Chapter 31 No More Pain
Chen He slowly raised her face, and raindrops as big as beans fell on her face like beads that had broken off the string, interweaving with the unstoppable tears, blurring her vision and making the whole world hazy.
At this moment, her heart was filled with sorrow and despair. She didn't even have the energy to think about why the Sixth Prince Xiao Jingchi, who was famous in the capital for his stupidity, would appear here.
She still maintained her kneeling position in the mud, her knees were numb, and mud and water splashed all over her clothes.
She stared at the face so close to her. The face was as handsome as a carefully carved jade, but also with a child's ignorance and innocence.
For a moment, an uncontrollable whimper came from her throat, like a wounded little animal howling helplessly in the middle of the night.
Then, the sobbing became louder and louder, turning into heart-wrenching howling.
It was as if all the grievances of past and present lives were pouring out like a surging tide; all the regrets were smashing down like heavy rocks; all the unwillingness was cutting her heart like a sharp blade.
The cold rain, like the merciless tears of heaven, echoed with her cries.
Xiao Jingchi tilted his head and watched her cry quietly like a silent statue.
He did not urge her at all, nor did he show any impatience. He just held the ink-black oil-paper umbrella steadily, like a solid barrier, covering her in this small, dry world, as if isolating her from all the wind, rain and pain from the outside world.
After a long time, he slowly stretched out his other hand that was not holding the umbrella, and gently touched Shen He's smooth forehead.
His fingertips were cool, like ice and snow touching her skin, but he was extremely gentle, afraid of hurting her.
"Sister He, your head is so hot, you have a fever."
Xiao Jingchi cast his gaze at her bare feet again. Those feet were covered with mud and looked particularly pitiful in the mud.
"Sister He, Mother said that if you go out without shoes, you will get sick."
His tone was serious and persistent, as if he was repeating a sacred and inviolable rule.
After saying this, without waiting for Shen He to react, Xiao Jingchi's free hand, cautiously but with unquestionable strength, gently grasped Shen He's waist.
The next moment, Chen He felt his body suddenly lighten, and he was held horizontally in his arms like a baby!
In one hand, he still held the ink-colored oil-paper umbrella steadily, as if guarding a precious treasure, covering their heads; with the other arm, he easily held her in his arms, making her feel an unprecedented sense of security.
Chen He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, and subconsciously grasped his clothes tightly. The tip of her nose was filled with his faint, refreshing cold fragrance, which mixed with the moisture of rain. She could even clearly feel the temperature of his chest, which was like a warm fire, gradually warming her cold heart. She could also hear his steady and powerful heartbeat, like a drumbeat, beating against her atrium one by one.
"Sister He, let's go back."
Xiao Jingchi held her in his arms and took firm steps towards an inconspicuous green-curtained carriage parked under a tree not far away.
***
When they reached Xiao Jingchi's carriage, the clever driver had already quickly opened the curtain.
Xiao Jingchi held Chen He in his arms and stepped steadily into the carriage. A warm breath hit their faces, like a spring breeze, dispelling the chill from their bodies.
The space inside the carriage is not large, but it is very comfortably furnished.
A small charcoal brazier was burning in the corner.
Xiao Jingchi carefully placed Chen He on a bench covered with thick cushions, then he slowly squatted down and took off his clean, embroidered black boots.
He picked up the boots and put them on Shen He's cold, muddy feet without saying a word.
His movements were a little clumsy, like a child learning needlework for the first time, but he was extremely persistent, as if he was completing an important mission.
His shoes were too big for the delicate Shen He, but this clumsy action carried an irresistible warmth.
Chen He stared at him blankly, his eyes full of surprise and emotion, and for a moment he forgot to react.
Xiao Jingchi put one boot on her and then put on the other. After doing this, he stood up and picked up a clean and soft handkerchief next to him.
He began to clumsily wipe Shen He's wet hair, his strength as light as a feather, as if he was afraid of hurting her.
After wiping it half dry, he picked up a thin blanket that was neatly folded next to him. The blanket was soft and warm, like a mother's embrace.
He gently covered Shen He with a thin blanket.
After doing all this, his eyes fell on Shen He's right hand, which was tightly holding something and slightly bleeding.
That was the cut she got when she was picking up the jade fragments from the mud just now. The bloodstains were particularly glaring on her fair skin.
Xiao Jingchi frowned slightly, as if the wound was cut on his own body, and a hint of displeasure seemed to flash in his eyes.
He looked at Chen Chenhe's hand, then at his dark robe made of fine material.
Then, he made a move that Chen He did not expect - "Swish -" He actually tore off a long strip of cloth from the hem of his robe!
He took the strip of cloth, squatted down again, and carefully held up Shen He's hand, as if he was holding a rare treasure.
He gently brushed off the dirt, then used the cloth to carefully wrap her cut fingertips, circle by circle.
Finally, he tied a knot that was a little crooked but very secure.
"It doesn't hurt anymore." He raised his head and looked at Chen He with clear and serious eyes.
Chen He's heart seemed to be hit hard by an invisible hand, causing ripples to appear.
She looked at the young man in front of her who was bandaging his wound carefully with clear and innocent eyes. Her throat choked with sobs, as if there were thousands of words stuck in her heart, but she couldn't say a single word.
She slowly loosened her tightly clenched right hand, and a small and exquisite jade pendant engraved with the words "Xiu Zeng Linglong" lay quietly in her palm.
Chen He gently stroked the familiar marks on it with her fingertips, and the marks seemed to be engraved on her heart.
This is Mr. Yan, who carved it for her personally as a birthday gift in the year she came of age.
He said she was exquisite and transparent, hoping that she would have a clear mind and a keen eye for people. But she failed to live up to his expectations, like a bright shooting star that streaks across the night sky but eventually falls.
In this life...
"No, no one will call me Linglong anymore..."
The husband is dead. The man who would gently call her "Linglong" with a voice like a spring breeze; who would patiently teach her, like a lighthouse illuminating her way forward; who would silently protect her, like a big tree sheltering her from wind and rain, is really dead!
The deepest despair! The deepest loneliness!
I thought I could make up for all my mistakes by seizing the opportunity of rebirth, but I found that the important person had left first!
This is the greatest trick of fate!
That cruel reality, like a sharp sword, pierced straight into Chen He's heart.
An indescribable, overwhelming feeling of loneliness instantly submerged Chen He like a surging tide.
This feeling of loneliness was even more bone-chilling and colder than when she knelt in front of the grave in the wind and rain just now, as if she was placed in an ice cellar.
Unable to hold on any longer, she hugged her arms tightly, buried her face in her knees, curled up into a ball, and shivered, like a young animal abandoned in the cold wind, helpless and pitiful.
She huddled in the warm corner of the carriage, but felt as if she were in the snow and ice. The warmth around her formed a sharp contrast with the coldness in her heart.
All of this was seen by the "silly prince" beside him. Was there a trace of barely perceptible pain flashing in his eyes?
The pain was like a shooting star across the night sky, fleeting, yet it made people feel pity.
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