Chapter 20
“Don’t stop me! I’m going to beat her to death!”
If Xiaowen had not restrained Zhang Long, his fist would already have struck Yang Lulong’s face.
Yang Lulong opened her mouth but had no idea how to explain the situation. Panicking, she looked toward Wanniang for help.
Wanniang merely returned a reproachful glare. If not for Yang Lulong, the two of them would not have discovered their relationship so soon.
“That’s enough,” Wanniang said.
With those words, Zhang Long finally calmed down.
“Wanniang, did this lecher do anything to you? Don’t be afraid! Xiaowen, I, and everyone else in the village will stand up for you!”
Clearly, his anger had not entirely subsided.
“You’ve misunderstood. We’re…” Wanniang suddenly did not know how to describe their relationship.
“In love with each other,” Yang Lulong helpfully answered.
Zhang Long pointed furiously at her.
“You be quiet! I’ll only listen to Wanniang. You have no right to speak!”
Yang Lulong could only close her mouth dejectedly.
“It’s as she said. Furthermore… we’re preparing to marry. We simply haven’t selected a date yet and didn’t want to tell everyone so soon,” Wanniang explained.
Unable to speak, Yang Lulong nodded repeatedly beside her.
“She joined the escort mission and earned that money so she could return and propose to Wanniang,” Xiaowen added.
“You knew? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Zhang Long demanded.
Was he the only person who had been left unaware?
“With your temper, if I’d told you, wouldn’t you have rushed over and skinned Little Yang alive? It was better to let Wanniang tell you herself.”
Xiaowen released him and returned the responsibility to Wanniang.
“Why did you come looking for me?” Wanniang asked helplessly now that the misunderstanding had been resolved.
“It’s Li Cui’er. She injured herself again.”
“She insists on doing dangerous things,” Zhang Long complained. “She went hunting alone in the mountains and fell, injuring her leg. If I hadn’t encountered her while gathering firewood, wild dogs might have dragged her away.”
“Wait here while I retrieve my medicine chest.”
Wanniang went to collect it.
Yang Lulong attempted to accompany her, but Wanniang stopped her.
“Remain here and watch the house.”
Zhang Long also gave her a warning look that clearly said, You’d better behave yourself.
Left behind, Yang Lulong became deeply unhappy. The annoying puppy would not stop tugging at the hem of her robe either.
At Grandpa Li’s home, Li Cui’er lay on the bed with furrowed brows. Sweat continuously appeared on her forehead, and she seemed to be in considerable pain.
Wanniang approached the bed and examined her leg. It appeared to be fractured and would need to be set and wrapped with medicine.
“Sorry, Wanniang. I’m always causing trouble for all of you,” Li Cui’er said sheepishly while Wanniang bandaged her.
“So you do realize it. Wouldn’t it be better if you stopped causing trouble?” Xiaowen lectured from beside the bed.
“If I’d been more careful, I wouldn’t have fallen…” Li Cui’er muttered, completely failing to understand what she had actually done wrong.
Grandpa Li entered with freshly brewed tea and distributed it among them.
“Grandpa Li, you’re also at fault for constantly indulging her,” Zhang Long said while blowing on his tea. “She’s always getting bruised or injured.”
“How am I supposed to control her? With that temper, even ten oxen couldn’t drag her back.”
Grandpa Li looked helplessly at his granddaughter.
She was a Kunze, yet she caused even more trouble than a Qianyuan.
He knew perfectly well that his precious granddaughter had been like this since childhood. She had always wanted to become a Qianyuan, but heaven had disagreed and caused her to differentiate into a Kunze instead.
Grandpa Li felt guilty about that, so all he could do was continue spoiling her.
At dusk…
Xiaohua and Erni visited Wanniang’s home to see the puppy. Xiaowen used the opportunity to take Sister Fang for a walk beside the river.
Autumn was approaching, but the grass along the river remained lush and green.
Once they arrived, Sister Fang looked up at Xiaowen, who was pushing her wheelchair.
“Xiaowen, I’d like to sit on the grass.”
Xiaowen obediently lifted her from the chair and gently placed her on the lawn before sitting beside her.
They quietly watched the distant sunset, half of which had already disappeared behind the mountains.
Xiaowen suddenly rested her head on Sister Fang’s lap.
“I’m tired. I want to lie down for a while.”
“Mm…”
Sister Fang lowered her gaze toward the head resting on her thighs.
Her legs could not feel anything.
She gently stroked Xiaowen’s hair, and her thoughts gradually returned to the past…
Years ago, Sister Fang had been traveling with her family when they encountered a landslide in the mountains.
She was the only survivor.
Not even her family’s bodies could be recovered. All of them remained buried beneath the rocks.
After Sister Fang returned, the villagers helped arrange a funeral for her family.
She had only recently undergone her coming-of-age ceremony. She was alone, a Kunze, and had no idea how she would survive.
During that helpless period, Xiaowen came to her and promised to protect her from then on.
Looking at the child standing before her—several years younger and not even of age—Sister Fang had found a small amount of comfort in her grief.
Xiaowen was an orphan.
The villagers discovered her at the village entrance when she was still an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes. They brought her back and raised her together. One family would care for her for several days, while everyone contributed whatever food they could spare.
Xiaowen had truly grown up eating from a hundred households.
That was also why she had been the first person to befriend Wanniang when Wanniang initially arrived.
Sister Fang had always pitied Xiaowen and treated her especially well. Whenever her family had anything good, she shared some with Xiaowen, earning herself more than a few lectures from her relatives.
Everyone in the village adored Xiaowen and believed she would accomplish great things. They had even planned to pool their money so she could study for the imperial examinations and become an official.
However, once Xiaowen differentiated into a Zhongyong, no one mentioned the idea again.
