Waiting for You for a Long Time, But You Haven't Arrived - Chapter 49

Jiang Qionghua finally sees the person she has been longing for day and night.

Jiang Qionghua came under the cover of night, holding her breath with every step she took.

A rain fell during the night—not a drizzling spring rain, but an irritable thunderstorm.

Coming through the rain, she felt like a vengeful spirit who had been dead for many years, finally able to see the person who could redeem her back to the world of the living. Stepping into the room, she brought the dampness with her, her hands and feet still icy and trembling.

She dared not believe that such auspicious luck had truly fallen upon her. How could someone like her be worthy of another chance at repentance?

Because she had tasted the bitterness of a dream turning to nothing, Jiang Qionghua walked slowly toward Ming Yishu, terrified that the other woman would transform into bright moonlight or a clear breeze and dissipate before her eyes. She was too afraid, truly too afraid…

“Yishu, it is my Yishu who has returned.”

Only when Jiang Qionghua sat by the couch and saw Ming Yishu with her own eyes did she finally let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.

She wasn’t dreaming.

Ming Yishu had truly returned.

The figure on the couch remained as usual. The servants said that her Yishu had recovered her health during this time, but Jiang Qionghua did not think so. As she looked down at the person she yearned for, she felt the other’s shoulders and back were even thinner, as thin as layered plain silk; one could even see a hint of the bony frame at the shoulders.

Heartbroken, Jiang Qionghua leaned over Ming Yishu, loosely embracing her, closing her eyes to greedily drink in the other’s scent.

The person in her dreams was never as vivid as this. Three thousand dreams could not compare to a single embrace in the present.

Jiang Qionghua’s throat moved slightly; bitter tears gradually seeped from her closed eyes. She felt like a water ghost who had finally climbed ashore after drowning, or like withered wood receiving long-awaited rain just as it was about to die of thirst. All the previous torments had come to an end. Upon seeing Ming Yishu, she was finally alive; she was finally saved.

Ming Yishu.

Ming Yishu.

Her Ming Yishu.

She had finally returned to her side.

The wait and anticipation of these past days were finally fulfilled. Jiang Qionghua collapsed onto the couch as if all her strength had left her. Beside Ming Yishu, she was as lowly and dark as a shadow. Her gaze wandered blankly into the darkness as she intimately rested her chin on Ming Yishu’s shoulder, turning her head ever so slightly, cautiously pecking and kissing the stray hairs near the other’s ear.

So fragrant.

It was thousands of times more fragrant than the clothes from the past few days. It was the unique, elegant scent belonging only to Ming Yishu, surpassing all the flowers, herbs, or rouge in the world. Every part of Ming Yishu’s flesh and bone structure fascinated her as if she were under a spell. She loved her to the extreme; she loved every inch of her.

Jiang Qionghua kissed Ming Yishu’s profile in a daze, her gaze never quite focusing. This behavior was indeed like that of a base and eerie demon, but it didn’t matter. As long as it could soothe the longing in her heart, Jiang Qionghua was willing to curse herself a ten thousand times in her mind.

It had been hundreds of days and nights. She had lost Ming Yishu for hundreds of days, and she was almost unable to bear it. If she had died with hatred and become an evil spirit, she feared she would have swallowed Ming Yishu whole—turning love into possession, never to be separated from her for all eternity.

In her immense joy, Jiang Qionghua stiffly tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a trace of a smile.

She propped herself up slightly, staring at her Ming Yishu without blinking, as if guarding a beloved treasure. Her eyes did not move away for even a second.

“Yishu, I missed you so much,” Jiang Qionghua murmured with obsession and sadness. “Have you ever dreamed of me? In your dreams, do you also miss me…”

This thought was clearly impossible. After her delusion, a heavy sorrow took hold—her Ming Yishu hated her. At the time of her departure, they had said a final farewell of life and death. After her resurrection, she would call her an enemy. She would need to make a great deal of effort to regain her weight in the other’s heart.

Thinking of this, Jiang Qionghua felt a surge of fear. She used even more strength to embrace Ming Yishu, wanting to rub her own flesh and blood into the other… but in the end, she couldn’t bear to use too much force. Ming Yishu’s body was weak and could not withstand such strain.

All the most joyful moments of her life were anchored in Ming Yishu. All her concerns came from this person. She could not leave her again; she truly did not want to experience another parting.

“Yishu, I missed you so much.”

Jiang Qionghua continuously spoke of her longing, expressing her love alone. This time, she did not dare crave a response, nor did she dare dream of forgiveness. She could only stubbornly lock her fingers with Ming Yishu’s, shamelessly pressing close to her. She lowered her head slightly, resting her cheek against the back of the other’s neck, her eyes blinking slowly. Her emotions were like an ice jam occurring after a period of stagnation—a grand yet silent surge, growing more intense, about to break the dam.

