Chapter 56: You are my son

"You came late, later you will understand." The older generation, looking at Ningguang, everyone, finally walked out of the thatched hut; these people breathed a sigh of relief.

Over these years, is it her own self that she has trapped?

No.

It is her inner heart.

She hates herself, blames herself, and cannot overcome her own inner knot.

And now, the person who can untie her knot has appeared.

"Jiang Yunchu!"

Ning Hanmo saw that shadow, lifelessly sitting there—a state of utter misery he had never seen before, his face covered with insect bite marks, and on her neck ants were still crawling and biting.

She heard Ning Hanmo's voice, slowly opened her eyes; her vision doubled. She hadn't eaten for days, which was fine, but she hadn't drunk water either—her lips were dry, cracked, and whitened.

Just five days, she seemed to have lost half her weight!

"You…"

"How did you come?"

Jiang Yunchu wanted to reach out and gently pat his head, but she had no strength; her arm lifted halfway then fell.

She wanted to sneer, but now she couldn't even do that.

"Why?"

"I am not your biological child!"

Jiang Yunchu, why are you so good to me? I'm such a jerk, I always bully you, I think up pranks just to mess with you—why are you so good to me?

Ning Hanmo shouted angrily, his voice hoarse, his eyes bloodshot, his whole self on the verge of collapse.

He's so bad!

He is a bad child; from the day she entered the Wang Fu, he has been unpleasant to her, yet she has always protected and coaxed him.

But he has done nothing.

He merely keeps opposing her, keeps stirring up trouble, making her already difficult days even worse.

"Jiang Yunchu, how can you be so good to me?"

"You don't need to be so good to me—I'm so bad!"

Ning Hanmo burst into tears, directly embraced Jiang Yunchu, lay against her chest, and wailed loudly.

That cry startled birds into flight and shook leaves from the trees.

Everyone from the Regent Prince's Manor stood outside, watching the two; Bai Zhi crouched on the ground, covering her face.

Shunzi had already taken out a handkerchief, constantly wiping.

And those ten guards all had reddened eye sockets.

"Jiang Yunchu, why."

"Why are you so good to me?"

Ning Hanmo's head buried, he sobbed intermittently, with hiccups mixed in, his whole body trembling from crying.

Jiang Yunchu slowly placed her hand on his back, gently patted it—an ordinary action that usually costs nothing, yet it drained all her strength.

"Because…"

"You are my son."

Jiang Yunchu's tears fell uncontrollably.

Five days and nights had already reached her limit; her constitution was still not as good as before.

After she said those words, she fainted.

Sleep?

During these five days and nights, where would she dare to sleep?

Especially when she felt more fatigued, the less she dared to sleep, fearing that if she slept she wouldn't wake up, fearing she'd never see those lovely people again.

It turns out, unbeknownst when, she and this era have become deeply entwined.

"Jiang Yunchu!"

"Wake up."

"Princess Consort!"

Bai Zhi rushed over, embraced Jiang Yunchu, filling the person with sorrowful emotion.

Ning Hanmo didn't care about the sore butt from the jolting carriage, nor his hoarse voice; his eyes held only that woman.

"Jiang Yunchu, wake up, Jiang Yunchu, I haven't even called you mother yet."

"Please don't die, okay, Jiang Yunchu…"

Cry after cry, sentence after sentence, tinged with tears—yet each word came from the heart.

He shouted, called, despaired.

"Jiang Yunchu, wake up, mother…"

"Mother, please wake up."

Sentence after sentence, repeated words—a six‑year‑old child finally facing his inner self, his feelings; he used to deny it, he was stubborn.

He always wanted to call her a stupid woman, always called her Jiang Yunchu.

It seemed that if he called her mother, it would be like losing—how could Ning Hanmo ever lose?

But looking at her lifeless, her pallid face, ready to leave at any moment.

He was willing to lose—once, a hundred times, ten thousand times.

As long as she could wake up, he could lose thereafter; he only wanted her to wake up.

"Mother."

The little boy cried until he could not make a sound.

The little gentleman kept watching; without everyone's order, no one could go up the mountain.

But...

They went down the mountain to find the village, and it would still take at least two hours...

Time is running out.

"Come up the mountain with me!" the little gentleman gritted his teeth and finally made a decision.

"You can't go; only those two can go." He pointed to the ten guards; they cannot enter.

However, Bai Zhi and Ning Hanmo can go together.

Bai Zhi nodded at that group.

Then she held Jiang Yunchu, strode upward, not even having time to say a word.

The Princess Consort's temperature was pitifully low.

The little gentleman watched the three people; even if he were driven down from Ningguang Peak, he would accept it.

"Everyone." Just turning around, she saw an old person with a head of silver hair.

It was said that in the year the eldest senior sister died, everyone's hair turned white overnight, and from then on they never stepped out of the wooden hut.

"Follow me." The old person glanced at the one in Bai Zhi's arms, stepped without hesitation, and headed straight for the mountaintop.

In her sleep, Jiang Yunchu felt as if she were being gnawed by insects, her whole body seeming to crawl with bugs, itchy, and she couldn't help reaching out to scratch.

But whenever she reached out, it felt as if her hands were bound, her whole body unable to move.

Footsteps came and went, yet there was no sound of speech.

Outside the wooden hut.

"Everyone, when will my mother wake up?" the little boy asked cautiously.

The silver-haired old person rarely spoke; even if someone asked something, she would at most nod or shake her head.

If it weren't the first day, hearing her speak, one might suspect she were mute.

"Tomorrow."

Elder Ningguang said lightly, then handed the prepared medicine to Bai Zhi.

"Apply the medicine to every place bitten by insects."

"For severe spots, apply the herbal paste; she must not let go of her hands."

"Now is when she is most itchy; if she lets go, she will scratch the wound and leave a scar."

It was rare for Elder Ningguang to say so much at once; aside from some elders of Ningguang Peak, no one knew the reason.

Afterward, she carefully took out the packet of peach blossom cake from her bosom; she had been doing the same yesterday, eating just a piece each day...

Six days have passed; that peach blossom cake has dried, its taste not good, yet Elder Ningguang seemed to be eating the most delicious thing.

This is also something Ning Hanmo cannot understand.

"Kid, what's your name?" Ningguang looked at the person standing beside her; this kid was covered in dirt, with streaks on his face, even a flower cat was cleaner than him.

Let him go wash up and sleep, but he refuses to leave the doorway.

Even in the middle of the night, unable to bear it, they had the maid guard him; he leaned against the door, dozing a bit, but if anyone approached, he would instantly reveal his claws and fangs like a trapped little beast.

"Ning Hanmo."

The little boy speaks little; aside from asking about Jiang Yunchu's condition, he hardly talks and is curious about nothing.