After listening to Hongmei's words, all the previous misunderstandings seemed to become clear in an instant, and the three people present all calmed down and fell silent to varying degrees.
In her two hands, Lanxiang held the two intertwined branches that she had just angrily dismantled, staring blankly at the dense yet clearly carved orchid marks on them.
While still lingering in the crowd watching, Yi Shangyun finally learned about all the unfortunate events that had befallen Lanxiang. At this moment, she too was filled with mixed emotions.
Suddenly, the large crowd that had been gathering to watch the spectacle began to chatter, pointing and gossiping about the three people. They said all sorts of things, some nice, some not.
"Turns out she was from a brothel."
"He's a child with a tragic fate."
"A handsome man and a beautiful woman, they are a perfect match, it's such a pity."
"How could such a perfect couple have ended up like this?"
"It's all that damned butler's fault!"
"Let's redeem the girl from her servitude and take her back as a concubine. Judging from the young master's wife's appearance, she's well-educated and reasonable; she shouldn't be a jealous woman."
"Oh dear, this won't do. They've been in that place for two years already. That young master looks refined and cultured, like a son of a respectable scholarly family. How could such a family accept a courtesan?"
......
Hearing the gossip and chatter of the onlookers, the white-robed young man finally came to his senses. He quickly stepped forward, grabbed Lanxiang's arm, and tried to drag her away. "Lanxiang, come with me. Today, even if I have to go bankrupt, I will redeem you. I'll take you home. This time, I will never let you go again. No one can stop us or separate us. I will marry you, believe me."
Upon hearing the white-robed young man's heartfelt and moving words, the onlookers all applauded him.
Hongmei stood quietly to the side, watching her husband solemnly declare to another woman the words she longed to hear but would never hear in her lifetime.
An ordinary woman would be filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred at this moment, but she couldn't.
Because she and her husband were childhood sweethearts, she only ever loved him and knew him too well.
Two years ago, the moment she stepped into her husband's house in the bridal sedan chair, she was prepared to accept a marriage that was destined to be in name only for the rest of her life.
In the past two years, she has never seen a smile on her husband's face. How much pain she must be in.
In this world, some loves, though not mutual, still move us deeply. Even if in the end, they may only touch our own hearts, life itself remains profound, like a priceless treasure, incomparably precious.
Hearing the white-robed young man's heartfelt words, Lanxiang struggled free from his grasp and, through gritted teeth, uttered these hurtful and cruel words: "Even if everything you've said is true, and it was all the steward's idea, and has nothing to do with you—fine, I, Lanxiang, will accept my bad luck. But now that you already have a wife, why have you come back to me? Look at your wife, gentle and virtuous, with an elegant and refined air, noble and graceful. And I..."
As soon as she spoke of herself, Lanxiang recalled the hardships and bitterness she had endured in Wanjiao Pavilion over the past two years, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes. She quickly raised her head high, trying to hold back the tears, then wiped away the tears that had already silently streamed down her face. She looked up at the sky, sighed softly, sniffed, and continued, "But I am a prostitute who is available to all men. How can you marry me again? Tell me, do you want to deceive me again, to hurt me again? I, Lanxiang, am no longer that naive little girl I once was. In this life, I, Lanxiang, will never fall for your tricks again, nor for anyone else's tricks, and will never allow myself to be insulted and manipulated by you."
"Why, why don't you believe me even now? It really wasn't me. How could I do that to you? I would never betray the vow I made to you back then: 'In this life, Erlang only wishes to have Lanxiang's heart, and stay with her until our hair turns white.' Even though you haven't been by my side these past two years, I have never broken my vow. Hongmei... Hongmei and I..." The white-robed young man shook his head and said emotionally after hearing Lanxiang's heartless and resolute words.
At this moment, Hongmei stepped forward quickly, interrupting the white-robed young man. As soon as she approached, she hurriedly reached into the white-robed young man's sleeve and pulled out a jade hairpin with a turquoise color and gold inlaid with magnolia blossoms.
Then he slowly walked towards Lanxiang. The white-robed young man stood there, stunned, staring blankly at Hongmei's back. Hongmei examined the jade hairpin in her hand and earnestly said to Lanxiang, word by word, "'Her spirit is like an orchid, never changing; her heart is like an orchid, never wavering.' Sister Lanxiang, do you still recognize this emerald green jade hairpin with gold inlaid magnolia flowers?"
Lanxiang stared in surprise at the object that looked all too familiar, slowly reaching out to take it. She looked at Hongmei, bewildered, and said, "This orchid hairpin... you..."
Hongmei sighed softly and said with a hint of sadness, "I've heard a little about Lanxiang and Erlang's story from Erlang over the past two years. I'm sure Lanxiang won't question the meaning behind this emerald green jade hairpin with gold inlaid magnolia blossoms. Isn't this the token of love that Lanxiang and Erlang exchanged back then?"
For two years, her husband, with whom she spent every day, harbored feelings for another woman. It was impossible for anyone not to feel jealous and resentful. Yet, Hongmei felt her husband growing increasingly melancholic, fearing he might develop a serious illness from this. This Erlang was indeed a gentle and kind husband, but unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, she could never truly enter his heart.
