Southward escape
Jingwan sat with Chunlai on the small building's terrace, where the sun was warm and the banyan tree was evergreen. Even in winter, it stood lazily in the courtyard, its newly grown branches stretching out to the terrace like a child's playful hand, with several colorful silk knots hanging on them.
On the table are fresh tangerines, bright golden yellow, and a few longans that have been eaten, their yellow skin and black seeds mixed together, with a few drops of juice on them.
Chunlai spread out her ten fingers, and Jingwan, following the doctor's instructions, gently pinched the tips of two of her fingers. Chunlai then moved slowly, and the ten fingers rose and fell gently like clear ripples.
"Is it still in pain?" Although from the outside, her hands have returned to their former slender and fair appearance, the bones are broken after all. I wonder what the inside is like.
Chunlai smiled and said, "Just a little bit. Doctor Ma said the pain will subside in ten days." Jingwan gently rubbed her ten fingers, and her long-suppressed mood improved considerably.
Wuxia also came to Yuqin Tower. Looking up, she saw Jingwan talking with her playmate. She didn't go up, but called out from below, "Miss, your letter!"
Jingwan quickly climbed over, stroking the railing and laughing, "Quick! I want to see!"
"Here you go!" Wuxia pinched the corner of the envelope and tossed it upstairs. Jingwan caught the letter with a "clack" as she put her hands together.
She opened it and saw that it really was written by her cousin. After reading it slowly, she took Chunlai's hand and said, "The battle has been a great victory. My cousin wants to take me to Ningzhou, and he also wants me to take you with me!"
Jingwan was unaware that Cui Dongchi was also in Ningzhou, and assumed it was Lu Chang's idea. Chunlai, however, realized it must have been Cui Dongchi's!
She smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go with you."
How could she possibly refuse? Whether or not she leaves is not up to her to decide. Why struggle?
The weather is perfect today, ideal for going out. Jingwan wants to take Chunlai to the orchard to pick some fresh tangerines to make some desserts, such as tangerine honey, candied tangerines, dried tangerines... Just thinking about it makes her mouth water.
Wuxia stopped the carriage in front of the mansion gate and waited. When she saw the two of them come out, she was about to help Jingwan into the carriage when she saw someone suddenly rush towards her.
Wuxia reacted quickly, instantly grabbing the newcomer's hand; her wrist was thin, indicating it was a woman.
Jingwan was startled and pulled Chunlai back a few steps, but then she heard the person excitedly shout, "Jingwan? Is it really you, Jingwan? My cousin didn't lie to me, you're really here!"
Jingwan didn't recognize her and looked at her with a puzzled expression.
The woman brushed aside the hair that had been covering half her face, revealing her entire face. She smiled with surprise and said, "You don't recognize me? It's me, Gao Yun!"
Gao Yun? Jing Wan's eyes widened suddenly as she stared at the newcomer, exclaiming in a trembling voice, "You're Gao Yun?"
Even Wuxia, standing beside her, widened her eyes slightly, revealing a hint of surprise. This was no longer the arrogant and domineering second young lady of the Gao family.
In her memory, Gao Yun loved to dress up, but how could Jing Wan easily recognize the person in front of her? She was only wearing a linen coat on the outside, and because it was cold, she was wrapped in a paper fur coat inside. She looked chubby, and her whole body was plain without any decoration. Her ears were bare, and there was something pasted on the left side of her small face, making her look dirty.
What's even stranger is that she kept talking to her with a smile. This was something Jingwan found hard to accept. Back at the Gao family home, Gao Yun had always treated her with either sneers or mockery; she had never felt any kindness from her.
Seeing that she recognized her, Gao Yun nodded hurriedly. Her right hand was still being held by Wu Xia, and she struggled to break free. Only after Jing Wan gestured did Wu Xia release her grip, but she remained standing beside Gao Yun.
