Ich verkaufe meine Kleidung und kaufe etwas Wein, den ich mit dir trinken kann

Kapitel 9

"Uh," I was speechless—he had indeed been taking care of me for the past few months, while I had only grown older! No wonder he found it hard to respect me!

"Alright." Huaiyuan clapped his hands. "I've dug the pit for you. The rest is up to you."

So fast? Impressive! "Fine, I'll do it. I didn't expect you to interfere anyway!" Looking at Xiaobai's enormous body, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it—and of course, no matter how I pulled or tugged, Xiaobai wouldn't budge an inch!

Huaiyuan shook his head. "I knew you couldn't do anything. All you do is talk, not act!" He walked to Xiaobai's side, bent down, grabbed its two feet, and pulled it into the pit.

I awkwardly walked to the side, ready to help Huaiyuan, and lifted Xiaobai's two hands. Then, a gleaming dagger fell out of Huaiyuan's clothes—it was the dagger that killed the python! It still had some mud and sand on it, no wonder he dug the pit so quickly.

I bent down and picked it up, curiously examining it. "Huh! This dagger seems familiar," I said casually.

"Maybe I left it on the table and forgot to put it away. You saw it, didn't you?" Huaiyuan's expression changed, and he reached out to take the dagger from my hand.

"No way?" I raised my hand, preventing him from taking it—his panic piqued my interest. Though it was only for a fleeting moment, I saw it clearly. Not many things could make him change his expression like that. So many luminous pearls, he just casually left them in the cave like trash, not worried I'd use them as marbles when I was bored—it's just a broken knife, what's there to be nervous about? He's clearly hiding something! Could it be that he's hiding something from me?!

I examined the dagger more closely in my hand—a dark green blade, made of neither gold nor iron, with strange patterns engraved on the hilt. Wait a minute. This looks so much like the broken knife I lost when I was lost in the mountains and almost died. The difference is, that one wasn't as heavy, nor was it as sharp.

No way? I slowly raised my head and looked coldly at Huaiyuan. "Is it it?" — I thought he should understand what I meant by "it".

He just stared at me silently, without saying a word.

"Really?" I stared at him stubbornly, determined to get an answer. For no reason, a chill ran through me.

"No." Huaiyuan sighed softly. "Listen to me..."

"So, you're saying the one I took was fake? You made a counterfeit on purpose so I'd find out. And that day, you deliberately stayed out all night; you were actually following me the whole time, weren't you?" I waved my hand, stopping his explanation.

"No wonder I felt like someone was following me that day. It was you. The reason I didn't notice you was because you were hiding in the tree, right? I'm so stupid! I didn't even know that some people can move so high." I muttered to myself, raising my head to stare intently at Huaiyuan. "Following me, watching me wander around in the mountains, is that fun? I look ridiculous, don't I?"

Huaiyuan's eyes held guilt, dishevelment, and an inexplicable emotion I couldn't decipher—what it was, I no longer had the energy to analyze or guess.

"I think I've been away from people for too long, so long that I can't distinguish between genuine feelings and pretense anymore." I looked at him blankly. "Isn't it time for me to leave?"

I ignored Huaiyuan behind me and, bathed in the soft moonlight, slowly but resolutely walked down the mountain—the moonlight is truly cold tonight… This book is first published on Xiaoxiang Novel Original Network. Please retain this information when reprinting!

[Volume 1: Encounter Chapter 9 - Like a Drifting Duckweed]

I didn't know where I should go; I only knew that my heart was pounding with pain, and I didn't understand why my heart ached or why my tears were flowing. I just kept walking, as if only in this way could the desolation in my heart lessen its piercing pain.

As dawn broke, I took off my dirty embroidered shoes and held them in my hands. I looked down to examine them—my feet were covered in blisters, and every step was excruciatingly painful. Yes, for the past few months, Xiaobai had been carrying me around, and had I degenerated to the point where I couldn't even walk anymore? I looked around blankly at the completely unfamiliar surroundings—yet, in this distant Northern Song Dynasty, where was my home?

"Enough!" Huaiyuan grabbed my hand. "Stop torturing yourself. I admit I shouldn't have doubted you. I won't defend my actions anymore. But you'll never get out of this!"

"Are you following me again?" I sneered. "This time, you're not going up in the trees?"

Huaiyuan stared intently at me, then suddenly sighed, "Fine, I give up! I originally planned to stay for another year before coming down the mountain, but since you're so determined, then I'll come down the mountain with you today."

"Really? You can just stay here and don't worry about whether I live or die. I never want to see you again in my life." I couldn't bear his burning gaze, so I turned my head away to avoid him. After saying that, I tried to shake off his hand and leave—but Huaiyuan was so strong. Yes, he must know that kind of "kung fu" stuff from novels and TV shows. Didn't I witness it with my own eyes last night?

"What? You want to use brute force? Well, what do primitive people know about manners?" I said with a sneer. "If that's the case, then please!" Since I couldn't break free anyway, I simply offered up my hand as well.

Huaiyuan blushed and gently released my hand. "I won't force you anymore, but don't wander off. Let's go down the mountain now, okay?"