Even after becoming a Zhongyong, Xiaowen never gave up on herself. She had always believed she was meant to become a Qianyuan.
Nothing about her changed. She remained as cheerful and lively as before.
After Sister Fang’s family died, Xiaowen moved into her home and remained there.
Then Wu Yu arrived and completely shattered their peaceful lives.
Xiaowen had been intensely hostile toward Wu Yu. Deep in her heart, she sensed that he was not a good person.
Sister Fang had not agreed.
He was the first Qianyuan she had ever encountered. As a young Kunze at an age when she dreamed of romance, she found his attraction difficult to resist.
When she initially met Wu Yu, she genuinely felt some affection for him.
Everything changed that night…
Sister Fang entered her heat, and Wu Yu revealed his true nature.
Ignoring her resistance, he raped her and forcibly formed a mating bond with her.
Strangely, Xiaowen seemed to disappear after that night. Sister Fang did not see her again until she returned from the brink of death.
When Sister Fang opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Xiaowen’s tear-covered face.
Xiaowen embraced her tightly.
Sister Fang had lost the use of her legs and was informed that she was pregnant. She desperately wanted to end her life.
Xiaowen remained beside her and refused to leave. She told Sister Fang that if she died, Xiaowen would no longer know how to continue living.
That night had become an eternal source of torment for Xiaowen.
She constantly blamed herself.
If only she had not gone out that day.
If only she had returned sooner.
Perhaps the tragedy would never have happened.
When Xiaowen returned, she saw the disheveled Wu Yu leaving Sister Fang’s room. Enraged, she rushed forward and attacked him.
But Xiaowen was merely a Zhongyong. She was no match for a young, powerful Qianyuan.
Wu Yu kicked her to the ground.
Her fury made her disregard the pain. She stood and attacked him repeatedly, only for him to knock her down every time.
Wu Yu continued kicking her while mocking her.
“A useless Zhongyong like you thinks you can protect her?”
One kick after another struck Xiaowen’s body until she could no longer fight back.
“You glared at me when I first arrived. Why aren’t you acting so arrogant now? Huh? Go on—keep acting tough!”
“Kunze are born to belong to Qianyuan. Do you think you’re capable of competing with me? You’re worthless! Try being reborn as a Qianyuan in your next life!
“I can fuck whoever I want! Do you know how slutty your precious Sister Fang was beneath me?
“Can you smell her? Go on, try harder!
“Let me tell you something—you’ll never smell her in your entire life. Only I can!”
The taste of blood filled Xiaowen’s mouth and nose.
She did not care about the pain throughout her body, but Wu Yu’s words were like sharpened knives repeatedly stabbing into her most vulnerable insecurities.
If the villagers had not arrived, Wu Yu might have beaten Xiaowen to death.
They carried her to Wanniang’s home for treatment.
For the next several days, Xiaowen refused to leave her room. She hid inside, wallowing in guilt and blaming herself for failing to protect Sister Fang.
She only emerged when she heard villagers rushing over to ask Wanniang to save Sister Fang.
Xiaowen charged from Wanniang’s home and ran toward the wedding as quickly as her legs could carry her.
She found Sister Fang surrounded by villagers, her complexion deathly pale and blood leaking from the corner of her mouth.
Xiaowen dropped to her knees beside her, overwhelmed by pain and guilt.
She had promised to protect Sister Fang, yet Sister Fang had been hurt repeatedly.
Xiaowen begged Wanniang to save her. No matter what medicinal ingredients Wanniang needed, Xiaowen promised that she would find them.
Fortunately, Sister Fang survived.
From that day forward, Xiaowen remained constantly beside her.
Whenever Sister Fang felt depressed, Xiaowen found ways to make her laugh. She accompanied her, cared for her, and protected her.
Perhaps it was because of love.
Or perhaps it was because of guilt.
Sister Fang had regarded Xiaowen’s childhood promise of protection as nothing more than a child’s innocent declaration.
But for Xiaowen, those words had been branded deeply into her heart.
She would spend her entire life fulfilling that promise.
They remained beside each other like dearest friends and family, accompanying and watching over one another.
“Xiaowen…”
“Hmm?”
“It’s getting dark.”
“Then let’s go home…”
By lamplight, Wanniang carefully stitched the luxurious red fabric.
Yang Lulong sat beside her with her chin propped in her hands.
“I originally asked a tailor to make the wedding clothes, but I couldn’t afford what he charged. I asked whether he could make them cheaper, but he refused and even drove me out.”
Wanniang listened with a smile.
“I also asked Sister-in-law Zhang for help, but she said the fabric was too valuable and she was afraid of ruining it.”
Wanniang said nothing, quietly sewing as she listened.
“I even went to Li Cui’er, but she didn’t know how to sew either. She also took the pastries I bought.”
Hearing that, Wanniang laughed even more brightly.
So the pastries Grandpa Li had served them earlier that day had actually come from Yang Lulong.
That little rascal Li Cui’er had undoubtedly lied and claimed she bought them herself.
Seeing Wanniang laughing so happily made Yang Lulong laugh with her.
Wanniang looked at the foolish woman beside her. Yang Lulong was recounting her own embarrassing failures, yet she was still smiling so happily.
Wanniang set down her needle and took a deep breath.
Too many things occupied her during the day, leaving only the short period after dinner to work on her wedding clothes.
She examined her progress.
It would probably take several more days to finish.
After putting away the fabric, Wanniang looked toward the woman sleeping soundly across the table.
Mischievously, she pinched Yang Lulong’s nose, preventing her from breathing.
Yang Lulong immediately awoke. She stretched with a displeased expression and rubbed her aching eyes.
“If you were this tired, why didn’t you go to bed first?” Wanniang asked helplessly.
“I was waiting for you…”
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