Поездка ранней весной

Глава 21

Adi was still unaware of Queyue's identity... Yi Moran glanced at him when Adi wasn't looking, his brows furrowing slightly—in the martial world, only Xue Xiuluo was known, and almost no one knew about the Dark Pavilion, so there was no way to discuss where the Dark Pavilion was affiliated. But as a former member of the Dark Pavilion, he knew everything.

Is it really okay to continue remaining silent, letting Adi and Queyue continue to interact without knowing anything...?

“Adi…”

"What?"

"……nothing."

Well, this is a crucial time for them both; let's not add to the trouble. But I wonder if Adi will be able to take that step that has trapped him...

Before she knew it, dawn was almost breaking. Adi realized this with a start, and her expression changed—Zhijin always got up early, and if they bumped into each other like this—

Regardless of how he still doesn't know how to face Zhijin, it's hard to explain why he appeared in Yi Moran's room so early in the morning.

He hurriedly said, "Master Yi, I'll take my leave now and we'll talk again when we have a chance," and rushed out of Yi Moran's room. But before he could take two steps, Queyue, who had just come out of the room, saw him and called out in slight confusion, "Adi?"

The person who was called didn't dare turn around, pretending not to hear, and fled.

Could she assume that Adi had come to see her? But why did she think she saw him coming out of Yi Moran's room...? She could put aside any questions she couldn't answer for now. So, why did Adi run away as soon as he saw her? She thought that the two of them had some issues that needed to be resolved, didn't they?

If she were to pursue Ah Di, she naturally wouldn't be able to catch him. She could only wait at the places he frequented every day, hoping he would walk right into her trap.

So Adi would see her when he returned to his room, he would see her when he went to the kitchen, and he would see her even when he went to the outhouse—after several such encounters, he became so engrossed in his escape that he finally realized, with his last shred of rationality, that if this game of hide-and-seek continued, Queyue's legs might not be able to take it. But Queyue seemed determined to keep chasing him until she caught him, showing no intention of giving up.

In the end, Ah Di could only accept his fate, telling himself that running away was not the solution. When he instinctively tried to run away again, he forcibly pulled back his leg, but still dared not look back.

Seeing that he had finally stopped running away, Queyue walked over as usual, her face still showing no emotion.

"Adi".

There was no response.

Should we talk?

He nodded silently.

"What you did yesterday was..."

The thing I least wanted to mention, has indeed been brought up.

“Brocade…”

"I think I need to figure out what you meant by doing that." She still couldn't quite understand it just by thinking about it. Did Adi like her? But she hadn't felt anything like that between them before, and Adi had been avoiding her afterwards, which only made her more confused. But if Adi didn't like her… then why did he kiss her?

These things are indeed very troublesome, and there's no one to advise her. If she can't figure it out on her own, she doesn't know how to continue thinking about the next steps. In that case, wouldn't asking her directly be the quickest, simplest, and clearest way?

However, her quick, simple, and straightforward method only made Adi more embarrassed, unsure how to respond. To like brocade is to contradict oneself; to dislike brocade, what does that mean—is it disrespectful?

“Weaving brocade, I…”

“Adi, you don’t have to worry about me, you can just tell me directly. Whether it’s a spur-of-the-moment decision, or you’re not sober after drinking, or you’ve been taking care of me for so long that you haven’t had a chance to find a female companion, and that’s why you acted impulsively—I won’t mind.”

—But I'll mind!! —Every word she said felt like a knife of conscience stabbing me; what Zhijin was saying was utterly beastly…

“Zhijin…” He finally turned around, his hands weakly pressing against her shoulders. “Is that the kind of person you think I am?”

...What you've done is exactly what this kind of person does.

Various words swirled in his mind, but he couldn't organize them or find the words to say them. After a long pause, he stammered, "Yesterday... Constable Long proposed to you, you know that, right?"

...Is Long Yan proposing to her?

Seeing Queyue's slightly puzzled expression, Adi felt even more helpless. It seemed that talking to Queyue required being direct and clear. "He is indeed proposing to you."

"oh."

"But I don't like it."

