Ten days later, at Yang Yan's request, Zhong Yufei brought Yang Yan and Yao Yueru to the suburbs for horseback riding.
Yang Yan came up with this idea because she saw Yao Yueru's face had lost its smile after she recovered from her illness. She was no longer as lively as before, just like a flower that was about to wither. For this reason, Yang Yan, who was extremely worried, decided to make Yao Yueru cheer up.
Yao Yueru didn't want to come at first. Right now, she was not in the mood to do anything. She could only embrace the pain under the shadow of Yang Yan's death. She didn't deserve happiness.
All she could think about was whether she should tell Yang Yan about the Mystic Mirror. She felt that it was better to tell Yang Yan, but once she thought about how afraid Yang Yan would be if she knew, she stopped. Now, she hoped that the old man was wrong. The horror of the Mystic Mirror was just a rumor and had nothing to do with the death of her family. Everything was a coincidence. In this way, Yang Yan, who was reflected by the Mystic Mirror, might not die within a year.
She was really in no mood to ride a horse, so when Zhong Yufei explained the secrets of riding a horse to her, she did not listen to a word. Her thoughts wandered until she was carried onto the saddle by Zhong Yufei.
"Wow!" The horse suddenly galloped forward a few steps, scaring her so much that she immediately cried out.
Zhong Yufei laughed loudly." Who taught you to be so absent-minded? Hold on tightly to the reins. Otherwise, I won't care if you fall and eat dog sh * t."”
"Don't laugh at her!" Yang Yan glared at Zhong Yufei, then rode her white horse to Yao Yueru's side.
"Yueru, don't be afraid. Hold the reins gently. Look at me shaking the reins like this. Do you think the horse has to walk?”
"Yes." Yao Yueru followed Yang Yan's instructions and temporarily controlled the horse. However, the scare just now really made her break out in cold sweat.
"Teach her slowly. I'll go elsewhere first.”Zhong Yufei was itching for a fight. He left the two of them behind and rode his horse to the other side.
"Let's go too!" Yang Yan asked Yao Yueru to follow her, and their horses moved forward one after the other.
After the two of them rode for a short distance, Yang Yan smiled and said to Yao Yueru,""You ride very well!"
"But I'm still very nervous." This was her first time riding a horse. She was really afraid that she would be thrown off by the horse if she was not careful.
"It's always like this the first time. It won't be the same after you ride it a few times.”Yang Yan walked alongside her. "Are you feeling better now?" she asked Yao Yueru.
"Yes." Yao Yueru tried her best to smile at Yang Yan, but she couldn't.
"Do you still mind that you had a nightmare of my death?”
" I…" Yao Yueru tried her best to hold back her urge to cry."Sister Yan, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I was..."
"I'm not blaming you, silly Yueru.”Yang Yan gave her a gentle smile. "It was just a dream, wasn't it? In fact, there will be death in life, and everyone will die. It's just that we don't know when we will die. Maybe it will be tomorrow, or maybe it will be ten years or fifty years later. I don't mind your dreams, so don't mind it, okay?”
How could I not care? Yao Yueru looked at Yang Yan who didn't know anything and kept her mouth shut.
"Yueru, who do you think will die first?”Yang Yan thought that Yao Yueru was still bothered by this matter, so she deliberately expressed that it was not a taboo to talk about this with Yao Yueru so that Yao Yueru would feel relieved.
Yao Yueru's body trembled, and tears almost fell from her eyes. "Sister Yan, you won't die!"
"No, we will all die, so if I die first one day, it's not impossible.”Yang Yan went deeper and deeper into the story. She said things that she would not normally think about.
"Sister Yan…"
"If I leave first." As Yang Yan spoke, she couldn't help but feel sad. Her eyes reddened as she looked at Yao Yueru, who was on the verge of tears. "I think I'll miss you very much. Other than you, there's also Cousin. Yue Ru, can you promise me one thing?”
"Ah?"
"You have to get along well with cousin." Yang Yan looked at her and said. "You and cousin are the two most important people to me. If I really leave, you have to take good care of cousin and let cousin take good care of you, okay?”
" This…" Yao Yueru didn't know what to do. She didn't expect Yang Yan to say these words to her. Besides, only she knew that Yang Yan's words might become her last words.
"Will you promise me? Yueru." Yang Yan's eyes were filled with anticipation.