She could only use kisses to soothe her love. They fell gently, devoutly, and carefully, leaving her breath on the forehead, then slowly moving down past the brow, the tip of the nose, and the bead of the lip.

Startling thunder rolled in the night, and the rain grew heavier. Jiang Qionghua flicked her eyes toward the window for a moment, then continued to hold Ming Yishu’s face to kiss her.

But she didn’t dare go too far. If Ming Yishu were to notice, it would frighten her.

Her movements were very light; she did not kiss deeply. Yet she was still so moved and joyful, her heart beating so fast and urgently that it felt like it would leap out of her chest, making a buzzing sound in her ears.

Jiang Qionghua lingered on the couch with Ming Yishu for a long time, until even the bedding beneath them grew warm, before she felt a deep sense of reluctance. She looked at the sky outside; the spring dawn broke unexpectedly early.

The morning after the rain carried a unique chill.

It was time for her to go.

Jiang Qionghua embraced Ming Yishu one last time with lingering affection. She raised her hand and placed her palm on the other’s abdomen, measuring the waistline with her fingers starting from the navel. Moving inch by inch, she realized only then how thin her Yishu was. Such a slender waist could be grasped with one hand from the side; with both hands joined, she could be lifted and held in her arms…

“I will come to see you again,” Jiang Qionghua whispered into the sleeping woman’s ear, though it was unclear who the promise was for. “Next time, the next time I come, I want you to no longer be so thin. Ming Yishu, live well. I want to see you safe and healthy.”

Ming Yishu remained in a deep sleep, unable to hear these ethereal words.

The sky outside grew bright; Jiang Qionghua finally had to leave.

No matter how much she longed for her, she did not dare risk disturbing Ming Yishu. She didn’t dare gamble, so she could only continue to hide.

Despite being so lowly, Jiang Qionghua did not feel disappointed at all.

She had something worth looking forward to for the rest of her life. Time was long, and she could take it slowly. As long as there was a good enough opportunity, she would surely be able to stand by Ming Yishu’s side again and possess all of her love.

She could take it slow, approaching Ming Yishu bit by bit, letting the other woman accept her once more.

As for those messy “wild women,” she would dispose of them quietly. Jiang Qionghua stood up, straightened her clothes, and walked out the door with her eyes darkening.

A subordinate brought over the gyrfalcon. Jiang Qionghua grabbed it by its two claws, holding it upside down, and said coldly, “Is this the little thing that came to report to her?”

Nanny Xu: “Indeed it is. This hunting hawk must have been trained for a long time; several of us spent quite a bit of effort to catch it.”

Jiang Qionghua casually tossed the hawk back to her subordinate and ordered, “Knock it out and let it sleep for a few days. Don’t let it deliver any more letters. If the people over there can’t keep their cool, they will come to our door themselves.”

When they came to the door, she would take them all out at once.

Nanny Xu asked, “Since that’s the case, why not simply break the hawk’s wings?”

Jiang Qionghua was stunned for a moment, realizing only then that she hadn’t been as ruthless as usual. This was unlike her.

“I’m afraid she will be upset. If this little thing causes her to feel guilty, I won’t feel good either.” Jiang Qionghua thought for a moment and said, “You few stay at Duanhua Residence to take care of her. If anything happens, report to me first.”

When Ming Yishu woke up, it was already close to noon.

She didn’t know why she had slept so soundly this time. It felt as if a long, long time had passed, and even her dreams were repetitive—she kept falling into them, unable to wake up.

Ming Yishu got up and dressed, brushing aside her slightly messy hair. She took a rhinoceros horn comb to slowly tidy it. During the years after transmigrating into the book, her hair had grown as long as a typical ancient person’s. Because of this, she liked to comb it meticulously in the morning. If any strands fell out, she would pick them up and gather them together. From these clusters of hair, she felt as if she could see her past days clearly.

This was her seventh year here. In a flash, many things had happened.

As Ming Yishu was lost in thought while tidying her hair, her hand felt an itch, and she noticed a strand of hair had fallen onto it.

It was an extremely long strand of hair. Unlike her own soft hair, it was tougher and longer. Held against the sunlight from the window, it seemed to show a faint iridescence.

—Whose hair is this?

Ming Yishu was startled by this thought and stopped her hands. She held the hair in a daze, finding it incredibly familiar. The hair she had seen countless times in her memory appeared before her eyes, as terrifying as a nightmare descending.

“Jiang Qionghua?”

Ming Yishu practically called out this name to the empty space in terror. She abruptly threw the hair away and took several steps back, looking at the empty air as if she had seen a ghost.

