Chapter 31

Yan Yuanhua was momentarily confused, wondering what Lu Minghua was afraid of. Looking up again, he saw that Lu Munghuu’s steps did not stop. Although her whole body was stiff, she still walked steadily, step by step, back.

His gaze fixed for a moment, and his heart suddenly became complicated. Clearly so afraid, why still so strong?

Taking big strides forward, Yan Yuanhua walked in front of Lu Minghua and suddenly started talking. “I remember when I first arrived at the border, it also rained heavily.”

Lù Mínghuá, in a daze, desperately trying to resist the fear in her heart, suddenly saw a tall figure standing in front of her.

“Hmm?” She didn’t even hear what Yan Yuanhua said; it was just a faint sound of confusion.

“The walls of the border are very high. Standing on top, you can see the endless mountains and rivers outside the pass. At that time, the Northern Barbarians were stationed outside the pass, and I, under the guidance of others, distinguished where they might be.” Yan Yuanhua turned back and smiled at her, his voice loud and clear.

Lu Minghua focused her thoughts and finally heard clearly. She subconsciously imagined for a moment, but then the thunder scattered her thoughts. The lightning that tore through the sky illuminated her trembling pupils, but she kept her head up, always looking ahead, not lowering her head to avoid it.

Yan Yuanhua was somewhat admiring in his heart. Even though it wasn’t the first time, he was still very surprised that such a resilient girl could be raised in an ordinary family like the Wen’an Earl’s mansion in the capital.

The thunder kept rumbling, but his words never stopped, always talking.

Lu Minghua also needed to do something, so she bit her teeth and listened carefully. Amidst the thunder, the man’s clear voice continued, invisibly dispelling some of her fear. She never answered, and Yan Yuanhua didn’t mind; he just kept talking to himself- talking about things that happened at the border, the vast world, the hearty comrades, and the difficult battles. In the rumbling thunder, Lu Minghua unconsciously focused her gaze on him.

Unknowingly, they had already returned to the other courtyard.

Yan Yuanhua stopped talking, looked at the anxious Mama Li, who came up to meet them, and turned to smile at Lu Minghua, “Go back quickly.”

“Okay.” Lu Minghua only felt her face was stiff, but she still tried to smile.

In the dim light, her always delicate face was pale, and this smile was almost imperceptible. Yan Yuanhua clenched his hand behind his back, suppressing the urge to hug her.

“Young Master Yuan, Miss, let’s go back.” Mama Li hurriedly greeted them and then looked at Lu Minghua with concern.

Lu Minghua nodded and walked back with Mama Li’s hurried support. Her steps were quick, she never looked back, her shoulders straight, as if everything was normal. But Yan Yuanhua still remembered her trembling fingertips and the panic in her eyes.

When the figure entered the main gate, and the gatekeeper hesitated to look at him, Yan Yuanhua suddenly came to his senses and turned back to his own courtyard.

“Your Highness, why did you go out again? Didn’t Doctor Song say you shouldn’t be exposed to the wind?” Zhao Shiyi, who had been pacing at the door, immediately rushed up to him as soon as he saw him return.

Yan Yuanhua had been fighting on the battlefield for years, always leading the charge. Although he returned alive, he was covered in injuries, making rainy days particularly difficult. The weather had changed yesterday, and Doctor Song had quickly prepared medicine for him, instructing him to stay indoors and avoid the wind. But despite the precautions, he still went out.

Later, Doctor Song came over with a stern face, urging him back inside. After a round of treatment, he prescribed some medicine to drink and a medicinal bath.

“Your Highness, if you take good care of these injuries for three to five years, you can recover some. You will be more comfortable in the coming decades.” He frowned and advised, “The Empress Dowager and His Majesty have always been concerned about you. Please don’t do this again.”

The two of them took turns nagging, but Yan Yuanhua was absent-minded. He still clearly remembered the thought he had just had—

Facing Lu Minghua, who was desperately trying to hide her fear, he wanted to go up and hug her. Even though he had always kept his distance from women, he knew that this thought definitely went beyond friendship.

He…

Yan Yuanhua sat there, lost in thought, feeling somewhat confused.

Is it really like this? How could it be like this???

