Xue Dongting turned to see Song Yuming with a load of firewood on his back coming toward them. She started when she saw a girl trailing along behind him.
"Yuansheng?" she said, stunned.
Song Yuming, looking straight ahead, went right for Dongting and grabbed her hand and lead her into the courtyard. Yuansheng glared daggers at the woman. "Well? You're still here? How rude, hanging around other people's doorways!"
The woman clenched her teeth and gave a big hmph and turned and left. Yuansheng stuck her tongue out after her, then jumped over the threshold and entered. She saw Second Sis and laughed. "Second Sis, aren't you pleasantly surprised to see me?"
Xue Dongting was still all riled up from before. She looked at Yuansheng, then turned to Song Yuming. "You went into town?"
He said nothing. Yuansheng didn't want her Second Sis to know she had stole out, so she quickly winked at Song Yuming and nodded. "Yep yep, I came with Brother-in-law."
Xue Dongting felt wounded. She looked at Song Yuming and said, "You went to Cloudgem Lodge to check out my background?"
Song Yuming looked at this woman with a gloomy look all over her face and he didn't refute her. He just said neutrally, "Do you have some kind of background I need to check up on?"
Yuansheng didn't know what was going on, but she could tell the air was getting tense with their quarrel. She hurried over and took Xue Dongting by the arm and said in a low voice, "Second Sis, I… I came here on my own…"
Xue Dongting wasn't about to listen to Yuansheng at a time like this. She glared at Song Yuming with that mysterious look in his eyes and snickered. "My background?"
That snicker trampled ruthlessly all over his heart, but he didn't back down. He said sedately, "Just who are you?"
Xue Dongting closed her eyes and kept them shut for some time. Slowly she opened them and said sadly, "And what if I'm not Xue Dongting?"
Song Yuming said nothing. He didn't know. If this woman wasn't Xue Dongting of Cloudgem Lodge, he didn't know what he would do. If she was a spy sent from the imperial court, would he be heartless enough to kill her?
Yuansheng was thoroughly baffled by their conversation. She sniffled. She had caused a big mess. She quickly said to Song Yuming, "She's just my Second Sis, she's Xue Dongting!"
Song Yuming shouted abruptly, "Look clearly!"
Yuansheng was frightened by his sudden outburst and tears welled up in her eyes. "Why are you being so mean! I'm not talking to you. Second Sis, let's go!" She took Xue Dongting by the arm and headed outside.
Xue Dongting looked back at Song Yuming, feeling unspeakably saddened. So Song Yuming, the one you only wanted to marry the Xue Dongting from Cloudgem Lodge? All this time together you couldn't tell whether I was sincere or not, in the end what am I to you?
She was dragged out by Yuansheng and didn't say a word.
Song Yuming just stood there, watching the woman disappear into the darkness. He didn't go after her. This steel hearted man, bathed in the blood of battle, was so upset he felt numb.
Yuansheng dragged Xue Dongting to the riverbank. She was thoroughly frightened to see her big sis with that blank look on her face. She shook Dongting's arm and said in a low voice, "Second Sis, what's wrong? You're my Second Sis, how could you say you aren't Xue Dongting? That man is really bad! So mean, he doesn't even know who you are?"
Xue Dongting turned to Yuansheng. "What did he say to you when you two were coming back together?"
Yuansheng scrunched her brows, thinking. "Nothing much, he just asked what books you liked to read. So strange, he also said you were really good with medicine and could identify a lot of herbs. He had it so wrong!"
Xue Dongting laughed and said sadly, "I see. He doesn't believe I am Xue Dongting. But what does it matter if I'm Xue Dongting or not? Was my name and identity all he cared about?" She suddenly thought of something and gave a start. She reached up and rubbed her cheeks, tears falling. "Does he suspect I am someone else in disguise? Is my face all he cares about?"
She looked to the heavens, tears falling like rain.
Yuansheng was dumbfounded. She sobbed, "Second Sis, don't be like this, you're my Second Sis."
Xue Dongting looked at Yuansheng. "Hurry on back to Cloudgem Lodge."
Yuansheng eyes her cautiously and muttered, "Let's go back together."
"No, I have something to do."
She wiped her tears and took Yuansheng to the ferry. She saw Old Zhang standing on the deck of his boat, about to set off.
Old Zhang glanced and caught sight of Xue Dongting and grinned. "Girl, it's freezing out here, what are you doing here?"
Xue Dongting smiled and pulled Yuansheng along. "This is my Third Sister. Big Brother Zhang, may I trouble you to take her to the other side?"
"Eh?" Old Zhang said. "Where is Song Yuming?"
"He… went to the mountains to fetch some firewood."
Old Zhang nodded. "I was just about to go across to buy some wine. Miss, quick, come on aboard."
Yuansheng looked at Xue Dongting, still concerned.
"Hurry on back." Xue Dongting pushed her forward, then turned around and started back.
Mama Qiao frowned. She knew everything was a big mess. She stamped her foot. For sure she was going to tell Mama Qiao all about this when she got back and make her go scold Song Yuming, that infuriating guy.
Song Yuming went inside and looked at the food already cold on the table. He knit his black brows. In fact, it wasn't Xue Dongting's looks he cared about. He was just depressed. If his wife was not Xue Dongting from Cloudgem Lodge, but a spy from the imperial palace in the capital, then was how much of the time they had spent together was real?
He wanted to go after Xue Dongting and question her, but he feared that if he stopped her he might learn some more things he did not want to know. He was avoiding. Just like last time when he had an inkling from talking to Wanqing. It's not that he didn't want to ask Xue Dongting and make things clear, he was just afraid the answer would be something he did not want to hear.
Song Yuming sighed lightly. Whether that woman was really Xue Dongting or not, he was already deeply in love with her.
Outside the cold wind raged. Had she gone back to Cloudgem Lodge? Would she catch cold? Had she been crying her eyes out?
His mind was in a whirl, he didn't know what to do. Song Yuming nowadays was no longer the resolute killer. His mind had been affected by a woman and he could not extricate himself. He heaved sigh after sigh. If the one on the Dragon Throne had sent a woman to throw his mind into chaos, then that person has succeeded
He suddenly pounded the table over and over with his fist and two porcelain bowls were crushed to powder at once. He didn't understand, the one on the Dragon Throne was his elder brother! He had waged war on the battlefield and shouldered a bad name to make his elder brother the ruler. He had given up the Dragon Throne, had given up his childhood sweetheart and come alone to this fishing village on the east coast, but it was still not enough to put the emperor's mind at ease!
Song Yuming sneered a few times and raged, "Why? Why?"
The thatched cottage rustled and shook in the bitter wind, as if it trembled in fear at his fury.