Chapter 3: A World of Difference Those words were too cold and harsh,...
The words were so cold and harsh that Ji Yunchan froze in place within a moment.
Watching Yan Heng riding away, she unconsciously grasped the cloak in her arms and remained in a daze for a while.
She finally couldn't help herself and buried her head in the soft fabric with a familiar scent that seemed from another world.
Breathe softly, softly.
She was afraid that the breath that no longer belonged to her would dissipate too quickly.
When I looked up again, the corners of my eyes were red.
He rubbed his cheek against hers affectionately, then took a deep breath of the cool air that filled the world, suppressing the bitterness in his heart.
She turned around and looked at the brightly lit prefectural mansion.
The sounds of singing and dancing could be heard faintly through several doors, and Ji Yunchan made a calm judgment in her heart.
During the banquet, the prefect was fawning and obviously afraid of Yan Heng. Moreover, he did not know the relationship between her and Yan Heng for the time being and was still in the trial stage.
At least for a period of time, the prefect will not act rashly against her.
Thinking of this, Ji Yunchan turned around without any reluctance.
The pitch-black street stretched as far as the eye could see, with only the faint red light of the lanterns behind him remaining, like the afterimage of the rich and powerful's feasting and drinking.
She walked towards home step by step, feeling a little scared.
If it weren't for this heart-wrenching recognition tonight, tonight would have been her wedding night.
Ji Yunchan closed her eyes.
After holding the cloak in his arms for a long time, its weight could not be ignored, and it also had the aura of Yan Heng, giving it a strong presence.
Ji Yunchan held it in her arms, like a precious treasure being given away.
Even though the weather is freezing, I am reluctant to put it on.
-
Ji Yunchan didn't know how she got home.
Until a voice called out and woke her from her trance: "Miss Ji."
Only then did Ji Yunchan realize that she was already standing at the door of her home. The mottled black lacquered door stood quietly, exuding an incomparable sense of security.
Neighbor Zheng Yong, Xiucai Zheng, had a somewhat nervous look on his handsome face.
She calmed down and put away all her thoughts.
Brother Zheng only has a widowed mother with poor eyesight. She also comes from a poor family, but he is willing to help her. He only left when it was so late at night.
Ji Yunchan focused her eyes, met the other party's concern, and whispered: "Brother Zheng, I'm fine."
Zheng Yong watched as his voice relaxed.
He then said, "Aunt Ji drank the medicine and is now resting. The doctor said it was just anger attacking her heart. Now that her spirit has calmed down, she will be fine."
Ji Yunchan was worried all night and finally got good news.
She breathed a sigh of relief and sighed sincerely, "God bless you."
Then he turned to Zheng Yongfu without hesitation, "Thank you very much, Brother Zheng, for your care this time."
After a pause, he continued, "I will return the money you paid for the doctor's visit tomorrow when I have enough money."
Zheng Yong was about to say "It's okay", but after hearing the last sentence, he seemed to be hesitant to speak.
His eyes fell on the dress in Ji Yunchan's hand. It was a dark cloak, thick and smooth. It was obvious that it was not something that ordinary people could afford.
Zheng Yong felt a little uneasy.
Ji Yunchan followed his gaze and lowered her eyes to catch a glimpse of the cloak.
The bitterness in her heart that had been suppressed for a while surged up again, and she didn't know how to speak for a moment, "This is..."
Zheng Yong has studied for many years and understands the etiquette of a gentleman.
Seeing her hesitation, he restrained himself from asking any more questions. He just shook his head and told the truth: "I didn't pay for the doctor's visit."
Ji Yunchan was puzzled.
"Half an hour ago, a few unfamiliar men came by. They looked like someone's guards. They not only paid the doctor's consultation fee, but also repaired the house and left silver and charcoal."
Zheng Yong said as he looked at her.
Ji Yunchan's expression did not change, but she concealed her expression and lowered her eyes to look at the snow on the ground.
Looks like it's very sad.
He paused, his words still in his mouth, and then said, "Miss Ji, please go in and see Aunt Ji."
Ji Yunchan nodded twice, said "hmm" softly, and pushed the door open.
Zheng Yong stood there, looking at Ji Yunchan's figure, lost in thought for a moment.
-
The moment Ji Yunchan pushed open the door, heat hit her in the face.
The originally dilapidated hut was now lit with a bright oil lamp, the leaky windows were repaired, and charcoal was burning in the stove on the ground, making the warmth seem like another world.
Seeing her come back, her younger brothers and sisters came to greet her worriedly.
Her younger sister Ji Yun'e hugged her and couldn't help crying: "Eldest sister, you are back..."
"Is the eldest sister okay?"
My younger brother Ji Qinnian stood aside and asked anxiously.