"...Oh." Although she didn't quite understand, she still nodded. "Then I'll just not agree."

"The owner of the clothing store is also interested in you..."

—She knows this, why bring it up again all of a sudden?

“I said that if you like him, I will help you—that’s true, and I wasn’t just saying it casually, I meant it.”

Dot, she knows that too.

"But I changed my mind."

--Well?

Adi sighed, tightened his arms, trapping her in his embrace, lowered his head, and breathed on her neck, warm and ticklish, but Queyue dared not move.

"I can't bear to see you leave with someone else. If you're going to like someone, can't you like me back?"

After a long silence, Queyue finally understood what he was talking about.

Yi Moran watched the two of them from a distance, as if he had been watching them from this distance from the very beginning.

Didn't he say that if Ah Di was interested, then no one else could compete with him...?

In the following days, Ah Di was often nowhere to be seen, leaving early and returning late.

Even though he treated Queyue quite well when he was around, there was something vaguely unsettling about him.

"Zhijin! Have a drink with me!" Long Yan placed a wine jar on the stone table in the courtyard and beckoned to her.

Watching that guy bang on the table and yell, "That's so unbrotherly! He still tells me it's not that kind of relationship—even after all this, he still says it's not—" He took a big gulp of wine, "Zhijin! If that kid bullies you, tell me, and I'll go beat him up for you!"

Ah Di bullied her... It seems a bit hard to imagine.

Queyue sat quietly beside him, drinking slowly. She had never known how to comfort others, so she simply let him get drunk this once.

Long Yan, drunk, slumped on the stone table. She put down her wine cup and turned to look at A Di's door… He was still not there. Where could he have gone… In the past, A Di would sometimes be away, and she would just wait quietly, knowing he would always come back. A Di didn't need her to worry; he could handle everything. But now, she seemed unable to maintain that calm demeanor.

Is this what's considered normal? Even if you believe it, you still can't help but worry and fret. Does everyone go through this?

She summoned two servants to help Long Yan back to his room. She walked alone in the courtyard. Perhaps it wasn't that her personality was unsuitable for waiting, but rather that she simply didn't like it.

After dinner, she asked Liu Zhi to leave an extra portion as usual, which she delivered to Adi's room that night. She paused slightly at the door. The room was dark, but she knew he had returned.

She hesitated for a moment, then pushed open the door. The pungent smell of blood made her pause slightly. Adi was washing her hands by the basin, the nearly dried blood soaking into the water and staining the entire basin bright red.

He looked up at the crescent moon, his surprise vanished in an instant, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

“Weaving brocade.” His voice was as kind and gentle as ever, as if the chilling stench of blood that filled the room did not exist at all.

"...Are you injured?"

"No, no..."

Queyue didn't ask anything more, nor did she have anything to ask. She simply placed the food plate on the table quietly.

In the darkness, Adi's all-black attire seemed inconspicuous. And because of the darkness, the bloodstains on it were invisible. The heavy blackness swallowed and obliterated everything.

Adi wasn't uncomfortable at all about being caught by Queyue. He sat down at the table naturally and watched Queyue serve him rice and set out his chopsticks. He still smiled and looked up easily, saying, "Zhijin, I've found a good medicine. Your bones should be healed this time. I'll be here tomorrow to start your treatment."

"Mmm," she responded softly, the sound seeming to come directly from her chest, carrying a slight echo. A smile appeared on her lips, slightly bitter, slightly warm, gradually deepening.

He didn't need to say anything... she already understood.

Looking at her smile, the smile he had been waiting for for so long, Adi felt no joy at the moment. Instead, he felt a mixture of warmth and bitterness seeping into his heart through the smile, which warmed his heart.

He didn't care; healing Zhijin was just doing something he was used to doing. What did it matter to him? This bittersweet feeling was all in Zhijin's heart, and he only wished for her peace and happiness. He stood up, gently stroked her head, and whispered, "It's nothing, you'll be fine soon..."

What is it that [will heal soon]... her injury? Or his condition...?

A strong, pungent smell of blood spread as it approached her arm... gradually permeating her.

She knew that Adi hated the smell of blood the most.

