The Doctor's Three-Time Marriage

Chapter 421: 421. Yan Shiba with Amnesia

Translator: 549690339

Capital City.

A few days before Yan Shiba was sent to the capital city, Su Liang received news from Hu Er’s messenger.

It turned out to be Yan Shiba, but at the same time, it was a trap.

Su Liang informed Qiao Cong that Qiao Jing was disguised as Gu Ling and had been captured by Sheng Yue.

Qiao Cong furrowed his brows, “That’s true. If Little Gu was captured, Jingjing might not be able to save him.” However, Qiao Cong believed that Gu Ling would certainly find a way to rescue Qiao Jing.

“I don’t know where they are now, I hope they are all right.” Su Liang sighed softly. Things could not be said to be very bad, but they definitely were not good either, as they were somewhat passive. So far, there was still no news from Old Mu and Cen Man, both might most likely already be under the control of the people on Xingluo Island.

The more people who were taken away, the more challenging things would become if the other party started to use hostages.

“They must have gone south,” said Qiao Cong, “If Jingjing doesn’t expose himself, Little Gu following them to Xingluo Island is also possible.”

It was indeed possible, but Su Liang felt that the possibility was not high. Gu Ling knew the route to Xingluo Island, so there was no need to follow Sheng Yue. Besides, tracking at sea was difficult to do, as ships were not invisible.

That’s why Su Liang thought that Gu Ling would most likely take action before Sheng Yue took Qiao Jing out to sea. They would be far away from Su Village, so there would be no need to worry about relatives and friends being captured again. They could find a suitable location to rescue Qiao Jing. It might not be easy to deal with Sheng Yue, who had several experts, but as long as they could cope with his subordinates, he would probably choose to return to Xingluo Island first. His greatest advantage was being immune to all poisons, which had limited use, especially when the other party was aware and on alert. Apart from that, Sheng Yue would have no chance of winning against both Gu Ling and Qiao Jing.

“When the two of them go out together, they’ll definitely come back together. I’m not worried about this!” Qiao Cong did not know if he was comforting Su Liang or himself. Qiao Jing’s capture made him a little anxious, but at the same time, he had great confidence in Gu Ling’s ability to rescue Qiao Jing.

Ji Xiaoshu came running in, saying that his father would be setting off for the northern trip tomorrow, so he was going to stay at the Yin King’s Palace tonight.

“Go ahead.” Su Liang patted Ji Xiaoshu’s little head.

Ji Xiaoshu ran upstairs, grabbed his small pillow, and ran back down. “I’ll come back after my dad leaves!” He turned to ask Su Liang at the entrance, “Mistress, when will Master return?”

Ever since Gu Ling left three days ago, Ji Xiaoshu had been asking almost every day.

Su Liang smiled, “We have to wait a few more days.”

“All right, but don’t tell Master I miss him very much!” Ji Xiaoshu said with a grin before running off.

Yan Shiba was sent to the capital city by Hu Er’s men, but they didn’t hurry on their way. On the day they arrived in the capital city, Su Liang had also received a letter from Jiaye City.

There was nothing written on the envelope. Su Liang opened it and saw Gu Ling’s handwriting and let out a sigh of relief. She was still somewhat worried.

Gu Ling told about what had happened and his plans for the future. The former was almost the same as Su Liang’s speculation, but she hadn’t guessed the latter, which was precisely the solution to the problem she had been considering recently: saving people first, no more delay. If they continued to wait, more people would be captured, and they would become more and more passive.

Therefore, although Su Liang very much hoped that Gu Ling would return home soon, she absolutely agreed with and supported his decision. If she were in his place, she would do the same.

When Qiao Cong learned that Gu Ling had rescued Qiao Jing and the two were leading troops to bomb Xingluo Island, he couldn’t help but laugh, “I knew it! Let’s just wait for their good news!”

Su Liang felt that what Gu Ling was trying to do might not be easy to achieve, but it had the potential to change the situation.

There was also good news in the letter. Yang Yu was pregnant, and she and Nian Jincheng were on their way back to the capital city.

At the end of the letter, Gu Ling drew a cute smiling face. Seeing it, Su Liang couldn’t help but smile, feeling that her recent worries and concerns had been eased by the smile.

