Chapter 299 A Bao's Death
I rushed into the courtyard; it was deathly silent.
The usually vibrant courtyard was now shrouded in a silent grief.
Ah Bao's ever-energetic kitten, which loved to circle around her feet, was now lying silently in its favorite soft cloth basket.
Dongrou had cleaned it up nicely, and the soft white cloth made its fluffy body look as if it were just asleep.
However, this deliberate attempt at cleanliness only made the scars that could not be concealed appear even more glaring and grotesque.
Its four small paw pads were covered with dense, dark red needle marks, and it was swollen beyond recognition; although large patches of fur on its body had been carefully wiped, they still showed horrifying wrinkles and peeling after being scalded by boiling water, revealing the red and swollen flesh underneath.
Its small body was curled up in a completely stiff posture that was not at all like sleep, proclaiming the cold passing of life.
Qiu Lu knelt beside the basket, her shoulders heaving violently, her hands tightly covering her mouth.
Lu Bohong and Sun Jing stood frozen to the side, both men who had weathered many storms, their eyes now red with tears.
Lu Bohong clenched his fists, veins bulging.
Sun Jing looked up at the sky, his Adam's apple bobbing violently as he swallowed the surging grief and indignation.
Lu Zhaoruo stopped at the doorway, as if all her strength had been drained away in an instant, making her almost unable to stand.
She gazed at the small, eerily quiet figure in the basket, and all the fear, helplessness, and despair she had suppressed overnight surged forth like a glacier bursting open, completely engulfing her.
She forced a smile: "Ah... Ah Bao... I'm back."
But.
Ah Bao remained curled up in the basket, unresponsive.
Lu Bohong, Sun Jing, and Qiu Lu all turned to look at her.
She staggered over step by step.
Finally, she slowly knelt down in front of the basket, stretched out her trembling hand, and very gently, very lightly stroked Abao's cold and stiff body, as if afraid of disturbing a fragile dream.
“Abao…”
She murmured, her voice as soft as a feather.
The little life that once called out "Mother" in a clear, cheerful voice can no longer give any response.
Lu Bohong felt as if his heart was being torn apart. He couldn't help but step forward, his voice hoarse as he tried to wake her: "Little sister, Abao is already..."
"Shhh."
Lu Zhaoruo didn't turn around, but simply extended a finger and gently touched her lips.
Sun Jing grabbed Lu Bohong's shoulder, signaling him to stop talking.
Qiu Lu also got up and stepped aside.
Lu Zhaoruo carefully lifted Abao's cold, stiff little body out and held it tightly in her arms, as if she wanted to transfer her faint body heat to it.
She lowered her head, gently pressing her cheek against Abao's cold little head. A tender smile, more heartbreaking than tears, appeared on her lips. Her voice was as soft as if she were soothing a fussy child: "Abao... my dear Abao... are you hungry? Do you want some candied peas? I'll make them for you right now, your favorite sweet candied peas, okay?"
She waited, but the little body in her arms did not respond.
The smile in her eyes deepened, but it was veiled with tears, and her voice trembled with a coaxing tone: "Why aren't you moving? Are you too tired, too tired? It's okay, you sleep, I'll hold you while you sleep..."
She hugged Abao even tighter, almost as if she were embedding it into her bones, turned her head to the side, and pressed her lips against its cool, fluffy little ear, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Good boy, have a good sleep... When you wake up, in two months, it will be winter... You will be able to see the young man you want to see the most... He promised us."
"We must keep our promise and wait patiently for the time when the money and contract are agreed upon."
She repeated these words over and over again, as if by saying them incessantly she could call that little, mischievous life back from the cold abyss.
Qiu Lu bit her hand hard to keep from letting out a sob.
Lu Bohong looked up at that moment, but tears rolled down his cheeks uncontrollably.
Sun Jing sighed deeply, slammed his fist heavily on the sycamore tree, and tears welled up in his eyes.
However, none of them knew.
They didn't know that Abao was not an ordinary cat.
That was her unborn child, forced to leave before birth, a restless soul that eventually attached itself to this kitten, just to accompany her for one more lifetime.
What they didn't know was that inside this small body was a soul that had accompanied her for thirty years in her previous life, and in this life, it had tirelessly followed her all the way to this capital.
They had never heard Ah Bao call her "Mother" in his clear, childlike voice.
They could not comprehend that each call was a lost treasure regained by Lu Zhaoruo, a solace that transcended two lifetimes.
When Dongrou rushed back, she was already sobbing uncontrollably on the ground.
Only she, only this maid who served her day and night, vaguely knew some of the inside story. She knew that A Bao was exceptionally intelligent and could speak human language. She also vaguely sensed that there was an unspeakable deep connection between A Bao and her mistress that transcended that of mistress and concubine and was almost like that of mother and daughter.
That is why only she could truly understand the heart-wrenching pain in her wife's heart at that moment, a pain akin to losing her own flesh and blood once again.
At that very moment.
