The bamboo forest was serene, with the wind rustling through the leaves.
Shen Hanxing circled the entire forest but did not find anything unusual.
On the way back from Yunxiao Courtyard, he noticed Lin Xingxue’s clearly abnormal demeanor as she passed through the bamboo forest. Her backward retreat and avoidance revealed her fear.
Wu Tong said that this was the place where she had the accident when she was nine years old.
It was because she had fallen into the water and frightened that she became mute and has been unable to speak to this day.
Shen Hanxing gently tapped the armrest, one tap after another, pondering over any unusual details.
Suddenly, several “popping” sounds similar to firecrackers exploded in the distance.
Perhaps due to the distance, the sounds seemed a bit unreal.
Shen Hanxing squinted slightly; he trusted his ears.
He pushed the wheelchair forward, and the sound of a young boy became clearer.
Shen Hanxing saw him lighting firecrackers one by one and throwing them towards a girl in red not far away.
The firecrackers flew around, exploding at the edges of the girl’s skirt, some hitting her wrists and injuring her hands. The girl hugged her head and sat on the ground without any reaction, curling up to protect herself in the most primitive way.
Her body trembled slightly, unable to dissipate the sounds around her ears, and when she opened her eyes, the hallucinations continued.
She was terrified of those vicious eyes, not daring to open her eyes, and unable to perceive the reality around her.
Meanwhile, the boy in the splendid clothes continued to curse the girl: “You poisonous woman, how dare you insult my mother? Even an illegitimate daughter dares to step on my mother’s head. I think you must have the courage of a bear and the heart of a leopard. You should have starved to death in Cangling County! A trouble no one wants, you should have drowned in the water back then!”
The boy in splendid clothes cursed the girl to death repeatedly.
He got closer and even thought of throwing the firecrackers directly at her.
These were new toys he had found; they ignited with a scratch and exploded when thrown. The power was not great but could scare timid people.
Lin Xingyan’s plan was not limited to this. He planned to throw all the firecrackers first and then punish the girl.
After all, he had many ways to torment people[1], and he was sure that the girl would cry and beg for mercy, personally asking his mother to come back.
Lin Xingyan did not hear the sound of withered leaves being crushed.
Behind him, Shen Hanxing looked at him with a glint of murderous coldness in his eyes.
Lin Xingyan inexplicably felt a chill rising behind him. Before he could turn around, he suddenly felt intense pain in his right calf, making him scream and fall to the ground, clutching his leg and crying.
A sharp sleeve blade had pierced his calf, and blood was flowing out quickly.
The wheelchair rolled over the leaves in the forest, and several silver needles pierced Lin Xingyan’s limbs.
Lin Xingyan, in terror, realized he could not speak. Even the slightest movement of his limbs caused excruciating pain.
He looked in horror at the man in the wheelchair, suddenly realizing that this person could take his life in an instant.
Lin Xingyan, who was usually fearless, felt an unprecedented fear.
The noisy sounds disappeared as Shen Hanxing approached Lin Xingxue.
Lin Xingxue’s posture remained the same as before, and she showed no reaction when Shen Hanxing approached.
Shen Hanxing tentatively reached out to touch her shoulder. As soon as his fingertips touched her, Lin Xingxue, as if receiving a huge shock, looked up in terror and tried to escape.
Shen Hanxing saw Lin Xingxue’s appearance and his pupils constricted slightly.
In his memory, the girl always seemed to be on the verge of tears, as if she could cry at any moment.
But the girl had never truly cried.
Even today in Yunxiao Courtyard, when Lady Han trampled on her heart with every word, she only reddened her eyes for Shen Hanxing’s sake and stubbornly refused to yield or cry.
Now, Lin Xingxue’s face was covered with tear stains, and her peach blossom eyes were filled with tears, which fell uncontrollably.
She did not recognize Shen Hanxing and still wanted to escape.
She bit down with great force, and blood quickly flowed out, spreading the rusty smell.
Shen Hanxing allowed her to bite him, gently touching her head as if comforting her like his mother had done when he was young: “Ah Xue, don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
He awkwardly called her “Ah Xue,” his voice gentle, his blood dripping from his wrist. He seemed to feel no pain, looking at the girl with a soft tone to calm her frightened mind.
Lin Xingxue’s movements gradually slowed. She began to hear someone calling her.
At first, she thought it was her mother. Later, the voice gradually overtook the hoarse curses and turned into a man’s calm tone.
She found the voice familiar, and the bloody taste in her mouth made her nauseous.
She finally stopped biting, slowly looking up at Shen Hanxing.
She looked at him for a long time, as if failing to recognize him.
She reached out to touch Shen Hanxing’s nose bridge. In the blink of an eye, tears fell, silently saying: “Husband?”
“It’s me,” Shen Hanxing softly replied.
He took out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears on Lin Xingxue’s face. When the girl’s eyes were no longer vacant, he gently asked her: “Can you stand up?”
Lin Xingxue nodded slowly. She was not fully awake yet but subconsciously felt that the person in front of her was trustworthy.
“Can you still see other scenes?” Shen Hanxing asked gently, afraid of startling the girl.
Lin Xingxue’s eyes flashed with fear upon hearing those words.
To others, the bamboo forest appeared bright, but to her, it remained dark and terrifying.
“Do you trust me?” Shen Hanxing continued asking.
Lin Xingxue nodded slowly, trusting her husband.
“Good, then I will cover your eyes. You hold my hand, and I will take you out, alright?”
Shen Hanxing folded the handkerchief and, seeing her nod, covered her eyes.
