No Longer Escaping (ABO) - Chapter 3
“Drink this medicine first, it wouldn’t be good to catch a cold,” Wan Niang said, offering the porcelain bowl to Yang Lulong.
Smelling the strong herbal scent, Yang Lulong unconsciously frowned. She had only drunk traditional Chinese medicine once or twice before, and it had always been incredibly bitter. She really didn’t want to drink it again. But considering it was specially prepared for her, she had no choice but to take the bowl, close her eyes, hold her breath, and gulp down the decoction in one go. It was still just as bitter.
Wan Niang looked at her crumpled face, recalling the expression of Aunt Zhang’s little second daughter when she drank medicine. She pursed her lips, smiling.
“Thank you,” Yang Lulong whispered, the bitterness in her throat truly unpleasant.
“What’s your name?” Wan Niang asked, her clear dark eyes gazing at Yang Lulong, her willow-like brows gently curved.
Yang Lulong dared not meet her gaze, avoiding her eyes, and said shyly, “Yang Lulong…”
“My name is Wan Yu, you can also call me Wan Niang.”
Her warmth made Yang Lulong feel pressured, so she politely said, “Thank you for saving me.”
“Saving people is a physician’s duty, no need to thank me.”
“……”
“……”
After that, silence fell between them. Wan Niang looked at Yang Lulong, seemingly expecting her to say something. But Yang Lulong didn’t know what to say next and dared not meet her gaze, only staring down at the pattern on the quilt. The atmosphere was very awkward.
“Do you remember… where you fell into the water?” Wan Niang broke the silence, asking.
Yang Lulong stared at the quilt, thinking about how to answer Wan Niang.
“…I… I forgot…” She looked up, directly meeting Wan Niang’s worried gaze, but only for an instant before quickly looking away.
“Then… do you remember where your home is?”
Home… perhaps she could never go back, or perhaps there was none to begin with…
Yang Lulong’s mind flashed with images of her father, stepmother, and younger brother, and her already blurred birth mother. She somewhat regretted not saying goodbye to them, nor sending her brother wedding blessings. She thought all this, but only shook her head, indicating she had forgotten that too.
Wan Niang looked at her bowed head and sad expression, feeling an inexplicable sense of pity. She gently stroked her head. She comforted her, “Just rest for now. You’ll remember eventually…”
“Wan Niang!” A shout suddenly came. It was Brother Zhang and the others returning.
Brother Zhang and Xiao Wen naturally entered the room.
“You’re awake,” Xiao Wen said, looking at Yang Lulong sitting on the bed.
“Awake at just the right time, you really got a good deal,” Brother Zhang grumbled, his voice so low that only Xiao Wen heard him. She nudged him with her elbow, signaling him to stop talking.
Wan Niang, seeing the two of them, quickly introduced them.
“This is Zhang Long, we all call him Brother Zhang.”
“This is Xiao Wen, who runs errands for the villagers and often helps me deliver medicine to everyone.”
“Hello,” Xiao Wen greeted Yang Lulong politely.
“……” Brother Zhang, however, was not so friendly, merely waving his hand casually.
“Thank you all…” Besides thanking them, Yang Lulong didn’t know what else to say.
“Her name is Yang Lulong,” Wan Niang added for her.
“So, can we call you Xiao Yang?” Xiao Wen, being lively, quickly gave Yang Lulong a nickname.
“You can…” The feeling of being watched made Yang Lulong very uncomfortable.
Seemingly sensing Yang Lulong’s discomfort, Wan Niang quickly said, “What about that thing Aunt Zhang said she wanted you to bring me?”
“It’s outside, you’ll never guess what it is,” Xiao Wen said, pulling Wan Niang by the arm and heading out.
Only Yang Lulong and Zhang Long remained in the room. Yang Lulong dared not look at him; she felt the strong hostility emanating from him.
“If you dare take advantage of Wan Niang, we won’t be polite,” he left her with a puzzling remark before following them out of the room.
