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墨書 Inktalez
“Muxin, get better soon. I heard the sunlight after the snow is beautiful. How about we go watch the sunset together then?”
Upon hearing this, Xia Muxin's eyes lit up with hope, as if a crack had opened in her heart, pouring in sweet honey.
Just a few months ago, he had carried her for a long distance despite his serious injuries. It was then that she realized how deeply she was attached to him and how much she wanted to watch the sunset with him. But it was more than that; she wanted to see every sunrise and sunset with him, even when they grew old and their hair turned gray...
This was love...
Shen Muhan carefully observed every expression on her face. After feeding her the last spoonful of medicine, he took a cloth and wiped the remnants from her lips. His tightly pressed lips softened slightly.
“After you finish your medicine, get some good sleep. When you wake up, everything will be fine.”
Noticing her slightly fatigued expression, he glanced out at the swirling snow outside, a flash of cold light in his eyes. He half-embraced her, flattening the elevated pillow before speaking slowly.
Just as he tucked her in, Xia Muxin suddenly reached out and grasped his large hand with her small one. She smiled at him without saying a word, as if holding his hand was the only way to calm her heart and make everything feel real. Then she slowly closed her eyes.
Shen Muhan sat down at the edge of the bed, quietly watching her restless sleeping face. He wrapped his large hand around hers tightly, and seeing her furrowed brow relax and her breathing steady, he finally stood up to leave.
Downstairs, Summer Forest and others had already explained the situation to Ming Yi. Hearing this made Ming Yi and the others furious; they wished they could rush out right now and tear those people apart. However, without their master's permission, they dared not act recklessly.
When Shen Muhan came downstairs, he found everyone gathered around the charcoal basin, the atmosphere oddly tense. Songzi was the first to stand up and ask:
“Big Brother, how is my sister?”
Shen Muhan walked over and ruffled his hair: “She’ll be fine after some sleep.”
The whole family trusted Shen Muhan. As long as he said everything would be okay, they believed it would be. At that moment, their anxious hearts were finally at ease. Summer Old Man and Summer Forest even stood up and bowed deeply to him. Shen Muhan quickly reached out to stop them from bowing any further, casually saying:
"This is what I should do."
As for the weight of his words, Summer Forest and the others surely had a clear understanding.
Ming Yi dared not meet Shen Muhan's gaze and quickly gave up his seat for him, standing aside with his head lowered. This action puzzled Summer Forest and the others.
They could accept him giving up his position since Shen Muhan was their master, but it was evident that Ming Yi was afraid. Yes, that word was entirely appropriate for Ming Yi at this moment.
Shen Muhan raised an eyebrow and said to Ming Yi:
"Go find out the whereabouts of Zhao Qiushui."
After receiving the order, Ming Yi swiftly exited the main hall.
"Forest, is that Jihua over there? Why is she kneeling in the open space by Thatched Cottage crying?"
At this moment, Aunt Liu hurried over, shouting loudly from the doorway.
Jihua...
Upon hearing this, both Summer Old Man and Summer Forest jumped up and quickly headed outside.
Before long, they brought back a disheveled Xia Jihua.
"Child, come here, warm yourself by the fire; you must be freezing."
Summer Old Man took Zhou Juhua's hand and led her to the charcoal basin, urging her to sit down. Meanwhile, Summer Forest ran inside to fetch a large floral coat that Aunt Xia had specially made for her. It had just been completed a few days ago because she knew that Daimiao Mountain would become very cold in winter. Therefore, she made two pieces for everyone in the family, including Shen Muhan and Ming Yi, without exception.
They regarded Ming Yi and the others as their own children after all; they were only a few years older than Xia Tieshu. The group held the coat with deep emotions.
Xia Jihua's eyes were still wet with tears, and upon seeing Shen Muhan, her body trembled as she hugged herself tightly, shaking all over.
