The Golden Cane and the Wild Rose - Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Yun Ran’s emotions continued to run high. What she had once feared the most—that her feelings for Jiang Musheng would be exposed had now become something to look forward to. She hoped that Jiang Musheng, who had already revealed her true self as a woman, would show her love with her actions.

Just as her anticipation peaked, Jiang Musheng suddenly stopped kissing her. She rested her head on Yun Ran’s shoulder, breathing heavily.

“Jiang Musheng.”

Yun Ran called her name softly, and Jiang Musheng suddenly held her in a tight embrace. The two women’s bodies were pressed tightly against each other. Yun Ran felt her heart pound fiercely. Jiang Musheng’s body temperature was rising, and so was hers. Their temperatures were rising together, as if they were about to turn into a fire and burn through the night.

They held each other tightly in the silent night, and the small flame of the kerosene lamp swayed gently in the air. Yun Ran’s throat was dry. She parted her lips, wanting to ask Jiang Musheng why she had stopped. But the words died in her throat. She was afraid of looking too eager, not demure at all. At the same time, she was surprised by her own change. Before, her feelings for Jiang Musheng had been within her control. Now, she felt like she was losing it. Was it because she now knew that Jiang Musheng was a woman just like her? Had she actually not liked men and instead liked women? Yun Ran’s heart was in turmoil.

Jiang Musheng was just as restless. She had almost lost control. A Ran could lose control, but she couldn’t. Until she had dealt with all the future complications, she couldn’t give in to her desire for Ah Ran. She knew what Ah Ran wanted, but for now, she couldn’t guarantee that she could provide it.

The two of them sat on the bed, holding each other with their own thoughts. Eventually, they were too tired, and they collapsed onto the bed, still in each other’s arms.

The next morning, neither of them was awake when the old woman came to knock on the door. She knocked three times and didn’t come in. She just stood outside and called, “I’m going out to work now. When you get up, you can make your own food.”

The old woman left after she finished speaking. Jiang Musheng, still half-asleep, didn’t have time to reply. She blinked until her vision was clear. Then she turned to look at Ah Ran, who was still fast asleep in her arms. She leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. Then she got out of bed herself.

Last night, the light had been so dim, and it was already embarrassing enough for Ah Ran to see her in her current clothes. Now that it was daytime, she absolutely couldn’t let Ah Ran see her like this. She rushed to get up and change back into her own clothes. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. When Jiang Musheng gently opened the door, she saw that the world outside was wet. It must have rained heavily in the night. The old woman had brought her and Ah Ran’s clothes under the eaves, but she had been too late. Water was still dripping from them. Changing clothes was not an option. She had no choice but to go back to the room. When she entered, she saw Ah Ran sitting on the bed, her eyes still hazy.

“Jiang Musheng, where did you go?”

Jiang Musheng wished she could just disappear, but she wasn’t a god and didn’t have superpowers. She could only try to maintain her composure and walk to the side of the bed. “The old woman knocked on the door, so I went out to check.”

Yun Ran reached out for a hug. “What did the old woman say?”

Jiang Musheng sat down on the edge of the bed and embraced her. “She said she was going out to work and told us to make our own food when we get up.”

“I’m a little hungry,” Yun Ran said. She hadn’t thought about eating anything on the cruise ship yesterday, and now her stomach was empty.

Jiang Musheng said, “Get up and wash up. I’ll make breakfast.”

The old woman had left two new toothbrushes and a small tube of toothpaste on a small bamboo stool outside the door. They didn’t have any cups, so they found two bowls to use. They didn’t have a sink either, so they crouched under the eaves to wash up. Water droplets kept falling on their heads. Yun Ran was hit on the head and moved closer to Jiang Musheng. Jiang Musheng raised her hand and gently patted her head.

After they finished, they went to find the kitchen together. The kitchen was on the far right side of the yard. It was very dark inside, but fortunately, there was a window that let in some daylight. The stove was old-fashioned, and there was a small fire pit next to it, with a few faint orange-red embers still burning. It looked like they would have to burn their own firewood, Yun Ran thought. She went in first and noticed the small iron stove. She lifted the small iron lid that was suspended by wire and saw that there was a half-pot of relatively thick white porridge inside.

Yun Ran turned around. “The old woman left us some white porridge.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Musheng went to the big stove next to it and opened a large bamboo cover. She saw a plate of salted vegetables and two eggs in their shells. She didn’t know if they were cooked.

