Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

After taking several detours, Land Rover arrived at a sesame seed cake stall. He ordered a few cakes and, while handing over the money, secretly slipped a piece of paper into his palm before giving it to the stall owner.

The shopkeeper secretly put the note away and continued hawking his wares. When he closed up shop in the evening, he whistled and attracted a hawk.

The owner stuffed the note into a bamboo tube and tied it to the eagle's talons. The eagle then flew to its destination. The owner looked around to make sure no one was there before he felt relieved.

Little did they know that all of this was being observed by someone who was not Xia Changfeng's man, and it was unclear which group of people it was.

In Nanyuan, after finishing breakfast, Ruan Wan began to tidy up her things, taking out the clothes she had made. She thought of giving them to her before her marriage, but giving them now was no different.

Leading Qiu Shuang and carrying the gifts, the two of them, master and servant, went out together, one in front and one behind.

First, they arrived at the room of the eldest brother in the East Garden. The servant at the door was about to announce their arrival, but Ruan Wan stopped him and asked what was wrong. It turned out that the eldest brother was painting.

Ruan Xiuzhu's room was decorated with a scholarly atmosphere, simple and elegant, just like the feeling he gave people.

Ruan Wan stood in front of the inner hall and looked around. Her elder brother was concentrating on painting.

Upon closer inspection, it was a landscape painting, a traditional ink painting of Jiangnan. Ruan Wan smiled and said, "So, my brother likes the life amidst mountains and rivers."

Ruan Xiuzhu was taken aback, her brush paused, and a drop of ink dripped onto the water. She smiled and said, "Although I've longed to go, I've never been. What brings you here today, Third Sister?"

Ruan Wan took the pen from her elder brother, dripped a drop of tea onto the ink, and the ink quickly spread. She added a few strokes and outlined a wave.

Then, he drew a carp emerging from the water in the center, placed the brush on the brush holder, and laughed, "I've never seen the misty rain of Jiangnan, but carp always come out of the water on rainy days."

Ruan Wan turned and glanced at Qiu Shuang, who immediately presented her with clothes. Ruan Wan took them and handed them to her elder brother, saying, "These are clothes that your younger sister made for you, elder brother. They were finished a few days ago, and I'm giving them to you today."

Ruan Xiuzhu took the clothes and smiled, "Thank you, sister. Please sit down for a while. Someone bring tea."

Ruan Wan quickly stopped her, saying, "I'm glad you're happy, brother. I still have to go to my father's, so I won't bother you any longer."

"Alright then, come visit more often when you have time."

Ruan Xiuzhu watched Ruan Wan leave her courtyard, then looked at the painting in front of her.

The carp emerging from the water blends seamlessly into the entire painting, without any sense of incongruity. Ruan Xiuzhu sighed, "When will we ever be able to leave this secluded mansion?"

Upon arriving at Hehuan Courtyard, Xiaoli said that his father had not yet returned from court, so Ruan Wan handed the clothes to Xiaoli to give to his father.

The two went straight to the bamboo grove pavilion in the backyard. The stone path led to a small building, which was surrounded by a bamboo fence.

Upon seeing Ruan Wan, a maidservant who was sweeping came forward to greet her. Qiu Shuang then stepped forward and said, "Third Miss has come to pay her respects to the Old Madam. Please inform her."

A moment later, Granny Wenzhu came over with a smile, "Third Miss, please follow this old servant."

Following Wenzhu into the house, before even reaching the inner hall, one could smell the fragrance of Buddhist incense. Inside, there was a small Buddhist shrine where Guanyin Bodhisattva was enshrined, and Grandmother was kneeling on a prayer mat, turning prayer beads and chanting sutras.

Wenzhu stepped forward and said, "Madam, the Third Miss has arrived."

Grandmother opened her eyes and smiled kindly, "Child, you've come."

Ruan Wan stepped forward and helped her grandmother to sit down at the coffee table. Her grandmother patted the chair next to her and said, "Child, sit down quickly."

Ruan Wan did not refuse and sat to the side. Wen Zhu served tea and then stood beside her grandmother.

Ruan Wan took the pillow from Qiu Shuang's hand. "Grandmother, this is a pillow that your granddaughter embroidered for you. Sleeping on it will calm your mind."

Grandmother took the pillow, touched it, and suddenly burst into tears. Ruan Wan was immediately startled. "Grandmother, what's wrong? Did your granddaughter make you angry?"

