17. Leaving
◎Dr. Ying is going to "chase after his wife from afar"! ◎
The night breeze carried the fragrance of flowers past his nose. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took the osmanthus blossoms that were still warm from her body.
Du Zhijin apologized to him: "There are too many people here, and you can easily lose sight of someone if you look closely."
Ying Jianhua nodded slightly, unconsciously clenching the osmanthus flower.
The woman recognized them as travelers, gave him one last look, and then left. Watching her departing figure, Du Zhijin joked, "Doctor Ying is quite popular, isn't he?"
Someone lightly touched her arm with a flower branch. Ying Jianhua was a little annoyed, withdrew the branch, and snorted, "How can you be more popular?"
Lu Ping then confessed his feelings to her.
Thinking of this, he casually asked, "What did you talk about with Officer Lu just now?"
Fearing that his question might seem like he was prying, he quickly added, "If you don't want to say, that's fine too. I don't really want to know."
To everyone's surprise, Du Zhijin didn't hide anything: "He said he likes me."
Upon hearing this, his heart sank.
Even though I already knew the ending, hearing those words from her still...
“I know that ‘zhongyi’ means ‘like’.” She looked up at the dark sky, then turned her gaze to him beside her. “So I refused.”
Yingjian's throat tightened.
If I refuse, I refuse. What's he going to do? I'm not going to suddenly discover that his eyelashes are very long.
"...You are a cultivator, he is a constable, the difference between you is like heaven and earth. You are right to refuse him." He turned his face away, just as he bumped into the bright light, his eyes shimmering.
The new night is bathed in clear light, the rosy clouds and the moon's radiance are captivating.
Du Zhijin suddenly realized that the woman in the grove had made the wrong choice when she had to choose between the two options.
Isn't this kind of gentle and refined young man quite nice?
"Dr. Ying, I didn't know what 'zhongyi' meant before, and I told you rashly. I'm so sorry." She apologized sincerely.
After Lu Ping's experience, she realized how offensive her casual remark had been.
"You know that's good." Ying Jianhua seemed to want to turn his head and glare at her. But his eyelashes trembled under the light, yet he never fully opened them.
It's like they're worried about something.
What are you worried about?
Du Zhijin thought about it all the way but couldn't come up with a solution. But just as she was about to fall asleep, looking at the roof filled with straw, a similar scene suddenly pulled her back to a certain night.
She exclaimed "Ah!" and suddenly realized, "Dr. Ying, didn't you say before that I wasn't allowed to say I liked anyone else, especially Lu Ping? Do you know...?"
No one responded after he finished speaking. Du Zhijin glanced at the bed and saw only a figure wrapped tightly in the quilt.
Little did he know that she had excellent hearing and immediately saw through his pretense of being asleep.
The breathing is incorrect.
But she didn't expose her, she just smiled silently and said softly, "Sleep well."
Still no one answered.
After a while, Ying Jianhua quietly opened her eyes in the darkness.
These past few nights, he's heard her chant "Sleep well" like a mantra, and he's actually gotten used to falling asleep to that sound.
But she's leaving tomorrow.
What's there to feel sad about? Didn't he always hope she would leave soon?
————
Du Zhijin's arrival in Wuling Village was a grand affair (referring to the noise he made while fighting the Flame Demon), and his departure was equally impressive.
Aunt Huang's family came to see her off, especially Honghua's eyes, which were swollen like steamed buns.
She knelt down to wipe away her tears, and then handed her a thumb-sized firework tube. Honghua immediately stopped crying and asked curiously, "Sister, is this for me?"
“Yes, these are fireworks that only we Red Flower people can use.” Du Zhijin nodded and taught her how to use them. “Do you remember what I told you that day? If you see a demon or ghost in the village, light it immediately.”
This is no ordinary firework; the moment it's lit, it forms a protective barrier to shield the red flower from harm. However, the barrier's duration is limited, and she must arrive as quickly as possible. If the barrier is subjected to a fierce attack, its duration will be shortened.
Perhaps she should stay a little longer, at least to teach Honghua how to protect herself...
Feeling a tremendous responsibility on her shoulders, Honghua patted her chest and assured her, "Don't worry, sister, no monster can escape my eyes!"
"What nonsense are you spouting now, you silly girl?" Aunt Huang patted her daughter's head and smiled at Du Zhijin. "Thanks to Miss Mu, otherwise I don't know when my old man's leg would have recovered. We don't have anything to offer you in return, so we made some food for you to eat on your journey."
Du Zhijin thanked him, took the bean, smelled it, and exclaimed in surprise, "Pickled cowpeas?"
