âXin Lan?â Su Shuilian looked at Xin Lan who looked absent-minded. She couldnât help but sigh. It seemed her cunning father-in-law didnât want to see people happy. Just when Xin Lan and Jian Heng had a chance to grow their affection, her father-in-law asked Jian Heng to follow him and return to Blood Union.
She didnât know what he was planning. Previously, he was the one who initially tried to match Xin Lan with Jian Heng. And now, he was also the one who was going to part them. Sigh, he made her a wicked person this time.
âAh⊠My Lady?â Xin Lan got a hold of herself, shyly receiving the fruit basket from Su Shuilian. âOh right, you want to go and pick fruits.â
They had grown a lot of fruit trees around the house. And now, as it was the middle of autumn, it was harvest time. If they didnât pick them, the fruits would fall to the ground and become fertilizer.
After they picked the fruits, besides the part they would eat fresh, most of them would become fruit wines as per request of most of the residents. The rest would be dried to make dry fruits. puretl. com is the original transla tor, please do not re post
Every day, the maids in the private mansion had their fixed jobs. Thus, for the temporary jobs, like planting in spring or picking fruits in autumn, the maids would take turns to do. It was Xin Lanâs turn today. Su Shuilian was bored so she decided to take a walk with her. They would pick the fruits within reach and pick the lotus seeds, and also leisurely bathe in the warm autumn sun.
âJian Heng, heâŠâ Su Shuilian wanted to comfort her but she didnât know where and how to start.
âMy Lady, thereâs nothing between him and I.â She just helped him bandage his wound once, helped him dress, and accompanied him to Qing Yang Clinic once. On their way there, she was careless and sprained her ankle. He carried her all the way, until they got on a horse carriage⊠Thinking about it, wasnât it just mutual help? Why⊠Why did she suddenly feel like she had just lost her vitality after she heard that he would leave today?
âI think he will come back soon. Perhaps heâs returning to hand over his job to someone elseâŠâ Su Shuilian gently told the other her guess. It wouldnât be incorrect, would it? Otherwise, why did her father-in-law spend so much effort to match the two? And when their relationship was about to bloom, he forced them to part?
âMy Lady, Xin Lan understood. We canât force such a thing.â Xin Lan lowered her head and accepted her fate.
Jian Heng⊠He was the imperial guard of the Blood Unionâs Emperor. To her, he was someone of a higher social class. So, no matter what he decided, she would follow his opinion. Just think of it as⊠the one time she detailed her decision to remain single.
Itâs just as Doctor Yang said: that men were ⊠we shouldnât get involved with. Erm, using the word âbeastsâ wasnât really polite. Men and women were both human beings, why were men beasts?!
âLady! Lady!â
Su Shuilian and Xin Lan had just left the main house and were about to head to the horizontal rooms in the south to pick grapes at the corridor along the riverbank. From a distance, Xin Zhi, who was in charge of the nearby house, rushed toward them, panting.
âMy Lady⊠Madam said that she had some urgent matters⊠She asked you to come there. She said that⊠She didnât feel well.â Xin Zhi gasped for his breath, but he had also finished the message.
âXin Lan, you go first! Iâm going to the Bamboo Garden to see her.â Would it be because her mother-in-law was upset when her husband had to return to Blood Union, and it affected the baby?
Su Shuilian hurried to follow Xin Zhi to Bamboo Garden, while Xin Lan carried the basket, walking toward the corridor by the riverbank.
She only had these sections to pick, as Xin Lan had already picked the other grapes; they had already entered the process of wine fermentation.
She should finish picking the grapes in this area before noon. And then during the afternoon, she would pick lotus seeds from the lake. Working more should help her forget about him.
Quickly forget! For the first time, a man who wasnât a member of her family had occupied her mind for half a month! puretl. com is the original transla tor, please do not re post
âXin LanâŠâ A low voice called her from behind.
The call had startled her. Xin Lan patted her chest to calm down before turning around.
âYou⊠I thought you left?â Looking at the handsome and tall man standing in front of her, Xin Lanâs heart, which had just calmed down, began to race.
âI havenât said goodbye to you.â Jian Heng took a step forward and gently brushed away the vine on her shoulder. Then, he stepped back, not to give people a chance to notice.
Goodbye? Ah, no no! She didnât want to say goodbye. If so, she will think deeply about the meaning of his gesture. Unless, âHave you said goodbye to the others?â
âNot yet,â only you. Jian Heng muttered. He brought his fist to his mouth and faked a cough, trying to cover his unnatural expression.
âHuh? Why⊠Why arenât you going to bid other people farewell?â Xin Lan felt so embarrassed she didnât know where to put her hands. She stammered disordered words that she didnât even understand.
âYeah, you⊠take careâŠâ Jian Heng told her then turned around, leaving the corridors which had so many bunches of ripe grapes. Xin Lan looked at his departing back, in this afternoon light, his figure had a lonely air she couldnât name.
However, she didnât have that right. She didnât have the right to wash away his loneliness. The position next to him didnât belong to her. In other words, it didnât belong to anybody hereâŠ