Chapter 10 Returning Home “I’m not even crying yet!”

Chapter 10: Returning Home "I'm Not Even Crying Yet!"

Zhong Yao's wounds had not yet scabbed over, making movement difficult. Madam Zhong did not feel comfortable leaving her daughter alone to recuperate in someone else's manor, so she stayed to accompany her. During this time, besides tending to Zhong Yao, she spent her efforts flattering Xue Fang, the master of the house. Her goals were twofold: to build a good relationship and to fish for information.

She didn't know how much Xue Fang had overheard from the bandits, nor how the attempted palace coup could be connected to the Misty Mountain Bandits... Neither she nor Zhong Huaizhi had known the bandits were involved in this affair.

Unfortunately, Xue Fang was a character of cool and aloof temperament, a "young lady" from whom nothing could be pried.

Stranded in a remote manor with no news of the changing situation in the capital or of her husband and sons, Madam Zhong grew increasingly anxious.

Zhong Yao could see this. On the third day, she claimed she was feeling much better and insisted on returning to the capital with her mother.

Madam Zhong refused. "Your wound was still oozing blood when we changed the dressing this morning. How can it not hurt?"

It did still hurt. Zhong Yao was lying.

There was no other way. Ever since Madam Zhong arrived, Zhong Yao hadn't had a single chance to see Xue Fang alone. Many questions she wanted to ask remained unasked. Xie Chi hadn't shown his face again either. She didn't know if he was busy helping resolve her family's troubles or simply avoiding her to prevent gossip.

Lying in bed all day recuperating, cut off from news, was not a solution. It was better to go home. At least there, she could send servants out to inquire about Xie Chi.

Moreover, she *had* to go back. If she had to listen to her mother find new ways to praise Xue Fang's ethereal beauty every day, Zhong Yao felt Xue Fang would eventually snap and kill her.

"I'm not used to staying here, I can't sleep well at night, I keep having nightmares..."

Zhong Yao tried every argument she could think of—feeling unsettled, disliking the food, feeling too restricted—but none succeeded in persuading her mother. Finally, she recounted the bloody scene of encountering the bandits at the inn. Only then did Madam Zhong stop worrying about potential misfortune at home and immediately went to bid farewell to Xue Fang.

Xue Fang mentioned he was also returning to the capital. So the next day, the two parties set off for the capital together.

Madam Zhong had already sent word to Zhong Huaizhi, who dispatched many servants from the residence. The carriage was padded with thick cushions. However, due to Zhong Yao's injuries, the carriage still moved very slowly, stopping and starting, taking two full days to reach the capital.

Unfortunately, Zhong Yao's luck was poor. They happened to arrive just as the army dispatched to campaign against the Western Barbarians was entering the city. Everyone had to make way.

After the army entered, throngs of commoners followed, cheering. Fearing the carriage might be jostled by the crowd, Madam Zhong insisted on waiting until the masses dispersed before entering the city.

By then, it was already evening, and the city gates were about to close. Zhong Yao's body was stiff from sitting for so long, and she desperately wanted to move. But the slightest motion made her back ache. She vaguely felt her wound might be bleeding again. Afraid of worrying her mother, she didn't dare mention it, silently enduring the discomfort alone, feeling a bit aggrieved.

As the carriage slowly rolled on, a servant outside suddenly said, "Madam, it seems to be Heir Xie."

Madam Zhong's heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly ordered the carriage to stop. Zhong Yao was also startled. After Madam Zhong alighted, she had her maid help her slowly shift to the carriage window.

Peeking out, wasn't that the same fierce man approaching?

Remembering how he had deceived her, Zhong Yao felt both angry and apprehensive. She quietly closed the window, leaving only a tiny crack to secretly observe.

Madam Zhong and Xie Chi exchanged only a few brief words before she quickly returned to the carriage. Xie Chi then moved past to find Xue Fang at the back, not even glancing toward Zhong Yao's carriage.

"Was that Xie Chi, Heir Xie?" Zhong Yao asked, tugging at her mother's sleeve.

Madam Zhong nodded. "Yes, he was. He came to fetch Xue Fang. What a good elder brother."

Zhong Yao recalled the scene just now. "What did he say?"

"Just the usual pleasantries."

Zhong Yao didn't believe it. Xie Chi surely had another purpose. She pressed further. "Did he mention me?"

"He asked about your injury."

"Only that?"

Her excessive questioning aroused Madam Zhong's suspicion. Madam Zhong looked at her daughter for a moment, then at the maid beside them. "We'll talk when we get home."

Zhong Yao's heart tightened once more.

By the time they reached the residence, Zhong Huaizhi had just returned from his duties. Seeing his injured daughter, he wept bitterly again. Once he finally calmed down, there was the changing of dressings, bathing, and other necessities. By the time everything was settled, it was very late.

Zhong Yao was still preoccupied with what her mother hadn't finished saying in the carriage. She tugged at her sleeve, demanding a clear answer.

Madam Zhong dismissed all the maids. Her expression turned grave. Zhong Yao thought something serious had happened, only to hear her ask solemnly, "Yao'er, tell me truthfully. Have you developed feelings for Heir Xie?"

Zhong Yao never expected *this* was what her mother had been hesitant to say in the carriage. Her throat immediately constricted, and she nearly choked.

"How could I possibly have feelings for him!"

