37 End
"The child is yours."
Cui Huaifeng was suddenly awakened from his sleep by the scorching temperature and choking smoke. He didn't know when the fire started in the house.
To make it easier for the pregnant Cui Huaifeng to move around, Jiang Yan streamlined and adjusted the furniture. The furniture was spaced far apart, but a blazing fire had already ignited near the wall.
Cui Huaifeng felt dizzy and, driven by his instinct to survive, ignored his discomfort and quickly got out of bed. The moment he stood up, his vision suddenly went dark and he nearly fell.
He held on, covered his mouth and nose with his hands, and squinted his eyes to look for a way out.
Cui Huaifeng first approached the nearest window and tried to push it open, but to no avail. He pounded on it, but it wouldn't budge. He had no choice but to seek another way out, but the clinker door was also sealed. The scorching heat behind him made him panic. He slowly turned sideways.
The flames were taller than him, the thick smoke was billowing up to the roof, and there was a terrifying light before his eyes. Fear consumed Cui Huaifeng.
The surrounding objects were already burning to varying degrees, and there was nothing he could use to break down the door. He pounded on the door frame with all his might, calling out Jiang Yan's name, but it was no use.
The temperature inside the room grew ever hotter, like being scorched by the sun. Cui Huaifeng's body grew heavier, his entire body aching. He clutched his stomach and slowly slid down, his vision blurring.
Before he fainted, he vaguely saw someone breaking in through the door.
Cui Huaifeng unconsciously thought, it must be Jiang Yan.
He was completely unconscious.
——
When Cui Huaifeng woke up again, he didn't know how much time had passed.
The feeling of stagnation after surviving the disaster made Cui Huaifeng unable to distinguish reality for a while.
He blinked and turned to look around. He was lying on a soft bed, with Jiang Yan sitting beside him. They were the only two in the room.
Jiang Yan heard his movement and suddenly raised her head from where it had been lowered. Her eyes were purplish and her complexion was a little pale, probably because she hadn't slept well in the past few days.
But what moved Cui Huaifeng the most was the shocking burns on her neck and arms, with ointment applied on the hideous scars.
Cui Huaifeng, who was originally in a numb and confused state, felt a sour feeling in his heart unconsciously.
"Jiang Yan..." Cui Huaifeng spoke in a hoarse voice.
Hearing his own voice, Cui Huaifeng finally felt the reality that he was still alive.
"Don't move, I'll get you a glass of water." Jiang Yan stood up and walked to the table. When she picked up the kettle, she noticed her arms exposed after rolling up her sleeves. She paused and hurriedly tried to untie her sleeves to cover the scars.
"Don't..." Cui Huaifeng stopped him weakly, "Wait until the medicine has completely seeped in before doing anything else."
Jiang Yan knew that he had seen it, paused, listened to Cui Huaifeng's words, put down his hand that was unbuttoning his sleeves, poured water instead, and walked to his side with the teacup.
Cui Huaifeng took a few sips, and the warm water flowed down his throat into his body, and the fatigue in his body seemed to be relieved a little.
Jiang Yan put the water cup aside and helped Cui Huaifeng lie down again.
Cui Huaifeng's mind gradually became clear, and he noticed that he also had burns of varying degrees, but not as severe as Jiang Yan's.
Cui Huaifeng's eyes fell on his abdomen. He looked at Jiang Yan worriedly, "Child..."
"The child is fine, Huaifeng, don't worry, Imperial Doctor Liu has already examined him."
"That's good. Where's Zheng Pu?"
"Zheng Pu was in the ear room. When I arrived, he had just escaped. Oh, and Zhu Jin also helped him during that time." Jiang Yan's thoughts were a little confused. After he finished speaking, he wondered at a loss whether he had expressed himself clearly.
Cui Huaifeng tilted his head, his eyes showing pity, and couldn't help but ask with concern: "Jiang Yan?"
Cui Huaifeng's gentle call touched Jiang Yan's heartstrings. She bit her lip and held back her tears, but she couldn't control them. They fell like broken glass beads. She stood up, took a step forward, and hugged Cui Huaifeng tightly.
"Fortunately, fortunately you are okay." Jiang Yan's voice was filled with tears.
"Huaifeng, I almost lost you forever... Huaifeng..." Jiang Yan's tears became more and more violent, and the suppressed emotions in her heart finally had an outlet. She tightened her arms, as if to embed him into her body.
Jiang Yan didn't dare to think about what would have happened if she had been a little later, something that would have made her regret for the rest of her life. The mere fact that Cui Huaifeng was in the sea of fire was enough to terrify her, not to mention the dazzling and terrifying scenes.
Cui Huaifeng's eyes flushed red as he reached out to hug Jiang Yan back, muttering, "I'm also afraid... that I'll never see you again..."
Jiang Yan buried her head in his neck, trembling and crying loudly.
The two hugged each other tightly, and only separated reluctantly after a long time.
Jiang Yan sniffed, his eyes sharp. "The arsonists have been found. They are the two thugs from before. They have been handed over to the Dingtong Prefecture for disposal. Three days later, they will be executed at noon."
"He deserves it." Cui Huaifeng commented simply.
——
The two of them recuperated in the yard rented by Jiang Yan. After a few days, Cui Huaifeng was able to walk.
With the care of Imperial Physician Liu, and with the help of high-quality medicinal herbs sent from the palace and those specially found, the two recovered quickly.