Yun Ran said, “They’re probably raw. Didn’t the old woman say we should make something ourselves after we get up? The eggs must be the ingredients she prepared for us to cook as we wish.”

“That must be it. Ah Ran, do you want fried eggs?” Jiang Musheng asked.

Yun Ran grabbed the two small eggs and smiled. “I’ll fry the eggs for you today.” She didn’t want Jiang Musheng to have to struggle in this small fishing kitchen.

Jiang Musheng said, “I’ll help you.”

Jiang Musheng lifted the small iron stove with the porridge and put it on the ground. Yun Ran saw this and put another iron pot on top of it, which she thought was the wok. Jiang Musheng then crouched down, grabbed some dry kindling, and put it in the fire pit under the small stove. She then added a few pieces of firewood of a suitable size.

Yun Ran poured a little oil into the pot and exclaimed, “Jiang Musheng, I was worried for nothing. You seem to be able to do anything.”

Jiang Musheng said, “I don’t know how to do everything. It just so happens that I know how to do the things we’ve encountered so far. When I lived abroad, they focused a lot on developing personal skills, including wilderness survival.”

Yun Ran smiled as she cracked the two eggs and put them into the hot oil. The two eggs puffed up and their edges stuck together, looking like a pair of sunglasses. As she used the spatula to separate the two eggs, she said with a laugh, “So even the lives of rich people have so many hardships. It’s not what I imagined.”

Jiang Musheng lowered her head thoughtfully and pushed the dying firewood farther inside. “Yun Ran, what is your ideal life like?”

“I thought you knew.”

Jiang Musheng said, “I know, but I want to hear you say it yourself, to see if my judgment was wrong.”

Yun Ran flipped the eggs. She found it a little hard to say. “Jiang Musheng, you know I’m a total materialist. I just want to live a life of wealth and stability. And I’m very greedy. I hope that the person who gives me this life is also the person I love.”

Jiang Musheng said, “Maybe reality can’t be that perfect. What I can offer you now is a life buried with landmines. And you now know what those landmines are.”

Yun Ran was silent. The two eggs were almost done. Yun Ran found the salt and sprinkled a little into the pot. Then, they went to the living room and drank the white porridge with the salted vegetables and fried eggs.

After they finished, they crouched together by the water pump to wash the bowls and put them back where they belonged.

Yun Ran asked, “When are we going back?”

“Ah Ran, you don’t like it here?”

“I wouldn’t say I dislike it.”

“Let’s stay one more day. I want to see how things escalate in my absence.”

Yun Ran looked surprised. “Won’t the situation in Hong Kong change drastically?”

“I’ve only been gone for one day. Hong Kong doesn’t necessarily need me.”

“What if something happens at home?”

“Hangyi, Alan, and Ah Biao are all there to watch over things. It’ll be fine.”

“Mr. Jiang is so reckless!” Yun Ran’s heart was already pounding fiercely. Maybe it was because she hadn’t seen much of the world.

“Ah Ran, don’t you trust me?” Jiang Musheng asked.

Yun Ran said, “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I’m just scared.”

After all, a narrow escape like last night was so unlikely. Jiang Musheng had the courage to jump into the sea to save her. With no news for a whole night, those people might think they were both dead. Once the outside world believed Jiang Musheng was dead, wouldn’t her uncles and relatives take the opportunity to seize control of the Jiang family? And if she and Jiang Musheng weren’t dead, would those people with ill intentions allow them to return safely? Yun Ran didn’t dare to think any further. From this perspective, the small fishing village had become the safest place. If she could accept a life like this, it would be a paradise. But she couldn’t. She also didn’t believe that Jiang Musheng would be willing to give up everything she once had, nor did she believe that Jiang Musheng could rest assured leaving Xueyu to live alone in the Jiang family, surrounded by wolves.

“Jiang Musheng, can we go back safely?” Yun Ran asked with concern.

Jiang Musheng pulled her into her arms and gently stroked her long hair. “Trust me.”

Yun Ran nodded in her arms.

Hong Kong’s high society was in an uproar. The famous Jiang Musheng, who couldn’t even swim, had jumped into the sea to save a girlfriend! He was truly infatuated to the point of being reckless!

