《《蛮族之花》 Flower of Wilderness》Yina_bubbles

22、第 22 章 Race

　　Chapter 22 — The Race to the Border

　　Nanny Zhang stared at the small ceramic jar in her hands for a long time, the ashes inside belonged to Princess Shuran. Suyuan had hidden them among the belongings without telling anyone. Even after all these years, Nanny Zhang knew Suyuan well enough to understand what that meant. Suyuan had never intended to wait for them , she had sent them away so they could escape.

　　“Ayao…” Nanny Zhang’s voice trembled slightly. “We have to go.” Ayao looked at her in confusion. “But the carriage is broken. The merchants said it may take until tomorrow to repair.”“We cannot wait until tomorrow.” Nanny Zhang looked toward the road behind them. For a moment, she could almost see Suyuan standing there, watching them leave with that calm expression she always wore .

　　“She knew,” Nanny Zhang whispered. “That girl knew she wasn't coming back.” Ayao's face went pale. “No… Suyuan wouldn't…” Nanny Zhang tightened her grip around the jar. The truth was beginning to settle between them. They had been travelling toward the capital because they believed they were going to bring help back to Suyuan. But if Suyuan had already decided to stay behind, every hour they spent on the road was another hour they were losing. Then, from the group of merchants nearby, they heard someone mention the border.

　　“There is a Xian general stationed at the northern frontier, General Xie Zheng ” one merchant said while examining the broken carriage wheel. “A powerful one, too his army has been guarding the border for years.” Nanny Zhang immediately turned. “The general?” The merchant nodded. “His camp isn't far from here. Once you cross the next stretch of road, you should be able to reach the frontier.” Nanny Zhang exchanged a look with Ayao.

　　That was enough.“We're going,” she said. Nanny Zhang pulled her cloak tighter around herself and tucked the ceramic jar safely back into the wooden box. “We don't need to reach the capital anymore.”Ayao understood. They only needed to reach someone who could send help. The two women gathered what little they could carry. Nanny Zhang took the wooden box. Ayao carried the remaining supplies before leaving, Ayao looked back at the broken carriage.

　　“What if Suyuan is waiting for us?” Nanny Zhang stopped. and her eyes became wet, but she did not allow the tears to fall. “Then we will make sure she doesn't have to wait much longer.”They left the caravan behind. The road toward the frontier stretched beneath the pale winter sky, hard and frozen beneath their feet. Ayao had never travelled this far before. She had never imagined leaving Younis like this, walking toward a country she had only heard about from Nanny Zhang stories. But now she wasn't afraid of the unfamiliar land. Nanny Zhang walked as quickly as her old legs allowed, clutching the wooden box against her chest. Inside it were the last remains of the woman she had served since childhood.

　　And somewhere far behind them was Shuran's daughter—the girl Nanny Zhang had raised like her own granddaughter. For the first time, Nanny Zhang understood the terrible meaning behind Suyuan's calmness. She hadn't sent them away because she believed they would return. She had sent them away because she wanted them to live.

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