Chapter 334 The Secret of the General Store
Consciousness was like being submerged in a warm body of water, chaotic and blurry.
Jiang Lingcai struggled to open her heavy eyelids when the smell of disinfectant entered her nostrils.
Her eyelids felt as heavy as if they were being pressed down by stones. She tried several times before she could barely open them a crack.
What came into view was not the palace with flying eaves of the capital city that I had imagined, nor the mountains and forests along the way, but a white ceiling, with a faint smell of disinfectant lingering in the air.
here it is?
Hospital?
What is she doing here?
Isn't she still on the border between the Great Yu Dynasty and the Great Sheng Dynasty?
This realization left her momentarily stunned.
Fragments of memory then surged forth.
After meeting Xiao Hou, Jiang Ling stayed in the courtyard where they were temporarily staying for a while, only to learn that Cheng Jiaojiao had been transferred to Dayu Dynasty, and that Zhao Jingxing, due to his special status, could not stay and had already returned to Dayu Dynasty.
Xiao Ran and a few soldiers were left behind to secretly investigate Jiang Ling's whereabouts.
Xiao Ran searched for her frantically for two months, but fortunately, his efforts were rewarded and he finally found her.
Jiang Ling remembered the opportunity that Hongxiu had risked her life to give her, so she dared not linger. As soon as it was light, she asked Xiao Ran to prepare a carriage to return to Dayu Dynasty.
Azhu and Shi Lao helped Jiang Ling escape, but they had no way to return to Shijia Village, so they could only go back to Dayu Dynasty with Jiang Ling.
The group took a shortcut towards the border. Nothing happened along the way, and they were almost at the territory of the Great Yu Dynasty.
Just then, the sound of horses galloping came from behind.
Fang Shijie personally led his troops in pursuit.
Although the few soldiers left behind by Zhao Jingxing were elite, they were no match for the large number of troops brought by Fang Shijie. As soon as the two sides clashed, they were at a disadvantage.
Xiao Ran and her men fought desperately, but they were no match for the enemy's fierce offensive. Just when they were about to be surrounded by the pursuers, a series of rapid hoofbeats came from afar. It was the First Prince Qin Qian who arrived in time with a troop of imperial guards.
Qin Qian, clad in full armor and wielding a long spear, charged into the enemy ranks and engaged Fang Shijie in fierce combat.
In the chaos, Jiang Ling's carriage was knocked about by the fleeing soldiers, and the coachman was also hit by an arrow and fell from his horse.
Seeing that the pursuers were about to reach the carriage, Jiang Ling didn't have time to think. She picked up the sleeping Nian An on her back and mounted the horse.
Jiang Ling had just ridden away when a sharp pain suddenly shot through his back, as if something had pierced his flesh.
She groaned and looked down at her side. An arrow with barbs was deeply embedded in her back, and blood instantly stained her clothes.
The little figure behind her struggled for a moment, whimpered a few times, and then fell into a deep sleep.
Nian An!
Excruciating pain swept through her entire body, and Jiang Ling's vision went black as she completely lost consciousness.
The memory paused for a moment at this point, and when it picked up again, it was of a military doctor treating her wounds in a simple tent.
The arrow had been removed and the wound had been bandaged. Everyone thought everything was fine, but Jiang Ling still had a high fever and was in a daze.
When I woke up again, I was in the hospital.
With too many questions in her mind, she tried to sit up abruptly, but a sharp pain shot through her back, causing her to groan and fall heavily back onto the pillow.
"Don't move!" A familiar voice, filled with urgent concern, rang out.
Jiang Ling turned her head and saw Mo Chen sitting by the hospital bed, holding a half-wet towel in his hand, his eyes showing fatigue and worry.
“Mo Chen…” her voice was terribly hoarse, “How…how did I get here? Where’s Nian’an? Where are A-Zhu and Old Shi? Xiao Ran…”
She only realized after asking that Mo Chen didn't recognize any of these people.
Jiang Ling insisted on sitting up: "No, I need to go back. Nian'an is still waiting for me..."
This is Hongxiu's child! This is the child Hongxiu risked her life to protect!
Mo Chen pressed down on her hand that wasn't receiving the IV drip, trying to keep his voice calm, "Jiang Ling! Nian An... he's gone..."
Jiang Ling felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, and her eyes reddened.
Is Nian'an gone?
I should have realized it sooner. She was so badly injured, with such a thick arrow fletching, how could that baby who was only a month old be alright?
Jiang Ling opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Tears rolled down her cheeks without warning, hot and burning.
Hongxiu, I'm so sorry...
You risked your life for my safety, yet I couldn't even protect your child...
Mo Chen picked up a towel and gently wiped away her tears, comforting her from the side, "It's all in the past, it wasn't your fault..."
Jiang Ling, her eyes brimming with tears, looked up in astonishment: "Do you know who Nian An is?"
Mo Chen nodded with a complex expression: "You've been unconscious for three days. Xiao Ran brought you back to the general store. You had a high fever, and the arrow wound on your back was severely infected. He was frantic and opened the iron gate of the general store. I happened to be looking for you at that time, and I was right at the door..."
It turned out that Xiao Ran was extremely anxious when she saw her dying state. Several groups of military doctors came to diagnose her, but they all said that there was nothing they could do to save her.
In desperation, he remembered the grocery store!
He believed that behind that iron gate, there must be a medicine that could cure Jiang Ling!
Although it was just a thought, he ignored the objections of others and rode his horse at full speed, determined to take Jiang Ling back to the general store.
When they arrived at the grocery store, Jiang Ling was already on her deathbed.
In his haste, Xiao Ran closed the wooden door. He searched for a long time before finding a way to open the iron door.
When Mo Chen saw him, his fingernails were bleeding from digging in his hands. He stood helplessly at the door, watching the passing vehicles and people.
Jiang Ling asked in surprise, "You've seen Xiao Ran?"
Mo Chen nodded. "He begged me to save you."
Xiao Ran was frantic and had no other choice, so she immediately knelt down before Mo Chen.
Jiang Ling closed her eyes, feeling a tightness in her chest.
She tried to calm herself down: "I need to go back. Xiao Ran can't open the wooden door. He'll be trapped in the grocery store."
Mo Chen paused, then said softly, "I opened it for him..."
Jiang Ling was stunned.
It turned out that Mo Chen took her to the hospital, and after Jiang Ling finished the surgery and was out of danger, the next day he remembered the boy's helpless look. Thinking that the boy might not be able to understand the situation, and with many questions of his own, he went back to the grocery store.
When the iron gate was opened, Xiao Ran was lying face down on the table, her face pale and her expression haggard.
Upon hearing the news that Jiang Ling was safe, a glimmer of light suddenly ignited in the boy's eyes.
"He said he'd been trapped for ten days and could only go back by opening the wooden door. But only you can open that door," Mo Chen said slowly, looking at her.
So, I gave it a try.
It was at that moment that he learned the secret of the grocery store.
The ward was quiet except for the regular soft beeping of the monitor.
The light from outside the window shone through the blinds, casting alternating lines of light and shadow on Jiang Ling's pale face.
She opened her mouth, but didn't know where to begin.
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