After Huan'er understood his meaning, she was about to turn around and leave when Lu Tianlin quickly stood up and stopped her, saying, "No need, Madam, Miss Huan'er. Now that I have safely escorted you both home, I will not stay any longer. I have to go and take care of the matters my father has entrusted to me. Farewell, both of you, until we meet again!"
Seeing that her savior was about to leave, Huan'er, who had just turned to the side, was startled. Then, she stopped abruptly, her expression panicked and filled with anxiety.
However, because the old woman's scolding voice still echoed in her ears, she dared not utter another word. She could only frown and silently watch the old woman's extremely calm face, which seemed completely unmoved by the man's departure.
She desperately wished that her master would say something to keep her benefactor from leaving, at least allowing her to cook him a simple meal herself to show her gratitude.
The old woman, however, simply held her teacup, blowing away the green tea leaves floating on the surface, and casually said, "In that case, I won't keep you any longer, young master. Huan'er, see the guest out!"
Upon seeing this, Lu Tianlin's face seemed to show a hint of embarrassment, but he still suppressed the inexplicable puzzlement and confusion in his heart, and his bright eyes inadvertently fell on the old woman's wrist that was holding the teacup lid.
The saying goes, "An inch of sandalwood is worth an inch of gold." A string of sandalwood beads, renowned as the "wood of emperors," is incredibly precious in terms of both color and texture. Yet, it was now adorning the wrist of an old woman whose status seemed utterly incongruous with her impoverished rural home. The sandalwood beads were rare indeed, yet they looked strangely familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before.
After a moment of stunned silence, Lu Tianlin smiled slightly at him with feigned calmness, then turned and strode out of the house.
Huan'er hurriedly followed in his footsteps and rushed out the door.
Upon reaching the door, she held the reins and said to Lu Tianlin with great confusion, "Young Master Lu, I'm so sorry. Our old lady isn't usually like this. I don't know what's wrong with her today. She's never treated anyone like this before."
“Miss Huan’er, don’t worry about it. Perhaps your mistress was just shocked and is still in shock. It’s alright. You should go back quickly and take good care of her. If fate allows, we will meet again. Take care, Miss!” After saying this, Lu Tianlin took the reins from Huan’er and stepped onto the high back of his horse.
Then, with a shout of "Giddy up!", he spurred his horse and galloped off down the road he had come from, without looking back.
Huan'er was left standing alone at the door, silently watching his tall, imposing, and dashing figure walk away into the distance, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
After an unknown amount of time, Huan'er finally came to her senses and sighed helplessly as her gaze could no longer follow Lu Tianlin's graceful departure.
Just as she was about to turn and go inside, a clear, cheerful female voice, like that of a lark, called out to her, "Sister Huan'er!"
Upon hearing the sound, Huan'er quickly turned her head to look at her, then asked with delight, "Little girl, where are you going with such a heavy basket?"
The young woman stepped closer and lifted a corner of the bamboo basket lid, smiling as she said, "Sister Huan'er, this is a vegetarian bun and some refreshing mugwort cakes made by my mother using the very tender plantain leaves I picked from the foot of the mountain this morning, along with a few home-style side dishes and this delicious vegetarian soup. I hope you and the old lady can try some too. I'm so sorry I accidentally bumped into your guest on the night of the Lantern Festival."
Upon hearing this, Huan'er quickly declined, saying, "Little girl, what are you doing? We're all from the same village, why are you being so formal? Ruoxi isn't made of paper, what's the harm in bumping into her? Besides, you gave me a beautiful rabbit lantern that night. So, in that case, should I return a lantern to you? Take it back, take it back, you can eat it yourselves!"
"Sister Huan'er, please take it. My mother made too much, and it will all spoil if we don't eat it. It would be such a waste to throw it away!" the little girl insisted, pushing the bamboo basket.
Upon hearing this, Huan'er seemed unable to refuse any longer, so she reluctantly said with a troubled expression, "Alright, I'll accept it for now, but please don't do this again in the future, or the old lady will be unhappy."
Seeing that Huan'er finally accepted the bamboo basket from her hands, the little girl said cheerfully in a clear voice, "I know, Sister Huan'er."
At this moment, the little girl's smile gradually faded, and she hesitated before cautiously asking, "By the way, Sister Huan'er, are you and the old lady... alright?"
Upon hearing this, Huan'er suddenly looked up at the little girl's clear, bright eyes, and was momentarily stunned. How could someone have known about what they had just experienced so quickly?
She clearly didn't see anyone at the door when she came back. Could it be that she was frightened and hallucinating?
