allendalepharm Page 75
Page 75
Seeing that there was no man around, only her empty bedroom, the fear in Ayaka Kamisato's beautiful eyes gradually faded.
"Ayaka, are you alright?"
A mature woman's gentle and familiar voice sounded from behind.
This startled Ayaka Kamisato.
First, he instinctively crawled in the opposite direction of the sound, and it took him two seconds to realize that the voice was not Lin Jiu'an's.
Turning around, and looking at the beautiful woman who was looking at her with a worried expression, Ayaka Kamisato managed to force a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"I'm fine, Mother."
"Please stop lying to your mother, okay?"
Kazuyo Kamisato sighed, squatted down, and gently embraced Ayaka Kamisato's delicate body.
You could clearly feel that the body hidden under the loose pajamas was trembling uncontrollably.
Kayo Kamisato had never seen her daughter so frightened.
It's as if she has never seen her own daughter. Ever since she heard about Lin Jiu'an's deeds in Liyue, she has been suffering from insomnia. Now, she is so terrified that she wakes up from nightmares almost every day.
It was as if she had already laid a trap, waiting for news of Lin Jiu'an's death.
Instead, she was waiting for Lin Jiu'an to destroy all the traps she had set, and then he would come to her...
"Can you tell your mother about what happened between you and him?"
Kazuyo Kamisato gently patted her back and said softly, "It might make you feel better if you talk about it."
Ayaka Kamisato pursed her lips, shook her head, and her voice was trembling with tears.
“I can tell anyone, but I really don’t want to tell you, Mother.”
Kaho Kamisato smiled helplessly and patted her head affectionately.
"What are you worried about? No matter what you become, Ayaka, you will always be your mother's most beloved child."
"I do not want."
"Ok."
Kaho Kamisato hugged her even tighter.
A few minutes later, feeling her daughter's body still trembling slightly, Kaori knew that she was really, really afraid of that person named Lin Jiu'an. It had reached the point where it was etched into her very bones, to the point that it had caused her some mental problems.
Guilt? Fear? Remorse?
Or perhaps all three are present?
Kayo Kamisato was also somewhat confused about what her daughter was thinking.
But she also understood.
No matter how confident Ayaka Kamisato appeared on the surface, or how much she assured him of success, deep down, she probably never truly believed that her plans could kill Lin Jiu'an.
Kazuyo Kamisato also didn't think it could succeed.
When she was still the wife of the head of the Shinri family, before the "Isolation Order" was implemented, she had contact with merchants and nobles from Liyue and Mondstadt. They were not fools; on the contrary, they were very shrewd.
She didn't think that someone who could slaughter people like pigs and dogs in Mondstadt and Liyue could be a brainless idiot. Moreover, none of the immortals in Liyue had intervened in his 'massacre' in Liyue, as if they had tacitly approved of what he had done.
Since he came, it means he's confident...
“I heard from my spies that he has been frequently visiting small fishing villages near the port recently, where he bought a house by the sea.”
"I often sit there all day long."
"My mother is wondering if that's where you two met? Perhaps there's still a chance for things to turn around between you."
"Should we, Mother, go find him before the plan even begins, while there's still room for negotiation, apologize to him, and ask him what price we need to pay for his forgiveness?"
Ayaka Kamisato trembled, tilted her head back, her face now a mess of tears, and a glimmer of light appeared in her beautiful eyes.
"Mother, is what you're saying true?"
Kazuyo Kamisato sighed inwardly, already knowing the outcome.
He smiled and said, "How could your mother possibly lie to you?"
"Your mother doesn't know what happened between you two."
"I had Thomas deliver that message to your table during the day, but you were in such a bad state that you didn't see it."
"Alright, get some rest. Mother will talk to him tomorrow. Don't think too much about it; it will pass."
"do not want!"
Suddenly, Ayaka Kamisato gripped Hanayo Kamisato's hand tightly, as if her mother would leave her completely if she loosened her grip even slightly.
"You can't go!"
Kazuyo Kamisato said helplessly, "Then what should we do?"
"From both a moral and logical standpoint, we can't possibly send servants like Thomas again, can we?"
"Don't worry, Mother will be fine."
"I am, after all, the former wife of the head of the Kamisato family, and I have no grudge against him. No matter what, he wouldn't just kill my mother, would he?"
Kayo Kamisato chuckled softly, looking at her daughter who was on the verge of tears, feeling a pang of reluctance.
She didn't know what would happen to her if she fell into Lin Jiu'an's hands. Lin Jiu'an was very rational, but also very crazy.
She was also reluctant to part with her beloved daughter.
But if her death could stop Lin Jiu'an from taking revenge on Linghua, and stop Linghua from living in endless fear, that would be enough.
Ayaka Kamisato seemed to see through her mother's thoughts, shook her head, trembled for a long time, and finally gritted her teeth and said.
"I go!"
······
Outlying islands.
At that time, it was a village that was only about an hour away from the city.
A village by the sea.