“Your Highness?” Doctor Song finished speaking in one breath and saw Yan Yuanhua’s eyes wandering. Not knowing what he was thinking about, he called out again.

Yan Yuanhua turned his head to look at him and said calmly, “Just prescribe the medicine.”

His subordinates were usually used to his relaxed demeanor, but the normally easygoing and carefree person suddenly had a serious expression, making everyone feel a chill.

“Yes.” Doctor Song bowed his head in response.

Zhao Shiyi withdrew his gaze and quietly followed Doctor Song out, not daring to ask what was wrong with his master.

The room was dim, and candles had already been lit early.

Mama Li had been busy for half a day, finally making the room bright. It was time for the pipa practice. Zhan Yuan came over, ready to go in, but was pulled aside by Mama Li.

“What’s wrong?” Zhan Yuan, who usually taught at other people’s homes, found it inconvenient to come and go on rainy days, so she didn’t need to go. Seeing Mama Li like this, she asked in confusion.

Mama Li hesitated for a moment and said, “Teacher Zhan, Miss won’t be practicing today.”

“Excellence comes from diligence. How can she not practice?” Zhan Yuan frowned.

“Oh dear,” Mama Li became anxious, but her young lady was always strong-willed and didn’t want to talk about such things. However, given Lu Minghua’s current mood, how could she practice the pipa well?

“Teacher, please don’t ask. My young lady really has something going on and can’t practice right now.” Mama Li said earnestly, pulling Zhan Yuan aside.

“Something wrong?” Zhan Yuan glanced at her. She wasn’t an unkind person, so she said, “Let me take a look.”

Mama Li hesitated for a moment, then gently lifted the curtain for her to see.

Zhan Yuan took one look and immediately frowned.

Lu Minghua always had an excellent posture; her shoulders were relaxed, and her demeanor was calm. But now, she was extremely tense. In this state, if she tried to play the pipa, Zhan Yuan worried she might break the strings.

“What happened?” Zhan Yuan asked with concern after lowering the curtain.

Mama Li shook her head, unwilling to speak. Seeing this, Zhan Yuan had no choice but to give up.

As the thunder paused for a moment, Lu Minghua breathed a little easier. Remembering her schedule, she picked up the pipa, but her fingers felt stiff and couldn’t play.

“Mama,” she called Mama Li, intending to ask her to tell Teacher Zhan that she would rest today, only to learn that Teacher Zhan had already come and been persuaded to leave.

Lu Minghua couldn’t think deeply, so she nodded and clenched her hand in her sleeve, looking out the window.

Dark clouds loomed on the horizon, and a storm was approaching.

“Miss, there’s no one here now. If you’re scared, just go to bed and rest,” Mama Li, seeing her fear but still forcing herself to look, couldn’t bear to see her torment herself and advised.

“Mama, it’s just thunder,” she said. She shouldn’t be afraid. As she spoke, another clap of thunder sounded, and her breath quickened.

“Miss!” Mama Li had advised her countless times since she was young, but Lu Minghua forced herself to accept it, unwilling to show fear every time. Mama Li had no choice but to speak more sternly.

“Mama, hiding is useless. The more I hear it, the less I’ll fear it,” Lu Minghua continued. As a child, she would cry and tremble at the sound of thunder, but now she no longer did. One day, she would no longer be startled by thunder.

“But it’s okay to be afraid,” Mama Li said with a heavy heart, sitting in front of Lu Minghua and holding her hand. “Everyone has something they’re afraid of, and that’s okay.”

Lu Minghua looked down at her, smiling gently without speaking.

Outside, another clap of thunder sounded, and the rain finally poured down from the sky.

Lu Minghua’s face was pale, her hand clenched tightly in her sleeve, and she quietly watched the window. Suddenly, a clear and distant sound began to play, mournful and melodious, cutting through the rain and entering the small room.

Lu Minghua was startled.

It was… the sound of a dizi flute.

The rain continued, the thunder grew more intense, and the distant mountains were shrouded in mist and rain, making them indistinct.

The flute’s melodious and clear sound blended with the rain, but it did not seem sorrowful. Instead, it was unrestrained, like the wind in the mountains or the water flowing in the river, carefree and joyful.

