47. In the Shilian Tower (2)

"We had gone this far. This was far enough, right?" Chai Jin thought anxiously, trying to comforting himself. With a pale complexion, Ran Xia covered her stomach with her hands. Chai Jin was too focused on her pale face that he did not notice her stomach. After checking in at an inn and settling everything, he turned to Ran Xia, who was leaning to the horse with a very pale face. He thought that she was just too tired from the trip, so he carried her in her arms and asked, "Xia, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, I'm okay!" Ran Xia looked at Chai Jin weakly and smiled slightly. But the sudden pain in her stomach the next second made Ran Xia's brow knitted, and her small face wrinkled.

"Xia, what's wrong? Don't scare me! What's wrong with you?"

Flustered, Chai Jin stared at her and carried Ran Xia back to the room in a hurry.

"I'm okay. I'm okay!" Ran Xia couldn't bear to watch Chai Jin like this, but her stomach was hurting so badly that she fainted just as she was about to say something.

The sound of Chai Jin's calling into her ears became smaller and smaller, "Xia, Xia!"

Chai Jin found a local doctor for her. Upon touching her wrist and taking her pulse, the old doctor frowned with a cold look on his face. He scolded Chai Jin angrily, "You! Your wife is pregnant, and you let her ride a house? And you let her ride for so long on the bumpy road and in such harry! Ah! I'm afraid the baby will not survive this."

The doctor was shaking his head and said with regrets. "What?" Chai Jin was in shock, "What baby? Xia has my baby?"

"Yes. Your baby. You are so over your head!" looking at the young couple, the doctor understood. They were just too young to know anything. They even didn't know they had a baby. The doctor’s reproach eased a lot at the moment. With more warmth and comfort, he said to Chai Jin, "It's okay. Don't be sad. You guys are still young. You could have another child together if you took good care of her."

"I, I had a child!" Chai Jin was clearer about the situation now. He had a child with Xia, but they lost it due to the bumpy road and their ignorance. They had lost their child. Chai Jin didn't know what to say, happy or sad. He was excited to hear of the baby, but the loss of it hit him immediately.

They lost their child to the road. "What's wrong?" week as she was, Ran Xia slightly woke up to some of their conversations. Her child was gone! Ran Xia covered her stomach with her hands. And Chai Jin stood aside, not sure what to say to her, "Xia, we will have another baby!"

"Why... we have... but now... the child... we lost him!" Ran Xia's voice broke into pieces. She didn't know what to say, but to weep. She wasn't feeling much sorrow, but she wanted to cry for some reason. Chai Jin didn't know how to comfort his lover except hugging her tight. "Xia, don't be sad. We will have another child together. We will be a happy family with kids and grandkids running around in the future."

Holding her in his arms, Chai Jin whispered many words to her ears. Those words vaguely went into her ears, yet she could still remember. She remembered them all!

Speaking of which, Snow Monster's eyes became wet, with the snow getting heavier every second, more chilling.

"What happened afterward?"

"Afterward! Haha." The woman in red chuckled, "What could have happened? I didn't have a very healthy body, and the miscarriage had made me even weaker till I couldn't even walk, spending my days on the bed. Our money had all been spent on treating me. With no work, we were just draining the money we brought with us. Not long, we had used them all on the medicine, and we even sold the horse to survive. Chai Jin's family had already found us. But they saw our money shortage, and they thought it would be a nice lesson for Chai Jin before they brought him back. A month after we had sold the horse, his family reached out to us, seeing me badly ill and Chai Jin thinner than before. They used sweet talks to soften him, and it worked. Chai Jin agreed to went back with his family together with me." Without any knowledge of their negotiations, Ran Xia was taken back to the village in a luxury carriage. They found a quiet little yard for Ran Xia and Chai Jin to live in. They even gave her servants, housing ownership, and land ownership paperwork with no questions asked. The young couple lived a quiet marriage-like life in this yard. The Chai family didn't say anything to her to Chai Jin. That's it? Did they accept her?

Ran Xia guarded her humble love uneasily!

Later on, Chai Jin was taken back to Chai Mansion. "You can't dishonor her!" So he said to his family. "Okay! We won't."

So Ran Xia was arranged to be treated by a good doctor, redeemed her freedom from the brothel by the Chai family, and rest in their little yard.

