Chapter 104.2
Outside, the rain began to fall lightly. This time of year, it rained every few days.
Zhao Heng sat behind the desk and looked outside. The peach tree in the yard had already started to bear fruit, and in the misty rain, green fruits hung in clusters on the branches.
Unable to work in the vegetable garden due to the weather, she took out the needle and thread prepared by Ying Que and sat on the stool, slowly embroidering.
As she was busy, a slender hand reached out from the side and took the embroidery hoop from her.
As he turned around, it was Li Wenjian.
He was wearing a dark green round-necked robe, with rainwater on the sleeves, presenting a green color similar to the distant mountains.
Li Wenjian looked at the not-so-delicate stitches on the embroidered cloth, and the crookedly drawn trees, and asked, "Do you know how to embroider?"
These clumsy stitches were incomparable to her past life, but he remembered that Zhao Heng learned sewing after entering the palace and going to the laundry department.
Zhao Heng rolled the silk thread into a ball and nodded lightly, "Hmm."
Lately, it has been rainy, and she couldn't always go outside, so she had Ying Que teach her how to sew. Ying Que originally wanted to take the opportunity to teach her to read and write, but she would fall asleep after sitting in front of the bookcase for less than two quarters of an hour.
Ying Que could only despair, some people are naturally suited for studying, even if they have to learn by clandestine means, while others are not, no matter how much knowledge is forced into their minds.
She wanted to learn sewing, so she patiently taught her, and if she learned it well, it would count as a skill.
Thankfully, she put her heart into learning sewing, which was much better than studying.
Li Wenjian asked, "What are you embroidering?"
"A peach tree," she said with a hint of shyness in her expression, "I'm not very good at it."
Li Wenjian appraised her as he leaned on his hand, "For Grandpa?"
Zhao Heng's dark eyes flashed with astonishment, "How did you know?"
"Peach and plum blossoms are everywhere, and it's most suitable to describe Grandpa," Li Wenjian said lightly, "Is it Ying Que who taught you?"
Zhao Heng felt her ears burn, blushing, she said, "Wanyu told me."
Li Wenjian was slightly taken aback, "Do you have dealings with Wanyu?"
Zhao Heng smiled, "We're good friends."
Li Wenjian couldn't help but feel sad.
Only in the last life did he know long after that it was Wei Wanyu who had orchestrated everything related to Ruo Zhen, and it was Ruo Zhen who used this matter to force her to agree to marry the Yue tribe.
Later, Wanyu went far away, rarely returning to the capital, and when the two of them met, they couldn't help but exchange a few barbs.
He thought they wouldn't have any interaction this life, but unexpectedly, due to an oversight, they became good friends.
"Wanyu told me that you and her brother are good friends," Zhao Heng looked up at him, "Brothers are good friends, and sisters are good friends too."
Li Wenjian's brow suddenly furrowed, feeling that something was wrong. When he turned to face Zhao Heng's innocent smile, a flash of white light passed through his mind.
"This is different..." he spoke awkwardly.
Zhao Heng blinked slowly, puzzled, "What's different?"
"I..." Li Wenjian was at a loss for words.
Not knowing how to explain, the sound of Xue's cane sounded at the door. He turned his head away in guilt and said, "Madam is back."
Xue shi walked into the room with a bundle of fabric in her hand.
Seeing the two of them sitting at the desk, she smiled, "Chunxi said the young master came."
"Madam," Li Wenjian stood straight and saluted her properly.
Xue shi was a little flustered. The young master had been too polite to her in these days.
She took out a piece of blue fabric from the bundle and compared it to Li Wenjian, saying, "I asked Aunt Li to buy me some fabric. Young master, do you like this color?"
Li Wenjian's ears turned crimson, about to say no need, but she continued, "Ah Heng and I owe you a lot. If it weren't for you providing us with food, shelter, and saving my life, I might have died long ago."
"Ah Heng and I couldn't do much for you, we can only make clothes for you. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to make clothes for you after you get married," she said.