Gao Yun shook her aching hands and looked Jing Wan up and down, finally staring at her pale yellow maternity dress and saying, "Tsk tsk tsk, it's really beautiful. Even the mistress has never worn such a fine maternity dress."
She stared blankly at her, making Jingwan feel a little uncomfortable. She gently tugged at the moon-colored robe draped over her shoulders and asked, "Did you come to Lingnan alone? Where are the others?"
Gao Yun then remembered the important matter. She touched her flat stomach and said with a smile, "I came to Lingnan alone. None of them came, so I secretly ran away."
"You came running here? What do you mean?"
Gao Yun kept touching her stomach and said, "Treat me to a meal, I haven't had a proper meal in days."
Jingwan bit her lip, and Chunlai whispered in her ear, "How about we go to the orchard again tomorrow?"
Jingwan remained silent. Looking at Gao Yun, who was smiling obsequiously at her, she felt no sense of triumph. She had been bullied by Gao Yun in the Gao family before and had wanted nothing more than to beat her up, but now, seeing her standing before her in such a sorry state, she felt a pang of pity.
Jingwan didn't want any further involvement with the Gao family, so she simply had Fangjuan take out some money: "Take this money and go to a restaurant for a meal. I have other things to do today, so I won't go with you..."
She stuffed the money into Gao Yun's hand, took Chunlai's hand, and was about to get into the carriage when Gao Yun grabbed her clothes, her words changing from flattery to pleading: "Please, have dinner with me, I have something to tell you."
Jingwan still didn't want to talk to her: "I have nothing to say to you."
Gao Yun could tell that Jing Wan was determined to leave, and she was anxious. She had waited here for half a month before Jing Wan finally came out. If she missed this opportunity, she would really starve to death in Lingnan. In her desperation, Gao Yun said, "Bo Jun... do you still remember Bo Jun? He's not doing well now..."
Jingwan turned around, somewhat anxiously: "What's wrong with my cousin?"
Gao Yun knew how to keep her there, so she simply said, "Treat me to dinner, and I'll tell you about him later."
Jingwan didn't take her back to the mansion, but went to a nearby restaurant. Neither she nor Chunlai touched their chopsticks, but just watched Gao Yun wolf down her food. She ate so fast that a chicken leg got stuck in her throat, and she choked and had to gulp down several mouthfuls of fish soup.
Besides the food on the table, she ate two more bowls of rice. Just how long had she been starving...?
She ate quickly and hurriedly, and after most of the food on the table was gone, Gao Yun slumped in her chair and let out a satisfied burp. She squinted her eyes and hummed a few times contentedly.
Wuxia thought her eating manners were too messy, so she crossed her arms and turned away in disgust, only looking at the scenery outside the small building.
Jingwan swallowed hard, shocked by her eating habits, and still asked, "Are you full? Can you tell me what happened to my cousin?"
Gao Yun touched her round belly and said, "Grandmother has chosen the wrong person. That Li Ling is no good. He kidnapped my cousin and forced Grandmother to take the rest of the Gao family with him to the Northwest."
"Ah—" Jingwan exclaimed in surprise, "And then what happened?"
"I don't know what happened after that. No one in the Gao family was willing to flee to Lingnan with me, so I took Gao Qian and ran away. Luckily, we escaped early, otherwise..."
I'm going to the Northwest too. It's a poor and remote place. How can I survive there?
As she spoke, she realized that the person in front of her was also from the Northwest. She dared not offend Jingwan now, and smiled somewhat guiltily.
"You fled to the Northwest, did your mother bear to let you go?"
Liu always doted on her two children, so how could she let them leave?
When she mentioned her mother, Gao Yun's mood immediately somber. She held the white steamed bun and peeled off the skin bit by bit. Before long, tears welled up in her eyes.
She sniffed, wiped away her tears, and said, "My mother died a long time ago. She didn't have to die. After going to Runan, she couldn't bear to leave her shops in Pingdu, so she went back, saying she would sell all the shops before returning to Runan. But later, there was unrest in Pingdu, and the shop assistants who escaped from there said that she was beaten to death by the people of Pingdu."
