Chapter 23 My responsibility is to protect you.
The rain, like mist, silently soaked into the courtyard.
Tang Xiaoning and Li Minghua stood side by side under the eaves of the covered walkway, with a light drizzle outside creating a hazy gray curtain.
"Oh, it's raining!" Tang Xiaoning exclaimed softly, her fair fingertips peeking out from under the eaves. A few cool raindrops immediately spread across her palm, bringing a slightly itchy coolness.
She subconsciously withdrew her hand, but her fingertips unconsciously rubbed against her side, leaving a trace of rainwater.
Upon hearing this, Li Minghua tilted his head slightly and looked up at the leaden-gray sky.
The rain was light, but fine and continuous, quickly spreading dark watermarks on the bluestone slabs.
A damp breeze slanted into the corridor, carrying the chill of autumn rain.
Almost simultaneously, Li Minghua subtly stepped to the side, his broad shoulders perfectly positioned to block the rain and cool breeze that drifted in.
Her gaze remained calmly fixed ahead, and her tone was as indifferent as ever: "Yes, let's go."
He raised his arm slightly, placing it protectively beside Tang Xiaoning, indicating that she should walk on the drier and safer inner side.
A warm feeling swept through Tang Xiaoning's heart, and she followed with light steps.
She habitually moved slightly closer to Li Minghua's side, and faintly smelled the clean scent of soap on him mixed with the ink fragrance of the study. This familiar scent relaxed her tense nerves a little.
The two walked along the veranda towards the front yard, their footsteps sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet sound of the rain.
As soon as they passed the moon gate, the sight in the rain ahead made them both stop in their tracks.
A slender figure, none other than Liu Yiyi, was carrying a bundle of firewood that looked much heavier than her, trudging along from the kitchen toward the woodshed in the backyard.
She clearly hadn't expected the rain; she hadn't brought an umbrella, nor even a raincoat.
The cold rain dampened the stray hairs on her forehead, strands clinging to her pale cheeks. The coarse cloth shirt on her shoulders darkened considerably, clinging heavily to her body.
The firewood seemed to be overburdened; she staggered, each step precarious.
"Watch out!" Tang Xiaoning's exclamation had barely left her throat when Liu Yiyi slipped and stepped into a shallow puddle under the corridor.
"Ouch!" With a short cry of surprise, she and the bundle of firewood fell heavily to the ground.
Mud splashed everywhere, instantly staining half of her body and cheeks, while a few pieces of firewood rolled to the side.
She lay sprawled in the cold, muddy water, struggling to get up, but a sharp pain shot through her left ankle, causing her to fall back down. She tried several times, but to no avail.
Rainwater mixed with mud dripped down her chin, and she finally couldn't hold back anymore, letting out a suppressed sob, her thin shoulders heaving helplessly beneath her soaked clothes.
"Ah!" Tang Xiaoning's heart clenched suddenly, and she almost instinctively gasped.
"A self-inflicted injury!" This thought instantly coiled around Tang Xiaoning's heart like a cold, venomous snake.
She abruptly turned to look at Li Minghua, her voice low and urgent: "Don't go! Minghua, she's definitely faking it!"
Her hands moved faster than she could think, gripping Li Minghua's strong forearm tightly with her fingers, as if she could pin her to the spot.
Her gaze was fixed on Li Minghua's calm profile, trying to find a trace of agreement within it:
"Look at this! There are so many people in the kitchen, how come she got to do such heavy work as moving firewood? And she had to pick a spot where we were passing by? This is too deliberate!"
Not far away, two maids carrying food boxes also saw this scene, and couldn't help but stop, tugging at each other's sleeves and whispering:
"Oh, it's Miss Liu..."
"I fell really hard, I think I twisted my ankle..."
"How pitiful, such heavy rain..."
Their voices were soft, but they drifted clearly through the silent rain, carrying undisguised sympathy.
This made Tang Xiaoning's heart sink even further.
Li Minghua's gaze pierced through the rain, fixing firmly on Liu Yiyi's left ankle, which was trying to exert force but could not support its body.
Having practiced martial arts for many years, she is extremely familiar with the human body's bones, muscles, and pain responses.
Her ankle was unnaturally tilted to one side, and every attempt to move it was accompanied by Liu Yiyi's body trembling violently and her face contorting with pain. This was something that could not be faked so convincingly.
Moreover, judging from her visual estimation, the bundle of scattered firewood was indeed not a weight that an ordinary, frail woman could easily move.
“She really did sprain her ankle.” Li Minghua’s voice remained steady and low as she stated a fact she had observed.
She didn't break free from Tang Xiaoning's tight grip, but she also didn't look away from Liu Yiyi.
"That...that's none of your business!" Tang Xiaoning's voice already carried a hint of sharpness and grievance that she herself didn't even realize.
She even subconsciously took half a step forward, placing half her body between Li Minghua and Liu Yiyi in the rain, blocking her view.
"Are all the servants in charge of the household just for show? Uncle Fu! Where is Uncle Fu?" She raised her voice and anxiously looked around, trying to find the steward.
Even when her gaze swept over the two whispering maids, there was a hint of barely perceptible irritation.
Just then, Liu Yiyi seemed to hear their voices and Tang Xiaoning's shouts.
She struggled to lift her head, rainwater mixed with tears streaking her muddy face, making her look exceptionally disheveled and pitiful.
The moment her gaze pierced through the rain and caught sight of Li Minghua, a glimmer of hope shone in her clear, bright eyes.
"Heroine..." Her voice was choked with sobs, broken and weak, as if she had used up all her strength, "I...I'm fine...really...don't worry about me..."
