Encounter
The spring equinox has arrived, the perfect season for flower viewing. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't good, and a sudden downpour forced Qin Yuyao, who had just stepped out of the door, to stop.
Seeing the rain getting heavier and heavier, and no sign of stopping anytime soon, Qin Yuyao gave up on going out. Frustrated, she patted the hem of her skirt, which had been splashed with rainwater. She had even specially donned an apricot-yellow spring shirt today, specifically to enjoy the flowers.
It was specially made for her by Nanny Liang a few days ago. She said it looked very beautiful on her and was perfect for spring outings.
"I hope that the purple-leaf plum tree will grow better after this spring rain, instead of falling into the mud." Qin Yuyao murmured softly as she looked at the rain that had formed a curtain of water under the eaves.
At this moment, there was a noisy sound coming from the other side of the door, like a carriage rolling and some human voices.
Taoyuan Village was remote and sparsely populated. Most of the village's adult men had chosen to leave for Shengjing to make a living, leaving only the elderly and children.
Who would come out in such heavy rain? Qin Yuyao wondered, looking in the direction of the noise.
The carriage that was far away just now was now driven by the coachman to a position three feet in front of Qin Yuyao.
Out of caution, Qin Yuyao frowned slightly and was about to hide back in the manor when she saw a man jump down from the carriage. He clasped his hands together and was about to speak when he looked into Qin Yuyao's clear eyes.
"This..." The man was wearing a straw raincoat and a black tight-fitting outfit. The scimitar on his waist showed that he was a martial arts practitioner with great skills.
"Miss, my son has suddenly fallen ill and cannot travel. Could you ask if there is an inn nearby where we can rest?" Jiang He was first shocked by the other party's beauty like a lotus emerging from the water. After a while, he spoke, and even his tone slowed down a little.
Seeing that he was still polite, Qin Yuyao looked at the carriage behind him and said, "There's no inn, but if you just want to avoid the rain, I can let you rest for a while at my farm."
Seeing Jiang He's delight, Qin Yuyao continued, "Will there be many of you?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang He was immediately at a loss as to how to explain it.
Qin Yuyao immediately backed off. Just as she was about to speak, she heard several violent coughs coming from the carriage.
The person inside the carriage seemed to realize that he was not feeling well and was trying hard to suppress his cough. After a moment, he said, "Miss, we are indeed a lot of people. But they are all my servants, and most of them are well-behaved people."
Qin Yuyao blinked when she heard this. This sick young man could actually speak. His voice was also very pleasant. She inexplicably wanted to see what someone with such a voice looked like.
"Since you have made such a promise, please bring your people in." Qin Yuyao did not want to make things difficult for a patient. She glanced at Jiang He who was silent beside her, and pushed open the half-closed door.
The people in the carriage seemed to be surprised that Qin Yuyao turned around and agreed. They also thanked her: "Thank you, young lady."
Soon, the leading carriage and the dozen or so people behind it drove their horses into the farm. Qin Yuyao was originally worried that there were too many people and her farm would not be able to accommodate them.
Fortunately, the farm given by the Qin family, including the front and back houses and the warehouse in the middle, is enough for these people to come in and rest.
Qin Yuyao sat in the flower hall, curiously observing the attendants walking around the courtyard. Seeing that they were indeed walking steadily and treating everything in the house with great care, she immediately felt relieved.
At this moment, Qin Yuyao noticed that the carriage at the gate had not moved. It turned out that the driver had first driven the horses as close to the manor gate as possible, and then quickly moved the bench down from the carriage.
This cautious demeanor made Qin Yuyao even more curious about the young man in the carriage. Was he a pale, sickly man? Or perhaps a skinny teenager?
Thinking of this, Qin Yuyao subconsciously leaned over to look, but unfortunately her first view was blocked by Jiang He's open oil-paper umbrella.
All he could tell was that the other person seemed to have some mobility issues, having come in in a wheelchair. Jiang He held up an umbrella, seemingly listening to what the other person was saying, the oil-paper umbrella covering him more and more tightly.
After looking for a long time, Qin Yuyao found that she could not see anything. She curled her lips in boredom. She was ready to go back to her room to rest. Now that the village was full of this group of people, it would be better for her to go back and rest for safety.
But then she heard the person behind her suddenly raise his voice and call her, "Miss!" It was the young man who had just spoken to her.
Qin Yuyao immediately turned around and looked over. "There are quite a few empty rooms in the front of this manor. My wet nurse and two maids are not here today, so you can use them as you please."
Although Qin Yuyao felt a little regretful that she couldn't see the other person's appearance, but when she thought that the other person was a patient, it was normal for him to be protected like this.
"Thank you for your help today, Miss. Luan is very grateful."
Looking at the man with only half of his body exposed under the oil-paper umbrella, he was wearing a black brocade robe. Although it was stained with a little rain, he did not look disheveled at all.
Qin Yuyao's originally regretful mood was slightly relieved by the other party's extremely polite words. She felt that this young man was not only very polite, but also had a voice as pleasant as the sound of jade colliding.
So she couldn't help but soften her tone and said, "It's okay. Taoyuan Village has been raining a lot, so it's normal for you outsiders not to know. Just now, your guard said you were suffering from a serious illness. You should go and rest as soon as possible."
After saying this, Qin Yuyao turned and hurried back to the back room. She was a little uncomfortable with the sudden increase in the number of people in the village. She couldn't see the purple-leaf plum trees today either. Hopefully, the heavy rain hadn't knocked down too many of them.
