The Exiled Life of the Noble Girl

Chapter 99

Wang Chunhua had known Yun Sister longer than Li Mingwei. When she heard that Yun Sister was sick, she immediately became worried. She tightly grasped Li Mingwei's arm, "What's wrong with her?"

"She didn't say what illness she has, just mentioned feeling unwell. I'm afraid it might be something serious. She asked me to accompany her and said she would find a chance to come out and let me wait for her in the county town."

Li Mingwei was also somewhat worried when she received the letter because the handwriting wasn't Qing Yang's. She was either hiding it from Qing Yang or from her family who wrote her the letter. Not specifying the discomfort and being so secretive about it made her wonder.

"When did she tell you?"

"A few days ago. She made a date with me for the tenth. She left early in the morning, estimating that I should wait for her at the city gate."

Today was the sixth, still four days to go.

"This is not good." Wang Chunhua's heart sank. It would have been better if they knew what illness it was. Just saying she's sick out of the blue without any explanation would make anyone worry.

Wang Chunhua couldn't shake off her concerns. Early on the eleventh, she went to the Liu family's house to accompany Li Mingwei to the county town to see Yun Sister. Li Mingwei hesitated for a moment but still brought her along. Even though Yun Sister didn't ask her to tell anyone, Wang Chunhua wasn't one to talk much.

The two arrived in the county town ahead of Yun Sister. Li Mingwei still booked two rooms in the inn next to the clinic they visited last time. Yun Sister wouldn't be able to return today after seeing the doctor.

It was hot at noon, and they didn't feel like wandering around after lunch. They went back to their rooms to rest. Wang Chunhua occasionally peeked through the curtains, "Isn't it almost time for the school to dismiss? Are you going to see your brother-in-law?"

"Not today."

The school was a bit far from here, and Yun Sister would probably arrive around the same time. Besides, Li Mingwei wasn't in the mood now. They should wait until they were sure Yun Sister was okay.

The two watched the time and went to the city gate. They only waited for a short while before Yun Sister arrived, seeming to have left very early.

As soon as Yun Sister saw them, she rushed over, and the three hugged tightly.

Wang Chunhua was anxious, "What's going on with you?"

Li Mingwei looked around at the passing crowd, slightly calmer, "Let's go back and talk."

"Yes, let's go back."

Yun Sister kept her head down all the way and didn't say a word until the three of them returned to the inn. Li Mingwei and Wang Chunhua flanked her, and she started sobbing softly.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I, I..." Tears kept flowing from Yun Sister's eyes, her voice choked up, unable to say anything for a moment.

Li Mingwei looked at the large bundle behind her, feeling a bit suspicious. Was such a big bundle necessary for a simple doctor's visit? She stepped back a bit, covering her mouth, "You didn't really listen to me and run away, did you? You said he still hasn't changed?"

Yun Sister looked up, her teary eyes pleading, "Yes, I couldn't stay in that house any longer."

She wiped her tears and threw herself into Li Mingwei's arms, "I just wanted to say goodbye to you, I..."

Wang Chunhua couldn't bear to see her crying like this, taking forever to get to the point. Unable to resist, he pulled her, "So, what's wrong with you?"

"I'm not sick!"

It wasn't her who was sick; it was Qing Yang.

Since Yun Sister married into the Wan family, she knew her in-laws cared a lot about having children. Just a month after she entered, her mother-in-law took her to see a doctor. The doctor said there was nothing major, just prescribed some medicine for conditioning. She saw her mother-in-law visibly relieved at that time.

In fact, she could understand. Qing Yang was already like that, and they were hoping for a grandchild. Both of them were getting old, and with the substantial Wan family business, someone had to take over when they were gone.

But several months passed, and Yun Sister's belly showed no sign of life. Her mother-in-law, unable to bear it, took her to see the doctor again. Still, no issues were found. They began to suspect Qing Yang, so they invited a doctor home under the pretext of checking his legs.

"The doctor said he drinks too much, damaging..." Qing Yang had developed a bad habit of excessive drinking since his leg injury. Over the years, he would get drunk every now and then, unknowingly harming his body, making it difficult to conceive.

Li Mingwei frowned, "This is his problem. What does it have to do with you? Do you despise him for being unable to have children?"

"No, I don't despise him. He doesn't know about this yet."

Her in-laws were afraid that he wouldn't be able to cope if he found out, so they kept it from him.

"What about you?"

Yun Sister gritted her teeth, her whole body trembling slightly, and said with hatred, "They want me to bear a child for them."

In Yun Sister's heart, there was only Qing Yang. Naturally, she couldn't conceive a child with another man behind his back.

Wang Chunhua jumped up and cursed, "How could there be such a shameless family! Shameless!"

The three of them squeezed into one room, one crying, one cursing, and one coldly silent, all the way until it was dark.

The people next door, who were initially enjoying the commotion, couldn't bear it anymore.

"What are you doing, arguing and crying? You won't let others sleep! You've been noisy all afternoon. Keep it up, and I'll report you to the authorities!"

Wang Chunhua instantly covered her mouth. She didn't want anyone outside to hear her. It was embarrassing. She looked at Li Mingwei.

Li Mingwei was uncertain, "It's fine; he didn't see your face."

Even if he did, nobody knows anyone. There's nothing to worry about.

She looked at Yun Sister, who had calmed down a bit, and asked in a low voice, "Are you planning to leave now? Have you thought about where to go, and do you have enough money?"

"I haven't decided yet." Yun Sister didn't want to stay in the Wan family, but she was afraid that her in-laws might resort to some sinister trick to force her to do that thing. She was alone and weak, probably unable to resist. So, she took advantage of her mother's birthday to run away.

"I just thought of leaving that cursed place first. As for the rest, I'll take it one step at a time. Anyway, I can't go back home. If they don't see me back in a couple of days, they'll definitely go to my house looking for me."

Li Mingwei nodded in agreement with her thoughts. She couldn't help but think, if someone could deceive her son, what else were they capable of? Yun Sister staying might end up causing her losses.

"Have you considered telling Qing Yang about this?"

Yun Sister shook her head. Qing Yang's temperament was such that if he found out about this, he might react just as their in-laws feared and end up dying.

She had heard that when he first injured his leg, he had also contemplated suicide.

"Why does he have such bad luck?" Yun Sister couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "He was doing so well in his studies, about to take the imperial examination. His teacher said he had a good chance of passing. But then, while helping his father carry firewood up the hill, he accidentally fell and became disabled."

"Now, this kind of thing is happening to him again. How can I tell him? It's like asking him to die."

Li Mingwei and Wang Chunhua exchanged a glance, knowing that Yun Sister couldn't let go of Qing Yang. Seeing her like this, they guessed she wouldn't go far, so they'd better find a place to settle her first.