Everything seemed to have returned to the way it was before, except for the fact that when facing the burned courtyard, one could not help but feel sad.
——
On an ordinary day, the two were idle at home.
The sunny weather of the past few days turned cloudy. By the afternoon, the sky was covered with dark clouds. Soon, a light drizzle began to fall.
Because it was a light rain, the raindrops didn't make a loud noise when hitting the roof or the ground, but rather had a crisp and pleasant sound. As they flowed down from the eaves, they looked like silver threads that shimmered from time to time.
The air was filled with the cool scent of rain and a slight dampness.
In the distance, there was rain and fog, the mountain colors became blurred, the lines of the overlapping mountains became soft, and even the colors merged into different shades of green.
The view through the window was limited, just a frame of scenery. Jiang Yan simply opened the door and stood at the door, listening to the rain and watching the mountains.
Cui Huaifeng walked over to her side, and Jiang Yan asked with concern, "Are you cold?"
Cui Huaifeng shook his head, "Not cold."
"That's good."
Jiang Yan stared at the drizzle in the courtyard, then turned and smiled at Cui Huaifeng, "I still remember, it was also a beautiful rainy day like this, you took shelter under the eaves, and I fell in love with you at first sight."
Cui Huaifeng stared into her eyes and smiled gently.
"Before I met you, I had never thought about the existence of a husband, let alone spending the rest of my life with someone. These were all unimaginable to me. It wasn't until I met you that I was absolutely certain that you were the one I wanted to spend my life with."
Jiang Yan's straightforward and sincere words moved Cui Huaifeng.
Cui Huaifeng has always been trapped by his father's death and subconsciously fears hurt and betrayal.
He once thought that he might never get over it in his lifetime.
It wasn't until he escaped from the fire that he figured out a lot of things.
There were many misunderstandings between him and Jiang Yan, and they had quarrels and love affairs, but no matter what, Jiang Yan never gave up on herself.
She risked her life to save me, so why can't I trust her?
He wanted to believe in his lover, that maybe he wouldn't follow in his father's footsteps.
Cui Huaifeng stared into Jiang Yan's eyes and said word by word: "Jiang Yan, Zhao Qiuxin and I have never been husband and wife from the beginning to the end."
Jiang Yan didn't react at first, "What did you say?"
"I said, Zhao Qiuxin and I are not actually husband and wife." Cui Huaifeng repeated it again.
Jiang Yan opened his eyes wide and stood there in a daze.
Cui Huaifeng continued, "Since we got married, she and I have always slept in separate rooms and have never had...intimate contact."
Jiang Yan hadn't recovered from her shock yet. She tried to understand the meaning of his words, "So, you only have sex with me?"
Cui Huaifeng paused, his ears reddening, but he still said affirmatively, "Yes."
Jiang Yan suddenly thought of something, and her gaze turned to Cui Huaifeng's abdomen, "Then..."
Cui Huaifeng said seriously: "The child is yours."
“!”
Jiang Yan suddenly looked up at Cui Huaifeng, then lowered his head in disbelief and looked at his round belly again.
Cui Huaifeng patiently explained, "In order to avoid further entanglement and to anger you for forcing me, I said the child was Zhao Qiuxin's."
Jiang Yan finally understood this time. After being shocked, she reached out and carefully covered his soft abdomen, feeling the movements in his abdomen.
Jiang Yan laughed, a smile mingled with bitterness and emotion. He looked at the unborn life with tenderness and said, "This is... my child."
Jiang Yan squatted down, carefully held his abdomen, put his face close to it, and rubbed it affectionately.
Cui Huaifeng lowered his eyes, looked at his lover and the child in her belly and smiled slightly.
Jiang Yan laughed, it turned out that this lively little life was their child.
Before the love and affection for the child faded, a fierce ecstasy followed.
Jiang Yan stood up, hugged Cui Huaifeng excitedly, kissed Cui Huaifeng on the lips, and smiled foolishly at Cui Huaifeng. She didn't know how to better express her feelings at the moment.
Cui Huaifeng was infected by Jiang Yan's joy and felt very relaxed and happy.
"Wait," Jiang Yan realized belatedly. She had always been jealous of him for having someone else's child, and she'd been so jealous she'd never know how many times. She'd been sulking every day, and in the end, she was just competing with herself.
Jiang Yan said shamefully, "Before that, was I jealous of myself?"
Jiang Yan recalled the things he had done and said because of jealousy. His face flushed and he said awkwardly, "Huai Feng, you hid it from me so hard."
Cui Huaifeng was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
Jiang Yan was so embarrassed that she felt ashamed. Fortunately, she had a strong mental state, and Yu Xi, who knew the truth, was still shocked. After a while, she figured it out and hugged Cui Huaifeng.
The rain gradually stopped. Thin, smoke-like clouds drifted across the clear sky, and sunlight shone across the vast landscape. Raindrops shone like diamonds on the lush greenery in the courtyard, and the pear blossoms inside the house exuded a delicate fragrance.
Cui Huaifeng stared at Jiang Yan, his eyes filled with love that could not be hidden, "Jiang Yan, I love you, I want to stay with you forever."
Jiang Yan's heart was filled with sweetness. She interlocked her fingers with Cui Huaifeng and chuckled softly, "Me too. You are my only hope in this life."
END
【Author’s words】
The main text is finished, and the sweet things after marriage and the sweet things that were not included in the main text are put in the extra chapter.
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