The familiar Daheng hugged her, and her fragrance was taken into his arms.
The bright candlelight flickered in the room, and even when she fell asleep, she frowned, feeling incomprehensible.
Qi Yan stared at it steadily for a long time before looking away.
The low voice sounded like a promise.
"I will try my best not to let you down."
No matter whether it is for him or her, there is no room for any mistakes in this matter.
Under the darkness of night, the wind howled, and it started to rain again until dawn.
Drops of rain were falling outside the eaves. Ling Yutong's door was opened from the inside. She was carrying a simple package and was dressed in smart clothes.
At the same time, someone knocked on the door of Qi's house early in the morning.
Ling Yutong had already reached the gate. When he saw that the person following the butler was wearing armor, his body couldn't help but stiffen.
No way...
No, right?
She held the package tightly with her hands, and her body was trembling slightly, as if she would fall down the next moment.
When the people in the room heard the noise, they all came out slowly. Only Mrs. Qi was still resting in bed.
Madam Qi glanced at the package on Ling Yutong's body, her eyes flashed, and she seemed to understand something.
The old man's hands were wrinkled, but the strength of his grip on her wrists was so reassuring to her, and the emotions in her heart were as uncontrollable as a floodgate.
Ling Yutong lowered his head and pursed the corners of his mouth stubbornly, not wanting tears to fall.
Qi Yan and the others also arrived.
The soldier knelt down with a plop, kneeling very hard and with great force.
"The battle report came from northern Xinjiang. The second son Qi Ce was killed in the battle. His bones and belongings were returned home three days later."
At this moment, there was a muffled thunder in the sky, and lightning flashed past, revealing the pale faces of the Qi family.
Mrs. Qi's body swayed, and Qi Yun and Qi Zekai quickly supported the person with quick eyesight and hands, so that the person did not fall down.
Qi Yan's pupils shrank. After seeing his grandmother's condition, the first person he went to look at was Ling Yutong.
She seemed to have been overly stimulated, the expression on her face was blank, and she was kneeling on the ground, like a soulless painting.
Qi Yan's heart was hit hard and his lips were pursed tightly.
Ling Yutong's voice was so mute that it was almost inaudible.
The emptiness and disbelief in her eyes were so deep that she shook her head unconsciously and kept shaking...
The corners of his mouth were pursed and bent, forming an extremely ugly forced smile.
"You lied to me, right?"
"Yesterday, Qi Yan said that he was going to investigate. You are not his. What you said was false, right?"
The soldier lowered his head and did not argue because he did not want her to be even more sad.
At this time, the people who were sent to investigate again last night also got the news and came back and knelt down with ugly faces.
Ling Yutong: A bolt from the blue, nothing more than that.
She was the most responsive of all.
With confused eyes, she searched randomly in her arms until she pinched a round ring with her fingers, and then she stopped her almost crazy movements.
Emotions completely took over and she couldn't help but blame herself.
Why, when she thought everything was going in a good direction, such big bad news suddenly happened.
Why, she couldn't find Brother Ce earlier, so maybe he wouldn't have left such a message, and wouldn't have gone to Northern Xinjiang alone because the Qi family needed help.
The emotional impact was so violent that in the end, she rolled her eyes and lost consciousness.
But even if he fainted, the finger in his hand would not loosen at all.
Qi Yan saw it in his eyes and felt pain in his heart.
Qi Ce is his elder brother, and he is equally sad. It's just that the man is more tolerant of his emotions. Without his brother, he has to pay more attention to the status of his elders and sisters.
The news spread throughout the house as quickly as possible.
Now the servants in the house are the loyal servants who were unwilling to leave at the beginning, and they are all truly sad for Mr. Ce.
Only Wu Xuan and his wife, who had just moved in, had eyes full of light.
There were so many people in the house that they couldn't say much, but when they got to the shop, the two of them had no idea what to say.
Mrs. Zhao has been running her shop for a few days and has made some money, but she has lost more money and is very upset.
"Husband, the second Qi family died in northern Xinjiang. It was really the right time to die. The funeral will not be held in a few days, and the trouble of two coffins will be saved, and they will be buried in one trip."
Wu Xuan was startled by her words and quickly covered her mouth.
"Oh! Even if it's easier to talk in the shop, you can't say such immoral things!"
He glared at her: "Tell me, what are your evil intentions?"
Mrs. Zhao curled her lips: "What's wrong with this? Our son is coming in a few days."
"Look, there are so many ladies in this capital, but our son needs to take a good look at them."
She nodded her chin and whispered: "And the relationship with my aunt cannot be let go. But what relationship is the longest? Of course the in-laws!"
"That girl Qi Yun is a bit old. I don't know what my aunt is thinking after all these years. She has to be dragged along."
"I think Ling Yutong is a pretty girl, she's pretty, and she's a well-spoken girl. If she takes her as a concubine for our son..."
Wu Xuan's pupils shrank and he almost hit Mrs. Zhao in the face with his hand.
"Are you crazy? You dare to mess with my aunt's granddaughter. Even if Qi Yun is a little older, she hasn't lived through her best years. How can she be in our family?"
Mrs. Zhao shrank away and said, "Look, I told you about another girl."
"Ling Yutong is not even remotely related to the Qi family, but you see how much that family cares about her, and she has a low status. When our son gets admitted, why can't she be a concubine?"
"He even promoted her!"
She tugged on Wu Xuan's sleeve and continued: "In the future, we will show our son a noble girl from a high family. By then, both the Qi family and the high family will be covered. Our son's future will be..."
She chuckled.
Wu Xuan frowned tightly. Although he still felt that this matter was slightly dangerous, he could not help but be attracted by the wonderful future described by Mrs. Zhao, his face wavered.
"Ce'er has just died. The adopted daughter won't change her mind so quickly. Just take it easy and don't hurt yourself."
Mrs. Zhao chuckled, she knew that Wu Xuan was following her.
Thinking of Ling Yutong's beautiful appearance, she laughed out loud: "Whatever the mourning period, she didn't just die after getting married. Our son is so handsome... I think Ling Yutong is a good one."
"Just wait and see."
At night, there is always a lamp left in Ling Yutong's room.
The candle light flickered, and Qi Yan stood quietly in front of her bed, his eyes dim and dark.
There is a hint of sadness hidden in it.
She frowned and couldn't sleep well. Qi Yan couldn't help but stretch out his hand to smooth the word "Chuan" on her forehead.
But unexpectedly, she grabbed his hand.
Qi Yan was startled and heard her whisper softly: "Don't leave..."
"I said, I will save you, but why is it still too late? Could it be..."
What?
Qi Yan leaned closer, trying to hear her words clearly.
But the next moment, Ling Yutong, who couldn't bear the emotion, suddenly woke up from his dream. The two of them were too close, and their warm shoulders and arms gave off an unparalleled sense of security, so Ling Yutong couldn't help but get closer...
She buried herself on his shoulder, with a hint of complaint in her voice, revealing a softness that was completely different from the past.
"Qi Yan..."
"Your guarantee doesn't count."
In an instant, Qi Yan's hand on his side clenched into a fist.
The opacity in his eyes was hard to calm down, like the sudden surge of waves in the middle of the night, silent, deep and terrifying.