"Sistеr! Whаt's wrоng? Аre yоu fееling unwеll?" Jun Jiаngjuan suppоrtеd her, cаlling out softlу in suссеssiоn; рuzzled by hеr paleness and distraсtеd statе.
"Hаs thе рrоcеssiоn tоuring thе сity lеft yet?" Jun Qiluo fосused intеntly on the sоunds outside, аs if all noisе hаd suddеnlу fаdеd intо the distanсе...
"Ah! Тhеу've рrobаblу left Hаngzhоu by nоw! Many рeoplе аrе heаding to Rongchuаn Аllеy tо sее thе burnt ruins!"
Jun Qiluо immеdiatеlу got оut of bеd, grabbed thе clоаk hаnging on thе sсrееn, and drapеd it over herself.
She hаd to go seе for hersеlf, to соnfirm with her оwn eyes—Yelü Lie couldn't have died so easily! How dare he abandon her and their child to descend to the underworld alone?
"Sister! Where are you going?"
"Jiangjuan, tell the gatekeeper to prepare a horse. I'm going to Rongchuan Alley!" She rushed out of the small building in large strides.
Jun Jiangjuan, horrified, grabbed hold of her.
"Sister, have you gone mad? You want to ride a horse in broad daylight? Now that you're pregnant, you can no longer disguise yourself as Jun Feifan. How would the gatekeeper dare prepare a horse for you? And don't you know how dangerous it is to ride a horse with such a large belly? What's so interesting about Rongchuan Alley? You've never been one with a strong sense of curiosity! You cannot go!"
She didn't understand why her eldest sister was acting so out of character, but she began to regret her own impulsive behavior.
"Let go of me! I must go! Jiangjuan, help me, I have to go!" Jun Qiluo clutched her faintly aching belly, tears streaming down her face, no longer able to maintain her calm facade. She had to go see for herself...
"Sister, why?" Jun Jiangjuan began to have a strange premonition; what exactly was the connection between her eldest sister and those two Liao People?
"Help me prepare a carriage. I'll tell you on the way."
"Sister..."
"If you refuse, even if I have to walk, I will get there!"
In the end, Jun Jiangjuan had no choice but to comply. On one hand, she knew all too well her eldest sister's stubborn nature; on the other, she was dying of curiosity about the relationship between her sister and those two Liao People. If, as her sister had said, the father of the child in her belly was already dead, then who else in the world could provoke such an intense reaction from her sister? Those two Liao People should have had nothing to do with her.
Once inside the carriage, Jun Qiluo wiped away her tears, commanding herself not to be weak—he wouldn't die! If he dared to die, she would not shed a single tear for him.
A faint, recurring pain came from her belly—was it from worry, or was the child eager to come out? Regardless, she still had to go see for herself. Looking up at Jiangjuan's expectant face, she took a deep breath.
"The child's father is not dead." She added, "If the Liao People who burned to death last night were not him, then he should still be alive."
"Ah!" Jun Jiangjuan gasped in stunned silence. The baby's father was a Liao Person? The mortal enemy of the Great Song?
The northern threat? The savage who devoured people without leaving a trace? She didn't know how to react! But at the same time, a thousand questions flooded her mind...
The carriage traveled in silence until Jun Jiangjuan found her voice again. Outside, the coachman called out, "Eldest Miss, Third Miss, we've arrived at Rongchuan Alley. The carriage can't go any further. Would you like to get out and take a look?"
Jun Jiangjuan swallowed the words at the tip of her tongue, helped her eldest sister out of the carriage, and said to the coachman, "Go to the inn across the street for something to eat and rest for a while. Eldest Miss and I will be here for quite some time."
"Yes."After the coachman left, the two sisters walked into the alley. Over by the ruins of the Zhang family, a crowd had gathered, but aside from a pile of ashes, there was nothing left.
Jun Qiluo did not approach, nor did she have time to get closer. She leaned against the wall of a nearby house, her face as pale as paper, her hands gripping her younger sister tightly!
Heavens! She was probably going into labor!
