Entangled Love GL - Chapter 4
The season was exactly spring, and everywhere the mountains were bright and the hundred flowers were fresh and beautiful. The continuous little path was hidden among the mixed flowers and wild grass, leading people around a hill and then around a clearing.
Yang Mei walked with extreme cheerfulness all the way, a smile always on her face, constantly engaging Duan Min and Ping Ping in conversation.
Ping Ping clearly had no favorable impression of her; every reply was laced with deep vigilance, or else she would angrily ignore her. Duan Min, however, would always reply with a sentence or two, and whenever Ping Ping threw a tantrum, Duan Min would look at the two of them and smile, but would not intervene.
They reached a fork in the road at midday. Yang Mei was still smiling warmly, but Ping Ping was now resentful of even Duan Min. She glared at Duan Min, her tone strong: “Go this way [right side].”
Duan Min did not comply: “Forget it, don’t fuss. The left path is easier to walk.”
Ping Ping gritted her teeth: “You never listen to advice! If the left path is easy to walk, you take her and go alone!”
Duan Min did not back down. She turned to Yang Mei: “You follow me. Don’t mind her.”
Ping Ping was genuinely angry now. She snapped: “Don’t mind me then! I won’t mind you either!” With that, she turned her head and walked away.
Duan Min stopped at the intersection and watched her walk further and further away, showing no intention of chasing her.
Yang Mei finally restrained her smile and asked, “Is it okay to let her leave like that?”
Duan Min smiled: “It’s not okay, but I think this is the best way.”
“Why?”
Duan Min glanced at her: “We’ll talk on the road. This path is longer, and I don’t want to be too late.”
The left path was indeed easy to walk, smooth and without any dangers. However, after walking for quite a while, Duan Min still did not explain anything.
Yang Mei had long since returned to her smiling face and did not press for answers, only engaging in casual small talk.
Duan Min responded calmly, seemingly having forgotten what just happened, until about half an hour later when she suddenly said, “Ping Ping wanted to lure you into a trap. There is a very potent poison there; without an antidote, you would die quickly.”
Yang Mei paused, a cold light flashing in her eyes.
“You probably know why she is so wary of you,” Duan Min stopped and looked at her. “Even if you don’t know, you can only blame yourself for appearing at an inconvenient time.”
Yang Mei turned her gaze back to her and asked, “Why didn’t you listen to her advice?”
Duan Min lightly sighed: “Because I know the place we are going to is inherently a trap. My father was a Divine Doctor during his lifetime. Others say he was skilled at detoxification, but they don’t know he was even better at poisoning. He used poison for self-protection. If you come to his house—eating, drinking, walking, breathing—you can’t escape it.”
“Then what is your meaning?”
“My meaning is that I have the antidote for the poison at home. If, just in case, you did not intend to do anything strange, I don’t want to implicate the innocent,” Duan Min turned her face and looked at her calmly. “Furthermore, perhaps you do not absolutely have to go to that Guanyin Temple.”
Yang Mei looked at her with amusement: “That idea is not clever.”
Duan Min smiled: “Yes, it’s not clever, but that’s what I think. If you have a clever idea, you can share it.”
“Me? I don’t have any clever ideas either!” Yang Mei’s pair of dark, bright eyes looked straight into hers, and then her smile became bright and clear, “Interesting. It seems this time won’t be boring. That’s great!”
Duan Min did not share her sentiment, only saying: “In that case, let’s go.”
Yang Mei followed closely, her mouth stretched wide in a smile: “Min-Jie, you actually deliberately sent Ping Ping away, didn’t you? You think too much; I’m not scary at all.”
Duan Min smiled slightly: “I don’t like to think too much either. It’s better to get these days over with as soon as possible.”
A small, exquisite house was hidden deep within Dragon Elephant Mountain, marked by a bluestone path and gray brick courtyard walls. Ping Ping sat dejectedly on the stone steps outside the door. Seeing them arrive, she did not step forward to greet them, only staring at Duan Min with a pair of wronged eyes.
Duan Min walked closer, bent down, and smiled gently: “Why are you sitting here waiting for us? You should have gone in yourself.”