Unlike the prosperity of the outlying islands, this village is dilapidated and desolate, with only a few hunched old people sitting by the roadside enjoying the sea breeze and chatting about everyday life.
Thanks to the vigorous development of outlying island ports by the Kansei Magistrate, this place was once quite prosperous. It even showed signs of evolving into a "town" because of the Kansei Magistrate's plan to connect the entire outlying island with a corridor.
But everything came to an end with the "lockdown order" and the "Thunder Prison" that sealed Inazuma from the outside.
Because there were no foreign ships, the outlying islands were completely desolate, but the port on the outlying island where the magistrate was located could still maintain a semblance of prosperity.
However, the nearby villages and towns that relied on the outlying island's port for their livelihood completely collapsed.
A large number of fishermen, sailors and port workers lost their jobs.
Inazuma Fisheries has always focused on exports.
Fish caught during peak season simply cannot be sold due to the economic downturn caused by Inazuma's closed-door policy.
During the off-season for fishing, they, who could have worked at the port, became completely unemployed.
The young people of the fishing village were forced to leave their homes to make a living elsewhere.
They never came back.
Nobody knows where they went.
Only a few elderly people who have lived here their whole lives, and who would rather die than leave their hometown, remain here.
Lin Jiu'an came to his house again.
There is a large courtyard here, with a dilapidated wooden wall covered in dust, which looks like it has been uninhabited for a long time.
Pushing open the wooden door, Lin Jiu'an walked in and entered the room, which was about ten square meters in size. He sat on a wooden chair and looked out at the blue sea. Watching the waves constantly crashing against the shore and listening to the sound of the waves, he felt exceptionally peaceful.
The only pity is that there is no one to talk to.
"Even if I did, I probably wouldn't want to say it."
Lin Jiu'an gave a self-deprecating laugh.
After being driven out of Liyue in his previous life, he came to Inazuma.
He had come illegally, without identification or money, and had no idea where to go.
Fortunately, the elderly people in this village are kind-hearted.
Hearing that he was destitute and had left his hometown, they gave him this uninhabited house. Although they ate very little, they still managed to squeeze out some food to prepare a "feast" for him, who was so hungry that he was eating tree leaves. They also taught him how to fish, hunt in the mountains, and farm.
Gradually, he settled down and lived there.
That was because of Ningguang's betrayal.
Having suffered repeated blows from Mondstadt and Liyue, he no longer dared to trust anyone.
My thinking at the time was very simple: I planned to live out the rest of my life alone in this village.
pity.
He wanted to rest, but someone didn't want him to.
Ayaka Kamisato has arrived.
Lin Jiu'an still can't forget that day.
The noble and elegant "White Egret Princess" arrived in this small fishing village filled with a dilapidated and desolate atmosphere, as if the entire village was truly made to shine because of her arrival.
She is gentle to everyone.
Even towards elderly people who were covered in dirt, she would greet them with a genuine smile of kindness and offer sincere help.
Occasionally, a look of guilt and helplessness flashed across their faces, which was heartbreaking to see.
In this dilapidated, lifeless, and drab gray village, Ayaka Kamisato's existence is like the only splash of color.
Ayaka Kamisato came to see him.
They arrived at his home, filled with a surprise and longing that Lin Jiu'an had never dared to imagine.
She said something like, "I heard about what you did in Liyue, and I've always admired you." and "I never expected you to come to Inazuma." Lin Jiu'an forgot the exact words, but it was basically a clear indication that she admired him and wanted him to come out of seclusion and help her.
Although I was very tempted.
They were also attracted by Ayaka Kamisato's serene and otherworldly temperament and appearance.
But Lin Jiu'an still refused.
He was really hurt by Ningguang's backstab at that time.
His repeated experiences made him feel that Ayaka Kamisato had ulterior motives.
but.
Ayaka Kaname did not give up.
since then.
She would come to this dilapidated little fishing village almost every few days, just for him.
The dilapidated and dirty appearance, which was completely out of place with her nobility, did not bother her in the slightest.
She is kind and gentle to everyone.
They would gently call those lonely elderly people "grandpa" and "grandma".
She would gently and meticulously help Lin Jiu'an with household chores and take care of their lives.
I will patiently listen to them ramble on and on, repeating those old stories that I've heard so many times I'm tired of them, stories that actually don't mean much.
It got late at night.
She would come to Lin Jiu'an's house again and eat with him the coarse food that Lin Jiu'an actually found hard to swallow, but she showed no dissatisfaction. Instead, her eyes lit up as she said that it was the best food she had ever eaten.
Then her face flushed slightly, she glanced at him shyly, then lowered her head, not daring to speak, and fled as if escaping.
Occasionally, Lin Jiu'an would catch a big fish and grill it with her by the sea while enjoying the ocean view.
Sometimes, Ayaka Kamisato would ask him with a tired look, "Can I lean on your shoulder?"
Sometimes she would be chatting happily with him one second, and the next second she would be hugging her knees and looking at the sea with a lonely expression.