Granny Wenzhu immediately handed over a silk handkerchief, saying, "That's all in the past. I'm sure the Third Miss won't blame the Old Madam."

Ruan Wan was even more puzzled, wondering what could have caused her grandmother to act this way.

It took Grandmother a while to calm down before she told Ruan Wan a story from the past.

It turns out that the grandmother and Ruan Wan's maternal grandmother were childhood friends, sworn sisters, and played together happily when they were young.

But happy days are short-lived. When they reach the age of romantic feelings, they begin to feel the stirrings of love. At that time, my maternal grandfather was a famous young master in the capital.

He captivated countless young girls, including his maternal and paternal grandmothers. Initially, his maternal grandfather approached his paternal grandmother first, and she thought he was interested in her. She waited at home every day for him to propose marriage.

In the end, however, she received news that her maternal grandparents had proposed marriage. Her paternal grandmother then assumed that her maternal grandmother had betrayed her and cut off all contact with her from that point on.

Although they later married and had children, this remained a thorn in the grandmother's heart, one she could not let go of for a long time.

I had almost forgotten about it with the passage of time, but one day my father came back and said that he had taken a fancy to a girl.

Grandmother was very happy at the time, but when she found out that he was the daughter of her maternal grandparents, she strongly objected. Father became depressed every day, and his health deteriorated. Grandmother had no choice but to compromise.

After my mother married into the family, my grandmother always found fault with her, saying, "Back then, she was blinded by love and couldn't control herself. Your mother always tolerated it, and later, I turned a blind eye to some of Su Ying's shady dealings."

Grandmother became heartbroken again. "It wasn't until your maternal grandfather's entire family was wiped out that I came to my senses. Your father also realized it was a conspiracy and searched the whole world for you and your mother, but to no avail."

Grandmother grasped Ruan Wan's hand, her eyes filled with tears and guilt. "So many years, you've suffered, my child."

Ruan Wan also felt sentimental for a moment, "It's alright, Grandmother, isn't your granddaughter doing well now?"

Grandmother looked at Ruan Wan's face and said, "You and your mother look so alike. Your maternal grandmother was a famous talented woman, both beautiful and intelligent. Your mother inherited your maternal grandmother's gentle beauty. She's really foolish; how could she not have imagined that your maternal grandfather approached me only to get close to your maternal grandmother?"

After bidding farewell to my grandmother, I returned to Nanyuan, thinking of her all the way and feeling sorry for her.

Since the incident involving my maternal grandfather's family, I have moved to Zhulin Xiaoxuan and have been eating vegetarian food and worshipping Buddha for many years, enduring the hardship of life.

Driven by a moment of jealousy from back then, she was taken advantage of.

Back then, everyone knew that Mother and Grandmother had a bad relationship, so the Zhang family arranged for Su Ying to cut off the only support for the maternal grandfather's family and eliminate them in one fell swoop.

The Zhang family is extremely ruthless, and they probably wouldn't tolerate Ruan Wan. Moreover, Ruan Wan has saved Xia Changfeng several times, making her an even bigger thorn in their side.

Back in the South Garden, Ruan Wan led Qiu Shuang to her bedroom. After closing the door, Ruan Wan said to Qiu Shuang, "Please burn these clothes and the jade pendant for me."

Ruan Wan looked at the three sets of clothes on the bed: a summer outfit, a winter outfit, and a riding outfit.

Qiu Shuang nodded and replied, "Yes, Miss."

Ruan Wan turned around, took out a bundle from the wardrobe, and looked at Qiu Shuang with eager eyes, "Can you help me one more time?"

Qiu Shuang glanced at the bundle, her eyes showing no emotion, and nodded with a smile.

Around noon, Ruan Wan found Granny Wang and said with a smile, "Granny, I suddenly have a craving for osmanthus cake from Fushoutang today. Could you please go and buy some for me?"

The nanny hurriedly agreed with a smile. Her young mistress had been depressed every day because of the marriage and had little appetite. She was very happy that she knew to look for food today.

Ruan Wan added, "The Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner, so why don't you buy some ingredients for making mooncakes, and make some yourself to have a good festival?"

"Granny might not be able to handle all this stuff by herself. How about this, Xiao Cui and Xiao Lian can come along. We'll give you extra money so you can go to the market and buy yourselves some things for the festival."

This way, everyone can be sent away in a perfectly logical way.