" I…" Under her gaze, Yao Yueru could only reply,""I promise you, but you have to promise me that you won't leave me and Big Brother Zhong, okay? Sister Yan." She grabbed Yang Yan's hand tightly.
Yang Yan smiled. "I promise you. You don't have to be so agitated. Look at you, you're hurting my hand.”
"Ah, sorry!"
Yao Yueru had just let go of Yang Yan's hand when she heard the sound of horse hooves. It turned out that Zhong Yufei was riding a fast horse and charging straight at them.
Seeing Zhong Yufei, Yao Yueru, who was still immersed in the sadness of losing Yang Yan, was shocked. She subconsciously tightened her grip on the reins, and the horse began to run wildly.
"Yue Ru!" Yang Yan watched in shock as Yao Yueru's horse galloped forward.
" Sister Yan!" Yao Yueru, who was staggering on the horse, didn't know what to do. She could only desperately call out to Yang Yan.
" Yan 'er, stay here," Zhong Yufei said decisively." I'll go save Yueru."”
Zhong Yufei rode his horse and chased after Yao Yueru. He shouted at her,""Yueru, don't be afraid. Hold on to the reins. Big Brother Zhong is here to save you.”
" Big Brother Zhong-" Yao Yueru turned around and saw Zhong Yufei chasing after her.
At this moment, the horse she was riding suddenly stopped, and she felt herself flying out.
Zhong Yufei arrived in front of her and quickly jumped off the horse. At the critical moment, he rushed forward and opened his arms to catch her. Yao Yueru's falling body landed steadily in Zhong Yufei's arms. As soon as her feet landed, Zhong Yufei's anxious voice came from behind.
"Yueru, are you alright?"
"I…I'm fine." Yao Yueru felt as if she was in a dream. The shock she had received and the fact that she was hugged by Zhong Yufei made her feel at a loss.
"It's good that you're fine." Yao Yueru's trembling body made Zhong Yufei forget that men and women shouldn't touch each other. He hugged her tightly in his arms and caressed her hair.
"I don't think I can let you ride a horse for the time being. Otherwise, if something happens to you every time, even ten of me won't be enough to scare you!”Zhong Yufei said with a smile.
"Big Brother Zhong." Yao Yueru looked at him deeply, greedily enjoying the warmth of his body.
I'm sorry, Sister Yan. I'll only let him hug me. Just for a moment. Let me feel his body temperature. Just for a moment.
At this time, Yang Yan was a distance away from them and could not see their situation clearly. When she wanted to ride over to see them, her white horse suddenly did not listen to her. It first let out a high-pitched mournful cry and then jumped crazily on the spot.
This sudden situation caught Yang Yan off guard. Before she could react, she was thrown high into the air by the crazy horse and fell heavily from the sky like a kite with a broken string.
"Ah!" She only called out once, and then there was no sound.
When Zhong Yufei realized that Yang Yan had fallen off the horse, it was already too late. He immediately put Yao Yueru down and rushed back to Yang Yan's side as fast as he could.
"Yan 'er!" He picked Yang Yan up and shook her body crazily.
Yao Yueru, who had been left behind, dragged her unconscious body slowly toward them. Her eyes were unfocused, and she staggered as she walked, as if she would fall down at any moment.
All of this did not feel real to her. She watched Zhong Yufei hug Yang Yan and shout her name over and over again. She looked at Yang Yan again. There was no expression on her beautiful face. She knew that she had fallen asleep and could not hear Zhong Yufei's voice.
"Yan 'er..."
As Zhong Yufei screamed, Yao Yueru knelt down weakly. She lost consciousness in the darkness.
Spring passed and autumn came. The four seasons took turns. Three years passed slowly.
Three years had passed, and Yao Yueru was already eighteen years old. She was still living in the Zhong Residence.
Since Yang Yan's death, there should be no reason for her to stay in the Zhong Residence. For everyone in the Zhong Residence, Yang Yan's death was related to Yao Yueru.
Mrs. Zhong thought so. In her opinion, if Yang Yan hadn't taken Yao Yueru in back then, she wouldn't have fallen off the horse and died. She blamed Yao Yueru for Yang Yan's death and believed that she was a jinx who brought bad luck to Yang Yan.