Shen Muhan knew nothing about Xia Jihua. He had only heard about her once from Xia Muxin. Looking at her disheveled hair, her thin, patched clothing, and the numerous scratches on her hands, he noticed the bruises around her neck—evidence of human intervention. Her timid demeanor suggested she had been living in poor conditions.
Summer Old Man looked at her and felt his eyes well up with tears, guilt washing over him.
If it weren't for his own cowardice, the two children wouldn't have to suffer like this.
"Come on, sister, put this on to warm yourself up," Summer Forest said excitedly as he draped a cotton coat over Xia Jihua's shoulders.
"Dad... Brother... Where's Sister-in-law? Muxin..."
Xia Jihua was stunned by the earlier scene. Seeing Summer Forest's Thatched Cottage reduced to rubble made her fear something terrible had happened at home. The charred clothes in the snow still smoldering only added to her panic. Suddenly feeling weak, she collapsed onto the ground and began to cry. Although she hadn't returned home in many years, she still remembered her family vividly.
Noticing that Xia Muxin and Aunt Xia were absent, she anxiously asked, "Where are they?"
"Your sister-in-law is resting inside; she had a scare during pregnancy. Muxin caught a cold and took some medicine; she's sleeping now," Summer Forest replied, having learned to speak more carefully to ease Xia Jihua's worries.
"Sister, you must be hungry. I'll go heat up some food," he said, feeling a pang of sympathy for Xia Jihua. They had been close siblings when they were younger. Before she got married, she was like a treasure to him. He thought about how much she must have suffered since then; she had lost so much weight that a gust of wind could knock her over. She looked so different now that he barely recognized her. This thought made his heart ache even more as he turned to head to the kitchen.
Xia Xiaosong watched curiously as he looked at Xia Jihua with wide eyes. Seeing his father go to heat food, he quickly got up to help start a fire.
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed. The snow had fallen for three days and nights, but today it finally stopped.
Xia Muxin was ordered to lie in bed for three days. Aside from taking medicine, eating, and using the restroom, Shen Muhan wouldn’t let her get up, saying it was too cold outside and that she had caught a chill, making it unwise for her to be exposed to the wind.
There were only two beds on the second floor—one for her and one in the room across from hers. As it turned out, Shen Muhan moved into the other room. Every night, when everyone else was fast asleep, he would sneak into her room. She had locked the door, so she had no idea how he managed to get in. The next morning, before anyone else was awake, he would return to his own room.
Although he hadn’t made any inappropriate moves during this time—at most, he would kiss her forehead a few times and then hold her as they slept—he claimed it was because she was weak and couldn’t keep warm under the blankets. He was there to help warm her bed.
After hearing this, she couldn’t help but smile wryly; it felt strangely like an affair...
After three days of bitter medicine and being a lazy bum, Xia Muxin felt completely drained. This morning, she finally got out of bed, dressed neatly, and went downstairs. At the entrance, Shen Muhan was talking seriously with Ming Yi. When he saw her coming down, his gaze shifted, and a charming smile appeared on his lips as he walked toward her while Ming Yi headed outside.
Xia Muxin cheerfully ran over and made a silly face at him, happily saying, “Good morning, Uncle!”
Shen Muhan was taken aback for a moment before his smile widened. He responded warmly, “Good morning!”
After saying that, Xia Muxin dashed outside. The new house also had a large courtyard where the snow had been cleared away quite well; aside from being a bit damp, there were hardly any traces of snow left. However, just as she reached the courtyard gate, a biting cold wind rushed toward her. Xia Muxin shivered and quickly tightened her coat as she stared at the vast expanse of white before her in awe.
It had been a long time since she had seen such a snowy landscape.
So beautiful! This was true winter wonderland!
Suddenly, she felt a weight on her shoulder as warmth enveloped her. “You just recovered; don’t catch another chill,” Shen Muhan’s gentle voice followed.
Xia Muxin looked down to see a fur coat draped over her shoulders. The fur looked familiar. Suddenly, her eyes widened in shock as she exclaimed, “Those three tigers...”
