No Longer Escaping (ABO) - Chapter 9

Yang Lulong didn’t even remember how long she had been there.

“Xiao Yang! Come get your stuff!” Zhang Long’s voice called out, making both Yang Lulong and Wan Niang come out of their rooms at the same time. Wan Niang was surprised to see Yang Lulong go and take a large pile of tools from Zhang Long.

“What’s this?”

“Xiao Yang asked me to get her some woodworking tools from town a few days ago,” Zhang Long said honestly.

“Woodworking?”

“I know a little…” Yang Lulong said hesitantly. It wasn’t exactly woodworking, more like a hobby. She just thought having Zhang Long bring her some tools would help her pass the time. Relying on the little chicks to pass the time wasn’t going to cut it forever.

Wan Niang watched as Yang Lulong excitedly grabbed the tools, eager to get to work. She got some paper and a brush from Wan Niang, dipped the brush in ink, and began to draw on the paper.

Wan Niang watched curiously as she drew.

She had never known about such things, so she had no idea what Yang Lulong was drawing.

“What is that?”

“A wheelchair. It’s like a carriage, but it’s a chair that you can push.”

“Are you making it for Sister Fang?”

“Yes.” Sister Fang’s story was always on Yang Lulong’s mind. Although Wu Yu had nothing to do with her, the guilt had never gone away.

“Oh…” Wan Niang’s voice sounded a little disappointed.

Suddenly, Yang Lulong tore off a strip of paper, held out Wan Niang’s hand, and measured her wrist with the paper.

“What are you doing now?”

“It’s a secret.” Yang Lulong kept her guessing.

For the next few days, Yang Lulong worked tirelessly in the courtyard, building the wheelchair.

She tested it many times, and only after it passed the quality check did she take it to Sister Fang.

Xiao Wen was even more excited than Sister Fang when she received the gift. She hugged Yang Lulong, thanking her profusely.

“Mommy can go out and play with us now.” Xiao Hua was also very happy and came over to hug Yang Lulong. “Thank you, Xiao Yang.”

Xiao Wen heard what she called her and playfully slapped her on the head. “You can’t call her ‘Xiao Yang.’ You should call her Auntie Yang. You’re not being respectful.”

“But Auntie Xiao Wen and Uncle Zhang call her that, so why can’t I?” Xiao Hua complained, pouting.

“No, no, no. From now on, you’re my sister! I’ll call you Sister from now on. Is that okay, Sister Yang?”

“Me too, Sister Yang.” Zhang Long also joined in the fun.

“You really don’t have to call me that…” Yang Lulong was speechless.

The laughter filled Sister Fang’s house.

To celebrate, everyone went to the grassland by the field for a picnic.

Xiao Wen and the others pulled Yang Lulong along to fish with them. Xiao Hua, being playful, also went with them, leaving Sister Fang and Wan Niang at the camp.

“Wan Niang…”

“Yes?”

“I know that after what happened with Wu Yu, I may not have the right to say this… but… she’s a really good person. You can feel it too, can’t you?”

“Yeah…”

“If that’s the case… then don’t miss your chance.”

Wan Niang fell into deep thought after hearing Sister Fang’s words. She understood what Sister Fang meant. From the moment she first met Yang Lulong, she could feel that Yang Lulong was a quiet person, but by no means a bad one. After spending so much time together, she had come to know her more and more. She had always been worried that if Yang Lulong remembered her past, she would leave. But after Yang Lulong’s confession, that fear no longer bothered her. However… she wasn’t sure how Yang Lulong felt about her.

Xiao Wen and the others were very lucky and caught a lot of big, fat fish.

Everyone had a good time at the picnic, but Yang Lulong noticed that something was bothering Wan Niang. Since they came back, Wan Niang had been quiet, only laughing occasionally.

It was the same on the way back home.

Back at home,

“I’ll go boil some water first…” Wan Niang said, heading for the kitchen.

“Wait a minute.” Yang Lulong suddenly called her back. “This is for you.” She took out a wooden bracelet with some carvings on it from her pocket.

“For me? Why?” Wan Niang took the bracelet, a smile on her face, and examined it carefully.

“I just wanted to give you something.” Yang Lulong said, feeling shy.

Wan Niang immediately put the bracelet on her wrist. “It’s beautiful. Thank you…”

Seeing how happy Wan Niang was, Yang Lulong also felt happy.

With Yang Lulong’s gift and Sister Fang’s words in her mind, Wan Niang thought that maybe Yang Lulong felt the same way. She finally plucked up the courage and spoke slowly.

“Yang Lulong…”

“Yes?” Yang Lulong looked into her eyes. This time, she didn’t look away but met her gaze honestly.

“I like you…”

Yang Lulong froze. She looked at Wan Niang’s longing expression, feeling at a loss. She thought she and Wan Niang were good friends. She didn’t know the line between friends and lovers. Since she had never had a friend before, let alone been in a relationship, she didn’t dare to reject Wan Niang. She was afraid of losing her friend, but did she like Wan Niang in a romantic way? She had never thought of her in that way. After a long pause, she could only manage to say something ambiguous.

“I don’t understand…”

Hearing her answer, Wan Niang also froze.

“It’s okay… I was mistaken…” Wan Niang forced a smile. “I’m a little tired. I’m going to sleep now…” She quickly turned around, not daring to let Yang Lulong see her reddened eyes.

Yang Lulong watched her hurry away, feeling sad. It seemed she had hurt Wan Niang’s feelings.