The Lady General’s Absolute Indulgence - Chapter 10

Morning light streamed through the window and onto the bed as Wan Ning slowly opened her eyes. What happened? She clearly remembered taking a bath. Why did her lips feel so painful again?

She moved her finger slightly, and Huaian immediately leaned over to feel her forehead. She let out a long sigh of relief. “Your fever is finally gone. A-Ning, you scared me to death. You fell asleep in the tub and nearly drowned. You’ve been asleep for two days.”

Wan Ning opened her damp eyes wide in shock, her small mouth parting slightly. “I… I just wanted to wash properly…” She hadn’t expected to sleep for so long.

Huaian stroked her hair tenderly. “I know. I know you just wanted to have a good bath. I understand. It’s over now. It’s all alright.”

Wan Ning hugged Huaian guiltily. There were dark circles under Huaian’s eyes, and her face bore a rare look of exhaustion. She knew it was because of her—she had made Huaian worry.

A few days later, Magistrate Xu sent word that Zhao Mingfa had been thrown into the Great Prison. Over the years, using the name of his embroidery shop, he had harmed countless women.

Chu Hui never came to find Wan Ning again, and Wan Ning didn’t go out of her way to hold her accountable. She didn’t want to think of Sister Chu Hui as someone so despicable; she preferred to believe that she had simply forgotten…

As the days passed, Wan Ning wanted to go back and see her mother before the New Year. It had been some time since she was sold, and she didn’t know if her mother’s illness had been cured. However, although Huaian was very good to her, if her mother asked, what should she say? She felt like she still didn’t truly know her.

When Huaian returned that evening, Wan Ning had already prepared dinner.

After they ate, Huaian sat to the side reading as usual. While Wan Ning embroidered the pouch, she stole glances at the quiet Huaian.

Slender fingers turned the pages; her features were clear and bright, and her entire aura felt completely out of place in this remote mountain village. Where is she actually from? Does she have parents or siblings? Is she already married with children? And what am I to her? She suddenly realized—they had been together all this time, but they had never “consummated” their marriage. Even after the incident at the shop, Huaian had only kissed and embraced her.

Wan Ning spent the entire evening lost in these wandering thoughts. Huaian didn’t ask her anything; she just waited quietly to see when the girl would finally burst.

By bedtime, Wan Ning was tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Huaian finally placed a hand on the little figure under the quilt and said with a chuckle, “A-Ning, if you keep tossing like this, the roosters will be crowing.”

Wan Ning immediately froze and stopped moving. Huaian pulled her into her arms, resting her chin on the crown of the girl’s head. “What’s wrong?” she asked softly. “You’ve been restless all evening.”

Wan Ning bit her lip. Hearing the question made her feel a sudden surge of grievance, and for some reason, tears began to pitter-patter down. She knew nothing about this person, yet she had already fallen in love with her. But Huaian? She told her nothing, and she hadn’t… hadn’t consummated the marriage. Does she find me unclean because that man laid hands on me?

A hint of a smile flashed in Huaian’s dark eyes. Treating it like a young girl’s tantrum, she patiently patted Wan Ning’s back and coaxed her with an amused tone, “Little sweetheart, I’m right here. If something is bothering you, tell me.”

Wan Ning clutched Huaian’s collar and cried for a long time. Once she calmed down, she raised her wet eyes and asked plaintively, “Huaian, I… what am I to you? I realized I know nothing about you. Where is your home? Do you have siblings? Are you already married? I don’t know any of it. I want to take you to see my mother, but how am I supposed to introduce you?”

Huaian froze. She hadn’t expected Wan Ning to ask these things. She watched as the light in Wan Ning’s eyes slowly dimmed into shadow during her silence. Huaian’s heart ached. “A-Ning,” she asked with a trace of bitterness, “if I told you everything about me, would you still want to be by my side?”

Wan Ning nodded vigorously. She grabbed Huaian’s arm and said solemnly, “Huaian, I want to know everything about you. I want to be with you forever.”

The young girl’s eyes were bright and sincere, filled with a light so radiant it seemed it might consume Huaian, pulling her into a depth from which she could never escape.

Huaian pursed her lips and finally seemed to make a decision. She got out of bed, took a bottle of solution from the cabinet, poured it into some water, and began to wash her face bit by bit.

The beard was slowly removed, and the smooth skin beneath was revealed. The face that emerged was exceptionally beautiful—with a perfect lip shape, a high nose bridge, and deep, shimmering eyes.

Wan Ning slowly reached out her fingers, tracing the lines of this handsome face. At that moment, she could only hear the sound of her own heartbeat; a voice in the depths of her soul told her that the person before her was her true love.

Huaian pulled Wan Ning toward her, burying her face in the girl’s neck and inhaling her scent deeply. She asked in a low, husky voice, “A-Ning, do you really want to know the whole of me?”

The breath Huaian exhaled seemed to have a magical power, making Wan Ning’s heart tremble. She was both anxious and expectant; she wanted to know all of Lin Huaian.

“Huaian, I want to know.”

Huaian moved a step back from Wan Ning. Standing before her, she began to remove her outer robe, then her inner tunic. If one looked closely, they would see that her hands were trembling slightly.

Wan Ning’s face heated up, and her gaze flickered. At first, she was confused, not understanding why Huaian was doing this—until she was faced with her naked body. Wan Ning was utterly stunned. Huaian was… she was just like her.

“You… you… you’re actually…”

Huaian nodded. She tremblingly picked up her tunic from the floor, her eyes downcast. A sudden wave of sorrow washed over her; she felt that by telling Wan Ning the truth, there was no longer any possibility for them.

“Yes,” Huaian said despondently. “My mother is the Duchess of Wei. To fight for favor, she chose my path from the moment I was born. I could only grow up as a man. As I got older, I realized I wasn’t ‘normal.’ I can’t go back now; my thoughts, my preferences—they are all like a man’s.”

“After the Battle of Qingping, the borders will be stable for many years. Facing the people and affairs of the capital left me exhausted, which is why I came to this village. A-Ning, could you ever love someone like me?”

After the initial shock passed, Wan Ning carefully studied Huaian’s features. She saw a pair of eyes filled with unshed tears, caution, and even a bit of lost confusion.

Wan Ning picked up the tunic from the floor, walked slowly to Huaian’s side, and draped it over her. She gently reached out to wrap her arms around Huaian’s lean waist, burying her face in her chest.

“Huaian,” she whispered, “as long as it is you, I love everything.”

Huaian pulled her arms tight abruptly, using such force it felt as if she wanted to crush the person before her into her own body. She had thought she would grow old alone; she never expected to find someone who would make her heart race like this.

“Huaian, I’m here,” Wan Ning said, hugging her back firmly, her voice trembling slightly. No matter what, Huaian was her place of peace. She would never find another person who treated her so well or made her heart stir so deeply.