Ping Ping did not answer. She glanced at Yang Mei again, then finally stood up and pushed open the door.
Inside the door was a small courtyard and two wooden buildings.
The wooden buildings were built against the mountain, half wedged into the hillside. Both buildings had two stories, like an open folding fan, each on one side, enclosing the narrow courtyard.
There was a well in the courtyard, and a small lotus pond was built beside the well. The pond surface had a few small round lotus leaves scattered on it, and several red carp swam in the water. A girl in a blue cloth dress was lying prone by the pond, resting her cheeks on both hands, watching the fish swim in the water without moving.
Ping Ping first went to the girl’s side and nudged her shoulder to greet her: “Xiao Nian, do you still recognize me?”
The girl slowly craned her neck to look at her, and after a long while, asked: “Who are you?”
Ping Ping pouted: “I’m Ping Ping, I’ve been here many times.” She then pointed at Duan Min, “And her?”
The girl looked over as instructed. Her stagnant expression suddenly broke, and her smile became exceptionally radiant: “A’Min! A’Min!” Amidst the continuous calls, the girl scrambled up in a flurry, throwing herself into Duan Min’s arms, jumping up and down happily.
Duan Min was pushed back a few steps before stabilizing. She managed to hold her and gently comforted her: “Xiao Nian, I’m back.”
The girl eventually calmed down, separating herself slightly from Duan Min. She didn’t speak, only smiled.
Yang Mei was surprised. This girl’s eyes and mouth were extremely similar to Duan Min’s, but the feeling she gave off was completely different. Duan Min looked smart, calm, and difficult to approach, while this girl was the opposite—silly, easily excited, and unguarded toward strangers.
Ping Ping had already gone into the building. Yang Mei stood in the courtyard watching Duan Min.
Duan Min had completely changed her appearance, smiling softly, her voice tender: “Did Xiao Nian miss me?” “Has Xiao Nian been obedient?” “Did Xiao Nian help the Masters with tasks?” “What did Xiao Nian eat for lunch?”…
Yang Mei listened to her ask a series of random questions, and listened to the girl called Xiao Nian blink her eyes and answer very earnestly, seemingly endlessly… seemingly not in a hurry at all. Yang Mei walked closer to the two of them, watching them with a warm smile.
Duan Min pretended not to see her, only listening to Xiao Nian speak with a gentle smile.
Yang Mei carefully watched her expression and suddenly interjected: “You look unhappy?”
Duan Min couldn’t continue to ignore her. She showed a slight surprise, then frowned, and replied softly: “I am not unhappy.”
Yang Mei smiled. Before she could say anything else, Xiao Nian cut in and asked, “Who are you?” Xiao Nian had just noticed her. She tilted her head slightly to look at her, her eyes full of curiosity.
Yang Mei brightened her smile, offering enthusiastically: “My name is Xiao Mei. I came with your A’Min.”
Xiao Nian turned her head back to Duan Min: “A’Min, do you know her?”
Yang Mei also looked at Duan Min.
Duan Min only looked at Xiao Nian, answering without hesitation: “Yes, I brought her here. Now Xiao Nian knows her too!”
Xiao Nian was very happy to hear this, hugging Duan Min and laughing and laughing.
Duan Min did not intend to continue chatting. She gently patted Xiao Nian’s back to remind her: “We’ve been here for so long. Xiao Nian should take us to see Abbess Yuan Chang and the two Masters, right?”
“Okay! You follow me!” Xiao Nian nodded happily and turned to run into the building on one side.
Duan Min and Yang Mei followed behind, gradually putting some distance between them.
Yang Mei couldn’t help but ask: “Is she your younger sister?”
Duan Min didn’t answer. Instead, she asked, “Do I look very much like her?”
Yang Mei did not understand the meaning of her words and pondered before replying: “The appearance is somewhat similar.”
“Then do I look older than her?”
Yang Mei hurriedly smiled and explained: “That’s not it. It’s just that she acts more like a child. Is she actually your younger sister?”
Duan Min also smiled and said: “We do not have that kind of close relationship.”