Zhao Heng asked while holding the belt, "Is Brother Shulang going to get married?"
With a warm smile, Xue Shi replied, "I heard from Qiu Niang in the kitchen that the third daughter of the Xie Clan of Langya is arriving in the capital in a few days. Everyone is saying that Master and Madam are considering a marriage alliance with the Xie Clan."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Heng's brows furrowed into a smile. Turning to Xue Shi, he asked, "You're getting married. Can I be your wedding doll?"
"You can't," Li Wenjian said firmly, his eyebrows furrowed, his thin lips tightly closed, refusing decisively.
âWhy not?â Zhao Heng was stunned.
Brother Shulang had always been accommodating to her. Did he turn his back on her before marrying a new bride?
Li Wenjian reached out, pressed down the excited person who had jumped off the stool, and leaned down to tell her, "Because I have no intention of getting engaged."
*
Li Wenjian did not stay for long. After Xue shi took his measurements, he got up and left Qingyuan.
After coming out, the first thing he instructed Mu Gui to do was to send some high-quality fabrics and silk threads to Qingyuan.
Mu Gui didn't inquire much and immediately ordered the servants to make arrangements.
"Young Master, there's news from the Huixian Manor," Mu Gui said in a lowered voice as he approached Li Wenjian.
Li Wenjian, however, had no smile on his face when he heard that, "Hmm."
"You are really insightful. The people in the villa indeed have a connection with Wang Zhao," Mu Gui said admiringly.
Over half a month ago, the young master suddenly warned his uncle to beware of several shops, including the Huixian Manor and Quanfu Pawnshop. Following his warning, his uncle investigated and found that the people behind these businesses were somehow linked to a person who had long since left the capital.
Six years ago, when Prince Wuyou deposed the Princess Consort Wuyou, the then Tiger Guard general Wang Zhao was also implicated and banished to the North, where he died of illness on the way.
However, six years later, Wang Zhao appeared in the capital again, under the pseudonym Zhou Dao'an, running a large business in the city.
Li Wenjian, however, did not react much. His lips were slightly pursed, his eyes covered with a speck of bright white frost, his face inexplicably pale.
He asked, "When will Wei Zhan come back?"
Mu Gui pondered for a moment with his head bowed, then replied, "Probably another half a month."
Li Wenjian nodded, unsure of how to handle the situation.
He knew that to be prepared for an emergency, he should deal with Liang Xingyan early on.
However, he could not forget the last life at the Hejiang Beiyuan Mansion, where Liang Xingyan lay in a pool of blood at the corner of his lips, telling him that if there was another life, he didn't want to be the son of Prince Wuyou, he just wanted to be a teacher in the countryside.
He couldn't forget the moment when the gunpowder exploded at the Hejiang Bieyuan Mansion, and he rushed forward to shield the figure behind him.
His hatred was real, but his compassion was too.
He traded his life for a chance at survival.
Rubbing his forehead, he decided not to dwell on these matters any longer. Besides, they were traveling south and wouldn't be back for over half a month.
"Let's go find Uncle first," Li Wenjian said.
*
In the small vegetable garden.
Zhao Heng sat on the low wall, resting her chin on her hand as she watched Wei Wanyu crying uncontrollably.
The rabbit she had raised for over three months lay lifeless at her feet.
Wei Wanyu hadn't experienced real death since birth. This little rabbit was brought to her by her brother before he left, captured from the mountains. She had raised it for over three months, feeding it grass and water.
She had poured a lot of love into it.
Her eyes were swollen and red from crying, tears streaming down her pale face.
Zhao Heng had experienced death before. She knew from a young age that no matter how painful it was, death was irreversible.
After finding the dead rabbit in the morning, Wei Wanyu had cried in her room, refusing to eat anything. When she brought her to the vegetable garden, she couldn't muster the enthusiasm to proceed and continued sobbing there.
After much persuasion, she finally agreed to bury it in the vegetable garden.
But as she dug the pit halfway, she couldn't stop crying again.
