway, then buried her head again, pretending to focus on the ancient book in her hands, and scolded her sternly, "You two are finally back! Sigh, how many times have I told you to stay calm in the face of trouble, but you silly girl, why can't you remember? Why are you always so clumsy? How did you spill the food all over the floor? Don't you know what 'every grain is hard-earned' means?"
After a long while, seeing the shadow cast into the room by the door remain silent and lingering, the old woman wondered if she had been too strict. After all, Huan'er was still just a child, and playing was in her nature. She also thought of everything that had happened to the two of them that day; Huan'er must have been quite frightened as well.
So, she stopped staring at the ancient book and instead looked at the shadows on the ground, and asked in a soft voice with concern, "Have you two eaten yet? I left some food for you in the kitchen. If you're hungry, go and eat quickly! Taking care of a patient is hard work. After you finish eating, go and rest early. Is Wang Er alright?"
Upon hearing this, Huan'er, who had been timidly pressed against the wall outside the door, suddenly burst into tears, her eyes already brimming with tears. She then stepped over the threshold, ran quickly to the old woman, knelt down in front of her with a thud, hugged the old woman's knees tightly, and covered her face as she wept bitterly.
The old woman was clearly startled by Huan'er's unprecedented behavior. She quickly put down the ancient book in her hand, stroked Huan'er's head, and comforted her, saying, "Silly girl, what's wrong with you? I know I've caused you so much fright and grievance today. It's all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on rushing to the City God Temple to find Master Xuan Kong, none of this would have happened. Especially that Lu Tianlin, Young Master Lu, child, you must know that outsiders are always outsiders. As the saying goes, 'Only speak three-tenths of what you know to others, never reveal your whole heart.' We never truly know if he harbors any ulterior motives. In this world, many people and things that initially seem innocent and beautiful lose their original simplicity as time goes by. So, we must always be mindful of our words and actions! There are too many people with wolfish hearts; one wrong move and you'll be doomed."
The old woman finished speaking to her meaningfully, sighed deeply, and continued to gently stroke her head with heartache.
After a long while, Huan'er seemed to calm down a little. She slowly raised her head and looked at the old woman's kind face, choking back tears as she said, "Madam, Huan'er knows she was wrong. Huan'er really knows she was wrong this time."
The old woman gently wiped away her tears and said softly, "To err is human, to forgive divine. Huan'er, I've wronged you! One day, I will give you a bright future that many women in this world can only dream of. I know your character better than anyone. That day will come soon. Trust me, okay?"
Unexpectedly, Huan'er suddenly seemed to have mustered up her courage and said in a tearful voice, "Madam, Huan'er doesn't want any future that other women in this world can only dream of. Huan'er only wants Ruoxi to come back. As long as Ruoxi can come back safely, Huan'er is willing to die!"
"Ruoxi? What happened to Ruoxi? Didn't Ruoxi come back with you? Isn't she in the west room? Where did she go? What do you mean she came back safely? What happened to her? What happened..." Upon hearing this, the old woman stared intently into Huan'er's eyes and asked repeatedly.
At this moment, Huan'er started crying sadly again. The old woman became anxious and her face suddenly turned pale. She stood up tremblingly, wanting to go out and check on her herself, but before she could take two steps, she staggered and swayed as if she was about to faint. Huan'er quickly chased after her and supported her, exclaiming in surprise, "Old Madam, what's wrong?"
Unexpectedly, the old woman stopped and slowly pushed Huan'er's hand away, suppressing her anxiety as she asked, "Ruoxi... what happened to her?"
Huan'er pursed her lips tightly and stammered, "Madam... Ruoxi... Ruoxi is lost."
"What did you say?" the old woman cried out in surprise, feeling the world spin in an instant before her body collapsed. She could only hear Huan'er calling out beside her repeatedly, "Madam, Madam..."
In this world, many things we yearn for and long for are lost and then regained, only to be lost again. They arrive in an instant and vanish in an instant, beyond our control. We only know not when we will meet again…
In the blink of an eye, several days have passed.
In the small village of Peach Blossom Shop, news spread overnight that Wang Er, a lazy bum, had betrayed his benefactor and colluded with outsiders to abduct Ruoxi, the esteemed guest of the old lady's family.
Of course, only the old lady, Huan'er, and Xiao Nizi knew the whole story.
On a bright spring afternoon, in the Xiaolong Society, located outside Taohuadian Village, nestled between mountains and rivers, Ruoxi, protected by two of Long En's subordinates, had just returned from gathering herbs in the mountains.
Just a few days ago, Ruoxi miraculously regained all her sight. Now, her world is as colorful and dazzling as ever.
As soon as she entered her room, took off her long veil, and straightened her clothes, a knocking sound rang out on the door, "Knock knock knock."
So she hurried to open the door, and upon seeing who it was, she exclaimed with delight, "Brother Long, you're here! Have you found the whereabouts of that family yet?"
"What, did I neglect you, Snapdragon? Is that why you're in such a hurry to leave?" Long En teased as he entered the room.
"How could that be? Brother Long, don't worry. Ruoxi just left some important things at that family's house. Besides, the old lady and maid of that family saved Ruoxi's life. No matter what, Ruoxi can't just leave without a word! Perhaps they are still worried about Ruoxi and are looking for her everywhere, which is not unreasonable?" Ruoxi explained to him anxiously.
Upon hearing this, Long En deliberately probed, "Oh? In that case, if we find that family and retrieve your things, you will stay in the Xiaolong Society and be my sister for life, how about that?"
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