La luna brilla intensamente sobre las montañas desiertas y las flores llenan el cielo

Capítulo 10

"It's me?"

"That's right."

Do you recognize me?

"I recognize it."

"Then why didn't you say anything when we met at the city gate?"

"I wanted to say it, but you didn't give me the chance." Actually, when he bumped into her at the city gate, he was thinking of catching her red-handed and waiting to see her surprised and flustered. But he didn't expect her to wave her hand so calmly and casually, telling him that the city gate wasn't open and he should just wait. This surprised him greatly. But he couldn't tell her this now, because she looked sad because of his deception.

"So, with all this time going on, there wasn't a chance to say it?"

"..." Long San pursed his lips, unsure how to answer. He had initially waited for her to slip up before playing along. Later, when she walked out of the city gate, looking so helpless, he suddenly believed she truly had lost her memory. At that moment, he wondered if suddenly revealing his identity as Long San would frighten her. Later, when she seemed so happy, he didn't want to tell her anymore. In short, there was no suitable opportunity.

Feng Ning stared at him, her eyes reddening, and said in a hoarse voice, "I was injured and sick, and you didn't even come to see me."

Long San felt uneasy. Was he really going to say this right here at the gate?

Feng Ning looked sad and vulnerable: "Why are you ignoring me?"

"..." Long San was helpless and could only remain silent. He was about to try to persuade her to go home and talk again when he saw the sad little woman suddenly change her expression, baring her teeth and brandishing her claws, and rush up to kick him hard in the calf: "You big bastard! You big liar!" After kicking and cursing, she decisively and quickly turned her head away from him and went into the door.

The remaining servants stared at Long San with their mouths agape in surprise. Long San met their gaze, his face stern, and asked softly, "Very free?" They all shook their heads and quickly dispersed.

Long San stared at their retreating figures and sighed. What on earth was going on with that woman?

Long San entered the house, intending to return to his own courtyard first, but then he decided to detour to Feng Ning's place. He hadn't been to Feng Ning's small courtyard in a long time. In the past, everyone lived in a large house, but each had their own courtyard, so they didn't have many opportunities to meet.

Before he even reached the spot, he could hear Granny Yu's voice from afar: "You're really behaving inappropriately! As a married woman, the dignified Third Madam of the Long family, how can you go out and wander around in the middle of the night? What are you doing, sneaking around like that?"

“I went to the river to see if I could remember anything.”

"Hmph, who would believe that? If you're going to the river to make notes, why would you sneak off in the middle of the night?"

Long San walked into the courtyard and saw Feng Ning pouting and turning her head away, looking aggrieved. He went over and called out, "Granny." Granny Yu was delighted to see him return and pulled his hand to look at him, saying, "You're finally back! Are you alright? Does your head still hurt?" She seemed like a different person, her eyes filled with kindness, genuinely concerned for Long San.

Long San glanced at Feng Ning subconsciously. She was looking at him longingly, seemingly envious, but quickly turned her head away when she saw him looking at her. Long San's heart stirred, and he said to Granny Yu, "I'm fine, my injury has long since healed. I'm not that delicate." Then he said to Feng Ning, "You go inside first."

Without hesitation, Feng Ning rushed into the house. She was so upset. They didn't believe her, didn't care about her, and even lied to her. What kind of family was this?

She angrily threw herself onto the bed and pounded on it, all the joy she had accumulated in the market vanishing in an instant. Long San chatted briefly with Granny Yu outside, then pulled her away, saying they had something to discuss. Hearing this, Feng Ning knew they were talking about her. She crept to the window, secretly watching Long San and Granny Yu leave. He suddenly turned around, their eyes meeting. Feng Ning instinctively flinched, crouching under the windowsill.

She squatted there for a while, then stood up to peek again, but there was no one outside. She leaned against the windowsill, feeling depressed for a long time, muttering and cursing Long San as a "big liar," before finally getting bored and deciding to take a nap. Anyway, her sadness wouldn't change anything; those who doubted her would still doubt her, and those who hated her would still hate her.