Helplessly, Zhao Heng put down the hoe, walked over, and sat beside Wei Wanyu.
Wei Wanyu held the small rabbit in her arms, head bowed, saying nothing.
Zhao Heng wiped the tears off her face, a bit puzzled by why she was so saddened by the death of a rabbit. Before, in the village, when she couldn't find food, she would often go to the mountains to hunt rabbits for food. If she cried every time, she feared she would have gone blind from crying.
"Ah Heng..." she called out.
"What's wrong?"
Wei Wanyu sobbed, tears streaming down her face. She was truly emotional, crying when she couldn't read, couldn't pull out weeds, or fell while farming.
"The little rabbit died."
Zhao Heng nodded and said, "Anything that's alive will die. Your father will die, your mother will die, I will die, you will die too. There's no point in crying."
Wei Wanyu lifted her head, tears pooling in her beautiful almond eyes, making her look pitiful. Zhao Heng reached out and hugged her, telling her, "When I was in the village, I used to hunt often. There were partridges, rabbits, and snakes..."
"They all died."
"Did they eat the wrong thing?"
"No," Zhao Heng swallowed, "My grandmother and I had nothing to eat, so we ate them all."
Listening, Wei Wanyu couldn't help but hug the little rabbit in her arms tighter.
Zhao Heng continued, "There was an old lady in our village, Zhang Po-po, who was kind to me. She often secretly gave me delicious food, and when I was on the brink of starvation, she would give me cakes. But then she died and was buried on the small hillock behind the mountain."
"They said she was asleep on the small mountain, but every time I went to talk to her, she wouldn't respond."
"My parents, they died when I was very young. I can't even remember what they looked like now." Zhao Heng spoke casually about these things, "That year, the village suffered from a famine, many people died, and the graves on the hill behind the village were piled densely."
"What is a grave?" Wei Wanyu asked.
"A grave is the house where people live after they die," Zhao Heng explained.
Wei Wanyu's tears fell even more profusely.
Zhao Heng turned to cup her face and said, "Everyone will die, there's no use in crying."
Wei Wanyu sobbed, choking, "I don't want any of you to die."
Zhao Heng hugged the distressed Weiwanyu, saying, "Don't cry, what if you cry your eyes out?"
Wei Wanyu shook her head and held her even tighter, the stiff rabbit lying between them making Zhao Heng uncomfortable.
After crying for a while by herself, Wei Wanyu suggested, "Shall we build a house for it?"
"Okay," Zhao Heng hesitated, originally planning to bury the rabbit in her vegetable garden for fertilizer. But thinking about it, she decided to agree to Wei Wanyu's request to build a grave for it. "Don't cry now, I'll dig a hole, and you go pick some pretty flowers to decorate its house, okay?"
Wei Wanyu perked up at this, wiped her tears, and ran to the garden to pick flowers. She also brought all the things the rabbit had used during this time, like the cage, food and water bowls, and its toys.
Zhao Heng found a spot in the vegetable garden, under a large pine tree with a small empty space below, filled with many blue flowers. Wei Wanyu's cage for the rabbit was quite large, so she huffed and puffed as she dug a hole large enough.
Squatting by the pit, Wei Wanyu placed the rabbit's belongings inside, ensuring it had a cozy home.
The rabbit was buried in the earth by Wei Wanyu herself. She tied the flowers she had picked into bundles with thread and placed them on the rabbit's grave.
Coming out of the vegetable garden, both of them were completely dirty.
As they walked into the garden, they suddenly saw several people running urgently towards Yanshanju, a maid on the verge of tears urging, "Physician Xu, please hurry, the young master can't hold on much longer."
Zhao Heng was alarmed and immediately ran towards Yanshanju.
In no time, they arrived outside the courtyard.
The place was bustling with people, even Elder An was there.
Struggling to make her way inside, she was turned away by Mu Gui, who forcibly pulled her out of the yard.
