AWB Chapter 2005 Such a woman is rare in this world!
Chapter 2005 Such a woman is rare in this world!
The little beggar carefully held the half-eaten, hard, and blackened cornbread in his palm.
The light from the stove fire illuminated his hands, which were red from the cold, and also revealed the clear fingerprints on the cornbread.
That was evidence of how many times he had taken it out to look at it, yet couldn't bear to eat it.
"Dr. Li!" Sha Chun looked up, tears glistening in her eyes. "I have nothing to give you, but my sister taught me that you must always be grateful! This is all I have! I beg you to save her, to let her know that I delivered the letter, that I didn't let her down!"
You can hear the sound of snow falling in the courtyard.
Li Xiangnan took the half-eaten cornbread and held it in his palm.
It felt cold and hard to the touch, yet he could almost feel the girl's emotions, just like that cold steamed bun, in the deep courtyard of the mansion.
The Shangguan family is the most powerful of the five families in Yanjing, incredibly wealthy, yet they are so cruel to their own children!
"Silly Chun!" Li Xiangnan looked at the little beggar. "Why are you so eager to save her?"
Sha Chun wiped her tears hard with her dirty sleeve, straightened her thin chest, and said, "She saved my life. If it weren't for her, I would have frozen to death in Xidan last winter! She dragged me to a sheltered bridge, gave me hot soy milk, and wrapped me in her cloak! Without her, I would have died long ago!"
He became more and more agitated as he spoke, his voice carrying a stubbornness beyond his years: "Now that she's in trouble, if I don't think about helping her, what difference is there between me and those ungrateful beasts who steal my things, beat me, and curse me? Dr. Li, you don't know, those people in those big mansions look at beggars like they look at stray dogs on the street! Only my sister is different; she treats me like a human being!"
These words were spoken with absolute certainty, and the eyes of several women in the room welled up with tears.
Li Xiangnan nodded emphatically, and when he turned to look at everyone, his eyes had become sharp as knives: "Brother Cheng!"
"Yes!" Cheng Kui responded immediately.
"Tonight, take Sha Chun back to the ward and settle him in. Find him some warm clothes to change into and let him get a good night's sleep!"
At this point, Li Xiangnan looked at his neighbors and said, "It's late tonight. Thank you all for your hospitality. I'll have to trouble you all to take care of the Li family's wedding banquet tomorrow!"
Upon hearing this, the neighbors knew he had something important to discuss and that it was inappropriate for him to get involved in their own family matters, so they hurriedly took their leave.
Once everyone left, Li Xiangnan closed the gate, leaving only some of his own people in the Song family's storage room. He then told his mother and maternal grandmother, Tang Qingshuang, to take Xiao Xitang, Duoduo, and Lele to the backyard to sleep, leaving the adults in the house. He offered the men a cigarette and poured the women a cup of hot tea before continuing to explain his plans.
“They’ve all left, you can speak now!” Li Dequan was well aware of his grandson’s plans and had seen through his arrangements.
"Yes, Grandpa!" Li Xiangnan nodded and looked at everyone: "Second Uncle, please keep a close eye on the area around the Li family's residence, and cooperate with the people from the burial ward to monitor this place! All measures should follow the previous arrangements!"
"Of course!" Song Cijiu nodded, smoking a cigarette.
"Also, Brother Cheng!" Li Xiangnan looked at Cheng Kui again: "Tomorrow morning, pick four of the most clever and fastest brothers, two at a time, to help me keep an eye on Shangguan Farm! Don't get too close, just observe and record from the outside, see when they deliver food and vegetables, especially after nightfall, see if there are any unusual movements! See if you can find the entrance to the cellar!"
"Understood!" Cheng Kui's eyes flashed with a sharp light, secretly admiring Doctor Li, who indeed couldn't bear to see the woman suffer. "We're experts at surveillance! Back in the day, when we carried coffins for people, we always had to figure out their methods first!"
"Defa," Li Xiangnan continued, "you and Zimo discuss the security arrangements for tomorrow's banquet! Shangguan Wuji and his gang won't dare to openly cause trouble, but there's no guarantee they won't resort to underhanded tactics again! Drugging, arson, creating chaos—every aspect, from the kitchen and drinks to the electrical wiring, needs our own people to keep an eye on everything!"
"Don't worry!" Wang Defa patted his chest, "I've already arranged all of this!"
"The wedding banquet must continue; this is a highly anticipated event, and we can't be careless! But at the same time, Wanqing must be rescued. The Shangguan family is a very cautious family. We need to figure out their methods while waiting for the banquet to end, and then go to rescue Wanqing!" Li Xiangnan organized his thoughts.
