Chapter 50
Chu Xihuan stared blankly at the hairpin, which was broken in two. From the uneven break, it was clear that it had been snapped by force.
So at that time… Lin Zhao was standing right here?
Chu Xihuan turned around. From this spot, she could clearly see her struggle with Cao Jing.
The panic in Chu Xihuan’s heart grew stronger. So how much did Lin Zhao hear at that time? Did she hear why I married her?
Chu Xihuan’s mind was in a mess. But with the broken hairpin and Lin Zhao’s continued absence, what else was there to not understand?
Lin Zhao…
Chu Xihuan lowered her gaze slightly. It was her fault for making Lin Zhao so sad.
She actually didn’t want to make Lin Zhao sad, but her every hesitation and delay, on the one hand, highlighted her cowardice, and on the other, deepened the hurt to Lin Zhao.
Chu Xihuan looked up with a slightly dazed expression, then walked with firm steps toward Mao Xiaoyun’s house. No matter what, she had to find Lin Zhao first and explain the whole story to her. And also, although she had used her a little at first, her feelings for her now were not at all fake.
However, when Chu Xihuan found Mao Xiaoyun, she learned that Lin Zhao had never come to find her.
Seeing that Chu Xihuan’s face was clearly not right, Mao Xiaoyun quickly said, “Sister-in-law, don’t worry. I’ll take you to look in other places.”
Chu Xihuan took a deep breath and followed Mao Xiaoyun. Perhaps afraid of the awkwardness, Mao Xiaoyun chattered on about the places she and Lin Zhao used to go, or where Lin Zhao would stay when she couldn’t go home for a while.
However, after they had searched several places and still found no sign of Lin Zhao, Mao Xiaoyun’s voice gradually grew quieter, and she stared blankly.
She also didn’t know where else the boss could be.
“Could the boss have gone drinking again?” Mao Xiaoyun finally said in a small, uncertain voice. Although she didn’t know what had happened between the two of them, seeing Chu Xihuan’s expression, she felt that something very serious had happened. She couldn’t help but pray in her heart that the boss had just gone for a big meal, not a drinking binge.
After all, ever since she and the boss had been caught drinking last time, the boss had never asked her to drink again!
Chu Xihuan pressed her lips together, recalling the last time Lin Zhao had been angry with her and had gone out to drink. This was not impossible. She slowly nodded and told Mao Xiaoyun to split up and search.
However, after they had searched every possible place Lin Zhao could be and still hadn’t found her, Chu Xihuan knew one thing very clearly.
Lin Zhao was hiding from her. Not the kind of sulking hide-and-seek where she was waiting to be found, but a real desire to not see her.
Chu Xihuan fell silent. Finally, she thanked Mao Xiaoyun and told her to go back.
Mao Xiaoyun looked at her expression and finally couldn’t help but ask what had happened between them.
Chu Xihuan shook her head, not wanting to say more, just telling her to go back early, as it was already late.
Seeing her like this, Mao Xiaoyun pouted and finally went home first.
Watching Mao Xiaoyun go in, Chu Xihuan walked slowly toward her own home, feeling a sense of weariness all over.
When she returned home, the house was still dark, with no sign of another person. Chu Xihuan was silent for a moment, then slowly pushed open the door. The room was still as it had been when she had gotten up that morning.
Lin Zhao really hadn’t come back.
Chu Xihuan sat down, exhausted, and rested her forehead on the table, feeling a terrible headache.
She couldn’t find Lin Zhao now, and she didn’t know how long it would take for her anger to subside.
Chu Xihuan sighed. Perhaps in another two days, with Lin Zhao’s personality, she would come back.
But what she didn’t know was that Lin Zhao was already lying in a tent in the new recruit barracks, trying not to think about her.
The food for the soldiers under General Qi was quite good. Tonight, Lin Zhao had eaten her fill, so full that her mind was filled with the discomfort in her stomach, which was the only thing that could keep her from crying every time she thought of Chu Xihuan.
Although she could also use the discomfort in her stomach as an excuse to cry, Lin Zhao didn’t want to. She was afraid that the people around her would see and think she was a coward, wanting to desert.
She curled up under the covers, her lips bitten tightly. Tomorrow, they would be leaving, and from the moment she had passed the selection, she had no chance to regret it.
She didn’t know what Chu Xihuan’s reaction would be when she found out she had joined the army, but she didn’t really want to think about it anymore. She felt like a joke! She had been so completely deceived by Chu Xihuan in the past, and she had been completely oblivious.
So the reason Chu Xihuan had been unwilling for her to have too much contact with her family and friends in the past was because she was afraid she would find out about this? So she had never thought of confessing to her on her own initiative?
If not for this accident, was Chu Xihuan planning to hide it from her for the rest of her life?
And no wonder Chu Xihuan had chosen her back then. It was probably because she was stupid and easy to deceive.
The more Lin Zhao thought about it, the more unbearable it became. Finally, she pinched herself in annoyance.
I said I wouldn’t think about her, I wouldn’t think about her, and now I’m thinking so much!