Mrs. Zhong didn't want to see Yao Yueru at all. Initially, Mrs. Zhong wanted to kick her out, but she remembered that Yang Yan treated Yao Yueru like her own sister when she was alive. If she really kicked her out, Yang Yan would be very sad if she knew about it!
It was because of Mrs. Zhong's kindness that Yao Yueru could continue to stay in the Zhong Residence.
She did stay, but her days were not good. Mrs. Zhong treated her as a subordinate and assigned her a lot of work every day. She often had to get up in the dark and work until the sun went down before she could take a breather. Sometimes, she had work at night, and she had to drag her exhausted body to bed in the middle of the night.
Because of Mrs. Zhong's unforgiving attitude towards her, the servants did not treat her well either. Everyone was influenced by Mrs. Zhong and thought that she was the one who indirectly caused Yang Yan's death. Not only did they not treat her well, but some people even deliberately bullied her and humiliated her with words.
It was the same for Yang Yan's maid, Pei 'er. Ever since Yang Yan died, Pei' er had never taken the initiative to talk to her. In the past three years, Pei 'er had never looked at her. In her heart, Yao Yue was like a stranger, a stranger that she would never pay attention to.
Yao Yueru had never felt that everyone's condemnation of her was wrong. On the contrary, she felt that she deserved it because Yang Yan had indeed died because of her.
If she hadn't promised Yang Yan to go horseback riding with them that day, if something hadn't happened to her that day and Zhong Yufei hadn't been by Yang Yan's side, then Yang Yan's horse wouldn't have suddenly gone crazy and thrown the defenseless Yang Yan.
What happened that day was still Yao Yueru's nightmare. She often dreamed that Yang Yan was thrown out by the horse and that Yang Yan died in front of her. It had been three years, but she still couldn't walk out of this nightmare. She always felt that she was the one who killed Yang Yan.
If she could do it all over again, she would definitely tell Yang Yan about the Mystic Mirror. Then, Yang Yan would be more careful about her own safety. Maybe…maybe Yang Yan wouldn't have died! After all, it was an unverified legend that the Mystic Mirror Association could predict people's death. Perhaps there would be exceptions. There would always be exceptions, right?
But it was too late! Before she could tell Yang Yan, Yang Yan ended her life. The first was Xuan Jing, and the second was Yang Yan falling off her horse. These two blows made her see herself as a sinner, a sinner that even she herself could not forgive.
After Yang Yan's death, she wanted to leave this sad place. For the good of everyone in the Zhong Residence, she should leave.
However, someone asked her to stay. This person was Zhong Yufei, whom Yang Yan had asked her to take care of before she died.
Because of Yang Yan's death, Yao Yueru didn't know how to face Zhong Yufei. Ever since Yang Yan's death, Zhong Yufei had been like everyone else in the family, ignoring Yao Yueru. Because Yao Yueru often hid in her room and didn't dare to come out, the two of them never met again.
A month after Yang Yan's death, Zhong Yufei left home without the consent of the Zhong couple.
No one knew where he had gone. It was said that he had only left a letter for the Zhong couple. The letter only said that he wanted to leave Chang 'an for a while and that he would come back when he calmed down.
Zhong Yufei had been gone for three years. He had returned to the Zhong Residence without telling anyone. At that time, Yao Yueru was busy in the kitchen.
"What's going on today? Why did you prepare so many dishes? Everyone was extremely busy. Was there a distinguished guest who came to the Zhong Manor?”
"Eh, you don't know? It's our Eldest Young Master, who has been missing for three years, the return of the tired bird.”
"What is it? Young Master is back? This is a joyous occasion. Master and Madam must be so happy!”
"Of course! A good son wandered outside for three years as if he had been abandoned. It was three years. Eldest Young Master went overboard this time. However, I saw that Master and Madam were so happy. They definitely couldn't bear to scold their son. They were afraid that they would scold him away again.”
"Do you mean you saw the eldest young master?”
"I saw it! Young Master is even more handsome than he was three years ago. Unfortunately…"
"What's a pity?"
"It's a pity that you've lost a little weight and looked a little haggard. Back then, Eldest Young Master's eyes were so lively, black and bright. I looked at him carefully for a while. His eyes were a little lifeless now. I don't know how to describe it. He just looked a little tired.”
"Poor young master. He must have suffered a lot outside.”
"Isn't that so? Did he forget about Biao Young Lady? It would be bad if she hadn't forgotten. Madam was waiting for her grandson!”