Lu Minghua leaned against the window, listening. Even though there were occasional claps of thunder, she couldn’t help but be drawn to the sound of the flute. When the piece finally ended, leaving only the sound of the rain, she looked up and realized that the rain had already stopped.

Yan Yuanhua waited until the thunder ceased before putting away the flute. Standing under the corridor, he looked towards the neighboring house, wondering if Lu Minghua was feeling better now.

“Your Highness, the medicine is getting cold.” Zhao Shiyi, who had been anxiously pacing, saw that he had finally stopped playing the flute and immediately brought the bowl of medicine over.

Yan Yuanhua drank it all in one go, then turned and went inside. The medicinal bath was ready, and he undressed and entered the slightly hot water, feeling comfortable. Those old injuries from years ago would always cause tingling and slight soreness in the bones on rainy days. It didn’t hurt, but it was particularly annoying. He had long been used to it and didn’t think much of it.

Seeing her young lady being attracted by the sound of the flute from who knows where, Mama Li was also happy and silently thanked the person.

The rain continued all day, and it still hadn’t stopped by evening, making Mama Li a bit anxious. Her young lady never slept well on rainy days, and even the calming soup didn’t work. After thinking it over, she went next door again, hoping to ask Doctor Song to prescribe another calming medicine.

“Why not drink the calming soup?” Yan Yuanhua asked with a slight frown.

Mama Li quickly explained the reason.

Yan Yuanhua’s expression softened a bit, and he ordered someone to call Doctor Song and have him go next door.

Seeing Mama Li return with the doctor, Lu Minghua smiled helplessly. Her complexion had almost returned to normal after a day, but there was still a slight pallor.

Doctor Song looked at her and could hardly tell that the young lady had been frightened. After taking her pulse, he frowned, and after examining her carefully, he frowned even more. He didn’t speak at first but prescribed the medicine and then said, “Miss, do you know that excessive rigidity can lead to breakage?”

Lu Minghua naturally knew and nodded.

“The heart governs the blood vessels and houses the spirit. If something happens, it must be vented. If you, like Miss, desperately endure and restrain yourself, over time, it may damage your internal organs and shorten your lifespan,” Doctor Song said frankly.

Lu Minghua was slightly stunned, then gently thanked him.

Doctor Song had seen many people, and with one look at Lu Minghua, he knew she had listened but wasn’t prepared to follow his advice. Having said what he could, he had done his duty and said no more. He got up to leave, saying that someone would bring the medicine over later.

Mama Li repeatedly expressed her gratitude and ordered someone to stand guard at the door.

Doctor Song was initially preparing to grab some medicine, but Zhao Shiyi called him to Yan Yuanhua’s place, where he was asked to give his diagnosis.

After listening carefully, Yan Yuanhua’s face darkened.

“This is too stubborn,” he said in a low voice, looking at Doctor Song and asking if there was any solution.

Doctor Song shook his head and said, “Heart diseases are difficult, and heart knots are hard to untie. Even the highest medical skills cannot deal with this.”

Yan Yuanhua’s face showed disappointment, and he asked persistently, “Is there really no way?”

“Miss Lu can only figure it out herself,” seeing that he clearly wanted an answer, Doctor Song thought carefully and said, “If she unties the knot in her heart and lives comfortably, then there will be no problem.”

This statement was as good as saying nothing. Yan Yuanhua glanced at him and said, “I already know that.”

But the human heart is the most complex thing in the world. How could he know where Lu Minghua’s heart knot came from and how to untie it?

“I really have no way,” said Doctor Song.

Seeing this, Yan Yuanhua waved his hand and angrily sent him away to grab the medicine.

When Zhao Shiyi watched his master sitting there, frowning and deep in thought, he felt increasingly strange. It was understandable to care about Miss Lu’s safety, as it was a matter of life and death, but now he even wanted to manage other people’s heart diseases.

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Author’s Note:

Writing this part made me feel very sad. Minghua is just too strong-willed, but it’s not her fault. She used to act coquettishly and pray for help, but no one responded to her, so she gave up. In the previous chapter, some readers said that my female lead seemed to seek a second spring. I want to explain that I set the background to be more open-minded, where men and women can travel and have fun together. Ancient girls already had a hard time, so I always made the background more relaxed.