Chapter 53: First Release “You don’t have to look after me all the time.
As soon as Wen Yu finished speaking, the air in the entire foundation pit froze for a moment, causing the airflow in this crowded and cramped space to pause for a moment.
Song Linsheng lowered his eyelids slightly, and half of his dark eyelashes hid the emotions in his eyes. He rolled his eyeballs, and the light in his eyes slid from the beginning to the end of his eyes, and finally stopped.
Madam Wen Yu has a pure mind and never pretends to be anything, so she always speaks directly, and can ask whatever she thinks.
But Mu Jingli...how would he respond?
Song Linsheng turned his eyes slightly, lowered his jaw, and subtly observed everyone's reactions.
"Madam Wen called me?"
Mu Tong walked quickly to the rope ladder, grabbed both ends with his hands and pulled it down hard, estimating the load-bearing capacity of the rope ladder in his mind.
When he heard Wen Yu's question, he responded with surprise, as if he didn't expect Wen Yu to ask this question.
"What a coincidence—"
Mu Tong loosened his grip, clasped his hands together and brushed off the dust. He gestured for Wen Yu and Song Linsheng to come forward, and spoke to them in a calm tone.
"Today is my day off, and I wasted the whole day at home. It was only at nightfall that I remembered Lord Jia."
Wen Yu held Song Linsheng's left arm with one hand and asked him to move towards the rope ladder with her steps. Hearing this, she slightly raised her willow eyebrows that were cut like a spring breeze.
"Master Jia? Why would you think of Master Jia?"
What does it have to do with him?
Wen Yu didn't ask the second half of the question out loud. She felt a surge of anxiety at the mention of Master Jia's name, but no matter how anxious she was, she wouldn't show it so easily.
She didn't know if Lord Mu was involved in this, or to what extent. She only knew that before Song Linsheng arrived, Lord Mu had been working in Jiangyang Prefecture for over a year...
Before Mu Tong could finish speaking, she immediately grasped the crucial information from his words.
Song Linsheng followed Wen Yu's steps and after listening to her, he raised his hand and patted her forearm.
Wen Yu only felt a slight movement through the fabric of her clothes. She looked down, then raised her gaze to meet Song Linsheng's. Without needing any words, they both understood each other immediately.
Did he know what she wanted to say? Wen Yu guessed it in her heart, and she couldn't help but feel a strange joy in her heart.
It's really strange. Why is she so happy for no reason? What is she so happy about?
"cough."
Mu Tong coughed lightly, signaling to Wen Yu and Song Linsheng, and at the same time interrupting Wen Yu's thoughts.
"Master Song, Madam Wen, this place... doesn't seem like the right place to talk."
"Why don't we go out first?"
A gentle smile appeared on his face, his eyes narrowed, and he made a gesture of invitation with one hand.
Song Linsheng glanced up at Mu Tong's face, meeting his crescent-shaped eyes. Song Linsheng's heart, as deep as an ancient well and long stagnant, couldn't help but ripple, but he still spoke in a gentle, dignified and polite tone.
"What Mu Jingli said is true."
But why... did he keep this secret...
Song Linsheng put aside his thoughts. This matter was not the most important thing at the moment. He stepped aside to allow Wen Yu, who was standing beside him, to be fully exposed. Song Linsheng held the rope ladder with one hand and gestured to Wen Yu:
"Madam Wenyu, would you please go first?"
Wen Yu took a quick look and thought it would be best to ask Song Linsheng to leave first. He was just a mortal and weak, how could he bear the cold all night? But when she was about to refuse, Song Linsheng seemed to have guessed what she was thinking and stopped her first:
"Madam Wenyu, you don't have to look after me all the time."
"You are a girl, so you should go first."
Seeing this, Mu Tong's eyebrows couldn't help but twitch. He asked Master Song and Madam Wen to continue to be so humble, who knows how long it would take. He spoke to them with a hint of helplessness, trying to persuade them.
"Madam Wen, please come in! Those above are all servants from the mansion, and there are also many people from my house. Please move quickly."
Wen Yu turned to Song Linsheng and walked towards him. She wanted to go up quickly so that she could help him from above.
Wen Yu no longer refused. She grabbed the rope ladder with both hands, squeezed her hands, and tested its load-bearing capacity. Once she had a rough idea of the rope's strength, she climbed up using both her hands and feet.
Her dress also rippled with it, like floating clouds gradually moving away, making it possible to see but not catch them.
It was only a few steps away from the foundation pit, which was neither too deep nor too shallow, but she and Song Linsheng were trapped in it for most of the night, wasting many hours.
Wen Yu was a little depressed. If this happened again next time, she would better let Song Linsheng down and carry him back to the mansion!
She was slender and light, so climbing a rope ladder was no effort at all, not to mention that she had divine power to protect her, so this matter was a piece of cake and not worth mentioning.
Wen Yu quickly climbed out of the pit along the rope ladder.
She glanced around casually and saw that the officials and servants who had come with Lord Mu were indeed obeying orders and standing some distance away from Wen Yu.
In the pitch-black night with tiny lights, the red flames dancing on the torches flickered in the river breeze, shining on their faces, making Wen Yu vaguely visible.
