20demayo Chapter 251 Sending Letters
Chapter 251 Sending Letters
Nianyao's reaction was overly polite and cold. Su Wuming wanted to explain but felt it was futile. He slumped wearily onto the roadside and leaned back, saying, "I'm going to sleep for a while."
The word "will" had barely left his lips when Su Wuming fell asleep. He was a frail scholar who had rushed here from afar; he was indeed exhausted.
Nianyao squatted down and said softly, "Lord Su, you have such good upbringing. Even after such hard work, you are still dressed neatly."
If it were her, she would probably have disheveled hair and dirty clothes. Nianyao sat next to Su Wuming, while the soldiers around them exchanged bewildered glances.
Nianyao waved her hand: "You all go and look for him, I'll stay here and watch over him."
Su Wuming seemed to have a built-in timer, waking up precisely an hour later. He slowly sat up and saw the sunset reflected on the snow-capped mountains, the snow-capped mountains and the sunset glow echoing each other, a magnificent sight.
Nianyao stared blankly at the opposite side, noticing that Su Wuming had sat up but hadn't moved. She said in a low voice, "Duan Mingzhu really knows how to pick a place!"
Su Wuming took out a letter, hesitated for a moment, and handed it to Nianyao: "Yunting sent this to me when he passed through Sizhou. I should say it's for you."
There was not a single word on the envelope. Nianyao turned it over and over, asking, "How do I determine whether it's for you or for me?"
Su Wuming said, "The escort agency sent it to me in a box. The recipient wasn't specified on the letter, so naturally, the contents were addressed to whoever the letter was related to."
"Is what's inside related to her?" Nianyao asked. "Can I take it back to read?"
Su Wuming was slightly surprised: "...Of course. It's up to you, sister, to decide what to do with your letter."
Nianyao said, "Why didn't you send my letter directly to me?"
Su Wuming thought for a moment: "I don't really understand him either. But he's meticulous in his work, so he must have his reasons."
Nianyao said, "Those siblings are really strange. They don't tell their parents anything, but write to you instead. People who don't know the situation might think they are your children."
Su Wuming was younger than Xue Yunting, so he really couldn't have given birth to such a big son.
Nianyao was clearly in a bad mood, so Su Wuming remained silent.
Nianyao put the letter in her arms, stood up, and went down the mountain: "Let's go."
Following behind Nianyao, Su Wuming, remembering Xue Yunyao's words, asked, "Sister, did Yunyao send me a letter?"
Nianyao said, "Yes, it was sent when I left Wudong County."
Su Wuming asked, "Why not just give it to Magistrate Jiang?"
Nianyao said, "Xue Yunyao and Lexi aren't very familiar with Magistrate Jiang?"
The two young women had never been to the battlefield, so how could they be familiar with Magistrate Jiang and his men?
Su Wuming asked again, "Isn't my sister familiar with Magistrate Jiang?"
Nianyao's tone was somewhat impatient: "We're not familiar with each other at all."
Su Wuming thought that involving Nianyao in these matters must be very troublesome for her. The fact that she went to Mount Oulu to find Xue Yunting was already quite a feat. Besides, Magistrate Jiang knew her well, while she didn't really know him.
Nianyao probably realized she had gone too far, so she softened her tone slightly: "Wudong County is close to Qinzhou, so I thought the post station would deliver the letter quickly and there wouldn't be any problems."
What would take an ordinary person half a day to travel, even if the post station was slow, should be delivered within a day.
Before Su Wuming could respond, Nianyao continued, "Man proposes, God disposes. It is fate, and we cannot force it."
Since her father passed away, people have left her one after another. Even Xue Yunting, who was so young, has left. A wave of grief washed over Nianyao, her nose stung, and tears almost fell.
Nianyao curled her fingers to wipe her eyes, telling herself, "Don't cry. Separation and death are normal parts of life. There's nothing to cry about. I didn't cry when my father passed away, let alone anyone else."
Le Xi helped Xue Yunyao to stand at the foot of the mountain. Seeing them coming down, she immediately came over and asked, "Did you find it?"
Su Wuming looked at her without saying a word, and Xue Yunyao was about to cry again.
Nianyao said bluntly, "What are you crying for? All you do is cry all day long. Is this how the Xue family raises you? If you had learned more from your brother, you wouldn't be in such a situation where you can't even deliver a single letter."
"You pampered young lady, just stay in your secluded chambers and don't come out. If you're going out to make your way in the world, don't act like a spoiled princess. Everyone's busy; we don't have time to listen to your cries."
Xue Yunyao held back her tears, refusing to let them fall. She looked so wronged and pitiful that it broke one's heart.
Compared to this, Nianyao felt like a wicked old witch. She walked straight to the horse that was grazing and said, "I'm leaving."
Everyone's eyes followed her, and no one realized: she just left like that?!
Only after the man and horse disappeared from sight did Su Wuming turn to look at Xue Yunyao.
Xue Yunyao raised her sleeve and wiped her eyes hard, yelling at him, "What are you looking at? What's so interesting?"
Su Wuming looked away and said gently, "Let's go back, it's getting dark."
Le Xi asked, "What about Yun Ting?"
Someone immediately stepped forward: "Miss Yue, we will continue searching for the young general here."
Su Wuming raised his hand and smoothed Xue Yunyao's disheveled hair: "General Zhu will inform us if there is any news. Let's go back first."
Xue Yunyao slapped Su Wuming's hand away and suddenly took off running. She ran faster and faster until she was sprinting.
Zhu Liye said to Su Wuming, "Lord Su, Miss Le, you two go to the barracks to rest first. I'll go find the Third Miss."
Knowing he couldn't catch up, Su Wuming said, "General Zhu, thank you for your trouble."
After a long pause, Lexi asked, "Is it true? Why would he do that?"
Su Wuming sighed softly: "None of us truly understood him, but it was indeed his own choice!"
Le Xi looked up at the sky; the crimson sunset had faded, and darkness was falling. It was hot in Bianjing at this time of year, but here it was rather cool.
Le Xi rubbed her arm and touched the jade bracelet on her wrist. She had given one of these pair of red jade bracelets, a pair of mandarin duck bracelets, to Xue Yunting.
Xue Yunting gave the bracelet to Duan Mingzhu, then retrieved it at Qingchuan Inn and returned it to her, forcing her to call Duan Mingzhu "sister-in-law" and forbidding her from going to Jingzhao Manor with him.
Xue Yunting had already been so careful; she wanted to speak up for him. But Duan Mingzhu was still dissatisfied, and in front of everyone, she flew into a rage and smashed a new bracelet.
Xue Yunting, such a proud man, endured it all. Duan Mingzhu felt sorry for him when she heard others talk about it.
Le Xi thought that if it were her, Xue Yunting probably wouldn't be so indulgent. Le Xi also thought that if it were her, she wouldn't dare to be so presumptuous in front of Xue Yunting.
The phrase "being fearless because of one's privilege" perfectly describes Duan Mingzhu. Even Le Xi felt envious of a woman who had lived to such an extent.
Le Xi took off the red jade bracelet with mandarin ducks and smashed it heavily against a roadside stone. The bracelet shattered and disappeared in all directions. The sky seemed to darken completely in an instant.
Le Xi thought to herself: Yun Ting, you're not my brother, and I won't call Duan Mingzhu sister-in-law. If this is the ending you wanted, then so be it.
This bracelet was a gift from me to you, and I never intended to take it back. Now, let these two mandarin duck bracelets stay here with you.
Since you've chosen to stay here, I won't bother you again! Farewell, and may we never meet again!