Some were happy, and some were sad. The people who were at odds with Jiang Musheng were overjoyed, but they could only be happy in the shadows. They didn’t dare to show it openly, because the governor’s daughter was also heartbroken and had ordered a media blackout to prevent the news from causing a public sensation.

The business owners who had deep cooperation and were closely tied to Jiang Musheng were very worried. They were afraid of losing their business and that the new head of the Jiang family would hate Jiang Musheng so much that they would kick out all of his former partners. They were so worried that they couldn’t eat or sleep. They all gave orders to their subordinates to find people, saying it would be best to bring them back alive and safe. But at the very least, they needed to see a body.

To find Jiang Musheng, Cecilia went as far as going on a hunger strike and kneeling to beg her governor father to send his subordinates to search for him. Zheng Hangyi also sent out many people.

While some were helping, others were causing trouble. He boss, who had a grudge against Jiang Musheng because of Yun Ran, and Li boss, who had an indirect grudge because of Chen Hong, got in touch. They both wanted Jiang Musheng dead! If he had already drowned in the sea, they would make sure he was dead for good. If he wasn’t dead yet, they would lend a hand and send him to heaven. As for Yun Ran, if she was still alive, they wanted to keep her around, since she was so beautiful and had caused them so much humiliation.

Early in the morning, Zheng Hangyi got off the cruise ship and rushed to the Jiang family’s mansion. Xueyu had just woken up and was coming downstairs for breakfast. When she saw the haggard-looking Zheng Hangyi sitting in the living room, she walked over with concern and asked, “Hangyi Gege, is something wrong? Why do you look so tired?”

Zheng Hangyi found it difficult to face the innocent and naive Xueyu. He buried his face in his hands, constantly lowering it.

“Hangyi Gege, what’s wrong with you?”

“If you don’t want to tell me, you can tell my brother. But my brother and sister-in-law went to Cecilia’s cruise party yesterday, and it seems they haven’t come back yet. Didn’t you go yesterday, Hangyi Gege?”

Every one of Xueyu’s normal questions was like a knife stabbing into Zheng Hangyi’s heart. He was also sharpening his own knife, which he had to use on Xueyu.

“Hangyi Gege, can you have breakfast with me?”

Xueyu came over and tugged on Zheng Hangyi’s arm. Zheng Hangyi raised his head, his face covered in tears.

Xueyu was startled. “Hangyi Gege, why are you crying?”

She took out a handkerchief to wipe away his tears. Zheng Hangyi gritted his teeth and said with difficulty, “Xueyu, something happened to your brother.”

After learning that something had happened to her brother, Xueyu had no heart to go to school, but Hangyi Gege advised her that she should continue as usual, because the news had not completely leaked yet, and he and Cecilia were still trying their best to find him. To avoid causing trouble, she could only go to school as usual. But because she was worried about her brother, she couldn’t hear a single word the teacher was saying. She kept writing her worries in her notebook and passing it to Alan. To protect her, her brother had arranged for Xueyu to study with her. They were in the same school, the same grade, the same class, and they were inseparable.

At a time like this, Alan couldn’t listen to the lecture either. She quickly wrote back in her notebook.

Don’t worry,Xueyu. Mr. Jiang and Miss Yun will definitely come back safely.

Finally, after school, Xueyu couldn’t wait to leave. Hangyi Gege had promised to take her to find her brother after school. A few girls suddenly appeared in front of her, standing in a line and blocking her way. They were a few cousins from her uncles’ families.

“Xueyu, where are you going in such a hurry?”

Xueyu frowned and looked at them. “Move aside.”

The girls laughed and asked, “Why are you angry? We came to pick you up after school to catch up. Is this how you treat us?”

“Xueyu cousins, please move aside,” Alan said, her face dark.

“Oh, isn’t this our little Xueyu’s bodyguard? So loyal. But your master isn’t around anymore. Are you sure you still want to be so loyal? Why don’t you consider protecting me instead?”

Alan said, “No, thank you.”

The girl’s face also darkened. “Just a bodyguard. You think too highly of yourself.”

The girls were blocking the school gate, and many students couldn’t leave. More people were crowding at the gate to watch the show. A show about the Jiang family why not watch? Gu Qiqi was there, too. She saw that the girls were up to no good. She put on her backpack, walked to the front, and asked in a low voice, “Xueyu, what’s going on?”

