"Lu Qi, Lu Qi, no matter where you are, get out at once!" Xu Ran called Lu Qi's name crazily, giving King Yan and the rest who had rushed from afar a start.
Gao Quan spotted Lu Qi off in the distance and dashed over to bring him over. Lu Qi was irritated at first for being caught in such a strange manner, but he couldn't say anything when he saw Liu Tong riding on the back of Xu Ran.
Lu Qi did not enquire as to why this was the case. He changed his demeanor after reaching out to check Liu Tong's pulse. Xu Ran was unable to see it well. Liu Tong lacked the strength to gaze around. However, Gao Quan and Shao Yu, who were standing nearby, were able to see it plainly.
Seeing his look, Shao Yu asked anxiously, "Master, what's wrong with Liu Tong? What happened?"
As King Yan came over and saw this scene, his expression changed too. The solemn look on Lu Qi's face made King Yan more anxious.
Liu Tong shook his head and said softly, "It's gone..."
Liu Tong was unconscious and he had no idea what they were saying.
When Xu Ran heard Lu Qi's words, he closed his eyes and let go of Liu Tong's trousers. Everyone on the scene gradually noticed blood trickling from his jeans and onto the ground, tainting the green stone board. Everyone knew what had transpired when they witnessed this scene. For a little minute, everyone was deafeningly quiet, as if they didn't know what to say.
Xu Ran bit his lips and said, "Your Highness, please get me a room and let Lu Qi give Tongtong an examination. The baby is gone. Let it be so. However do not let nothing happen to Tongtong."
Even Xu Ran was baffled as to how he managed to utter those bland remarks. King Yan, on the other hand, came to his senses after hearing Xu Ran's statements. He requested that everyone boil some water and bring Lu Qi's medicine kit over. The room was identical to the one they had previously occupied. With Liu Tong on his back, Xu Ran took small steps towards the room. Blood dripped across the floor, forming a large stain.
After putting Liu Tong on the bed, Xu Ran went to the side to allow Lu Qi to examine him. He wrung out the handkerchief and took over the hot water from the servant to wipe Liu Tong's face. In a coma, Liu Tong frowned and even bit his lips.
No one save him realized how much anguish he was in. Liu Tong was the first to notice that the child had gone, and he knew it better than everyone else. However, he only had time to tell Xu Ran before he passed out, which could have been due to his discomfort or grief. Xu Ran had been calmly watching Lu Qi check Liu Tong's pulse since he entered, without saying anything.
Others were outside, waiting with bated breath. Tangtang and Guoguo were training martial arts, and Baozi was playing with Yan Lan and Yan Hao, so King Yan ordered the attendants to find them. The three children dashed into the room, gasping for breath. Baozi sobbed as he approached the doorway. His voice was booming, and he continued shouting out Daddy. Tangtang and Guoguo's eyes were red, but they didn't cry like Baozi.
The only action inside was a brother bringing out bowls of bloody water and then bringing in clean water, which was repeated indefinitely. Even if you were only viewing it, it might make you feel numb, as if you had seen it a thousand times before. Nobody knew what was going on on the inside. Apart from Baozi's sobbing, there was no sound from either inside or outside the room. The quietness was frightening.
Xu Ran quietly and earnestly assisted Liu Tong in cleaning his body as per Lu Qi's directions. Even if he had seen basins of gory water being poured out, his countenance remained unchanged. Xu Ran fell heavily in front of the bed after the bleeding was stopped and the cleaning job was done, as if he had used up all of his strength. Lu Qi looked at him and wanted to say something but found that he was unable to do it.
After a long time, Xu Ran said, "The person who was in charge of opening the gate should be changed."
Lu Qi frowned. He realized there had to be a rationale behind Xu Ran's statement. His brow knit tighter as he remembered that there was no guard at the gate of King Yan's home during the new year period. Xu Ran's words were likewise fairly obvious in their meaning. It's possible that the guy who unlocked the gate was running late. Xu Ran, on the other hand, sat peacefully on the ground.
