Chapter 13: Evening Rain

Chapter 13: Evening Rain

Soon, an inconspicuous carriage left the convoy of the Prince of Dongping, turned a corner, and quietly headed toward the southern hillside.

Nan Mei knew what Yuan Zhan intended to do next, and she understood deep down that she had to placate him, but the sight of the dense, dark forest made her legs wouldn't stop shaking.

Had he chosen this place deliberately or by chance?

Yuan Zhan smiled faintly at her, his eyes carrying an oppressive pressure that left no room for doubt or resistance.

She had no choice but to steel herself, she followed him.

Li Zhang untied the reins and let the horse graze, casually stroking its mane and stuffing his ears with horsehair to block out the sounds.

Endless layers of dense forest, thick and impenetrable, with occasional gaps letting through beams of light, making the forest seem deeper and the path more secluded.

Nan Mei walked as if walking on cotton, every shadow appearing to hide someone ready to spring out and snatch her away.

In a daze, she heard those scoundrels whispering in her ear again.

"Wait for me," she couldn't help but call out to Yuan Zhan ahead.

He didn’t turn back, striding forward without a glance back.

A gust of wind made the leaves rustle wildly, like a crowd of people laughing eerily in the dark. Every hair on Nan Mei’s body stood on end from the gust.

A cackling screech came from above, scaring her so much her scalp tingled. Forgetting all else, she hurried a few steps and grabbed Yuan Zhan’s sleeve.

Deeper and deeper they went, the mountain path winding, with no road ahead or behind. Not a single ray of sunlight remained, only fear and shadows closing in.

Without realizing it, her grip on his sleeve became holding his hand. The warmth from his palm calmed her panicked heart.

Ahead, the faint sound of bubbling water emerged, and suddenly a flood of golden sunlight burst in.

Nan Mei’s legs went weak. Looking back at the dark forest with lingering fear, she moved closer to Yuan Zhan.

She hadn’t yet realized she had become completely dependent on him.

But Yuan Zhan abruptly shook off her hand.

The sudden coldness left Nan Mei bewildered. So when he sprawled on a rock by the water and coldly said, "Undress," she hesitated for a moment before meekly obeyed.

The setting sun hung halfway over the mountain, silently watching the two by the spring through the gaps in the dense woods.

Her clothes lay in a heap at her feet, and she stood before him, fidgety and awkward, unable to laugh or cry.

He grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap, facing away from him, without any preamble.

She was in great discomfort but couldn’t refuse, so she squirmed to relieve the pain.

The spring water was as clear as a mirror, reflecting her trembling, panting figure.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind, like ropes tightening around her. The more she struggled, the tighter they became, nearly choking her.

Unable to break free or escape, she endured his frenzied kisses and bites, like a wild dog gnawing on a bone, or a hawk tearing at its prey.

Though she knew he wouldn’t truly harm her, instinct made Nan Mei begin to fear him.

He was usually so gentle with her that she often forgot who the man behind her really was.

Her stubborn body gradually softened, and she unconsciously began to respond, whether from habit or being thoroughly aroused. The pain faded away.

He turned her face around, and his lips pressed down; her lips met his.

Entwined above and below, they were lost in ecstasy, as if drunk and mad.

She heard the sound of flowers blooming, caught the scent of an unknown blossom, and on the water's surface was reflected a vivid red flower in full bloom.

Both were panting heavily. He still held her close, and she clung to him as if drowning, grasping at a floating log.

"You can’t be like this," he suddenly said, his voice unexpectedly plaintive.

"What?" She was still dizzy and didn’t understand his meaning.

"Your body is with me, but your heart is with him."

"No... that won’t happen anymore…"

"I just don't get it. Xiao Moran deceived you, played with you, and threw you away when he was done. You don't hate him—instead, you're thinking of him right in front of me! Do you regret it? Do you want to go back to him? Nan Mei, Do you even have a conscience?"

Nan Mei felt mortified, like a thief caught red-handed.