Xiao Cui and Xiao Lian happily followed Granny Wang out. When it was lunchtime, Qiu Shuang waited at the door for a long time.

After confirming no one was around, she quickly brought out a chair to the corner. Ruan Wan immediately stepped onto the chair, jumped onto the wall, and turned back to Qiu Shuang, saying, "This time I'm leaving and will never come back. Take care of yourself."

Autumn Frost nodded.

After saying this, Ruan Wan jumped down from the wall, took out a bamboo hat from her bundle, put it on, and headed towards the city gate.

As soon as Ruan Wan set off, she noticed someone following her at a certain distance. Ruan Wan simply pretended not to notice and continued on her way.

Two hours later, Granny Wang returned running with Xiao Cui and Xiao Lian, handing over the osmanthus cake. Qiu Shuang took it and said, "Granny, it's all cold now, and Miss is tired and has fallen asleep. Let's reheat it for her when she wakes up."

As she spoke, Qiu Shuang poured a cup of tea and handed it to Granny Wang. Granny Wang took the tea and drank it all in one gulp. "You wouldn't believe it, the Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner, and there are so many people queuing up in front of Fushou Hall. I was queuing up there while Xiao Cui and Xiao Lian went to buy things. But after queuing for an hour, when it was finally my turn, they were out of osmanthus cakes. I waited another half hour for them to make them. As soon as I bought them, I rushed back with them, but they were still cold."

Qiu Shuang handed over another cup of tea, suppressing a laugh. The young lady's calculations were indeed correct. "The maids haven't had lunch yet, have they? I've prepared food in the pot. Go and eat."

Ruan Wan didn't dare to stop for a moment and headed straight for the mountain where she and her mother had been chased to the point of having nowhere to go.

The number of people following them increased from one to five or six halfway through the journey. They were disguised as merchants transporting goods and pushed a cart to follow them all the way.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, they hid the car, and several people followed Ruan Wan up the mountain.

It rained a few days ago, and the soil isn't completely dry yet, making the roads a bit difficult to travel on.

Ruan Wan had never been to this place before, yet she was able to accurately walk to the cliff in her memory, which was a memory from her childhood.

Ruan Wan stopped at the edge of the cliff, and the others behind her also stopped.

Ruan Wan glanced at the cliff. The wind was strong at the edge of the cliff, and Ruan Wan was almost being pulled down. Her heart was pounding.

Standing there gazing at the distant mountains, Ruan Wan waited for a long time, but the people behind her didn't move. She felt a little helpless. What kind of efficiency was this? Weren't they here to kill her?

Ruan Wan sighed, turned around and called out to the bushes not far away, "Come out, there are a lot of mosquitoes in the bushes, aren't you afraid of being bitten?"

They really thought those low bushes could cover them, these big men.

The group glanced at Land Rover, who stepped out first, followed by the others, making a total of six people.

Land Rover dusted himself off and chuckled, "Miss Ruan, you have quite the nerve."

As she spoke, she glanced at her subordinates beside her, and several of them took out ropes and strips of cloth and surrounded Ruan Wan.

Ruan Wan retreated, pretending to be very scared. It was not normal for a weak woman to not be afraid of five burly men.

"Please do not resist, Miss Ruan, lest you be injured. My master simply wishes to invite you to his residence for a chat."

Five burly men surrounded them as they spoke.

What if I don't want to go?

Land Rover sneered, "Then don't blame our men for being rude."

Several people were about to rush forward when, seeing that the time was right, Ruan Wan took out a package of oil paper from her bosom, threw it forcefully, immediately held her breath, and covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.

A white powder filled the air. After taking a few breaths, Land Rover knew what it was—something he used year-round. He immediately shouted to the people around him, "Oh no! Hold your breath!"

It's too late.

Turning his head, he saw that everyone around him had fallen down, and his vision was blurry. He was too weak to walk more than a few steps before collapsing to the ground.

Ruan Wan immediately ran to a safe area, panting heavily, "Grandma's datura is purified, more for the same price!"

Ruan Wan kicked the Land Rover on the ground, but there was no reaction at all.

Looking up at the distant sun, I realized it was getting late.

Ruan Wan untied the bundle and took out her homemade parachute, which was made of a whole piece of linen on the outside and a piece of sheepskin that had been boiled to make it more resilient on the inside.

With the parachute strapped to her back, Ruan Wan closed her eyes and jumped down. She immediately opened the parachute, which slowed her descent. Only then did Ruan Wan dare to open her eyes.

