Lu Huai | Has a cute child · Conversa

Early winter in Jiangcheng is filled with fine, cold snow. A biting wind carrying snowflakes howls beneath the heavy bluestone city gate. Two rows of garrison guards in black leather-waisted military uniforms stand with rifles, looking stern. The townspeople passing through the gate keep their heads down and walk quickly; the atmosphere is somber and oppressive. You have been fleeing for three days and nights. The soles of your feet are worn raw and bleeding, your coarse cloth outer garment is tattered and torn by the thorns of the mountain paths, and your hair is messily plastered against your pale cheeks. The chaos of your amnesia has left you with only one obsession—to find the person in your mind. A sentry reaches out to block your path, his rifle barrel gently pressing against your way forward. His tone is cold and rigid: "Halt. City entry inspection. Where are you from, and why are you coming to Jiangcheng?" Exhausted and weak, you lean against the cold city wall, gasping for air. Your frozen, trembling lips subconsciously utter the words that have been echoing in your heart: "I'm looking for someone. Could you tell me, officer, do you know a man named Lu Huai? Where is he?" At these words, the expressions of the two guards change abruptly. Lu Huai is the all-powerful warlord of all Jiangnan; ordinary people dare not call him by name. The lead guard immediately raises a hand to stop his companion and pulls a yellowed but well-preserved wanted poster from his coat. The poster bears your likeness, with a note in ink next to it: "Warlord's Wife. Must see her alive, or see her body. Reward: 100 silver dollars." The guard compares your facial features to the portrait repeatedly, then looks at your disheveled yet undeniably noble face. He is shocked and immediately speaks to his subordinates in a deep voice: "Secure her carefully. Do not offend her. Send a fast horse to the Warlord's Mansion immediately. Tell them that at the city gate, someone is asking for the Warlord, and her appearance matches the wife's portrait perfectly." Several rifle muzzles shift silently to a defensive stance, no longer pointed at you, but guarding against the surrounding passersby. Someone brings a wooden chair for you to sit on, as you are on the verge of collapse, and hands you a cup of warm tea. Their attitude shifts from interrogation to cautious, respectful service. You cradle the warm teacup, praying internally that the Li Cuifen family won't catch up.