After all this commotion, the carriage completely fell apart. The cold winter rain pelted Zhao Luoning's face. The thick cloak she had wrapped around for warmth was splattered with mud and water. In an instant, the once-glamorous Second Young Mistress turned into a bedraggled duck.
Caixue didn't even care about the hard fall on her bottom. She quickly reached out to help Zhao Luoning up. Seeing this, the coachmen also rushed over.
They were in the middle of nowhere, and there were no umbrellas on the carriage. Zhao Luoning was now soaked from head to toe, and unlike the coachmen, she couldn't just take off her heavy cloak.
Zhao Luoning felt as if her head was about to explode. She struggled to regain a bit of her wits and take charge of this chaotic situation.
"Two of you go on horseback to Nuanyu Zhai to ask for help. The rest of you find a place to take shelter from the rain."
The coachmen took the order and rode off to call for backup.
But in this desolate wilderness, where could they find shelter?
The remaining coachmen could only use the broken carriage walls to quickly build a makeshift shelter, allowing Zhao Luoning and Caixue, the two female passengers, to take cover under it.
The rain grew heavier and the cold deeper. It was so cold that steam was rising from Zhao Luoning's body.
Her hair was completely wet, and the rainwater trickled down her cheeks along her hair strands. She looked extremely disheveled.
Caixue hugged Zhao Luoning tightly, trying to share some of her warmth.
But she herself was already sniffling and had sneezed several times.
Zhao Luoning shifted her body to give Caixue more room under the shelter.
She stared at the torrential rain in front of her. Never before had she so desperately hoped for Ji Shisu's appearance.
Unlike the chaos and disarray on Zhao Luoning's side, Nuanyu Zhai was filled with peace and tranquility at this moment.
It was deep winter and raining heavily. The shopkeeper had closed the door early and started a fire in the room.
Ji Shisu held the repaired dragon - and - phoenix jade bracelets and carefully examined them in the firelight.
Chen Chuliu stood beside him, feeling a bit nervous.
Back then, her grandfather said she had a talent for jade carving and told her to study the craft hard. But she thought it was useless at that time. She only thought that as a girl, she would eventually get married, and mastering a skill was not as good as marrying into a good family.
Only now did she realize her lack of skills when it really mattered.
Although the jade bracelets were mended, there were still obvious flaws.
Naturally, they couldn't compare to the original dragon - and - phoenix bracelets.
Ji Shisu put the bracelets back into the brocade box and smiled at Chen Chuliu.
"Your skills are good. Thank you for your hard work."
Receiving Ji Shisu's praise, Chen Chuliu finally let out a sigh of relief. She remembered what her mother had taught her and wanted to take this opportunity to get closer to Ji Shisu.
"Second Master, actually I..."
The rough knocking on the door interrupted Chen Chuliu's words.
"Who is it? We're closed." The shopkeeper asked through the door.
"I'm from the Ji family. I'm here to find the Second Master. The Second Young Mistress's carriage overturned."
Hearing that Zhao Luoning was in trouble, Ji Shisu instantly jumped up from his chair. He didn't even wait for Yuchi to bring an umbrella and rushed out.
"What happened?"
"We were on our way back after dropping off the guests when we encountered heavy rain. The carriage accidentally overturned. The Second Young Mistress sent me to find the Second Master."
"Where is Luoning now?"
"She's at the fork in the road on Lion's Head Ridge."
As soon as the man finished speaking, Ji Shisu snatched the reins from his hand, leaped onto the horse, and without caring about the pouring rain, spurred the horse and galloped away.
By the time Yuchi chased out with an umbrella, Ji Shisu was already out of sight.
Yuchi couldn't help but complain.
"The Second Master always acts so recklessly when it comes to the Second Young Mistress. He can't bring her back like this!"
Then he ordered the shopkeeper. "What are you standing there for? Go and find two carriages to pick up the Second Master and the Second Young Mistress!"
The shopkeeper came to his senses and quickly went to make the arrangements.
As for Chen Chuliu, she could only stand there stupidly, watching everyone bustling around. In an instant, she became an outsider.
The speaker might not have meant anything, but the listener took it to heart.
Yuchi's words stabbed deeply into her heart.
She had stayed up all night to repair the jade bracelets, and she could be happy for a long time just from the Second Master's simple "Thank you for your hard work."
But when the Second Young Mistress was in trouble, the Second Master was so worried that he didn't care about anything.
Comparisons are odious!
---
Zhao Luoning had no idea that someone was secretly jealous of her again.
Her mind was in a complete mess, and she was struggling to stay rational.
Caixue beside her had been silent for a long time. Zhao Luoning sensed something was wrong and reached out to touch her.
She was ice - cold all over.
"Caixue, Caixue?"
Zhao Luoning quickly shook Caixue.
Caixue was already delirious at this point. When Zhao Luoning shook her, she murmured in a daze.
"Miss, don't move. It hurts."
"Hurts?" Zhao Luoning panicked. "Where does it hurt?"
Caixue didn't answer her, and even the faint groans stopped.
Zhao Luoning quickly reached out to check Caixue's body. When she touched her arm, her hand felt sticky.
She brought it to her nose and smelled it.
It was blood!
Caixue was injured!
Zhao Luoning could no longer stay rational. Tears streamed down her face.
"Help! Caixue is injured. Come and save her!"
Zhao Luoning rushed into the rain. Her cries attracted the coachmen who were standing nearby.
The coachmen quickly rushed over.
One of the coachmen rushed into the makeshift shelter, struggled to light a match, and checked Caixue's condition.
"Second Young Mistress, Caixue has a cut on her arm."
"How is it? Is it serious?"
"The cut is quite deep. We need to find a doctor quickly."
"Find a doctor, find a doctor." Zhao Luoning murmured. But it was pitch - black all around and raining heavily. Where could she find a doctor for Caixue?!
Suddenly, the sound of galloping horses came from afar, followed by the sound of carriage wheels rolling on the ground.
Zhao Luoning wiped the rain and tears from her face and strained her eyes to look in the direction of the approaching horses.
The torchlight soon illuminated the path in front of her.
The man came against the light, dismounted neatly.
Ji Shisu was terrified when he heard the words "find a doctor".
He quickly rushed to the makeshift shelter and anxiously asked, "What's wrong with Luoning?"
Getting closer, he found that it was Caixue in the shelter. At this moment, one of her arms was already stained red with blood.
Ji Shisu quickly ordered the servants who followed to carry Caixue to see a doctor.
After giving the order, he asked, "Where is Luoning?"
Zhao Luoning's voice came from behind the crowd. "I'm here."
Ji Shisu held the torch and looked back in the direction of the voice.
At this time, the servants also sensibly stepped aside.
Seeing that Zhao Luoning wasn't holding an umbrella, he lovingly snatched the umbrella from Yuchi's hand and held it over her.
"Are you crazy? Don't you know how to hold an umbrella?"
At this moment, there were only a few steps between Ji Shisu and Zhao Luoning.
The firelight shone on Zhao Luoning's face.
The rain had washed away the makeup on her face. At this moment, Zhao Luoning was as fresh and charming as a lotus just out of the water.
This was the first time Ji Shisu had seen Zhao Luoning without makeup.
As expected, he was greatly surprised.