Union

Chapter 13 Wavering Thoughts

Just as she was falling into a deep sleep, a sharp scream rang out outside: "Ah, murder!" "Bandits! Bandits!" "Run for your lives!"

Yunying immediately woke up with a start, and the little girl did the same, turning over and falling right off the bed.

"Miss, miss! Bandits are coming!" The little girl cried out in panic, "Where do we hide? Where do we hide?"

The little girl wandered around like a headless fly, moving chairs, tables, running to the door, opening cabinets... and finally hiding inside the cabinet.

But the cabinet was too small. After she squeezed inside, the cabinet door was pushed open, and the maid reached out to pull it open again...

Yunying came over in her slippers. "Hide well. I'll lock the cabinet door from the outside. Don't make a sound."

The maidservant responded with a "yes, yes," and Yunying picked up the lock and locked the cabinet door with a click.

Just then, a loud crash rang out.

The maidservant inside the cabinet let out a frightened scream, "Miss, what's wrong, Miss?"

Yunying patted her chest to calm her heart, which was about to jump out of her mouth, and said, still shaken, "No, it's nothing. The wind was too strong and blew the door open."

As she spoke, she quickly walked forward, intending to lock the door.

Unable to resist his curiosity, he peeked outside and saw that the crowd outside was already in a frenzy of fighting.

The pirates were so audacious that they even poured oil on a passenger ship and set it on fire for lighting purposes.

Flames burst forth, lights blazed, illuminating the sky on this side.

Yunying could also clearly see that many people had been killed and fallen into the water, while many others were still fighting a bloody battle.

Yunying's heart trembled, and she quickly locked the door and returned to her cabin.

For a fleeting moment, she considered jumping into the water to escape.

After all, too many people died tonight, so even if they couldn't find her in the end, everyone would just assume that she died at the hands of the bandits.

Even if she were lucky enough not to drown or be killed by the bandits lying in ambush, in this kind of weather, if she caught a cold or fever, it would still cost her her life.

After much deliberation, Yunying ultimately didn't dare to jump out the window.

Fortunately, she didn't jump out of the window, because the killing ended in no time.

It turned out that not only did they have many skilled men on their ship, but there were also forty or fifty bodyguards on an inconspicuous small boat not far behind them, escorting valuable goods.

The bandits numbered less than a hundred and were a motley crew. This time, they ran into a brick wall and many were killed. The remaining men, seeing that things were not going well, quickly jumped into the river and fled.

After the battlefield was cleared and the personnel were checked, it was found that only two guards on their ship had suffered minor injuries, while the rest were all fine.

Upon hearing this, Yunying silently thought to herself: That was close!

Fortunately, she was afraid of dying and stayed on the boat without jumping out of the window. Otherwise, even if she wasn't exposed by the bandits who jumped into the river to escape, she would have been found by Steward Wang and his men and taken back to be dealt with by their master.

After this incident, Yunying became even more silent, and her resolve to escape wavered.

Five days later, after many days of travel, the group finally arrived in Hangzhou.

This is the end of the canal. The group disembarked here and settled in an inn in the city.

After a day of rest, the group set off again.

This time, we traveled by boat again, but after only two days, we switched to a vehicle and began traveling by land.

The south is mostly mountainous, and even the well-paved official roads are rugged and difficult to travel.

Adding to the fact that there had just been a heavy rain, the roads were slippery and muddy, and unsurprisingly, everyone missed their lodging.

The guards who went out to scout the way found a Taoist temple just three miles away. Only then did the group perk up and hurried to the temple in the dark to settle down.

Upon arriving, they discovered that the Taoist temple was completely dilapidated. The roof was riddled with holes, and the door frame was nowhere to be found. The Taoist priests were nowhere to be seen, but there were plenty of snakes, rats, and insects. The room reeked of mildew... it was utterly filthy.

But there was nothing I could do but pack up and make do for the night.

Yunying was helping the maid tidy up the place where they would stay for the night. Just as they were getting it in order, a guard came running over, sweating profusely, looking for Aunt Ding.

As soon as Aunt Ding appeared, the guard said, "You should go and see. There's a woman giving birth in the woodshed in the backyard. It's a difficult, complicated birth." Yun Ying and the others were all stunned when they heard this. Even Aunt Ding seemed to be stunned for a long time.

But when she realized what the guard meant, Aunt Ding was also stunned; she had never given birth.

