No Longer Escaping (ABO) - Chapter 2

The group finally arrived at Wan Niang’s home. Once inside her small courtyard, they placed the soaking wet Yang Lulong onto the bed in her room.

“Thank you, everyone. I can take it from here,” Wan Niang said, thanking the others.

“She’s completely drenched. How about I help her change her clothes?” the woman who came along with them offered.

“I can do it myself. You still have to help Sister Zhang, so I won’t bother you.”

“Even though she’s a woman, she’s still a Qian Yuan…” the man said helplessly, but he was interrupted by Wan Niang.

“It’s okay, Brother Zhang. She’s unconscious and won’t be waking up anytime soon. Besides, I was the one who treated your wound last time, wasn’t I?”

“My wound was only on my shoulder, and I’m a Zhong Yong. This is a Qian Yuan,” Brother Zhang insisted, frustrated.

“Oh, right, Brother Zhang, aren’t you supposed to be delivering your goods soon?” the woman next to him reminded him.

“Ah! You’re right.” Brother Zhang only remembered then that he had left his firewood on the road earlier. He’d better hurry back to get it before someone else took it. The thought made him quickly say goodbye to Wan Niang and rush off to retrieve the firewood he had spent all morning chopping. The axe he had just bought was also in the pile.

“Are you sure you don’t need my help? I can just explain it to Sister Zhang later. It won’t take long.”

“It’s fine. It’s already enough that you helped me bring her here.”

“Well… if you say so… I’ll get going, then. I’ll come see you when I’m done with my errands.”

“Thank you both,” Wan Niang said her goodbyes and went back into the room, sitting on the edge of the bed.

She looked down at the unconscious Yang Lulong. Her face was delicate, but thin and pale, and her brow was furrowed. Wan Niang then eyed her stature, figuring that the clothes would fit since Yang Lulong was only a few inches taller than her. She got up to get a change of clothes.

Still pretending to be unconscious, Yang Lulong had a bad feeling. Her heart pounded as a cool sensation spread across her chest—her clothes were being removed. She instantly tensed up. This was the first time she had been seen naked by another person, and she was so mortified and scared that she held her breath, not daring to move.

Wan Niang, however, felt no embarrassment as she took a cloth, wiped the water from Yang Lulong’s body, and changed her into dry clothes. To her, she was simply saving a person. She then dried her hair, changed the bedding, and covered her with a blanket, all in an orderly manner.

Yang Lulong, who had been filled with shame and fear, now felt a strange wave of sadness. She hadn’t been cared for so gently in a very long time. She knew she had to thank this woman properly.

As she was thinking about how to thank Wan Niang, a warm hand rested on her forehead, and she was met with that comforting scent of jasmine again. Yang Lulong had never realized before that the scent of jasmine could make a person feel so calm and warm.

The jasmine scent gradually faded, and Yang Lulong opened her eyes, seeing only a flash of white as Wan Niang walked away.

She reached up to touch her forehead, wanting to savor that warmth again, but the feeling wouldn’t return, which left her a little disappointed. She lowered her hand and began to look around.

She had thought she was on a hospital bed, but it was a wooden bed with curtains. The room didn’t look like a clinic at all; it was like an old, rural house with simple furnishings. She looked up and saw there wasn’t even an electric light. It had no connection to modern life whatsoever.

Seeing that her clothes had been changed, she realized her phone was probably ruined after being in the water for so long.

“Ugh…” So many problems. Just thinking about them gave her a headache.

“You’re awake,” a voice interrupted her.

Yang Lulong quickly turned her head. What she saw was a woman in ancient clothes. Her ink-black hair reached her lower back. Her face, free of makeup, was delicate, and the slight droop in her eyes gave her a gentle look. A warm smile was on her lips, making the viewer feel comforted. She was holding a porcelain bowl.

Yang Lulong’s mouth hung open, unable to speak. The woman’s clothing and the room’s decor made a very unlikely thought pop into her head.

Could she have… time-traveled?