After the owner of the manor left, the others gathered their things and became quiet. They stood in the corridor and under the eaves, apparently waiting to speak to the person in the wheelchair.
Luan Zhengya coughed lightly twice and said, "Jiang He, take me to the nearest room." Compared with her thanks to Qin Yuyao just now, her voice this time was like jade sinking into an icy river, and became three points colder for no reason.
Hearing him speak, Jiang He looked around and saw that everyone went about their business. Jiang He handed the oil-paper umbrella to the person behind him and pushed Luan Zhengya in the wheelchair to the nearest room.
The next day, after a whole day and night of heavy rain in Taoyuan Village, the rain finally stopped in the early morning.
Qin Yuyao packed up the things in her small bag and walked out of the small door as usual. But as she walked, she remembered that there was a group of new people in the farm today.
It couldn't be such a coincidence that someone chose the room with the small door? Qin Yuyao comforted herself in her heart, but her steps still became a little hesitant.
In the front room, Luan Zhengya sat on the bed with her hair loose. Her eyelids drooped slightly as she listened to Jiang He report on the letter that had arrived in the early morning.
"Young Master, news from the capital mentioned that His Majesty is already dealing with the spy himself. The messenger asked if you need any help?" Jiang He placed the letter he had read on the candle and lit it, then waved his hand and scattered the remaining ashes into the hollow incense burner on the table.
Luan Zhengya opened her eyes and, before she spoke, tilted her head slightly to look into the darkness. Suddenly, Jiang He's expression froze as he stood in front of Luan Zhengya.
Qin Yuyao withdrew her hand from the door somewhat at a loss, trying not to appear too presumptuous: "I didn't expect you to really choose this shortcut room. Sorry, sorry."
Seeing that it was her, Jiang He's tense expression relaxed. He lowered his right hand from his waist and couldn't help but turn his head to look at Luan Zhengya who was still lying on the bed.
Jiang He's relaxation revealed Luan Zhengya behind him. Qin Yuyao, who was originally flustered and a little apologetic, was immediately attracted to Luan Zhengya.
It was simply that if Luan Zhengya were well-dressed and solemn, he would have given off a certain air of keeping strangers away. However, with his untidy hair and frail figure leaning against the bed, his nine-tenths of color seemed to have been distorted.
How could there be such a handsome man in the world?
Qin Yuyao swallowed hard and subconsciously took a step closer. "Mr. Luan, I don't mean anything else. I was just worried that all the purple-leaf plum trees outside would be destroyed by the heavy rain yesterday, so I decided to come here."
Jiang He held his breath, knowing Qin Yuyao's expression all too well. In the past, many women had looked at their young master with such lustful eyes. In contrast, this Miss Qin was now much more restrained.
Luan Zhengya's lips curled up slightly when she heard this: "It's alright, Miss Qin cherishes flowers, it's a beautiful thing. It's just that I got up late and my clothes were not in order, which was a bit rude."
Even though the other person's smile didn't change, Qin Yuyao's instincts told her not to stay any longer. She immediately smiled gently at the two of them and quickly walked out the door. As soon as her back foot stepped over the threshold, she trotted out of the room.
Then, Jiang He half-knelt down and said, "Sir, it was my fault for not noticing the secret door in this house."
Seeing the panic on his face, Luan Zhengya said calmly, "This won't happen again."
On the surface, he had been spared, but Jiang He still shuddered at the sound of his words. He immediately lowered his head and said, "Sir, the owner of this farm has been identified. It belongs to the Right Prime Minister in the capital. The person living here is Qin Yuyao, the daughter of his first wife. She was sent here since she was a child."
This meant that Qin Yuyao's appearance here was not intentional. It was indeed a simple chance encounter. Thinking of this, Luan Zhengya waved her hand and asked Jiang He to leave.
Unexpectedly, he spurted out a mouthful of blood the next moment. Jiang He was shocked and rushed forward to help him up.
"Young Master, hasn't the poison in your body reached its final round? But you haven't taken the medicine from this morning?" Jiang He said as he was about to reach out to Luan Zhengya to take the medicine.
When Luan Zhengya grabbed his wrist, the strong Jiang He couldn't help but gasp.
"No need, it's just that the blood circulation is not smooth due to the rush." After saying that, he pushed Jiang He away and sat back on the bed.
*
The purple-leaf plum trees in early spring are in full bloom. Despite being drenched by heavy rain all night, they still have lush flowers and leaves. From a distance, they look like snow, and up close, they look like pink clouds hanging from the treetops.
After safely spreading the fertilizer she had brought with her under the tree roots, Qin Yuyao packed up and headed home. She hesitated on the way back, as she felt somewhat embarrassed by what had happened this morning.
I don’t know how to face it after returning? Qin Yuyao walked slower and slower until she reached the gate of Zhuangzi, and then she came to her senses.
Before she could push the door open, she saw it had already opened from the inside. However, the person who opened the door was a stranger. Perhaps it was the young master's attendant, Qin Yuyao thought.
"Miss Qin, you're back? Our master is waiting for you in the flower hall. He has something to discuss with you." The attendant smiled attentively and led the way very skillfully, as if they were the owners of the manor.
"Mrs. Liang, Qingyu, Jinyu, why haven't you returned from your visit yet?" Qin Yuyao hadn't thought about being the only one left in the manor before, but now, seeing that everyone walking around the manor was someone else's family, she rarely missed those three chattering people.
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