"That's right! Alright, stop talking. I can't finish my work.”
When Yao Yueru learned that Zhong Yufei had returned to the Zhong Residence, she immediately became very excited. She broke a few plates and was scolded very badly.
Zhong Yufei's return made her heart, which had been silent for three years, come back to life. She wanted to rush to him immediately to see if he was okay. However, this small wish of hers had not been realized until Zhong Yufei returned to the Zhong residence for a month.
She was a servant, so it was naturally not good for her to take the initiative to look for Zhong Yufei. If Zhong Yufei did not take the initiative to look for her, it would be very difficult for them to meet.
Although she was disappointed that Zhong Yufei did not come to look for her, she was not surprised. It would be strange if he came to look for her. Why would he want to see her? When he saw her, he would think of Yang Yan's death, right?
Since he didn't want to see her, then forget it. As long as he was happy, she would always avoid him and not let him see her.
If she hadn't heard about Zhong Yufei, she wouldn't have changed her mind.
After Zhong Yufei returned, she heard some things about him.
She heard that Zhong Yufei's temperament had changed drastically. He was no longer the gentle and polite Zhong Yufei from three years ago. His temper had become moody and he would often get angry for no reason. In the past month, who knew how many maids and servants had been scolded by him, causing no one to dare to serve him by his side because no one could stand his current temper.
That was bad enough, but she had heard worse.
It was said that Zhong Yufei couldn't live without alcohol and sex. He went to the tavern every day to drink from morning to late at night. Almost every time, he had to be carried home because he often drank until he was drunk and unconscious.
If he didn't drink, he must be in a brothel. Zhong Yufei was now a well-known figure in many brothels in Chang 'an. Everyone knew that Young Master Zhong was handsome, generous, and lustful. Every prostitute liked to spend the night with him.
The Zhong couple, who had originally thought that they had lost and regained their son, did not expect that their hair would turn white, but they had hoped for a completely different son. Their disappointment was imaginable.
Mrs. Zhong was so angry that she fell ill. During her illness, Zhong Yufei still indulged in wine and sex every day. The Zhong couple could only close their doors and sigh about their misfortune.
Just as Mrs. Zhong was about to give up on Zhong Yufei, Yao Yueru came to her.
"Madam, please let me serve the Eldest Young Master.”Yao Yueru knelt down and begged Mrs. Zhong.
"What did you say?" Mrs. Zhong was angry when she saw her, and now that she heard her say these words, her anger surged.
"It's not enough that you killed my most beloved Yan 'er. Now, you actually have designs on my son? Get out of here, I don't want to see you, get lost!”
"Furen, please calm down." Yao Yueru lay on the ground and looked at the panting Mrs. Zhong with tears in her eyes. She begged,"I can understand that Madam blames me for Sister Yan's death. I also think that I deserve it, but please believe that I have no intention of harming Young Master. I know that no one is willing to take care of Eldest Young Master now. I'm willing to take care of him. I'll help him clean his room and serve him. Other than work, I won't say another word to Young Master. I'll leave after I'm done. I won't let Young Master see me.”
Mrs. Zhong glared at Yao Yueru but didn't say anything. She wanted to reject her outright, but…
Yao Yueru was right. The servants in the Zhong Residence would rather leave than suffer Yu Fei's anger. She originally wanted to buy a few more maids, but now that she thought about it, it might not be necessary.
In fact, she also knew that Yang Yan's death couldn't be blamed on Yao Yueru. She wasn't a superstitious person. She would think that Yao Yueru killed Yang Yan and deliberately blamed her for it. This way, she could use her anger towards Yao Yueru to forget the sadness of losing Yang Yan.
It had been so many years since the incident, and she no longer hated Yao Yueru to the bone. Besides, Yao Yueru had been working hard in the residence for the past few years and never complained. Even if she was really guilty, she had done enough.
"Are you really willing to serve Eldest Young Master?”Mrs. Zhong, who no longer had any anger on her face, asked calmly.
"Madam, Yue Ru is sincere.”She said sincerely.
Mrs. Zhong nodded and believed her. "Then you can try! However, let me say this first. If I find anything wrong, I will make you leave Yu Fei immediately. Do you understand?”
Yao Yueru was so happy that she nodded her head hurriedly. "Yes, Furen, this servant heard it clearly.”