Ji Yunchan patted Ji Yun'e's thin back, her eyes slightly warm, "Don't worry, I'm fine."
Ji Qinnian breathed a sigh of relief and clenched his fists in slight annoyance.
As a man, I need my sister to protect me from the wind and rain. I just wish I could grow up overnight.
At the same time, he remembered something strange. The group of people who came half an hour ago did not say they were there to reward people, nor did they introduce themselves. Their behavior was not like that of people from the prefectural government.
He secretly followed them out and saw them completing a mission with someone.
It was too far away, and Ji Qinnian could hardly see clearly. He only vaguely felt that the man's voice was familiar.
He was about to speak, but was interrupted by his second sister's crying.
"It's all my fault..."
Ji Yun'e sobbed, "If I hadn't broken that bottle, mother wouldn't have vomited blood, and sister wouldn't have risked her life."
Ji Yunchan wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said, "Silly sister, if you didn't break the vase today, you will break the teapot tomorrow. I will definitely make you do this."
"You've fallen into someone's trap."
Her sister is kind-hearted and doesn't understand all the twists and turns.
Ji Yunchan had to think more.
Her mother's blood had distracted her and she had no time to think about anything else. Now that she thought about it carefully, it was not just Yun'e who had fallen into the trap.
I'm afraid that even the person who came to deliver the message to Yun'e was detained because he planned it and wanted her mother to hear it.
But at its core, this was the Hongmen Banquet aimed at her.
Ji Yunchan just felt cold all over.
In the past, when she was in Beijing, her father was an upright official and her uncle was also clear-headed, which made Ji Yunchan feel that officials should care about the people and be diligent and self-disciplined.
Once you fall into trouble, you will realize that there are such people who bully others by taking advantage of their power.
If it weren’t for Yan Heng tonight... Ji Yunchan’s heart felt swollen and bitter when she thought of this name.
Ji Yun'e didn't listen to Ji Yunchan's words.
She thought that the doctors and guards who came at that time were not what ordinary families could hire. No matter how she thought about it, she felt that her sister had sacrificed herself to feed the tiger, in exchange for peace for the family.
Looking at the cloak that Ji Yunchan was holding in front of her, he became more certain of his guess.
Her tears flowed even more violently, and she hesitantly asked, "If nothing happened, whose clothes are they?"
It was at this moment that Ji Qinnian remembered that it was Chang Sui who was beside Brother Yan.
His expression changed for a moment, and he interrupted hurriedly: "Second sister!"
After saying that, he carefully looked at his eldest sister's expression.
But he said it was too late.
Ji Yunchan just blinked, and two tears fell from her eyes unconsciously.
Then he lowered his eyes, avoiding the question, wiped his eyes casually with his hands, and said:
"I'll go see how Mom is doing first."
He lifted the curtain and went into the inner room.
Ji Yun'e was a little confused by her brother's shout, and when she saw her elder sister crying and ignoring them, she became even more anxious, "What do you know?"
"Second sister, the people coming tonight are not from the prefectural government."
Ji Yun'e was puzzled.
Ji Qinnian watched his elder sister disappear behind the curtain with a complicated expression. He lowered his voice and whispered, "I'm afraid my elder sister... met Brother Yan."
"Then this cloak..." Ji Yun'e looked down at the clothes left on the table, stopped talking halfway, and looked worriedly at the swaying curtains in the inner room.
When Ji Yunchan entered the room, she wiped the tears from her eyes.
Mrs. Ji had been sleeping restlessly. When she heard someone coming in, she struggled to get up. Seeing that it was Ji Yunchan, she stretched out her hand from a distance: "Yuanyuan..."
Ji Yunchan hurried over to help, "How do you feel now, mother?"
"Mom, it's okay. It's okay."
Madam Ji shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. She was weak from her illness, but she didn't care about that. She pulled Ji Yunchan over to sit down, and tremblingly held her hand tightly, "Yuanyuan... Has my Yuanyuan been bullied?"
"No."
Ji Yunchan shook her head and sighed, "My daughter is back safely."
It seemed like he was comforting Mrs. Ji, but also like he was talking to himself.
After this incident, Mrs. Ji felt that her daughter was too sensible.
She totally didn't believe it. Her daughter had been worried about her health and had kept it a secret from her for many days, always reporting good news but not bad news. If she hadn't happened to see it, she would have been completely unaware of the damn prefect's dirty thoughts about her daughter.
How could Mrs. Ji not know the filth behind those in power?
She blamed herself too much, and her sick body trembled as she pulled Ji Yunchan towards her, and her other hand eagerly turned up her sleeves and lapels.
"Mom...I really..."
Ji Yunchan looked at her expression and movements, feeling extremely sad.
