20demayo Chapter 416 I'll tell you a secret
Chapter 416 I'll tell you a secret
Five days later, Qin Shao finally received the imperial decree and rushed back to Liyang. As soon as he returned to the general's mansion, he saw Qin Chuyun running towards him.
"Father, you're finally back..."
Qin Shao patted Qin Chuyun on the shoulder, looking exhausted.
"I'm covered in dirt, don't get you dirty. How's your stepmother?"
"He remained unconscious, refusing to eat or drink, and couldn't be given any medicine. Even when he briefly woke up... he was just... talking nonsense the whole time..."
As Qin Chuyun spoke, she couldn't help but shed tears again.
These past few days have been extremely difficult for her. That night, the three of them were talking peacefully when the young woman suddenly fell into a coma.
The brother-in-law brought Little Fairy Doctor to treat the young lady, but the young lady did not improve at all. Instead, she fell into a more and more frenzied state, shouting words that she could not understand at all.
She was too weak to restrain her madwoman, and could only watch helplessly as her sister Xuan repeatedly tried her best to pull her back from the brink of collapse.
These past two days, my mother has become very quiet, but I know that her life is coming to an end.
Because no one can live without food and water...
Qin Shao sighed and raised his hand to wipe away the tears on Qin Chuyun's face.
When he learned that the Emperor had urgently summoned him back to the capital because Wu Yulan was critically ill, he subconsciously thought he had misread the situation.
Although Wu Yulan had been sickly and frail for years, she suddenly fell ill with a serious disease, and even a celestial being descending to earth could not save her life. She is now on the verge of death.
Qin Shao was shocked and still found it hard to believe, but after hearing Qin Chuyun say this, he could barely accept the fact.
"I'll go change into some clean clothes and then I'll go see your mother."
"Okay, I'll go tell Sister Xuan right away."
At this moment, in Wu Yulan's bedroom.
Zhao Xuan had been staying by Wu Yulan's side for days. Only when she was too tired to stay awake would she occasionally doze off by the bedside.
If it weren't for Little Fairy Doctor doing everything she could to keep Wu Yulan alive, Wu Yulan might not have made it to today.
Zhao Xuan had dark circles under her eyes and had lost a lot of weight.
She sat on the edge of the bed, silently gazing at Wu Yulan's face, which had become skin and bones, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Just then, Wu Yulan's tightly closed eyes slowly opened.
She looked around blankly, her gaze finally settling on Zhao Xuan's face, and her eyes suddenly cleared.
"Xuan'er... my Xuan'er..."
She called out softly.
Zhao Xuan, who was wiping away tears, suddenly looked up and looked at Wu Yulan with great surprise, grabbing Wu Yulan's outstretched hand.
"Aunt Lan! Aunt Lan! You're awake?! You're finally awake!"
Qin Chuyun happened to walk into the bedroom and heard Zhao Xuan calling him. He hurriedly ran to the bedside and was overjoyed to see that Wu Yulan had woken up.
"Is my mother awake? That's wonderful! My mother woke up as soon as Father returned to the manor!"
"Uncle Qin is back home?" Zhao Xuan couldn't hide her surprise and urged Qin Chuyun, "Then hurry up and call him over! Go quickly!"
"Okay! I'll go get my dad right now!"
Just as Qin Chuyun was about to turn and leave, Wu Yulan struggled to get up, looking anxious, and stopped him.
"Yun'er! No! No! I don't want to see him!"
Zhao Xuan hurriedly helped Wu Yulan sit up against the headboard, and asked Wu Yulan with a puzzled look on her face.
"Aunt Lan doesn't want to see Uncle Qin? Why?"
Wu Yulan looked at Zhao Xuan tenderly, took Zhao Xuan's hand in her palm, and patted it gently.
Zhao Xuan felt that Wu Yulan's hands were unusually cold, without a trace of warmth, so she couldn't help but wrap her hands around Wu Yulan's hands and gently rub them, trying to give her some warmth.
Wu Yulan was slightly out of breath. She looked up at Qin Chuyun, her voice clear and coherent, not at all like someone who had once been driven to madness.
"Yun'er, go tell your father that he doesn't need to rush over. Let him rest for a bit, have some water, and then I'll have someone call him over after I've spoken to Xuan'er for a few minutes."
Qin Chuyun hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
The way Xiao Niang looks now is like a person's last moments of lucidity before death. If she doesn't see her father now, how much longer can she hold on?
In the end, Qin Chuyun said nothing. She just looked at Zhao Xuan, and when Zhao Xuan nodded at her, she turned and left the bedroom.
Zhao Xuan, full of concern, still held Wu Yulan's hand tightly.
"Aunt Lan, are you feeling any better? I'll have Little Fairy Doctor come over and check your pulse..."
Wu Yulan gently shook her head.
"No need... I feel much better now... Don't go, stay with me for a while, I have something to tell you."
Zhao Xuan vaguely sensed that Wu Yulan's current state was very strange, and a great sadness welled up in her heart. She did not want to go against Wu Yulan's wishes.
She sat obediently on the edge of the bed, constantly rubbing Wu Yulan's cold hands.
Wu Yulan sighed deeply before slowly speaking.
"Xuan'er, I have a secret to tell you..."
She had barely finished speaking when Wu Yulan suddenly gasped for breath again, like a fish stranded on the shore, desperately trying to stay alive.
Zhao Xuan quickly reached out and stroked Wu Yulan's chest to help her catch her breath.
"Aunt Lan! Don't worry, tell me slowly, I'm listening..."
Wu Yulan seemed to be comforted by Zhao Xuan's words. She gradually calmed down, and a trace of tenderness flashed in her eyes.
"I actually fell deeply in love with Qin Shao many years ago... but he only had eyes for Miss and never really looked at me. So I could only secretly, secretly love him..."
An unusual flush suddenly appeared on Wu Yulan's withered face.
Upon hearing Wu Yulan reveal her secret thoughts as she lay dying, Zhao Xuan abruptly looked up at Wu Yulan, stunned and speechless, unsure how to react.
"I was wrong……"
After murmuring these three words, Wu Yulan suddenly smiled.
The smile on her withered face was like a flower about to wither, desperately using its last bit of life to leave one last brilliant moment in this world.
Wu Yulan's laughter awakened Zhao Xuan. Besides panic, Zhao Xuan's feelings at this moment were mostly one of reluctance.
"Aunt Lan...you, please stop...there's nothing wrong with liking someone..."
Zhao Xuan tried to comfort Wu Yulan, but didn't know where to begin.
Wu Yulan likes Qin Shao, but Qin Shao only has his master in his heart. This tangled mess of feelings also involves her elders, leaving Zhao Xuan feeling exhausted.
Wu Yulan reached out her withered hand and touched Zhao Xuan's face.
“You’re a good boy… Don’t interrupt me, listen to me…”
Wu Yulan suddenly hunched over, took a few more breaths, and then looked up at the top of the tent. Her thoughts had never been so clear.
Piercing through layers of mist, she saw glimpses of the past, and her own heart, tightly bound by desire and greed.
Even now, she still dares not let her mistress know these thoughts. She is too ashamed to face her and only wishes that everything could go back to the way it was before.
But she also knew that everything was irreversible...