Chapter 53

Chapter 53

By now, hatred had completely clouded Cook Chen’s mind. Nothing else mattered anymore.

All she wanted was revenge.

She had once been an ordinary village woman here in Mobei. Her family had not been wealthy, but their days, while plain, had been warm.

Then a troop of barbarian cavalry had raided their village, and from that moment on, the peaceful place they had known seemed to plunge into hell overnight.

Most of the men were tortured and slaughtered on the spot. The children did not escape either. The women were violated by those beasts.

Cook Chen’s daughter had been. So had her daughter-in-law.

With her own eyes, she had watched her husband and son be killed.

She had watched her grandson and granddaughter be lifted up by those beasts, laughing all the while, and smashed to death right in front of her.

Cook Chen would never forget that scene for as long as she lived. Nor would she forget those men’s faces.

And clearly, this Aluye was the very man who had led that cavalry unit back then.

He was also the man who had killed her grandson.

Cook Chen had nearly died that year too. It was only because the Ji Family Army arrived and cut down some of the barbarians, while the rest fled, that she survived.

She had taken a blade to the stomach, but she had not died. She had been saved.

It had taken her a very long time to gradually bury the hatred and pain in her heart.

But at night, she would still often dream of that scene.

And because of that, the hideous faces of Aluye and his men appeared again and again in her nightmares. There was no way she could ever forget them.

Now that she had seen him, all the hatred she had buried in her heart erupted at once.

Aluye had never imagined that he would die at the hands of an ordinary woman.

Cook Chen’s knife had gone straight for his heart.

She drove it in deep, then twisted it with all her strength.

Aluye turned his head, rage and unwillingness driving the last of his body. The saber in his hand stabbed toward Cook Chen.

At the same time, a crossbow bolt shot toward his head.

But it was still too late. With a blade buried in her body, Cook Chen spat blood-and smiled. She smiled with utter joy.

She had taken her revenge. At last…

“Auntie!”

In a daze, Cook Chen heard a familiar voice.

It was Suisui.

I’m sorry, Suisui. Auntie… won’t be able to stay with you as you grow up.

Cook Chen did not fall to the ground. Nanmo caught her.

Ji Yan’an said, “Bring Shen Qingzhu here, now!”

He knew better than anyone how important Cook Chen was to Jiang Yunsui.

Jiang Yunsui ran over in tears and stopped in front of Cook Chen, her eyes bloodshot.

“Auntie, Auntie, don’t scare me.”

She hurriedly crouched down and grabbed Cook Chen’s hand, pouring every ounce of strength she had into sending her spores into Cook Chen’s body.

Because of those energy spores, Cook Chen did not die at once.

“Suisui.”

Cook Chen looked at the little girl crying so miserably before her. Her bloodstained hand clasped Jiang Yunsui’s trembling one.

“Don’t be afraid.”

Her voice was weak. “Don’t save me.”

“Suisui, death isn’t frightening.”

Softly, she said, “I can’t… stay with you anymore.”

“Auntie has to go… cough, cough, cough… go find your uncle, and my son, and the others…”

“My granddaughter was about your age when she died. She… she was such a good girl.”

“Suisui, don’t be sad.”

“Auntie is only… going to another world… to reunite with them…”

With the last of her strength, she pushed Jiang Yunsui’s hand away. A smile lingered at the corner of her mouth.

“I’m sorry. I won’t be able to… make you stir-fried mushrooms…”

Before she could finish the last sentence, Cook Chen closed her eyes completely.

“Auntie, please don’t die, okay? You promised you’d make me stir-fried mushrooms.”

Jiang Yunsui knelt on the ground, clutching Cook Chen’s fallen hand. At first, she cried softly, but soon she was sobbing so hard she nearly fainted.

Cook Chen had been the first person to treat Jiang Yunsui kindly after she came to this world.
She truly treated Cook Chen like family.

Little Mushroom had never had family before. And now, one of her family members had died.

For the first time, she understood the pain of losing someone close to her.

Ji Yan’an walked over in silence, crouched down, and pulled the sobbing child into his arms.

“I’m sorry.”

He had failed to help the child save Cook Chen.

Even Shen Qingzhu’s arrival would have been useless.

Even a divine physician could not bring the dead back to life.

Only Jiang Yunsui knew that Cook Chen truly had not wanted to live anymore.

She clearly could have held on until Shen Qingzhu arrived.

But at the very end, Aunt Chen had pushed her away with such determination. It was as if she knew what kind of ability Jiang Yunsui possessed.

Ji Yan’an left the place to Nanshu and Nanmo to handle, and had Cook Chen’s body properly brought back.

As for him, he lifted the little girl who had cried until she fainted into his arms. Even though he walked slowly, he carried her step by step toward the carriage outside the teahouse.

After returning to Ji Mansion, he brought the little girl back to his own room.

He had someone change her clothes and wipe the blood from her body.

Then he sat by the bed and stayed with her the entire time.

Jiang Yunsui woke not long after. The first thing she did upon opening her eyes was look for Cook Chen.

“Ji Yan’an, I had a nightmare.”

Jiang Yunsui’s little mouth trembled, tears swirling in her large eyes. Her childish voice was full of grievance and fright.

“I dreamed Auntie died.”

She lifted her head and looked at Ji Yan’an.

Seeing his silence, Jiang Yunsui sniffled and grabbed his hand.

“Ji Yan’an, tell me it wasn’t real, okay?”

Ji Yan’an did not speak. He only held her half in his arms for a long while before saying, “Don’t be afraid.”

“Wah… Wuu, wuu, wuu…”

Jiang Yunsui clung to him and burst into loud sobs.

“Wuu, wuu, wuu… Auntie, why? Why did she push me away…”

“She clearly… she clearly could have lived.”

Ji Yan’an gently patted her back to soothe her.

“Jiang Yunsui, sometimes, living also requires courage.”

Just like him.

“Cook Chen’s entire family died beneath a cavalry unit of the Barbarians led by Aluye. Back then, she was the only one who survived.”

Ji Yan’an was a cautious person. Since he had decided to keep Jiang Yunsui by his side, and since he knew she was special to him, he naturally had the people around her investigated as well.

Cook Chen’s life story had been delivered to him by Yinyuan Pavilion, which was best at gathering information.

Cases like Cook Chen’s were not rare in Mobei.

Many men who carried hatred in their hearts chose to join the Ji Family Army for the sake of revenge.

Ji Yan’an told Jiang Yunsui some things about Cook Chen.

He said, “So to Cook Chen, death wasn’t pain.”

“She simply missed her family too much. That was why, after personally taking revenge, she chose to go to another world to meet them.”

“Think about it. When you grow old one day and are about to die, if the people who appear before you are the loved ones you once had, coming to take you with them, would you still be scared or sad?”

Jiang Yunsui sniffled softly and shook her head.

She was no longer crying quite as hard.

Ji Yan’an nodded and said gently, “Mm. I wouldn’t be afraid either.”

Perhaps he would even be very happy.

Jiang Yunsui’s eyes were red. “But… but I’ll never see Auntie again.”

Because she had cried too hard, her words still came out in broken hiccups.

“Auntie was… so good to me.”

“I even promised I would give her the mushrooms in the courtyard.”

“I’ll never get to eat the dishes Auntie stir-fried again. I’ll never get to wear the clothes she made for me again.”

“I want to go find Auntie.”

Jiang Yunsui climbed off the bed and, barefoot, tried to run outside.

Ji Yan’an reached out to grab her and nearly got dragged down by the little girl.