Chapter 50: A Promise in Poetry, I Even Specially For You, Gave Young Master Meng Also…

The fine rain fell like a net, wrapping the deep night tightly.

Li Ruantang held an umbrella, striding out of the bedroom. Seeing that spot by the wall in the distance, her steps slowed down.

What was she going to ask?

The heart hidden in her chest began to shake violently. It seemed as if there was a great mountain on each shoulder, pressing down and making her unsteady.

She had clearly made up her mind to push him away, to avoid implicating the Meng family. Yet she had tacitly allowed him to come close, let him be intimate, and even earnestly ate the rice – it was her who did all this.

So she…

The fingers gripping the umbrella handle gradually turned white, but her wrist seemed to have lost strength, allowing the wind that came with the rain to blow the oil-paper umbrella askew.

Cool raindrops fell one by one onto those bewildered almond eyes. In a daze, it seemed as if a frost-colored figure had crept into her arms.

Who… who was it?

Li Ruantang reached out blankly, groping towards that void, not even noticing when the oil-paper umbrella fell.

That seemed to be someone extremely important to her.

The young man’s face had already blurred in the water droplets, only a few words were faintly heard, “…send me…”

What?

Li Ruantang frowned, concentrating to distinguish the blurry voice, but the sound grew smaller and smaller, as if a string in her mind had been tightly pulled.

Intense pain spread from her temples, fine beads of sweat constantly emerging. For a moment, she couldn’t tell if the droplets climbing her forehead and nose were rainwater or struggle.

She feared pain, but feared even more being unable to see clearly the young man who entered her dreams night after night. The heavy breathing suddenly stopped in the rain curtain filled with coolness.

Li Ruantang suddenly stepped forward.

Just as she was about to crash headfirst into the wall, Wei Dan, who had been guarding in the shadows, hurriedly came forward and caught the disoriented Li Ruantang.

“Young Mistress!”

The low cry broke the silence in the rain. The young master, who had just put on his rain cape, frowned slightly and looked out the window, “Zhidong, did you hear any sound?”

The servant boy raised the pearl curtain and poked his head out at these words, listening carefully for a moment before shaking his head, “Young Master, there’s no sound outside except for the rain.”

“Is that so?” Meng Jun sighed in relief, “That’s good then.”

The young master neatly folded the paper with the poem he had written and tucked it into his lapel. He patted the servant boy’s shoulder quite seriously, “Zhidong, it’s raining today. Zhiqiu has gone to help in the study room temporarily, so I’ll have to rely on you later.”

“Don’t worry, Young Master! I will definitely guard the courtyard well and not let anyone discover!” Zhidong patted his own chest with full confidence. “But Young Master, why not wait until tomorrow to go?”

Although he understood his young master was going to repay a debt of gratitude, there was no need to go even when it was raining.

“You don’t understand.” The young master shook his head at him mysteriously.

Li Ruantang was most afraid of rain and thunder. If he didn’t go over, she would force herself to endure it. Moreover, Meng Jun’s eyes curved, he also wanted to give her a love poem.

How could he wait until tomorrow?

He was already impatient to see her expression when she received the letter.

The continuous drizzle made the ladder slippery. The young master was even more careful than usual, taking a good while to slowly climb up the wall.

However, Wei Dan guarding at the foot of the wall tonight seemed particularly flustered, though he wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination.

“Young Master Meng.” The maid was still respectful, “Our Young Mistress, she’s not in the mansion.”

“It’s so late, Li Ruantang hasn’t come back yet?” The young master was stunned, looking half-doubtfully at Wei Dan, who was lowering her head and fidgeting.

“Then do you know where she went?”

“This servant…” Wei Dan slightly raised her eyelids to glance at the wall top where Meng Jun was lying, and shook her head stiffly, “doesn’t know.”

“Oh.” Meng Jun lowered his eyes indifferently, but used both hands and feet, intending to climb over the wall.

The wall tiles were slippery. Wei Dan only glanced once and was instantly scared. She hurriedly stepped forward, “Young Master, why don’t you wait until tomorrow night when it clears up to come?”

“No.” The young master was stubborn, “It’s precisely because it’s raining that I need to accompany her even more.”

“Young, Young Master.” Wei Dan swallowed nervously, “But our Young Mistress isn’t in the mansion, and later we won’t be able to send you back properly.”

“I think this rain might last all night, she’ll come back eventually, I’ll wait for her.”

“Young Master!” Wei Dan was so shocked her voice trembled, “The Young Mistress instructed that she would be boating with a friend tonight and won’t return to the mansion.”

“Oh?” The young master’s expression turned unhappy. No wonder Wei Dan was acting so strangely tonight. He wanted to ask if that friend was male or female, but restrained himself.

After a while, Meng Jun took out a square package wrapped in oiled paper from his bosom. He handed it down very solemnly, “Here, there’s something very important inside, it must be opened by your Young Mistress personally.”

The object received was light as a feather. Wei Dan lowered her head and agreed.

After the movement on the other side of the wall gradually faded away, the maid stepped forward and bowed, offering up the object held in her hand.

Crack—

After the extreme flash of lightning, thunder followed like a shadow. It lit up the entire sky brightly, also illuminating the figure pressed tightly against the wall, soaked by the rain.

“Young Mistress, do you want this servant to go invite Doctor Xu again?”

“No need.” Carefully putting away that oiled paper package, Li Ruantang waved her hand and leaned on the maid to slowly walk back to the bedroom.

Steam curled in the bath chamber. Li Ruantang closed her eyes, allowing the water to flow over her shoulders, lazily covering her body along with those flower petals.

For some unknown reason, since she returned to the capital, she particularly enjoyed soaking in flower petal baths. At the transition from spring to summer, flower petals were not lacking, yet she only liked that bright red.

At this moment, that jet-black hair was like cotton soaked with water, heavily pressing down, clinging to the jade-like shoulder line. A few mischievous petals stuck to the distinct collarbone below her long neck, like plum blossoms blooming in the snowy winter season.

The faint floral fragrance gradually outlined a lifelike dream.

She just sat quietly in this space between reality and illusion, her furrowed brows tinged with shallow sorrow, her tightly bitten lips vaguely uttering indistinct words, “Jiu…”