He didn't dare to glance at Liu Tong, who was laying on the bed, or to go outside. He was inconsolably upset, his anguish, remorse, and anger entwined. Even the words he had just screamed out were an outpouring of his rage. He realized he needed to find a way to express himself. The person who had opened the door had undoubtedly become the scapegoat.
Lu Qi glanced at Xu Ran who was sitting on the ground quietly, shook his head and opened the door to ask for pen and paper to write a prescription.
After finishing it, Lu Qi handed the prescription to the servant at the door. "Hurry up. Ask the medicine boy in the pharmacy to fill the prescription. There mustn't be the slightest slip. If anything goes wrong, be careful of your lives!"
It had been a long time since Lu Qi had returned, and it had been much too long since he had been so enraged. These servants were initially scared by him and did not dare to move. Yan Xuan yelled fiercely at the person who had been frozen for a long time, and the person awoke and hurriedly walked away with the prescription.
Lu Qi wanted to close the door and enter the room, but he was stopped by King Yan, "How's Zheng'er? How about the child?"
Lu Qi tried his best to speak in a calm tone, "Second Master has bled heavily. It's stopped now. He can recuperate after taking some supplements and tonics. As for the child.." Lu Qi didn't continue and shook his head.
Everyone understood that the child was gone.
Although Baozi didn't know what was going on, he saw that everyone around him looked upset. His cry which was already curbed, began anew.
Tangtang immediately covered his mouth and whispered to him, "Baozi, don't cry. Daddy is asleep. Don't wake up Daddy. With Uncle Lu Qi here, there won't be anything wrong with him."
Baozi screamed too loudly. He couldn't stop even if he wanted to after hearing Tangtang's words. Tangtang just carried Baozi in his arms and walked away. Guoguo was drenched in cold sweat as he went around nervously. Lu Qi walked inside and locked the door after informing King Yan of the situation. He kept an eye on Liu Tong, fearful that something would happen.
Xu Ran sat there quietly, his mind blank and he seemed to have lost consciousness of the outside world.
Time passed quietly.
"Mmm..."
The sound of moaning coming from the bed startled the two people in the room. Xu Ran leapt to his feet and turned to face Liu Tong. Liu Tong's pulse was checked by Lu Qi. Liu Tong's sweat poured down from his forehead for some reason. He grimaced and appeared unsettled.
When Xu Ran opened his mouth to speak, he realized he couldn't make a sound. He became much more agitated. He noticed the kettle on the table as he turned his head. Xu Ran drank from a glass of water he had poured for himself. He barely managed to regain his voice after clearing his throat numerous times.
Xu Ran took a few steps back to the bedside. "Lu Qi, what's wrong with Tongtong? He looks very uncomfortable. Examine him quickly."
Lu Qi was also upset. Liu Tong's pulse was checked by him. He didn't have any other symptoms save the harm caused by the recent significant bleeding, and his present performance looked more like a nightmare.
Lu Qi said to Xu Ran, "Xu Ran, wake up Second Young Master. He's in a nightmare. We can't let him continue like this."
Lu Qi then retreated to the side regardless of whether Xu Ran could understand or not.
As soon as Xu Ran heard his words, he took over Lu Qi's position and began to call Liu Tong's name.
"Tongtong, wake up, Tongtong, wake up, wake up..."
Xu Ran wiped the sweat from Liu Tong's forehead with one hand and whispered his name, repeating it tirelessly.
Maybe the calling was too bothering or for some other reasons, Liu Tong's look started to calm down, but he didn't open his eyes.
Xu Ran felt that things were not right. Liu Tong didn't seem to be asleep. Xu Ran turned to Lu Qi and said, "Lu Qi, come over and take a look, why isn't Tongtong awake?"
Lu Qi walked over to feel Liu Tong's pulse. After that, he rolled his eyelids and checked his mouth. Then he shook his head.
"Xu Ran, Second Young Master doesn't want to wake up. I can't help him. It'll have to rely on you to get him to wake up. Make it quick and don't make it last too long. Second Young Master will be in danger if he does not wake up today. He needs to get up in order to eat and take his meds.
Lu Qi looked grave and Xu Ran knew the seriousness of the matter.