She said she refused, but her eyes, brimming with tears, pleading, and dependent, were fixed on Li Minghua, unblinking.
Li Minghua gazed silently at the girl in the rain. Her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she were weighing something.
Tang Xiaoning could clearly feel the muscles in the arm she was holding tighten for a moment.
She looked up at Li Minghua's sharply defined jawline, so close to her face, and the unease in her heart grew wildly like vines, almost suffocating her.
She knew Li Minghua too well. Beneath that seemingly cold exterior lay a heart softer than anyone else's, especially towards the truly vulnerable in distress.
Her grip on Li Minghua's arm tightened, her knuckles turning bluish-white from the force, and her voice held an undisguised pleading tone, trembling almost imperceptibly:
"Minghua... let's go... please? Please..."
Li Minghua finally lowered his head slowly.
Her gaze fell on Tang Xiaoning's hand, which was gripping her arm tightly and trembling slightly. Her fair knuckles looked particularly fragile from the force of her grip.
She could clearly feel the coldness from Tang Xiaoning's palm and his undisguised panic.
He looked up and met Tang Xiaoning's eyes, which were filled with anxiety, unease, and a strong possessiveness. Those eyes seemed to be telling of fear.
She feared that intruders would steal away the intimacy and peace she had worked so hard to build.
In the next instant, Li Minghua made a decision.
She gently raised her other hand, her warm, dry palm soothingly covering Tang Xiaoning's cold hand, and said softly and clearly, "Wait for me, I'll be right back."
Then, she slowly pulled her arm away from Tang Xiaoning's stiff fingers.
The sensation of the fabric sliding across her fingertips sent Tang Xiaoning's heart sinking into an icy abyss.
Li Minghua took off the thin woolen cloak he used to block the wind from his shoulders and stepped into the cold rain without hesitation, heading straight for the figure lying in the mud, shivering.
Her steps were steady and swift, without any hesitation.
Tang Xiaoning's hand was still frozen in mid-air, as if the warmth and touch of grasping the other person's arm still lingered.
The cold raindrops fell on Tang Xiaoning's face, and she felt a chill that went straight to her bones, not just physically.
But after doing all this, Li Minghua did not step forward, but suddenly turned around.
Suddenly, before Tang Xiaoning could react, her wrist was gripped by a warm and firm force. Li Minghua pulled her along, and she staggered towards the other end of the covered walkway.
Li Minghua's steps were decisive and swift, without the slightest hesitation, carrying an undeniable air of authority.
"Huh?" Tang Xiaoning exclaimed in surprise, almost tripping, and could only follow the other person's steps in a daze.
She could clearly feel the heat and strength emanating from Li Minghua's palm; the force was even somewhat urgent, causing a slight pain in her wrist.
Without turning his head, Li Minghua's clear voice pierced through the pattering rain, reaching a young servant who had just run towards him upon hearing the sound:
"A-Gui, quickly help Miss Liu up, be careful of her ankle! Go and fetch Doctor Hu immediately to examine her injury!"
"Yes, Miss Li!" The servant named Agui bowed and replied hastily, not daring to be negligent in the slightest, and ran towards Liu Yiyi, who was still sobbing in the mud.
Li Minghua didn't stop walking. He pulled Tang Xiaoning along, almost dragging and protecting her, and quickly passed through the moon gate that separated the front and back yards.
The world seemed to fall silent suddenly, with only the sound of rain dripping from the eaves and the sound of footsteps passing each other.
Li Minghua stopped abruptly and released his grip on Tang Xiaoning's wrist only after they stepped into a drier, more sheltered corridor.
The sudden pull away sent a chill down Tang Xiaoning's spine, and a certain support vanished for a moment.
Tang Xiaoning was still in a dazed and confused state, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest.
The relief of surviving the ordeal washed over me like warm spring water, followed by a surge of contempt and anger towards Liu Yiyi's despicable methods.
However, what truly gave her the upper hand and filled her heart with sweetness was Li Minghua's decisive and almost forceful manner in taking her away.
A hint of smug satisfaction crept up her eyes and brows.
"You...how could you..." She raised the wrist that had been held, and subconsciously used her other hand to gently stroke the remaining warmth and finger marks. She stammered, not knowing what to ask.
Should we ask her how she saw through Liu Yiyi? Or should we ask her why she was so decisive?
Or perhaps... ask her if there was something else going on in that tight grip she just held?
Li Minghua turned around to face her.
Her breathing was slightly rapid from her brisk walk, but her expression had regained its usual calm. Only her deep eyes seemed brighter than usual.
"She is indeed injured, and the servants in the manor are capable of handling it."
Her voice was steady and resolute, as if stating a truth, “If we stay there, it will not help.” She paused, her gaze falling on Tang Xiaoning’s slightly reddened wrist, then slowly moving to her eyes, adding, “It will only add to the trouble and cause more worry.”
Tang Xiaoning blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering like startled butterfly wings: "You...you realized she did it on purpose?"
She asked the question that had been lingering in her mind, with a hint of cautious inquiry.
Li Minghua slowly shook his head, a few strands of hair at his temples, dampened by the rain drifting in from outside the corridor, swayed gently.
"Whether it was intentional or not is none of my business." Her tone carried a clear sense of boundaries, almost indifferent. "I only saw that someone was injured and needed help, and there are people in the manor who will handle this matter. Their responsibilities are clear."
Her gaze calmly locked onto Tang Xiaoning, her eyes clear and bright, carrying a heavy weight:
"As for my duty," her voice was not loud, but every word was clear, as if striking Tang Xiaoning's heartstrings, "it is to protect you, to keep you from getting wet in the rain, and to keep you from being bothered by these trivial matters."
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