Aunt Huang smiled and nodded.
She liked everything about this wooden girl. Not only was she beautiful, but she also had excellent carpentry skills and a good temperament. Standing next to Doctor Ying, they were truly a pleasing pair to the eye.
It's a pity... a pity that the two were destined to be apart. Miss Mu was about to leave, and Doctor Ying didn't try to stop her.
After saying goodbye to the Huang family, Du Zhijin went to the screen in front of Yingjian and bowed to express his gratitude.
"I've been bothering Dr. Ying these past few days."
If it weren't for his help, she might have died in the Tiger's Den long ago.
Ying Jianhua accepted her gift without hesitation. He also prepared some things for her, but not food; instead, he gave her some herbs and a medical book.
Du Zhijin accepted the gift, then suddenly remembered the jade hairpin he had pawned, and lowered his head guiltily: "I'm sorry. If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely return your mother's keepsake to its rightful owner."
“I told you, living people are more important than inanimate objects, you don’t need to take it to heart.” He shook his head, rejecting her apology.
Today the sky is clear and the breeze is gentle; even the willow catkins are fewer than usual. Let's not talk about parting now.
Honghua was already held in Aunt Huang's arms, her eyes red from crying.
Ying Jianhua stood alone by the roadside, watching her leave from afar.
As if sensing something, Du Zhijin turned around, and their eyes met.
Her eyes were like the Jinxi River in early summer, clear and sparkling.
He looked away.
After Du Zhijin left, Honghua sat in the courtyard for a long time, gazing into the distance, and kept talking about it even while eating.
Uncle Huang chimed in, "That girl must have some kind of supernatural power; she healed my leg with just one move."
"Waaah, Mom, I miss Sister Mu." Honghua's sad memories were stirred up, her lips trembled, and tears streamed down her face. While Aunt Huang was busy comforting her daughter, she kicked Uncle Huang under the table.
Anyway, both of his legs are fine now, so he can kick either one.
Disdained by the mother and daughter, Uncle Huang sheepishly took his bowl and slunk out to the yard to eat. Looking up, he saw Ying Jianhua locking the door and greeted her, "Dr. Ying, where are you going so late? Have you had dinner yet?"
Ying Jianhua greeted him and said, "She left something with me, and I need to take it back before she goes too far."
Uncle Huang was stunned for a moment before he realized who "she" was. When he thought of some of the things his wife had said, his mouth dropped open so wide it could fit an egg.
This is incredible! Dr. Ying is really smitten; he's going to "chase after his wife from afar"!
It was getting late, and Ying Jianhua didn't continue chatting with him. She cupped her hands in greeting and disappeared into the night. Uncle Huang, carrying a bowl, rushed into the house shouting, "My goodness! Doctor Ying has gone after that girl!"
Hearing the man's barking outside, the little yellow dog thought a thief had broken in and immediately barked a few times on alert.
Ying Jianhua naturally didn't miss Uncle Huang's reaction and listened to it.
He carried a bamboo basket on his shoulder, but the basket was light and empty; there was nothing "she had left behind," only a black robe.
His destination was not in the direction of Du Zhijin, but the Prince's Mansion.
————
In the Prince's residence, Prince Chengduan looked at the unconscious Crown Prince on the bed, closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
He had many wives and concubines, but few children; he only had this one promising son. If anything were to happen to the heir...
"Didn't they say there was some medicine by Doctor Mo that could make the young master feel better? Where is he now?"
Upon hearing this, Steward Zhang knelt down with a thud and exclaimed, "Your Highness, that Doctor Mo's origins are unknown, and he appeared just when the young master was seriously ill. I'm afraid he has ulterior motives and is not a good doctor!"
Prince Chengduan neither opened his eyes nor spoke, but the bulging veins on his forehead showed that his patience had reached its limit. None of the dozen or so servants in the room dared to utter a sound.
Just then, the prince on the bed suddenly coughed violently. The maidservant went to serve him, but was vomited up with blood all over her face and couldn't help but scream in alarm.
"A bunch of useless trash! Find them for me! Search high and low!" Prince Chengduan roared, kicking Steward Zhang in the chest, his eyes blazing with fury.
Despite the excruciating pain, Steward Zhang was about to offer further words of comfort when a joyful voice came from outside the door: "Reporting—Your Highness! Doctor Mo has been found! He's been found!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man in black carrying a medicine box standing behind Steward Wang's burly figure.
Prince Chengduan frowned.
This person... looks somewhat familiar.
[Author's Note]
The next few chapters are from the male protagonist's perspective; you can skip to chapter 24 if you don't want to read them. (orz)
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