Chapter 129: Fortune Follows Misfortune

"Send him to my residence when evening comes." Han Songyan had another place where he lived in the Inner City.

"Does the Fourth Young Master know who he is?" An Yi asked.

Han Songyan instinctively touched his neck. "He is likely a man of the pugilistic world."

"His name is Gong Yanqiu. He is a member of the Holy Garment Sect and an old acquaintance of Dr. Lu. He does not know who he offended, but he has been constantly hunted. Aside from this time, I know of at least three other instances. I originally thought it was merely a grudge within the martial arts world, but the people hunting him yesterday were from Princess Lanyi’s mansion." An Yi paused. "I do not know what kind of great trouble he will bring."

"It seems he has provoked some ruthless characters who will not stop until he is dead." Han Songyan glanced at the unconscious Young Master Gong, his face showing sympathy. "Although I do not know who he offended or what kind of trouble he brings, this trouble is already upon us. It is too late to shake it off now."

"I am sorry," An Yi said, lowering her gaze.

"Xi'er, this is trouble I invited; it has nothing to do with you. You need not apologize."

An Yi did not understand. She looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

"If I hadn't taken you to the Hu family, you wouldn't have gone out, and you wouldn't have encountered this." Han Songyan looked at An Yi with gentle eyes, unwilling to let her feel guilty, and took the responsibility upon himself.

"He..." An Yi opened her mouth, but stopped herself.

"Rest assured, I will handle it well. There will be no trouble." Han Songyan mistook her hesitation for worry.

An Yi’s eyes flickered. She lowered her head and bit her lip, ultimately deciding not to mention that Young Master Gong had come to the capital to find her. If she said it, she would not know how to explain her relationship with him to Han Songyan.

Han Songyan smiled. "I will go to a clothing shop to buy him some changes of clothes. You stay here and look after him."

"Alright," An Yi nodded.

Han Songyan went out.

An Yi stayed in the room to watch over Young Master Gong. She picked up a medical book from the table to browse through. She had only read a few pages when Young Master Gong woke up again. He turned his head and saw An Yi sitting by the window. "Xi'er," he called out softly.

"You're awake. Don't move around," An Yi said, dropping the book and stepping forward quickly to stop him from sitting up; she did not want to waste any more of the high-quality trauma medicine from the Jihuai Hall.

"Help me up," Young Master Gong said, not daring to exert too much force to lift his body.

"What for? If your wounds tear open again, even the gods couldn't save you," An Yi frowned, speaking impatiently.

"I need to get out of bed." Young Master Gong’s expression was somewhat embarrassed; between the medicine and the porridge, his body was under too much strain.

"What do you need to get out of bed for?" An Yi asked.

Young Master Gong pressed his lips together and remained silent, looking at her, his eyes conveying his need.

An Yi suddenly realized and said calmly, "I understand. Wait a moment, I will go find someone. Don't move around."

An Yi went to the kitchen and found Han Liu, who was warming himself by the fire with Xiangqin. "Han Liu, he needs to relieve himself. Could you please go and help him? Be careful not to let his wounds tear open."

"I will be careful, Miss." Han Liu went into the room to assist Young Master Gong.

A while later, Han Liu returned. "Miss, you may go in now."

"Thank you." An Yi returned to the room.

Young Master Gong was lying on the bed with his eyes tightly closed, his face pale.

An Yi walked over and asked, "Are you alright? Did the wounds tear?"

Young Master Gong opened his eyes, looked at her, and the corners of his mouth lifted in a weak smile. "Every time I fall into a crisis, I end up meeting you."

"I don't know if it is you who is unlucky, or if it is me." An Yi was also puzzled; how could the two of them have such a strange, tangled fate?

Young Master Gong was startled. "This isn't bad luck; it is a sign that heaven always leaves a way out."

An Yi gave a bitter smile, unable to agree, but there was no need to argue with a severely injured patient. "You are very badly hurt. Rest well and do not talk too much. After nightfall, the Fourth Young Master will take you to his residence, where you can recover."

"The Fourth Young Master?" Young Master Gong narrowed his eyes.

"He is the man you saw this morning. His surname is Han, his name is Songyan, and he is the young proprietor of this Jihuai Hall."

"Why must I go to his residence?" Young Master Gong asked, frowning.

"Then where would you like to go? I can have him send you there."

Young Master Gong was startled again. He frowned and asked, "Is he trustworthy?"

"Of course," An Yi replied without hesitation.

"Very well, I will go to his residence to recover." Young Master Gong believed that An Yi would not betray him, and he lowered his guard regarding the man she trusted. He closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep; his injuries left him exhausted, and recovering was his top priority.

An Yi tucked the blanket in for him, walked over to the chair, and sat down to continue reading the medical book.

A while later, Han Songyan returned. They switched places; Han Songyan took over the care, and An Yi returned home.

Back home, An Yi received an invitation sent by Hu Qingyue, saying she would come for a visit the next day. An Yi was left between laughter and tears—who sends an invitation one day and visits the very next?

The following day, at the hour of the snake (10:00 AM), Hu Qingyue arrived. She first went to the Jingli Garden to see Madame Luo, chatted about household matters, and then went to the Mingzhu Pavilion.

An Yi was afraid that if Hu Qingyue saw the Liuguang Sword, it would lead to unnecessary misunderstandings, so she had hidden the sword after finishing her morning practice. She forgot that Hu Qingyue had never been involved in the pugilistic world and knew even less about the origin of the Liuguang Sword than she did.

