sjar Chapter 50 Escape
Chapter 50 Escape
It is unclear whether Xie Yan's behavior angered Shi Hanxi, but he did not come back to finish the painting for Xie Yan as agreed.
Upon hearing this, Mo's mother came over and grabbed Xie Yan by the ear, giving him a severe scolding, "What have you done? Do you even know how valuable Master Shi's paintings are?! You're driving me crazy!"
Xie Yan was being pulled and swayed by her when she suddenly heard a sentence—
"You too, and that brat Yanru too, can't you just give us a break!"
He suddenly stood up, startling his incessantly chattering mother.
"Yanru, what's wrong with my sister?"
Mother Mo gave him a surprised look, then said sarcastically, "Oh, I didn't realize you cared so much about that girl? But she might not appreciate it. I can tell she hasn't been giving you a very nice look lately."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yan looked embarrassed for a moment, but before he could ask any further questions, Mo's mother pointed at him seriously and said, "Let me tell you, whatever you do, don't go looking for her. That girl has recently fallen ill, and you don't want to catch it from her."
Xie Yan was a little confused: "Illness? What illness? Is it serious?"
Mrs. Mo waved her hand dismissively, "It's nothing, just a common cold. But because it's been cold lately, she hasn't fully recovered."
After finally waiting for Mother Mo to leave, Xie Yan immediately got up and headed towards Yanru's residence.
In Xunfang Pavilion, Yanru was not as well-regarded as the other girls, so she wasn't given much attention. Even her accommodation was a secluded little house near the backyard.
Xie Yan knocked on the door, and after a moment, Yanru's slightly muffled voice came through the door, "Who is it?"
Xie Yan cleared her throat and said, "It's me."
The noise from inside the door stopped.
Xie Yan waited a moment longer, listening intently to the sounds inside, before hearing Yanru speak again: "...What are you doing here?"
"I brought medicine with me, Sister Yanru. Are you alright? Let me in to check on you."
But Yanru quickly declined Xie Yan's offer.
Then a noise came from behind, and Xie Yan realized that she had locked the doors and windows even tighter. "No need, I have medicine here. You should go back quickly, or Mom Mo will come and scold me."
Yanru gave Xie Yan the order to leave.
Seeing that she seemed to be the only one in the room, Xie Yan stopped trying to make a fool of herself, said nothing more, put the medicine at the door, and turned to leave.
As evening approached—
Just as the city gates were about to be locked, a village woman dressed in hemp clothing rushed over.
"Officer, wait a minute, wait a minute!"
The village woman, her face covered in pockmarks, ran breathlessly to the city gate, carrying several packets of medicinal herbs in her arms.
"Excuse me, officer, my youngest son is waiting for me to come back and brew his medicine."
The guard stopped locking the door, saw that the person did indeed look anxious, and confirmed that she was carrying medicinal herbs. He didn't check further and waved her through.
The village woman kept her head down, and when she saw the city gate open, she breathed a sigh of relief almost imperceptibly. Just as she was about to leave, she was suddenly stopped by the guard.
"and many more."
Suddenly, her heart leaped into her throat, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on the medicinal herbs.
"It's getting dark, be careful on your way back."
With her heart finally at ease, the village woman thanked him without turning her head and hurriedly walked out of the city.
After walking for a while, she looked around to make sure no one was there, then threw all the medicinal herbs she was carrying onto the ground.
Then she took off her tattered headscarf, removed her linen clothes, revealing a clean and elegant dress, and took out a handkerchief to wipe her face.
As she moved, the handkerchief slowly turned black, revealing a delicate face. This person was none other than Yanru, disguised as a village woman!
No one knows how she escaped from Xunfang Pavilion. After finally returning to normal, she immediately headed in the direction she remembered.
This time, she didn't walk for long and arrived at her destination smoothly before dark.
Looking at the bamboo house in front of her, Yanru took a deep breath and nervously knocked on the door.
The door was quickly opened, and Shi Hanxi walked out with a smile. When she saw Yanru, who should have been in Xunfang Pavilion, she showed no surprise.
He hugged Yanru tightly and said gently, "You've finally come. I knew you could do it."
Yanru nestled in his arms, smiling sweetly, "You have no idea how scared I was on the way here, I almost..."
Shi Hanxi interrupted her without a care, a strange fervor flashing in her eyes. She pulled her hand and led her inside, saying, "Come on, let's go inside and talk."
Yanru awkwardly shut her mouth and was pulled inside by Shi Hanxi. The old bamboo door slowly closed, making a low and slightly muffled sound.
As the bamboo door closed, the world outside gradually became isolated from the inside. The rising moonlight was blocked by layers of bamboo groves, unable to shine into the bamboo house.
Yanru was being pulled forward with such force that she almost felt pain. But Shi Hanxi seemed completely oblivious to her discomfort, only quickening her pace and dragging her forward.
"Young Master Shi?!"
Shi Hanxi only reacted when Yanru called out in a slightly frightened voice.
He released her hand, and his expression slowly returned to calm, transforming him back into the gentle and refined Mr. Shi she had always known.
"Sorry, did I hurt you? I just couldn't help getting a little excited thinking about how we'll be together forever."
Seeing him return to normal, Yanru silently breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing his words again, a sense of happiness welled up in her heart.
She shook her head and said, "I'm fine, and I'm happy to be with you."
As she spoke, she seemed to remember something and looked around. "Speaking of which, I should go and say hello to Young Master Shi."
Upon hearing this, Shi Hanxi's gaze darkened. He brushed aside the stray hairs that Yanru had lost while running, drawing her attention back to himself. "No rush, let's talk about it later. He's not in good health and has already retired early."
Yanru was about to say something when she was interrupted once again.
"Come with me, I have a gift for you."
This time, Shi Hanxi didn't pull on Yanru's wrist anymore. Instead, she gently took Yanru's hand and led her to a side room.
"This is!"
Yanru stared in disbelief at what was before her and couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
It was the Flower Goddess dress she had always dreamed of!
"I know you've always wanted to be chosen as the Flower Goddess." Shi Hanxi looked at Yanru with a smile, her reflection in her pupils filled with deep affection.
"Put it on quickly so I can see you. You'll look beautiful."
Yanru, her eyes already brimming with tears, nodded heavily.
But she left in a hurry and didn't have time to bring anything with her. She couldn't dress up, so she just changed into this outfit.
Yanru looked shyly at Shi Hanxi, who had been staring at her intently ever since she came out, and asked, "Does it look good?"
"It looks good." Shi Hanxi walked closer to her, put her hand on her shoulder, and turned her around. "But you're still missing a piece of jewelry. I'll put it on for you now."
Yanru had her back to him, so she couldn't see Shi Hanxi's expression. She could only feel his breath on her ear, which was inexplicably cold.
"Close your eyes."
Yanru closed her eyes expectantly.
Then, a rope was lowered to her neck.