SFS Chapter 214 Childhood Sweethearts
Chapter 214 Childhood Sweethearts
He thought it was just a naive promise from a child and didn't take it seriously.
After a few days of "begging", Jiang Xuxu fully understood the hardships outside the palace walls, and also filled her with complex feelings towards A Yan - sympathy and admiration.
She watched as Ayan tried his best to maintain cleanliness even in the most difficult circumstances, and would still share the slightly better food with her first when he could get it.
That night, Ayan leaned against the cold wall and seemed to have fallen asleep.
Moonlight shone through the broken window onto his face, outlining his thin yet well-defined jawline.
Jiang Xuxu wrapped himself in a blanket and sat on a pile of straw. In the moonlight, he looked at Ayan's face seriously for the first time.
He is really handsome.
Jiang Xuxu thought.
Different from my uncle who is handsome and murderous.
Ayan's beauty is quiet, like jade under the moonlight, even if it is covered with dust, it cannot conceal its brilliance.
Especially the way he was sleeping quietly at this moment, his long eyelashes casting shadows on his pale face, his brows slightly furrowed, as if even in his dreams he was carrying an unrelieved sorrow.
As Jiang Xuxu watched, an idea suddenly popped up in her little head. This idea scared her, and then her little face turned red.
She quickly shook her head and muttered to herself, "No, no, I've already agreed to marry my uncle..."
Outside the dilapidated temple, the night wind blew through the weeds, making a humming sound.
Two children depend on each other in a dilapidated temple.
That afternoon, A Yan and Jiang Xuxu were begging as usual in the crowded areas near the City God Temple.
Jiang Xuxu was imitating A Yan, lowering his head and whispering "Please be kind", when he suddenly felt that the atmosphere around him was a little strange.
The originally noisy street corner seemed to be quiet for a moment, and then the sound of orderly and heavy footsteps came from afar.
Jiang Xuxu raised his head curiously.
I saw a team of palace guards wearing black armor and long swords on their waists, led by a middle-aged man wearing a brocade robe, with a white face and no beard, quickly separating the crowd.
"Your Highness the Princess!" The leading eunuch recognized her at a glance.
He fell to his knees in front of Jiang Xuxu with a thud, his voice filled with tears:
"My little ancestor, I finally found you. You've made His Majesty and His Majesty so anxious. Quickly escort the princess back to the palace!"
The guards behind him surrounded him and formed a human wall, completely separating Jiang Xuxu and A Yan.
Jiang Xuxu's little face turned pale instantly.
She recognized this eunuch; he was a very capable steward serving her father.
It's over, there's no escape!
"I won't go back." She screamed in resistance subconsciously, trying to push away the guards blocking her way with her small body.
But her strength is like an ant trying to shake a tree.
She anxiously stood on tiptoe, looked over the guards' tall shoulders, and desperately looked in Ayan's direction: "Brother Ayan! Brother Ayan!"
It’s a pity that Ayan was some distance away from here and had no idea what was happening here.
By the time he reacted, Xiao Ba was no longer there.
The iron wall of the imperial guards separated Jiang Xuxu and A Yan into two different worlds.
Her small figure was surrounded by people and quickly disappeared at the end of the street, as if she had never appeared.
A Yan stood there, listening blankly.
Just now I could clearly sense Xiao Ba's breath and voice not far away, but now I can no longer hear any sound.
"Hachi? Where are you?"
No one responded.
He was surrounded only by the sounds of unfamiliar footsteps and whispers.
A familiar fear came over him.
"Xiao Ba, Xiao Ba, promise me, don't scare me!"
He stumbled around like a headless fly: "Xiao Ba! Xiao Ba! Where are you? Answer me!"
Could it be criminals? Did they take advantage of the chaos to capture Xiao Ba?
Or... is she in some other danger?
A Yan didn't dare to think too much, and a huge sense of self-blame rose in his heart.
I brought her out myself.
He didn't think highly of her.
His only warmth, his brief companion, was just...gone.
"It's my fault... It's all my fault..." He slid down to the ground, leaning against the cold wall.
Father, mother, sister... are all gone.
