The Golden Cane and the Wild Rose - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Jiang Musheng didn’t answer immediately. He knelt on one knee beside Yun Ran, a posture similar to a man proposing to a woman.

Yun Ran only felt that this noble man probably found it too dirty and naturally wouldn’t sit down casually like she did, even if his legs were uncomfortable.

From the front of the truck, the driver asked, “Mr. Jiang, are you and Miss Yun seated securely?”

“Drive,” Jiang Musheng commanded.

The truck started moving immediately.

Yun Ran was still waiting for Jiang Musheng’s answer.

“Mr. Jiang, are you not answering because I was right?” Her voice sounded a bit desolate to her own ears, yet it carried a certain courage—the courage to forget her fear of Jiang Musheng and confront him directly.

Jiang Musheng sighed and reached for her hand. Yun Ran pulled away in rejection.

Jiang Musheng had no choice but to give up.

“Ah Ran, you arrived at the prison before me. You should have known earlier that your dad died of illness.”

“Died of illness?” Yun Ran let out a sorrowful snort from her nose, as if she had heard a ridiculous joke. “You’re saying my dad died of illness?”

“Mr. Jiang, my eyes aren’t blind. See for yourself all the wounds on my dad.”

“I see them, Ah Ran.”

“Okay, you see them. Do you think all those wounds are old? That my dad had them before he went to jail?”

Jiang Musheng turned his head to glance at Scar’s body. He raised his hand to lift the straw mat, but Yun Ran stopped him. He had to withdraw his hand and said, “Looking only at the exposed foot and hand, there are both old and new wounds. But Ah Ran, do you know what a prison is?”

Yun Ran was filled with grief and indignation. “Isn’t it just a place where criminals are held? Is Mr. Jiang reminding me that my dad committed a crime and deserved to die?”

“No,” Jiang Musheng was silent for a moment before continuing. “Ah Ran, calm down and think carefully. A prison isn’t just a cell. Friction between inmates is inevitable. The wounds on your dad are likely related to the people in his cell.”

“What about the prison guards? Don’t they do anything?”

Yun Ran suddenly felt a breakdown. She felt that Jiang Musheng wasn’t lying to her. There was no reason for him to lie.

Jiang Musheng said, “Many times, the rights of an honest citizen are not fully guaranteed, let alone the rights of a criminal in a bleak place like a prison.”

Yun Ran retorted, “Then Mr. Jiang should pray that he never ends up in prison.”

Jiang Musheng said, “Ah Ran, I know you’re hurting, but you can’t say such hurtful things to me.”

“Hurtful? I have more hurtful things to say. If it were Sister Xueyu who lost her life and was wrapped in a flimsy straw mat, would you be as calm as you are now?”

Jiang Musheng’s eyes suddenly turned sharp. He was still looking at her the same way, but a chilling glint suddenly shot out.

Yun Ran felt a bit of guilt for making such a terrible assumption about the innocent Sister Xueyu, but she was more filled with the pleasure of getting back at Jiang Musheng.

People can never truly empathize. Even when facing the same bad outcome, their state of mind will surely differ.

But at the very least, she made Jiang Musheng feel a semi-genuine pain.

For the rest of the journey, Yun Ran and Jiang Musheng didn’t speak.

The truck stopped in front of the Jiang family’s villa, but Yun Ran refused to get out.

“I want to take Dad back to our own home.”

“Mr. Jiang,” the truck driver asked for instructions.

Jiang Musheng said, “Go to the place Ah Ran wants to go.”

“Yes, but please wait a moment.” The truck driver jumped out of the truck and called for someone to bring two stools, which were placed in the truck bed.

“Mr. Jiang, there’s still a good distance to Miss Yun’s house. You should sit down so your legs don’t get numb.”

After bringing the stools, the driver went back to drive.

Jiang Musheng placed one of the stools by Yun Ran’s feet.

Yun Ran didn’t stand on ceremony. She got up slightly and sat on it. Her legs were indeed numb, and a fine, prickling pain like thousands of needles spread from her calves.