“Are you going to sleep or not? We have a lot to do tomorrow. If you don’t sleep, I still have to,” another new recruit who had come in with Lin Zhao said sleepily. Every time she was about to fall asleep, Lin Zhao on the other side would turn over and make some noise. She didn’t know what she was thinking, and her breathing was a little heavy.
Lin Zhao paused and said “sorry” in a small voice, not daring to turn over again.
Because they were just new recruits, they naturally didn’t have their own tents. She had to sleep in a large communal tent with five other new recruits.
Normally, if there were no accidents, the people who slept in the same tent in the future would form a small team.
As Lin Zhao controlled her breathing and reduced her turning, the breathing of everyone in the tent gradually became steady, and they slowly fell asleep.
Lin Zhao also forced herself to sleep.
**
The next day, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Chu Xihuan had already opened the bedroom door, her face still showing deep exhaustion.
Lin Zhao had not returned all night. She was worried and naturally could not sleep well. Besides, she had long since gotten used to Lin Zhao sleeping beside her. Now that the clingy person was suddenly gone, she felt that she could not sleep well no matter what. She slept very lightly and had many dreams, which made her feel as if all her energy had been drained today.
She silently washed up and made a simple breakfast for herself, thinking that she would go to her second sister’s shop when it opened to see if Lin Zhao would still go to work. Even if she didn’t, she at least had to go and say something, so as not to cause everyone to worry about her sudden absence.
Chu Xihuan didn’t know how long Lin Zhao would be angry, but she just hoped that her anger would subside quickly, or that even if she was still angry, she would at least come back first. She was very worried about her being out there alone.
After waiting for a long time, Chu Xihuan walked to the carpenter’s shop. Her second sister would naturally not be here at this time, but the master who was teaching Lin Zhao came quite early. He was a little surprised to see her.
“Why are you the only one here? Where’s Lin Zhao?”
It was strange that Lin Zhao was not with her.
Chu Xihuan shook her head. “She’s not here. I’m here to wait for her.”
At her words, and with Chu Xihuan’s listless energy, the master immediately understood that the two of them must have had a fight. “Then you can wait,” she said with a smile.
She was not too worried about them having a fight. After all, with their relationship, they couldn’t have a big fight, and they would basically make up quickly.
However, this time was different.
Chu Xihuan’s brow furrowed as she waited for a long time and still saw no sign of Lin Zhao.
The problem seemed to be much more serious than she had thought.
Chu Xihuan was silent. She asked for a leave of absence for Lin Zhao and turned to walk toward the Chu residence.
If she wanted to find Lin Zhao faster, she would have to ask her mother for help.
When she returned home, Ye Liuxiang had just finished breakfast and was sitting in the courtyard, sipping tea and looking at the account books. She raised an eyebrow at her arrival.
“Have you had breakfast?” Ye Liuxiang asked.
Chu Xihuan nodded and, without any nonsense, told Ye Liuxiang the whole story, asking for her help in finding Lin Zhao.
No matter if Lin Zhao’s anger had subsided or not, she had to find her first.
After listening, Ye Liuxiang was speechless.
Her brow slowly furrowed, and her expression turned cold. “That little brat Cao Jing dared to go and find you?”
With what she had done, how could she have the face to go and find Chu Xihuan again?
Chu Xihuan was silent. Was that what she was concerned about now? What she was most concerned about now was where Lin Zhao was!
Seeing her like this, Ye Liuxiang sighed softly. She also couldn’t understand what Chu Xihuan was thinking, to have not told Lin Zhao the truth for so long.
“Alright, I’ll have someone go and ask around.” In the end, she was her beloved little daughter. What could she do?
Ye Liuxiang sent someone to look for Lin Zhao. Chu Ningyi, who had heard that Chu Xihuan was back, also came over. As soon as she arrived, she sensed that the atmosphere was not right. She looked at Chu Xihuan, then at Ye Liuxiang, and finally, her gaze fell on Ye Liuxiang, wanting to hear what was going on.
Ye Liuxiang was speechless. Another one who was not easy to deal with.
She sighed softly. “Lin Zhao knows about her and Cao Jing. Now we don’t know where she’s gone. She hasn’t been back all night.”
Chu Ningyi was slightly taken aback, blinked, and also didn’t know what to say.
With Lin Zhao’s affection for her little sister, it was understandable that she would be sad to suddenly learn the truth…
She said no more, but her gaze couldn’t help but scan Chu Xihuan, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
It seemed that her little sister also liked Lin Zhao very much.
Chu Ningyi was still very worried that this matter would affect their relationship.
Time passed bit by bit. Chu Xihuan chatted with her mother and sister absentmindedly. Finally, just before noon, she received news of Lin Zhao.
“Joined the army?!” Chu Ningyi couldn’t help but widen her eyes.
“Yes, they already left for the border this morning,” the person in charge replied.
Chu Ningyi was speechless.
She immediately looked at Chu Xihuan and saw her dazed expression, clearly not having reacted to this matter either.
**
Author’s Note:
Zhaozhao: I’ve run far away! [Crying]
Xixi: …
