Wushuang lay on the couch, legs curled up, forehead pressed against the lattice window, listening intently to the raindrops pattering against the eaves.
Half a month ago, after that incident, her father, Junshu, immediately arranged for her to stay at the family temple to avoid trouble.
Since then, Wushuang has lost contact with the outside world.
What became of the Imperial Guard who claimed to have fallen in love with her during the Northern Tour? What were the attitudes of her family and Chu Yao and his sister towards this matter? When will they be able to take her back?
She knew nothing about any of the issues that were personally relevant to her.
Wushuang once wrote a letter to Chu Yao, but in the end she only received a verbal message that the letter had been safely delivered, and that the Prince of Ying was busy and that the reply would be postponed.
The large tabby cat kept in the kitchen to catch mice strolled leisurely along the eaves, occasionally rolling around lazily on the ground, meowing incessantly for some unknown reason.
The cries were mournful and pitiful, just like Wushuang's feelings at that moment.
She had clearly dealt with Lin Ruqing and changed his fate. Occasionally, when she corresponded with her cousin from the Yang family, she also heard them mention that after Lin Ruqing lost his academic title, he was impoverished and despised, and could only work as a handyman in a shop.
Why did the person who harmed her, who was thousands of miles away, still cause harm to her?
A daughter's reputation is more important than her life. Don't her parents believe in her anymore?
Otherwise, why would they send her to the ancestral temple with just a word and then ignore her completely?
Wushuang firmly believed that if her parents hadn't died young in her previous life, her fate would have been different no matter how many disasters she encountered.
Could it be that she was completely wrong?
Her parents also disliked her for being a disgrace, so they planned to keep her locked up here indefinitely?
No, Wushuang shook her head. Her parents clearly loved her so much.
No, she kept repeating to herself.
Don't be so quick to doubt people. Have more trust and patience. Your father won't harm her. Everything he does is for her own good.
However, Wushuang lived two lives, totaling a full twenty-five years. Even though she grew up under the meticulous care and love of her parents in this life, for her, it was still after the age of sixteen. The key to truly laying the foundation for her personality and her attitude towards people and things was her upbringing in her previous life when she did not have her parents' care.
As a result, she was inevitably more sensitive and insecure than the average girl, and to protect herself, she was overly wary of others.
Wushuang tried hard to convince herself, but she still couldn't truly believe that she would be taken back by her family.
After going around in circles, we've ended up back where we started. <a href="http://www.qiushu.cc" target="_blank">Qiushu.cc</a>
In your past life, you had no one to rely on, but you still managed to escape on your own, didn't you?
What can't be done in this lifetime!
Wushuang resolutely wiped away her tears, climbed off the bed, and took out the gray-blue coarse cloth monk's robe that she had borrowed from the nun a few days ago, which she had claimed was a short change of clothes.
A veil she brought from home hung behind the door. She took it off and put it on. In the dark, she had to lift the veil to see the road clearly. She would put it down again when it was light. Like Mr. Lu, she would cover her face so that no one could recognize who she was.
This time, she didn't plan to run away. She wanted to go into the city and find the real culprit who had plotted against her. She wouldn't rest in peace even if she died without avenging herself.
Every spring and autumn, the Jun family would come to the family temple to worship their ancestors. Wushuang could walk the road into the city with her eyes closed.
It was the dead of night, and everywhere was pitch black...
Wushuang's gaze fell on the ram's horn lantern hanging above her bed. She picked it up, then put it down again. She squatted down and pulled out a small bundle that she had hidden there earlier that morning. Inside the bundle were two sesame cakes that she had saved from her meal, enough to last her until she went to the city the next morning.
While preparing these things, Wushuang kept it completely hidden from everyone, not even Qiqiao and Chaohua, who had followed her to the family temple to take care of her daily life.
She slung her bundle over her shoulder, picked up the extinguished ram's horn lantern, and tiptoed out of the room.
The corridor had eaves, so it was sheltered from the rain, but the cold wind blew right into her. Wushuang shivered and pulled her thin clothes tighter around herself. She tiptoed carefully and made her way to the backyard.
The back door was locked at dusk, so she couldn't get out. But Wushuang had observed it several times and noticed a large tree next to the door with lush branches that stretched over the courtyard wall, which she could use to walk out.
Climbing trees is not as easy as you might imagine.
The bark was rough, and it quickly chafed my palms.
Unfortunately, the tree trunk is straight and lacks branches for people to step on.
Wushuang lacked strength in his upper arms and had no foothold, so he fell down after climbing a few steps.
Luckily, the bundle cushioned my fall, so it didn't hurt too much. Unfortunately, the lantern pole, which was stuck in the bundle's knot, slipped out, and the ram's horn lantern shattered.
The cold raindrops pattered on my face, and my clothes gradually became soaked.
Wushuang gritted her teeth, re-tied her bundle, and set off again.
With the experience she had gained from the previous attempt, this time it went much more smoothly. She endured the pain in her palms and climbed slowly and steadily upwards.
One step, two steps, three steps...
Gradually, I couldn't count them anymore.
The view finally went beyond the wall.
Wu Shuang was overjoyed. She looked at the branch that stretched from the big tree to the top of the wall—the thickest and sturdiest branch, which she had counted many times and could find even in the dark.
The rain seemed to have stopped, and the moon shone faintly through the clouds.
There was a strange dark shadow on the branch she was about to pass.
Mountain monkey? Ghost?
Wushuang shivered.