AWB Chapter 2004 A Pure Heart in a Jade Pot
Chapter 2004 A Pure Heart in a Jade Pot
Two snowy nights ago, Shangguan Wanqing came to warn me to be careful of the Shangguan family causing trouble at the wedding banquet. At that time, she spoke in a flustered manner, clearly showing strong anxiety, and left in a hurry after the banquet, appearing very flustered.
She was probably already completely disoriented at that time, but before that, she must have anticipated that she might be in danger!
The fact that she didn't come to tell or remind me immediately shows that she had been looking for an opportunity to come out. That night, as soon as she found an opportunity, she braved the wind and snow to come from the West Mountain.
Wanqing is very smart and knows her situation.
But she was even more sentimental. Even knowing the outcome, she still traveled dozens of kilometers in the dead of winter to deliver a message to herself.
This spirit of self-sacrifice and the sense of purpose deeply moved Li Xiangnan.
The little beggar looked timidly at Li Xiangnan and asked in a low voice, "Dr. Li, um... will that lady be alright?"
The child's innocent voice woke him up. Li Xiangnan did not answer immediately, but looked at the flower petals on the table, and a series of questions arose in his mind.
Ten days ago, someone was prepared to send a message. How did Wanqing foresee that something bad would happen to her?
She sensed that her father, Shangguan Wuji, was aware of her.
Wanqing and Shangguan Wuji are clearly father and daughter, so why is their relationship so distant? They don't seem like family at all.
Why did she prepare this letter in advance?
How did they end up finding this little beggar to deliver the message?
Li Xiangnan squatted down, trying to soften his voice as much as possible: "Child, what's your name?"
"Silly Chun! They all call me Big Silly Chun!" the little beggar said, his neck stiff with pride.
"..."
Everyone was stunned. Instead of finding the child's innocent and naive tone funny, they felt extremely sad and even felt sorry for him.
"Silly Chun'er!" Li Xiangnan patted the child's shoulder and asked, "You said your sister gave this to you ten days ago. Where did she give it to you? Did she say anything special?"
Da Sha Chun tried hard to recall: "Sister... seemed to be in a lot of trouble! I've seen her many times... The second time she saw me in front of the perfume shop... she said she wanted to ask me for a favor, saying that if something happened to her, I should bring something to you!"
Sure enough, Wanqing knew she was going to be in trouble ten days ago?
Li Xiangnan's heart was shocked.
It seems she knew her father was suspicious and that she might be locked up, so when she saw the little beggar, she planned to ask him for help so he could deliver the letter to her.
But why would she seek out this little beggar?
This child is skinny and weak, far less strong and well-connected than the servants of the Shangguan family.
Or is it that Shangguan Wanqing doesn't actually trust the Shangguan family?
Looking down at the stubbornness in Da Sha Chun's eyes, Li Xiangnan poured some hot water into his teacup and asked, "Child, have you known that lady for a long time?"
Da Sha Chun nodded, then shook his head: "It hasn't been that long. More than a year, I guess! Last winter, I was in Xidan... almost starving to death! My sister gave me ten yuan and bought me some steamed buns..."
As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes again: "But... when she gave me the money, other beggars saw it... and then it was all taken away... They beat me and cursed me, leaving me nothing... Later, my sister met me again, took me to a clinic, and bought me medicine to treat my injuries... She knew I was near Wangfujing, so she would always come to see me every now and then, buy me delicious food, and sometimes even give me money..."
"But the money always gets stolen?" Li Xiangnan asked softly.
Da Sha Chun lowered his head in shame: "It's me, I'm useless, I can never hold on..."
"It's not your fault, you're still young!" Li Xiangnan patted his shoulder. "And what about recently? Have you seen your sister again in the last month or two?"
"Hmm!" Da Shachun's eyes lit up. "Two months ago, I ran into my sister again in front of the perfume shop! That day, several children bullied me, and they almost stole the half naan I had managed to get. If my sister hadn't come and chased them away, I would have gone hungry again!"
He swallowed hard, seemingly recalling the aroma of the half-eaten naan bread from that day: "My sister asked me if things could go on like this, if I wanted to find a place to live and have something proper to do! I said yes, and she took me to Xishan!"
"West Mountain?" Song Ziming asked, "Why did she take you to West Mountain?"
“My sister found me a place in Xishan where I can look after the forest for others. I’m a forest ranger! But the old forest ranger doesn’t live on the mountain in winter. He told me about the precautions and let me stay there. It’s a fire sentry post, right on the mountainside. After my sister settled me in, she said I only needed to do one thing for her!”
"What is it?" Wang Defa pressed.
Sha Chun thought about it seriously for a moment and said, "My sister said that every afternoon at 5 o'clock, I should look out of the fire sentry window towards Shangguan Farm! There is a window on the second floor there. If the light turns on three times, it means that my sister is okay and is still inside!"
He paused, his voice lowering, clearly distressed: "If... if one evening the lights in those windows don't come on three times, it means something has happened to my sister! I'll need to take this oiled paper package and immediately go down the mountain to Nanluoguxiang to find Doctor Li!"
There was silence in the courtyard.
Everyone was shocked by this arrangement.
Shangguan Wanqing not only foresaw that something bad would happen to her, but also made such meticulous arrangements.
She found this helpless little beggar, gave him a place to stay, and also gave him a task: to spread the news immediately if anything happened to him.
All of this was for Li Xiangnan.
"So...last night..." Li Xiangnan's voice was a little tense, "that window, the light wasn't on?"
Da Sha Chun shook his head, and tears welled up in his eyes again.
“No! I waited from 5 a.m. until 7 a.m., and then until 10 a.m.! The light still didn’t come on! I know something happened to my sister! So this morning, I came down from Xishan to find you… But I don’t know the way, and I wandered around the city for a long time. I finally found Nanluoguxiang, but I didn’t dare to knock on the door directly, so I could only wander around outside…”
Cheng Kui suddenly realized: "No wonder you were acting so suspiciously, you were afraid of being discovered!"
Sha Chun nodded, glancing timidly at Cheng Kui: "My sister said... if something happens to her, even more people will be watching the Li family, so she told me to be careful when I come here..."
Li Xiangnan stood up, looking at the dried petal in his hand, and then at the ragged, shivering child in front of him, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside him.
Moved, guilty, angry, and deeply uneasy.
Shangguan Wanqing did so many things for him!
Since I met her, she has risked her life to warn me on several occasions.
On the two most recent occasions, the first time they were almost discovered, and the second time, despite the meticulous planning, they were still locked in a cellar.
And she knew what price she might pay when she did all this!
But she did it without any regret!
“Child,” Li Xiangnan knelt down and looked into the little beggar’s eyes, “thank you so much! This letter is crucial; I understand Wanqing’s situation!”
The little beggar shook his head: "It was my sister who saved my life. Without her, I would have starved to death last winter! I'm so happy to be able to do something for her!"
As he spoke, he pulled something else from his pocket—a hardened, blackened cornbread—and carefully handed it to Li Xiangnan: "Dr. Li, this is for you. Can you do something to save my sister?"