Chapter 60: He believed in Madam Wen Yu.
Guan'an Lane, late night, Song's residence.
"Sister Wen! Sister Wen!"
Song Linsheng's gaze turned in response, and he saw Ayuan on the couch murmuring constantly. He didn't know if he was having a nightmare, but he kept calling for Madam Wen Yu in his dream.
Song Linsheng stood up and walked slowly for two steps, stirred the charcoal fire in the stove to make it burn more vigorously, then bent down and brought the basin of water that had been placed aside to the front of the couch, wet the handkerchief and wiped Ayuan's palms.
"Sister! Sister!" A Yuan's cries were very urgent, as if someone had pinched his throat, making his voice become louder and louder, hoarse and dry, and increasingly excited and nervous.
Song Linsheng pinched the corner of the quilt and was about to cover Ayuan's shoulders again, but unexpectedly Ayuan sat up straight and threw herself into Song Linsheng's arms.
A Yuan's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and his hair was still a little wet. He raised his head from Song Linsheng's arms, and his misty eyes met Song Linsheng's.
"Ah... Brother..." Ayuan's voice was soft, hoarse with the heat and dampness of a cold. He recognized Song Linsheng; they had seen him briefly in East Street Market earlier. It was this brother who had asked Brother Xiyan to take him home.
After hearing from Brother Xiyan that this was the newly appointed prefect of Jiangyang Prefecture, Ah Yuan hesitated and timidly called out, "Song...Sir Song...Where is Sister Wen?"
Song Linsheng replaced the handkerchief with a dry one and continued wiping Ayuan's forehead and palms. His movements were a little awkward but very gentle. Hearing the shyness in Ayuan's words, Song Linsheng softened his voice and said soothingly, "Your sister Wen has left the city to look for sister Zhi Bainiang. Don't worry."
"As for me, you should just call me brother, what do you think?"
As Song Linsheng spoke, he raised his hand to touch Ayuan's forehead. A rather obvious low fever passed through the back of Song Linsheng's hand and spread to his five fingers.
She has a fever, so she shouldn't cover herself so thickly. Song Linsheng felt quite confident, so he stood up and went to the cupboard to pick out a thinner quilt, then returned to Ayuan's side.
Ah Yuan clutched the corner of the quilt tightly, pulling it into wrinkles, and didn't let go until Song Linsheng wanted to change the quilt. He sat on the couch, but didn't lean on the soft pillow behind him. His entire sitting posture seemed particularly straight, and without saying a word, his complete awkwardness and uneasiness were exposed to Song Linsheng's eyes.
A Yuan remained silent and did not respond to Song Linsheng's words.
"You don't have to be afraid. Aren't you here to look for Sister Wen? Since you trust Sister Wen, you don't have to be afraid of me, right?" Song Linsheng patiently coaxed and carefully eased Ayuan's nervousness.
A Yuan raised her eyes again and met the gaze of her brother. His features were gentle and beautiful, and he was quite handsome. She wasn't afraid of him, either. When they first met, he had arranged a place for her and her sister, and had Xiyan send her back home. He even paid for medical treatment and medicine for her and her brother.
This brother from the Song family... must be a very good person...
He had just never been in such a warm room, lying on such a soft couch, and someone even specially replaced the quilt to suit his situation.
Ah Yuan felt a little lost. He mustered up the courage to say to Song Linsheng, "I am indeed here to look for Sister Wen... Ah... Brother..."
Song Linsheng raised his hand and gently squeezed Ayuan's palm, responding with a gentle smile.
A Yuan always reminded him of himself and his elder brother Song Shuangcheng. It was the same when they were young. If he was sick or had a fever, his brother would use a small handkerchief to wipe his palms.
Song Linsheng's expression remained unchanged, his hands moving constantly, and he seemed to be chatting casually with Ayuan.
"It didn't rain last night, so why are you here soaking wet?"
A Yuan's eyes flickered, and were very clear under the candlelight. He hesitated for a moment, then told everything about his previous experience of fishing in the river.
"I also wanted to nourish Sister Zhibai, but I didn't expect her to bleed suddenly... If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have run so far!"
A Yuan's face was filled with anxiety, and he looked extremely regretful.
Song Linsheng patted his back gently to help him calm down, and then asked, "So, Sister Zhibai is indeed staying at your house temporarily?"
This would make things much easier. He would just need to follow the trail and would be able to meet up with Madam Wen Yu soon.
A Yuan nodded in agreement when he heard this.
After receiving A Yuan's affirmative response, Song Linsheng felt a little relieved.
"Then how did you find yourself here?"
Previously, Xiyan had reported back after sending Ayuan home, saying that everything had been arranged. He also specifically told Ayuan that if he needed anything in the future, he could go to the Jiangyang government office to find him and Xiyan.
Given Xiyan's personality, he would definitely not reveal the location of the Song residence to Ayuan after he said so. After all, the Song residence was a private residence. If it was official business, it would be more appropriate to go to the Jiangyang government office.
"It was Sister Zhibai who asked me to come." A Yuan was obviously more relaxed than before, and her conversation with Song Linsheng was much more fluent. "Sister Zhibai said that she and Sister Wen are old acquaintances, and she only trusts Sister Wen."
Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, A Yuan hurriedly added, "Of course, brother... brother is also a good person..."
"I never thought that Sister Zhibai and Sister Wen knew each other! How amazing!"
"Sister Zhibai gave me this address and told me to follow it to find Sister Wen. I didn't expect this to be my brother's home as well."
A Yuan smiled rather shyly, with a light blush on her face.
"Sister Zhibai is pregnant with a younger brother or sister, how can I take good care of her? Now with the help of Sister Wen and Brother, it really couldn't be better!"
Song Linsheng's smile remained unchanged as he nodded in agreement.
At this moment, Uncle Song's voice could be heard outside the room. After Song Lin's head was raised, Uncle Song pushed the door open and came in quickly from behind the screen. In his hand was a wooden tray, with the soup bowl and medicine spoon lying on it. Although he walked quickly, the soup in the bowl was very stable, and not a drop was spilled.
"Second Young Master, the medicine the doctor ordered is ready." Uncle Song reported to Song Linsheng while he saw Ayuan sitting up.
"Hey! The little grandson is awake!"
Song Linsheng nodded in greeting, asked Uncle Song to put the serving plate down first, and then turned to talk to Ayuan.
"Since this is my brother's home, you can stay here with peace of mind. If you catch a cold, ask Uncle Song to take care of you and give you medicine. Take good care of yourself."
"Brother, you have to go out of town first to look for Sister Wen and Sister Zhibai, okay?"
A Yuan nodded obediently, called Uncle Song "Uncle", and did not forget to ask Song Linsheng to be more careful.
Song Linsheng smiled at him gently, his eyes curved like crescent moons. After Song Linsheng and Uncle Song gave him a few words of advice, he quickly retreated from the inner room.
With the sound of the door closing with a "creak", the intricately carved door leaf closed in front of Song Linsheng, and his screen embroidered with green and blue trees was also closed inside the door and could not be seen.
Song Linsheng turned his back, the smile on his face gradually faded and disappeared, and he regained his calm expression.
His eyelashes drooped slightly, casting a shadow that hid the expression in his eyes. He stood there silently, but his heart was no longer able to remain calm.
From his first meeting at Houchun Mountain to his settlement in Jiangyang Prefecture, he and Madam Wenyu had only met within a few days... How had Madam Wenyu become an old acquaintance of Madam Zhibai? And what deep friendship had led Madam Zhibai to say, "She only trusted Madam Wenyu"?
We only met once on that day...
Could it be that Madam Wenyu and Madam Zhibai are really old friends?
Song Linsheng shook his head, trying to drive the chaotic thoughts out of his mind.
Madam Wen Yu said that she had no relatives in Jiangyang and couldn't even find her own brother, so how could she be an old friend of Madam Zhi Bai?
He believed in Madam Wen Yu.
After a long time, the wind died down, and Song Linsheng's heart finally calmed down. He exhaled a long breath. The truth and falsehood, the real and the fake, would eventually be revealed.
Song Linsheng was no longer entangled. The most important thing at the moment was obviously the situation of Madam Zhibai and the safety of Madam Wenyu. Naturally, Xiyan must not be in trouble.
He quickly walked down the stairs in two or three steps and hurried out of the courtyard...
***
"Come in! Come in!" The little girl who stuck her head out from behind quickly opened the door and welcomed Wen Yu and Xi Yan in.
Xiyan knew this girl; she was Ayuan's sister, Azhu. But the boy beside her was someone Xiyan had never seen before.
"Brother Xiyan, this is Yanzi, a friend of Brother Ayuan."
Xiyan nodded slightly in response, then turned his gaze to Wenyu and gestured to her.
Wen Yu didn't say anything, but when she stepped through the door, she glanced sideways at the boy named "Yan Zi". This kid gave her a feeling... very unusual...
But the most important thing at the moment is Zhi Bai Niangzi. Wen Yu swept her eyes around, calmed her mind, and no longer looked at Yan Zi. She walked quickly into the room and followed closely behind Azhu.
The Hou Tu Temple wasn't very large. Entering the temple was a small square courtyard, and across the courtyard was the main hall, where Hou Tu Niangniang was worshipped. However, the main hall was only the size of a single room. Wen Yu looked around and realized that this place wasn't as good as Song Linsheng's Guanwu Courtyard.
Not to mention how it compares to her master's Wutong Ancestral Temple, which is constantly being renovated.
Sitting in the hall is the statue of Hou Tu Niangniang, with many mottled marks on it. Although it is dilapidated, one can still vaguely make out the gold and red patterns on it, proclaiming the former glory of Hou Tu Niangniang.
"Sister Wen, where is my brother Ayuan?"
Wen Yu was so lost in thought that he suddenly asked Ah Zhu something. Ah Zhu didn't react immediately, so Xi Yan took over and explained to her.
Ah Zhu obviously trusted Xi Yan very much, and after receiving a positive answer, she stopped asking questions.
Ah Zhu led Wen Yu and Xi Yan around the statue of Hou Tu, and when they reached the back of the statue, she called out in a low voice.
"Sister Wen, we're here. Look—"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