“But,” Qin Ruobai began softly, his voice tinged with complexity, “Miss Wanqing… she was locked in the cellar while trying to deliver a message for us. Isn’t it too much to just leave her like this…”
She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant. Wasn't that too cold-blooded? Knowing that the girl was suffering, yet pretending nothing was wrong!
Li Xiangnan looked at his wife; her eyes held concern, sympathy, and a complex emotion that was hard to describe.
“Ruobai,” Li Xiangnan held her hand, “I know what you’re thinking! Wanqing has done so much for us, and I want to save her immediately more than anyone else! But if we go now, not only will we not be able to save her, but we might also harm her! We don’t know much about the Shangguan family right now, and if they discover our actions, they might try to poison her!”
He picked up the letters filled with flower petals, his voice low and somber: "Moreover, Wanqing wrote in her letter, 'Don't come looking for us!' She knows her current situation, knows the danger of acting rashly, and she tells us to wait for her, until the plum blossoms bloom next year..."
“But you certainly can’t wait!” Lin Chuqiao suddenly said.
"Yes, I can't wait!" Li Xiangnan admitted, "I won't wait until next winter, otherwise it will be too late! Once the wedding banquet is over, the moment when Shangguan Wuji is most relaxed will be the moment we go to rescue her!"
Lin Chuqiao nodded and didn't say anything more. She lowered her head, looked at the fire, and felt a complex mix of emotions.
Shangguan Wanqing!
This eldest daughter of the Shangguan family, whom she had never met, was the daughter of the enemy, yet she was willing to betray her family and be imprisoned in the cellar for Li Xiangnan!
What if it were me?
Lin Chuqiao asked herself this question.
If I were Shangguan Wanqing, what would I do if I faced the same choice?
On one side is her family, and on the other is the man she once deeply loved and still can't forget. What will she do?
Will she act recklessly like Wanqing?
she does not know.
After returning to Yanjing from Lijia Village, she belatedly realized that she had done many things for Li Xiangnan, but compared to what Wanqing was doing now, those things seemed insignificant.
Wanqing is gambling with her life.
I'm betting that Li Xiangnan will come to save her; I'm betting that this friendship is worthwhile.
And what about myself? What can I still do for him now?
Lin Chuqiao raised her head and looked at Li Xiangnan. The firelight danced on his face, outlining his resolute features.
This man, once her husband, is now someone else's husband, and surrounded by so many outstanding women...
A faint sense of melancholy welled up in her heart.
If fate has passed, is it really over?
At this moment, Lin Youwei suddenly got up, lifted the pot lid to scoop out the cooked soup noodles, walked over and pulled Sha Chun to eat at the table, and told him to eat slowly.
Looking at the thin child, she felt a surge of maternal tenderness and a deeper sense of empathy.
She understood Shangguan Wanqing.
That impulse to disregard everything for the one you love, that courage to go forward despite knowing the danger, that determination to risk your life!
She understands it all!
Because she had experienced something similar herself.
Just like Shangguan Wanqing at this moment, locked in the cellar, waiting for someone who may never come to save her, without any regrets.
“Miss Wanqing,” Lin Youwei murmured with admiration, “is an extraordinary woman!”
Ding Yuqiu and Jiang Qitao exchanged a glance, both seeing the same admiration in each other's eyes.
They were also Li Xiangnan's friends and had lent him a helping hand when he was in trouble, but honestly, they could not do what Shangguan Wanqing did!
For a man, she betrayed her family and risked her life!
“Yes,” Ding Yuqiu’s eyes reddened slightly, “Such a woman is rare in this world!”
“It’s not just rare,” Jiang Qitao said, “it’s downright shocking!”
They admired Shangguan Wanqing and envied her, envying her courage and her ability to love someone so unreservedly!
Even if this love may never be reciprocated.
A brief silence fell over the room, broken only by the crackling of the fireplace and the howling of the wind and snow outside the window.
Li Xiangnan picked up the flower petals on the table to examine them, finally looking at Song Cijiu and asking in confusion, "Second Uncle, there's something I still don't understand. Why has Wanqing's relationship with her father become so strained? The Shangguan family is the head of the five upper families, but I've never seen any of Shangguan Wuji's other children in their home. This is extremely unusual for a large family. What's going on? This might be a key breakthrough for us to dismantle the Shangguan family!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked and immediately looked at Song Cijiu.