Chapter 235 - 234: Hope
Du Yundi looked out the window; outside, the autumn sky was clear and crisp, and the sun was splendid.
At this moment, they had nothing else they could do but wait. Instead of letting Du Yunluo sit inside, lost in thought and full of anxiety, it was better to let her go outside for a walk.
Du Yundi nodded and instructed Jin Rui to take care of her carefully.
Jin Rui followed Du Yunluo out of the side room.
Du Yunluo headed towards the bamboo forest, following her memory.
The rustling steps and the sunlight filtering through the bamboo leaves cast dappled shadows. This time, she walked much deeper than before, and then, she saw a somewhat dilapidated thatched hut in the forest.
Two people stood in front of the house.
One was a bald monk, and the other was a familiar figure—Mu Lianxiao.
With her hands covering her mouth, Du Yunluo stared wide-eyed in astonishment and was full of surprise and joy.
Mu Lianxiao and the monk heard the commotion too.
Turning around, seeing it was Du Yunluo, Mu Lianxiao was momentarily stunned, then smiled broadly.
Mu Lianxiao waved at Du Yunluo, and as he watched the person he’d been yearning for walk towards him, his smile deepened, his dark eyes sparkling like stars. He gazed intently at Du Yunluo; she seemed to have grown taller in the four-plus months they hadn’t seen each other.
Du Yunluo approached and called out "Princely Heir," and gave another glance at the monk.
"This is Master Kongming," Mu Lianxiao introduced, then turned to Master Kongming and said, "This is the Du Family’s Fifth Sister, my fiancée."
Du Yunluo performed a Buddhist salute to Master Kongming, noticing his gaze on her, but his eyes were empty and emotionless. He didn’t speak and slowly returned a Buddhist salute before turning back into the thatched hut.
"Did I interrupt your conversation?" Du Yunluo asked.
Mu Lianxiao’s smile remained as he gestured for Du Yunluo to follow him. Only after they had distanced themselves from the hut did they stop walking.
"Master Kongming is an old servant of the mansion. His secular name is Mu Tang. His voice has a problem, so he can’t speak. I just came to see him," Mu Lianxiao said as he reached out and held Du Yunluo’s hand.
Warmth spread from his palm, and Du Yunluo instinctively glanced back. Jin Rui was standing far away with her back to them, not watching them at all. Du Yunluo pressed her lips together and didn’t pull her hand away.
Mu Lianxiao came specifically to find Mu Tang, initially because of Mu Liankang’s disappearance, and this time, it was because of Fang Sheng.
Mu Tang’s father and Fang Sheng’s father both died on the battlefield, one as a family servant, the other as a captain; their statuses were different, but Mu Tang and Fang Sheng were of similar age and knew each other in the past.
The person Yunqi sent to inquire about Fang Sheng’s family from Little Six’s mother got a few words.
After Fang Sheng coughed up blood that night and returned, there indeed was a black mark on his chest. As for its shape, Little Six’s mother couldn’t say because Fang Sheng wouldn’t let her inspect it closely, and after Fang Sheng’s death, she was timid and only changed the clothes for her husband, not daring to look or touch more.
Little Six’s mother had acquired a house in Fang Sheng’s hometown, and aside from selling the Capital property for silver coins, she said that while clearing Fang Sheng’s belongings, she found fifty taels of silver at home. She didn’t know when Fang Sheng saved up this money. If she had known earlier, she said she would have insisted Fang Sheng see a doctor.
Unfortunately, it was too late. The silver left behind would serve as her and Little Six’s future expenses; with frugal living and some odd jobs, it would be enough for ten or twenty years.
Mu Lianxiao’s feelings were complicated upon hearing back from Yunqi.
Fifty taels of silver weren’t much for a big family, but for the Fang family, it was hard for Fang Sheng to save up, and the source of this silver was highly questionable.
If Fang Sheng had taken the risk of going to the hunting ground for this silver, then who gave him the silver?
What puzzled Mu Lianxiao the most was whether Fang Sheng truly would have acted against the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion for silver?
Mu Lianxiao had no answers. He was not Fang Sheng, and Yunqi was not Fang Sheng, so he could only come to ask Mu Tang to find out if Fang Sheng, whose situation was similar to his, would really have turned and bitten the Marquis Mansion.
Mu Tang couldn’t speak, but he could nod or shake his head. However, no matter how Mu Lianxiao asked, Mu Tang refused to give an answer. He only held the Buddha beads in his hand, conveying to Mu Lianxiao that he was already a monk and unrelated to worldly matters.
Perhaps, it was really Fang Sheng’s doing...
People change, and fifty taels of silver were very important to Fang Sheng, which might explain his actions.
These thoughts rushed into Mu Lianxiao’s mind, but he didn’t mention them to Du Yunluo.
It wasn’t intentional concealment, but rather wanting to investigate more thoroughly and provide Du Yunluo with an accurate answer instead of various speculations.
Mu Lianxiao slightly lowered his head and brushed Du Yunluo’s palm with his thumb, asking, "Yunluo, why did you come to Qinglian Temple?"
"My grandfather..." As soon as she began, Du Yunluo suddenly looked up, her apricot eyes fixing directly and boldly on Mu Lianxiao, asking, "Do you know an Imperial Physician who retired to a village at the foot of Qinglian Mountain?"
Mu Lianxiao, his heart pounding under her gaze, turned his head aside and coughed lightly, replying, "Are you referring to Doctor Xing?"
Upon hearing this, Du Yunluo became even more excited, grabbing Mu Lianxiao to leave, "You know his last name is Xing, does that mean you know him? My grandfather has a paralysis condition; my uncle went to ask him for help, but he refused to see him, and today my father also went. I’m afraid that Imperial Physician will still refuse. Since you know him, help me."
As Du Yunluo spoke, her eyes reddened instantly.
Once hope ignited, it felt like grabbing a lifeline, unwilling to let go.
Mu Lianxiao walked two steps with Du Yunluo, then lengthened his stride to hold her shoulders, drawing close to her, "Explain everything thoroughly, don’t rush, Yunluo. I’m listening."
Du Yunluo stared blankly at Mu Lianxiao. His gaze was deep, yet there was a layer of light, slowly calming her panicked heart, like providing her with a backbone.
Taking a deep breath, Du Yunluo looked into Mu Lianxiao’s eyes without blinking, recounting everything from receiving the letter and rushing to Tong City to coming to Qinglian Temple to pray today.
"Princely Heir, is that Imperial Physician really only willing to see noble patients?" Du Yunluo inquired.
If that were true, then with Mu Lianxiao’s status, he should be able to persuade the Imperial Physician, right? Even if he wouldn’t give face to the Du Mansion, he should at least respect the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion’s reputation, right?
Mu Lianxiao looked into the hopeful eyes and said, "Doctor Xing once treated my grandfather. I’ve seen him once; he’s a bit eccentric, but I’ll do my best to try."
Even so, Du Yunluo was overjoyed, thanking him repeatedly.
Mu Lianxiao gently rubbed her bangs, leaned close, and softly said, "Thank what? Isn’t your grandfather also my grandfather?"
The handsome features enlarged suddenly in front of her, and his words were like that, causing Du Yunluo’s eyes to blink, her ears to burn red, yet she didn’t shy away, instead smiling with her eyes bending.
Her radiant smile etched into Mu Lianxiao’s mind, impossible to erase, and he wouldn’t want to even if he could.