Even if that fierce man was Heir Xie of the Yong'an Marquisate, she couldn't possibly like him. Zhong Yao liked men who knew how to make her happy, not ones who were so fierce.

Moreover, Xie Chi didn't like her either. He probably couldn't stand her.

Madam Zhong said, "If you haven't developed feelings for him, why ask so many questions?"

Zhong Yao felt utterly wronged. She was clearly just afraid Xie Chi might cause trouble for her mother and wanted to know what he was plotting.

"I haven't," she protested.

"That's for the best," Madam Zhong sighed. "His background, appearance, and temperament are all excellent. He truly would be a fine son-in-law. But his status is too high; we aren't a match. Taking a step back, even if it succeeded, there's still that difficult-to-get-along-with Old Madam in his household. Marrying into that would be hard..."

Zhong Yao felt even more aggrieved.

From a distance earlier, she hadn't heard what Xie Chi said to her mother, but she saw clearly. Xie Chi's expression had been indifferent. It wasn't as fierce as when he was with her, but it was absolutely not the gentle, spring-like demeanor described in rumors either.

Zhong Yao felt her mother, like the other ladies and young misses of the capital, must have poor eyesight.

She didn't want to talk to Madam Zhong anymore either. Claiming she was tired, she closed her eyes and pretended to rest.

After that day, Zhong Yao didn't see Xie Chi for a long time. She had servants inquire many times, but there was no news.

Her parents personally went to the Yong'an Marquisate to deliver gifts of thanks but didn't see him either.

Sometimes, Zhong Yao even suspected that Xie Chi's so-called promise to help only meant preventing her father from being implicated in the rebellion. It probably didn't include addressing her family's root problem—the matter concerning her two elder brothers.

Time passed day by day in the Zhong family's state of constant fear and anxiety. Then, one day, as Zhong Yao was having breakfast with her parents, a servant suddenly brought a visiting card. Opening it, she saw it was from Xue Fang of the Yong'an Marquisate, saying he wished to visit Zhong Yao.

Zhong Yao immediately sent a reply and met Xue Fang that afternoon.

Xue Fang was still dressed as the elegant young lady, exchanging a few polite but cool words with Madam Zhong before being escorted to Zhong Yao's quarters.

Zhong Yao's injuries had improved considerably. She received him in a small pavilion by the water near her courtyard.

Upon meeting, she asked, "Did Heir Xie send you?"

Xue Fang replied, "None of your damn business!"

With Madam Zhong and the maids not nearby, the aloof little immortal maiden revealed her true nature, her opening words crude and vulgar.

Zhong Yao glanced at him and continued, "What did he send you to do?"

"To see if your head's been chopped off yet!"

Unfazed by his rudeness, Zhong Yao pressed on, "Where has he gone? Has he done what he promised me?"

Xue Fang: "You talk too much, just like your mother!"

This annoyed Zhong Yao. She glanced at him again and drawled, "You probably take after your mother, too, or you wouldn't be able to pull off such a pretty disguise."

Xue Fang's face instantly turned bright red. He shot Zhong Yao a furious glare before turning his head away.

Zhong Yao was satisfied, but after that, no matter what she said, Xue Fang ignored her.

They sat like this for the better part of two hours before Xue Fang suddenly stood up and said, "Take me out of here."

Zhong Yao was taken aback, then her eyes lit up as she scrambled to her feet to follow.

Outside the mansion gate, the Yong'an Marquis's carriage was already waiting.

Zhong Yao didn't let the servants approach and personally escorted Xue Fang to the carriage. The curtain twitched, revealing the handsome man sitting inside.

It was Xie Chi.

Ever since she had confided her family's troubles to Xie Chi, Zhong Yao had regarded him as her lifeline.

Up until today, she hadn't seen Xie Chi for over half a month, nor had she received any news about her two elder brothers. Each day had been spent on pins and needles.

Seeing him suddenly, her previous worries and frustrations vanished, leaving only a sense of being wronged.

He was the one who insisted on repaying the favor—was this how he did it?

Not to mention she had even kept it from her parents to cover for him.

Zhong Yao's clear eyes peered into the carriage twice before her mouth drooped and she lowered her gaze. Just as her lips parted to speak, Xie Chi cut her off.

"Shut up," he said.

Zhong Yao grew anxious. "I haven't even started crying yet!"

Xie Chi: "Do you need me to apologize to you?"

Why would such a small thing need an apology?

Zhong Yao muttered sullenly, "Heir Xie is of noble status. How could I possibly deserve an apology?"

"If you know, then stop talking nonsense."

Exposed for his false identity right to his face, he showed no guilt and even arrogantly threw his weight around.

Was this what they called "gentle as jade"?

Thinking of the praise others had heaped on Xie Chi these past days, Zhong Yao felt deeply wronged. She complained resentfully, "You're so biased. You act all gentle in front of others, but with me, you're like this. And I even got hurt because of you..."

Xie Chi glanced at her, thinking to himself: Hadn't he pretended in front of her too?

Wasn't it because she was too annoying that he couldn't keep up the act?

Xie Chi really didn't want to recall the feeling of being surrounded by her whimpering cries in the cave. He tapped the carriage frame and said, "Do you still want to know about your two elder brothers or not?"

"I do!" Zhong Yao immediately changed her expression, her tone turning earnest. "Heir Xie, you're such a good person!"