She wanted to hold her mother's hand, but she couldn't stop herself.
"Did that bullying official touch you?"
Mrs. Ji cried, but her hands kept moving: "Don't be afraid, Yuanyuan, tell mother..."
"Mother...mother!"
Ji Yunchan grabbed her mother's hand, stopping her movements. Even the tip of her nose felt sore, and she was forced to speak:
"I met Yan Heng."
Upon hearing this, Madam Ji paused, her eyes filled with surprise and lingering heartache as she asked again, "Who?"
"Yan Heng."
Ji Yunchan lowered her eyes, not daring to look into Madam Ji's eyes.
He spoke as if he were telling a vague dream:
"He returned triumphantly, and my daughter ran into him at the prefectural government office. He helped me out."
Mrs. Ji naturally knew about their past.
Mrs. Ji saw how pure the friendship between the childhood sweethearts was, and she only blamed her husband for not choosing the right person, and for choosing the wrong side, which led to the complete loss and separation of the lovebirds.
Ever since the Yan family left Beijing, the name "Yan Heng" has become a taboo that cannot be mentioned in front of the eldest daughter.
Mrs. Ji just felt distressed and she wiped away Ji Yunchan's tears.
"Did he give you a hard time?"
She stuffed the handkerchief into Ji Yunchan's palm and held her hand.
Afraid that she would choke up if she opened her mouth, Ji Yunchan said nothing and shook her head.
Mrs. Ji felt a little relieved.
As a mother, she naturally had to make plans for her child. She tentatively said in a gentle voice, "I helped you out and sent you a lot of things..."
Madam Ji hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Now that you've run into the Yan family's kid again, what are Yuanyuan's plans?"
Ji Yunchan had never considered this issue at all.
She just tried to forget.
It's like trying to forget the rainy night when I abandoned him, which always lingers in my mind.
Her chest felt tight, and she closed her eyes, taking inaudible breaths to ease the pressure. However, everything that happened that night kept coming to mind.
She held a heavy umbrella and looked down at Yan Heng on the wall with a cold gaze: "Don't think about it, Yan Heng, I won't wait for you."
The rain was slippery, and he swayed twice in the familiar place where he had squatted hundreds of times, and then fell down like a wet kite.
The man, who was always dressed in fine clothes and riding a horse, didn't care about the mud and injuries on his body. He stumbled forward and grabbed her sleeve, his eyes full of panic, and his voice was hoarse and painful: "Yuanyuan...what did you say?"
"Don't be so sentimental, Yanheng. The person I want to marry is this year's new top scholar, not you, whose family has been exiled to the border and has no future."
She spoke lightly, lowering her eyes to look at her sleeve which was stained as she was being pulled by him.
"Shut up!"
She turned from her clothes to his face.
Yan Heng's eyes were red, and there were two scratches on his forehead, which were washed by the rain, making his pale face look brightly reflected.
She looked into his eyes and said word by word:
"...I've never liked you either."
The flickering lantern in his hand went out with a puff.
Just like Yan Heng’s eyes.
He stood up shakily, his thin lips trembling:
"Ji Yunchan, don't regret it."
......
Do you regret it?
Ji Yunchan never dared to think about it.
From the beginning to the end, there was only one option: "escape", because she knew clearly that no matter what, the answer would almost be humiliating.
Her eyes were red and tears were about to fall.
Mrs. Ji sighed when she saw her daughter like this:
"Mother watched him grow up. Although the Yan family's child has a bad temper outside, he treats you with sincerity."
The lights were bright, and Mrs. Ji was talking in a murmur:
"My daughter Yuanyuan has her own difficulties... I've talked to her about it..."
Ji Yunchan couldn't hold it in any longer. She shook her head vigorously, and tears fell with the movement, leaving dark marks on the mattress.
"You don't know, mother, you don't know..."
You don’t know that Yan Heng’s expression and every cold word he said seemed to be mocking you.
He looked at me as if I were a dead leaf on the road.
Ji Yunchan buried her head in her mother's lap, sobbing:
"You don't know, he has changed..."
He no longer likes me.
After fighting for so long, Yan Heng's appearance seemed to have poked a hole in her strong shell.
Ji Yunchan cried breathlessly in front of her mother.
She felt both grateful and guilty towards Yan Heng, but she had no desire to rekindle their past relationship with him.
Through her tearful eyes, she thought desperately yet realistically that he did not retaliate against her, but helped her instead. He was so generous.
The general who conquered twelve cities in a row had such great military achievements.
But one day, I fell into the quagmire and became a slave to be driven by others.
There is a world of difference between the two.
It's already like this.
Ji Yunchan closed her eyes and thought in self-abandonment:
At worst, I just don’t need to appear in front of him again.
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