A Farm Girl: Three Acres of Fertile Land Can Be Exchanged for a Country

"Me too."

Wenxin brought out the food and placed it on the table, with the tray standing in the corner. She handed him a bowl and chopsticks and said, "Eat together. It's all vegetarian food, no meat."

Looking at his hair tied back, Shi Xin asked, "You've also left the monastic life?"

He had no words to express his feelings, so he simply hummed in agreement and said, "I suppose so."

When Shi Xin saw him today, she was already full of doubts. Now she seized the opportunity to ask, "How did you get involved with the Prince of Dongqi? The way you two talked, you seemed to be very close?"

He asked himself, "It can't be explained in a sentence or two. In short, she is a very good friend of mine, and I have a clear conscience about my current choice."

Shi Xin nodded thoughtfully and picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks.

He hadn't had a decent meal in so long, and after taking his first bite, he wolfed it down.

Wenxin hesitated to pick up her chopsticks and asked him curiously, "Senior brother, where have you been all these years?"

"Just wandering around, with no place to settle down."

"Since you haven't returned to secular life, why don't you go back and see me and your master?"

"Do you think he would welcome it..." Shi Xin swallowed the food in her mouth, shook her head with a wry smile.

Wenxin looked regretful: "Actually, Master isn't a heartless person. No matter what, you're still his disciple, he won't disown you..."

Shi Xin said, "You are too young to understand."

Wenxin remained silent.

The joyful atmosphere of the reunion between the fellow disciples became somber. Shi Xin changed the subject, looking at the luxurious and exquisite room and saying, "This place is nice."

Wenxin roused herself and chatted with him.

After finishing the last bite of her meal, Shi Xin patted her stomach and let out a burp, then waved to him, "I can't eat anymore, I have to go to sleep. See you tomorrow."

Wenxin put the bowls, chopsticks, and plates into a tray, carried it towards the door, paused as she opened the door, and couldn't help but turn back.

"Senior brother, I have a question that has been buried in my heart for more than ten years, and I still haven't found the answer. You are someone who has witnessed it firsthand, could you tell me the truth?"

Shi Xin lay on the soft bed, the quilt was made of silk, and it felt especially nice to touch her skin.

He lifted his eyelids and muttered, "What Master told you is the truth."

Wenxin put down the tray and walked a few steps to the bedside.

"Impossible. Immovable Peak is located deep in the mountains, and there are no trade routes around it. Over the years, the only people I have seen are woodcutters or herb gatherers who go up the mountain to chop wood. There have never been any merchants. How could I possibly be the son of a merchant?"

He asked with sincerity and reason. Shi Xin turned her face away, looked at the pillow and said, "Although I was there at the time, I knew nothing about this. If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."

“You were nearly twenty years old at the time, and you took care of your master day and night. How could you not know the truth?”

Wenxin stared intently at his back, her eyes practically screaming that she wanted to reach out and turn him over to look at her. In a deep voice, she said, "Senior brother, just tell me."

Shi Xin was still looking at the pillow, her gaze slightly unfocused, as if her thoughts had already drifted a thousand miles away.

He said casually, "I have long been expelled from the sect and am now just a wandering monk. I am no longer your senior brother, so please don't call me that anymore."

"...Do you really have to do this?" Wenxin asked, refusing to believe it.

Shi Xin didn't answer, but whispered, "I've been afraid of noise lately, so close the door when you leave."

It seems he's making it clear he won't reveal a single word.

Wenxin stood silently for a while, full of questions but unable to speak, and finally left in disappointment, closing the door behind him as she left the room.

After his footsteps faded away, Shi Xin, who was lying on the bed, sat up and stared blankly at the door for a while. It seemed that through the two wooden doors, she could see Wen Xin's tall and lonely figure outside.

He rummaged through his clothes for a while, and finally pulled out a plaque from the innermost part of his belt. He examined it carefully in his palm, his gaze extremely affectionate, as if he were looking at the person he loved most.

The plaque is made of jade. The cool moonlight from outside the window shines in and falls on it, reflecting a lustrous sheen.

Shi Xin suddenly took a few deep breaths, clenched her fingers, held the jade pendant, fell back onto the bed, pressed it to her chest, and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, Wutong got up very early because there was something going on with the army in the southern border, and Li Deming had to rush back to deal with it. At this time, a well-known old doctor from the surrounding area came to the mansion to treat Duan Fufeng's injuries.

Upon learning this, Wutong braved the early dawn and personally went to the gate of the mansion to welcome the old doctor inside.

The two chatted as they walked. Wutong showed great respect for the doctor, and the doctor was also very interested in her.

This old doctor was a true Central Plains native, and his family had been practicing medicine for generations. He had memorized the medicinal properties of various herbs since he was a child. It is said that he had been treating his own colds since he was seven years old. In the old doctor's words, "Give me a handful of herbs with my eyes closed, and I will know what disease it can cure."

Although Wutong had already planned to go to Budong Peak if the illness couldn't be cured, that was a last resort, something she had to do. If she could wake Duan Fufeng up before her departure, that would be ideal.

She took the old doctor to Duan Fufeng's ward. The old doctor preferred to be close when taking pulses and didn't like others watching. So Wutong and the guards pushed the door open and waited for his answer.

I thought that after seeing so many doctors and experiencing so many disappointments, she should have become numb by now.

Standing outside the door, Wutong could clearly feel her heart beating extremely fast; she was clearly starting to get nervous.

The guard was right beside her. Not wanting anyone to notice, she gave him a word of advice, then walked out with her hands behind her back, absentmindedly admiring the scenery.

As she walked along a corridor, Wutong looked at the pond filled with colorful koi carp and heard someone calling her from behind.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty..."

She turned around and saw the guards leading the old doctor rushing over. The guards were calling her name, and the old doctor was so exhausted that he was out of breath, as if he was about to run himself to death on the road.

Wutong's heart, which had finally calmed down, clenched suddenly, and she asked with a serious expression, "What was the result?"

Unable to answer, the guard pushed the exhausted old doctor in front of her.

The latter struggled to catch his breath, hands on his knees, panting as he said, "I...I've already taken his pulse..."

"Tell me!" Wutong was so anxious that she could no longer pretend to be calm.

The old doctor wiped his sweat with his sleeve and finally managed to utter a complete sentence.

"Your Majesty... His Highness's injuries are too severe, and there is no hope of recovery. Although there is no hope yet... it is only a matter of time. There is no cure. I'm sorry."

Wutong's heart, which had been pounding wildly in her chest, turned icy cold at those words, as if she had fallen from the warmth of spring into the dead of winter, so cold that she involuntarily hugged her arms.

1 = Lao Qu said