Chapter 39 (1/2)
All her Mother did when they first arrived at Xuan Ling Nunnery was cry and weep endlessly, thinking about how unfortunate her life was, as she wallowed in self-pity. Every day, she would hope for her husband to have a change of heart and come to take her home. She didn’t care about her young daughter at all.
Every day, Mother would simply shut herself in the house and cry. She was totally ignorant of whether her young daughter ate or not, or whether she had clothes to keep her warm or not.
One day, the cold and hungry young daughter was crying, hiding in a corner, and it was there where she met someone.
Someone she’d since kept close to her heart and would never forget her entire life…
Suddenly, a somewhat hesitant voice interrupted Ji Liruo’s thoughts. “Miss… Ji?”
Ji Liruo had been in the middle of taking a trip down memory lane, so the untimely interruption made her eyes flash with hostility. She paused for a moment before turning around to look at the person who’d called out to her. It was the Young Marquis, Xiao Anning.
This blind man!
Before turning around to face him, Ji Liruo forced a peaceful expression on her face and gently asked, “Young Marquis, why are you here?”
“Your mother sent me here to look for you. Your maids told me you were here,” Xiao Anning replied. He felt a complicated mix of emotions inside as he said, “This place…”
Ji Liruo didn’t wait for Xiao Anning to finish what he wanted to say and coldly cut him off. “All right. Let’s go back first. It’s too windy here. It won’t be good if Young Marquis catches a cold.” You, blind man, really shouldn’t taint this place by being here.
Xiao Anning fell silent as he swallowed the words at the top of his tongue.
“Right, Young Marquis. I took it upon myself to get my maid to go and report to you the Princess’s injury. I hope you, Young Marquis, won’t blame me for doing so.” Ji Liruo’s voice was gentle and carried a hint of self-reproach.
“Ah, no, I won’t.” Xiao Anning was obviously a little distracted, as he’d given her a tardy reply.
Seeing how Xiao Anning’s reply was somewhat perfunctory, Ji Liruo’s sounded a little aggrieved as she asked, “Is Young Marquis still very bothered about my overstepping my place and meddling with things beyond me?”
“Ah? No, I’m not.” Xiao Anning denied it, but the emotions he was feeling were becoming more and more complicated.
“Then we should head back, Young Marquis.” Hearing what Xiao Anning said, her mind was finally put at ease. Feeling somewhat happy, she suggested, “At this time of day, the abbess should be serving Mother and the princess with plum blossom tea about now. I was lucky enough to be able to attend the tea ceremony hosted by the abbess once. Today, Young Marquis can try it too.”