"Find Doctor Sun, hurry and find Doctor Sun."

The guards rushed out in a great hurry.

Aunt Ding followed closely behind and ran out. Yunying and the others were extremely curious and wanted to join in the fun, but since they were unmarried girls, they couldn't get too close.

The clever maid who took care of Aunt Ding ran out saying, "I'll go to the kitchen to get some hot water and bring it over."

The maids who cared for the young ladies were also tempted upon hearing this, but a difficult childbirth for a pregnant woman was not just about bloodshed. They had never witnessed it before, but they knew the dangers involved, so they dared not approach.

Because of this worry, the girls were all distracted, and no one even complained about the rather rough dinner.

When it was time to go to bed, Aunt Ding finally returned from outside, covered in blood.

Yunying and the others rushed out, eagerly asking Aunt Ding, "How is it? Has she given birth?" "Are mother and child both safe?" "How could a woman give birth in such a remote place? Are there any other people staying here?"

Aunt Ding was exhausted and sat on a stool, drinking tea and catching her breath.

After drinking tea, Aunt Ding wanted to wash up and change her clothes. But seeing the girls staring at her expectantly, she figured they wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully tonight without a satisfactory answer.

Aunt Ding then said, "With Doctor Sun's help, there's nothing he can't save. That woman was lucky; with Doctor Sun's assistance, she successfully gave birth to a son, and both mother and child are safe."

Then, with a sigh, she said, "She's not a passerby staying here; she's a woman who's lived here for a long time."

He then explained the woman's situation in detail.

It turned out that the woman had suddenly appeared in this desolate place, in a daze, and couldn't explain anything clearly when asked. Fortunately, her current husband took her in, and the woman finally had a place to stay, and the two became husband and wife.

Of course, this was the explanation given by the woman's husband.

But if you ask Aunt Ding, what girl would be willing to follow a man like that?
The man was ugly and coarse, old enough to be the woman's grandfather. The woman, though seemingly mentally unstable, was quite beautiful.

Aunt Ding had a bad feeling; she felt that the woman's appearance in this desolate place was not an accident.

Either the man coveted the woman's beauty and deliberately stole her and hid her here; or the woman was harmed and abandoned, and the man took advantage of her vulnerability to force her to be his wife.

Regardless of the interpretation, the man is not entirely innocent. The woman's mental instability is undoubtedly related to him. Because the woman would tremble and cower at the mere sound of a man's voice, and her body was covered with numerous scars, both old and new…

Aunt Ding's words were like a blow to the head, leaving Yunying and the others dizzy and disoriented.

The group firmly believed Aunt Ding's guess, but the more certain it was, the more terrified they became.

After a long silence, Yunying finally spoke, asking, "Auntie, can we save her?"

Aunt Ding glanced at Yun Ying.

She was surprised that Yunying would ask such a question. In her opinion, Yunying was a simple-minded girl, but also very thoughtful.

She was silent, but her silence was clearly different from Ruizhu's.

Ruizhu's silence stemmed from her accustomed life as a servant; she had come to understand the wisdom that too much talk leads to mistakes. Her silence was more like a passive resistance; she seemed detached from reality, unwilling to delve deeper into the ways of the world.

She had mixed feelings about the girl; she was pleased by her simple-mindedness, but also wary of her because she couldn't see through her thoughts.

In addition, Yunying was indifferent to everything and had no desires. Whether it was fruit, pearl flowers, rouge and powder or cloth, she would take whatever was given to her without ever picking and choosing or asking for anything extra. In fact, you could never figure out her preferences or what she really cared about.

Such a simple yet complex girl, whose only interaction with everyone on the ship was a nod, is now pleading for her friend.
Aunt Ding stared at Yun Ying for a long time, but Yun Ying still looked straight at her without flinching. The implication was clear: You heard me right, that was the question she asked.

Aunt Ding's heart softened, and she said, "I would like to take her with me, but it's not possible."

Before Yunying could ask why, Aunt Ding said, "Firstly, the woman and the man are a 'proper' couple, and they even have a marriage certificate; secondly, the woman doesn't recognize anyone else, yet she looks at her newborn child like the apple of her eye."

The man, who was already old enough to be a grandfather, had children, so it was obvious that he would never let anyone take his child away.

Since they can't take the child with them, the woman can't possibly go with them.

(End of this chapter)