Chai Jin jumped over the wall to see her. He could watch her from head to toe, but he dared not face her. And she didn't know how to ask, so she just let him be, thinking one day he would tell her eventually.

But she waited and waited until his visits stopped. The next thing she heard was the news about him getting married to the daughter of the Ye family, whom he grew up with. "He promised me he would come." Ran Xia's tears were shedding. She couldn't believe what she was told. So she frowned and tried to run out, but she was stopped.

It turned out that they had all these planned out. Their love was impossible, after all! She should have known! But why this was hurting so bad. She was stuck here, trapped in this yard with nowhere to go. But news about him kept coming to her ears. He was getting married. Chai Jin was going to takes another girl as his wife.

He would marry someone else. Leaning to the door, she froze with nothing she could do. She couldn't get out but could hear the joyful music outside.

"Welcome the newlywed, shoot the carriage door, step through the fire pan." All the wedding traditions that Ran Xia couldn't see was heard through the loud voice of the match-maker's voice outside.

It was about time for their wedding night. Ran Xia was counting time and process for him, second by second. Hearing his wedding, she couldn't withhold her tears anymore, and her heart deeply ached. Never had she felt pain so strong before. He promised to marry me, me only! But he married someone else after all!

Ran Xia crouched silently on the ground. What could she do? She couldn't get out even if he was marrying another girl. She didn't want much. All she wished, for now, was words from Chai Jin saying he still loved her. And that would be enough for her. Enough!

But she didn't anticipate the event the next morning. On the second day of Chai Jin's wedding, Ran Xia leaned against the door with a disheveled makeup, with nothing to say.

Someone brought her breakfast, and the first reaction she had was that he was sleeping in for the first night after their wedding. He must be tired.

And this thought had reminded her of their first night together.

Would he also... She was upset. Turning back, she saw a few big men rushing in. Before she even knew what was happening, she was knocked out unconscious. After she woke up, she realized she was locked in a bamboo cage.

She turned her head to look around, and she found the Chai family and Chai Jin's mother, "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing? This is our question for you, dancing girl! We had done nice things for you, paid for your freedom, offered you money in exchange for your leaving. What did you do in return! You lured him to elope with you. Fine. Then our connections had done, either!" Though a weak girl she might be, Mrs. Chai could be strong for her son. She shifted her normal kind voice to a serious one, warning Ran Xia.

"Now that he had married. I hope you never bother him again."

"Bother, how can I bother him?!" She grabbed the bamboo cage she was in, with tears pouring out. At this moment, one had to admit that Ran Xia was a beauty. Even under these circumstances, she was stunningly beautiful.

"No, no, as long as you stay here, you will disturb him. How can he live his life with his heart with you?" Mrs. Chai said seriously, with no emotions in her eyes.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"What are we going to do? I want you to break up with Chai Jin, and disappear in both his life and his heart." Mrs. Chai's words gradually became fierce. "You should know what we are going to do. We will send you on your way."

"Send me away!" Ran Xia patted on the cage, "Haha. You just want my life!"

"Smart! Such a smart girl. It's a pity that you did not use your brain in the right place!" She paused, "I do want your life, not only me but Chai Jin also! Your dearest lover. Do you really think he likes you that much? Since our son was seduced by you, how could he forget? Haven't you heard the saying, you can change mountains and rivers but not a person's nature? Otherwise, why did he stop visiting you! You should know who wants you to die, who else!"

"He didn't want to see me? He didn't, really? I can't believe that!" Hearing Mrs. Chai's words, all the defenses in Ran Xia's heart broke. Her stubbornness and her strength were all broken by her words.

Seizing up the opportunity of her breaks, Brother Chai threw a letter at her, "This is the letter he wrote to you. Take a good look at it!"

Within the cage, Ran Xia hardly picked up the letter and unfolded with pains in her heart. No way! It's impossible! But the words on the letter were like knives stabbing right on her heart.

"To Ran Xia,

I had loved you, but we were not meant to be together after all. During those days we fled, I thought for a long time, and I decided that I couldn't live this life like that. Even though we were happy together, couples were always torn apart by money issues. Would you still love me, had I with no money left? No, you wouldn't!" Opposing to his thoughts, she screamed inside her heart, "No, No! I will! I will love you! How can you give up on me so easily? I never give up on you, but you just quit on me so easily!"