Suddenly, a deafening ceremonial procession erupted outside the Lu residence, with gongs, drums, and firecrackers shattering the deathly silence of the early morning.
Granny Wang rushed in, her voice filled with bewildered anxiety and a hint of feigned joy: "Madam! People from the Ministry of Rites have arrived, a whole swarm of them! They say... they say they've come by imperial decree to bestow upon us the official robes and hats of a third-rank lady, and they also... they also want to replace our 'Lu Mansion' plaque with gold lettering!"
Before the words were finished, officials from the Ministry of Rites entered in single file with the imperial envoy and ceremonial guard, unfurled the bright yellow scroll in front of everyone, and loudly proclaimed the imperial decree.
The craftsmen then set to work, deftly removing the simple old plaque that read "Lu Residence" and replacing it with a new plaque in vermilion lacquer with gold lettering that read "Lu Mansion," symbolizing the glory of an official position.
Abundant favor and illustrious arrival.
However, amidst the noise and glory of the courtyard, Lu Zhaoruo remained oblivious to everything around her.
She simply curled up even tighter, burying her face deep into Abao's already cold and stiff downy fur.
The noise is theirs, the investiture is hers.
But all that remained of her world was this small, lifeless, and cold object in her arms.
Time passed slowly, bit by bit, in the dead silence.
She knelt on the cold ground, holding Abao tightly, motionless, like a stone statue whose soul had been taken away.
From the first light of dawn to the sun high in the sky, then to the shifting shadows of the afternoon, and finally, as dusk settles, the last rays of autumn's afterglow, like A Bao's fading body heat, sink completely into the sky, never to return.
During this time, Granny Wang and Dongrou approached her several times with red eyes, trying to persuade her to eat something, or at least put Abao down for the time being.
But as soon as she got close, she suddenly hugged the small body in her arms even tighter, almost embedding it into her bones, staring blankly ahead without saying a word.
Seeing this, everyone could only cover their mouths, silently weep, and retreat.
The chill of autumn had already seeped into her clothes, and her knees were so numb that she had lost all feeling, but she was completely unaware of it.
As the last rays of dawn were swallowed by the night, and candles were quietly lit inside, she finally moved her chapped lips, her voice hoarse like the rustling of withered leaves: "It's dark... Autumn is over..."
A scalding tear fell onto Abao's cool, silent fur.
Then, her voice trembled uncontrollably, filled with reproach: "Abao...you promised me...you said you would wait for me to come back..."
In a daze, it seemed as if Abao's clear, childlike voice was ringing in my ears again: "Mother... Abao will definitely wait for you to come back..."
This illusory response became the final straw that broke her back.
She finally broke down completely, tightly hugging that cold little body, and sobbing uncontrollably, "You promised me! You said you would wait for me to come back! You said you would stay with me for a very, very long time... How could you... How could you just leave me like this..."
The image of Abao in the past—chasing butterflies in the yard, dozing in the sunlight, and affectionately rubbing against her feet while meowing—kept flashing before her tear-blurred eyes.
She hugged Abao tightly with all her might again, tilted her head back, and cried out in anguish into the night.
The withered leaves of the sycamore tree beside them fell with a sound, like a silent rain of tears, falling on her and Abao.
Autumn has come to an end.
At this moment, An Linglong quietly walked in, leading Ah Sha by the hand.
As soon as Ah Sha entered the yard, he broke free from his leash and rushed to Ah Bao's side. He nuzzled Ah Bao's curled-up little body with his wet nose, making a series of affectionate whimpering sounds, as if urging, "Hey, wake up, get up and play!"
It arched once, but Abao didn't move.
They tried again, but Abao still didn't react.
Ah Sha stopped, and suddenly, as usual, rolled around on the spot, then jumped up and chased his own tail in circles, making funny "woof woof" sounds.
This is its best trick. Every time it performs, Abao will lazily squint its eyes and gently pat the ground with the tip of its tail, as if it is applauding.
It performed energetically, spinning around and around, stealing glances at Abao.
However, Abao remained lying there quietly, without responding at all.
Finally, it quietly lay down beside Abao, resting its chin on its front paws, and large tears slowly streamed down its usually silly eyes.
As Lu Zhaoruo watched all this, her heart felt as if it were being torn apart once again.
She slowly got up, found a small wooden box, lined it with the softest silk, and then gently placed Abao inside, as if it were just asleep.
She dug a small hole under the old sycamore tree, gently placed the wooden box inside, and covered it with soil handful by handful.
Ah Sha remained lying motionless beside the newly formed mound of earth, silently shedding tears.
An Linglong stepped forward, looked at Lu Zhaoruo's face covered with tears and dirt, and sighed softly, "I never thought... that Madam Lu would have such deep feelings for a cat."
She turned her gaze to Ah Sha, who was loyally guarding the side, and the small new grave, and sighed, "Truly, 'even creatures have a spirit'... This cat and dog know to stay together through life and death. Their affection and loyalty are more sincere than many fickle people in the world."
As night fell, the sycamore leaves continued to drift down, covering the small grave.
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