“The people said she was the adopted daughter of the powerful eunuch, and that she deserved to die. The barbarians didn’t kill her, but the common people did.”
Jingwan learned of the fall of Pingdu from people from the Central Plains who fled to Lingnan. The Hu people invaded, and it was said that not only did they loot, but they also burned down the capital. The fire lasted for three days before it was extinguished, and the ancient capital was reduced to ashes.
Back then, she had worried about Uncle Gong, who was in Pingdu, and wondered if he had managed to escape. But now, listening to Gao Yun's words, she truly felt that the tragedy she had never experienced had already written the ending for many familiar people.
Without their mother, Gao Yun and Gao Qian's lives became increasingly difficult. Runan was just a small place, and the food and clothing were poor. To make matters worse, Gao Yun also planned to marry her off to Li Ling as a concubine.
Li Ling was old enough to be her father, so how could she agree to that? She found an opportunity to go out and clear her head, and ran away with her younger brother Gao Qian.
“Gao Qian wasn’t so lucky. There was war everywhere in the Central Plains, and the government was conscripting men. He was arrested before we even reached Lingnan. I searched for him for half a month but couldn’t find him, so I had to come to Lingnan by myself.”
She looked at Jingwan and said, "Actually, my cousin asked me to come find you. I originally wanted to ask him to run away with me, but he refused. He said that since you're here, I should sincerely apologize to you. As for whether you're willing to help me, that's entirely up to you..."
As she spoke, her voice grew softer and softer, and it was rare to see her show such remorse: "I know I've done many wrong things in the past, and I accept being punished or beaten. But I really beg you to help me. Please ask my cousin to look for Gao Qian. He's the only son in our family."
On her journey south, Gao Yun had considered seeking refuge with Lu Chang, but then she thought that her cousin never paid any attention to her, and that wars were frequent in the Central Plains, so she decided to come to Lingnan instead.
Compared to the aloof Lu Chang, Jing Wan seemed more gentle.
Jingwan asked her, "What about you? What are you going to do?"
Gao Yun looked distressed. She had even traded her earrings for food, and she had no idea what to do next. She had no choice but to swallow her pride and beg Jing Wan for help.
"Do you need any servants? Why don't I come work for you? I can do anything. Just give me food and a place to live."
Jingwan didn't know how she escaped, but anyone who could force this proud young lady to say such things must have had a terrible experience.
Jingwan did not agree to her request. The family certainly did not lack servants, nor could they not afford to support her. However, the steward had said that everyone in the mansion had been vetted, with a clean family background and loyal character. People were not easily allowed into the mansion.
Jingwan glanced at Wuxia as usual, and sure enough, she shook her head at herself, which meant it was not allowed.
But... it was her cousin who sent her to find her. Jingwan didn't want to disappoint Bojun. He must have believed that she was willing to help Gao Yun, which is why he sent her.
"There's a fishing port fifty miles outside Jinning City. There's a shop there that needs women to dry seafood. The landlady will provide food and lodging. Would you be interested?" Wuxia didn't want to put Jingwan in a difficult position, but she also didn't want Gao Yun loitering around Jinning, so she asked first.
Gao Yun nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes! I can start working tomorrow."
"Tomorrow, a servant from the household will go to Shiyu Port to pick up goods. You can go with him in the carriage, and someone will take you to the shop."
Gao Yun nodded repeatedly, and then she started crying again. This time, she couldn't stop crying as before. Her sobs grew louder and louder until she was sobbing uncontrollably on the table, attracting the attention of everyone sitting next to her.
Chunlai couldn't help but take out a handkerchief and place it in her hand so she could wipe her tears.
Gao Yun's face was covered in snot and tears, and when she spoke, the saliva in her mouth stuck together in a line.
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