No Longer Escaping (ABO) - Chapter 47

The farewell dinner was a success.

Everyone ate, drank, and had a great time.

People started heading home late into the night.

At the banquet, everyone offered their well wishes to Wan Niang and Yang Lulong, wishing them a smooth journey.

Since they were leaving early the next morning, Wan Niang and Yang Lulong didn’t dare to overindulge.

They were busy taking care of everyone, going from table to table and toasting with tea to thank them for their blessings.

Early the next morning, they took their already prepared luggage.

Wan Niang looked at the locked door.

She didn’t know when she would return from this trip.

The puppy was left with Er Ni’s family, and she had taken care of her herbs.

Everything was in order, but there was one more thing Wan Niang had to do before she left.

She placed new offerings in front of her mother’s grave and cleaned the grave for the last time before leaving.

She came here once a month.

Weeds grew fast, and every time she came, it was a mess of wild growth.

Now, with Yang Lulong by her side, it was much easier to clean.

After they left, this task would be left to Xiao Wen.

Yang Lulong stood quietly beside Wan Niang, watching her pray with her hands clasped in front of her mother’s grave.

As they left, she asked Wan Niang what she had said to her mother.

Wan Niang smiled and looked at Yang Lulong, her downward-curving eyes forming a crescent.

“I hope Mother will bless us with a smooth journey.”

Yang Lulong and Wan Niang left.

A few days passed.

The small village was still the same.

Everyone in the village was still living their own lives, but they seemed to be a little more careful than usual, afraid of getting into any trouble.

Li Cui’er was also much calmer than before.

She had changed from her usual running and jumping around to a more mature and steady person.

Ever since her grandpa passed away, she no longer went into the mountains to hunt by herself.

She would always tell Nian Xi where she was going.

Usually, she would just go to the village entrance and gossip with the village women for a while before going home.

Today, like any other day, she was sitting at the village entrance, chatting with the women.

A carriage suddenly stopped at the entrance without warning.

Their attention was drawn to it.

When she saw the person who got out, Li Cui’er froze.

She watched the person get out of the carriage in shock.

She hadn’t changed at all.

“You haven’t changed at all, have you?”

The person walked over and said the very words Li Cui’er was thinking.

“…You haven’t either,” Li Cui’er said slowly after a moment of stunned silence.

The women looked at this woman.

She was around the same age as Li Cui’er, but her clothes and demeanor were completely different from them, the country women.

She looked like a lady from a wealthy family.

However, her hair was styled in a bun, a sign that she was a married woman.

The woman went up and hugged Li Cui’er affectionately.

“Long time no see…”

Li Cui’er’s body stiffened, and she said awkwardly, “Long time no see.”

The reunion between old friends was not warm or touching.

Instead, it was very awkward.

The women watching from the side found some excuses and left.

Only the two of them remained.

Realizing the atmosphere was a bit awkward, the woman quickly changed the subject.

“How is your grandpa?”

“He…”

The woman had unintentionally touched on a sore spot for Li Cui’er.

“…He passed away.”

“…”

It got even more awkward.

“…My condolences…”

“Why did you… come back?”

Li Cui’er looked at the woman in front of her.

Her clothes were better, and her skin was much fairer than before.

Her hands were still as soft and fair as before.

It seemed like she was living a good life in her husband’s family.

This was Youru, her childhood friend.

She had married and moved away many years ago, and they hadn’t seen each other since.

She was the one to whom Li Cui’er never confessed her feelings, not even as she was leaving.

When asked why she came back, Youru just smiled helplessly and gave a not-so-convincing reason.

“I missed you, so I came back to see you…”

“Did you not bring any luggage?”

Li Cui’er saw that she was alone and didn’t even have a bag with her.

“Where is your… husband?”

“I came by myself.

Just me.”

She affectionately hooked her arm through Li Cui’er’s.

“I’ll stay at your place for a few days, is that okay?”

“But…”

She thought of Nian Xi at home.

There might not be enough room.

“I might not have enough space at home…”

“Is there someone else living with you?”

Youru’s heart tightened, and she stopped walking.

When Li Cui’er told her that Nian Xi was living with her, she relaxed and continued to walk with Li Cui’er.

“I’ll just sleep with you.

You don’t mind, do you?”

The smile she gave made Li Cui’er a bit shocked.

It was the exact same as it was many years ago.

The two of them talked in a casual manner and were home before they knew it.

It was already noon, and wisps of smoke were coming from the kitchen chimney.

Li Cui’er brought Youru to the kitchen and introduced her to Nian Xi, who was cooking.

“You must be Nian Xi?”

Youru said to her with a smile.

“My name is Youru.”

Seeing a stranger made Nian Xi a bit flustered.

She wiped her hands, which had just cut vegetables, on her skirt.

She said softly, “Hello.”

Noticing that Youru was looking at the scar on her face, she quickly used her hand to adjust her long hair and cover it, turning her face away awkwardly.