"I was wrong," she sobbed softly. "I hate him. I truly decided to cut ties with him. But today, I don’t know why—as soon as he appeared, I lost my composure."

He sighed. "I understand. You truly loved him, or else you would have been with me back on the boat."

He pressed her down onto the ground. "But did you ever consider that while you were waiting for him in vain at White Crane Town, he was with another woman?"

Nan Mei’s spine trembled violently. On the water's surface, her reflection was shattered.

"He was so close—how could he not recognize the woman beside me as you? If he truly cared, he would have recognized you from a single glance."

He knelt behind her as he spoke.

"If it were me, and I saw the woman I loved leaning against another man, I'd tear that man to pieces and take you back!"

A tremendous force slammed into her. Nan Mei cried out, and if he hadn't been holding her, she would have fallen.

Like a raging flood, surging with rage, as if it wanted to rush straight into her heart, burst through the top of her head, and completely possess her from the inside out, leaving no room for any other man.

How strange. Seeing his anger, his hurt, his emotions stirred by her, she felt an odd thrill.

Though treated roughly, she experienced an odd excitement.

She didn’t understand why, nor did she have the energy to think about it.

The sun was about to set. The surroundings grew dark and silent. A cold mist crept in, making everything feel like a hazy illusion—except for the man beside her, warm and real.

Nan Mei curled up in his arms. The sky and earth were boundless, but here was the only place she could belong.

"I won’t think of him anymore."

"Who?" he asked pointedly.

"Xiao Moran." Had she grown numb? She said Xiao Lang's name without a hint of hesitation—something that had been unimaginable before.

In truth, she should have faced reality a long time ago. If Xiao Lang cared for her, he would have acknowledged her in front of the Xiao residence. His indifference already made his position clear.

If Xiao Lang cared about her at all, he would have sent someone to find her, but he didn't.

When she fell into the hands of villains and was desperate to die, it wasn't Xiao Lang who appeared, but Yuan Zhan.

It was her own unrealistic fantasies that had trapped her all along.

Her tone was unusually resolute, "I will no longer think about Xiao Moran."

Yuan Zhan let out a heavy breath, and Nan Mei saw the familiar smile return to his face.

-

The carriage rocked gently, and Nan Mei drifted in and out of sleep.

"Wake up." Yuan Zhan gently shook her.

Nan Mei opened her eyes in a daze. Outside the carriage window, the sunset clouds painted the western sky; it was evening. She was baffled, "How is it still evening? I only slept for a little while, didn't I?"

Yuan Zhan laughed heartily, "You slept for an entire day and night. Get up, wash up, and change clothes. We'll be arriving at your parents' home soon."

Nan Mei was taken aback, her drowsiness vanished, "Why are we coming here?"

"Didn't you say you wanted to inform your family?"

She had said that, but she never expected Yuan Zhan to come along too!

She was somewhat embarrassed by her family.

Her father had passed away early, and her mother had raised her and her brother by selling vegetables at a stall, even saving up to get her brother a wife.

Her mother was undoubtedly a capable woman, but also domineering and sharp-tongued, capable of arguing with someone over a copper coin for half an hour. When things didn't go her way at home, she would curse at Nan Mei and her brother.

Xiao Lang once remarked to her that it was incredible how such a rude and unrefined mother could raise such a well-behaved and obedient daughter.

She didn't like Xiao Lang speaking ill of her mother, but she didn't know how to refute him, since it was the truth, so she could only smile sheepishly.

And then there was her sister-in-law; Xiao Lang strongly disliked her being close to her sister-in-law.

Her sister-in-law was petty and stingy, always taking and never giving, radiating pettiness from head to toe. To be honest, sometimes she was quite annoying.

It was all because of poverty.

With both the elderly and the young to support, and her brother being too honest and unable to earn much, if her sister-in-law didn't carefully manage the household, the family would probably go hungry.

Would Yuan Zhan also look down on her family?

Nan Mei said hesitantly, "It's fine for me to go alone. Could you wait outside, Your Highness?"