After Taoren served tea and snacks, An Yi instructed her to take the maid Hu Qingyue had brought downstairs to rest. The maids curtsied and withdrew, pulling the door shut behind them.

Hu Qingyue circled the room, saw the poetry collections and calligraphy practice sheets on the desk, and teased with a smile, "Nineteenth Junior Sister, are you planning to become a talented woman?"

"I went to a flower-viewing gathering a few days ago where I had to write poems and paint. I don't know how, and it was agonizing."

Hu Qingyue sighed with deep empathy, "I also hate attending such flower-viewing gatherings, but those talented women love holding them, which gives one a headache."

"I was shocked when I saw your invitation yesterday, thinking it was someone else inviting me to another flower-viewing gathering," An Yi said, still feeling lingering fear.

Hu Qingyue covered her mouth and laughed, "I won't have to suffer that headache for much longer."

An Yi was surprised. "Why? Are you leaving the capital?"

"I will be living in the capital permanently." Hu Qingyue forgot that she hadn't told An Yi she was getting married in the capital.

"What is the reason for that?" An Yi really wanted to learn from her secret.

Hu Qingyue smiled and sipped her tea. An Yi watched her take a sip, then another, set the cup down, and reach for a pastry, knowing she was being teased. "Alright, just tell me. If you don't, I’m going to go catch a snake."

"Snakes are hibernating," Hu Qingyue said, raising an eyebrow triumphantly.

"Rats don't hibernate." An Yi raised an eyebrow back, using another animal she feared to scare her.

"Junior Sister has learned bad habits from Master," Hu Qingyue pouted.

"You are Master's disciple too."

"I am like a lotus—rising from the mud but remaining unstained."

"And you are like ink—close to it and turning black."

Hu Qingyue never intended to hide it from An Yi. After a few playful exchanges, she relented. "I am getting married. Marriage is a dividing line for a woman. Before marriage, one attends these gatherings to show off talents and gain a reputation; after marriage, one can just gossip about right and wrong."

An Yi sipped her tea. Not to mention that she did not want to marry, even if she did, it would be years away. In those years, she didn't know how many times she would have to endure such flower-viewing gatherings.

"What is the name of this pastry? It is delicious," Hu Qingyue said, picking up another one and savoring it. "It has red beans and almonds, and something else, but I can't quite taste what it is."

"This is red bean and almond cake with egg whites added," An Yi laughed.

"Did you make this?"

"Since you were coming over, I had to make something special for you to eat."

"Good Junior Sister," Hu Qingyue praised her and picked up another piece. "Delicious."

The two chatted about food, jewelry, and needlework. Before they knew it, it was noon. After lunch, Hu Qingyue left with her maid. An Yi gave her the recipe for the red bean and almond cake and some rose shortbread.

"Oh my, I almost forgot." Just as Hu Qingyue was about to board her carriage, she turned back. "Nineteenth Junior Sister, on the twenty-sixth of the tenth month, it is my little nephew's full-month banquet. You and Aunt must come together. I will have someone send an invitation; don't accept anyone else's."

"I understand." An Yi watched the carriage leave the estate before turning back to Jingli Garden.

The next day was the tenth of the tenth month, An Yi's fourteenth birthday. Early in the morning, Madame Luo personally cooked a bowl of longevity noodles for An Yi. At noon, An Jian suddenly ran back. "Little Sister!"

"Second Brother!" An Yi cheered, "How did you come back? How did you come back?"

"I have wanted to come back for a long time, but I couldn't get leave. This time, I finally managed it, so I came back." An Jian held An Yi's hand, looking at the sister he had regained, his eyes turning red. "Little Sister, I missed you so much! I missed you so much!"

"Second Brother, I missed you too," An Yi’s eyes welled up with tears.

With An Jian back, the family was finally reunited. That evening, they celebrated An Yi's birthday in a joyful atmosphere. An Qinghe gave An Yi a pair of glass chickens; Madame Luo gave her a pair of embroidered shoes she had made herself; and An Kang gave her a portrait of a lady he had painted, which was a likeness of An Yi.

An Jian had returned in such a rush that he had not prepared a gift. He said, "Little Sister, tomorrow we will go to the market, and you can buy whatever you want; Second Brother will buy it for you."

"Do you have that much silver?" An Yi asked with a smile.

"I have been saving my salary. Whatever you want to buy, Second Brother will get it for you," An Jian said with great bravado.

"Alright, tomorrow we will go shopping. Don't go crying over your wallet then!"

"Spending money on my little sister is no hardship," An Jian laughed.

The next day, An Jian, who doted on his sister, followed An Yi’s lead throughout the day. The siblings went to the Outer City, eating, drinking, and playing all day, only returning at dusk.

"Mother, look at all the things Second Brother bought for me." An Yi happily presented her treasures to Madame Luo.

"You bought so much! You must have used up all the silver your second brother saved, right?" Madame Luo laughed.

"There are still five taels of silver left, not all of it is gone," An Yi smiled.

"Oh, you!" Madame Luo tapped her forehead. "Xi'er, the Fourth Young Master stopped by. He wants you to go to Jihuai Hall tomorrow; there is a patient named Gong who needs you to treat him."

"I understand, I will go tomorrow." An Yi had originally planned to check on him; she wouldn't just leave Young Master Gong in Han Songyan’s care and ignore him.