Secretly investigating the matter with the Huixian Mountain Estate had alarmed Wang Zhao and his associates, who attempted to assassinate the uncle during the investigation. In a bid to save the uncle, the young master had taken an arrow for him, which was poisoned and made him faint.
Before losing consciousness, he had specifically instructed Mu Gui to watch over Zhao Heng.
"Where did the young girl go?" Mu Gui asked, looking at the dirty Zhao Heng with a furrowed brow.
Zhao Heng didn't answer him, she raised her face and asked, "Where's Brother Shulang?"
Mu Gui bent down, somewhat disdainfully wiped the sweat off her face with a handkerchief, and said, "The young master is sick and resting."
"Can I go see him?" Zhao Heng asked.
Mu Gui shook his head and said, "No."
Zhao Heng opened her mouth to say something more.
Seeing the disappointment on her dirty face, Mu Gui softened his voice and said, "The physician said the young master needs to rest. You can visit him when he's feeling better."
"When will he get better?" Zhao Heng looked up at him.
Mu Gui casually mentioned a number, "About ten days."
Zhao Heng was taken aback for a moment, clenched her clothes tightly, then quickly let go.
*
Zhao Heng sat on the low wall, watching the rain-washed little grave mound, her hands propping up her chin, eyes filled with mist.
Today was the third day that Brother Shulang had been bedridden with illness. She had visited Yanshanju and had seen many people inside and outside the courtyard. She had crouched in a corner to observe, noticing everyone coming out with furrowed brows.
Brother Shulang must be very seriously ill, she was certain.
She wanted to go see him, but Mu Gui didn't allow her.
"Zhao Heng!" Weiwanyu ran breathlessly through the drizzle, not even carrying an umbrella.
Zhao Heng watched her running with her tiny arms and legs, feeling touched. She stood up and held the umbrella over Wei Wanyu's head, saying, "Wait a few days, I'll make you a pocket for eggs!"
Wei Wanyu nodded eagerly, "Okay!"
"Can you help me with something?" Zhao Heng found it difficult to ask for help, as she didn't like asking others.
But Wei Wanyu readily agreed, "What do you need?"
"I want to go see Brother Shulang..."
*
The arrow that had struck Li Wenjian was poisoned, and Physician Xu had said it would take at least half a month to detoxify. Today was only the third day of detoxification.
Detoxification was extremely draining, and after each session, Li Wenjian would be extremely weak. He didn't allow Zhao Heng to see him because he looked too unkempt, and being so young, he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.
In the evening, after taking his medicine, Li Wenjian sat leaning against the head of the bed, holding a book in his hands. Taking a break from reading, he suddenly heard a maid reporting from outside the door, "Young Master, Miss Wei said Young Master Wei asked her to come see you."
Li Wenjian was momentarily taken aback. Why had Ah Zhan sent her?
In the courtyard, Wei Wanyu held onto Zhao Heng, her palms slightly sweaty, casting a guilty glance at Zhao Heng. Zhao Heng pretended not to notice, holding the box in her hand and looking straight ahead.
After a moment, the maid came out to report that Li Wenjian had allowed them to enter.
Zhao Heng breathed a sigh of relief, feeling pleased, and followed the maid inside.
Li Wenjian's room was filled with a strong medicinal scent that stung the eyes, difficult to dispel. When Zhao Heng and Wei Wanyu walked in, they wrinkled their brows.
"Here already?"
Li Wenjian heard the door opening and lifted his eyes, his voice soft and laced with a hint of surprise in the dim light. His gaze fell on the little girl holding a food box. "Zhao Heng?"
The cold rain tapped on the roof, the stool in front of the bed still holding the basin of blood that hadn't been taken away, containing water that had cleaned his wounds. Zhao Heng's gaze moved from the rippling water to his face, staring at him steadily. His face was as pale as a lotus in the pond, he looked incredibly fragile.
Zhao Heng felt a pang in her heart, sniffled, lips trembling, eyes reddened.
