Chapter 145
When Yingning woke up, all she could see was an old thatched roof, thick dust filling the air. This was no longer the underground river boat she had just been on.
Just as she was about to look around and get up, she heard the wooden door move slightly, and a kind voice followed.
"Girl, you're awake." An elderly figure entered carrying a bowl of medicine. The old man slowly walked to the bedside, picked up the bowl, and said:
"Hurry up and drink your medicine..."
"Only after you drink the medicine will your injuries heal, little girl."
"Look, such a beautiful baby, how could she have been bitten by a wild animal?" The old woman comforted Yingning softly as she fed her some medicine.
"Grandma, may I ask where this is?" Yingning asked softly after finishing the bitter medicine in one gulp.
"This is Jinhe Village... Your brother carried you here."
"This old woman only has some herbs at home, so I used them on you first. You had a high fever yesterday, but you seem to be feeling much better today." The old woman stretched out her wrinkled hand and gently touched Yingning's cheek.
"We're not burning it anymore, we're not burning it anymore."
Yingning was somewhat surprised after hearing her words: "My brother?"
"Yes, that boy will be back soon," the old woman said frankly.
“Yesterday, when he carried you to my old woman’s doorstep, I was quite startled.”
"I thought the golden boy and jade girl in the mural had come to life."
"It's just that you were bitten by a wild beast. Thankfully, all the gods protected you and didn't hurt your bones, little girl," she said sincerely, bowing deeply.
The old woman seemed to still be recalling yesterday's scene, unaware that the woman lying half-reclined on the bed had amusement in her phoenix eyes after hearing one of the sentences. She checked Yingning's leg wound again, told her to rest well, and then left the house.
...
When Yan Chaoji pushed open the door and entered, he was met with a riotous, unrestrained expression. Before he could even ask if she was alright, he suddenly heard her say:
"Brother Chaoji, why are you only coming back now?" Although she was leaning against the side of the bed, her face was full of smiles despite her plain clothes.
But the color at the corners of her eyes was even more captivating. Perhaps the old woman's herbal medicine was still effective, as her cheeks, which had lost their color yesterday, now had a rosy blush.
When Yan Chaoji heard her call him "Brother Chaoji," his tall figure suddenly froze, and a burning sensation crept up his ears.
"Brother Chaoji, why aren't you saying anything?" she asked softly again, her voice like threads of affection wrapping around him.
Yan Chaoji immediately regretted his story of pretending the two of them were siblings yesterday.
There was a lot of laughter in her phoenix eyes, and her dark eyes reflected her own image. Even when she spoke, the corners of her lips lifted slightly, as if she were calling out to her beloved.
Yingning noticed a blush creeping up Yan Chaoji's earlobe, and he averted his gaze from her.
"Yesterday..."
"I only came up with this brother-sister explanation in a moment of desperation; it was not my... original intention."
Yesterday, Yan Chaoji carried her to this desolate and remote village. To avoid trouble, he randomly fabricated the two's identities when knocking on the door, claiming that the two were a brother and sister who had been attacked by wild beasts and had mistakenly found this place.
"Pfft."
Yan Chaoji heard her smile tenderly, but not knowing why, he turned to look at her.
"You really have the potential to write scripts." She smiled faintly, her cheeks blooming like peach blossoms.
Yingning then noticed that Yan Chaoji had changed into a dark linen robe. Despite the extremely rough material, the robe gave him an air of carefree wandering.
Yan Chaoji knew she was no ordinary woman from an official's family. Even though Ying Ning was clearly teasing him, he didn't display his usual arrogant and aloof demeanor, but instead spoke solemnly:
"Your injury will probably take a few more days to heal."
"Once your injuries have healed, I will send you back to the capital."
"Where are those men in blue robes?"
“This village is remote, they might not find it. They’ll probably just wait on the cliff for a few days and then return the way they came,” Yan Chaoji analyzed.
“In that case, Zhao Ning will listen to Brother Chao Ji.” She raised her eyebrows slightly and took another step forward toward Yan Chao Ji’s boundaries.
