FID – Chapter 593

Chapter 593: A Life Shortened

“Where is the path to the back mountain?”

“Over… over there…” The little maid tremblingly pointed in the direction, her fear still not subsiding.

The people in the village were suddenly all killed by a group of black-clad men who rushed in. She had hidden in the firewood stack, too afraid to open her eyes. Now, people in official uniforms had arrived.

Were they here to capture the bandits?

Was she saved?

“Lead the way!”

Following the little maid, Liu Zhixia’s heart had already grown heavy.

Among the bodies in the village, several appeared to be leaders.

The bandits were all dead, but there was no trace of Li Junyue. A weak woman being pursued by bandits wouldn’t have escaped so easily, so there was only one possibility: Li Junyue was likely already dead.

If that were true, he didn’t know how he would explain it to his grandparents.

With their deep feelings and strong sense of gratitude, they would probably live the rest of their lives burdened with guilt.

Reaching the back mountain and looking at the so-called path pointed out by the little maid, Liu Zhixia’s lips tightened.

It couldn’t even be called a path; it was just a thicket of thorns. The only evidence someone had passed through were some trampled thorns and grasses.

Last night, it was through this path that his grandparents escaped.

The soldiers used knives and swords to clear the path, and halfway through, soldiers ran up ahead, shouting, “Sir, we have found something! The person is at the bottom of the cliff!”

“Lead the way!”

They rushed quickly to the bottom of the cliff where they saw a woman lying there. 

Liu Zhixia recognized the clothes she was wearing—they were the same ones his grandmother had worn yesterday, the delicate cotton tunic with a diagonal collar.

He stepped forward and reached out to feel the woman’s breath. There was still a faint pulse, but it was barely noticeable.

“Quickly, bring her back to the yamen!”

On the way back to the city, many common people gathered around to watch.

After the large commotion at the yamen last night, the people of the city were all nervous. Now, seeing the prefect personally leading soldiers at full speed toward the yamen, with the officers carrying a woman whose life was uncertain, they whispered and speculated about what had happened.

In the inner courtyard, as soon as they heard movement at the door, the elderly couple struggled to get out of bed. 

When they emerged from the living room, what they saw was the woman lying on a stretcher, still uncertain of her fate. 

Her clothes were torn and ragged, and the exposed skin on her arms, face, and neck was covered with small cuts and bruises. Her face, in particular, was swollen and bruised, with bloodstains, making it a heartbreaking sight.

“Nannan…” Grandma Liu looked at Liu Yusheng.

“Put her on the bed.” Without saying much, Liu Yusheng had already stepped forward to begin treating her.

The pulse was faint and weak. Her left hand was broken, and two of her ribs were fractured, but thankfully she was still breathing, so she could be saved.

“When we found her, she was hanging from a tree. She must have fallen from the cliff, but luckily the branches broke her fall, or else…” Liu Zhixia said.

Tears fell from Grandma Liu’s eyes again. “If it weren’t for us old bones, she wouldn’t have ended up like this…”

Grandpa Liu helped her sit in a chair, patting her back. “It’s alright. She’s been saved. She will be fine, everything will be fine.”

On the other side, Fu Yuzheng had already instructed the servants to prepare cloth and hot water. 

After Liu Yusheng finished checking her pulse and diagnosing her, Fu Yuzheng personally wrung out the cloth and gently wiped the unconscious woman’s hands and face. 

It was then that they noticed her dull complexion, covered in dirt. After wiping it clean, her true appearance emerged—her skin was delicate and fair, though this pale complexion looked unhealthy.

After a moment’s thought, Liu Yusheng understood why she had ended up like this.

The village on Mao’er Mountain was a bandit stronghold, and in the eyes of the bandits, women were mere playthings. 

The only way for Li Junyue to protect her dignity was to make herself look unattractive, so she could better defend herself.

For a weak woman to protect herself so well in such an environment, without showing any weaknesses in front of the bandits, showed that Li Junyue was an incredibly clever and sharp person.

With her family around, Liu Yusheng kept her expression neutral while treating Li Junyue, not wanting to cause any distress to her grandparents.

Li Junyue’s condition was far worse than she had said.

The knife wound to her throat had already damaged her health, weakening her foundation. If she had stayed with them, allowing them to help her recover, she might have slowly improved, but unfortunately, she had disappeared without a word, interrupting any chance of treatment.

Her health had always been poor and she hadn’t received proper care. Now, with such severe injuries, it was like adding insult to injury. Her body was already riddled with wounds.

In the future, she would no longer be able to withstand even the slightest harm.

Otherwise, her lifespan would be shortened.

After administering the acupuncture and setting the broken arm and ribs, the bones were bound with cloth straps. The woman was required to stay in bed and remain still until the bones healed.

When Qian Wanjin and Shi Xianrou returned, the treatment was completed, and the woman had been moved to a guest room in the manor.

This incident came to a temporary end.

The bandits who had tied up the elderly couple were all killed, and the trail had gone cold. It would be difficult to find out who was behind it for now. The only option was to put things on hold and investigate slowly over time.

As for the little maid brought back from the village, she was completely clueless. Besides knowing that a group of black-clad men had suddenly appeared and begun slaughtering, she had no useful information to offer. Liu Zhixia decided to keep her at the manor as a maid for the time being.

Now, everyone was gathered in the main hall, all eyes on the elderly couple of the Liu family.

The couple slowly shrank their necks, awkwardly clearing their throats.

“Grandpa, Grandma, in the future, whenever you go out, make sure to bring someone with you and let us know. Don’t sneak out again.” Seeing the guilty look on their faces, Liu Yusheng couldn’t bring herself to scold them further. With a helpless tone, she said, “If you want to buy ingredients and they aren’t at the market, Qian Wanjin has them. Haven’t you forgotten what he does?”

“He runs a restaurant!” The old lady exclaimed. “Right, Xiao Jinzhi runs a restaurant. It’s about to open, so he must have all kinds of ingredients. We should just go to him and get them directly. Why did we think of going after wild game?”

The old man coughed again, not responding. It was actually him who suggested buying wild game, but admitting it now would make him look senile.

How shameful.

If he hadn’t suggested it, none of this would have happened.

Seeing the younger generation’s mixed expressions of accusation and helplessness made him feel guilty.

“Grandpa, Grandma, stop running around. Just tell me what ingredients you need, and I’ll have the restaurant staff deliver them. Everyone has been busy lately, and I completely forgot about this. Otherwise, I would have arranged it earlier.” Qian Wanjin patted his head. 

When he’s busy, he forgets about things, otherwise, the elderly wouldn’t need to worry.

“Alright, then have someone deliver some vegetables every day, and make sure they’re fresh. We need two chickens every day, a pig’s trotter, a rack of ribs…” Grandma Liu started counting off on her fingers, listing a long array of items. 

She went on and on, leaving Qian Wanjin completely stunned, his eyes spinning.

She spoke so quickly and in such detail, he couldn’t keep up!

A soft chuckle turned into a few more, and soon, the room was filled with laughter.

The gloom brought on by the elderly couple’s kidnapping slowly faded away in the sound of their laughter.