Waiting for You for a Long Time, But You Haven't Arrived - Chapter 45.2

In the dream, Ming Yishu pulled “Jiang Qionghua’s” fingers, lowering her head to peck and kiss them gently.

“Yishu, don’t—don’t do this—she isn’t worth it—” Jiang Qionghua immediately realized what was about to happen and spoke out bitterly to stop her. “Don’t go and please her anymore.”

Her words would not be heard by that person. Jiang Qionghua could only watch helplessly as Ming Yishu caught the hand of her self on the chair, her lips slightly parting to suckle “Jiang Qionghua’s” finger.

The atmosphere between the two in the dream was intimate and lingering. Ming Yishu’s eyes were blurred and tender, while that “Jiang Qionghua” appeared restless and annoyed.

Even knowing this was her own behavior in a dream in the past, the current Jiang Qionghua who had entered the dream still wanted to curse herself—what kind of beastly behavior was this? How could she have been so arrogant and heartless then? Did she have to say those mean words? Couldn’t she have used her heart before speaking?

The Jiang Qionghua on the ground watched the scene before her in a breakdown, powerless to stop it, only able to grit her teeth and curse her past self. Just as she was feeling pained and angry, the two in the dream spoke again.

That “Jiang Qionghua” pulled her hand back as if talking to herself, saying: “Truly nonsense. How do you expect me to face you after I wake up?”

“How should you face me? Hasn’t Auntie always wanted to kill me in her heart?” Ming Yishu climbed onto her neck, sitting in her lap just like she did as a young girl, and said: “For someone already dead, what difference does it make how they are treated? Why not be bolder; after all, it’s a dream.”

Her secret suddenly revealed, the “Jiang Qionghua” in the dream tightened her grip on the girl’s neck with a dark expression, malice suddenly rising.

“Will Auntie also be reluctant to let me go?” Ming Yishu coughed lightly a few times, continuing to cling to her without holding a grudge. “It’s been so many years; will you really not soften your heart?”

Really…

Not soften your heart?

This was the Ming Yishu in the dream asking that “her,” but at this moment, Jiang Qionghua felt a bone-chilling cold in her heart. At that time, how could Ming Yishu have known about her murderous intent? This dream was actually so unusual.

Jiang Qionghua walked before the people in the dream in agony, saying hoarsely to Ming Yishu: “Auntie regrets it. Don’t ask her.”

Ming Yishu’s gaze remained on the face of the person on the chair. She said: “Since Auntie won’t soften her heart anymore, then in a dream, the deceased should be allowed to have their wish for once.”

The deceased.

The “Jiang Qionghua” on the chair felt nothing, but the Jiang Qionghua on the ground was covered in tears.

Only much later, after Ming Yishu’s death, did she understand the curse within that dream. Since meeting her, Ming Yishu’s life had been a tragedy; the ending of death was already destined, and she could never keep the other.

“Auntie, look at me.” Ming Yishu’s voice was gentle.

Jiang Qionghua, who was weeping where she stood, suddenly heard this reminder and subconsciously looked up.

Across time and dreams, she finally met Ming Yishu’s gaze.

Ming Yishu smiled at her and opened her arms toward her—

Jiang Qionghua didn’t even have time to wipe her tears as she rushed toward her, trying to embrace her.

But that person crashed into her arms gently, like moonlight that couldn’t be caught, and suddenly scattered completely.

The dream broke; a startle.

Her vision immediately returned to darkness. Jiang Qionghua stood there blankly, feeling a boundless loneliness.

This dream was different from before.

It was impossible for Jiang Qionghua to remember it wrong. She clearly remembered that in the original dream, the last thing Ming Yishu said was “Open your mouth,” not opening her arms toward her like this.

How could this be?

Jiang Qionghua felt an unprecedented throb in her heart. A certain guess emerged; the shock she felt when meeting that person’s eyes was always inexplicable. She knew that just now, that was Ming Yishu—the Ming Yishu she hadn’t seen for a long time.

The girl was thinking of her, and would come to see her again in a dream, wouldn’t she?

A layer of fine sweat broke out on Jiang Qionghua’s forehead. She woke from the dream as if in terror, hurriedly calling Ming Yishu’s name: “Yishu, is it you?”

This sharp cry echoed in the bedchamber, but no one answered her. The tear stains on Jiang Qionghua’s cheeks were not yet dry, her distracted appearance unable to hide that kind of misery.

Jiang Qionghua covered her face and wept in sorrow, her emotions surging again.

Just then, she suddenly heard the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground. She hurriedly took the jade hairpin in her hand and walked toward the noise—

Just as she had called out Ming Yishu’s name, the box that had been sitting perfectly fine on the table had fallen to the floor. Clearly, there was a thick rug on the floor, but the jade hairpins inside were all shattered.

