Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 485

Chapter 485: Biting the Tongue

After leaving the main hall, An Zhi didn’t go any further but stayed in a side room not far away.

Only after Madam He left with her son did An Zhi emerge from the side room.

Chunlan was even more temperamental than Binglu, raising an eyebrow and angrily saying, “When the old master of the Yuan family was alive, they were considered a respectable family. After he passed away, the remaining members are all good-for-nothings; they don’t even care about the family’s reputation anymore.”

Chunlan’s words were somewhat inappropriate, but An Zhi didn’t stop her, because these were the words she wanted to say as well.

When the young madam and servant returned to An Xu’s courtyard from the main hall, Huiping was truly exhausted and rested. An Zhi didn’t wake her, left a message, and departed with Chunlan.

Because she wanted to buy some more fabric for Binglu, An Zhi didn’t immediately return to the An Mansion after leaving but instead went to Shuiyun Studio.

“Madam, you’re so good to Sister Binglu,” Chunlan said enviously.

An Zhi smiled, “On your wedding day, I’ll prepare your dowry just like this. I just wonder if our Chunlan has someone she likes?”

“Madam… Madam, what are you saying?” Chunlan turned away shyly, but she was more thick-skinned than Binglu and quickly smiled, her eyes crinkling, and whispered, “If there really is someone, I will definitely tell you… Oh dear, Fusheng, why did you suddenly stop?”

Before Chunlan could finish speaking, the carriage suddenly stopped, causing her to stumble forward and hit her head on the cushions.

An Zhi, slightly better, still had a sprained elbow and quickly clutched her stomach.

Fusheng lifted the curtain and apologized, “Several people suddenly ran out of the alley ahead. I don’t know what happened inside. Madam, are you alright? Should we go see a doctor?”

An Zhi shook her head, saying no need. The slight pain in her elbow wasn’t worth the trouble of seeing a doctor.

She lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside.

Several people were standing at the alley entrance on the right, panting heavily. They mentioned the Yun family, which piqued her curiosity. “Fusheng, go ask what happened in the alley.”

Fusheng took a piece of silver and got off the carriage. He quickly returned with news, angrily saying, “They say Yun Dingbang got drunk and grabbed a girl to harass her, and then the Yun family’s servants chased them out.”

An Zhi frowned upon hearing this. Although it was someone else’s business, a perfectly healthy girl being violated was unbearable.

Seeing patrolling soldiers behind her, she sent Fusheng to inform them.

The soldiers, hearing the commotion, immediately rushed into the alley, while An Zhi had Fusheng pull the carriage aside.

The soldiers returned empty-handed shortly after entering the alley.

Chunlan said angrily, “Those soldiers are definitely afraid of the Yun family’s power, so they deliberately ignored us! Madam, we can’t just stand by and do nothing! The Yun family is all bad; we should take this opportunity to send Yun Dingbang to jail!”

An Zhi’s eyes darted around. She was a woman; even if she went into the alley, it wouldn’t make a difference. “Fusheng, go to Shuiyun Studio and have Sister Zhang Lan take some people into the alley. Chunlan, take the money bag and let those beggars go into the alley and cause a ruckus.”

Chunlan grabbed the money and jumped off the carriage.

Just then, a figure suddenly darted out of the alley, making An Zhi’s pupils widen.

She hurriedly shouted, “Cuisi!”

Cuisi heard the shout and stopped looking for someone, but a man chasing after her grabbed her shoulder, lifted her up, and slammed her to the ground. She didn’t know if her arm was broken, but the pain made her mouth numb.

“You brat, you dare bite me!” The man wasn’t Yun Dingbang but someone dressed as a servant. He raised his foot to kick Cuisi again.

“Stop!” An Zhi had just reached the alley entrance when she saw the man hitting Cuisi. She picked up a stone and threw it, hitting the man squarely in the back.

“Who the hell is blind?!” the man roared, turning around. When he saw An Zhi, his pupils widened instantly, and he instinctively took a half-step back, because he recognized An Zhi.

