Edited by Lord Immortal
In autumn, the weather was usually erratic. It often rained heavily, and the rain would be cold and heavy. In the past, the rainy season only lasted for a short time. Surprisingly, the rain tonight was extremely heavy, however.
Outside the house was a torrential downpour, and the cold wind was creeping through the crevice of the door frame and the window.
Xie Mengxuan lay on the bed, shrinking in the cold while Geng was sleeping in a chair not far away, his body not moving at all.
In the cabin, Uncle Luo sat at the doorway, drenched in the water. He looked up at the sky with a knowing smile, then went into the room by the cabin, took off his coat, and got ready to rest for the night.
Gu Yusheng lay on his side, but he could not get to sleep. Everything would get better starting from the dawn of tomorrow. However, he was still worried that some unforeseen event would happen, ruining their plans.
The storm didn"t stop even in the next morning, and it was still raining heavily. Geng Zhishan frowned and seemingly was worried about the rain.
He went out of the house and stretched out his hand to feel the falling droplets. Uncle Luo"s low voice came into his ear. "The rain did come in time."
Geng Zhishan was surprised to hear this. He turned his head and had eye contact with Uncle Luo. He was afraid that he was caught in a lie. Therefore, he was truly alert, but appeared to be confused. It seemed that he was saying, "I don"t know what you are talking about."
Uncle Luo gave a chortle and returned to the house.
Geng Zhishan was confused by him, with his eyes drooping. He had gone out at midnight yesterday to arrange something and had thought that he was successful in his sneak attempt, without being found by anyone.
Geng Zhishan then came to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. When it was ready, Xie Mengxuan had just gotten up and dressed herself well. She looked at the pouring rain outside, frowned, and said, "Did it rain heavily yesterday?"
"Well, it didn"t stop until this morning." Geng Zhishan put the scrambled eggs and porridge on the table and answered without thinking.
Xie Mengxuan limped to the table and sat down. She wondered, "To my surprise, I didn"t notice the rainstorm."
Geng Zhishan ate some porridge and then said, "Maybe you didn"t think too much due to your personal business. So, you slept well."
"What you said does sound reasonable. "Xie Mengxuan nodded and continued to eat, "Did you prepare breakfast for Brother Gu and Uncle Luo?"
"Yes." Geng Zhishan answered.
Xie Mengxuan nodded. After the breakfast, she said seriously, "Geng Zhishan, I know you didn"t want to fight with Gu Yusheng yesterday. So, you"d better apologize to Brother Gu later. I"ll forgive you if you do that and will persuade Brother Gu to let you off."
Geng Zhishan looked at her with a pitiable look. "Don"t you believe me?"
"I believe what I saw." Xie Mengxuan answered gently.
Geng Zhishan hummed, "I will not apologize. Believe it or not, it wasn"t my fault yesterday. He deliberately humiliated me and enraged me."
It was the first time that Geng Zhishan was stubborn during their long period together. She was shocked and let out a bitter laugh. They did have some similarities.
"Xuan"er, we may not be able to leave today because of the torrent." Gu Yusheng slowly walked into the house and tried to make his tone as gentle as possible.
But Xie Mengxuan could discern his impatience at the moment after a quick look.
"It"s raining cats and dogs, and there are also mountains and slopes in this area. So, it"s indeed difficult for us to leave..." Xie Mengxuan walked to the doorway, looked outside, and sighed.
The current on the ground was fast flowing, but it seemed as if the cascade of rainwater wouldn"t stop.
Gu Yusheng patted the door frame with some eagerness. "G.o.d doesn"t help at all!" It sounded like he was talking about the rain, but only he knew that what it really meant.
Xie Mengxuan frowned, "Something unexpected may happen any time. There is nothing we can complain about." Then her voice rose, "Geng Zhishan, can you take a look at the road around here?"
"Do you have to leave even in such weather?"Geng Zhishan came out of the kitchen and looked at Xie Mengxuan with disappointment.
She looked at him without saying a word. Their eyes locked together for a long time. Geng Zhishan sighed and said, "Well, wait a minute. I will go and see."
After that, he put on the coir raincoat, wore the bamboo rain hat, and then ran into the rain.
"The man is so sincere to you, but Xuan"er, life in Imperial Capital would not suit him." Gu Yusheng sighed and feigned regret.
Xie Mengxuan nodded and whispered, "Yeah, I know."
"It seems that it often rained during the time I spent here. Though it didn"t rain so much at the same time last year." Xie Mengxuan whispered softly.
Gu Yusheng fell silent. He was not in Imperial Capital last year, so he didn"t know what happened then.
The fire last night, as well as the heavy rain today, happened successively. Gu Yusheng and Xie Mengxuan stood together and stared outside. Both of them displayed anxiety for these two things because it seemed bizarre to them. It appeared as if it was a conspiracy of someone.
But it was uncertain when the scheme would continue. That woman would not give up such an excellent opportunity.
Gu Yusheng looked down, and it was hard to know what he was thinking.
Geng Zhishan went out and didn"t come back for a long time. During this interval, Xie Mengxuan stood there motionlessly, and her dress got wet, but she didn"t notice. Uncle Luo sat aside, holding a sword in his hand and remaining motionless, too.
"Boom..." Suddenly, they heard a rumble of thunder in the distance. Xie Mengxuan was shocked. She could not help taking two steps forward. "He hasn"t been back for so long." She murmured, worried about Geng Zhishan.
Gu Yu Sheng wondered what the sound was. "Xuan"er, I"ll check it out."
"Well, be careful."Xie Mengxuan cautioned.
Gu Yusheng put on his raincoat and wore a bamboo hat. Then he also strode away. As soon as he left, Uncle Luo also followed him like an inseparable guard.
There was a loud noise outside, and even though the heavy rain didn"t stop, many people came out with curiosity.
They gathered around, and some people suggested that they should go together to find out what was going on over there. If the heavy rain had caused a collapse and the soil sagged and blocked the road, it would be very troublesome.
The bamboo door of the small yard was not closed. Xie Mengxuan stood there, and the people who pa.s.sed by always gazed at it. Everyone glanced at her with different expressions.
The last person pa.s.sed by with a cold and angry look. It was Aunt Cui.
Their house had just been burned, and now it was raining heavily. Without the help of the villagers, they would have been the most miserable people in the village.
Xie Mengxuan had eye contact with Aunt Cui, which made her particularly uncomfortable.
Aunt Cui smiled gloomily and stepped into the yard. "Girl, I advise you to leave a route of retreat for others. Don"t be so ruthless, or it would not bode well for you.
Xie Mengxuan frowned on hearing Aunt Cui"s words, while Aunt Cui left after finishing her words, leaving a frightening erratic look.
"No! There was a landslide, which cut off our way to the outside world."