At this moment, they were standing by with their heads bowed in silence.
Wen Yu's eyes rolled. This Lord Mu really has a way of managing his subordinates! As officials of the Jiangyang government office, the group of people led by Lord Mu have obviously learned some of Lord Mu's demeanor and look much more pleasing to the eye.
The river breeze caressed the paper lanterns held by the officials, swaying with it. The powerful ink calligraphy of the Chinese character "Jiangyang" contrasted sharply with the thin, cicada-wing-like surface of the paper. The crisscrossing bamboo strips cast diamond-shaped spots of light in the orange candlelight.
Wen Yu looked up at the sky and felt that the boundless night was like an ancient mythical beast that disturbed people's deep sleep. The small orange lamp in the officer's hand was its lazily opened eyes, emitting impatient golden light.
The sky is high, the earth is vast, and the river is inexhaustible. In this profound universe, on the banks of the broad Yuanshui River, she and her group are but the size of beans, appearing insignificant and powerless.
But, so what?
Wen Yu couldn't help but smile in relief. When hungry, eat; when tired, sleep; when free, join in the fun; when in trouble, there are people to rescue you.
Her eyes swept over the officials again, then she shrugged and a cheerful smile appeared on her face.
Wen Yu turned around, half-crouched, leaned over the edge of the pit, looked down, and called out loudly, "Song Linsheng! Come up quickly!"
But at this moment, the scene inside the cave was quite different. Song Linsheng and Mu Tong remained silent, none of them reflecting on Wen Yu's sentiments. That was until Wen Yu's clear voice pierced through from above, like petals falling into a spring pond, breaking the still, water-like silence.
Mu Tong saw that Lord Song was standing still. He pondered for a moment, wondering if Lord Song was trying to politely decline the offer.
He was about to speak up, wanting to tell Lord Song not to bother with him and just go ahead. But before he could finish his words, Lord Song's expression remained unchanged, his eyebrows slightly raised, and he responded with Madam Wen:
"I'll be right there!"
"Madam Wenyu, please step back and watch your step!"
As he spoke, Song Linsheng climbed up the rope ladder, leaving Mu Tong alone in the empty and quiet cave.
Mu Tong unconsciously raised his sleeve and rubbed it against his nose, feeling a little worried. He always felt that Lord Song was different from when he first met him at the Jiangyang government office, but he couldn't put his finger on what was wrong.
Lord Song had treated him politely before, but now he seemed to be a bit more... distant?
Perhaps he had misunderstood, and Lord Song was simply overworked today. Mu Tong wasn't one to make things difficult for himself; if he couldn't figure something out, he'd just forget about it and not think about it anymore.
"Master Song, be careful! Be careful!"
Mu Tong just kept his eyes on Lord Song, making sure he left safely.
"Song Linsheng!"
Wen Yu, who was guarding the cave entrance, saw Song Linsheng's figure rising up. The first thing that caught his eye was his plump head and soft, shiny hair.
Song Linsheng looked up at her call, revealing the upper half of his face. His moist eyes, nestled beneath his brows like distant mountains, seemed to speak.
Wen Yu rolled up her sleeves and reached out without hesitation—
"I'll pull you up—"
***
"I'll pull you up!"
The clear and tender voices of children drifted through the gentle night breeze, adding a touch of liveliness to the quiet night.
The person who spoke was a boy of about ten years old, wearing an ordinary coarse linen shirt. His feet were submerged in the water several inches above his ankles. He held onto a tree trunk leaning horizontally by the water with one hand and reached into the water with the other.
Looking to the side along his arm, you can see a round head with a small bun on top, tied with a blue cloth ribbon, which makes him look particularly energetic.
But the man was not very tall and was very thin, looking even younger than the child on the shore. At this moment, he was facing away from his companions on the shore, hunched over the water, his eyes fixed on the water without blinking.
He ignored the calls from behind him, not even uttering a single nasal sound. It looked as if he was afraid of startling something.
"Come up quickly! It's getting late and dark!"
The young man on the shore stretched out his hand again, called out tentatively, and tried to persuade him.
"Where can I catch the fish, A-Yuan?"
The small figure in the water turned around upon hearing this, revealing a palm-sized face. The eyebrows and eyes were indeed the same as Ayuan that Wen Yu and Song Linsheng had met before.
Ah Yuan raised a finger to his lips, lowered his voice, and quickly replied, "Fish love to feed in shallow waters at night. Now is a great time to catch some fish!"
"We can come tomorrow in the daytime! Ah Yuan, look how dark it is! Let's go back!"
The young man by the water was still a little hesitant, and kept trying to persuade her, his words full of concern for Ayuan.
"It's noisy during the day, and the fish are swimming away and can't be found!"
A Yuan turned around and continued to bend over, making all the necessary postures and preparations, always concentrating and ready to take action.
"Besides, we have to catch some fish quickly and take them back to nourish Sister!"
"Stop talking! We've scared the fish away!"
A Yuan hissed and fell silent, staring intently at the rippling lake surface.
The young man by the water breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had made up his mind. He rolled up his sleeves, pulled his trouser legs higher, and tentatively walked in Ayuan's direction.
"Then let me help you!"
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