Chapter 152 Wan Wanning followed to the capital
The drizzle fell silently, soaking the steps.
Lu Zhaoruo had been sitting alone on the stone steps in front of Lü'er's room for a long time.
She clutched the new dress she had just made for Lü'er; the stitches were fine and the fabric was soft. But the timid girl, who always exuded warmth, could no longer wear it.
The image of Greenie holding a bowl of longevity noodles, her eyes sparkling, reappeared before my eyes the day before yesterday when she celebrated her birthday.
Even the smallest bit of sweetness can make her happy for a long time.
Lu Zhaoruo raised her hand and wiped her face, it was hard to tell if it was rain or tears...
"We clearly agreed..."
Her voice choked with emotion, almost inaudible, "I'll take you to the capital tomorrow...we'll find your brother soon..."
Inside the room, Dongrou's suppressed sobs could be heard intermittently.
She was clutching a hairpin tightly to her heart; it was a birthday gift she had given to Lü'er.
Fearing she might lose it while climbing the mountain, Greenie carefully picked it and tucked it away by her pillow.
"We promised to serve each other for life..."
Dongrou's voice broke in the sound of rain, "How could you... go back on your word..."
All that remained was the sound of cold rain tapping on the steps.
Lu Zhaoruo closed her eyes, but Lü'er's voice rang in her ears with unusual clarity, carrying that unique, timid yet stubborn expectation: "This servant...this servant has always wanted to go to the capital. Before my father passed away, he said that I have a younger brother...who was sold into a noble family in the capital when he was young. He should be seven years old now, and below his shoulder...he has an oval-shaped, dark blue birthmark..."
Seven years old, oval birthmark on the shoulder.
“Lü’er…”
She whispered a promise, "I will find him. I will."
No matter how heavy the promise, it can't outweigh the empty pain in my heart right now.
Why is God always like this? He just gave this poor girl a glimmer of light, a glimpse of hope, and then extinguished it in an instant.
They didn't even give them a chance to struggle.
At that moment, a maid rushed in, her voice trembling with tears: "Master, something terrible has happened! Miss Wanning... Miss Wanning has fainted from crying!"
Lu Zhaoruo frowned slightly and immediately got up to go.
Inside the side room.
Wan Wanning's face was deathly pale, her eyes were red and swollen, and she leaned weakly against the headboard, her breath faint, looking utterly grief-stricken and exhausted.
Seeing Lu Zhaoruo push the door open and come in, her tears started rolling down her cheeks again, and she struggled to get up.
Lu Zhaoruo quickly stepped forward and pressed her shoulder: "You're weak, lie down properly, you don't need to get up."
Her gaze swept silently over Wan Wanning's tear-streaked face, but a hint of doubt arose in her heart.
Although she and Lü'er were often seen together, they did not appear to be particularly close.
This grief is unexpected.
She calmed herself down, offered a few words of gentle comfort, and was about to turn and leave when Wan Wanning seemed to lose all restraint. She suddenly threw herself off the bed and fell heavily onto the cold, hard brick floor.
She grabbed Lu Zhaoruo's skirt, looked up at her tear-streaked face, and cried out, "Sister! Please take me away! I can't stay in this boudoir for another second... I can see the flower branches that Lü'er has trimmed when I open the window, and the railings that she wipes when I turn the corner... Her shadow is everywhere."
It will be too late if you don't speak up now.
She wanted to use this opportunity to speak up and go to the capital!
She continued sorrowfully, "Sister, Greenie's greatest wish in life was to stay by your side and serve you wholeheartedly. The day she learned that she could go to the capital with you, she hid under the eaves and secretly shed tears of joy, saying that she would do everything in her power to repay your kindness... Now she has tragically met with misfortune..."
She gritted her teeth and spoke her mind: "Let me... let me fulfill this unfulfilled wish for her! Let me go to the capital with you and stay by your side to serve you, okay?"
She added through tears, "I think Greenie in heaven would be happy too."
Every word was earnest, every sound was sorrowful.
Lu Zhaoruo frowned slightly.
So, Wan Wanning had always wanted to go to the capital?
At this moment, Lu Zhaoruo couldn't tell how much of the overwhelming grief on her face was real and how much was fake.
She knew that Wan Wanning was impetuous and jealous, and was by no means a person who could handle important matters. She was not suitable to be taken to a complicated place like the capital.
He had no feelings for her. The only reason he allowed her to stay in the boudoir was because her elder sister, Wan Miaoniang, had taken the blame for his murder. This was both to fulfill a promise and to put on a show for everyone in the boudoir.
Deep down, she was a hundred times unwilling to take her along.
But Wan Wanning is too clever.
Every sentence is inseparable from Greenie, every word is filled with sorrow, as if all the grief is tied to that departed person.
She was using Greenie's death to prevent herself from coldly saying "no" in front of everyone.
Manager Yun and Madam Yang, who were standing nearby, were already softened by what they saw and stepped forward to persuade her, "Master, Miss Wan Ning is also very sincere... She wants to be loyal to Lü'er!"
Madam Yang wiped away her tears and said, "Look at how she's crying. If she stays in the boudoir, she might really fall ill from grief... Master, why don't you take her with you? It would fulfill this wish and allow Greenie's spirit in heaven to rest in peace..."
Amidst the gentle persuasion of the crowd, Lu Zhaoruo's gaze returned to Wan Wanning's tear-streaked face.
Lu Zhaoruo looked at her calmly for a moment, and finally said in a low voice: "In that case, you should pack your things well and come with us tomorrow."
The instant the words fell—
A sudden, almost uncontrollable, blazing joy flashed in Wan Wanning's eyes!
However, all of this only lasted for a fleeting moment.
She almost immediately lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly from her rapid breathing. When she raised her face again, her eyes were filled with tears and gratitude.
Her voice choked with emotion: "Wanning... Wanning thanks you, elder sister! I will never fail your kindness... I will serve you well on behalf of Sister Lü'er!"
Noon.
Lu Zhaoruo summoned Sun Jing early in the morning and solemnly instructed him: "Go to Wanghai Mountain again and carefully investigate the bamboo forest by Duanyun Cliff. Do not overlook any detail."
Sun Jing accepted the order and left, and just then he returned.
He was travel-worn and solemn, and bowed as he reported, "My lady, I have led men to search repeatedly, but we have found no unusual footprints, fragments of clothing, or signs of struggle."
Lu Zhaoruo listened quietly, her fingertips gripping the edge of the teacup.
She was silent for a moment, her voice low and slow, as if talking to herself or asking a question: "This is the most puzzling thing... She went into the bamboo forest to dig for bamboo shoots, but there was neither bamboo nor bamboo shoots on the cliff. Why did she go to that dangerous place? She is going to the capital with me tomorrow. Finding her brother is her greatest obsession in this life. Given her cautious and life-loving nature... how could she be so careless as to approach that bottomless abyss?"
Sun Jing suddenly looked up, his gaze sharp as a hawk's: "My lady suspects... that Miss Greenie didn't fall by accident, but was......"
Lu Zhaoruo closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, all that remained in her eyes was a heavy weariness and helplessness: "I have doubts in my heart... but apart from bamboo shoots scattered in a basket, we found nothing at the cliff. Without evidence, all speculation is just empty talk."
She turned to look out the window, her voice barely audible: "I just feel... Green shouldn't have ended like this."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
