No Longer Escaping (ABO) - Chapter 7

Wan Niang hadn’t expected that just by asking Yang Lulong to deliver a list, she would return with a bruised face.

Zhang Long had initially offered to escort Yang Lulong back, but she refused, returning alone. A large bump had swollen above her eyelid, and her lip was broken, oozing bl00d. Her white robe was covered in dust and dirt, her appearance utterly disheveled.

“Who did this?” Wan Niang looked at her pitiful state, feeling both angry and heartbroken.

Yang Lulong simply lowered her head and shook it, saying nothing, like a child who had done something wrong.

“Come sit down, I’ll get some medicine for you.” Wan Niang didn’t press further, reaching out to take her hand and leading her to a small stool to sit down. She went inside to get some bruise ointment.

Soon after, Wan Niang returned with a basin of water. She wrung out a cloth, intending to clean Yang Lulong’s wounds, but Yang Lulong stopped her.

“I’ll do it myself.” Yang Lulong held her hand down and took the cloth from her.

Wan Niang simply allowed her to take the cloth. Looking at her, her eyes were full of heartache. She couldn’t help much right now, only able to gently tidy her disheveled hair.

Yang Lulong kept her head down, slowly dabbing at her bleeding wounds with the cloth in her hand. Staring at her swollen and bruised reflection, her thoughts seemed to return to her school days.

In high school, her deskmate was one of the few people who were kind to her, and Yang Lulong was very attached to her. Their relationship was quite good. Yang Lulong wanted to be close to her and cherished her. Unfortunately, one day after school, she was dragged into a corner by some strangers, school dropouts who hung around the streets. They grabbed her and, without a word, beat her up.

The last words they left her with were a warning, “Stay away from her, you dyke…”

Yang Lulong didn’t understand. She didn’t have romantic feelings for that girl; she just wanted a friend, someone she could talk to about things she liked, someone who could help her, someone she could confide in, a good friend who could make her feel less lonely.

After that, she never spoke to that girl again. After graduating high school, that girl didn’t get into university and got married the following year. Her husband was one of the people who had beaten her up that day. She would never know why Yang Lulong had distanced herself…

“Are Qianyuan… all bad scumbags?” Yang Lulong asked out of nowhere.

“Hmm?”

Yang Lulong’s sudden question made Wan Niang have a basic idea of who the culprit was. Could it be Zhang Long? He had been hostile towards Yang Lulong ever since she first arrived. Thinking of this, Wan Niang’s face turned cold. She hadn’t expected Zhang Long to actually resort to violence.

“…What happened with Wu Yu?” Wan Niang didn’t answer her, and Yang Lulong continued to ask.

Mentioning Wu Yu made Wan Niang’s heart clench. How did Yang Lulong know about him?

Wu Yu was like a thorn in the heart of the entire village.

“Wu Yu… wasn’t originally from the village. He came from elsewhere, no one knew where. When we first saw him, his clothes were tattered, as if he was seeking refuge. When he first arrived, everyone treated him well. At that time, he was staying at Sister Fang’s house…”

As Yang Lulong listened to this story, it sounded strangely familiar.

“There had never been a Qianyuan in the village before, only Zhongyong and Kunze lived here. Everyone knew very little about Qianyuan. One day, an accident happened. Sister Fang went into her rutting period, and Wu Yu… by the time everyone found out, it was too late. Wu Yu forcibly marked Sister Fang. The villagers forced him to take responsibility and marry her. He agreed, and everyone thought the matter would end there. Unexpectedly, on the wedding day, he somehow got poison and secretly put it in the wine Sister Fang drank. Sister Fang was poisoned, and he slipped away through the back window. At that time, everyone was attending the wedding, no one was walking around in the village, so he got away. By the time they realized something was wrong, Sister Fang was deeply poisoned. I tried my best and only managed to save her life, but her legs were ruined, and she could never walk again. What was even more unexpected was that Sister Fang was pregnant. At that time, she once wanted to leave, but fortunately, Xiao Wen stayed with her. Later, Xiao Hua was born, and Sister Fang completely gave up the idea of leaving. As for Wu Yu, no one has seen him again. Xiao Wen and Zhang Long have been asking about his whereabouts in the nearby towns, but there’s still no news.”

As Yang Lulong listened to her, she felt inexplicably guilty. Xiao Wen and Zhang Long were also worried about Wan Niang. Having experienced Wu Yu’s affair, they were afraid that Wan Niang would suffer the same fate as Sister Fang.

At first, she didn’t understand the relationship between Qianyuan and Kunze, thinking it was just like men and women, and everyone could get along amicably. She just didn’t expect the gap between Qianyuan and Kunze to be so large, and the relationship so tense. Yet she had so carelessly approached a Kunze.

“I’m sorry…” Besides apologizing, Yang Lulong didn’t know what to say. Should she tell Wan Niang that she wasn’t the same as Wu Yu? But words were empty, and it would sound like she was just trying to defend herself.

“This isn’t your fault…” Wan Niang saw that she had cleaned up most of the wounds, dipped her finger in the ointment, and began to apply it to her injuries.

The warm fingertip, coated with the cool ointment, gently spread over Yang Lulong’s wounds.

Taking advantage of Wan Niang’s focus on her injuries, Yang Lulong finally dared to look up at her.

Before she returned, Wan Niang had been grinding herbs. The weather was a bit hot, and beads of sweat still lingered at her temples, her face slightly flushed, even the tip of her nose.

She smelled that familiar jasmine fragrance. So this was Wan Niang’s scent. Li Cui’er was osmanthus, Sister Fang was sandalwood, only this jasmine scent could make her feel so calm and secure.

••••

“I’m doomed… Wan Niang will definitely be angry with me…” Xiao Wen said with a mournful face.

The group sat in Sister Fang’s room, and Sister Fang explained everything to Xiao Wen.

“You should be thankful Xiao Yang didn’t fight back. She’s a Qianyuan. If she had really fought back, you probably wouldn’t even be able to get out of bed, you’d just be lying there…” Zhang Long said helplessly, then realizing something, “Ah… no offense to you, Sister Fang…” He thought for a moment and felt something was still wrong, “Ah… no… never mind…” Zhang Long was clumsy with words and simply shut up.

“You beat someone up like that, you should hurry and go apologize in person. Also, apologize to them on my behalf,” Sister Fang said, looking at Xiao Wen’s state, feeling very helpless. After all, the incident was caused by her, but she couldn’t apologize in person.

“Aunt Xiao Wen, scary…” Xiao Hua, who had been frightened, nestled in her mother’s arms, pouting.

“Brother Zhang, let’s go.” Xiao Wen hurriedly pulled Zhang Long away.

“Isn’t this the way to Wan Niang’s house?” Zhang Long asked, seeing Xiao Wen pulling him towards the woods, getting further and further away from Wan Niang’s house.

“We’ll catch a few wild rabbits and pheasants. I’d be embarrassed to apologize empty-handed…”

Zhang Long was speechless. You caused the trouble, why are you dragging me into this…?