Wei Wanyu also noticed the basin of blood, and with a gasp, she rushed to the bedside, wiped the tears off her face, and asked, "Brother Shulang, are you going to die?"
Li Wenjian rubbed his forehead, momentarily speechless.
Wei Wanyu assumed he had agreed, choked back her tears, and in a teary voice, said, "I will make a very beautiful grave for you."
Zhao Heng couldn't hold back the tears any longer, they fell like broken beads down her thin cheeks.
She walked forward silently, placed the box in her hand on the ground, picked up the glaring basin of blood and walked out, tears falling all the way.
Li Wenjian watched her small back, feeling a headache coming on.
She returned to the room quietly, holding the box as she walked up to Li Wenjian, sniffled softly, and said, "I brought you a gift."
Li Wenjian reached out to take the box from her, but she stopped him, saying, "Don't move, let me show it to you."
Li Wenjian leaned against the head of the bed, watching as she opened the box and took out a faint purple flower.
"The beans have bloomed."
Before Li Wenjian could speak, she looked at him, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. "Please don't die. You can eat the beans I planted very soon."
She remembered, the old lady Zhang in the village fell a year before, bled a lot, and died.
The sun was scorching, the air hot and heavy. Under the sunlight, the yellow flowers bloomed brilliantly, and the cucumbers she planted were almost ripe.
She ran past the cucumber trellis to the old lady's house, where she saw the blinding blood all over the courtyard.
Speaking a bit louder, she looked up at Li Wenjian and asked, "Please don't die. Don't sleep in the dirt."
Wei Wanyu couldn't find comforting words, so she echoed Zhao Heng, "Everyone will die..."
"No." Zhao Heng shook her head, leaned on the bed, grabbed his hand, and rubbed it against her face, saying, "Promise me, don't die."
Li Wenjian hesitated for a moment, then ruffled her hair firmly.
"Silly, why would I die?" In pain from his shoulder, he sat up, his dry lips moving with difficulty, "I won't die."
Zhao Heng held his hand and told him the old lady Zhang's story.
She was a good person, treated her well, but died a miserable death.
"She bled a lot, and then she died."
The dim light cast a faint yellow halo on her tear-stained cheeks, and Li Wenjian slowly wiped away the tears.
"You can rest assured, I won't end up like the old lady. I will live a long life, and I will always protect you."
"You don't have to protect me," Zhao Heng shook her head, "but you must live a long life."
Li Wenjian looked at her gentle and innocent expression, smiled, and thought she was so silly. How could he not protect her while he was alive?
*Cough...* Li Wenjian felt a tickle in his throat and coughed lightly, raising a hand to cover his lips.
Seeing his weakened state, Zhao Heng didn't want to disturb him any further. After a few more words, she prepared to leave with Wei Wanyu.
Before leaving, she asked Li Wenjian, "Can I come to see you tomorrow?"
In truth, Li Wenjian didn't want her to come. He didn't want her to see him in such a state, nor did he want her to worry about his injuries.
But she was so clever. Today, she had managed to bring Wei Wanyu over in Wei Zhan's name. Tomorrow, she would definitely come up with another way, and he wouldn't be able to stop her.
He simply nodded and said, "Alright."
The corners of Zhao Heng's lips curled up slightly, as she softly said, "Then I'll come again tomorrow."
After saying that, she led Wei Wanyu out.
Li Wenjian watched her small figure leave, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
Zhao Heng and Wei Wanyu walked to the door, where several maids were gathered in the corridor. Some were embroidering, and others were working on clothing for him.
Zhao Heng greeted them with a smile. The maids at Yanshanju knew Zhao Heng well and knew that the young master valued her greatly, so they were all very friendly towards her.
The fragmented sunlight shone through the corridor, falling on the young girl. Her winter-like skin was soaked with tears, giving her an exceptionally clean and pure appearance.
Zhao Heng watched them for a while, and Wei Wanyu, puzzled, tugged at her sleeve, "Zhao Heng?"
She snapped out of her thoughts, lowered her eyes, and said quietly, "Let's go."