260. I Thought You Were Dead
Translator: Fan Translation Studio
At that moment, most of the onlookers became excited. What an interesting scene! A man’s wife interrupting his new wedding to another woman! How could they miss it?
Xiao Baoshan gazed at Ye Xiaoxian steadily. Jin Xiaoyu had only a vague impression of Ye Xiaoxian, a special woman who had been here once before, but she hadn’t expected her to know Dumb, let alone be his ex-wife.
As the wedding ceremony stopped, the atmosphere also became dull. Someone shouted, “Miss Jin, don’t chicken out! Go on with the wedding first!”
“Miss Jin, why bother worrying about his wife? This man’s a good match for you! After the wedding, you’ll be his real wife!”
“Didn’t someone say he gave the woman a letter of divorce?”
“Yes…”
…
Jin Xiaoyu was also observing Ye Xiaoxian. Hearing the noises, she shouted impatiently, “Shut up!” When she wanted to ask Xiao Baoshan, he squeezed through the crowd toward Ye Xiaoxian.
Jin Xiaoyu’s heart sank as she had a terrible foreboding.
Xiao Baoshan walked up to Ye Xiaoxian and gazed at her. “You know me? My name is Xiao Baoshan?”
Ye Xiaoxian lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “You don’t know who you are?”
Amnesia?
Wasn’t that a usual plot for a modern CEO in a TV series? But she was now in ancient times. Did amnesia also usually happen to excellent men in this era?
Xiao Baoshan replied, “About a year ago, I woke up at the base of a mountain and didn’t know who I was or where I was from. Confused and disorientated, I came to this inn and was taken in by Miss Jin. I’d been waiting for my family to look for me, but no one came. So I thought, perhaps, I had no home or family.”
Ye Xiaoxian and her companions were stunned by what he said. One year ago? Wasn’t that when he disappeared?
Qian Qi said he had sent people to searched around that mountain but didn’t find Xiao Baoshan. It turned out that Xiao Baoshan had walked to Longmen Inn which was not in their search area.
Thinking about this, Xiao Tieshu tapped his thigh. “I told you he has amnesia. He’s such an honest man. How could he be a two-timer? He’s still Baoshan even though he’s lost his memory.”
Liu Qianqian was still suspicious. “Who says an honest man can’t be a two-timer? Some betrayers are indeed honest men. But… Xiao Baoshan, have you really forgotten what happened before? Are you acting?”
Standing next to Xiao Baoshan, Silly explained, “He’s not acting. He indeed can’t remember anything. He’s called ‘Dumb’ here. None of us know his real name!”
Xiao Baoshan nodded. “I don’t remember my name being Xiao Baoshan. Who is Xiao Baoshan? Is he a good man or bad? What did he do before?”
Liu Qianqian looked at Ye Xiaoxian who was gazing at Xiao Baoshan in astonishment. He had really lost his memory! She knew Xiao Baoshan was not someone who would pretend to have amnesia or leave his family behind because of a woman.
So Liu Qianqian said to him, “Xiao Baoshan, I heard about your story from others. You were a great general who achieved victory in almost every battle. Certainly, you lost once, but that was not your fault. You saved many lives and they called you a hero. Later, to save people, you got injured and disappeared. We couldn’t find you and thought you were dead.”
A hero?
Out of shock, Xiao Baoshan took a step back. The previous group of people calling him Xiao Baoshan had said he was a traitor. This group of people also called him Xiao Baoshan, but they were saying that he was a hero.
He looked at Ye Xiaoxian. “Who do you think I am?”
With tears in her eyes, she huffed, “I don’t care who you are. In my eyes, you were my husband in the past and you’re my ex-husband now! You’ve divorced me and are going to marry another woman!”
At that moment, he suddenly felt an ache in his chest. He could clearly feel her sadness, and as her figure became more and more familiar, it seemed to coincide with that in his dreams. If this woman was really his wife, how should he treat Jin Xiaoyu?
He turned to Jin Xiaoyu. Jin Xiaoyu had been watching them talk. When she met his eyes, she burst out laughing. She laughed louder and louder and tears started to come.
Puzzled, some guests asked, “Miss Jin, why are you laughing in such a situation?”
Jin Xiaoyu ignored them and kept laughing. After a long while, she stopped and asked Xiao Baoshan, “Dumb, you say you always dream of a woman. Is she the one in front of you? If she is…”
She grabbed a jar and gulped the wine inside down. Then, she smashed the jar onto the ground. “I’m Jin Xiaoyu, and I don’t bother myself with stealing another woman’s man! If she’s the one in your heart, you can go with her!” After saying that, she turned around and went upstairs.
The others were again stunned.
