Miss and farmhand

Winter had arrived, and the dampness was particularly heavy. For some reason, Huang Chu and Huang Muyun refused to sit indoors and instead wandered aimlessly in the garden. The cobblestone ground was slippery underfoot, so they walked very slowly. Huang Chu kept her head down, as if she were only watching where she was going. Huang Muyun was about half a body length shorter than her, following behind. Actually, he had long legs, and one of his steps was equivalent to two or three of Huang Chu's, but by following him so slowly, it didn't seem like a problem.

At first, some servants noticed and found it strange, but after seeing them walking around the garden in circles, they got used to it and assumed that Huang Chu was feeling down about things at home and that Huang Muyun was keeping her company.

By late at night, they had calculated the frequency of patrols at the back gate and chosen a time for Huang Muyun to go up and collect the stone, while Huang Chu remained in the garden to guard it.

Stone had too many open wounds on his body, which were already covered in medicine, but now that was no longer an issue. He was wrapped up in his undergarments and then several layers of clothing were put on top of them, making him look like a heavy burden on Huang Muyun's back. Huang Muyun seemed alright; after all, young people have the stamina. Huang Xingtong was still worried and even considered going out with him so he could take over if Huang Muyun ran out of strength.

This made Shi Tou laugh in anger: "Sir, we're not going on a picnic, we're escaping for our lives! Even if I lay on top of you without moving, you wouldn't be able to get up, let alone carry me. Forget it, you'd better not come out at all. You'd better not even leave the house, just say goodbye here, otherwise who can stop you at the gate? Stop worrying about me, you should be worrying about that bastard Shen Jingzong, not me."

If it weren't for the fact that he was seriously injured, Huang Xingtong would have also asked the coach to come out and beat him up, but he listened to the advice and stayed in the house without sending him away.

Huang Muyun carried the stones to the garden to meet Huang Chu. She had already quietly removed a few of the blue bricks that had filled in the base of the wall. She didn't dare to make too much noise, for fear that the patrolling or guarding people would hear. Huang Muyun couldn't let go of the stones on her back, so she could only watch Huang Chu go in and out under the hole in the wall. Her clothes and skirt, which were originally clean, were now covered in mud.

When she returned after tearing down the wall, she wiped her hands on her cloak and walked closer. Only then did I notice that her pale face had finally regained its color, and her forehead was covered in sweat.

"Hurry up, hurry up, the next patrol is coming soon. Be careful on the road."

Shi Tou was genuinely moved and told her to take care and wait for him to recover and return. Huang Muyun simply nodded slightly before bending down and stepping into the deep pit at the base of the wall. Huang Chu followed behind him, helping him up, her icy hand resting on the back of Huang Muyun's hand. He took two steps forward, she lifted her hand to help him out, and then followed him out herself, helping to look back to see if anyone was coming, intending to escort them all the way to the main road.

Everyone was so nervous that their hearts were pounding. They couldn't hear anything around them, not even the wind. All they could hear was the rushing sound in their own veins and their breathing, which was particularly noticeable in the silence.

Fortunately, on such a night, it seemed their escape was destined to succeed; they didn't encounter anyone until they turned onto the main road.

Huang Chu stopped at the corner and couldn't go any further. As she let go, she suddenly felt a prickling sensation on her fingertip. Huang Muyun flipped his hand down and gently pinched her fingertip to reassure her. His hands were sweaty, leaving a slightly damp mark on her fingertip. Huang Chu looked at her fingertip and smiled hesitantly. It felt like being licked by a puppy.

She watched their retreating figures. In the middle of the main road were alleyways, a maze of paths leading out of the area, ensuring they wouldn't be seen. Once they reached one of the alleys, they should be safe, as long as they weren't seen by anyone before entering…

Perhaps it was because their gaze was so focused, as if only those two people were moving, while everything else had become still, like a painting. Therefore, any movement within that painting was exceptionally noticeable and all the more startling.

Huang Chu caught a glimpse of a fluttering hem of clothing at the corner of her eye. She turned around abruptly and saw Luo Shutao standing alone in the corner of the wall on her side.

She was already surprised to see Huang Chu, and then followed her gaze, just in time to see Huang Muyun and Shi Tou's last silhouettes disappear into the alley.

She suddenly realized something, whipped her way back, and looked at Huang Chu in disbelief. Huang Chu couldn't help but put on a pleading expression, but before he could speak, he suddenly heard a shout behind him: "Who's there!"

Huang Chu and Luo Shutao were escorted into the house through the front gate. Huang Xingtong waited inside, and Huang Xingyu arrived shortly after hearing the news.

Huang Chu held Luo Shutao's hand tightly the whole way, as if she were terrified. Occasionally, she would plead with the patrolling men, saying that she was just scared and wanted to ask her close cousin to intercede with her uncle so that they wouldn't be locked up. She had already given the bottom part to Luo Shutao before entering the house.

Luo Shutao's thoughts were still unclear, but the patrol officers didn't take her seriously. Their job was to arrest people, and they had already made a result on their first day on the job, so there was absolutely no way they would let her go. As a result, they had to report to their superiors in the middle of the night, causing the whole family to turn on their lights and anxiously watch the main hall.

When Huang Xingyu came in, he brought Shen Yurui with him, and Luo Shutao's heart sank immediately.

Huang Xingyu looked at her without speaking, while Shen Yurui coldly said from the side, "I didn't know that you were so close to this family. Are you my family's concubine or my second brother's concubine? Are you so eager to cause trouble for the master? Running away from home in the middle of the night, do you even know who you are? Even if you're not involved here, is this the behavior of a proper concubine? Who knows what you're doing out in the middle of the night?"

Shen Yurui lost once, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime event. She has been holding back her anger for months, and her skill has not diminished at all. Even Huang Chu felt his scalp tingle when he heard it.

She and Luo Shutao must not be separated at this moment. She needs Luo Shutao's help and must also help Luo Shutao withstand Shen Yurui.

So she had to speak first: "Aunt, please calm down, it's all my fault. My cousin only came because of our past relationship and because she felt sorry for me, her junior. She couldn't stand me begging for help. Besides, my cousin told me not to make trouble and to think about my uncle. He's caught in the middle, with his brother on one side and his superior on the other. I was about to go back after hearing that, but my cousin was worried about me, so she kept me a little longer, and that's when she found out."

Shen Yurui was furious at the barrage of insults from her cousins.

"You're not a child anymore! Don't you know what's important? Aunt, aunt... young lady, it's your business if you want to call her that, she wouldn't dare answer you! Don't speak up for her, you're in trouble yourself. Today you two are just a result of your past lack of discipline. After this is over, it's none of our business. She's not my daughter, I'm still in charge of this family. If I don't lock her up and teach her a lesson, will everyone think the women in our family behave like this!"

Upon hearing that she was to be locked up, Luo Shutao finally moved, but instead of looking at Shen Yurui, she looked at Huang Xingyu.

"master……"

"When did you get in touch with Yi Niang?"

"In the afternoon, the master asked me to prepare some food to be delivered, and I glanced over... and I happened to see Yi Niang there too." Luo Shutao pursed her lips and finally agreed to Huang Chu's explanation. "She gestured to me. We often wandered around the garden together before. Seeing how anxious she was, I didn't think much of it. I only agreed to see her because I was worried about her."

Huang Chu closed his eyes and finally breathed a sigh of relief.