Although Wei Jinglan came from a merchant family, her family was quite prestigious in the business world. As the eldest daughter in the family, she was expected to be highly regarded since birth. Her upbringing was no less than that of young ladies from aristocratic families.
From a young age, she grew up in the care and love of everyone. Who would have thought that just as she reached the age of 18, she would suddenly suffer a great calamity and be kidnapped by bandits from Jiuwei Mountain on her way to visit her family.
She spent a whole year on the mountain, enduring humiliation. She finally found a chance to escape and run home, expecting to be greeted by the warm embrace of her loved ones and a touching scene of her family weeping with joy. But the first person she saw was the family doctor.
When Wei Jinglan heard from the doctor that she had contracted a sexually transmitted disease, her defenses crumbled instantly. She had seen the women in the mountain village who had contracted the disease. Once they were found to be infected, their bodies would be destroyed immediately. Even the women in the same room who were not infected would have their entire rooms burned, because the disease was contagious.
Wei Jinglan was nearly driven mad, frantically questioning God.
"Why, why!" Her voice was hoarse and shrill, echoing in the courtyard.
"If I had known it would end like this, I should have killed that beast the first time he touched me."
"I endured humiliation and hardship, compromising and yielding, dragging this defiled body, all so that one day I could avenge my enemies and see my parents again. What did I do wrong? What did I do wrong?!"
Finally, amidst the heartbreaking cries, her father rushed over. But faced with her father's pained expression, she could only back away, trying to distance herself from him as much as possible. Naturally, she missed the fleeting ruthlessness beneath his pained face.
She was an ominous person stained with shame and sin, how could she bring further disaster to her family? Only by ending her own life could she avoid implicating others.
Now that she knows she doesn't have genital disease, Wei Jinglan should be happy. However, at this moment, there is no joy on her face, and her heart is filled with a deeper pain.
The doctor was highly skilled and had lived at home since she was born. How could he have misdiagnosed such a serious illness? He must have been acting under someone else's orders. And in that household, there could be no one else but her father who had the power and cunning to instruct the doctor.
It must be said that her father truly understood her. He knew that the word "chastity" alone was not enough to force her to die, so he added another layer of leverage and meticulously planned this deception, forcing her to take her own life in exchange for the peace of the family.
If Wei Jinglan hadn't thought of Xiao Chuan being all alone before she died, and hadn't wanted to send him some money, she probably would be dead by now.
Seeing Wei Jinglan huddled against the wall, sobbing uncontrollably, Xiao Chuan was terrified. "Sister Wei, what's wrong? You're not sick. We should be happy!"
After a long while, Wei Jinglan's crying gradually stopped. As if she had exhausted all her strength, she slowly turned her head and looked at Xiao Chuan. She no longer resisted his approach as before, but reached out and touched his face.
She forced a smile and said softly, "Yes, that's right, you should be happy, Xiao Chuan, I can take you home now."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chuan's eyes first lit up with joy, then hesitated, and he slowly lowered his head, not daring to look Wei Jinglan in the eye.
Meng Zhao, who had been keeping an eye on Wei Jinglan, was slightly relieved to see that she seemed to be in better condition. Seeing that the doctor had already written the prescription, he hurried up to receive it.
"Although it's not a serious illness, we can't ignore it. Put all the herbs on the prescription together, add three bowls of water, bring it to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat until only one bowl of water remains. Take it twice a day, morning and evening, and come back to me for a check-up in seven days."
Meng Zhao went out without money, but luckily Shen Qinghe had some, so he followed the old doctor back to get medicine.
The local temple was as cold as an icebox. Shen Qinghe knew that his sister-in-law wanted to help to the end, so before leaving, he said to Meng Zhao, "Sister-in-law, the road outside is slippery. You stay here for a while. We'll go back together after I get the medicine."
Meng Zhao nodded slightly and watched the three of them leave the land temple.
Wei Jinglan breathed a sigh of relief, gently wiped away the remaining tear stains from the corners of her eyes, and stood up with Xiao Chuan's help. She bowed to Meng Zhao with a slight tremor. Although her clothes were tattered and she looked quite disheveled, her inherent dignified demeanor could not be concealed.
"Thank you, young lady. If it weren't for you, Xiao Chuan and I would probably have frozen to death here, and I would have died with regrets."
Meng Zhao gave a warm smile, "It's alright. We're all women, and when we're out and about, we should look after each other."
A warm feeling welled up in Wei Jinglan's heart. "How much money did you spend on my medical treatment, young lady? Wait for me..." But as soon as she finished speaking, her expression quickly turned melancholy again.
She had originally intended to return the money to Meng Zhao double when she got home, but now, her family would probably only feel that having a daughter defiled by bandits was a disgrace to the family, and they would never acknowledge her again.
Meng Zhao took in Wei Jinglan's changing expression. Being thoughtful and considerate, she didn't press for details but instead told Xiao Chuan to start a fire to warm her up.
As the three sat down around the fire, Xiao Chuan suddenly remembered the two packets of braised meat and quickly took them out.
He glanced at Meng Zhao furtively, feeling a little guilty. Meng Zhao knew exactly what he was thinking, so he took the braised meat, placed it next to the fire, and handed it to the two of them after it had warmed up a bit.
Wei Jinglan naturally didn't want to die, so she and Xiao Chuan each shared a packet of food.
"It's delicious, so delicious! It tastes just like the braised pork I dreamed of eating."
The three sat around the fire and began to chat casually. "Miss Wei, where would you like to go once you recover?"
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