Chapter 152
"I didn't realize you were friends with our benefactor. Please forgive me for any slight earlier."
Hearing such refined and courteous words from an elderly woman of the Yan State took Ye Yunniang by surprise.
The old woman walked over to Ye Yunniang and Wen Nuan and introduced herself.
Her name was Chu Yuying, and she was also from the Qing Dynasty.
At the age of eighteen, she had been abducted by human traffickers and sold into the Yan State, bought by a pair of brothers to be their wife.
Chu Yuying bore the brothers three sons and one daughter.
Thirty years had passed, and her four children had all grown up, married, and had children of their own.
After her sons and daughter married, they did not leave. The large extended family lived together, leading a nomadic life moving in search of water and pastures.
Not long ago, their flock of sheep was ambushed by a pack of wolves. It was Tong Mo, who happened to be passing by, who stepped in and saved them.
The Chu family was deeply grateful. Knowing that Tong Mo was looking for someone, they offered to help him gather information.
The two brothers Chu Yuying married had no surname, and their given names were chosen at random. When the children were born, they simply took Chu Yuying's surname.
Chu Yuying invited Ye Yunniang and Wen Nuan to rest inside her tent.
The two followed her inside, only to see a familiar face.
"Taohong!"
"What are you doing here!"
"Auntie Chu saved me. Having nowhere else to go, I stayed to live with them for the time being," Taohong explained her situation. She brought over some water for the two to wash up.
Just as Ye Yunniang finished cleaning herself up, Tong Mo rode back on his horse, bringing good news.
He had encountered the traffickers who had captured Baise and the others.
The traffickers had a large number of men. With Tong Mo's martial prowess, he could easily slaughter his way through them alone, but he would not be able to guarantee the safety of the captives.
"I will go with you," Ye Yunniang said, gripping her dagger.
"I will go too," Wen Nuan said, tightening her grip on a kitchen knife.
"Benefactor, we will go as well." The Chu family members also grabbed their weapons and tools.
Tong Mo took several of the Chu family's robust men with him, leaving Ye Yunniang and Wen Nuan behind.
His reasoning was clear: they did not know martial arts. Bringing them along would only distract him, as he would have to protect them. It was better for them to wait at the Chu family's camp.
Ye Yunniang handed the poison she had to Tong Mo.
"Protect yourself."
"Wait for my good news." Tong Mo took the poison and led the Chu brothers away to mount a rescue.
Ye Yunniang and the others waited until noon the next day, when Tong Mo finally returned with his group.
Accompanying them were seven or eight women. Some of their faces looked familiar; they were the ones who had been abducted and held together in the traffickers' den.
Seeing familiar faces, the women relaxed a little.
Ye Yunniang noticed a long gash on Tong Mo's arm.
She brought over a medical kit and had Tong Mo take off his outer robe to expose his arm.
She cleaned the wound, applied medicine, bandaged it, and tied the knot securely.
As Ye Yunniang was about to leave, Tong Mo grabbed her arm and gave it a hard pull.
Losing her balance, Ye Yunniang stumbled backward and fell right onto Tong Mo's lap.
Ignoring his injury, Tong Mo wrapped his arms tightly around her.
Ye Yunniang struggled, trying to get up.
Tong Mo's pleading voice sounded by her ear. "Don't marry him, okay? Don't marry Jiang Mingzhe.
Ye Yunniang, look at me. Look at me, please? I am sincere, and I will treat you well. I will raise Li Pan and the others as my own sons. I will work hard to earn money and give you a good life..."
Ye Yunniang stopped struggling and clenched her fists.
"Tong Mo, don't give your heart to me. I am not worth it."
Tong Mo did not want to hear Ye Yunniang say such heartless words anymore, so he sealed her lips with his own.
The soft and gentle touch made him crave more.
Tong Mo suddenly stopped all his movements and looked at the unresponsive Ye Yunniang. "Why aren't you resisting?"
"Isn't this what you wanted?"
"Ye Yunniang, you are truly cruel," Tong Mo dropped these words, grabbed his clothes, and stormed out of the tent.
Ye Yunniang picked up her clothes, put them on one by one, stepped out of the tent, and headed to where Baise and Tie Yi were staying.
Baise was taking care of the unconscious Tie Yi.
"How is Uncle Tie Yi?"
"He took a stab wound to save me and passed out from losing too much blood." Baise reached up to wipe away her tears. "It is my fault. I was so obsessed with having a daughter that I forced him to eat spicy food with me."
Tie Yi had eaten too much spicy food, which upset his stomach and left him unwell, giving the traffickers an opportunity to strike.
"I was the one who brought it up first," Ye Yunniang said.
"Are you asking me to blame you?"
"If it makes you feel better, then blame me."
"I haven't lost my mind." Baise was never one to place blame blindly. During her pregnancy, Tie Yi had taken such good care of her that she had become spoiled and arrogant.
"Thank you for saving us," Baise said, expressing her gratitude to Ye Yunniang.
"I didn't save you."
"If it weren't for you, Tong Mo wouldn't have lifted a finger to save us." Baise saw things clearly.
At the mention of Tong Mo, Ye Yunniang thought of what had just happened in the tent, and her expression darkened.
Baise noticed her unusual reaction. "Have you truly never had feelings for Tong Mo?"
Ye Yunniang fell silent for a long moment. "To be honest, I have."
The bright, handsome youth had eyes and a heart only for her, willing to give her his everything.
Ye Yunniang was just an ordinary woman; it was hard for her not to be moved.
"Then why abandon him?" Baise couldn't understand.
"It is not about abandoning him. We just aren't suited for each other."
Tong Mo's affection was pure, passionate, and fearless, giving his all without hesitation.
Because he gave his all in love, he naturally expected Ye Yunniang to return it in equal measure.
But Ye Yunniang couldn't do that.
No one could forever maintain such absolute, fiery devotion while loving someone who always held back.
If one day, Tong Mo's burning passion faded or became tainted with other things...
...Ye Yunniang, having already experienced his wholehearted devotion, wouldn't be able to bear it.
"If you like him, just be with him. Even if you can't be husband and wife for a lifetime, having a fleeting romance is still nice." Baise felt that Ye Yunniang was overthinking things.
"Besides, how can you be so sure that Tong Mo won't treat you well for the rest of his life? I think he is someone capable of enduring love. You are underestimating him."
"Wife, stop talking," Tie Yi interrupted Baise. If she actually managed to sway Ye Yunniang's heart, it would be big trouble.
"Don't you agree?"
"How Lady Ye chooses is her own business; outsiders shouldn't meddle." Tie Yi was terrified that if Ye Yunniang changed her mind and chose Tong Mo, Jiang Mingzhe would kill Baise once he found out.
Having interacted with Jiang Mingzhe for quite some time, he deeply understood just how unhinged that man could be.
"What kind of magic potion did Jiang Mingzhe feed you to make you so considerate of him?" The mere mention of Jiang Mingzhe reminded Baise of her ruined wedding night, immediately sparking her anger.
"Wife, I am not doing this for Commander Jiang. I am..."
Baise cut off Tie Yi's explanation. "You are not what? From what I see, you just think about Jiang Mingzhe in everything you do. Is he really that great, so much so that you would scold me for his sake..."
Ye Yunniang took the opportunity to quietly leave. She couldn't answer Baise's question.
She had already made her choice, and she didn't want to change it now.