A faint, unique fragrance emanated from my wrists and ankles, rich and heavy, with a hint of medicinal herbs.

Her limbs moved noticeably more freely, and the cold didn't hurt as much as before. But the thought of where the medicine might have come from kept her from feeling at ease. What was Ah Di doing outside? Was it related to this suddenly acquired medicine…?

Yi Moran saw Queyue sitting in the courtyard staring blankly at the lake, and walked over to her and said, "If you're feeling bored, let Liu Zhi take you to the street to stroll around and buy some things. Don't stay cooped up in the courtyard by yourself."

Queyue wanted to shake his head, but he smiled and said in an unyielding manner, "Go ahead, it's better to go out for a walk than to overthink things alone. I'll go and call Liu Zhi."

Understanding that this was Yi Moran's good intention, Queyue did not refuse again.

Liu Zhi quickly finished getting ready to go out and ran over to her, "Miss Zhijin, shall we walk or take a carriage?"

Queyue smiled faintly, "Let's go for a walk. If we take a carriage, it'll just be boring, won't it?"

Liu Zhi paused, staring blankly at Queyue's face. It was the first time he had ever seen "Zhijin" in women's clothing smile. She looked very beautiful when she smiled.

What a pity, such a beautiful person was snatched away by Adi, leaving the museum owner to lose a wife for nothing—Liu Zhi has completely forgotten that Adi was the one who was by Queyue's side from the very beginning.

The gossipy Liu Zhi was someone who couldn't keep a secret. As they walked, she asked, "Miss Zhijin, do you really not like our master anymore?"

"..." This child... even if she likes him or not, she wouldn't tell anyone else, especially not a little kid like him.

Undeterred by the lack of an answer, Liu Zhi continued chattering, "While the Master's conditions may not be much better than Young Master Di's, he at least has his own businesses... Ah, of course, he's older than Young Master Di, but speaking of age, Constable Long is about the same age. He works in the government, unlike us brothel people. If we agree to his offer, we can live a peaceful life from then on. Isn't that the best choice?"

Chapter 41

...That gossipy old woman is really noisy.

Queyue reached out and expressionlessly ruffled his head. Liu Zhi cried out and hurriedly tidied his hair, finally losing the will to continue his nagging.

How could this child understand...? Although Queyue longed for a peaceful life, it was impossible for her to be with an ordinary person. Her slight attraction to Yi Moran was already unexpected; a relationship with Long Yan was simply impossible.

She reached out and grasped her arm, remembering what Adi had said when she first woke up: he would heal her until she "looked like an ordinary person"—just "looked like" someone else. Even though the pain was gone, she couldn't forget that her body, hidden beneath her clothes, was already a horrific sight; the mottled, crisscrossing scars meant she could never marry an ordinary man.

What Long Yan saw and became infatuated with was only her beautiful appearance, but he never knew the depravity beneath that beauty.

But Adi knew everything… He had seen, treated, and cared for every single scar. He could ask her to stay by his side without caring at all. If Adi didn't care, then she was willing to try to forget these ugly scars.

After wandering around, Queyue finally bought some silk thread, intending to braid a jade pendant for Adi as a way to practice her fingers.

It's been a long time since I've made these little things to pass the time. In the past, I was often dragged along by Jin Diluo and Xinyue to make them. But later, the exquisitely crafted jade pendant on Cangming Gongzi's waist was secretly replaced by Xinyue's crooked and messy creation.

Those things are really so far away now...

She looked down at the plain silk thread in her hand, considering color matching, when she heard Liu Zhi beside her exclaim in surprise, "Isn't that Young Master Di?!"

The crescent moon looked up and, sure enough, saw Adi walking towards them—he was dressed in an elegant long robe, chatting and laughing happily with a pretty woman beside him. He had clearly seen them, but ignored them, continuing to talk to the woman.

Upon seeing this, Liu Zhi was furious and was about to confront her when Que Yue secretly pulled him back sharply, stopping him. Although Liu Zhi was a bit gossipy, she was a clever child. She immediately followed Que Yue and pretended nothing had happened, brushing past A Di as if she hadn't seen her.