Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 227 Rabbit

When Nianyao woke up, the room light was still on. Luo An, dressed in a moon-white undergarment, stood motionless with his back to her. Nianyao looked at him for a while, then got up and draped her coat over Luo An's shoulders: "It's chilly at night."

Luo An pulled her into his arms, covering them both with his clothes, and rested his chin on her shoulder: "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I slept well." Nianyao looked at the painting on the table; the ink was fresh, indicating it had just been finished. "Who is this? Why does it look familiar?"

The painting depicts a young boy, about sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in a long robe and jade belt, with a slender figure. He stands facing the light, a slight smile on his face, with a small rabbit at his feet, exuding nobility and gentleness.

Luo An's voice was low and somber: "He is Jing Chen. You haven't seen him before, and I haven't seen him for many years either."

Nianyao was stunned for a moment: "Jingchen? I thought you drew... Wu Gang?"

Luo An chuckled: "Jing Chen once went to gather herbs, and a little rabbit jumped into his basket. He took the rabbit out, but it jumped back in and pretended to be asleep in the basket. So he carried the rabbit back and raised it, naming it Chang'e."

Nianyao asked in surprise, "Why? Shouldn't it be called Jade Rabbit?"

Luo An said, "Jing Chen said that Chang'e is a fairy who raises rabbits. He's a man, so he should raise a fairy."

Nianyao couldn't help but laugh along: "He's so cute. My dad told me a story about a fairy who fell in love with a young man, so she transformed into a snail, and the young man picked it up and took it home to raise."

The snail would always transform into a human when no one was looking, and would do the laundry and cook for the young man. After a while, the young man discovered this, and the two got married.

When I was little, I would collect snails and raise them for a while. I told my dad that the gods are in heaven, and my mother is in heaven too. If I raised a snail fairy, she could take me to heaven to find my mother.

Nianyao sighed softly, "I've been raising them for many days, but none of the snails have turned into fairies. Some have even died."

Luo An held her hand in his palm: "Those are just stories to fool children. There are no real gods in the world. That rabbit was quite intelligent, but it didn't actually become a fairy."

Jingchen came to the northern desert with Chang'e, but before leaving, he decided to leave her at home. He worried that Chang'e wouldn't adapt to the different living environment. After Jingchen left, Chang'e refused to eat or drink and died a few days later.

The Crown Prince personally buried the rabbit and erected a tombstone: "Tomb of Chang'e, the Beloved Rabbit." It's located on the back mountain of Heaven and Earth.

The Tomb of Chang'e, the Moon Goddess? It sounds both sad and funny. Nianyao coughed, suppressing a laugh: "But your drawing skills aren't any worse than Ninth Brother's?"

Luo An corrected, "We are better than him. We are disciples of Master Gu Qi, and we are highly talented. How can ordinary people compare to us?"

"Arrogant!" Nianyao thought to herself, but said aloud, "You guys are really working hard. You have to learn everything from music and chess to calligraphy and painting, and you have to excel at it. Luckily, my father is open-minded and lets me do whatever I want."

Luo An recalled her heroic deeds at the Southern Yue Academy and teased, "If your father-in-law wasn't so enlightened and forced you to study there, would you have beaten him up too?"

Nianyao rolled her eyes: "It's not like I don't understand what the Imperial Academy is teaching. I just don't like sitting there shaking my head. Do you really like learning that stuff?"

Luo An thought for a while: "I can't say whether I like it or not. I didn't talk when I was a child, and I just did whatever they told me to do. Anyway, those things were simple. But the teachers that His Majesty hired are all top-notch."

Nianyao stared at him, seemingly hesitant. Luo An raised an eyebrow, signaling her to speak frankly.

Nianyao said, "Does your father know you can talk? Why don't you talk? Isn't it inconvenient for you?"

Luo An said, "Of course he knows. I used to speak when I was little; I wasn't born mute. Once, I was traumatized and couldn't speak. The imperial physician said it was due to stagnation of qi and liver meridian obstruction. After that, I became too lazy to speak."

He really is lazy! Xu Sheng was absolutely right.

Luo An seemed to see through Nian Yao's thoughts: "It's not inconvenient at all, it's actually quite good. By speaking less and using your eyes and heart more, you can gain a deeper understanding of the world and people's hearts, and avoid a lot of trouble. If Xu Sheng hadn't forced me, I would never want to speak in my entire life."

Nianyao said, "You'll talk just because he forces you? Hasn't your father ever forced you? If a child is mute, adults are usually frantic with worry."

Luo An said in a calm tone, "Xu Sheng does things without any method. If I hadn't spoken up that day, he might have really beaten Nan Fei to death. You don't understand my father. He only remembers... and doesn't care much about me. Anyway, I've never seen him get angry."

There was a hint of resentment in her tone. Nianyao tilted her head slightly and squeezed his hand in return: "I care about you."

Luo An tightened his grip on his hands: "However, being able to talk isn't a bad thing. It's quite comfortable to chat like this."

Nianyao comforted him, "It's not that Dad doesn't care about you. There are indeed parents in this world who don't care about their children, but Dad is definitely not one of them."

Luo An took a while to say, "You're right, it's not that he doesn't care about me. He's just... badly hurt and heartbroken. Your father is different from him. Even though your mother is gone, he loves you wholeheartedly."

Nianyao leaned against his chest, her ear pressed against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and whispered, "It's all in the past."

Luo An hummed in agreement, seemingly asking casually, "I thought you left and wouldn't come back?"

Nianyao subconsciously said, "Who said I left? I was just feeling bored, so I went to have a drink and listen to some music."

Luo An stared at her, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Nianyao slightly shifted her gaze, trying to sit up straight, but Luo An held her down, pressing her against his chest so she couldn't move. She could only say, "Okay, I wanted to leave. Who knew I'd run into Manduo there."

Instead of staying put in Baishan, they went out to have fun? Manduo recognized me, and I was afraid he would harm you if he returned, so I had to come back to save you.

Nianyao deliberately emphasized the word "rescue" to show that she had no other choice.

Luo An said with certainty, "No matter what, you don't need to worry about me. Just take good care of yourself."

Nianyao scoffed, "Can't I just be worried about you?"

Luo An kissed her: "Okay. I'm glad you were worried about me."

Nianyao explained softly, "I was really angry at the time, but I figured it out later. You don't owe me anything, and you didn't do anything wrong."

Even if I'm leaving, I need to explain things clearly to you. I can't just leave without saying goodbye. A person should always be upright and honest, right?

Luo An paused for a moment before saying, "Yes!"

Nothing could be more correct. Regardless of right or wrong, things must be said clearly. There should be no exploitation or deception; that's more important than anything else.

Be open and honest when you're together, and be clear and understanding when you break up. Life should be this simple; this is the sense of security he truly desires and dreams of.

Luo An felt a tightness in his chest, as if something was about to burst out. He held Nian Yao tightly, as if she were embedded in his body.

Nianyao's voice softened without her realizing it: "You should come back with me to lay low for a while, and we'll come back after the Khan's position is settled."

Batu is dead, and whoever succeeds to the throne will not let Luo An go. He is in danger here and should indeed go back.

Luo An said, "Okay, I'll leave tomorrow."