Chapter 12 - CHAPTER-12

Under the treatment of Doctor Yu, Zhao Huaining was able to walk on the ground and hold on to the wall soon. Although her legs were unstable and trembling with every step, Zhao Huaining was very excited. After waking up for so long, this was the first time she used her legs.

"Doctor Yu." Zhao Yuzhen and Chen Leyan came back from outside and greeted Doctor Yu standing in the corridor.

Doctor Yu turned around and nodded with a smile, and then said, "Congratulations to Mr. Zhao and Teacher Chen. Your daughter has extraordinary perseverance."

Zhao Yuzhen looked up and saw his daughter walking step by step with the help of the wall.

"I have been a doctor for many years. For someone like Ling Qianjin, it would take at least ten days to get out of bed. Weak legs would make people want to give up and go back to bed. But Ling Qianjin is different. Her legs are shaking and cold sweat is pouring from her forehead. She just walks step by step, holding on to the wall. She is not spoiled or discouraged. This is precious."

Zhao Yuzhen felt comforted when she heard what Doctor Yu said, but Chen Leyan felt uneasy. Although her Huaining was a good child, she would not get out of bed if she could when she was sick. Why did she feel so different after waking up, like... another person?

But she checked it yesterday. The mole behind Huaining's ear was still there. Perhaps, this child has grown up after experiencing life and death.

"The fact that my daughter can get out of bed so quickly is also due to Doctor Yu's superb medical skills." Zhao Yuzhen smiled.

"No, no." Doctor Yu was very happy, and said modestly with a smile, "I still have to go check the old lady's pulse. If the second lady has anything to say, please go to the old lady's courtyard and call me."

Zhao Yuzhen hurriedly made way when he heard it, "Thank you for taking care of my mother, Doctor Yu."

Chen Leyan looked at Doctor Yu leaving and asked, "Have you found out when Master Su will be back?"

"The people in the yamen said it would be three days later." Zhao Yuzhen sighed, "Three days from now is exactly mother's birthday. I think mother's illness has been reduced by 70% in the past two days. I plan to have a good funeral to get rid of the illness. Let's postpone the discussion of breaking off the engagement for one day. It's not good to ask the Su family to break off the engagement at mother's birthday banquet."

Chen Leyan thought about it and felt that it was indeed not appropriate. It was a matter of one day earlier or later.

"Okay."

Zhao Huaining's back was covered with cold sweat. When he looked up and saw the two mothers standing in the corridor talking, he said, "Mother, mother, can you find a walking stick for your daughter?"

Chen Leyan hurried down the corridor and walked forward, wiping Zhao Huaining's sweat with a handkerchief.

"Are you tired? Don't walk too long if you are still weak."

Zhao Huaining felt the motherly love of the other party, and said warmly in his heart, "No, I am more energetic the more I walk."

Zhao Yuzhen looked at such a daughter who was not hypocritical, and really felt comforted. His tone softened rarely, "Go back to your room and rest for a while. Your clothes on your back are all wet."

"Okay, what about the walking stick?" Zhao Huaining's expression was a bit naughty.

Zhao Yuzhen laughed, "I will have someone send it to you later."

"Thank you, mother." After Zhao Huaining thanked her, she wanted to go back to her room by holding the wall, but Chen Leyan supported her nervously, as if she wanted to go back to her room with her.

"Mother, I can walk by myself, so I won't waste your and mother's time. You guys should work hard and give me a sister as soon as possible."

Chen Leyan let go of her hand immediately after hearing this, her face flushed: "Why have you been asking us for a sister these days, kid?"

"Go away, if you want a child, you can have one yourself after you get married." Zhao Yuzhen said, taking Chen Leyan's hand and leaving.

Zhao Huaining shook his head at the other's back, and walked back to the room step by step, leaning against the wall.

Zhao Yuzhen still cared about this only daughter very much. Not long after she left, Aunt Yu came with a cane.

"Second Miss, this is the cane you wanted." Aunt Yu put the cane against the wall considerately, and then took out a few pieces of silk from her arms, "This is the silk that the second lady asked you to find. Several types of silk that can be found on the market are here."

"Thank you, Aunt Yu." Zhao Huaining was overjoyed and took the silk quickly. After Aunt Yu left, she took out the lotus pendant from her arms.

Yesterday, she took off the lotus-shaped cover on the lotus pendant, poured out the synthetic bead, and used a dagger to cut it along the tiny crack of the pearl. There was indeed a silk fragment hidden inside. The top and right sides of the fragment were intact, which meant it was the upper right corner of the treasure map.

There were several continuous mountain peaks painted on the fragment, and two words were written in very small characters on the back.

The characters in the book were slightly different from her original characters, but the general strokes allowed her to recognize the characters on it as Longnan.

Zhao Huaining compared the silk on the market, chose the one that was closest, cut it according to the outline of the fragment, and then drew it exactly like the mountain peaks on the fragment, but when writing the title, she wrote the word Yizhou according to the dictionary.

She didn't write it randomly. Last night, she looked up the map of the Great Zhou territory and the landscape records based on the shape of the mountain peaks on the fragment. The mountains in Longnan are similar to those in Yizhou. Generally, maps only have the inscription in the upper right corner to explain the location, and the location will be marked on the map with cinnabar. If this treasure map is the same as the regular map, then the fragment she modified can completely mislead Nan Mingzi in the future.

Zhao Huaining was very satisfied with her masterpiece. After the handwriting dried, she put the fake fragment back into the pearl, glued the two halves of the pearl with wax, and then restored the lotus pendant to its original appearance.

After doing all this, Zhao Huaining placed the lotus pendant on the desk, put the real fragment into a small bamboo tube and put it in her arms.

