Water Reflects Peach Blossoms

Nanzhi was stunned for a moment and didn't react to what Zhu Yan was saying.

She blinked slowly as she stared at Zhu Yan, and suddenly realized: "You're following me?!"

"I'm protecting you in secret." Zhu Yan gave Nanzhi a charming smile. "Recently, cases of water ghosts robbing and killing brides have been so rampant. I'm worried about you going out alone."

Nanzhi recalled what she had said to Zhu Yan before leaving the house, and explained to him, "I didn't explain clearly to you when I left this morning. The person I'm going to meet is a friend I've played with since childhood, and he's absolutely safe!"

"How safe is it?" Zhu Yan asked.

Nanzhi answered without hesitation: "The safest in the world."

Zhu Yan lowered his eyes, tears welling in his weak ones. "Azhi, my heart is about to break. I'm in excruciating pain... Is this what it feels like?"

Nanzhi was puzzled: "...Did what I just said hurt you?"

Zhu Yan was even more sad: "Think about it, who cooks for you, who warms your bed, who cheers you up when you are sad, and who worries about your safety and protects you secretly?"

"Even if I've done this, I'm still not the safest person in your heart... I... Your words are like a knife, cutting my heart..."

Nanzhi realized that Zhu Yan was acting sick again, so she stood up and was about to put her hand on her shoulder, but Zhu Yan stumbled and put his hand on the ground.

"Hey?" He looked up, his sad eyes becoming much clearer.

Looking down at Zhu Yan, Nanzhi wrinkled his nose at him and said, "Just play by yourself. I won't pay any attention to you."

Watching Nanzhi walk into the house, Zhu Yan patted the mud off his hands and said, "Are you really ignoring me? I'm easy to coax! I'll be fine after a little coaxing..."

"I'm not kidding you!" Nanzhi's voice in the house was as clear and pleasant as a wind chime.

Zhu Yan: “…”

Standing up, Zhu Yan sighed: "Forget it... I can comfort myself."

Although she said she would not coax Zhu Yan, Nanzhi still cooked a bowl of noodles for him.

While Zhu Yan was eating noodles, she returned to the room. The sky outside looked good. Although there was no sun, it was brighter than yesterday.

She seized the opportunity to embroider hundreds of birds. Somehow, she was more motivated today than any other day before. In the evening, Nanzhi put away her needlework.

The work originally planned for two days was completed one day ahead of schedule.

Early the next morning, she took the birds to Qi Mansion.

The Qi Mansion covers a large area. Although he is not a high-ranking official, he is not without achievements in officialdom.

Before her father was wrongfully imprisoned, Nanzhi was the most beautiful and skilled woman in Tiandu. She was also well-versed in poetry and songs, which attracted countless young men from Tiandu to come to her to plead for her. Later, her family fell into decline, and the marriage proposal turned into a concubine. If Nanzhi had not been so strong-willed and had not been secretly protected by Zhuo Yichen, she would have been forcibly brought home.

Three months ago, after Nanzhi's father died unjustly in prison, she moved to the private house her father left for her. In order to make a living, she embroidered some embroidery to earn money.

The young lady of the Qi family had a good relationship with her. After the marriage was decided, Miss Qi appointed her to embroider a screen with a hundred birds.

When following the housekeeper past a big tree in the yard, Nanzhi felt uncomfortable all over. The whole yard gave her a gloomy and creepy feeling.

After passing through a series of corridors, Nanzhi met Miss Qi.

Miss Qi, dressed in a gorgeous light blue dress, sat in front of the window, looking out with indifferent and sad eyes, and an atmosphere of helpless sadness filled the air around her.

Nanzhi walked over and sat down opposite her, placing the birds on the tray on the low table.

"You're here." Miss Qi looked at Nanzhi, trying to smile but couldn't.

Nanzhi felt her inner pain and struggle: "Don't you like this marriage?"

"Whether you like it or not, it's already like this." Miss Qi stroked the bird and said, "It's embroidered very well, Nanzhi, thank you."

"I should be the one thanking you," Nanzhi said, "thank you for taking such good care of me."

"Actually, I don't want to use it as a screen. I want to make it into a quilt cover and cover myself with it. It will definitely be warm." Miss Qi lowered her eyes, with a faint smile on the corners of her lips, but it expressed endless sadness.

Nanzhi noticed a painting she had hanging on the wall. The man in the painting was handsome, but his eyes were gentle. The painting was so delicate that it must have taken a lot of effort.

She grabbed Miss Qi's hand and said, seeing Miss Qi's shocked expression, "If you don't want to, I'll help you."

The water ghost kidnapped her bride, so if she married she would die, but if she ran away, she might still be able to survive!

Miss Qi forced a smile at her, her tears long gone. She pulled her hand back and said, "He's dead."

When Miss Qi said this, she felt as if she were dead. She wanted to cry but couldn't, and her heart was as calm as death.

Nanzhi's eyes widened and she slowly withdrew her hand. She wanted to comfort Miss Qi, but she didn't know how.

Or maybe what she wants at this moment is not comfort, but relief from pain.

Lord Qi did not allow Nanzhi to see Miss Qi for too long, and soon the housekeeper came over to urge her.

Miss Qi said to Nanzhi, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. You have to be fine."

Nanzhi had a lot to say, but in the end, she could only helplessly comfort her: "You have to be good too, don't do anything stupid..."

Miss Qi looked at her and said nothing.

Nanzhi knew that she wanted to find the man in the painting.

Knowing everything and knowing Miss Qi's pain, Nanzhi felt a deep sense of powerlessness in his heart. He could do nothing and could not help in any way.

She felt a wave of sadness in her heart, sad for Miss Qi, but perhaps she should also be happy for her because she was about to be freed from her pain and start a new life with her beloved.

Leave Qi Mansion.

Nanzhi was not happy as she walked on the road after receiving the reward.

She looked up at the sky, which was gloomy and creepy. She felt that Tiandu City was a huge tragic cage, trapping one living life after another.

A drop of cool air hit my face, then the second drop, the third drop... A black umbrella gradually covered the entire sight, blocking the rain falling from the sky.

Nanzhi withdrew her gaze and turned to look at Zhu Yan, who was standing behind her, holding an umbrella with his slender hands and covering her.

"Zhao Yuanzhou..." She looked at the man in front of her, and the sadness in her heart poured out like an unstoppable flood.

Zhu Yan looked at her with a gentle expression on his face: "Look, you are unhappy. Even the sky is unhappy and it is raining."

Nanzhi burst into laughter and wiped the moisture from her eyes: "No way, it's obvious that God made it rain when I was unhappy, which made me even angrier."

As she spoke, she realized, "You're following me again?"

"Unfair." Zhu Yan wiped the raindrops from her cheek with his handkerchief, and finally wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes. "I couldn't wait for you at home, so I came out to find you."

"What's wrong with you? Why are you unhappy?"

"Love is hard to find." Nanzhi felt helpless: "I am lamenting the unfairness of fate for my friend."

"Fate is inherently unfair." Zhu Yan tilted his umbrella toward the southern branch, letting the raindrops pummel his back. He said, "Everyone in this world has their own suffering. Finding joy in suffering is the true joy."

"Do you suffer too?" Nanzhi asked curiously, "What is your suffering?"

"A lot." Nanzhi's face was reflected in a pair of eyes that had experienced many vicissitudes of life. Zhu Yan raised the corners of his lips: "But fortunately, I have found my sweetness."