That afternoon, a carriage entered the Su Mansion, bringing Yan Shiba with it.

Yan Shiba had already woken up on the way and seemed not much better than when he was in Su Village.

Su Liang asked Qi Yan to entertain Hu Er and arrange for the people who escorted and took care of Yan Shiba to stay in an inn for the night before leaving tomorrow.

Yan Shiba was arranged to stay in Nangong Qian’s courtyard. The basket of dried kidney beans and dried mushrooms sent by the Bai Family to Su Liang were still intact, as well as the beautiful tiger-headed shoes made by Bai Madam for Gu Xiaonuan. Su Liang put the shoes on Gu Xiaonuan as soon as she got them. They were a bit big, but with straps, she could wear them for two years without a problem.

Lettres from Bai Xiaohu and Zhuzi to Su Liang had previously been on Gu Ling’s person, and were sent to Su Liang along with Gu Ling’s letter this morning. Su Liang had already read them.

When Yan Shiba entered the mansion, she was not in a conscious state. Su Liang carefully examined her physical condition and asked Qiuyue to help take care of her, asking her to notify her as soon as Yan Shiba woke up.

After that, Su Liang asked Qi Yan to prepare some things for Hu Er and the Bai Family as return gifts. Su Liang prepared some tonics for Hu Er, as well as some cloth, leather, tea, and stationery for the Bai Family, Little Tiger, and Zhuzi. Su Liang also wrote a reply to the two children, encouraging them to study hard and exercise, and saying that she would return to the village when she had a chance. The letters and gifts were to be taken back to Bei’an County by the people who had come to visit, saving them from making an extra trip.

At this moment, Qiuyue came to Yuanming Pavilion to tell Su Liang that Yan Shiba had opened her eyes.

“Did she say anything?” Su Liang asked as she walked.

Qiuyue shook her head, “This servant told Miss Yan that she is in Su Mansion now, but she didn’t react.”

Su Liang felt that something was amiss. Was Yan Shiba still in shock after all her ordeal? Otherwise, with her former personality, she would have definitely mentioned Su Liang.

When Su Liang entered the room, Nangong Qian had just fed Yan Shiba half a cup of warm water.

Seeing Su Liang coming over, Nangong Qian whispered to her, “It seems that she has lost her memory.”

Su Liang frowned and let Nangong Qian and Qiuyue leave first. She walked to the bedside and saw that Yan Shiba looked pale and weak. The look in her eyes was unfamiliar and even a bit guarded.

Although she was once a notorious assassin leader, Yan Shiba’s appearance didn’t match her identity and reputation. With a round face and soft features, she would not seem sharp at all if not for her eyes. Now that Yan Shiba had lost weight and her chin had become sharper, her eyes, devoid of their former sharpness, made her look even more fragile. If someone who didn’t know her saw her, they would never associate her with the word “assassin.”

“Don’t you recognize me?” Su Liang asked. The people Hu Er had arranged for said that although Yan Shiba had woken up on the road, she hadn’t spoken and they hadn’t asked her much.

Yan Shiba pursed her pale lips and didn’t reply.

“Do you know who you are?” Su Liang asked again.

After a moment, Yan Shiba finally answered, her voice hoarse, “I can’t remember.”

Su Liang had already checked the wounds on Yan Shiba’s body. There was a healed scar on the back of her head. Su Liang had saved Yan Shiba more than once before and knew about her old injuries. Apart from those, there were many more scars from this ordeal. Beneath her clothes, not a single inch of skin was left untouched on her chest and back, and her left breast had even been cut off.

If it really was done by Yan Shiqi, it could be seen how much he hated her.

Su Liang didn’t want to comment on Yan Shiba and Yan Shiqi’s grievances. If she had to say something, the cause of the conflict was indeed Yan Shiba’s fault. She had known that Yan Shiqi admired her, but neither accepted nor rejected him, treating him like a servant, or even a dog, which was precisely what Yan Shiba herself had once said.

As the saying goes, you reap what you sow.