Now Xiao Ba is missing too.
He thought he was used to the darkness, used to loneliness, and used to loss.
But Xiao Ba's appearance was like a faint but real light, which made him forget the coldness of the abyss for a short time.
Now this light has gone out, and he is thrown back into deeper darkness.
The world was dead silent.
A dead silence more terrifying than being blind.
In the following days, Ayan searched the city like crazy.
He gave up begging and dragged his exhausted body, relying on his memory and ears, walking through the street corners, alleys and bridge arches they had been to again and again.
He seized the voice of every girl who sounded about his age, and regardless of their screams and shoves, he eagerly asked, "Xiao Ba? Is that you? Have you seen Xiao Ba?"
He described Jiang Xuxu's appearance, but all he got was sighs or impatient dismissal.
The dilapidated temple became colder than ever.
A Yan curled up in the corner, tightly grasping the half of the cold jade pendant, feeling that even the last bit of strength to support himself was slipping away.
Ba Na made a childish but extremely serious promise.
"Brother Ayan, I will definitely help you in the future! Help you find your sister and redress your father's innocence!"
At this moment, it was like a blunt knife, cutting his heart repeatedly.
Even she has left, who in this world will care about him?
Who would still remember that family that had long been destroyed and stigmatized?
What's the point of living now?
It's just one more day of suffering in this muddy and filthy world.
It was a gray afternoon with a biting cold wind.
A Yan walked aimlessly and unknowingly reached the river outside the city.
The sound of the river flowing is in my ears.
It's a moat.
He groped his way to the shore, the slippery and cold mud under his feet.
He thought of the cliff five years ago, the despair of falling in weightlessness, and the eternal darkness after waking up.
Maybe this is where he should go.
He took a step forward, his toes touching the edge of the icy river.
The biting cold crept up my ankles.
Leaning forward slightly, preparing for the final relief.
"Brother Ayan! Don't!"
The familiar voice made my body freeze.
"Xiao...Xiao Ba?" he asked uncertainly.
"It's me, Brother Ayan, don't move, please don't move!" Jiang Xuxu rushed towards him quickly.
He grabbed Ayan's waist tightly and dragged him back from the dangerous edge of the river bank.
"Brother Ayan, you scared me to death. What are you going to do?" Jiang Xuxu's tears burst out, instantly wetting Ayan's tattered clothes.
Her small hands held him tightly, as if she was afraid that he would disappear if she let go.
"I'm back, I'm back to find you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm late."
A Yan was instantly brought back to reality.
Was this not a dream? Had Xiaoba really returned? Had she not disappeared? Had she not… abandoned him like the others?
The huge impact made him speechless for a moment, and he subconsciously grabbed Jiang Xuxu's arm with his backhand.
It was as if it was the only piece of driftwood a drowning man could grab.
The touch felt so real, so warm.
Jiang Xuxu explained anxiously, "That day...that day my family found me. They were so fierce and took me away directly.
I called out to you desperately, but they didn't listen. But when I got back, I found my father and begged him for several days before he agreed to help.
She was so distressed that she couldn't bear it any more: "Brother Ayan, I'm sorry for making you worry and sad... Look, I'm fine! I even brought you some delicious food!"
She hurriedly took out a handkerchief from her bosom and stuffed it into Ayan's stiff hand.
Inside were a few exquisite pastries.
"Brother Ayan, people have been sent to investigate your family's affairs again. I believe that your family will be vindicated. Please believe me!" Her words were extremely solemn.
At this moment, A Yan finally understood that Xiao Ba's identity was not simple.
But he no longer cared. As long as she was safe and sound, that was all that mattered.
"I want to take you back and let you study again. I want you to stay by my side!"
Jiang Xuxu talked incessantly about his vision for the future.
She told her father that if Ayan was not allowed to study with her, she would stop studying. Her father had no choice but to agree.
The winter chill gradually dissipated at this moment, and the sunlight shone on the young boy and girl holding hands.
"Brother Ayan, don't worry. I will be your eyes from now on. My mother's medical book is very powerful. I will definitely cure you. I will also take you to eat all kinds of delicious food."
...End of the extra chapter