freenovelworld Chapter 557 Have you ever regretted it?
Chapter 557 Have you ever regretted it?
Hua Rui looked down at her slender, fair hands. The calluses from years of playing the piano had long been softened and healed by various precious medicines.
She hasn't dared to close her eyes for the past two days.
Whenever I close my eyes, I dream of these hands stained with blood.
No matter how many times she imagined it, she couldn't accept it.
Seeing her dazed expression, Wen Qingqing suddenly asked, "Have you ever regretted leaving Crescent Moon Mountain to find your mother?"
Her question seemed to stump Hua Rui.
Hua Rui was stunned for a long time, then slowly shook her head.
Wen Qingqing asked curiously, "Why? If you hadn't left Crescent Moon Mountain, your mother would have returned in a few years at most, and the rumors would have naturally fallen apart. You sisters wouldn't have had to separate, and none of what happened later would have occurred."
“It seems so,” Hua Rui murmured softly. “I was just thinking that if I hadn’t come back, things wouldn’t have happened. But I never thought that it would have been better if I had never left. So many things happened after I left. I might have been better off staying in the village. Even though the thirteen Miao villages are not immune to conflict and friction, they have always stuck together. If my sister and I had stayed in the village, we could have survived.”
"We won't separate, we won't go through those hard times later, and we certainly won't..."
A bitter smile crept across Hua Rui's lips.
But he still shook his head: "It would have been better if I hadn't left, but all I can think about are those days I spent outside."
At this moment, the carriage stopped, and Lu Yangyang looked ahead. "It seems we've arrived in town."
“It’s Manyue Town. After Manyue Town, there’s Crescent Moon Mountain,” Hua Rui said. “We might have to stay in the town for the night. The mountain roads are difficult to travel at night, and it’s too late to set off now.”
Lu Yangyang nodded: "Then let's stay for one night before we leave. The carriage can't go into the mountains, so we'll hire a carriage to get to the foot of the mountain early tomorrow morning."
After traveling for two days, all three were exhausted. Upon arriving in Manyue Town, Lu Yangyang immediately went to the town's only inn and booked a room. Just as she was about to go to her room to rest, a group of people suddenly walked in.
"Waiter, I need a room!"
Lu Yangyang turned her head and immediately spotted Ming Ruo among the group of people.
Their eyes met, and both were utterly shocked.
Lu Yangyang walked towards Mingruo, and Mingruo also strode over. The two spoke almost simultaneously.
"Why are you here?"
"Yangyang? What are you doing here?"
After he finished speaking, both of them were slightly taken aback.
Lu Yangyang turned her head and waved to Wen Qingqing: "You guys go back to your rooms and rest first. I'm going to meet a friend."
Wen Qingqing nodded, grabbed Hua Rui, and followed the waiter.
Mingruo also told her companions, and together with Lu Yangyang, they found a quiet corner to sit down.
Mingruo poured tea for Lu Yangyang and couldn't help but chuckle, "It seems like I always run into you at unexpected times."
Lu Yangyang nodded: "Indeed, weren't you in Jiangnan? Why would you come to a place like this?"
Mingruo didn't hide anything from her: "After the Salt Gang suffered a major blow, Wuji led his men south to explore trade routes. I stayed in Jiangnan to help him manage the Salt Gang's affairs. After the gang stabilized, I reviewed some internal documents and consulted some old members who had followed the former leader. I learned a lot about the salt mines. After the salt mines in Ning County were reorganized, the Salt Gang could only obtain a very small share from them in a short period of time, causing salt prices to rise throughout Jiangnan. That's why Wuji led his men south—first, to explore trade routes, and second, to find new salt mines. After comparing several options, I found another place we could use as a base: the Xichuan Salt Mine in the southwest. So, after communicating with Wuji, I brought my men to the southwest. To be honest, the trip to Xichuan wasn't smooth. The Xichuan Salt Mine was controlled by powerful families in the southwest, and they wouldn't allow outsiders to interfere."
Mingruo smiled helplessly and continued, "Although it wasn't smooth sailing, it wasn't a complete loss. I inadvertently learned another piece of information: there are salt wells in the Miao region of Crescent Moon Mountain, but they are not mined by the government; they belong to the Miao region. It is said that this was a condition for the Miao region's submission in the past. So I thought that since I'm already in the southwest, I might as well make a trip. If the salt wells are only enough for the Miao region to be self-sufficient, then there's no need to transport them out. If there's profit to be made, perhaps we can cooperate."
After hearing what he said, Lu Yangyang looked around warily and lowered her voice: "Are you out of your mind? You're selling smuggled salt!"
Mingruo chuckled: "So I'm just going to take a look. If I really want to do this, I'll have to deal with the government. In that case, the Miao region might not be willing to cooperate."
Hearing him say that, Lu Yangyang understood, but since the matter was still far from being settled, there was no need to think too far ahead.
Mingruo asked her, "And you? Didn't you go to Yuzhou? Why are you here?"
Mingruo knew about their relationship when he was in the capital, so Lu Yangyang didn't hide it from him and told him about Jiaojiao being kidnapped: "I suspect that Jiaojiao may have been taken to Miao territory, so I am also going to Miao territory."
“That is quite a coincidence. Since that’s the case, it would be inconvenient for you young ladies to travel alone. Why don’t you sneak into our caravan early tomorrow morning, and we’ll see what happens when we arrive?” Mingru suggested.