“Yes, skinned and prepared,” Shen Muhan replied nonchalantly as he tied the straps behind her back.
"Uncle, you're so ruthless, but Miss Muxin likes it."
*
Meanwhile, Zhao Qiushui had gone to He Cong's house as a guest, only to be challenged by his Concubine. To make matters worse, this Concubine was a courtesan from a brothel, which left Zhao Qiushui feeling humiliated, as if she had been insulted by a Courtesan. The two began to argue and soon resorted to violence. In a fit of anger, Zhao Qiushui pushed the Concubine into the pond in the courtyard. It was freezing cold, and little did she know that the woman couldn't withstand the chill. Within just a short while, when they pulled her out, she had already lost her breath.
He Cong dared not say anything, but there was no reason for her to stay at He’s residence any longer. Besides, she had heard that her father had found her an ugly and fat husband. Just stealing a glance from afar made her stomach churn.
After much deliberation, she turned back towards Daimiao Village. After all, it was remote and snowy; even if her father wanted to come after her, he wouldn’t be able to get there easily.
That night, the wind howled fiercely, branches snapped under the weight of ice, and the sound of melting snow dripped incessantly. Zhao Qiushui slept restlessly, tossing and turning.
Suddenly, she sensed something unusual at the head of her bed. Groggy and half-asleep, she opened her eyes wide to see two dark figures standing at the edge of her bed. Their lewd and bloodthirsty eyes locked onto her. Startled awake, she felt a jolt of fear wash over her; before she could scream, someone had sealed her voice.
Immediately after, she felt a chill run through her body as she was lifted like a small chicken by one of the figures. A biting cold wind swept past her, making her shiver uncontrollably with fear as the cloaked figure jumped out of the window with her.
She was only wearing a thin nightgown.
In less than a moment, she was thrown onto the icy ground. The impact made Zhao Qiushui convulse in pain; it felt as if her bones had shattered. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
The world around her was blanketed in white; two figures in black stood amidst the snow, exuding an aura of chilling menace. Their cold eyes bore down on her like predators in the night, instilling terror within her.
Zhao Qiushui felt both cold and pain; she trembled all over with a face ashen as death. Her long hair was disheveled as she crawled in the pristine snow, looking utterly horrifying. She curled up and tried to inch backward, but for every inch she moved away, the two figures advanced two inches closer as if they were savoring her current predicament.
With fury in her eyes, Zhao Qiushui pointed a trembling finger at them; her lips moved but no sound came out despite all her efforts.
Suddenly, a blinding flash of cold light shot toward her. Instantly, Zhao Qiushui felt a sharp pain on her face as blood began to drip down.
Her pupils dilated in shock as she covered her injured face like a madwoman. Tears flowed freely as she shook her head in desperation and clawed at the two figures in black. Despite the pain coursing through her body, she tried several times but couldn’t manage to rise.
Blood dripped onto the pure white snow, striking and enchanting, ironic and eerie.
However, before the pain had subsided, another cold light flew towards her. Zhao Qiushui's eyes widened in terror as she felt a sharp pain on the other side of her face, blood dripping down once more. At that moment, she forgot to cry, forgot to struggle, kneeling in the snow with her hands covering her slashed face, as if she had lost her soul.
Her hair was disheveled, nearly obscuring her entire face, making it impossible to see her expression.
Ah...
Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide in anger, tilting her head back and opening her mouth as if she had gone mad. But no matter how she called out, no sound came forth.
Her injured face was completely stained red with blood, while the areas that were not stained appeared as white as paper. Combined with her hair being blown about by the wind, she looked like a terrifying ghost, instilling fear in anyone who saw her.
The man in black, upon seeing this, quickly patted his chest as if startled and then kicked towards her.
"Damn it, looking so scary at night; even ghosts would be scared away."
After kicking her, the man in black couldn't help but curse under his breath.
Zhao Qiushui was sent flying by the kick, crashing into a tree before falling down again. Instantly, she spat out a mouthful of blood.
- End of Chapter -
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