Yuan Zhan raised an eyebrow, "What? Xiao Moran could go, but I can't? Could it be that in your heart you still—"

"No." Nan Mei quickly explained, "My mother and the others... they... they are not of your station, Your Highness..."

Yuan Zhan chuckled, "How many people in the world are like me? Alright, stop worrying. I know what your family is like. Just listen to me."

Half an hour later, the carriage stopped in front of a modest village house.

This carriage was extremely ordinary, with no decorations at all—in the capital, it would go completely unnoticed. But in this small village, it immediately drew a crowd of neighbors.

Brother Nan was squatting at the door holding a bowl of rice, his mouth agape as he watched a gentleman wearing a bejeweled crown and jade belt appear at his doorstep. When he saw the man turn to help his sister down from the carriage, his jaw nearly hit the ground.

"Brother." Nan Mei called softly.

"Ah... ah ah..." Brother Nan covered his jaw and habitually shouted for his wife, "Dog's mother, sister is back."

"Right at mealtime. Dog, don't eat all the gravy." Sister Nan emerged noisily, and when she saw the dazzlingly dressed person at the door, she froze for a moment, then immediately greeted them with joy.

"Sister, you're finally here! I've missed you to death! Come inside, come inside, quickly!" She kicked her husband who was squatting there dazedly, "Get up, go buy two jugs of wine."

Brother Nan stood up, grinning foolishly, looked at his sister, then at Yuan Zhan, and blurted out, "Sister, how come I don't see brother-in-law? And who is this?"

Nan Mei's face turned bright red with embarrassment.

This infuriated Sister Nan, who gave her husband a hard pinch, shooting him a clear "shut up" look.

Yuan Zhan was unperturbed and said with a smile, "Brother and sister-in-law might not know, but Nan Mei is now my wife. Oh, my surname is Qian, I'm the fourth son, and I make a living through business. This is my first visit, so I've prepared some modest gifts. Please accept these humble gifts."

He waved his hand.

Li Zhang took out four bolts of silk and four bolts of brocade from the carriage. Even in the dim light, their brilliance was undeniable.

Sister Nan's eyes were glued to the fabrics, "Quick, quick, come inside and sit. Dog, hurry to the fields and call your grandmother back. Our young lady has struck gold!"

Yuan Zhan smiled down at Nan Mei and strode confidently into the thatched hut.

"Sit, sit!" Sister Nan hastily wiped the low stool with her sleeve, while Brother Nan held out a bowl of noodles and enthusiastically invited Yuan Zhan to eat.

As he leaned in, a garlicky smell wafted from Brother Nan's mouth.

Nan Mei looked down, too embarrassed to see Yuan Zhan's expression.

But she heard him laugh heartily, "Eating noodles without garlic takes away half the flavor. Please, brother, give me two cloves of garlic."

He dug in heartily.

Nan Mei stared at him in astonishment, hardly believing her eyes.

Sister Nan stared in astonishment—not at Li Zhang, but at the large chest Li Zhang was carrying in, which was packed full of money!

And there was also a case of jewelry, flashing gold, almost blinding her.

Modest gifts? Those were called modest gifts? Oh my heavens, my sister-in-law has married a mountain of gold!

"Mei Mei." Old Mrs. Nan, led by her grandson, pushed through the crowd at the door. "Mei Mei, what's going on? Did you get remarried?"

Yuan Zhan immediately rose, cupped his hands respectfully, and bowed, "Your son-in-law Qian Si pays respects to his mother-in-law."

Nan Mei was stunned again.

The Prince of Dongping, who was second only to the emperor, the Prince of Dongping before whom all officials bowed—he voluntarily bowed to her mother!

Xiao Lang had never treated her mother like this. Even at their wedding ceremony, when they bowed to the elders, he had only nodded slightly, without even bending his waist.

Both had concealed their identities...

A wave of mixed emotions—sour, bitter, salty, and sweet—surged up in her heart, making her want to cry.

She quietly took Yuan Zhan's hand.

You give me a peach, I give you a plum.

Author's note:

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