Before An Zhi married, she was known as the most beautiful woman in the capital. After marrying Pei Que, she frequently attended banquets of high-ranking families, so it wasn’t surprising that the Yun family’s servants recognized her.

Hearing her young madam’s voice, Cuisi, curled up, struggled to straighten up but lacked the strength to stand. She could only cry, “Madam, please go to the alley and save Sister Binglu!”

Upon hearing the name Binglu, An Zhi’s head spun, her vision went black, and she fell backward. Fortunately, Chunlan, who had rushed over, caught her.

Chunlan, hearing Cuisi’s words, exclaimed in shock, “What did you say? Yun Dingbang bullied Binglu?”

Cuisi, with tears in her eyes, nodded and struggled to her feet, leaning against the wall.

The man who had just hit Cuisi was stunned. After a moment of hesitation, he immediately turned and ran into the alley.

An Zhi’s head was still spinning, but fearing it was too late, she pointed to the alley and said, “Chunlan, you go first! Hurry!”

Chunlan nodded and was about to chase after her when Fusheng arrived with Zhang Lan and several others.

An Zhi was then helped into the alley by Zhang Lan.

The alley was a dead end, surrounded by courtyard walls. When An Zhi arrived, Yun Dingbang was preparing to climb the wall, but was struck on the forehead by a stone thrown by Fusheng. Blood immediately flowed from his forehead, and he fell to the ground.

Chunlan rushed to Binglu’s side and saw Binglu with blood in her mouth and her clothes half-open. Her heart ached, and tears streamed down her face. “Sister Binglu, don’t be afraid, we’ve come to save you!”

Binglu’s eyes were open, and she was breathing, but her expression was blank, as if she had lost her soul.

No matter how Chunlan called out, Binglu didn’t respond.

She looked like a dead person.

The narrow alley seemed frozen in time; no one dared to breathe.

Yun Dingbang, rubbing his forehead, saw An Zhi arrive with a group of people and retreated to a corner, shouting in protest, “What do you want? I didn’t hurt this girl! She bit her tongue herself! I hadn’t even finished undressing when you arrived! I didn’t do anything!”

“Didn’t do anything?” An Zhi’s eyes were already blurred with tears. Just a moment ago, she was happily thinking about what fabrics to prepare as a dowry for Binglu, but now she couldn’t even speak. She wiped her tears and turned to Zhang Lan. “Sister Zhang Lan, please lead the carriage into the alley and take Binglu to my small residence to fetch the most trusted doctor.”

Fusheng, hearing this, went over and carried Binglu on his back.

Binglu’s mouth moved, her eyes turned to her young madam, wanting to speak, but only blood flowed down her face. A thin layer of mist floated over her eyes, but no tears fell; clearly, she had just finished crying.

“Don’t be afraid.” An Zhi helped Binglu fasten her clothes, her hands trembling. “I will make that beast pay for his crimes in blood!”

Yun Dingbang panicked. Now completely sober, his head throbbed with pain, and he roared arrogantly, “What do you want? I already said I didn’t touch your maid, and besides, I didn’t know she was your maid!”

“You’re lying!” Cuisi rushed out of the crowd, pointing at Yun Dingbang. “You clearly knew that Sister Binglu was a maid of the Pei family, but you said that our Pei family never gave the Yun family any face and deliberately blocked the Yun family’s path to wealth, so you wanted to teach the Pei family a lesson, which is why you bullied Sister Binglu!”

Binglu was embroidering her dowry in the Mansion and often needed needles and thread. Since her young madam didn’t need her to serve her, she found that she didn’t have enough thread today, so she brought Cuisi with her to Shuiyun Studio. The two were walking on the main road when they unexpectedly encountered Yun Dingbang, this drunkard, who, without saying a word, carried Binglu into an alley, ignoring the many people on the street.

T/N: Binglu… Why? Writer, why??? ｡°(°¯᷄◠¯᷅°)°｡