Looking down at the unsteady ground beneath her feet, with still more than ten meters of height remaining, Ruan Wan's legs trembled.

The homemade parachute was rudimentary and lost its balance in the wind, causing Ruan Wan to sway and fall.

Fortunately, the distance was only three or four meters, and the tree branches cushioned the fall, so Ruan Wan landed safely on the ground.

His clothes were torn, and his body was covered in bruises.

Ruan Wan had no choice but to complain; time was of the essence, and her family would be coming soon.

Because Ruan Wan deliberately left clues.

She pulled out a tinderbox from her pocket and burned the parachute. Ruan Wan didn't want to use it again. Her legs were shaking so badly when she landed that she couldn't stand up straight.

Ruan Wan knelt before her mother's grave. "Mother, your last wish has been fulfilled. Your daughter has completed one last task and will never return."

Ruan Wan took out a wooden board with pre-carved words from her bundle: "Tomb of Ruan Mo's Orchid Heart, erected by the unfilial daughter Ruan Wan."

All of this has finally come to an end, and Ruan Wan has finally severed her only connection with this world.

Traveling light and heading south, I cannot linger here.

Ruan Wan did all this, and this time she didn't change into men's clothing, just to make herself known.

As long as someone discovers Ruan Wan's whereabouts quickly, they can find that she went up the mountain. Moreover, Ruan Wan deliberately deepened her footprints when she left, just so that people would know that her mother was here.

At this moment in the Ruan residence, Qiu Shuang knelt in the Hehuan Courtyard. Ruan Zhengqing, anxious and restless, pounded the table and asked, "I'm asking you one last time, where did Miss go?"

Qiu Shuang simply knelt there, saying, "This servant doesn't know."

Ruan Zhengqing, holding a rattan cane, was about to strike Qiu Shuang, but Ruan Xiuzhu stopped him, saying, "Father, since my sister wants to leave, she certainly won't let us know where she's going."

Ruan Zhengqing glanced at Qiu Shuang, then had no choice but to give up.

Ruan Xiuzhu said to Qiu Shuang, "You should go back first."

Qiu Shuang then got up and returned to Nanyuan.

Ruan Xiuzhu said, "My son has already sent people to search for them."

Ruan Zhengqing said with a worried expression, "Your sister can't leave through this gate; it will be dangerous for her."

"Since my sister has decided to leave, she must know there is danger involved. She is exceptionally intelligent and will surely find a way to ensure her safety."

Ruan Zhengqing sighed. They had underestimated Zhang Lucheng's men. If something happened to Wan'er, how could he face Lanxin in the afterlife?

Looking at the distant darkness, Ruan Xiuzhu said, "Since you've escaped, don't come back."

The Zhang family was in complete chaos; Lu Hu and the others were better off not being awake at all.

Some of the six people were acting crazy or silly, while others had blank stares and showed no reaction whatsoever.

After a thorough examination, the doctor said, "Your Excellency, it's datura pollen that has caused this; it must have been a very large dose."

Zhang Lucheng looked at the madman in front of him, squinting as if he was thinking about something.

Zhang Xuan said, "Thank you for your trouble, Doctor. Zhang Ming, take the doctor with you."

Zhang Ming immediately saw the doctor out.

Zhang Xuan said, "This datura grows in cold and damp places, and it is abundant in Dongyi. What is Miss Ruan's connection with Dongyi?"

Zhang Lucheng also looked puzzled, "This little girl is no ordinary person!"

Little did they know that datura was difficult to grow in Great Xia because Great Xia was warm and dry, especially in the capital city.

However, it can grow as long as the growth environment is simulated. Ruan Wan put in a lot of effort to successfully cultivate it.

Fortunately, the medicine's efficacy remained unchanged despite the relocation.

After searching for three days without success, Ruan Zhengqing unexpectedly found the location of Mo Lanxin's grave.

However, he could not take any action yet. Ruan Zhengqing sat in front of the grave for half a day without saying a word before returning to his residence.

The man Ruan Xiuzhu sent to monitor the Zhang residence returned and reported that he had not seen the Zhang family bring back any women, but that the guard Lu Hu and several of his men had suddenly gone mad that day.

Ruan Xiuzhu was relieved and told the outside world that Ruan Wan's old illness had relapsed, and ordered the Nanyuan Garden to be sealed off.