For three days, Chang Lili was obsessed, unable to eat or drink, spending all her time reading books about mechanical arts day and night, constantly practicing her movements.
She never went back to bed to sleep; she just kept reading books until she was too tired to keep her eyes open.
Her mother-in-law didn't want her to do this, but she also knew how important this was to Chang Lili. There was a life-or-death battle waiting for her to fight.
She then took meticulous care of her every day, and spent the rest of her time praying devoutly to God.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. On the morning of the third day, Chang Lili suddenly opened her eyes, feeling as if the past three days had been a long dream.
A few slivers of white light shone through the window; it was still dark outside. Chang Lili couldn't fall asleep any longer. Her heart was pounding faster and faster, almost bursting out of her chest, filled with anticipation and nervousness.
After quickly dressing and tidying her hair, she opened the door and found someone already sitting in the courtyard.
Dressed in black and white, his tall figure was accentuated by his long, ink-black hair. He turned his head to the side, his gaze distant, his thoughts seemingly wandering elsewhere. His slender fingers tapped the stone table absently, suggesting that he was far from at peace.
Chang Lili's heart, which had been pounding with nervousness, calmed down a little.
She smiled brightly, walked over, and pretended to be angry, saying, "Meng Yuxiu, how dare you trespass on someone's property so early in the morning?"
Meng Yuxiu turned to look at her, his gaze like ripples on spring water. Chang Lili felt a warm sensation throughout her body, and her body felt a little weak.
She was startled to discover that Meng Yuxiu's eyes seemed to speak.
“I’m just sitting in my own house, how can that be considered trespassing?” he said righteously.
Chang Lili blushed slightly, feeling a little guilty and unwilling to look at him: "I'm going to wash up."
When she finished washing up and came out, she saw that there was already white porridge and steamed buns on the stone table.
Meng Yuxiu naturally served her some white porridge and steamed buns, but this time she didn't seem as impatient as usual.
Holding the steamed bun, she was as obedient as a child. Watching Meng Yuxiu take a few bites, she frowned, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
"What's wrong? Are you so scared you can't eat?" Meng Yuxiu asked provocatively.
Chang Lili frowned and exclaimed, "How could that be?" Then her expression darkened. "I just... I just wanted to ask if this was a farewell party for me?"
Meng Yuxiu's gaze softened: "Don't be afraid, I'll go with you. Eat well, and we'll leave as soon as we're full. We'll come back as soon as possible."
Chang Lili nodded, took a bite of her steamed bun, and glanced at her mother-in-law's room. Her mother-in-law, who always got up early, had her doors and windows tightly closed.
For once, she found the food tasteless, but she still forced herself to eat steamed buns and congee.
"Don't worry, I'll stay with you." Meng Yuxiu looked at her absent-minded expression, took her hand, and said softly.
Chang Lili looked at her mother-in-law's still tightly closed door and felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.
"I'm going to see my mother-in-law." She broke free from Meng Yuxiu's hand and went to her mother-in-law's room.
It was already daylight, and she couldn't help but worry that her mother-in-law hadn't gotten up yet; perhaps something had happened.
"Mother-in-law!" she knocked hard on the door.
"Hey!" came a response from inside, as if the people inside had been waiting for someone to visit.
The pain of separation was even more intense, the soreness spreading from the depths of my heart to the corners of my eyes and brows.
"I...I have to go." She wanted to say a few more words to her mother-in-law, to comfort her, and she had countless clever ideas in her mind to make her laugh, but now, she didn't know what to say and could only say this palely.
There was no response from inside for a long time. After a while, the old voice rang out with a slight tremor: "I'll be here waiting for you to come back."
Tears welled up in her eyes instantly. Chang Lili wiped them away, took a few steps back, knelt down, and kowtowed three times to the door of her mother-in-law's room.
As she straightened up, a pair of strong hands behind her helped her up, and she was instantly pulled into an embrace.
"Maybe you shouldn't go. If you want to learn mechanical arts, I can think of another way. The Light Machinery Division is under my jurisdiction, and I can directly place you in it." A gentle voice came from above, which should have been reassuring.
Upon hearing this, Chang Lili broke free from his embrace and said stubbornly, "That won't do. I want to enter the Light Machinery Department openly and honestly, based on my own abilities."
Her face was still wet with tears, but her expression was resolute.
Meng Yuxiu looked at her, his face showing helplessness but unable to hide his doting: "In that case, I'll go with you."
Chang Lili didn't say a word, grabbed him and walked out as fast as the wind: "Alright, didn't you say you'd come back soon?"
In the Scarlet Smoke Palace, Xiao Shu'er sat at the table with a cold expression, while the maids beside her, including Bai Mei, were on tenterhooks.
Everyone glanced knowingly at the teacup beside Xiao Shu'er, sensing that the newly replaced teacup was likely to bring bad luck.
"Want to live happily ever after?" Xiao Shu'er's eyes were filled with hatred as she sneered, "Dream on! They've gone to the wilderness? Follow them and let them both die in the desolate wilderness!"
Bai Mei nervously agreed and left the hall, relaying the order to the assassin who had been watching Chang Lili.
Upon exiting the general's mansion, what awaited them at the gate was not the carriage of yesteryear, but a magnificent black horse with a glossy sheen.
Meng Yuxiu mounted his horse first and reached out his hand to Chang Lili, but Chang Lili was stunned.
Although the general kept a low profile when he went out, everyone on the street turned their attention to him. First, they stared at the general with delight, and then they stared at the direction Meng Yuxiu reached out.
Chang Lili and Meng Yuxiu's intimacy is too conspicuous, but thinking about it, there have been enough rumors about her and Meng Yuxiu, and their intimate actions before were no less numerous.
The moment her hand touched Meng Yuxiu's warm palm, she felt a strong force pull her into the air. When she came to her senses, she was already sitting on the horse, held in Meng Yuxiu's arms.
With a clear "Giddy up!" from Meng Yuxiu, the steed reared up and neighed for a moment, then galloped off like an arrow released from a bow.
Soon they left the city and arrived in the suburbs. The further they went, the more remote and desolate it seemed.
"We didn't go the wrong way, did we?" The horse slowed down, and Chang Lili looked around in disappointment.
In her imagination, the location of the trap array must be in a magnificent place, such as the deep palace or a military stronghold, heavily guarded by soldiers.
But to some extent, they look like they've arrived in a deserted place.
Meng Yuxiu replied, "That's right, we'll be there soon."
He soon stopped in an obscure place, overgrown with weeds, where it was impossible to tell what kind of trap or array it was.
After dismounting, Chang Lili looked around suspiciously, but Meng Yuxiu slapped the horse's rump, and the horse immediately disappeared.
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