They had heard much about her daring ways of loving and letting go, which proved to be true here. She didn’t even ask for an explanation.
It was Xiao Baoshan who was in the wrong. Xiao Baoshan was also very regretful. He had hurt two women’s feelings. He couldn’t help asking himself if he had made a mistake, but he didn’t know anything at all. It pained him to see Ye Xiaoxian’s sorrowful and angry face, while he also felt sympathetic towards Jin Xiaoyu when she broke the jar.
Xiao Tieshu, as the patriarch, finally said, “Baoshan, if you’ve really lost your memory, you shouldn’t get married now. You should come back with us to see your mother and hear what she has to say. If you marry Miss Jin, you’ll fail Little Ye. Why don’t you decide what to do after careful consideration?”
Ye Xiaoxian rose and took a deep breath. “I don’t care about that. He can marry anyone he likes. After all, he has given me a letter of divorce.”
Worried, Liu Qianqian dragged Ye Xiaoxian’s sleeve hurriedly. “Little Ye, are you crazy? You know a woman’s reputation will be damaged if she’s divorced. Besides, I can see that you still love him. Now, you’ve finally found him before he got married. Why don’t you give him a chance to make a decision after thinking things through.”
Then, she looked at Xiao Baoshan. “Xiao Baoshan, it’s up to you whether to listen to Uncle Tieshu and follow us to the tribe to see your mother. Before you disappeared, you were on your mission. Many people, including the Sixth King, are waiting for you to go back.”
…
It was an unavoidably unforgettable and extraordinary night. No one could fall asleep. Ye Xiaoxian and Liu Qianqian shared a room. With her mind in turmoil, Ye Xiaoxian kept her eyes open. Sleepy as Liu Qianqian was, she tried to encourage her friend not to give up and told her how hard a woman’s life would be without a husband. Besides, Xiao Baoshan was really a good man, although he could not remember the past. But Ye Xiaoxian’s mind was occupied by only one thought, that he had fallen in love with another woman. After regaining his memory, would he come back to her and love her again? He had been forced by Li Hongmei to marry her and had slowly developed feelings for her later on. However, his love for Jin Xiaoyu was unforced and true.
…
Xiao Baoshan should have slept with Jin Xiaoyu that night. After all, it was their wedding night. But after going back to her room, Jin Xiaoyu had locked the door and kept Xiao Baoshan out. Xiao Baoshan’s bedroom had also turned into a room for customers. So, he had to share a room with Xiao Tieshu and Wong Wu for the time being.
Being a bodyguard for his companions, Wong Wu had kept silent. Only now did he say to Xiao Baoshan, “General Xiao, I knew you when I was in the capital, though perhaps you didn’t know me. I was the Seventh King’s bodyguard. He thought you were a traitor and wanted to kill you. But it was verified that you were innocent and the imperial court also redressed the wrongs done to you.”
He continued expectantly, “You’re a master in martial arts. I’ve been looking forward to having a match with you.”
Xiao Baoshan was in no mood for that. He merely asked, “Could you tell me more about my past? Why do some people say that I’m a traitor and others say I’m a hero?”
Wong Wu then explained all he knew about Xiao Baoshan’s past. He said that those people Xiao Baoshan had met last time were spies from the palace. They might come to investigate the Sixth King and the Seventh King to see whether they were rebellious. Since Xiao Baoshan served under the Sixth King, it was natural that they’d call him a traitor.
After hearing that, Xiao Baoshan finally felt somewhat relieved. He was not a traitor but a good man.
Xiao Tieshu said to him, “Baoshan, you really should come with us. We miss you very much. We have many things to do in the tribe, so we can’t stay too long here. You’d better tell Miss Jin tomorrow that you’re leaving.”
Xiao Baoshan fell silent. It was easy to say goodbye to Jin Xiaoyu as she was a reasonable woman. But he owed her too much. He had promised to marry her, which gave her such great expectation and disappointment.
…
Xiao Baoshan knocked at the door and waited outside the room. Only after a long while did Jin Xiaoyu come out. Her wedding dress had been replaced by everyday wear, but her makeup remained and looked even thicker. Perhaps she had reapplied makeup before opening the door.
“Do you want to say you’re leaving with your family?” She came straight to the point.
He nodded.
The rims of her eyes became red, but she soon raised her head. “Now that you’ve decided, just go. Congratulations! You finally found your roots and are reunited with your family and your wife.”
“We…” He wanted to say something.
“We’re a joke, aren’t we? You don’t belong here. It was I who forced you to marry me. I was so silly. I knew you didn’t like me, but I still gave myself to you. Thankfully, we’re not married, otherwise life would become too heavy for me in the future.”