novelraw Chapter 182 - 179: Her Voice Trembled, Completely Unaware of What Had Happened
Chapter 182 - 179: Her Voice Trembled, Completely Unaware of What Had Happened
Yuanxi was the first to discover him.
She had been waiting in the house for Qi Nanfeng for a long time, anticipating the good news of him having killed Ruan Mian.
So, when she heard the noise at the door, she rushed over, deliriously happy.
"Young master, young master! Did you succeed? Did that Ruan Mian..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly saw Qi Nanfeng’s miserable appearance.
Slightly stunned, she asked in disbelief, "Young master, how... how could you be like this?"
However, Qi Nanfeng’s gaze shifted to her, full of rage, and he slapped her to the ground!
Yuanxi clutched her swollen face, looking at Qi Nanfeng with sheer disbelief: "Young master..."
Her voice trembled, completely unaware of what had happened.
But Qi Nanfeng, heedless of anything, rushed at her, using fists and feet, paying no mind to his own wounds, nearly beating Yuanxi to death!
Until the cries caught the attention of Liu Family, who was the惊 holding a broom, making futile attempts to dissuade.
"Nanfeng, what are you doing! Let go, let go of Xi’er!"
Yet the current Qi Nanfeng was like an uncontrollable beast, and his fierce momentum made Liu Family dare not approach, fearing it would affect them.
Not until he couldn’t continue due to his wound tearing did Liu Family come forward to lift the bruised Yuanxi.
At this moment, Yuanxi was trembling, her eyes red as she stared motionlessly at the mother and son.
...
Meanwhile, the cries from this house gradually reached the ears of other neighbors.
But upon hearing that it was coming from the Qi Family’s place, they all found nothing unusual.
At that moment, Ruan Mian was having her veil lifted by Xie Huai’an, feeling unusually shy, but the atmosphere was interrupted by the cries outside.
Seeing Xie Huai’an turn his head, Ruan Mian turned his face back: "Do not mind it."
Their eyes met, Xie Huai’an smiled slightly and properly brought over the wine.
"Mianmian, although you agreed to marry me, I understand your thoughts. I know you do not yet have that kind of fondness for me, and I will not force you to do anything you dislike."
"But in the future, no matter what, you are my wife, and whatever happens, I, Xie Huai’an, will use all my strength in this life to protect you. Even if... even if I have to go to the Capital City for something, believe me, I will return safely, back to your side."
His words were so genuine that for a moment, Ruan Mian did not know how to respond.
Lost in thought, he moved another bedding and quilt from the cabinet and expertly laid a bed on the floor.
"It’s getting late, and you must be very tired today, get some rest quickly."
Ruan Mian just watched him lay down, his bright eyes fixed on her.
But what she didn’t know was that Xie Huai’an, with his back to her, already had a mischievous smile on his lips, then suddenly shrank his body, returning to a normal demeanor as he got up.
"Mianmian, are you cold? I feel quite cold, how about I go get some firewood to burn."
Without waiting for Ruan Mian to speak, he hurriedly went to the small woodshed next door and brought back a bundle of firewood, placing them into the clay basin.
After lighting them, he laid down again, but kept tossing and turning, appearing very uncomfortable and unable to sleep.
Ruan Mian lifted the quilt and spoke up.
"Sir, your bedding is thin, the floor is cold and uneven, it must be hard to sleep on. Now that we are husband and wife, sharing a bed is nothing, come up here quickly."
She was already married, and even if she did a little more, it mattered not.
Except seeing him so proper and polite, she, being the woman, should maintain some modesty.
But Xie Huai’an was still refusing: "Though this may be true, but... I cannot be abrupt with you, let..."
Before he could finish, Ruan Mian simply pulled his quilt onto the bed and tugged on his arm.
Thus, Xie Huai’an lay down on the bed half willingly.
What followed was silence, so quiet that they could hear the birds outside, and the increasingly noisy crickets.
Usually, Ruan Mian found these sounds noisy and bothersome, she even specifically made herself earplugs, but now she found these sounds surprisingly beautiful.
Additionally, they seemed like lullabies, even though there was another person beside her, it wasn’t as guarded or vigilant as she had imagined.
On the contrary, it helped her to fall asleep faster.
After patiently waiting a while, Xie Huai’an finally felt the opportunity, turned over wanting to move closer to her, and softly intended to speak.
But upon turning his head to look, he found that Ruan Mian had already fallen asleep.
Seeing her peaceful sleeping face, Xie Huai’an didn’t know whether to cry or to laugh for a moment.
He lowered his gaze, cautiously held her soft hand, and contentedly closed his eyes too.
In what used to be pitch black in front of his eyes, was now full of twinkling stars.
If his master and sister were watching over him in the heavens, surely they would be glad for him too.
He felt very happy too.
...
The next day, Ruan Mian got up early as usual.
Now that there was another person beside her on the pillow, a strange feeling arose in her heart.
After lightly touching his cheek, she gently got up.
Since she had completed her big task, next she was to make a trip to Tunan City.
Yet the distance from garrison to Tunan City was quite far, at least three days and nights by horseback.
However, if she could ride the White Tiger, she might reach it within a day.
But before that, she needed to arrange matters related to the house. A trip to Tunan City might take at least half a month before returning.
So her first task was finding Su Niang, concerned she might not be accustomed to the house life yet, but with the big aunt protecting her, she was adapting quickly.
Seeing this, Ruan Mian took a letter from her lapel and handed it to Su Niang.
"Su Niang, you are skilled at archery and understand Lanqiang dialect, I want you to help me deliver this letter to Lanqiang Town."
After saying this, she took out a delicate document: "This is the town’s clearance document. Once inside, go to the military camp and find someone named Lisi, then hand this letter to her."
She wanted to see if Su Niang had the ability to run between these places.
Logically, with her archery skills and hunting techniques, traveling should be no problem.
In the future, if the orchard harvests and goods need transporting, once she had familiarized herself with the routes, she could take on the responsibility of connecting both parties this way.
And then, she would recruit some workers.
Su Niang agreed without hesitation: "Rest assured, Miss Ruan."
Having arranged things here, she also mentioned the matter of the shop in the garrison to her big aunt, and suggested that if her aunt had time, she could consider good locations for the store.
So when she returns, she could get started on opening a shop for her mother and sister-in-law.
She has already made plans: "The shop, I was thinking of calling it Guishe Fang, specializing in women’s business—food, usage, clothing. I’ve written down all the goods I can think of on this paper."
"If aunt thinks of miscellaneous goods, feel free to add them, as long as we can manufacture them, it will work."
Her big aunt nodded heavily: "Sure, but you’re really planning to go to Tunan City alone?"