So Huan'er pursed her lips and pondered for a moment before replying, "Yes, although we were all a little frightened, it's alright. Everything will get better slowly. The old lady is no ordinary person; she can get through this."
The young girl breathed a sigh of relief and said repeatedly, "That's good, that's good. Everyone was worried about you guys earlier..."
Huan'er smiled faintly, but the little girl suddenly noticed the scars on Huan'er's face and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, Huan'er, what happened to your face?"
Huan'er immediately covered her face and lied, "Oh, it's nothing, I just did it by accident."
The young girl was a little puzzled, but thinking that the food in the bamboo basket might get cold soon, she finally said, "In that case, Huan'er, you should hurry back to take care of the old lady. You should also take care of yourself. My mother also told me to persuade you all not to worry too much. I believe that everyone will be able to find that girl for you. She is a good person just like you, and good people are always rewarded."
Huan'er suddenly felt something was off about what she was hearing. She grabbed the girl's slender wrist tightly and said, "What are you talking about? Who will definitely be found? Who's lost? Girl, what girl?"
"Sister Huan'er, your guest is the girl I accidentally bumped into on the night of the Lantern Festival. Didn't she go into the mountains with the woodcutter yesterday to treat Wang Er's illness? Later, it rained heavily in the mountains, and on her way down, she was swept up by a pine tree that had been struck by lightning and caught fire, falling down the hillside and disappearing. You...you didn't know?" Seeing Huan'er's astonished eyes, the little girl, whose wrist had been gripped so tightly by Huan'er, was also stunned for a moment.
"What?" Huan'er exclaimed in shock, involuntarily loosening her grip on the bamboo basket, which slipped quietly from her hands and fell to the ground, scattering colorful food all over the floor and emitting a rich, fragrant aroma.
At that moment, her whole body began to sway as if she was about to fall. The little girl quickly stepped forward and reached out to support her: "Sister Huan'er, Sister Huan'er, how could you not know? I thought you all knew. What exactly happened?"
"What about Wang Er?" After a long while, Huan'er came to her senses and asked weakly.
The young girl replied, "My mother said that when the girl arrived in the mountains, Uncle Wang was almost dead and had fainted. Although the girl was blind, she saved Uncle Wang with just a few silver needles. Now, apart from Uncle Wang recuperating at home, almost all the men in the village have gone into the mountains to look for the girl."
"Wang Er, you're dead this time!" Upon hearing this, Huan'er gritted her teeth, suppressing the raging anger in her heart, and suddenly stood up straight and ran towards Wang Er's house.
"Sister Huan'er, wait for me, Sister Huan'er..." The little girl glanced at the mess on the ground, and without bothering to clean it up, she shouted loudly as she chased after her.
Upon reaching Wang Er's dilapidated house, Huan'er slammed the door open and strode inside, shouting angrily, "Wang Er, Wang Er, you lazy bum, you ungrateful wretch! What have you done to deserve that Ruoxi, such a pure and innocent girl, would die for you? Now that she's in trouble, you're still sleeping soundly at home. Come out here, come out now! Today, I'm going to take your life! Get out here right now!"
Unexpectedly, when she entered the dark, dilapidated cave dwelling located at the foot of a not-so-high cliff on the north side of the courtyard, she found it empty and Wang Er nowhere to be seen.
Then, she stormed out in a rage, kicked open the broken door of the east kitchen, but it was still empty.
Wang Er's father's only skill was digging caves. Therefore, the cave dwellings in several households throughout Taohuadian Village were all built by Wang Er's father. Although his family's cave dwelling was dilapidated, it was quite sturdy, enough to shelter Wang Er for a lifetime.
Huan'er was wondering what was going on when the little girl chased after her. Huan'er angrily said to her, "Didn't you say Wang Er was recuperating at home? Where is he? I can't find him anywhere!"
The little girl was stunned for a moment, then a sudden idea flashed in her mind, and she said, "I know where he went! Come with me, I'll take you there!"
Before she finished speaking, she rushed over, grabbed Huan'er's hand, and ran out the door.
At this moment, Lu Tianlin, who had galloped a short distance from Huan'er's house, suddenly reined in his horse and stopped. He dismounted, took Huan'er by the hand, and slowly walked forward, frowning thoughtfully as he muttered to himself, "This old woman is clearly hiding many things, as if she's intentionally keeping many things to herself. Her appearance and temperament are so extraordinary. Even the noble ladies in the mansions of officials in the capital are not as elegant as her, let alone a woman who has spent most of her life in such a poor and remote place. She seems more like a... imperial concubine or something like that in the palace. Why do I feel so familiar with her demeanor and the air she exudes? Where have I seen her before? Where exactly have I seen her before..."
Just then...
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