Chapter 231 - Hurrying On The Journey
Chapter 231: Hurrying On The Journey
Not long after leaving Ning Garden1, she saw Nanny Jiang approach with two servants. Nanny Jiang stepped forward and said with a smile, “Old Mistress told me to send you off. She also said that you have to take care on the journey! When you arrive there, don’t forget to write a letter back!”
Sang Wan hurriedly answered. She urged Nanny Jiang to serve Wang Shi well as she could not fulfill her duty as a daughter-in-law and stay with her mother-in-law. After that, they left on the journey.
As the carriage wheels rumbled, the horse carriage soon disappeared from the sight of Nanny Li and the rest. In the horse carriage which shook slightly, Sang Wan looked gloomy as she sighed silently to herself.
After being on the road for seven days, the horse carriage finally entered the tall city walls of Handan City.
“Young Mistress, we’re here. We’re finally here!” Zhan Huan, who was riding on a horse beside the carriage, shouted in delight.
Sang Wan’s heart thumped and she grew flustered.
“Young Mistress!” Liu Ya was also very nervous and could not help but hold onto her arm tightly.
The horse carriage stopped in the backyard of Yu Fu Inn before everyone got down. After helping Sang Wan down, Zhan Huan called a servant from the inn over and instructed him to quickly report to Zhu Courtyard’s Head Servant Zhang that the Young Mistress had arrived. He also instructed the rest of the servants to help move the luggage into Zhu Courtyard. It was the courtyard booked by Shi Fengju and the rest.
“Young Mistress, Young Master is resting in that courtyard! Please come this way!” Zhan Huan led the way.
Sang Wan wore a veil hat and nodded her head slightly. She took a few slow steps forward with the support of Liu Ya but almost fell to the ground as her legs turned soft.
“Young Mistress, are you alright!” Liu Ya was frightened and supported her with her strength. The two married women from Shi Zhong family and Wu Da family also hurriedly stepped forward to support her.
“I’m… alright!” Sang Wan steadied her breathing and kept the intense beating of her heart under control before continuing forward.
The closer she approached the courtyard, the faster her heart thumped. She could feel her temples on both sides of her head constantly thumping and her legs growing weaker as if she was going to fall onto the ground at any moment without being able to take a step further.
“Young Mistress! Young Mistress, you’re here!” When Sang Wan and the rest entered the gate of the Zhu Courtyard and she took off her hat, Head Servant Zhang quickly welcomed her. He wore an ochre-colored dark-patterned thin hemp-clothed long robe with a happy look on his slim bronze-colored face. He stepped forward and cupped his hands before bowing respectfully to Sang Wan, saying with a smile, “Young Mistress, do not worry. Young Master has already regained consciousness! However, the injuries on his leg and arm have yet to recover. He is now lying in bed! When he heard that you were coming, he instructed me to welcome you and let you know to not worry!”
“Is this true!” Everyone was in great spirits and even Zhan Huan opened his eyes wide with a face full of joy.
“Young Master has woken up! This is good news, this is good news!” Sang Wan did not know what to say at the moment but her smile unconsciously reached her eyes. She felt overly-excited, as though the blood in her was rushing towards her throat. The words she wanted to say were completely blocked and she could only smile.
“Yes. Two days after Zhan Huan left, Young Master woke up! Bodhisattva is really with him! Young Mistress, go in quickly! I’m sure he’s delighted to hear that you’ve come!” Head Servant Zhang chuckled and said with a smile.
Sang Wan’s face grew slightly hot and she hurriedly asked Head Servant Zhang, “Have you sent someone to report back so that Mother can be at ease?”
“I have sent someone there as quickly as possible the moment our Young Master woke up! I think that the messenger must’ve brushed past you on the road!” Head Servant Zhang explained.
Head Servant Zhang was feeling somewhat awkward when he said that. When Shi Fengju regained consciousness and heard that everyone was safe, he was relieved. However, he became furious when he heard that Zhan Huan had gone back to report and ask for a decision; he scolded Head Servant Zhang and the rest badly. He then immediately instructed a servant to head back to report to the household as quickly as possible.
None of these servants had a brain. When the news arrived at the household, how worried would his mother be? She would probably fall ill in that instant! Sang Wan and Nanny Li would also be worried.
“That’s good then!” Sang Wan nodded with a smile and her footsteps became quicker.
The main building of the Zhu Courtyard was a building with two floors and three rooms with a wing on both sides. Shi Fengju rested upstairs and Head Servant Zhang made his bed on the floor to take care of him. Qian He and the few male servants slept among the partition downstairs, leaving the wings of both sides vacant. Now with the female servants, they had to rearrange. Head Servant Zhang, Qian He, and the male servants naturally could no longer stay in the main building and had to move to the wings. Sang Wan was not worried about such trivial matters. Head Servant Zhang led her into the house and took her upstairs to visit Shi Fengju.
When Shi Fengju woke up, he heard that Zhan Huan had returned to the household and brought someone over. Although he was angry at the servants for being useless and insensible, he anticipated Sang Wan to be the one coming. Once he heard that it was indeed her today, he was ecstatic. The corners of his mouth raised slightly, revealing a shining smile. He hurriedly instructed Qian He and Qian Xiang to bring over his robe and help him wear it. They combed his hair, wiped his face, and dressed him up neatly to see the pampered wife that he missed.