“Little chicks?” Wan Niang held a basket filled with several small chicks.
“Aunt Zhang’s hen hatched them a while ago, and she said to give you a few to raise.”
“But I don’t know how…”
“You can feed them any wild grass, they’ll live. It’s just… cleaning up is a bit troublesome,” Xiao Wen scratched her head awkwardly. “Oh, by the way, where is this Xiao Yang from? Her clothes look pretty good, she must be from a wealthy family, right?”
“She doesn’t remember.”
“Tsk… she’s probably faking it,” Brother Zhang said disdainfully.
“Oh, come on!” Xiao Wen nudged him with her elbow again. “Sorry, Wan Niang, you know how he is about Qianyuan.”
“It’s fine. I’ll find a place to let these little chicks out first.”
“Then we’ll be going now. Call us if you need anything.”
“Okay, goodbye.”
On the way back.
“You, you’re just so reckless,” Xiao Wen began to lecture Brother Zhang about not reading the room.
“I was just telling that Qianyuan to be careful. Wasn’t I thinking about Wan Niang’s safety too?” Brother Zhang said, huffily.
“Not all Qianyuan are like that. You don’t even know what kind of person she is, so why do you hate her so much?”
“But most of them are like that, aren’t they? Don’t forget how that Wu Yu treated your Sister Fang. I’ve been to town so many times, I’ve seen more Qianyuan than you have, and I know exactly what they’re like. Every single one of them, lecherous and dissolute. Humph!”
The mention of “Sister Fang” by Zhang Long made Xiao Wen pause for a moment, but she continued, “You haven’t even met this female Qianyuan. What if she’s different from those people?”
“A female Qianyuan is still a Qianyuan. She’ll have all the traits a Qianyuan should. Still, be wary. Wan Niang hasn’t liked anyone in all these years, and she has no experience. Be careful she doesn’t get tricked by this outsider.”
“But… I do feel like Wan Niang might actually be falling for her.”
“They’ve only met a few times? How could that be… Wan Niang isn’t some naive young girl who hasn’t seen a few Qianyuan…”
“And she’s not bad-looking, is she?”
“If she dares to trick Wan Niang, I’ll break her legs!”
Yang Lulong lay in bed all day, with no phone, no TV, no entertainment whatsoever. All she could do was stare blankly or sleep; it was incredibly boring.
Wiggling her toes, her legs seemed to be able to move. She tried to get out of bed.
Stepping out of the room, it was already dusk outside. The fiery red sunset painted the clouds a brilliant crimson.
She began to observe the small courtyard. In one corner, there were some small vegetables grown for seasoning, and on one side, many medicinal herbs, clothes, and bedsheets were drying. It was both orderly and full of life.
“Cheep, cheep, cheep…” The little chicks chirped incessantly, completely unafraid of people. One tiny chick even ran onto Yang Lulong’s foot. She looked at the fluffy yellow chick, bent down, and carefully held it in her hand, stroking it gently. The remaining chicks gathered around, pecking at the hem of her long gown, seemingly hungry.
Wan Niang, who had been out, returned at this moment, her basket full of food for the chicks.
Seeing that Yang Lulong was already bonding with the chicks, and how adorably still she was, afraid of stepping on them, Wan Niang smiled and handed her the basket: “You feed them for me, I’ll go make dinner.”
“Oh…” Yang Lulong took the basket and watched Wan Niang’s busy figure disappear into the kitchen. Soon after, wisps of cooking smoke rose from the rooftop.
Yang Lulong scattered the food for them. Suddenly, she felt an urgent need to use the restroom. She was a bit hesitant to ask Wan Niang where the toilet was, but fortunately, she immediately spotted a small room in the corner; it must be the outhouse.
She quickly went to check, and it was indeed.
But just as she was about to use the toilet, she froze. What was going on? How did she have *this* thing? She touched her chest. She was a woman, wasn’t she?