Two hours later, Pei 'er found Yao Yueru picking flowers in the back garden.
"Sister Pei 'er." Pei 'er's appearance made Yao Yueru overjoyed. It seemed like she had appeared in front of her in her previous life.
"I heard that you went to beg Madam to serve Eldest Young Master. Is this true?”Pei 'er asked.
"It's true, Sister Pei 'er."
"Why?" Pei 'er said anxiously," You clearly know that Eldest Young Master still can't forget Miss. Eldest Young Master must have a knot in his heart about you. Why do you still want to provoke him?"”
"Sister Pei 'er, I'm not trying to provoke the eldest young master. I'm just trying to take care of him!”
"Aren't you afraid that First Young Master will do something harmful to you?”
Yao Yueru lowered her long eyelashes and said in a low voice,""It's only natural that Eldest Young Master doesn't forgive me. I'm not begging for his forgiveness, nor am I afraid of what he will do to me. I'm only asking to serve Eldest Young Master because of Sister Yan.”
"For Miss?"
"Yes." Yao Yueru looked deeply at Pei 'er and said gently,""I never had the chance to tell you. That day, Sister Yan suddenly told me that if she left first, she wanted me to promise her that I would take good care of Eldest Young Master. I agreed, but Eldest Young Master ran away from home after that. I never had the chance to fulfill my promise to Sister Yan. Now that Eldest Young Master has returned to the residence, I went to beg Madam.”
" Miss, she…" Pei 'er's face was full of sorrow when she thought of Miss.
"Sister Pei 'er, don't worry! I will do my part and take good care of the young master. I will also be careful not to have any conflicts between us. Don't worry about me.”
Pei 'er's face twitched slightly. She glanced at Yao Yueru and said in a nonchalant tone,""Who's worried about you? I'm just curious. Don't think too much.”
"Sister Pei 'er…"
"I still have work to do!" Pei 'er seemed to be avoiding Yao Yueru's gaze and left hurriedly after she finished speaking.
Yao Yueru had a smile on her face. She could feel that Pei 'er still cared about her, but she just refused to admit it. "Thank you, Sister Pei 'er." she said softly.
Late at night, Zhong Yufei asked the waiter of the tavern to carry him back to the Zhong residence as usual.
The servants of the Zhong Residence were already used to it. Without alerting the Zhong couple, Zhong Yufei was carried back to his room.
Yao Yueru had been waiting in Zhong Yufei's bedroom for a long time.
The servants left after placing Zhong Yufei on the bed.
Yao Yueru took off Zhong Yufei's coat with great effort. Then, she wiped Zhong Yufei's face, neck, hands, and feet clean with a clean wet towel.
She had thought that the drunk Zhong Yufei would make a scene, but it seemed that she had worried too much. At this moment, Zhong Yufei was sleeping soundly. He was lying quietly on the bed, not talking or moving.
Yao Yueru took the dirty water out and brought in a basin of clean water.
Then, with nothing to do, she carefully leaned against the bed and looked at this face that she had not seen for a long time.
The aunties in the kitchen were right. He looked more handsome and mature.
However, the aunties were right. He looked very tired. Perhaps this fatigue did not come from his body, but from his heart.
She really wanted to see what he looked like when he opened his eyes. Was it like what the auntie said, that he had become lifeless, or was it still that pair of bright and beautiful eyes in her memory? As she watched, tears began to fall unconsciously.
Those were tears of joy. She was too happy. She never thought that she would be able to see him again. She had thought that she would never see this person again!
However, these were also tears of sorrow because she finally knew that she could not forget this person.
Ever since she met him, her love for him had never stopped. Deep in her heart, she had always kept a place for him. She secretly liked him there and silently missed him.
The feelings that she had been trying so hard to hide were gushing out like a flood at this moment. She could no longer lie to herself. She missed him so much and loved him. No matter how he felt about her, her feelings for him could not be changed.
She reached out her trembling hand to touch his sleeping face, and the tears at the corner of her eyes fell uncontrollably.
She stopped and ran to the window. Looking at the bright orange moon outside, she muttered guiltily in her heart,"
Sister Yan, I'm sorry. I still betrayed you. I like him so much. I really like him so much. What should I do? Sister Yan, can you teach me? Please save me!
A rustling sound could be heard outside the window, as if the wind was sighing.#
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。