A pure heart in a jade pot - Chapter 150
Xiao Chen turned around from the table and walked towards where she was lying. He accurately placed his hand on her forehead and checked her temperature: "The fever has gone down. It's good that you're awake."
Seemingly because they heard the noise inside, someone pushed the door open and came in. They walked to Mo Yan's side, wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, and said softly with a smile, "You're finally awake."
Mo Yan stared at her, hesitated for a long time, and then said, "Miss Bai... so it's not a dream..."
Bai Yingyu didn't understand what she was talking about, so she helped her up and said, "Are you thirsty? Would you like some water?"
"...It's not a dream..." Mo Yan was still muttering to herself, "Miss Bai is here, where is my brother? My brother..."
"Zhan Zhao is dead. It was Prince Ning who sent you back. You've been sick for over half a month, and you've been in a daze the whole time," Xiao Chen said calmly.
Her older brother was really dead, it was true. She gradually regained consciousness.
“We’ve only been married a short time.” She leaned against the bed and calmly recounted to Xiao Chen, “But he knew he was going to die, and he knew I was afraid of corpses, so he went far away by himself and wouldn’t let me find him.”
At this point, she even smiled slightly, then sighed softly, "No matter what, I won't blame him. But, second brother, do you think he did something wrong?"
Xiao Chen's throat tightened, but he said calmly, "Yes, he shouldn't have treated you like that."
Upon hearing this, Mo Yan was stunned for a long time, then suddenly burst into tears, throwing herself into Xiao Chen's arms and sobbing uncontrollably. This was the first time she had cried since Zhan Zhao left.
Xiao Chen said nothing more, gently patting her back like he was comforting a child. Bai Yingyu, standing beside him, felt a pang of sadness, covering her mouth and trying her best to suppress her sobs.
Mo Yan cried for a long, long time before she slowly stopped sobbing.
"Rest well at home. Master should be back in a few days," Xiao Chen said calmly.
Mo Yan shook her head: "I want to go to the capital. I also want to be a constable in Kaifeng Prefecture."
Xiao Chen remained silent for a long time, then said nothing more.
Mo Yan looked up at Bai Yingyu again and realized that she had her hair styled in a married woman's bun. Then, seeing the way Bai Yingyu looked at Xiao Chen, she immediately understood.
"Second sister-in-law, would you teach me how to style my hair?" she asked Bai Yingyu with a slight smile.
Bai Yingyu replied shyly, "Okay, I'll teach you when you're feeling better."
Author's Note: To find out what happens next, please look forward to Volume 3!
As usual, everyone, please say hi! (Lion bows deeply!)
In the dimly lit stone chamber, only a single oil lamp on the wall burned, its faint light flickering erratically. The furnishings were extremely simple, consisting of only a bed, a table, and a chair, all made of stone.
The stone bed was placed against the wall, covered with simple bedding. A person was leaning against it, his face unusually pale from years of not seeing the sun. His left leg was completely missing below the knee, leaving an empty space under his robe.
But he was still smiling slightly, nonchalant and indifferent.
Another person sat beside the stone table, his face covered by layers of white cloth, seemingly blind. This person's expression was the complete opposite of the man with the missing leg; he was melancholy and very solemn.
“Your eyes will recover in a few days, so don’t worry too much,” the man with the broken leg comforted him, then added with a smile, “but once they’re healed, you’ll be busy, and you won’t be able to enjoy the leisurely life I have.”
Hearing his words, the blind man shook his head: "My death is nothing to regret. Why did you risk your life to save me, brother? If it weren't for saving me, you wouldn't have almost lost your life, had to cut off your own leg to barely save me, and even lost all your martial arts skills."
"Even if I didn't save you, this leg would have been useless sooner or later anyway. It's just a matter of sooner or later. What does it matter?" The man with the broken leg chuckled softly, his tone turning somber. "It's just that that matter will take some time. We still need to plan it out carefully."
"How can you... stay by Yelü Chongguang's side any longer in your current state?"
"Isn't there you? Anyway, I've been disguising myself all these years. We're about the same height and build, you're just a little thinner than me, that's not a problem. I can just teach you some vocal techniques."
The blind man stood there stunned for a long time before finally saying, "What you mean, brother, is..."
"From now on, you are me. The things I haven't finished will have to be done by you."
Author's Note: Many people are worried that Zhan Zhao might die. Hehe, I'll just post the prologue first, and I believe everyone will understand after reading it.
Volume 3, Chapter 1
In the sixth year of the Huangyou reign, on the day of Cold Dew, Kaifeng was established.
"Officer Mo, my wife is due to give birth in the next few days, and I'm thinking... could you change my patrol shift to daytime so I can leave her home alone at night? I'm really worried about leaving her alone."
Mo Yan looked at the patrol schedule several times. Recently, she had been assigned to investigate several cases of theft at rice shops, and she was indeed short-handed. She was afraid she couldn't spare anyone to switch shifts with him.
"Alright, then you can take the day patrol." Since there was no one else available, she had no choice but to take the night patrol herself.
"Thank you, thank you!" The constable bowed repeatedly and happily headed out the door.
"Wait a moment!"
"Any other instructions?"
"We're short-handed here, tell your wife to give birth quickly," Mo Yan said through gritted teeth.
"...Yes, yes."
Although he didn't understand how to make his wife give birth faster, he still agreed repeatedly before leaving the house.
Inside the police station, Mo Yan slumped in her chair, glanced at the drizzling autumn rain outside the window, sighed, and reached for the teapot beside her to pour herself a drink. The tea was icy cold as soon as it touched her lips; she couldn't even get a hot cup. Frustrated, she put it down.
Just as the water was boiling on the stove, Ma Han came in headfirst, his raincoat soaked with raindrops.
He took off his straw hat and hung it on the wall, then took off his raincoat and shook it vigorously. Mo Yan slipped behind the stove, poked at it, and asked, "How's the investigation into the headless corpse going?"
“Don’t even mention it, I went to the outskirts of the city again today,” Ma Han sighed, taking off his wet boots and drying them by the stove. “I wandered around the riverbank for ages, but didn’t find any clues. If Brother Zhan were here…” He stopped abruptly, glancing at Mo Yan, who was looking down at the water, her expression unchanged, as if she hadn’t noticed what he was saying at all. He felt relieved and continued, “Oh, by the way, your sister-in-law asked you to come over for dinner later, don’t forget.”
"I have to patrol the streets for someone tonight, so I'm afraid I won't be able to eat."
Mo Yan said helplessly, picked up the copper kettle and poured a cup of water for herself and Ma Han, put it back on the stove, and shrank back into her chair with the cup in her hand.