noffsinger Chapter 416 Old friends meet
Chapter 416 Old friends meet
In the northern border, on the official road from Yizhou to Chui Mine, an inconspicuous flat-topped horse-drawn carriage with a green canopy was moving slowly.
The carriage was driven by two young women, and a little further behind it were two lightly dressed men in black riding horses, apparently protecting the carriage in front.
Of the two women, the one wearing a purple fur cloak held the reins in her hands, her beautiful eyes looking straight ahead, indifferent yet sharp, making her look even more heroic in the biting cold wind.
The other one wore a turquoise cape, had a childish face, and the tip of his nose was red from the cold, but he didn't complain at all.
These two people are Qiuniang and Ruyi, the maid in Luo's house.
"Ruyi, you should go inside the carriage. You don't have to stay outside with me in the cold wind. It would be bad if you catch a cold."
Ruyi shook her head upon hearing this, refusing to move, "How can my cousin be freezing outside while the maid is sitting in the carriage?"
This was the third time that Qiu Niang had tried to get Ruyi into the carriage but was refused. She could only shake her head helplessly, secretly sighing that Ruyi had inherited her parents' temperament - stubborn, and would always follow what she had decided on.
Xiao Ran bought their whole family and treated them with great care. Uncle Xiang's family was completely devoted to Xiao Ran. They loved her and respected her, their cousin, very much.
A wave of chill came over her and Ruyi could not help but sneeze. She looked at Qiu Niang awkwardly, but when she saw that she didn't look at her and let her go back into the carriage, she couldn't help but feel relieved.
Without the young lady, who knows who would buy them. But she knows one thing very well: whoever buys them will not treat them as well as the young lady does.
Now that the young lady is away, their family has to take good care of the cousin and Master Chener, so that the young lady doesn't have to worry about family matters while she is outside.
Thinking of Young Master Chen'er, a trace of solemnity flashed across Ruyi's tender little face. She inevitably recalled those dark days. Her heart was a mess, with sadness and surprise intertwined, and she couldn't make sense of it for a long time.
She remembered it very clearly. First, on the day when the village chief married his daughter, the two young masters of the family disappeared for no reason. The young lady went out to look for them, but only brought back young master Niu Dan. She also told them that young master Chen'er was not the young lady's biological brother and had been taken away by his relatives.
Later... Ruyi's nose suddenly felt sore, her eyes felt slightly hot, and her heart felt like it was blocked by something.
Later, Master Niu Dan suffered an acute illness at night and could not be saved!
When the cousin heard the bad news, she fainted, and the Luo family was in chaos again. After the cousin dealt with everything, she left a few days later without leaving any date for her return.
A gust of cold wind suddenly blew into Ruyi's neck. She couldn't help but shiver twice. She subconsciously crossed her hands under her cloak and hugged herself in front of her chest, as if this action could ease the panic in her heart.
After Luo Xiaoran left, this sense of panic was like weeds growing out of the ground and never disappeared from Ruyi's heart.
Because Luo Xiaoran has become the source of Ruyi's sense of security. In Ruyi's heart, Luo Xiaoran is salvation, a safe haven, and... a relative!
Qiu Niang caught a glimpse of Ruyi's little movements from the corner of her eye, and her long eyelashes flickered slightly. Ever since Xiaoran left, the hearts of these people have been hanging in the air and have never fallen.
After that bloody night, she pushed open the bedroom door and stood quietly in the courtyard that had been washed clean, with countless thoughts flashing through her mind.
She stood for a long time but didn't feel tired at all. She just felt a huge emptiness in her heart and she had no strength in her body.
Just as she was about to go back to the house, sleep in her clothes and keep her eyes open until dawn, a man in black clothes climbed over the wall into the yard and came straight towards her.
She looked at the man without fear and asked:
"Are you here to kill me? Or are you here to save me?"
The man avoided the question and just asked her if she was willing to move to Yizhou and live with Chen'er for safety reasons.
She understood immediately that this person must be the one who had fought with the killer and saved her and Uncle Xiang's family.
The only person who could predict that everyone in Luo’s house was in danger and make arrangements in advance could only be Xiao Ran.
She couldn't wait to ask, "Did Xiaoran ask you to come?"
But the man didn't say another word, just repeated the previous question, as if he would not give up until he got her answer.
She nodded without much thought. Since Xiaoran had a backup plan, it meant that in her heart Luo's house was no longer a safe place. If she and Uncle Xiang's family left here, Xiaoran would have to worry less about them.
Most importantly, before Xiao Ran left, she had already anticipated the scene of their leaving Luo's house and left behind arrangements.
So before leaving with the man in black, she handed over the farmland, orchard and chicken flocks to Hexi Village according to Xiaoran's arrangement. The village chief was in charge of all matters, and the annual income was divided into three parts.
One portion was used for the Chaoyang private school, not for the children to be able to study and become officials, but for the hope that one less person would be illiterate.
One copy is used for Yikan Medical Clinic, in the hope that those who are short of money can also seek medical treatment and fight for a chance of survival.
The last portion is used to subsidize the widows, orphans, single people, and the disabled in the village, to buy food when they are hungry and clothes when they are cold. Help as many people as possible.
After everything was arranged, she and Uncle Xiang's family were taken to a mountain villa, which was hidden deep in the mountains and rarely visited by people.
There, she met Chen'er, whom she hadn't seen for several months. Just one glance made her feel that something was different about Chen'er.
Chen'er was dressed in white, with a solemn face, standing quietly at the entrance of the villa. His small body cast a long shadow on the ground, as if... he had grown into an adult overnight.
"Cousin," Ruyi's voice interrupted Qiuniang's recollection, "Mr. Yun suddenly asked you to go to the mine, saying that you can meet an old friend. I wonder who you want to meet?"