In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

Xie Yige stood there, watching her brother's back as he practically carried Zhang Zhiyi away, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"Your brother," Xie Wanrou said, appearing beside her at some point, a slight smile playing on her lips, "is afraid that people will look at you too much."

"My sister-in-law is laughing at me." Xie Yige took her arm and walked towards the clear water beside the post station. "Let's go wash up. We've been covered in dust all the way here, and our faces feel uncomfortable."

The Luo River was clear and cold, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds. Xie Yige scooped up water to wash her face, the cool droplets wetting her temples. She looked up and saw Zhou Xuan'an and Zhang Zhiyi standing under a willow tree not far away. Zhang Zhiyi was waving his folding fan again, saying something that made Zhou Xuan'an laugh.

"That young master Zhang," Xie Wanrou said softly, "seems to be a witty person."

"Sister-in-law," Xie Yige said, turning her gaze away and teasingly smiling, "If my brother heard this, he'd probably be jealous."

Xie Wanrou blushed and glared at her reproachfully.

Xie Yige smiled and held his sister-in-law tightly, his gaze drifting towards the distant western official road. Dust billowed, and carriages and horses passed by in a steady stream, all hurried travelers.

They were all heading to the capital.

Such a long journey, such a bumpy carriage ride, and he was still sick... How hard must it have been for him?

The bitterness that had been diluted by the spring sunshine in my heart quietly crept back up, a subtle and persistent ache.

The convoy wound its way along the mountain road. By the fourth day, the surrounding scenery had changed dramatically. The official road narrowed, with steep cliffs on one side and lush forests on the other.

Xie Yige was leaning against the window, gazing at the lush green mountains outside, when suddenly her eyes lit up: "Sister-in-law, look! Aren't those wild deer over there?"

Xie Wanrou looked in the direction she was pointing and exclaimed with delight, "Wow, it really is!"

At the foot of the cliff, on a gentle slope, several brown deer were drinking water by a stream. One of them raised its head, its face turned to the group, its white spots clearly visible, like red plum blossoms in the snow.

"It's a sika deer!" Xie Yige excitedly grabbed Xie Wanrou's hand. "I've read about them in travelogues; they're so beautiful..."

suddenly--

"Bang! Boom—!"

A series of loud bangs came from ahead, and a tremor like the earth shaking came from beneath our feet. The horses neighed and braked sharply, dust billowed up outside, and the caravan was thrown into chaos.

"What happened?!" Xie Wanrou's face turned deathly pale.

Xie Yige grabbed the car frame to steady herself and looked through the dust to see loose rocks rolling down the mountain road ahead. "It's falling rocks! Sister-in-law, get out of the car quickly!"

She jumped off the carriage first, then turned to help the staggering Xie Wanrou. Yu Chun and Ting Yu hurriedly followed suit. Zhou Xuan'an had already ridden back from the front, his face grave.

"The cliff ahead has collapsed, there are falling rocks!" he exclaimed urgently. "It's not our convoy, it's pedestrians and vehicles passing by that are trapped!"

"Is anyone injured?" Xie Yige's heart tightened.

"It's still unclear, the dust is too thick, we can't see anything!" Zhou Xuan'an looked up at the cliff where rocks were still falling. "Don't go over there yet, wait until the falling rocks stop!"

The group retreated to safety and waited, holding their breath. Only the crashing sound of falling rocks and the faint, suppressed sobs could be heard in the mountains.

About half an hour later, the dust gradually settled, and the cliff returned to silence.

The crying, however, became clearer, sounding pitiful and helpless.

"Sister-in-law, you and Bichun, listen to the rain and keep watch over the carriages and horses." Xie Yige said to Xie Wanrou, then turned to her brother, "Brother, let's go take a look."

The two had only taken a few steps forward when they bumped into Zhang Zhiyi, who was running towards them in a panic.

"Brother Xuan'an! Sister Xie! Are you alright?"

"It's alright." Zhou Xuan'an strode forward. "There's someone injured up ahead, let's go check it out."

After rounding a bend in the mountain, a scene of devastation came into view.

Three carriages lay askew on the road, their surfaces mangled by stones of varying sizes. The roof of the first carriage had been smashed through by a huge rock, and the horses pulling it lay motionless on the ground. The middle carriage was half-collapsed, while the last one was in slightly better condition. A young girl of about sixteen or seventeen, with her hair in two buns, was crawling out of the carriage, her face covered in dust and tears.

"Grandma! Grandma, what's wrong with you!" she cried as she rushed toward the middle car, trying to pry the stones off it with her bare hands.

"Help me quickly!" Xie Yige said urgently.

Zhou Xuan'an, Zhang Zhiyi, and the men from the Yunxiao caravan rushed forward and worked together to move the stones. Xie Yige stepped over the mess on the ground, quickly walked to the little girl's side, and supported her trembling shoulders.

"Which car is your grandmother in?"

"The middle one..." The little girl's voice was hoarse from crying, her finger pointing tightly at the car that had been crushed the most.

Fortunately, it wasn't the first car—the people inside are probably in grave danger.

"You wait here, I'll go check." Xie Yige released her and ran towards the middle carriage, shouting, "Zhou Xuan'an! Zhang Langjun! Move the stones on this carriage first!"

The stone was large and heavy; it took seven or eight men a great deal of effort to barely move it and create a crack. Xie Yige couldn't wait any longer and bent down to squeeze inside.

The carriage was dimly lit, filled with dust and the smell of blood. An old woman lay unconscious in a corner, blood on her forehead. Further inside, an elderly woman with gray hair leaned against the crooked carriage wall, her left shoulder soaked in blood, her face pale and her breath weak.

Hearing the noise, the old woman slowly opened her eyes. Upon seeing Xie Yige, her originally dim eyes brightened slightly.

"Grandpa," Xie Yige leaned closer, her voice very soft, "where are you hurt?"

"My left shoulder... was hit by a stone." The old woman's voice was weak, but her words were clear. "My servant... was hit on the head."

"Let me help you out first," Xie Yige said, turning to call out, "Brother! Ask the Yunxiao caravan if they have any strong female attendants? Ask one to come and help this old woman!"

A voice responded from outside.

Xie Yige carefully avoided the old woman's injuries and helped her slowly move out of the carriage. Those outside quickly assisted, helping her to a flat, open area. Meanwhile, Zhang Zhiyi and the caravan men had also rescued the people from the carriage behind them.

It took nearly fifteen minutes to move everyone in the three vehicles to safety. A headcount revealed that three servants were dead, five were injured, and the rest had suffered minor scrapes and bruises.

When the young girl saw the old woman come out, she rushed over and gently hugged her, bursting into tears: "Grandmother! I thought... I thought I would never see you again..."

"Silly girl," the old woman gently patted her granddaughter's back with her uninjured right hand, her voice weak but reassuringly steady, "Grandma is alright. Don't cry, okay?"

Xie Yige looked at the mess on the ground, then looked up at the still somewhat unstable cliff, her worry deepening. "Brother," she said, walking quickly to Zhou Xuan'an's side, "we need to clear the road quickly; we can't stay here any longer."

"I know." Zhou Xuan'an's expression was solemn. He turned around and quickly discussed a few words with Zhang Zhiyi and the leader of the Yunxiao caravan. Soon, the able-bodied men of the three caravans sprang into action, moving stones to clear the road.