As the pain came, she suddenly remembered Jiang Musheng’s disabled leg.

If she was in so much pain and her legs were so numb, wouldn’t Jiang Musheng be in even more pain and numbness?

She couldn’t help but glance at Jiang Musheng. He was already sitting on the other stool, but his expression was as calm as ever. No emotions showed, and there was no sign of pain.

Yun Ran discreetly looked away, regretting her thoughts. Why am I worrying about Jiang Musheng?

Have I been with Jiang Musheng for so long that I actually think of myself as his person?

The more Yun Ran thought about it, the more annoyed she became, unsure whether she was angry at Jiang Musheng or at herself.

It should be both, but more so at herself.

She was angry that she was just a high school graduate with nothing but a little money saved up. Even to take her dad home, she had to rely on a car sent by Jiang Musheng.

She was angry that she didn’t immediately lose her temper with Jiang Musheng and break up with him, since they weren’t really a couple anyway.

They had only kissed. It was a new era now, not like before where a single touch meant you had to devote your life to them.

Yun Ran was angry the whole way.

The truck finally drove into the Kowloon Walled City. The roads were narrow and complex. After many turns, the driver finally found the home where Yun Ran and Scar had lived for over a decade.

The gate of the truck’s cargo area was opened, and the driver and a bodyguard came down to help carry Scar’s body.

Jiang Musheng stepped onto a stable spot and easily landed on the ground with his long legs.

Only Yun Ran, in her azure qipao, didn’t know how to get down.

Jiang Musheng stood below and held out his hands to her. “I’ll carry you.”

Yun Ran was so angry that she would rather jump down and break her neck than let Jiang Musheng hold her.

She deliberately avoided the spot where Jiang Musheng had landed and jumped down abruptly.

The immense impact made her dizzy, and her ankle twisted.

Jiang Musheng sighed and supported her. “Be careful, Ah Ran. Don’t take risks with your body out of spite.”

Yun Ran wanted to pull her hand back, but her strength was no match for Jiang Musheng’s, so she had to let him support her.

“Miss Yun, do you have the house key?” the bodyguard preparing to open the door asked.

Yun Ran said no.

Jiang Musheng asked, “Can we use a special method to open the door?”

“What special method?”

Jiang Musheng gestured to the bodyguard with his eyes to do it.

Yun Ran watched in shock as he picked the lock.

“Don’t worry, I’ll have someone change the lock and give you a new key,” Jiang Musheng said.

“It smells so good,” the lock-picking bodyguard muttered, taking a few deep breaths.

The other bodyguard said, “It seems to be coming from inside the iron gate, Miss Yun. What is it?”

Yun Ran said with blurred vision, “Roses. There’s a very small courtyard in my house. My dad planted roses there.”

“Ah Ran, are you crying again?” Jiang Musheng raised his hand to wipe her tears.

Yun Ran turned her head away and escaped from Jiang Musheng. She supported herself against the wall of her house, thankfully her ankle wasn’t badly sprained.

The roses inside the door were a birthday gift from her dad.

Once, her dad came back from a mission and was on vacation for a week. He spent the entire week breaking up the concrete in the courtyard, finding some nutrient-rich soil, loosening it, fertilizing it, planting the flowers, and watering them. When her dad left home, the roses were still wilting little seedlings.

Her dad said, “Ah Ran is still a little seedling, too. Grow up with the roses. When Dad comes back next time, the roses will definitely have bloomed, and Ah Ran will definitely have grown up.”

The bodyguard picked the lock and pushed the door open.

A draft of air carried the scent of roses into their arms.

The bodyguard exclaimed, “These roses are blooming so beautifully. Did you plant them yourself, Miss Yun?”

“My dad planted them.”

The bodyguards dared not say anything more. They carried Scar’s body inside first to set up the mourning hall.

Yun Ran followed them, stepping over the threshold. Jiang Musheng also followed her in.

“Ah Ran.”

Yun Ran didn’t turn back.

Jiang Musheng looked at her back and said, “If you like roses, I can have them all transplanted to the garden at home.”

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