Su Liang always knew that Yan Shiba was not a good person, but her relationship with Yan Shiqi was irrelevant. Just because Yan Shiba had once wronged Yan Shiqi didn’t mean Yan Shiqi was a good person.

Su Liang wanted to save Yan Shiba because he owed her and had sincerely helped her. They were friends.

The last time they met was in Xiangyue City, the original Yin Country, when Gu Ling was captured by Qiao Cong and Nangong Lin. Su Liang was alone and needed help, and Yan Shiba happened to be nearby and offered his help without hesitation. Su Liang had seriously talked to Yan Shiba at the time, asking him to leave his past behind, be a normal person, and live a good life. Although Yan Shiba had not made up his mind at that time, he was already hesitating and said he would consider it and then talk to Su Liang.

Yan Shiba’s last interaction with the couple before this was when Su Liang was captured, and Gu Ling asked Yan Shiba to bring people to trouble Situ Xie. Yan Shiba had traveled a long way to Yao City, the original Liang Country.

Thinking of the past and seeing the current state of Yan Shiba, Su Liang couldn’t help but feel a little sad. “My name is Su Liang, and I’m your friend. Your name is Yan Shiba. Focus on recovering from your injuries for now, forgetting what happened in the past might not be a bad thing.”

“Can my memory… ever recover?” Yan Shiba asked quietly, looking at Su Liang.

Su Liang examined the scar on the back of Yan Shiba’s head. It was apparent that the injury was severe at the time. She shook her head and said, “It’s hard to say. It might suddenly come back one day, or it might never recover. The injury is in the brain, and we can’t recklessly operate on your brain in an attempt to restore your memory. It’s too dangerous.”

“Where is my home?” Yan Shiba asked Su Liang.

Su Liang was silent for a moment. Home? Yan Shiba had no connection with that word.

“From now on, this will be your home,” Su Liang told Yan Shiba.

Qiuyue brought the decoction medicine that had been simmered, and fed it to Yan Shiba to drink.

Su Liang left and returned to Yuanming Pavilion, where she found visitors. Madam Lin and Lian Shan had come. They often came to the mansion to see the children, so no advance notice was needed.

Lian Shan had made a colorful embroidered ball for Gu Xiaonuan, and she was now holding the child and playing with her.

Seeing the smiling Lian Shan, Su Liang suddenly thought of the first time she met her in Jiaye City. Lian Shan had also lost her memory due to injury. However, it was later proven that she was indeed injured and had lost her memory, but the memory loss was not caused by the injury. Instead, it was because she had discovered the enemy’s secret, and they couldn’t let her die, so they made her eat a drug that caused memory loss, then intentionally injured her brain to create the illusion of memory loss due to an accident.

Human brains are complex and fragile, and memory loss can be a random event. In this era without medical equipment, even the most skilled doctors could not accurately determine the situation inside the brain, and performing similar brain surgeries was impossible.

The reason Su Liang thought of this incident upon seeing Lian Shan was because she had just met Yan Shiba, who had brain injury-induced memory loss.

In light of the past experiences right in front of her, Su Liang’s mind entertained a thought: Was Yan Shiba’s memory loss really due to his injury? Or, like Lian Shan back then, was it the result of secret knowledge intentionally erased from his memory?

As a doctor, Su Liang was well aware that there is no inevitable cause-and-effect relationship between brain injury and memory loss. Most people with brain injuries don’t experience memory loss, but a small mistake could be fatal. Trying to injure a person’s brain through external force precisely to erase their memory is impossible. Such a consequence can only happen by chance.

However, Su Liang didn’t find any residual poison in Yan Shiba’s body. But when Lian Shan was drugged to erase her memory, it wasn’t any poison that would remain in her body for a long time, and it was irreversible, unable to recover.

Su Liang felt that it was probably just her overthinking. Given Yan Shiba’s physical condition, she could have been injured anywhere, and it wasn’t particularly strange that she happened to suffer brain injury and memory loss.

Madam Lin greeted Su Liang, so she temporarily put her thoughts aside and attended to the guests.

Upon learning that Yang Yu was pregnant and would be returning soon, Madam Lin was very happy for her and Nian Jincheng. She couldn’t help but mention Lian Shun, “Each of you is settling down and starting families, but I don’t know when that smelly boy of mine will finally marry and let us hold our grandchildren!”