Xueyu didn’t say anything. She just glared at her cousins in front of her. They had just said that her brother wouldn’t come back. She really wanted to rush over and tear their mouths out! Gu Qiqi saw that she wasn’t responding, so she felt a little awkward and took a step back. From a distance, she saw her cousin, Gu Hongfei, who had come to pick her up. At first, she was worried that her cousin would use picking her up from school as an opportunity to do something to Xueyu, but nothing had happened for a while, so she had gradually relaxed. She raised her hand and waved, signaling that she was blocked and couldn’t leave for now.

The girls saw that enough people had gathered, and they arrogantly stated their purpose. “Jiang family’s eldest daughter, you’ve been arrogant for long enough. Before, you had your brother, your backer, and everyone gave way to you. Now that your brother was so foolish as to jump into the sea to save a woman and drown, you’re nothing.”

Everyone present gasped. No one didn’t know Xueyu’s identity as the Jiang family’s eldest daughter, and they naturally knew who her brother was. But had the famously powerful, decisive, and ruthless business magnate Jiang Musheng really died just like that? And he died by jumping into the sea to save a woman? The news was too explosive!

Among the students, one of their families was in the media business. He immediately took out his pager and sent a message. Daddy! Big news! Jiang Musheng is dead! He drowned after jumping into the sea to save a woman!

Xueyu, who had always been kind to people, was so angry her body was shaking. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks, but she couldn’t even say a single harsh word back. Alan, who was standing next to her, clenched her fists.

Gu Hongfei stood behind the row of girls who were deliberately spreading rumors and saw Xueyu’s tears. A moment ago, he had felt it was a great relief that someone was teaching the Jiang family a lesson. But when he saw Xueyu’s tears, his conscience instantly trembled. This girl was innocent and shouldn’t be used as a tool for his revenge against Jiang Musheng and Yun Ran. Maybe the girl’s tears really burned him. He didn’t like to see girls cry. He reached out and pushed the five girls who were blocking the school gate aside. He used some force, but the action wasn’t too rough.

“I’m sorry, you’re in the way. You’re blocking me from picking up my cousin from school.”

The girls were suddenly pushed aside from behind, and their formation was broken. It was like a soccer goal that had lost its defense. Gu Qiqi gave her cousin a thumbs-up and then pushed Xueyu and Alan, who were frozen in place, from behind. “Hurry and go!”

Xueyu reacted and was protected by Alan as she walked out of the school gate.

“Thank you.” As she passed Gu Hongfei, Xueyu said thank you.

Gu Hongfei grabbed her arm and asked in a pained voice, “Is Ah Ran really dead?”

Xueyu shook her head, and Alan slapped Gu Hongfei’s hand away. The light in Gu Hongfei’s eyes lit up again.

Xueyu and Alan got into the car, and the driver let out a sigh of relief. “Xueyu, you’re finally out. I’ll call Mr. Zheng again and tell him not to send anyone else.”

“What about our people?” Xueyu asked.

“Ah…” the driver sighed. “The ones who are still willing to serve Mr. Jiang have all gone to look for him. The rest are all fair-weather friends who have probably already switched their allegiance to your uncles.”

“That’s going too far!” Xueyu said, gritting her teeth. But she knew in her heart that if her brother really didn’t come back, their choice was a smart one. She couldn’t help but look at Alan in fear. “Will you leave too?”

“No, I will always protect you,Xueyu,” Alan said firmly.

Xueyu hugged one of her arms and leaned on her shoulder in dependence. The driver took them to where Zheng Hangyi was. It was already dark when they arrived. Xueyu got out of the car and ran over. “Hangyi Gege, have you found my brother and sister-in-law yet?”

Zheng Hangyi shook his head. “I’ve been searching along the shore all day, but I haven’t found them. The salvage team hasn’t found any bodies, either. We haven’t searched the opposite side yet. Maybe they’re in a village downstream.”

Xueyu said, “They must be!”

Alan said, “Mr. Zheng, the second, third, and fifth uncles have already made their moves. Just now, a few of our cousins came to the school gate and spread rumors that Mr. Jiang drowned after jumping into the sea to save Miss Yun. They must have a backup plan. They won’t let Mr. Jiang come back alive. Should we send more people to various locations, so that Mr. Jiang can find his people if he needs help?”