"Sister! What's wrong?" Jun Jiangjuan could see it too and immediately panicked. Oh no! Was she really going into labor? "I—I'll go call the coachman back. I'll have him fetch a midwife, I..."
"Jiang Juan..." She was in so much pain that she knelt on the ground, biting her lower lip until it bled, enduring the first wave of contractions.
"Qiluo!"
The next moment, she was swept into a warm, powerful embrace by a pair of iron-like arms. She saw those eyes, bluer and more beautiful than gemstones. Oh! He was alive! But how dare he come out in broad daylight? She quickly reached out to cover his striking eyes, afraid someone might notice...
Yelü Lie swiftly carried her into a nearby house in the dark alley.
"Hey, hey! Where are you taking my sister? I want to..."
Jun Jiangjuan’s face turned pale. Recovering from the shock of seeing those blue eyes, she immediately lifted her skirt and chased after them.
"Come along too, pretty girl!"
Duoluo Qi effortlessly picked her up and carried her into the house as well.
※ ※ ※
"What are you doing here? You knew I wouldn’t die, so why did you come? Good heavens! Your belly is moving!"
Yelü Lie roared, placing her gently on the bed before unleashing his anger. Oh, this woman! Goodness, she was going into labor!
"Duoluo Qi! Go find a midwife!"
"No! Don’t! I—I’ll give birth at home! You can’t go find anyone... You..." She clung tightly to Yelü Lie, glaring fiercely at Duoluo Qi by the door while trying to get out of bed...
"Stay right where you are!"
"If you dare bring a midwife here, just try it!"
Yelü Lie sighed. A woman in labor was the most important.
"Duoluo Qi! Go boil some water. I’ll deliver the baby. You..." He pointed at the stunned young woman by the door. "Come over here and close the door."
"Young Master, are you... capable?" Duoluo Qi asked cautiously.
Yelü Lie had just taken off his outer robe and draped it over Jun Qiluo. He shot him a fierce glare. "I’ve delivered foals for mares. Now get out!"
The door was immediately slammed shut.
Jun Qiluo endured another wave of increasingly intense contractions. She stared at him and demanded, "Why did the ruins catch fire?"
"I’ll tell you after you give birth! Right now, focus on delivering the baby. Don’t think about anything else." He brought a piece of soft wood to her lips, urging her to bite down.
"To shut me up? Or to keep me from screaming?"
"Both." He stared at her bleeding lower lip. This woman was too proud to scream, only hurting herself instead.
Jun Jiangjuan stood at the head of the bed, holding Jun Qiluo’s hands, her wide eyes curiously fixed on this northern barbarian.
Wow! Only such a domineering and handsome man could match her eldest sister. And his blue eyes seemed capable of captivating souls, yet they also held an air of authority. Just looking at him inspired awe. But her eldest sister actually dared to shout and argue with him! He was a real man, and he must truly love her sister.Yelü Lie had no mind to notice anything else; he stared intently, frowning at Qiluo's overly large belly, knowing only that she would have a difficult birth!
And as her pain grew increasingly severe, her pale face made his heart ache all the more.
In the end, he had still made her suffer. Even though childbirth was a woman's sacred duty, he swore he would not let her endure it a second time.
She would surely give birth safely. She knew she had the absolute willpower to deliver a healthy child. Even if it meant enduring endless pain, she would definitely survive. The excruciating agony that felt as if her entire body was about to tear apart was only temporary. Her child was struggling to come into the world, and she refused to let herself be conquered by the pain and faint away. What had happened to her own mother would not repeat itself with her! She was Jun Qiluo, a proud and healthy woman who had always believed she was no less capable than any man. Oh, this damned pain...
Occasionally, when she opened her eyes, she would see the man she loved sweating even more than she was, his expression more pained than hers. This was his most vulnerable moment.
Suddenly, she realized how foolish she had been to once utterly abandon this happiness! If she had ever looked carefully into his eyes, she would have known he loved her with deep affection. But she had given it up. Fortunately, he had come back!
Back into her life...
OpenNovel