"you...!"
Yan Chaoji was about to speak up and tell her to stop calling him "Brother Chaoji" when she asked him to.
"Young lady, this old woman has made some soup, come and try it..." The old woman saw Yan Chaoji as she walked in and said:
“Yan Zhao’s son is back too. Quickly, try the bamboo shoot soup.”
Yan Zhao was the pseudonym that Yan Chaoji used to refer to himself.
The sight of the old woman carrying a bowl of fish soup abruptly interrupted Yan Chaoji's words, so he couldn't speak again. Instead, he simply gave the girl a cold look and warned her, but she ignored him.
She spoke with a smile, deliberately winking at herself:
"Grandma, the soup smells so good."
"It's firewood your brother chopped, little girl, come and have a taste."
......
During her stay in Jinhe Village, thanks to the old woman's herbal medicine, Yingning's leg wound has been gradually healing, and she was even able to walk slowly yesterday.
In the past few days, her relationship with the old woman has improved rapidly.
The old woman lived alone, without any children to care for her. However, Yingning's arrival brought much laughter and sweet talk to her empty house.
"Grandma, did you dry these peaches?"
"Grandma, I'll peel peanuts for you today."
"Mother-in-law..."
"Grandma...the tofu soup is so delicious today."
......
After several interactions, the girl's pretty face and sweet words made the old woman very happy.
Today I made her a wild mushroom soup to help her recover.
In this thatched cottage, the scenes of Yingning and her grandmother interacting are always heartwarming and comforting.
but...
Yan Chaoji's face grew increasingly dark...
These past few days, Yan Chaoji and Ying Ning have been staying at the old woman's house. Since they have already disturbed the old woman, Yan Chaoji has been helping her with some physical work during the day.
Today, Yan Chaoji had just returned from fetching water when he heard the girl's lively and heart-wrenching voice again.
“Mother-in-law, you have no idea that my sister-in-law actually abandoned my brother.”
Although Yan Chaoji paused for a moment, he did not stop pouring water into the water vat.
"Huh?!" The old woman was taken aback.
"Look at my brother, such a kind and generous man, he's only been married for three years... and my sister-in-law..."
"My sister-in-law has actually gotten together with the pig butcher at the village entrance!"
The veins on the back of Yan Chaoji's hand were taut, and then she said:
“Grandma, you have no idea how much ridicule my brother suffered from the villagers. That’s why he left the village in a fit of anger. I couldn’t bear to see him wandering alone, so I followed him.”
"I don't feel bitter, I just feel sorry for my brother..."
"Being cheated on at such a young age..."
"Many nights, I could hear him secretly crying in the yard."
After Yan Chaoji put down the bucket of water on his shoulder, his expression turned dark.
"This poor little Yan Zhao is so pitiful!" The old woman looked at Ying Ning with sympathy and, after listening to her words, gave her a handful of dried apricots.
Yan Chaoji watched as the girl ate a mouthful of dried fruit and secretly wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes.
"To tell you the truth, my lifelong wish is to find a sister-in-law for my brother."
"I don't have any requests..."
"Just don't let him be cheated on."
......
The girl was speaking sadly, seemingly unaware of the footsteps behind her.
Hearing this, the old woman sighed at the tragic fate of the brother and sister. She looked up, intending to comfort Yingning, but suddenly realized that the person beside her had disappeared.
Where did it go?
*
At the other end of the courtyard, Yingning was forcibly dragged into the room by the man.
Even though Yan Chaoji exuded a cold and aloof aura, he slowed down his movements because he was mindful of her leg injury.
Along the way, the girl he had dragged away kept saying in confusion, "Brother Chaoji..."
"Brother...why did you pull me?"
"I'm still talking to my mother-in-law..."
Yan Chaoji slammed the door shut without loosening his grip on her wrist. His words seemed to reveal a hint of anger, but more so a sense of helplessness.
"you..."
"Have you made enough of a scene?"
Yan Chaoji stared at the girl in front of him and sighed softly.
"I only said a few words to you..." As she lowered her eyes, a rare look of grievance appeared at the corners of her phoenix eyes.