Ironically, in the past six months, how many times has Huaiyuan pleaded with me in such a soft-spoken manner? Now, I can only sigh: if only I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place?

But how could I not know that what he said was true? Without him, I really wouldn't have been able to leave this forest—that's my tragedy. I can't even maintain a shred of dignity in front of him!

Seeing that I remained silent, Huaiyuan turned around and slowly walked down the mountain—and I could only follow behind him in silence...

Because of my foot injury, we walked very slowly. I endured the pain, stubbornly refusing to cry out, and also refusing Huaiyuan's help. I let the blood gradually stain my shoes dark red. Because this was my last remaining self-respect, and I didn't want to lose everything—in front of Huaiyuan, I strangely wanted to overcome something, wanted to prove something.

With only a strong will and a proud spirit, I gritted my teeth and struggled to support my body, moving forward step by step—in fact, I don't know why I had this strange persistence.

Huaiyuan stopped again to wait for me, his handsome, sword-like eyebrows tightly furrowed—it was clear he was suppressing anger—was he annoyed that I was walking too slowly? I looked on in the dark, and couldn't help but give a bitter smile: I had tried my best, and besides, I felt I couldn't hold on any longer. Darkness pressed down on me like a tidal wave, and I vaguely saw Huaiyuan's lips move a few times—was he cursing me? Why couldn't I hear anything…

People were constantly going in and out; some helped me up and poured some unknown medicine into my mouth; some held my hand; some spoke softly… But I felt utterly weak, my eyelids felt like they were weighed down by a thousand pounds—I just wanted to sleep…

Finally, I opened my eyes. I was covered with a bright red silk quilt embroidered with golden peonies—this wasn't the one I usually used. Where was I? I got out of bed—I was in the Northern Song Dynasty. I seemed to have been ill all along; this place was indeed incompatible with my birth chart. I sighed inwardly.

The house was large, with a round table in the center. On the table sat a round tray painted with gold lacquer, upon which rested a celadon teapot, and several teacups of the same color were placed upside down around it. I slowly walked over and poured myself a cup of water—it was very quiet, not a soul in sight. Wait, there was a note under the teapot.

I picked it up and glanced at it. "I'm going to buy something. Don't wander off when you wake up." It was Huaiyuan's handwriting. I smiled faintly—why should I listen to that brat? He and I have nothing to do with each other anymore.

Stepping out of the room, there was a small courtyard house. The courtyard was planted with flowers and plants in a pleasingly irregular manner, which gave it a touch of elegance, but it was still so quiet that there wasn't a single person in sight.

I passed through a moon gate and this time I met someone. "Madam, what brings you out?" A man in his early twenties, who looked like a servant, greeted me with a smile. His eyes made me look like a ghost.

"What? Can't I go out?" Although I didn't know why he called me "Madam," I didn't have time to care.

"No, it's just that your son instructed me that you're not feeling well and he's worried about you catching a cold if you go out," he explained with a forced smile.

"Your son?" I looked at him in surprise—I'm not even married yet, where did this "your son" come from?

"So that young master wasn't your son?" He looked even more surprised than I was. "I saw him serving you so diligently at such a young age, I thought he was your son, but it turns out he wasn't."

So he was referring to Huaiyuan. Considering that he would never call me "sister" even if it meant his death, I wondered how angry he would be if he was mistaken for my son. Thinking of his livid face, I smiled faintly—but why am I "Madam"? Am I that old?

"I've been lying in bed for days, my body's stiff. I'm going out for a stroll, I'll be right back, no need for you to nag me." Too lazy to say more, I replied curtly and stepped out of the courtyard. Outside was a large, bustling hall—it was an inn. The name, however, was rather old-fashioned—Yuelai Inn. I chuckled to myself: it seems the TV producers weren't wrong about the ancients; they really did like the name "Yuelai."

Stepping out of the inn, a side alley led to the entrance, its cobblestone path exuding an antique charm. Following the stone path, a bright and cheerful scene unfolded before me—it turned out to be a market. This inn, situated in the heart of the city, yet offering a tranquil oasis amidst the hustle and bustle. Huaiyuan had certainly chosen a good location.

The streets were bustling with people. Everyone was moving towards their own goals, but I was like a piece of duckweed, adrift in the vast sea of people, not knowing where to go or where to go. In this vast world, there was nowhere for me to belong!

Looking around, I saw silk shops, banks, restaurants, teahouses, and more—everything imaginable. Street vendors, carrying loads on their shoulders and in their hands, were also plentiful. I wandered aimlessly, hungry but penniless.

I wandered from stall to stall, utterly bored—sigh! Am I really so helpless without that brat? I stubbornly refuse to turn back, even if I starve to death—well, it shouldn't be that bad, right?—I have no intention of bowing down to that little rascal!

"Dongmei, you brat, are you asking for a beating?" A plump aunt rushed up to me, grabbed a little girl in red by the ear, and yelled, "What time is it? Still picking out rouge? Get to Lu Family Manor right now! If you're late and don't get chosen, I'll skin you alive!"