He said to Lu Qi, "Go out first and tell the people outside about the situation in case they will worry. Tongtong will wake up. Also, let people prepare some food. When Tongtong wakes up, he will eat. I will wake him up."
Lu Qi looked at Xu Ran for a while, nodded and turned to leave.
After Lu Qi left, Xu Ran and Liu Tong were left in the room. One was still laying on the bed, and Xu Ran could only hear his breathing because it was so silent. He squatted by the bed, reaching out to take Liu Tong's hand and softly calling him. Xu Ran remained silent and stared intently at Liu Tong. He examined his brows, nose, lips, face, and everything else he had.
The child had appeared and vanished so quickly that none of them had time to notice. Xu Ran wanted to declare that the child was not destined to stay with them, but he knew that the child would leave because of them.
Xu Ran could still recall the situation in which Liu Tong was expecting Baozi. Liu Tong was unconscious at the moment due to exhaustion. He had looked after him the entire time in order for the baby to be delivered safely. In the years since, Xu Ran has paid close attention to Liu Tong's health and has been extremely cautious.
Xu Ran, on the other hand, clutched Liu Tong's hand tightly and closed his eyes. His face was wet as a tear trickled over the corner of his eyes. The journey from Xu Village to Yanzhou capital took four months, during which time there was no proper food or enough sleep. Even though they were finally on the ground when they arrived in Yanzhou, they quickly got back to work. They were busy decorating new house, choosing furniture and going around.
And then, it was December. They had been really busy for a whole month without stopping.
On the night of their second day in Yanzhou, that youngster should have been there. He'd been in Liu Tong's uterus for about two months, yet he still couldn't make it out alive. Xu Ran wanted to repent, but he didn't know who to repent to because he didn't see anything else besides Liu Tong's constant blood.
He felt so sad and painful in his heart, but he couldn't say it in words.
Xu Ran opened his eyes, leaned over to kiss Liu Tong's forehead and said softly, "Tongtong, wake up! You still have us. Did you hear it just now? Baozi was crying outside, and he was worried about you."
"There is also Tangtang and Guoguo. They must be upset, too. They probably don't even know what's going on and why you're in a coma. And there is me, too. Tongtong, are you going to sleep like this forever? Don't you want to see me again?"
"Tongtong, I know you're sad. You're upset because he left before you even realized he was there. I'm sad as well. We're all upset, but what I really want right now is for you to wake up. So wake up and let's give a name to the child who has no chance of ever being born, okay?-"
"If he doesn't have a name, he'll be bullied by other ghosts even when he's down there. Tongtong, let's give him a name and burn him some paper money, then he won't be bullied. Tongtong, can you wake up? Wake up and look at me. We haven't spoken for so long. I miss you."
Xu Ran was not a believer in ghosts, but he had to sit these things down at this time. He was speculating on Liu Tong's thoughts. The passage of time was slow. From their first problems to the days when they steadily recovered, Xu Ran said a lot in Liu Tong's ears. He also mentioned their minor quarrel throughout the years, as well as how good Liu Tong is in his view.
"I have a feeling..."
The sudden voice stopped Xu Ran who had been talking. Xu Ran looked at the bed and noticed that Liu Tong opened his eyes, which made Xu Ran ecstatic.
Xu Ran said happily, "Tongtong, you're awake. I'll call Lu Qi over to take a look."
Xu Ran was about to get up when he said this, but Liu Tong put his hand on him and stopped him . Xu Ran looked at Liu Tong with a puzzled look.
Xu Ran couldn't see the expression on Liu Tong's face. Xu Ran only heard him say softly, "Ran, I didn't feel nothing when this child came.I'd been having stomach pains, but we were both busy at the time, so I didn't say anything. If I told you, he wouldn't be gone. If I informed you that you were going to take me to the doctor, we'd both know he was there and that he was alright. Ran, it's all me, it's all my fault. I made him disappear. Ran, will he hate me? "
Liu Tong held Xu Ran's hand more and more tightly as if he wanted to crush his hand. Xu Ran let him hold it without saying a word.