Zheng Hangyi said, “That’s exactly what we should do.” With that, Zheng Hangyi immediately arranged for some of his loyal subordinates and some of Jiang Musheng’s loyal subordinates to be scattered along the coast, searching and rescuing.

Yun Ran and Jiang Musheng stayed in the old woman’s house and didn’t go out. In the evening, the old woman came back with a half-bucket of seafood.

“You’re still here?” the old woman asked as she put the bucket down.

Jiang Musheng said, “Ma’am, we’ll bother you for one more night. When we get back, we’ll definitely send a reward.”

The old woman waved her hand. “I don’t need any future rewards. Just help me clean these crabs, fish, and shrimp.”

“Okay, ma’am,” Jiang Musheng agreed.

Yun Ran went with Jiang Musheng to the water pump, got some clean water, and used a brush to scrub the crabs in the bucket.

Yun Ran said, “Jiang Musheng, you listen to the old woman so much.”

Jiang Musheng said helplessly, “We’re asking for a favor now, so we have to listen.”

“You don’t have to,” Yun Ran said. “Just use your old authority.”

Jiang Musheng said, “I don’t like to always do that. I only do it when there’s no other way. It’s not right to use power to oppress everyone.”

Yun Ran felt a soul-awakening shock. At that moment, she finally understood why the legendary and terrifying Jiang Musheng was actually a very gentle person when you got to know her. Her ruthlessness and cruelty were reserved for her enemies, and that was understandable to protect herself and her family. But if she treated innocent people that way, Jiang Musheng wouldn’t be a person at all, but a tyrant.

Jiang Musheng saw that she hadn’t spoken for a long time and asked, “Ah Ran, are you disappointed in me?”

“No.” Yun Ran looked left and right. The old woman wasn’t in the yard. She kissed Jiang Musheng’s cheek as if they were having a secret affair. “I love it.”

Jiang Musheng was so shaken by the kiss that she lost her grip on the crab. The crab saw its chance and clamped its pincers on her finger.

“Ouch,” Jiang Musheng yelped in pain.

Yun Ran also realized the tragedy caused by her kiss and quickly tried to make the crab let go. “You… let go!” Yun Ran said angrily.

Jiang Musheng was amused by her. Yun Ran glared at her. “It hurts, and you’re laughing.”

Jiang Musheng stopped laughing. She put her hand in the water, and the crab, feeling safe again, let go and hid at the very bottom, letting the fish and shrimp cover its body.

Yun Ran stared at the crab’s exposed foot. “You… do you even know who you just bit?”

“It’s okay, Ah Ran. There’s no need to get into a fight with a crab,” Jiang Musheng said with a laugh, a hint of sweetness secretly spreading in her heart.

Yun Ran said, “It’s good to have a good temper, but you can’t be this gentle with a crab!”

Jiang Musheng’s eyes were filled with tenderness as she looked at her. “Okay.”

Yun Ran thought her eyes were so bright. She looked up at the sky. There were so many stars tonight. It must have been the starlight.

“Come here.” She grabbed Jiang Musheng’s hand and put it under the spout of the water pump. She used her other hand to pump water, letting the stream wash Jiang Musheng’s wound. “I’ll wash the rest. I can’t let your hand get infected. It’s such a beautiful pair of hands.”

Jiang Musheng just said okay. Yun Ran’s heart softened. She pumped the water and couldn’t help but wonder what had happened in the Jiang family before that made Jiang Musheng, a girl, pretend to be a boy for so many years and support the entire Jiang family. If it weren’t for those things she didn’t know about, Jiang Musheng would be a gentle girl now and wouldn’t have to wear the mask of a stern and ruthless man.

But in that case, they might not have had the chance to meet.

When she was done washing, Yun Ran let go of the handle, and the stream of water from the pump became smaller. Jiang Musheng also moved her hand, and Yun Ran washed her own hands with the small stream of water. Afterward, she grabbed Jiang Musheng’s hand again, lowered her head, and kissed her wound.

Jiang Musheng swallowed and looked at her in surprise.

Yun Ran’s face turned a little red from her gaze. She moved her lips away and said, “Saliva can slightly sterilize. Didn’t you know, Jiang Musheng? When I was little and got hurt, I would always lick my wounds myself.”

“I didn’t know,” Jiang Musheng said, her heart pounding as she shook her head.

“Well, now you do.” Yun Ran smiled and gently kissed the small wound on her finger again.

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