"Lamei." Zhao Huaining stood up with her hands on the handrail, took the crutches from the corner and walked out.

"Second Miss, are you looking for me?" The little maid ran out in a hurry.

Zhao Huaining walked to the door with a cane and said, "I'm thirsty, and the tea in the room is cold. Can you help me make a new cup?"

"Okay, second miss."

After the little girl ran out of the yard, Zhao Huaining hurried out with her crutches. She did not go through the main door, but the side door where she usually went in and out of the sedan chair.

Su Zhiqiu was in the teahouse across from the Zhao family. When Zhao Huaining appeared on the street, she quickly paid the bill and left. When she came out, Zhao Huaining had already walked out of the street.

Zhao Huaining used the monthly allowance that Chen Leyan gave her yesterday to buy a string of hemp rope, and then followed the route in the mountain and water records to climb up Fengjue Mountain step by step.

When Su Zhiqiu followed him to the bottom of Fengjue Mountain, Zhao Huaining had already given up his crutches and started climbing instead.

Su Zhiqiu was puzzled, but there was no shelter on this long slope. She was afraid that Zhao Huaining would look back and find her, so she had to hide behind a tree at the foot of the mountain.

When Zhao Huaining climbed to the top of the cliff, she turned around and took a quick look down the mountain. If she didn't know that there was someone following her, she wouldn't be Zhao Huaining.

On the way, she deliberately dropped the hemp rope and bent down to pick it up. When she looked back, she found the fluttering white skirt. The other party tiptoed and quickly hid behind the vendor's table!

A usually indifferent person making such a move inevitably made her laugh.

In fact, Zhao Huaining was not afraid of Su Zhiqiu following her. Everything she did was to repay Su Zhiqiu for saving her life in Fengjue Mountain.

Zhao Huaining tied one end of the hemp rope to the tree trunk and the other end to her waist. After tying it tightly, she slowly climbed to the edge of the cliff. At that time, her feet were weak and she was supported by a hemp rope. She panted and dug a small hole next to the lone pine on the cliff wall, and then put the bamboo tube containing the fragments into it.

When she was done and pulled the hemp rope to the top of the cliff, a white hand reached out to her.

Zhao Huaining didn't even raise her head, and directly handed her hand to the other party: "Thank you, lady."

Su Zhiqiu was a little surprised. She pulled the person up and asked, "How did you know it was me?"

"Your tracking is too clumsy. If you were to be a scout, you would die on the way." Zhao Huaining lay on the grass with his arms and legs spread out, untying the hemp rope around his waist while laughing, "Oh, I forgot, although you haven't learned how to track people, you are good at kung fu, maybe you can escape death."

Su Zhiqiu frowned when she heard it, she glanced down the cliff and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, didn't I come here to pick golden thread orchid? My grandmother used it as medicine and her health is getting better. I thought there was another one on the cliff wall, so I thought I would pick it back for my grandmother, but I didn't expect it was gone." Zhao Huaining sat up slowly, "It was a wasted trip." Su

Zhiqiu was a little suspicious. Zhao Huaining couldn't even stand steadily now. If he wanted to be filial, why didn't he wait until he got better?

"Give me a hand." Zhao Huaining stretched out his hand.

Su Zhiqiu heard this and said, "I'll help you stand up. Can you walk down the mountain?"

"Lady, won't you help me down the mountain?"

"You and I are already engaged. We have different statuses and it's inconvenient. Besides, if you can climb up, you can climb down. Climb. Oh, by the way, I put the crutches you left behind a tree at the bottom of the mountain. Don't think I lost your crutches when you can't find them." Su Zhiqiu said and turned around and jumped off the cliff.

Zhao Huaining climbed to the edge of the cliff and looked at Su Zhiqiu falling on the steep slope. He hugged his arms and looked up at the entire cliff. He smiled and said, "Lady, what are you looking at?"

Su Zhiqiu said nothing. She looked at the cliff in front. Except for the lonely pine tree with a broken branch, the rest was no different from before. So what on earth did Zhao Huaining come here for regardless of her body?

"Lady, take your time to look. I'll climb first." Zhao Huaining shouted down and climbed down the mountain.

Su Zhiqiu ignored Zhao Huaining. She flew over several times to get a closer look. She didn't notice anything until the sun set.

She looked up at the afterglow of the sunset, her eyebrows slightly frowned. Could it be that Zhao Huaining found out that she was following him on the way, and in order to get rid of her, he deliberately came to Fengjue Mountain to perform such a scene?

If so, what is Zhao Huaining doing?

"Senior sister!!!"

Su Zhiqiu was pondering. When she heard the voice, she looked up and saw her junior sister Kong Nian'er waving at her.

"Senior sister made it easy for me to find her."

Su Zhiqiu flew up the cliff and asked, "Nian'er, what do you want from me?"

"Master talked to you about the lotus pendant, right? Remember last year's treasure competition, the eldest son of the Zhao family, Zhao Weian, took out the lotus pendant, exactly the same as the one in the painting."

Su Zhiqiu's heart tightened when she heard this.

"I told Master about this. Master ordered us to find a way to attend Old Lady Zhao's birthday banquet and steal the lotus pendant."

"Steal?" Su Zhiqiu's expression changed, and Zhao Huaining's words resounded in her mind again.

Kong Nian'er hurriedly said, "Yes, stealing is shameful, but in order to drive out the Liao Dynasty and protect our border people, why not steal? Besides, we won't steal in vain. Master is ready to pay two thousand taels of silver. Just put the money down after stealing the lotus pendant."

Su Zhiqiu pursed her lips and said nothing. The Zhao family was not short of money. Stealing without being asked was shameful! !