0123 Wish-Fulfilling Laughingthrush (Part Two)
No matter how carefree and comfortable Fan Chuan's life was, Shu Fu would always be the daughter of the Shu family.
In recent days, Luo has sent several letters to the villa, each word urgent and pressing, all urging her to return home as soon as possible.
Although Li Miao was not afraid of Luo Shi at all and intended to keep her there for a while longer, Shu Fu knew in her heart that if she stayed at Li Miao's villa any longer, it would damage Li Miao's reputation both morally and logically. She would inevitably be criticized for being arrogant and domineering, for detaining the daughter of a fourth-rank official in the capital for her own selfish reasons, causing the family to be separated.
Therefore, on the day Zhan Yaoguang left, when the people sent by the Luo family came to invite her again, Shu Fu agreed before Li Miao could even decline on her behalf.
She handed over half a purse of coins and smiled at the maid, saying, "I'm sorry to have troubled you to make this trip. Please have some tea to help you relax. Please tell my mother that I've packed my things and will be home immediately. I'll be able to enter the mansion tonight and pay my respects to my mother again tomorrow morning."
The maid weighed her hand in her hand and found it to be fairly heavy, which made her several trips to Fanchuan worthwhile. Her smile deepened, and she said to Shufu:
“Since you know that Madam is worried, Miss, you should go home as soon as possible. This old servant will not stay here and get in your way. I will go back to the city first and tell Madam what you have said.”
After the servant left, Li Miao grabbed Shu Fu's hand in surprise.
"Why are you afraid of your mother? If you want to stay here, then stay. Leave the rest to me. You know I've never cared about the gossip of some people in the capital..."
“It’s your business if you don’t care, but I care very much,” Shu Fu raised her chin and gave a soft hum. “Princess Miaomiao is the best of the best. If anyone says even one unpleasant word, I feel heartbroken, lose my appetite, and worry day and night…”
Li Miao's phoenix eyes curved into a smile, and she couldn't help but laugh out loud. She quickly straightened her face again and gently pinched her: "Don't try to act cute in front of me. This princess has always been iron-willed and heartless. I won't soften my heart for a few words from a young lady."
Shu Fu then stopped her playful remarks, looked at Li Miao seriously, and said, "Besides, some things cannot be solved by simply retreating. I have to face them myself."
As dusk fell, the sky was ablaze with the colors of the sunset. Li Miao selected the safest carriage and driver for Shu Fu and personally escorted her to the gate of the villa.
Seeing Shu Fu and A Jian stepping on the stools, she suddenly had an idea and took two steps forward, gently tugging at Shu Fu's sleeve.
Shu Fu looked at her with a puzzled expression.
The young woman was bathed in the blazing sunset, the wind in the wilderness rustling the stray hairs on her cheeks.
Li Miao said, "Shufu, the reason I let you go home this time is because I firmly believe that you have the will and ability to break the deadlock. If one day you feel trapped in this situation, you can still come to me for help." She paused and continued, "My friendship with you is not just because we share the same beliefs. Whether you are a strong woman or a weak woman today or in the future, I will always be willing to be your close friend."
Shu Fu was startled, and a sudden, dense soreness welled up in her nose, as if ants were crawling up her body, and her limbs and bones felt a dull, uncomfortable swelling.
She raised her hand, curled her fingers to wipe away the tiny glistening tears welling up in the corner of her eyes, and suddenly reached out to hug Li Miao.
"Please wait a moment, Princess. I will come to find you when I have finished dealing with all the trivial matters and have nothing to worry about."
...
The carriage traveled northeast, slowly rolling through Fanchuan, then through Qujiang, and finally entered Chang'an City under the cover of night.
A crescent moon, half-hidden in the sky, floated like a small gold ornament on a black hair bun, shimmering and rippled as it swayed, but only when you reached out to touch it did you realize how cold it was.
The carriage stopped in front of the Shu residence in Yonglefang. Shu Fu stepped off the carriage on a stool and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that no one came out to greet her. She felt much more relaxed.
“Miss, it’s chilly at night. Let me shield you from the wind. Let’s hurry back to Chunwan Tower. You can wash yourself in the bath and go to sleep as soon as possible,” A-Jian said softly.
Shu Fu rubbed her arms, which were shivering slightly beneath her sleeves, and slowly nodded.
...
After Zhan Yaoguang agreed to go back with them, Zhan Qing happily instructed the other clansmen to pack their bags, while she went to return the house to the landlord. After Zhan Yaoguang returned from seeing Shu Fu off, the group immediately set off to return south.
When he first headed north, Zhan Yaoguang walked for a while, gradually imitating the food and speech of the people of the Central Plains, and also roughly learned some horseback riding skills. So before he entered Chang'an, he actually bought a horse to get around, but later he was afraid that riding a horse in Chang'an would attract attention, so he sold the horse before entering Chang'an.
In order to catch up with Zhan Yaoguang, Zhan Qing and his group were also forced to learn to ride horses. Although they were not good enough to match Shu Fu's skills, they were sufficient for traveling.
After discussing it, the group decided that riding horses would be the easiest way to return south. So they went to the horse market in Anshanfang and bought five horses. They then led the horses out of Chang'an City.