He adjusted his facial expression and gave Liu Tong a smile that was uglier than crying, "Tongtong, he is our child. How can he hate you? Tongtong, let's eat something first. You've been bleeding a lot and you've hurt yourself. You need to recuperate quickly.
Liu Tong could certainly see the worry on Xu Ran's face, but as soon as he thought of the lost child, he lost all his appetite.
Liu Tong shook his head and said, "Ran, I don't want to eat. I'll take my medicine! I heard what you just said. I'll get better as soon as possible. Let's give him a name and burn him some paper money."
There was a gentle smile on the corner of his mouth as if he had seen the picture.
Xu Ran became further disturbed as he observed Liu Tong's smile. They didn't lose the child because of Liu Tong's fault, but because of his. It was his fault that he failed to recognize Liu Tong's ill health. The child had left because he had given Liu Tong too much work and made him too exhausted.
"Bang!" There was a loud bang as the person outside broke into the house.
Xu Ran looked back and frowned, but he couldn't say anything to blame them as soon as he saw the anxious expressions on their faces. He knew they were worried too.
Baozi was the fastest runner. He dashed to the bedside as soon as the door was opened. He started yelling and then stopped when he noticed Liu Tong sitting on the bed. Baozi's face was covered in tears, his eyes were swollen like peaches, and his mouth continued to twitch. You could tell he was sad since he was crying.
Xu Ran held him in his arms and consoled him, "Baozi, don't cry anymore. You won't look good if you keep crying. Daddy is fine as you can see. Just stop crying, okay?"
Baozi tried hard to speak, but he sobbed too hard to speak.
There were many people standing beside Liu Tong's bed, so Xu Ran simply carried Baozi aside to comfort him.
Baozi sobbed for a while and finally came over. He asked Xu Ran, "Dad, what's wrong with Daddy? I saw a lot of blood outside. They said it was from Daddy."
Thinking of all the blood that had flowed on the ground all the way, Xu Ran felt so painful. It was their child!
However, Xu Ran couldn't say this to Baozi. He didn't let Baozi know that he should have a younger brother who died before he was born.
Xu Ran said softly to Baozi, "It's fine. Daddy fell when we went back. He was bleeding from his leg. The bleeding has stopped now and it will be good in a few days. Baozi, don't cry again. You are a childe. If you cry ugly, Qing Shu won't want you. Don't you want to look as good as Qing Shu?"
It was much easier to divert Baozi's attention away from Tangtang and Guoguot. Baozi did his hardest not to cry as he heard Xu Ran's comments. With his hand, he wiped the tears from his eyes. Before Baozi stopped weeping, Xu Ran helped him wipe and assured him that Daddy was alright multiple times. With his eyes red and unwilling to move, he rested in Xu Ran's arms.
Xu Ran looked at Liu Tong's bedside and found that everyone stood there was speaking to him. He carried Baozi to the door. Gu Yu was just standing at the door. Xu Ran told him, "Go to the kitchen to see if Tongtong's medicine is ready, and send it to him as soon as it is ready. Don't forget the porridge."
Gu Yu nodded repeatedly. As soon as he turned his head, he saw someone carrying something over. Xiao Qingyun followed behind him and his eyes were red, too. He probably had been aware that Liu Tong's child was gone.
Xu Ran put Baozi down, took the medicine and went through the crowd to feed Liu Tong the medicine.
Liu Tong saw that the medicine was very black and he didn't want to drink it at all, but he couldn't refuse it because there were so many people watching here. He felt sorry to let them worry about him.
Liu Tong gulped the medication with clenched teeth. Xu Ran brought him the porridge right away. Liu Tong didn't decline Xu Ran's porridge because the remedy was probably too harsh. After taking a few bites of it, he shook his head and said, "Ran, I don't want to eat more. I have no appetite."
Xu Ran scowled, but he couldn't say anything since Liu Tong's face was getting pale from significant blood loss. He placed the porridge next him and went to sleep. Because of the severe blood loss, Liu Tong's mind was foggy. Now that Xu Ran had advised him to sleep, he fell asleep almost instantly as soon as he sat down.
08.11.21
:'(