Qian He and Qian Xiang had received many scoldings those past few days and nervously stayed with their angry Master the whole day as if they were going to lose their lives at any moment. At this moment, when they saw how happy their Master finally was, the two of them appeared to be happier as their hands and feet were swift as they helped him to prepare himself.
When Sang Wan stepped in, Shi Fengju had fixed himself up properly and was lying against the bed couch. He wore a silver-blue silk long robe embroidered with dark round patterns as he looked at Sang Wan with a slight smile.
When their eyes met, it was as if she had been sucked into his deep black pupils and she stared at him in a daze, causing her not to move as her legs felt heavy. Her red lips trembled slightly as if she wanted to say something but eventually did not. She bit onto her lips and her tears uncontrollably fell.
“Sang Wan! Come, come here!” Shi Fengju sighed softly and extended his arms towards her with a smile.
“Fengju!” Sang Wan sobbed as she called out his name and rushed into his embrace before she started crying bitterly without a sound. Her delicate shoulders trembled slightly.
“Sang Wan, Sang Wan.” Shi Fengju tightly embraced her and lowered his head to kiss her beautiful hair. He gently caressed her with tender affection and put his chin on her head as he said softly, “Foolish Sang Wan, am I not fine now? Don’t cry anymore. Don’t cry!”
Despite him coaxing her in a low and gentle voice, she did not know why she had so many tears. He was already fine so she should be smiling. However, her tears flowed down her face continuously.
Since pacifying was useless, he finally gave up with a bitter smile. He only embraced her and lightly patted her back to show his comfort and allowed her to cry as much as she wanted.
After some time, Sang Wan gradually stopped crying and her body grew slightly stiff. She hurriedly broke free of his embrace and turned her head around.
When Shi Fengju saw that she was a bit nervous and shy, he chuckled and pulled her head back to face him before he made her sit beside him. He then said with a smile, “Don’t worry. Everyone left when you came in. Nobody saw how you cried!”
“You…” He had guessed her thoughts. She took another glimpse of the front of his robe. The blue material had turned dark blue from her tears. Since it was all because of her, she felt embarrassed and quickly asked, “Are your injuries serious? Does it still hurt?”
Shi Fengju held onto her hands, unwilling to let it go, and replied with a smile, ‘It doesn’t hurt anymore. The injury on my arm is light and formed a scab. My lower left leg suffered a slight fracture but the physician set it back properly. I will recover completely after ten to twenty days. Don’t worry.”
“You fractured your leg!” Sang Wan jumped from the fright and hurriedly lifted the blanket. As expected, she saw his lower leg pressed between a plank and wrapped in thick snow-white gauze. A pungent medicinal smell assaulted her nose.
She grew tense and carefully put the light and soft blanket back again. She said with a frown, “That Zhan Huan has become dishonest. He said that you had recovered from your superficial injuries. Who knew…”
“That fellow ought to be beaten,” Shi Fengju continued with a smile, “However, he was quick-witted in this. In any case, a bone fracture is also a superficial injury. I’ll be fine after recuperating. Why say it and make everyone more worried? I hate that this was reported back, which frightened everyone at home. Mother must have received quite a shock, right? I’m worried just at the thought of this!”
Sang Wan hurriedly assured, “Don’t worry! Didn’t Head Servant Zhang say that he had sent someone back to notify them as quickly as possible? I believe Mother will be fine once she hears that you’ve regained consciousness!”
Shi Fengju agreed and pulled her closer to him. He lifted his hands to cup her face and stroke her fair and tender cheek lightly. He rested his forehead on hers and said in a low voice with a smile, “Were you worried about me? Hmm?”
The two of them who had been separated for nearly two months were so intimate at this moment. His low voice echoed beside her face and the air he exhaled subsequently gushed onto her face. Sang Wan then started to blush and her heart thumped. She slightly moved her head back and softly replied, “You’re my husband. How can I not be worried?”
Shi Fengju seemed satisfied and chuckled. He seized the chance to pull her in his embrace and could not be any happier as he exclaimed with a smile, “After I woke up, I kept thinking of you and wished to see you. That Zhan Huan finally understood what I wanted and brought you here. Otherwise, I would definitely not spare him! Since you’re here now, let me recuperate and I’ll bring you to wander around. We’ll have fun on the way home, alright?”
Sang Wan was startled and could not help but think about them holding hands and gazing at the different sceneries. She was unconsciously fascinated and lightly nodded her head in agreement.
Shi Fengju also smiled and spoke with his head lowered, “You’ll have to take good care of me. I’ll recover as quickly as possible so that I can bring you out…”
Upon hearing him acting slightly coquettish and shameless, Sang Wan burst out laughing at him before telling him with her eyes raised in annoyance, “You don’t know how happy I am to see that you’re fine after you woke up. Taking care of you is my duty as your wife. How can I be taking care of you so that you can take me out?”
Shi Fengju was startled and started laughing loudly. “Yes, you’re right. I am muddle-headed! I should be punished.” With that, he held onto her hands and caressed them before striking a pose as her hand gently hit his face. Then, he suddenly pressed her hand against his cheek. He rubbed his cheek against her soft tiny hand and imitated an infant, “Sang Wan, I really missed you.” After that, he lowered his head and kissed her red lips, pulling her into a kiss.
Sang Wan snorted in a low voice before she closed her eyes and raised her head. She then remained softly in his embrace.
The two of them were intimate and spoke about every kind of trivial matter. Without them knowing, the sky soon darkened. They came to their senses when they heard a knock from outside and Liu Ya’s shouting. With one glance, the lighting in the room grew somewhat hazy.