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<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="333" data-orig-width="500"></figure>This chapter hurts. Not only is Jing Wan heartbroken over that good-for-nothing Xu Jian Zhang, but Liu Shao’s heart also shattered upon seeing Jing Wan in such a grieved state. Despite his underhanded methods of forcing Jian Zhang away, you can really see his love for her in this chapter. Jing Wan’s pain is reflected twofold in Liu Shao, because he is longing for a woman who is pining over another man.Â
We also find out a little more about Liu Shao’s past in this chapter. Liu Shao is definitely the most enigmatic character in this novel but he is constantly off doing military commander stuff. I almost wish this book was written from his perspective because delving into his head would be far more interesting than delving into Jing Wan’s.
Encountering Love: Chapter 32
The doctor injected her with a sedative, and she drowsily dozed off there, heart-broken and hopeless, she heard the indistinct sound of Murong Feng’s voice, which was full of rage: “Where is that man Xu? What did he say?” After that, she heard the sound of Lan Qin’s voice, quietly responding with a few sentences, which Jing Wan did not hear clearly. Her only thought was that her heart was in extreme pain, as if something was stuck there, stifling her so much that she could not even breathe properly. Murong Feng had already discovered that she was awake, so he bent down to call her lightly: “Jing Wan.”
She felt as if she had been stabbed in the heart, and she tilted her head back to prevent her tears from flowing. He said: “Don’t cry, I will immediately order someone to bring Xu Jian Zhang back.” She had already forced herself to be strong, but upon hearing him say this, the tears poured down her face, and even though she tried her best to restrain herself, she had never been so weak before. She should not think back to what he had said, she should not remember what he looked like; he actually treated her like this, he actually abandoned her like this.
She did all that just for him, for him, she even almost lost her life, she disregarded her own reputation, the most important thing for gently bred young ladies, but he actually discarded her in fear of some gossip. The tears swam back and forth in her eyes, and finally, trickled down. Murong Feng had never seen her weep before, so he quickly said: “Don’t cry, I will order people to do whatever you want.”
Choking with sobs, she shook her head, she did not want anything, for what she wanted no longer had any meaning, everything had become a mere joke. She raised her hands to wipe away her tears, she did not want to weep any longer, she could not weep any longer. The headstrong girl of before, what she had previously though was indestructible, her whole world had collapsed with this light tap. She strove to excel, but now, she has ended up in these circumstances. Before, she had thought that nothing could stop her, but now, the person who was most dear to her had stricken her so fatally. Shen Jia Ping walked in and whispered a few words to Murong Feng, who replied, enraged: “Even if he has already boarded the train, I want you to bring him back here!”
Deep down, she was extremely bitter, but she stretched out her hand to grab onto his sleeve, as if she was reaching for floating log. He saw that the corners of her mouth were trembling slightly, that kind of bewildered helplessness was like that of a baby. He had never seen her like this, his heart was full of pity so he reached back to hold her hand: “Jing Wan…” She did not want to remember anymore but he said: “If you want to call him back here, I will do anything to find him for you.” Her heart spasmed in extreme pain, and remembering what he had said, each word, each sentence was like a sharp knife, gouging all her vital organs deeply. Murong Feng gripped her hand tightly, his hand had been callused from holding guns, the coarseness chafing her own. Xu Jian Zhang’s hands were always smooth and gentle, but these hands seemed to hold a unique kind of strength and vigor. Her entire body felt icily cold, the only warm in her was from his palm, this warmth was like a hazy flame on a winter day, and she felt an irresistible urge to cling tenaciously to it. Her heart was extremely pained, in addition to a faint uneasiness, but she did know from what the uneasiness had arisen. So grieved that she was unwilling to think further, she forced a sigh and held back her tears: “Let him…let him go…”
Cheng Zhou was located in the north and the climate was arid, but it rained for three days straight, a rare and surprising occurrence. The rain was like slender needles, like ox hairs, landing without a sound, the window curtains fluttered with the wind, which also blew the refreshingly cool moisture inside. A few extremely tall Japanese pagodatrees were placed in front of the window, the trees were filled with blooming japonica flowers, but the wind and rain made a mess of the bunches of white flowers, and the light fragrance of the flowers wafted in with the chilly scent of rain.
Zhao Shu Ning came to visit Jing Wan, and seeing that Lan Qin was cracking walnuts in front of the small table, she asked: “Why don’t you ask the kitchen to do that?” Lan Qin pursed her lips to hide a smile and replied: “Liu Shao especially asked me to crack them to make walnut and lotus congee. Liu Shao is worried that the kitchen will not be as thorough about it.”
Zhao Shu Ning chatted with Jing Wan for a few minutes, and Jing Wan turned her face to look at the rain outside: “It’s still raining.” Shu Ning said: “Yes, it has already rained for two or three days, so this year’s harvest will be especially good. Last year, there was a drought, which worried the Commander so much that Sixth Brother personally went to the south to stock up on provisions for the military.” Shu Ning saw a basket of flowers sitting next to the bed, there were several hundred branches of pomegranate flowers in it, so vibrantly red like a cluster of torches, the blooms seemed to be on the verge of flaming up. She said: “These would be beautiful if woven into a flower ball.” Lan Qin smiled and said: “Miss’s hands are so clever, everyone admires the flower baskets and flower balls that you weave.” Shu Ning replied: “I don’t have much to do anyways, so I will weave one for Miss Yin to play with,” Lan Qin went to find a slender copper wire to pin the hundreds of fire-red pomegranate flowers together.
Shu Ning sat next to the bed and began to weave, Jing Wan saw that her fingers were nimble and in no time at all, she had already finished weaving a bright red flower ball. Picking up the leftover threads, she said: “Let’s hang it at the head of the bed, okay?” Jing Wan usually loved lively colors, and giving a slight smile, she said: “You hands are so skillful.”
Shu Ning replied: “I learned this from Auntie. Auntie’s hands were so skillful, and she was also a good person.” Suddenly, her eyes dimmed: “She passed too early. At that time, the Commander was fighting elsewhere, Liu Shao was still young but he planned the entire funeral by himself. Sixth Brother was so mischievous when he was little, so ignorant, but when Auntie passed, it was like he suddenly grew up. At that time, we only knew how to cry, but he called the men to come in, first to send a telegram to the Commander, then to ask them about the customs for a funeral. He seemed like a grown-up.” Jing Wan the asked: “How old was Liu Shao then?” Shu Ning said: “He was only twelve. Sixth Brother wasn’t very tall when he was young and the Commander always joked that he wasn’t even as tall as a rifle.” Lan Qin laughed aloud and said: “There are many photos of a young Liu Shao in the atrium, I will bring them for Miss to look at.” She walked away without waiting for Jing Wan’s answer.