Although the matter had passed, whether it was a delusion or not, Xiao Shan felt that Xue Niang still didn't pay him much attention.
He even specifically went to Qu Linglong's medical clinic to inquire about Xue Niang's condition. Qu Linglong's reply was: either Xue Niang was resisting that memory, or she was faking it.
Thinking of Xue Niang's expression at the time, Xiao Shan couldn't find any flaws. If she were faking it, with Xue Niang's innocence, she shouldn't have been able to deceive his eyes. He believed more that she was resisting, after all, that memory seemed to have caused her great harm.
In the past few days, besides building the house, he also went up the mountain every day. He didn't go far, just to the shallow forest, sometimes catching a rabbit, sometimes shooting a wild pheasant, and trying his best to nourish Xue Niang. He added the spirit-nourishing medicine he got from Qu Linglong to the soup, and made her drink a large bowl every time.
It was worth mentioning that as long as she drank the spirit-nourishing agent, Xue Niang's sleep improved a lot. Like yesterday, when Yuan Bufeng came, she didn't wake up even after he had been gone for a while.
Yuan Bufeng had come to tell him news about Princess Lingyin.
Princess Lingyin was indeed dead, but strangely, she had died one day earlier than the son of Grand Tutor Lu.
What did this mean? It meant that the person the Second Prince took out to play with at that time was not Princess Lingyin!
And it was not Princess Lingyin who killed the son of Grand Tutor Lu.
If he had brought Xue Niang, then what was Xue Niang's identity that the King of Runan and the Emperor would desperately protect her?
Xiao Shan became increasingly confused, but he no longer wanted to investigate further. He privately thought that Xue Niang was probably a relative of the Empress, and since the Emperor had always doted on the Empress, perhaps the Empress wanted to protect her.
He no longer cared about these things. Xue Niang was his woman now, and her past had nothing to do with him.
The rainy season arrived, and the weather was unpredictable. Often, the sun would shine brightly at noon, and it would rain in the afternoon.
Xiao Shan had been in the mountain forest for a while. If he had caught a small wild animal, he should have returned by now. Xue Niang was a little worried. Seeing the dark clouds covering Qingyun Mountain, it was likely to be a torrential downpour.
The rumbling thunder grew closer and closer. She had heard that lightning strikes could be very dangerous in the forest. After thunderstorms, some trees would be struck dead or catch fire.
If one wore a straw cape, it generally wouldn't hurt people.
She looked back and forth in front of the fence several times, but still didn't see Xiao Shan. She had no choice but to run to the杂物间 (zázwùjiān - storage room) to find a straw cape and an umbrella, and then went out with them.
There was still no sign of Xiao Shan at the mountain path entrance. Xue Niang had no choice but to walk up a bit further.
There were two mountain paths, very close to each other. If Xiao Shan came down from the other one, she would also see him, but she couldn't go any further up. The two paths would diverge in two directions, and she was afraid of missing Xiao Shan.
Xue Niang stopped and sat on a rock, holding the straw cape. As soon as she sat down, she heard a commotion. She looked up and saw a woman running down the mountain crying. Her hair was all loose, her clothes were barely covering her, her肚兜 (dùdōu - an undergarment) was half torn, revealing a large area of skin, and the ties around her neck were all undone. She was tying her clothes as she ran, trembling.
It was Chen Dong's wife.
What had happened to her? She looked like she had been...
Xue Niang looked around and felt a bit cold.
The sky was gloomy, and it was already very dark in the forest. Xiao Shan had told her not to do anything that would harm herself. The dark clouds were about to unleash rain, so she should go home. Xiao Shan was more familiar with the mountain climate than she was, so he would be fine.
She was about to get up when she heard another commotion. Judging by the footsteps, they were heavy.
Xue Niang looked over, and it was him.
But the next second, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
In Xiao Shan's hand, he held a blue silk flower.
He didn't notice Xue Niang on the other path. His gaze was cold, and his expression was more terrifying than the dark clouds overhead. He held the silk flower in his hand and hurried down the mountain, as if chasing after Chen Dong's wife.
Xue Niang buried herself in the straw cape.
A chill spread through her body, vein by vein, making her heart feel numb with cold.
Why did she come?
Why did she have to see this?
No, Xiao Shan was not that kind of person. Xue Niang stood up. She was going to ask Xiao Shan what had happened. Perhaps that woman had encountered a wild beast?
She felt a slight pain in her chest.
Just a little bit.
"Xiao family's wife?"
Liu Donghuai looked at the woman in front of him with astonishment.
She seemed very weak. In such frightening weather, why was she alone in the forest? She also looked lost, like a small beast lost in the woods.
"What's wrong? Did you argue with Xiao the hunter? Hurry home! It's going to rain."
Xue Niang recognized the person in front of her. It was that young scholar. She hadn't seen him for some time, and he seemed to have matured a lot. Some of his childishness had faded from his face, and he was paler than before, an unhealthy pale.
"Is your injury healed?"
Xue Niang noticed that he was carrying a basket on his back and was not wearing his usual long robe, but a coarse cloth short shirt, like the other villagers.
"Yes, much better." Liu Donghuai nodded. "I haven't apologized to you for what happened before. My father has also been punished, and my mother is ill and not in good spirits. I apologize on their behalf and hope you can forgive us."
He had gone from a promising scholar to the son of a despised criminal, and his life was ruined.
However, he showed no resentment towards others and apologized to her politely.
Xue Niang felt that his disposition was truly rare.
"Are you really not going to study anymore?"
She still remembered how anxious he was then, afraid of missing the debate, and how his eyes lit up when he talked about the prize inkstone. She heard that he studied very well and that his teacher often praised him. Wouldn't it be too much of a pity if he didn't study?
"No more studying. The family's shops and property have been confiscated by the authorities, and my mother is also unwell. I will have to earn money to support the family from now on. Look, I've collected a lot of medicinal herbs and plan to dry them to sell in the city. It should be a profitable job."
"Wow! You're amazing." Xue Niang sincerely praised him.
Liu Donghuai felt a little embarrassed, his face showing the same shy expression as before.
A sudden clap of thunder exploded directly overhead.
Both Xue Niang and Liu Donghuai were startled.
"Hurry down the mountain, it's about to rain."
"Okay, I have a straw cape, you wear it first."
"Ah? No, no need. If we walk fast, we'll be down the mountain before the rain hits."
Just as Liu Donghuai refused, large raindrops began to fall.
Xue Niang couldn't help but smile, "Hurry and put it on!"
Liu Donghuai took it dazedly. This was the first time he had seen her smile. In the darkness, it was like a white lotus blooming.
"Liu Donghuai, I think it's better for you to study. If you become an official in the future, you will definitely be a good official. You are not like your parents."
Xue Niang held up the umbrella and walked down the mountain while talking to Liu Donghuai.
Liu Donghuai gave a bitter smile and did not reply.
With his background, studying no longer had a future.
However, his regrets and frustrations had all been put away in these past few days. He still had his mother to support, and he had to wait for his father to be released from prison. He could not be defeated. For the first 20 years of his life, he only knew how to study. From now on, he would have to learn to do other things.
Unexpectedly, they would be chatting like friends under such circumstances.
It was truly marvelous.