“Girl, what’s wrong?”

Hearing the commotion, Nanny Xu outside dropped her broom and rushed in, supporting the terrified Ming Yishu by the couch and pouring her a cup of hot tea.

“Why the sudden fright this morning? Did you have a nightmare?”

Ming Yishu’s heart was pounding. She grabbed Nanny Xu’s hand, her eyes dropping in panic: “Nanny, I always feel like my enemy is going to find me. What should I do?”

“Don’t be afraid, girl. Duanhua Residence is the safest place. No one can find this place. This morning, I walked around nearby and didn’t find anything unusual. You can rest easy.” Nanny Xu smiled brightly and warmly. After gradually making Ming Yishu lower her guard, she added, “Speaking of which, it’s a pity. The rain last night was too heavy, and a mountain flash flood washed away the road. Now it’s impossible to leave. Why don’t you wait for a while, girl? No one can bypass that road to get here anyway, so your enemy shouldn’t be able to pursue you.”

“The road is washed out?”

Ming Yishu was surprised, but she didn’t doubt Nanny Xu’s words. She thought about it carefully for a moment and felt that the woman’s words made sense.

Since the road was impassable, although she couldn’t leave in time, the person who wanted to come to Duanhua Residence wouldn’t be able to get in either. She hoped her nightmares were just dreams and that Jiang Qionghua wouldn’t catch up… She hoped that her discovery this morning was just her being over-sensitive. Perhaps the hair was her own, and she had just misidentified it because her eyes were blurry.

Nanny Xu walked over with a slight limp, leaned down, and picked up the hair from the ground: “Girl, look at me. I’m getting old, and my hair is falling out terribly. This morning, I came to warm a pot of hot tea for you, and after just a few steps, a bunch of hair fell out.”

Ming Yishu looked at her with a delayed reaction: “Is the hair yours, Nanny?”

Nanny Xu smiled kindly: “Yes, I’m old and always losing hair. If you find it distasteful, girl, I’ll go put on a headscarf now.”

“It’s fine, no need to trouble yourself.” Ming Yishu immediately felt relieved, thinking she had been making a fuss over nothing. She sighed in relief and supported the lame Nanny Xu: “Nanny is so good to me, how could I find you distasteful?”

Nanny Xu looked at her with gratification: “You truly are the kindest person in the world. Not only did you save this old woman’s life, but you also treat me so sincerely. What am I to do? How about you take me with you when you leave, girl? I’ll serve you for the rest of my life.”

Ming Yishu was overwhelmed: “Nanny, there’s no need for that.”

Nanny Xu: “My husband in the village died long ago, and my son was beaten to death by a group of people a few years back. Living alone is just waiting out my days with nothing to hold onto. It’s better to follow you. Maybe I can even find those bastards who harmed my son and avenge him. Living alone in this remote place, if I die of cold while gathering firewood in winter, no one would care. I truly don’t want to live like this anymore. I’ve had a hard life, and I want to go out and see the world.”

As she spoke, she began to wipe away tears. Ming Yishu felt a sympathetic sense of loneliness and agreed: “Okay, I will take you with me. It’s just that this journey is to hide from an enemy, so it might be difficult.”

Nanny Xu was stunned: “Then with my bad leg, won’t I slow you down and ruin your plans?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ming Yishu said. “If I can’t escape, I’ll be found eventually. You won’t be a burden to me.”

“I see.” Nanny Xu’s tears were already gone. She leaned on the table to stand up again, preparing to go back outside to sweep. “Then let’s stay in Duanhua Residence for a few more days. I’ll go sweep the yard now and won’t bother you.”

Ming Yishu watched her back, feeling an inexplicable discomfort in her heart, though she couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong. She stood at the door, watching Nanny Xu walk away, before returning to the room with some confusion.

Did the rain last night… really get heavy enough to wash out the road?

Ming Yishu felt that perhaps she had slept too soundly and hadn’t heard how loud the thunderstorm was. Or perhaps the roads in this secluded place were poor to begin with, unable to withstand a flood. A significant rain could easily gather into a mountain torrent, washing out the road from above—that must be why Nanny Xu said the road was impassable.

She should trust Nanny more. After all, she was a local and understood the conditions here better. Since Nanny said so, she didn’t need to go check the broken road herself. She would just wait until Nanny said the road was fixed, then pack her things and leave Duanhua Residence.

Ming Yishu had slept for a long time, and her head was still a bit dizzy when she got up. she shook her head; the aura of Jiang Qionghua seemed to linger around her nose. It was as if she could smell that person’s scent, so everything she thought about revolved around her.

Perhaps, she was just being paranoid.

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