How, how could this be…

Jiang Qionghua collapsed to her knees to pick up the jade fragments from the wooden box, while carefully setting aside the one remaining intact jade hairpin.

She had once seen Ming Yishu kneeling in the snow on the palace path, searching for the fragments of a jade flute. At that time, she didn’t understand why the other was so humble and persistent, but now, she was just like the other was then, enduring the heartache to pick up those shards.

As they say, when the jade breaks, the affection disperses.

Jiang Qionghua dejectedly gathered all the fragments into the box. After collapsing emotionally multiple times, she felt she could no longer break down. Ming Yishu’s various old belongings were like a blunt knife slowly flaying her; she was too heavily wounded, and seemed unable to perceive the pain anymore.

“Yishu, I know you came. You hate me, so there is no problem with you breaking the jade hairpins you gave me. I don’t blame you.” Jiang Qionghua held the wooden box numbly, standing and speaking to the void, “But you still left me one…”

Is it because of a soft heart?

Before Jiang Qionghua could finish her sentence, she suddenly froze, because she realized her foot had stepped on something fragile. That thing snapped abruptly, cutting off all her delusions.

Jiang Qionghua looked down, unable to accept it—the last hairpin she had just set aside had been snapped so carelessly.

She was wrong. It turned out she wasn’t completely numb; pain really does stack, it doesn’t make a person numb.

Jiang Qionghua seemed about to go mad again. She pulled back her sleeve and looked at her arm—there were already six slashes on it, the time limit she had set for herself.

Now, it was almost here.

She thought she was truly going mad.

This repeated agony finally made her unable to suppress it anymore; she could only walk toward destruction.

Jiang Qionghua’s face was heavy with pain as she clutched her heart, her brows furrowed tightly. She leaned over in unbearable suffering, and the blood rising in her throat finally surfaced, staining the long-piled rug in an instant.

At the same time, Ming Yishu woke from a nightmare, coughing and choking.

She had dreamed of a person she shouldn’t have, so her actions were all uncontrollable, but her state of mind was still that devastating.

“Xiao Shu, is your body uncomfortable?”

Outside the door, someone pushed it open at the first moment—whether it was a coincidence or something else.

“It’s no matter.” Ming Yishu wore thin clothing, staring blankly ahead. “I just had a not-so-good dream.”

“Don’t think about those unhappy things. The doctor instructed you to rest your mind well so you can recover your spirit.” That person sat by her bed for only a moment before standing up to leave. “I’ll go get your medicine.”

“Thank you.” Ming Yishu lowered her head slightly toward her, thanking her. “I have troubled the County Princess these days.”

“How can it be considered trouble? If you hadn’t stepped in to help back then, I would have perished along with the Yang family.” County Princess Xieyang’s heroic eyes showed a rare trace of warmth as she smiled, “You are my savior; there is no need for such thanks.”

Ming Yishu lowered her gaze: “Fine, I won’t say it anymore.”

“Just now, Wan’an and Heyi got into a fight. It’s the middle of the night, and those two little things made quite a racket, so I came to see if you were woken up. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be at ease.” Xieyang thought of her playful hunting hawk and felt a bit frustrated. She said, “Wan’an is always idle; I reckon it was him who provoked Heyi. And he couldn’t win even after provoking; he got beaten up by Heyi until his feathers were flying.”

Ming Yishu showed a slight smile and said, “Lock Heyi in my room. He won’t dare go out to bully Wan’an again.”

Seeing her smile, County Princess Xieyang’s gaze fell on her face, and she smiled along: “Alright.”

“In the past, Heyi couldn’t even beat a stray cat that wandered into the Prime Minister’s manor. He was timid and could never win. Now, for some reason, he has become so combative, bold enough even to provoke a hunting hawk.” Ming Yishu said sternly, yet stroked Heyi’s fur with her palm—the creature was indeed spiritual; after her death and rebirth, he had found her at the first opportunity, staying by her side for warmth and leading her to find a place of shelter.

The “Wan’an” in County Princess Xieyang’s mouth was a hunting hawk familiar with Heyi. It had once come to the Prime Minister’s manor to deliver a note to her; at that time, she was standing on the ground locked in gold chains, and it was this hawk that flew into the manor and stood on her shoulder to deliver the message. Perhaps this hawk had played with Heyi even before then, which is why Heyi sought out County Princess Xieyang afterward.

Ming Yishu had also not expected that the girl she had helped rescue while negotiating with Ji Zijun to save Grand Preceptor Yang Bofu would have become like this. Xieyang was Yang Bofu’s only granddaughter, and now, she had grown up.

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