He signaled the girl to stand up, took her hand, and simultaneously released a signal flare into the air.
Lin Xingxue shuddered slightly at the explosive sound.
She tightly grabbed Shen Hanxing’s sleeve, her vision darkened, and followed him step by step out of the forest.
Just as they emerged from the bamboo forest, Luo Yan, who had come in response to the signal, saw Lin Xingxue’s disheveled appearance and was about to speak when Shen Hanxing signaled for silence.
He helped Lin Xingxue crouch down, removed the cloth from her eyes, and pointed to the bright sky. “Look, the sky is brightening.”
Lin Xingxue looked up at the azure sky following his finger. The warm sunlight dispelled the chill that had seeped into her body. She raised her hand slightly to shield her eyes from the sunlight and suddenly felt very tired.
Her consciousness gradually faded. With her eyes closed, her body slumped.
Shen Hanxing caught her just in time, letting her lean against his chest.
“Prepare the carriage. Return to the residence.”
The carriage of the Hou residence quietly stopped at the back gate of the Lin residence and then quickly and steadily made its way back to the Hou residence.
At this moment, the Lin residence was already in chaos.
First, the main wife of the family was sent to the Jing Si Temple for reflection. Now, young master Lin Xingyan was injured in the right leg. Despite his agonizing pain, he could not cry out.
The doctor removed the four silver needles. Lin Xingyan could finally move but still could not speak.
He pointed anxiously at his throat, indicating he could not make any sound.
“Doctor, what’s the matter?” Old Madam Lin asked urgently.
“This…” The doctor checked and could only helplessly shake his head. “My medical skills are insufficient. I’m afraid I cannot restore your young master’s speech.”
After his outburst, he was stunned.
Mute…
Shen Hangxing intentionally did this.
The doctor treated and bandaged Lin Xingyan’s leg wound, then gave him a bowl of medicinal soup.
Seeing Lin Xingyan asleep, Old Madam Lin signaled Lin Fucai to follow her outside.
Once everyone had left, Old Madam Lin let out a heavy sigh and looked at Lin Fucai with deep concern. “Do you know why I returned early this time?”
“Was it to see Ran’er[2]? If I had known, it would have been better not to let her return. She’s truly a troublemaker[3]!”
Lin Fucai was furious, obviously referring to Lin Xingxue.
They had all thought that Shen Hanxing would not care about Lin Xingxue and had guessed that she might even be mistreated. But their worries were just worries, and they quickly dismissed them.
Lin Fucai did not care much about this illegitimate daughter’s future.
Old Madam Lin knocked the ground heavily with her cane, anxious and urgent: “That was something I said for others to hear. Yan’er[4], along with a few others, severely injured the grandson of the Xia family in Yun’an County. The Xia family is relentless; I’m afraid they will try to harm Yan’er, so I brought him back overnight. You need to think of a way to calm this situation. If this gets out, Yan’er will face severe consequences
[5]
“What?!” Lin Fucai, upon hearing this, felt his vision blur and nearly lost his balance.
Lin Fucai only had one son, Lin Xingyan. Both Lady Han and Old Madam Lin pampered him, treating him as if he were beyond reproach. Previously, when Lin Xingyan only caused minor trouble, Lin Fucai could settle things with money and influence.
But who was the Xia family? Although they had no officials in the court, they were the richest family in Dongning and had extensive connections.
Lin Xingyan injured the Xia family’s grandson—how could the Xia family let this go?
“How many people know that Mother[5] referring to Old Madam Lin has left? Has the Xia family been kept in the dark?”
Lin Fucai was no longer concerned about Lin Xingyan’s injury. What worried him now was whether the Xia family had learned that Old Madam Lin had returned to the capital early with Lin Xingyan.
“I kept it tightly under wraps. The Xia family shouldn’t know yet.”
“That’s good, that’s good. Make sure it stays hidden. If the Xia family finds out that Yan’er has escaped and gets furious, it will be a big problem if they cause a commotion in the capital!”
If it was in Yun’an County, he could still think of ways to handle it, but if it reached the capital, not only would Lin Xingyan suffer, but Lin Fucai would also be affected.
Hou Residence, East Transverse Courtyard.
Wu Tong carefully helped Lin Xingxue lie down, tucked her in, and then stepped aside to let Qi Ye check her pulse.
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious; she’s just frightened. Prepare a bowl of soothing soup for her to drink, and a good sleep will do the trick.” Qi Ye withdrew his hand from the pulse check and went to write the prescription for the soothing soup.
Shen Hanxing sat by the bed, watching Lin Xingxue. Once Wu Tong had fed her the soothing soup and he saw her frown relaxing, he was certain she had calmed down, so he left.
Qi Ye was still waiting in the East Transverse Courtyard room. Seeing Shen Hanxing arrive, he put down his teacup: “This is the first time I’ve seen you so anxious, actually using blue signaling smoke.”
Blue signaling smoke was only used for urgent situations.
The situation at the time didn’t quite warrant that level of urgency.
Shen Hanxing used it merely to let Luo Yan know of his direction.
He felt that the young woman’s condition couldn’t wait too long.
Shen Hanxing didn’t respond to Qi Ye. He looked at Wu Tong and asked in a deep voice, “What happened to your young miss when she was nine that made her mute?”
[1] bro wth is up with these nobles…
[2] Lin Xingran’s nickname
[3] Lin Fucai suddenly switches the topic from Lin Xingran to Xingxue here.
[4] Lin Xingyan’s nickname