Youru didn’t ask anything else.

She looked into the pot and suddenly said, “When did you start eating napa cabbage?

I remember you didn’t like it.”

Her words made Nian Xi feel a bit lost.

Li Cui’er had never told her that she didn’t like it, and she had been making this dish almost every day.

“I’m not a child anymore…”

Li Cui’er said helplessly.

She then formally introduced Youru to Nian Xi.

“She’s my old friend…”

“We’re good friends who grew up together.”

Before she could finish, Youru took over.

Before Nian Xi could say anything, Youru took Li Cui’er’s hand and went to look at other parts of the house, leaving her alone in the kitchen.

Watching them leave, Nian Xi looked at the food cooking in the pot, feeling very lost.

The three of them ate together.

During the meal, it was always Youru talking to Li Cui’er.

Nian Xi just lowered her head and ate her rice in small bites.

The two of them were talking about things she didn’t know about, things about Li Cui’er’s childhood.

She couldn’t jump into the conversation at all.

She lowered her head and didn’t say a word, as if she wasn’t even there.

A pair of chopsticks suddenly appeared in her bowl.

She looked up and saw Li Cui’er putting some food in front of her.

“Don’t just eat rice, eat more vegetables.”

“Thank you…”

She said and then buried her face again.

Youru saw all of this.

She looked from Li Cui’er to Nian Xi and didn’t say anything else.

After eating, it was Li Cui’er’s turn to clean up.

It was always like this.

Nian Xi cooked, and she washed the dishes.

Youru followed her and offered to help her wash the dishes.

Seeing how close they were, Nian Xi felt very awkward.

She felt like she couldn’t fit in at all, so she smartly returned to her room.

At night, Li Cui’er was about to go back to her room.

She looked at Nian Xi’s door with a worried expression.

Youru had been clinging to her all day.

Nian Xi wasn’t very talkative to begin with, but now she hadn’t said a word, and she hadn’t seen her either.

If it were in the past, she would have been happy to have Youru clinging to her, but now it felt very awkward, as if she couldn’t breathe.

Youru’s enthusiasm was too much for her to handle, but she also didn’t want to neglect her, since it was a rare visit.

Li Cui’er sighed helplessly and went into the room.

She changed her clothes and sat on the edge of the bed.

She looked up and saw Youru standing beside her with her back to her.

She touched the hair bun at the back of her head and pulled out a pin.

Her black hair fell down, covering her slender neck.

When she was changing, her clothes came loose, revealing her fair shoulders.

Li Cui’er shyly lifted the blanket, turned her back to her, and got into bed.

Youru continued to take off her clothes nonchalantly, only leaving her undershirt on.

She lifted a corner of the blanket and got in.

“It feels like we’re back to when we were kids.”

“Mmm…”

“You’re still warm.

I remember I always liked to stick to you in the winter.”

Her hand climbed up to Li Cui’er’s waist, which made her stiffen instantly.

A feeling of discomfort rushed into her heart.

She twisted her body, trying to escape from her hand.

“I have so much to tell you.”

“…”

“Turn around.”

“…”

Li Cui’er tightly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

Seeing that she wasn’t responding, Youru closed her mouth and didn’t say anything else.

Not long after, she heard a rustling sound behind her, and a cool breeze gently brushed against Li Cui’er’s back.

She opened her eyes and quietly turned her head.

She saw that there was nothing on the other side of the bed, and the door was left slightly ajar.

She sat up, sighed, took a thick jacket, and left the room.

As soon as she stepped out, she saw Youru sitting in the yard.

Her back was to her, and she was curled up, her shoulders shaking.

Li Cui’er tightened the jacket on her, walked over, and heard the sound of sobbing.

She was indeed crying.

“Why did you come back?”

She sat down next to her.

Youru sniffled.

“I ran away without telling them…”

“Why?”

Li Cui’er frowned and looked at her.

She kindly gave her half of the thick jacket she was wearing.

“My husband… took a concubine.

I was so heartbroken that I ran away without telling them.”

This reason made Li Cui’er sneer inwardly.

This was completely normal.

Not every Qian Yuan was like Yang Lulong.

“All Qian Yuan are like this…”

She couldn’t offer Youru any comfort.

She could only be blunt and say what she was thinking.

“No… it’s all me…”

“What’s all you?”

“I can’t… have children… that’s why he did this.

I’m just being difficult…”

Li Cui’er couldn’t listen to her self-pity anymore and interrupted her.

“It has nothing to do with you.”

“If he truly loved you, he would treat you well, regardless of whether you could have children or not.”

Li Cui’er said in a low voice.

“Don’t blame everything on yourself.

It’s his problem.”

She just couldn’t stand to see things like this happen.

The two of them sat in the yard, shoulder to shoulder, sharing a piece of clothing.

This scene was seen by Nian Xi, who had gotten up to use the bathroom.