Feng Ning fell into a deep sleep, but whether her trip to the Lianghe River was truly helpful or not, she had a dream. She dreamt of boundless darkness and icy water, and a force pulled her into the depths of fear. She couldn't breathe, and water poured into her mouth and nose. She struggled desperately, but to no avail.

She was suffocating, her chest ached as if it were about to explode, the pain seemed endless. Somehow, she was suddenly able to speak, and she desperately shouted, "Help..." With that shout, air rushed into her throat, and she woke up.

The feeling of unease in his chest hadn't subsided when the door opened and Long San walked in: "What's wrong? Why were you shouting?"

Feng Ning stared at him blankly, and subconsciously answered, "Help..."

Long San frowned slightly and walked closer to the bedside: "Had a nightmare?"

A dream? Feng Ning closed her eyes, finally waking up. She breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, it was just a dream. Long San didn't expect her to answer, but said, "Do you want to get up? Let's talk."

Feng Ning opened her eyes and looked at him: "Granny Yu isn't coming anymore, are you taking her place?"

Long San raised an eyebrow: "Then I'll switch her back?"

Feng Ning said irritably, "Thank you, sir."

Long San nodded: "You're welcome." He stood still, clearly not intending to go and replace Granny Yu.

Feng Ning looked at him, thought for a moment, and asked, "Have you finished discussing it? Have you decided to use your good looks to induce a confession?"

"Did this trick work for you?"

Feng Ning thought about it seriously for a moment: "Giving her something delicious would probably be more effective." Long San was both amused and exasperated. Just as he was about to speak, Feng Ning suddenly sat up: "Oh dear, so you really are hungry."

“You missed lunch.” Long San kindly helped her analyze why she was hungry.

"Lunch?" Feng Ning raised her voice: "Why didn't anyone wake me up for something so important?"

Long San recalled the way she ate breakfast and Long Er's accusations that she had repeatedly stolen snacks, and couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing. Feng Ning, seeing his smile, became even more displeased: "Your whole family is so wicked! You've been bullying me since I was too young to remember anything. I wasn't lying, but none of you believe me. Fine, I can't force you all to like me, but you can't let me go hungry..."

She kept complaining, but Long San interrupted her: "I believe you."

"ah?"

"I believe you really don't remember anything."

Feng Ning was startled: "Really?" Long San nodded. Feng Ning was instantly a little excited: "Really? I didn't lie, I really didn't lie, but Granny Yu and Second Uncle don't believe me."

Long San said, "It's not their fault. If I hadn't met you outside, I wouldn't have believed it either."

"You're still siding with them." Feng Ning threw a pillow at him. "I'm your wife." Seeing that Long San looked a little frightened, she realized something was wrong. Although she was his wife, she had heard that they weren't close. She was being a little too coquettish.

She chuckled awkwardly, picked up the pillow, and put it back in its place. Then, she straightened her expression and cleared her throat: "Well, I know, I stole something from your house, Granny Yu mentioned it. But I really don't know where it went. I promise, if I remember, I will return it to you."

"good."

"So, we're on the same side now, right? We both want to know what really happened, so we'll work together to find the truth, right?"

"right."

Feng Ning was happy again. She threw off the covers, jumped up, grabbed her clothes, and started to put them on: "Then you must help me, okay? I promise I won't lie to you, and you can't lie to me anymore. You must tell me the truth."

Upon seeing her movements, Long San quickly turned and walked out, saying, "I'll tell you the truth now. I'm not close to you, so it's inappropriate for me to be there while you change." He strode outside and waited for a while before Feng Ning came out, all dressed up. She glared at him and said, "I'll also tell you the truth. I really don't like it here. Once I regain my memories and return my things to you, I'm going back to my parents' home."