After a moment's recollection, Hongmei slowly began, "Sister Lanxiang, do you know that in these past two years, this orchid hairpin has never left Erlang's body, day or night? Even... even on our wedding night, Erlang spent it alone with this orchid hairpin. 'My spirit is like an orchid, unchanging; my heart is like an orchid, unwavering.' Erlang and I have yet to consummate our marriage."
"Her spirit is as pure as an orchid, never changing; her heart is as steadfast as an orchid, never wavering." How true this is to the red plum blossom herself!
Upon hearing this, Lanxiang instantly looked up at Hongmei, her eyes wide with surprise. "You..."
Just then, a young man dressed in simple civilian clothes suddenly emerged from the crowd with a fierce look in his eyes. He put one hand behind his back, concealing an extremely sharp short sword in his sleeve, and rushed towards Lanxiang with lightning speed.
A gentle breeze ruffled the man's sleeves, and the white-robed young master immediately spotted the sharp dagger hidden in the man's sleeve. Startled, he didn't have time to cry out, but hurriedly stepped forward and pushed Hongmei, who was blocking his way, to the ground. He then stepped aside and stretched out his arms to block Lanxiang, shouting, "Watch out!"
Immediately, the gleaming short sword pierced the white-robed young man's chest, and blood instantly stained his white robe.
"Lanxiang!" Yunyi exclaimed in surprise, the small sweets in her hand falling to the ground with a clatter. She rushed to Lanxiang's side in three steps.
Lanxiang was too weak to move and could only let the white-robed young man slowly slide to the ground. The two of them fell to the ground and embraced the white-robed young man.
"Lanxiang, back then... back then Erlang really did come back to your house to look for you. What Erlang said was true, but you moved away..." A sword pierced straight into the white-robed young man's heart. He frowned and spoke with great difficulty, seemingly on the verge of death. Blood flowed from the wound onto the ground, and Lanxiang held it tightly with her hand.
"Erlang, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Lanxiang knelt down beside him and hugged the white-robed young man, apologizing repeatedly.
Suddenly, thunder rumbled in the sky, and the rain and wind intensified, striking the petals on the branches and scattering the broken flowers all over the ground.
Suddenly, the white-robed young man exerted all his strength to crawl to the daphne tree beside him. He laboriously picked up the two branches that Lanxiang had angrily torn apart, handed one of them to Lanxiang, and looked deeply into her eyes. Lanxiang slowly reached out and took it, and the two of them tied a beautiful knot together.
At this moment, the white-robed young man suddenly laughed and said to Lanxiang, "In this life, I have always wronged you. In the next life, I will repay you."
Upon hearing this, everyone present wiped away tears.
At this moment, the white-robed young man finally smiled and slowly closed his deep eyes.
Lanxiang clung to the white-robed young man's shoulders, shaking him violently, her cries heart-wrenching, her voice hoarse with desperate cries, "Erlang, Erlang, Erlang, wake up! You can't sleep, wake up! Lanxiang doesn't want the next life, Lanxiang only wants this moment. This life, and all the future lives, Lanxiang cannot live without you. Lanxiang knows she was wrong, Lanxiang misunderstood Erlang, Lanxiang cannot live without Erlang, cannot..."
Clearly, the white-robed young man had completely left this world, leaving behind the two most important women in his life.
The wind and rain continue, the fallen flowers remain. "Flowers bloom and fall without regret, fate comes and goes like water. Flowers wither for flowers bloom, flowers fly for flowers grieve. Flowers grieve for flowers weep, flowers weep for flowers shatter. Flowers dance and fall with tears, flowers cry and petals fly. For whom do flowers bloom and wither, for whom do flowers grieve?"
"Sister Lanxiang, let Hongmei take Erlang home." After a long while, Hongmei said to Lanxiang, her voice choked with sobs, as she tightly clutched a light green silk handkerchief in her hand.
Upon hearing this, Lanxiang suddenly paused, thinking, "Go home."
Lanxiang slowly removed the black orchid jade hairpin from her hair. Her fair hand trembled incessantly as she held it in her hand, gazing at it for a long time before gently handing it to Hongmei. "In this life, Erlang and I were always deeply in love but our fate was shallow. This orchid jade hairpin originally belonged to Erlang. Now that he is gone, I don't want to keep it to remind me of him and add to my sorrow. You should put it among Erlang's belongings and bury it with him. It's best to be free of all attachments."
Hongmei nodded in agreement and reached out to take it.
Lanxiang withdrew her gaze and looked at the person in her arms again. With teary eyes, she reached out to smooth the black hair at the person's temples before gently putting the person down on the ground.
Half a day later, Lanxiang stumbled and staggered to her feet, gradually leaving the person on the ground behind her. The heavy rain washed over her eyes, and it seemed that no one could see how sad she was.
Just as she was overcome with grief and about to fall to the ground, Yi Shangyun rushed over and helped her up.
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