Yan Chaoji, however, did not soften his heart and spoke up once again.
"A few sentences?"
"Yesterday, you said I was a stable boy at the government office, but I offended someone by refusing the third young master's late-night 'invitation to my room,' and was subsequently expelled from the government office?"
"The other day you said that I was destined to be apart from the person I liked, and that it was because her parents didn't want their daughter to be with someone as disabled as me?"
"The day before yesterday, you told Granny Jin that my lack of romantic relationships was because I fell from a tree when I was young and was injured in the accident..."
Yan Chaoji paused in his speech.
But I don't know how to say that word.
Where is there a royal princess? He just blurted out that kind of word.
"You spend all day making up plays like this?" Yan Chaoji lowered his head slightly, looking at the girl who was staring at the floor, seemingly lost in thought.
Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if she knew she had gone a bit too far.
Yan Chaoji couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache. He had claimed that the two were brother and sister because of the separation between men and women, but who would have thought that she would be acting as his "sister" these past few days, telling Granny Jin some stories she made up on the spot.
Their sudden arrival in Jinhe Village had already brought a lot of "liveliness" to the village, and people even visited Granny Jin's house from time to time to secretly observe these two outsiders.
The stories she made up gradually spread throughout the village in this way.
In recent days, whenever Yan Chaoji passed through the village, he felt that many people were giving him strange looks.
Their gazes held sympathy and regret, occasionally punctuated by a few words:
"This kid is so handsome, what a pity, what a pity!!"
"Isn't this just what the schoolteacher meant by 'fate playing tricks on people'?"
"Aunt Li, you're quite the gifted speaker."
"If you ask me, I'd rather go with that third young master!"
"you do not say?!"
"Since neither of us has a man... I might as well just go for him!"
......
Yan Chaoji had just returned today when he heard Yingning's new "version".
If he doesn't do anything about it, by tomorrow, everyone in Jinhe Village will probably know that he's been cuckolded.
"Bai Yingning".
"You fabricated this story about me?"
He saw her raise her head leisurely, and for some reason, there was a hint of disappointment in her expression. She simply said:
"I noticed that Grandma Jin was a bit bored, so I made up a little skit to cheer her up."
Yan Chaoji held his forehead with his left hand, feeling his head ache even more.
"Then why don't you make up a story about yourself?"
“Me?” She tilted her head slightly.
"Naturally, it's because... I'm not as brave and handsome as Brother Chaoji."
Brother Chaoji.
Upon hearing this form of address, Yan Chaoji felt a burning sensation in his ears and quickly averted his gaze.
These past few days, she has been calling out "Brother Chaoji" repeatedly in front of Grandma Jin, as if the two of them were truly siblings who had been together for many years.
Yan Chaoji paused, avoiding her gaze from her dark phoenix eyes: "In private... you don't need to address me like that..."
"I will no longer hold the past against you."
"If you dare to fabricate my affairs again next time, I will not forgive you!" Yan Chaoji regained his solemn and dignified appearance.
"Then how should I address you? Should I still call you Your Highness the Regent? Wouldn't that be inappropriate if others heard that?" Her phoenix eyes stared directly at him, the deep indifference in her gaze unwavering.
The eagle's tail feathers swept across a dark beach, picking up specks of condensed water.
Yan Chaoji was suddenly struck by a feeling that the past few days seemed to have freed her from a constraint, making her appear much more vibrant.
Soaring freely, that seems to be the way this princess from the Western Regions should be.
Yan Chaoji knew what that restriction was...
yes...
The royal family's predicament is a facade of superficial prosperity and smiles, and countless intrigues and schemes that are impossible to uncover day and night.
Only after breaking free from such confinement did she finally catch her breath.
She was like that, and so was he.
These past few days in the village have been the most relaxing days of his life.
He didn't need to worry about the millions of people in the capital, nor about his elder brother's aggressive behavior, nor about the power struggles within the capital.
Such days, unfortunately, will not last long.
"Just call me..."
"Yan... Chaoji, please."
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