No Longer Escaping (ABO) - Chapter 8

Before nightfall, the swelling on Yang Lulong’s face had gone down, but it was still bruised and red.

She had just finished washing her dirty clothes and was now hanging them on the line.

Xiao Wen and Zhang Long burst into the house again, nearly scaring Yang Lulong away. She looked at them in astonishment, her hands frozen on the clothesline.

“Xiao Yang, I’m so sorry!” Xiao Wen came in front of her and bowed deeply. “I’m incredibly sorry! I don’t know how to make it up to you for hitting you like that. Please accept these.” She held out a basket full of wild rabbits and pheasants, at least seven or eight of them. The animals had already been cleaned, their fur and feathers separated from the meat.

“Zhang Long!” Hearing the commotion, Wan Niang came out of her room, calling Zhang Long by his full name, her voice laced with anger.

“Huh?” Zhang Long was confused about why Wan Niang was calling his name, but she was already standing in front of him.

Wan Niang, who was a full head shorter than him, was looking up at him with a furious expression. It was a little intimidating.

“Tell me! Why did you hit Yang Lulong?”

“I didn’t… it wasn’t me…” Zhang Long, a big, burly man, could only explain himself with a wronged look on his face in front of the much smaller Wan Niang.

Seeing the situation, Xiao Wen quickly stepped in front of Wan Niang and bowed to her. “Wan Niang, I’m sorry! It was me…”

“Huh?”

Wan Niang was surprised. Although Yang Lulong was quite thin, Xiao Wen was even shorter and thinner than her. How could she have beaten someone up like that? Wan Niang listened to Xiao Wen but still didn’t believe her, turning her skeptical gaze to Zhang Long.

“It really wasn’t me… I, Zhang Long, take responsibility for my actions. You know what kind of person I am, Wan Niang.” Zhang Long was truly wronged.

“Then why did you hit her?”

Wan Niang had always thought Xiao Wen was a cheerful person, not someone who would resort to violence.

“It was all a misunderstanding… Sister Fang was in her estrus period, and Xiao Yang happened to be there. I thought…” As Xiao Wen spoke, she saw the look on Wan Niang’s face and quickly clarified for Yang Lulong. “It was all a misunderstanding, nothing happened… really…”

Yang Lulong, standing on the side, suddenly met Wan Niang’s gaze and immediately shook her head, indicating that she hadn’t done anything.

“These wild birds are my way of apologizing. I just hope you won’t hold it against me, Xiao Yang… I really didn’t mean it…”

“It’s okay…” Yang Lulong remembered the story about Wu Yu and could understand why they were so hostile toward her.

With Yang Lulong’s acceptance of the apology and the misunderstanding cleared up, the two said their goodbyes and left.

“I’ll put these in the kitchen,” Wan Niang said, her voice sounding a little disappointed.

Yang Lulong heard the meaning in her tone and worried that her image in Wan Niang’s eyes would be greatly diminished, but she didn’t know how to explain herself.

Lying on her bed, Yang Lulong tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. She kept worrying about what Wan Niang thought of her.

“Hmph…” She sighed deeply, threw off the blanket, and decided to go outside to clear her head.

She didn’t expect Wan Niang to be awake in the dead of night, sitting in the courtyard, staring blankly at the sleeping chicks.

The incident with Yang Lulong and Sister Fang’s estrus period made Wan Niang feel uneasy. She was scared of what would have happened if Yang Lulong hadn’t been able to control herself, but she also hated her own hostile feelings toward Sister Fang. She hated herself for becoming so petty.

Yang Lulong was about to turn back and go to her room, but she knew that avoiding the issue wouldn’t solve anything. If she told Wan Niang what really happened, she would surely believe her, right?

She grabbed a small stool and sat down next to Wan Niang.

“You’re still awake?” Wan Niang looked at her, surprised.

“I can’t sleep…”

“Me neither…”

“I’m sorry… I lied to you…”

“What?” Yang Lulong’s words made Wan Niang’s heart tense up.

“I don’t have amnesia. I remember who I am and where I live, but… it doesn’t matter if I remember anymore.”

Hearing her explanation, Wan Niang was relieved. She had thought it was about the incident with Sister Fang…

“What do you mean?” She listened patiently as Yang Lulong spoke.

“I… live in a very far away place, and I probably can’t go back. To be honest, I don’t really want to.”

“What about your family?”

“This might sound cold-hearted… but I don’t care about them… I live alone, and we haven’t been in contact for a very long time. When I was very young, my birth mother separated from my father. I lived with my father, but his work was very demanding. He didn’t have time to take care of me and rarely came home. We barely even communicated by mail. After he remarried, I had a stepmother and a half-brother. I don’t know how to describe how they treated me. I guess they weren’t bad to me, but they also didn’t really care about me. I felt like I was dispensable in that family. They never asked about my life, and I never initiated conversations with them. When I was little, I was very stubborn. One time, I secretly ran away and didn’t come back for a long time. I thought they would be anxious and come looking for me, but… night fell, and there was no sound. I was a little scared being outside all alone, so I went back. They had never even noticed that I was gone, or perhaps they just didn’t care if I was there or not. I was so angry that I didn’t eat dinner with them for several days, but they still didn’t ask about it. I finally understood that I no longer cared what they thought of me, and when I grew up, I left to live on my own.”

Wan Niang listened quietly as she told her story. She wanted to reach out and comfort her bowed head, but she pulled her hand back.

“Have you always been alone?”

“Pretty much…”

“Well, from now on, you’re not…”

Yang Lulong looked up at Wan Niang. In the moonlight, her features weren’t very clear, but she could feel the gentleness.

“Thank you…” For the first time, Yang Lulong smiled at Wan Niang. A gentle smile appeared on her gloomy face.

For some reason, Wan Niang felt a little shy, and her cheeks flushed. Afraid that Yang Lulong would see her blushing, she quickly got up to leave.

She left with a quick, “I’m a little tired… I’m going to sleep now…” and scurried away.

Leaving Yang Lulong alone in a state of surprise, accompanied only by the faint scent of jasmine…