However, Lian Shun’s parents were very open-minded, and as much as Madam Lin complained, it wasn’t a problem for her. She said a few words and then changed the subject to the remarriage arrangement between Lian Shan and Yuan Pei.

Su Liang was surprised, “Really? Congratulations, congratulations.”

Madam Lin was somewhat sentimental. “We never thought of reuniting the two of them. When I came to the capital city, I was always thinking about finding a good girl for Pei’er. But he said that after what happened before, he had seriously considered everything and couldn’t forget Shan Shan. He hoped to marry her as his wife. My husband and I naturally approve.”

Lian Shan blushed. Apparently, after the twists and turns they had gone through, the two of them had developed genuine love from their childhood friendship.

Su Liang found it satisfying. The time Lian Shan experienced can be seen as a mistake, which has now passed. The deep bond between childhood sweethearts is very precious: Lian Shan had forgotten about it, but Yuan Pei hadn’t. It is a beautiful destiny that they didn’t miss each other in the end.

Su Liang didn’t mention Ying Ying. They didn’t know how she was doing right now, so they would wait until they rescued her before discussing the matter.

After bidding farewell to Madam Lin and Lian Shan, Su Liang heard a familiar voice.

“Master!” Turning her head, Su Liang saw Ren Dong appearing not far away, running towards her.

Su Liang was overjoyed and embraced Ren Dong for a moment, noticing that she looked very well. Qi Jun and Bai Yang had also returned. Qi Jun seemed to have lost a little weight but appeared more energetic than before, chatting with Qi Yan.

“Bai Yang, you should go to the Prince Mansion and see your fiancée,” Su Liang said with a smile.

Bai Yang bowed deeply to Su Liang, then disappeared from sight.

“Is my adoptive father back?” Su Liang asked.

Ren Dong nodded, “Yes, everyone is back. The Marquis went home first and said he would come to see you and the little miss later on. Where is the little miss?”

“Just call her Nuannuan.” Su Liang led Ren Dong into Yuanming Pavilion, where Gu Xiaonuan was playing on the ground with her two older brothers.

Ren Dong’s eyes brightened as she took out a sparkling gem from her purse and approached them. She had found the gem in Liang Country and had specifically brought it back as a gift for Gu Xiaonuan.

Qi Jun also ran inside and headed straight for Gu Xiaonuan.

Su Liang thought this was very normal, as her daughter had always been loved by everyone she met.

Ren Dong learned that Gu Ling and Qiao Jing had gone to Xingluo Island and immediately asked if she needed to go and assist them.

Su Liang shook her head, “Not for now, let’s wait for news. You and Qi Jun should prepare for your wedding ceremony. You can get married from the Su Mansion, and I have prepared your dowry for you.”

Qi Jun grinned happily, wanting to hold Ren Dong’s hand but was slapped away. He coughed lightly and asked Su Liang, “Do you have any leads about my brother’s marriage?”

Qi Yan kicked Qi Jun’s leg, “Mind your own business and stop showing off. Go to the Marquis Mansion and check on the old lady!”

Qi Jun then took Ren Dong to the Marquis of Zhong Xin Mansion. Besides wanting to see Lady Xing, he was also eager to take a look at Xing Yusheng’s son.

Every day when Su Liang went to treat Yan Shiba, she would chat with her for a while. Su Liang did most of the talking, while Yan Shiba rarely spoke.

That night, after Yan Shiba finished drinking her medicine, Qiuyue helped her with a simple wash and said, “Miss Yan, go to bed early. If you need anything, just ring this bell. I’ll be in the next room.” A bell hung by the bed with a rope that Yan Shiba could easily reach.

Yan Shiba nodded slightly, “Thank you.” She closed her eyes as she spoke.

Qiuyue lowered the bed curtain, left the room without extinguishing the lamp. Nangong Qian was afraid of the dark, so Qiuyue thought it was safer to leave a light on since Yan Shiba was ill.

As the door closed, Yan Shiba, lying on the bed, slowly opened her eyes, squinted slightly, and whispered two words, “Su… Liang…”