After leaving the city, the six rode horses at night and covered fifty li in just an hour and a half, reaching the vicinity of the Qinling Mountains.
As night fell, it became increasingly difficult to continue the journey, so they decided to rest on the spot and continue their journey the next day.
Everyone present had grown up freely in the mountains and rivers of southern Xinjiang, and had no arrogant or cunning temperaments. They quickly tied up their horses, lit a fire, and slept against the tree roots, fully clothed.
Around midnight, the sky was a faint dark blue, with wispy clouds parting to reveal the bright yellow moonlight, which flowed gently. The Qinling Mountains were densely forested, the wind rustling the leaves, occasionally punctuated by the mournful cries of night owls.
Although the sound was fleeting, as if someone had deliberately driven away the noisy night owl, Zhan Yinyuan was still awakened.
He rubbed his slightly sore lower abdomen, thinking that he had indulged in too much sweet wine before leaving Chang'an, otherwise he wouldn't have needed to relieve himself in the middle of the night.
He pushed aside the arm of one of his cousins who was draped over him, quietly found a secluded spot in the wild to relieve himself, and then returned to his lodgings satisfied.
Just as he was about to take a nap, he suddenly realized that something seemed wrong. The young man sat up abruptly and looked around.
One, two, three, four...
Including himself, there were five people in total.
But that's not right, there should be one missing.
Could it be that Brother Thirteen took advantage of their sleep to sneak away?
Zhan Yinyuan stood up abruptly and carefully examined the faces of each of his sleeping elder sisters and brothers. Sure enough, his thirteenth brother was the only one missing.
Alarm bells rang in his mind, and he was about to wake all his older siblings to tell them about the matter when a voice suddenly called out "Little Fifteen" from above.
Zhan Yinyuan looked up and saw Zhan Yaoguang leaning against a treetop, looking down at him.
"So you're here, Thirteenth Brother. I thought you'd run away again," Zhan Yinyuan breathed a sigh of relief and walked straight toward Zhan Yaoguang. "Why aren't you asleep so late at night?"
He stood under the tree, wanting to climb up and sit with Zhan Yaoguang, but he was not skilled enough and failed several times. Zhan Yaoguang reached out and pulled him up, and he finally managed to climb the tree.
“…I have already discussed with the other elder sisters and brothers that we should be careful while resting in the wild these next few nights. Two people will take turns keeping watch each night. I will keep watch for the first half of tonight, and Sister Zhanqing will take my place for the second half,” Zhan Yaoguang said.
"Oh..." Zhan Yinyuan nodded as if he understood. His older brothers and sisters loved him and did not assign him the task of keeping watch at night, so he only found out about this matter at this time.
He suddenly pursed his lips: "I thought that after Thirteenth Brother left Second Sister Shu, he was so heartbroken that he couldn't sleep and was crying alone under the moon."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Yaoguang raised an eyebrow and lightly kicked him, saying, "Get lost."
"However, you're not wrong about that. I do miss her a bit."
The boy rested his hands behind his head, his eyes filled with a hazy moonlight.
Just last night, they fell asleep in each other's arms in the car. The girl's soft and fragrant body was held in his arms. His face was slightly flushed as he stared at her sleeping face for a long time before finally finding a comfortable position for her. He then closed his eyes and held her tightly, completely satisfied.
But tonight, all that's left for him is the sparse, pale moon in the sky.
Zhan Yinyuan was stunned speechless by his words: "I came north with my elder sisters and brothers to find you. I haven't missed my mother and father for so long, but you, thirteenth brother, have only been away from her for a few hours and you're already... you're already..."
Zhan Yaoguang closed her eyes in frustration: "I can forget about everything else, it's all my own problem. But there's one thing I'm really worried about. You don't know, it's about her family..."
At this point, he paused, realizing that this was a matter concerning Shu Fu's family and shouldn't be publicized to Zhan Yinyuan, so he fell silent.
After a while, she pursed her lips and said, "I'm a little worried about her, afraid that she'll be bullied by others."
Zhan Yinyuan also rested his chin on his hand and sighed earnestly, "But what can we do? Thirteenth Brother, you have to come back with us, and we can't spare another one to stay by her side."
Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in the boy's eyes, and he softly repeated, "The second me?"
Zhan Yinyuan didn't react immediately and just said "Ah" in a daze, but Zhan Yaoguang seemed to remember something and her eyes lit up completely.
"I have a plan! Little Fifteen, could you please keep watch for me for another hour? Then wake up Sister Zhanqing to relieve you. I have to go to Fanchuan. I'll definitely be back before tomorrow morning!"
The young man had inexhaustible strength. Having made up his mind, he immediately climbed down from the tree and prepared to fetch the horse: "Okay, Fifteen, help me one more time. When we get back to the village, I will reward you."
Zhan Yinyuan stared dumbfounded at Zhan Yaoguang's departing figure as he mounted his horse, a silent lament erupting from his chest:
Even if it were just for the reward, I, Zhan Shiwu, would be willing to help Brother Shisan this time, but—
Before you leave, could you please take me down from the tree with you?
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