Ji'an, intimidated by the group's momentum, felt his legs go weak. Suddenly, a sickly figure flashed through his mind, and in an instant, everything clicked.
"I know, she's in the back courtyard. She's been ill these past few days... We've been taking good care of her every day..."
Before he could finish, he was shoved aside. The group stormed into the back courtyard like bandits. Under the solitary lantern, three men stood guard at the door, while the white-robed youth alone entered the room.
The room reeked of mold and dampness. On the small bed against the wall lay someone. The youth paused, looking at the thin back, the slight curve of her figure, and the blood in his veins seemed to cool. He stood frozen like a venomous snake, his dark eyes staring for a long time before showing any change.
No one spoke in the darkness. Zhao Wan Niang turned over; the faint rustle was quickly drowned out by other sounds. She thought Zhang Tu had come again, dawdling for some reason, and she couldn't even be bothered to open her eyes. But the next second, a warm, forceful embrace crushed her breathless.
"You!"
"He Ping'an... So this is where you've been hiding."
The faint scent of the hedge evoked a long-forgotten memory. She opened her eyes in shock and saw a familiar face. Even in the dim light, she couldn't be mistaken. It was Gu Lanyin!
The girl's hands reached up to touch his face, so close; she couldn't believe it. Then, unable to control herself, she wept for joy, tears blurring her vision. Her eyes red, it felt as if the clouds had parted to reveal the moon.
The youth pressed close to her ear and said gently, "Hold back your tears. There will be plenty of time to cry later."
Zhao Wan Niang closed her eyes, her heart warming. Fortunately, she was still alive; they still had a future. She hugged him tighter, sobbing, "Gu Lang, I knew you wouldn't abandon me."
Her voice was soft and weak, her posture so dependent, but it suddenly jolted him awake. Like a bucket of cold water poured over his head.
"Wan Niang?"
His voice was faint, like a spider's thread, ready to break at the slightest touch.
Zhao Wan Niang held him tight. "It's me. I didn't die."
*
Zhao Wan Niang hadn't died. She was so light she felt like a skeleton.
Gu Lanyin carried her out of that damp, coffin-like place.
All the lanterns in the clinic were lit. Several attendants stuffed silver notes into Ji'an's hands.
Zhao Wan Niang, held in Gu Lanyin's arms, apologized to Ji'an. As she was about to board the carriage, she felt uneasy: "Please also thank that young lady for me. I've been a burden these past few days."
Ji'an scratched his head, stunned by the amount of money. He tried to return a few notes, but the attendant who had threatened him earlier with a knife smiled and stuffed them back into his pocket, giving him a firm pat. "This is nothing. If that butcher comes looking for trouble, come find us. We're from the Gu Family of Huizhou."
Zhao Wan Niang recognized Cheng Bi's voice and looked up at Gu Lang. Once in the carriage, she couldn't help asking, "Aren't you a poor scholar?"
Actually, after feeling the quality of his clothes, she already knew he was no longer a poor scholar.
Hearing his frank admission, Zhao Wan Niang smiled. In the bumpy carriage, she curled up in his arms and whispered, "Now I'm not worthy of you. But I'm really, really happy that you came for me."
She grabbed his sleeve and asked, "Why did you say 'He Ping'an' earlier?"
"Naturally... I hoped you would be safe and sound."
In the dark carriage, he held her slender wrist. Her warmth and naive tone... everything about her felt unfamiliar.
"It's me who isn't worthy of you." He smelled the sickly air on her and said softly, "I will marry you."
"Wan Niang, do you hate me?"
Gu Lanyin combed her tangled hair, past events flooding back. If not for him, how could she have ended up here?
"At least you're still alive."
And Zhao Wan Niang hated heaven, hated earth, hated that stinking man, but she could never hate him. It was like being back in the plum rain season, in front of that little temple to the Earth God. The girl pressed her hands together and said gratefully, "Thank the Bodhisattva for protecting me."
*
Late at night, the carriage stopped in front of an inn.
Gu Lanyin settled Zhao Wan Niang in. For the first time in days, she took a comfortable, clean bath, without the stench of pigs. She changed into clean clothes and lay on a clean bed.
Gu Lang sat at the bedside, watching her, as if he couldn't get enough. It had only been a few months, but he seemed changed.
Zhao Wan Niang pulled up the covers, embarrassed. "Aren't you going to sleep?"
The youth had been sleepless for days. He shook his head and gave a gentle smile. "I'm afraid of dreaming."
Zhao Wan Niang's eyes shone like stars. She lifted the edge of the blanket and sincerely said, "Then sleep here."
Sooner or later, she would be his. Now she was inviting him. Even if he was a rigid scholar, she expected he wouldn't refuse. Sure enough, as if feeling guilty or afraid of losing her, Gu Lang lay down on the outer edge of the bed, still dressed.
A pair of slender arms wrapped around him tightly. Zhao Wan Niang was also afraid this was a dream, afraid to open her eyes and see that broken-down house again. She breathed in Gu Lang's scent, and in the latter part of the night, she finally fell into a heavy sleep.
Only breathing remained in the room. But the youth beside her, though his eyes were closed, had no intention of sleeping. The moon was bright, stars sparse, a cold wind howled against the windows.
Sometime later, a carriage stirred downstairs. In the dead of night, Cheng Bi knocked on the door again.
The young assistant at the clinic yawned, tears squeezing from the corners of his eyes. "Why are you back again?"
Gu Lanyin, looking haggard, stood in the moonlight with his hands behind his back, a smile on his lips, his voice cold. "I've found you're not being honest."
"You! You're bullying an honest man! I knew I shouldn't have taken that money! I'm giving it all back!!" Ji'an was incoherent with anger. "I knew there's no such thing as a free lunch."
Cheng Bi didn't even look at the money. This time he didn't draw his knife; instead, he hooked his arm around Ji'an's neck and said in a very friendly tone, "Do you have someone named He Ping'an here?"
Seeing they meant trouble, Ji'an wasn't foolish enough to admit it. He denied it straight away: "What Ping'an? No such person!"
"Isn't there a female physician here?"
"What female physician! That's my betrothed wife." Ji'an flushed red and threatened, "You took the lady away. What now? Are you going to steal someone else's wife too?"
Gu Lanyin stepped forward and looked at the naive young man. "Is she pretty?"
Ji'an's face reddened. "You bastard!"
Gu Lanyin pushed him aside and went to search the back courtyard himself.
In the courtyard, clothes were still hanging under the eaves. The wind blew, and every corner seemed to have a shadow. The white-robed youth wove through them, checking every room. Finally, only the small room next to the kitchen remained unchecked.
Gu Lanyin walked to the door, looked it over, then kicked it open.
Bang—
The girl on the bed was startled awake.
"You wear a mask even when you sleep?"
The youth blocked the door, seeing her panicked movements. He closed the door behind him.
"Where do you think you're going?"
He kept advancing until she had no escape. Finally, he grabbed her shoulders and pinned her against the wall.
Gu Lanyin's fingers whitened from the pressure. This time he stared at her, a laugh rising in his throat. The laughter seemed to conceal some kind of madness, enough to send chills down one's spine.
"Did you think hiding here would make me let you go?"
Author's note: None