Chapter 22: Psychological Trauma

“When Madam was nine years old, she once mistakenly wandered into a bamboo forest at night. At that time, it was still spring, with rolling thunder¹ this means that the weather was very volatile and quick to change. The maid and the nanny thought Madam was fast asleep in the house. It wasn’t until the nanny  discovered that the room was empty that they realized Madam was missing. The maid and the nanny  searched everywhere and eventually found something unusual at a pond behind the bamboo forest. The nanny realized that Madam had fallen into the water and desperately saved her. At that time, Madam’s neck was entangled with a vine, and her breathing was so weak it was almost nonexistent. If the nanny hadn’t provided timely rescue, Madam might have…”

The situation was critical at that time. Fortunately, the nanny  knew how to rescue someone from drowning. If it had been delayed even a few moments, she might not have been saved.

Wu Tong recalled the situation with sadness, suppressing her emotions, and continued: “Madam had a high fever for several days, but fortunately, she survived. However, after she regained consciousness, she would not open her mouth to speak. Initially, we thought it was due to extreme shock, but later we discovered that Madam had lost her voice. The doctors in the capital were helpless, and Madam’s aunt even took her far away to seek treatment, but it was ultimately unsuccessful. Actually, Madam’s condition has improved a lot now. When she first woke up, she absolutely refused to speak.”

Now Lin Xingxue was willing to open her mouth. Although she cannot make any sound, she no longer stubbornly resisted the act of speaking.

“Why did she fall into the water?” Shen Hanxing asked, frowning.

“We don’t know,” Wu Tong shook her head, her eyes showing confusion, “Perhaps Madam was so frightened in the water that she completely forgot why she went to the bamboo forest or how she fell into the water. Madam has never dared to enter that bamboo forest again, and the master also ordered that the pond be filled in. Later, the Third Young Master deliberately led Madam into the bamboo forest, and we discovered that Madam was prone to hallucinations and auditory illusions in the forest. Ideally, Madam should not have gone into that bamboo grove today.”

Knowing that entering the bamboo forest would cause her discomfort, Lin Xingxue still went in.

Shen Hanxing recalled the two pits that had been dug not far behind Lin Xingxue.

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“Zsw pyke vbl Mbkae Zswdt Yypvla zle bla kdvs vbl cyxcss qsalpv? Ebyv lzpl byrrldle yv vbyv vkxl?”

“Mbkp…” Ew Msdt blpkvyvle qsa y xsxldv, wdpwal oblvbla vs prlyj.

“Frlyj.” Fbld Tydmkdt’p vsdl oyp pzktbvzu nsze.

Ew Msdt eyale dsv blpkvyvl ydu zsdtla yde vawvbqwzzu pyke, “Gv vbyv vkxl, vbl Mbkae Zswdt Yypvla pyo vbyv Yyeyx oyp sdzu bweezkdt wr vs rasvlnv blaplzq, ps bl wple y psqv obkr vs bkv bla plhlayz vkxlp.”

Gv vbyv vkxl, Nkd Dkdtuyd oyp sdzu plhld sa lktbv ulyap sze, cwv bl pbsole ds xlanu obld oklzekdt vbl obkr.

“Ebu eke bl bkv uswa uswdt zyeu?” Ck Zl ypjle okvb ayal nwakspkvu.

“Because Madam startled a bird that the Third Young Master was trying to catch.”

That was the first time that Lin Xingxue had experienced hallucinations and auditory illusions, so Wu Tong remembered this incident very clearly. It had been three years since the drowning incident, and no one expected Lin Xingxue to still have trauma.

“A bird startled?”

“At that time, the Third Young Master was trying to catch a bird from a tree. However, Madam’s footsteps startled the bird, causing the Third Young Master to fail to catch it.”

“Hmm…” Although Qi Ye had never seen Lin Xingyan, he could imagine his mischief at the moment, “The Lin family indeed knows how to raise their children.”

Raising the only legitimate son in such a manner, it was unclear what they were thinking, probably thinking that a bit of mischief during childhood was nothing.

Wu Tong was also young at that time, and the nanny who saved Lin Xingxue has since passed away. Shen Hanxing saw that no more information could be obtained, and waved his hand to dismiss Wu Tong.

He looked at Qi Ye and described Lin Xingxue’s condition in the bamboo forest, “Have you ever seen a similar case before?”

“No,” Qi Ye shook his head, pondering for a moment, “But my master has encountered a similar case. The condition your wife has is likely a case where the mind is not in the body. She chooses to remain silent and close off her memory as a means of self-protection. Something must have happened in that bamboo forest that terrified her deeply, and it probably threatened her life. So entering the same environment again easily triggers hallucinations.”

“But what could threaten her life in the Lin family?” Qi Ye muttered.

Shen Hanxing recalled what Wu Tong had said.

He used to think that Lin Xingxue was not valued in the Lin household, but even if she was not valued, it wouldn’t reach such an extent.

Lin Xingxue’s status in the Lin family might be even more difficult than he imagined.

“Are there any ways to treat it?”

“Psychological trauma needs psychological treatment. Perhaps revisiting the old place to stimulate memory could be useful.”

Shen Hanxing frowned and shook his head, “No.”

Lin Xingxue cannot go into the bamboo forest again.

“Then we can only wait, wait for the day she suddenly recovers her memory and opens her heart, or perhaps she may never remember and remain mute forever.”

This suggestion sounds a bit dismissive, but since they don’t even understand Lin Xingxue’s psychological trauma, how could they resolve it and help her speak?

“Is there really no other way? What about the patient your master encountered?” Shen Hanxing had never been so patient in his inquiries before; he wasn’t even this concerned about his own condition.

“That patient had a much greater stimulus. He had a profound fear of water and would experience hallucinations within ten feet of it. Later, his wife was in danger, and he jumped into the water to save her, which helped him overcome his fear of water.”

“So, the stimulus could be the danger faced by a loved one.” Shen Hanxing concluded.

“Hmm… You can understand it that way. However, each person’s situation is different, so it cannot be generalized. You can try to get her to speak gradually,” Qi Ye attempted to bring Shen Hanxing’s thoughts back on track.

Facing danger was a matter of life and death.

At that time, the lady could also swim, which is why she dared to provoke her husband in such a way. Of course, Qi Ye wouldn’t tell Shen Hanxing that it was all an act. Qi Ye inexplicably felt that Shen Hanxing might think otherwise.

After all, he was already thinking otherwise.

Shen Hanxing stopped asking questions. He tapped absentmindedly on the table, who knew if he was contemplating how to stimulate Lin Xingxue or not.

Qi Ye saw his cold and gloomy demeanor and knew it was a reflection of his bad mood.

Logically, he should not provoke him further at this time, but…

“General Shen, you have been married for only five days.”

Shen Hanxing’s fingers paused slightly but showed no reaction.

Qi Ye smiled and said no more, packing up his medicine chest and leaving.

After being married for only five days, Shen Hanxing had already developed murderous intentions when protecting his wife and even used blue signal smoke.

He had never been this confused before.

—

The next morning, the light between the bed curtains was dim and unclear.

Lin Xingxue had just woken up. She hadn’t gotten out of bed yet but felt a severe dryness in her throat and was about to reach for the bell.

A cup of tea was suddenly handed in from outside the bed curtains. Shen Hanxing lifted the bed curtains, letting in some bright light.

Lin Xingxue looked at him, a bit dazed, as if she didn’t expect Shen Hanxing to be here.

“Drink water first.” Shen Hanxing handed her the cup of tea.

Lin Xingxue nodded obediently, tilted her head, and drank the tea until her throat felt much better.

While she was drinking, Shen Hanxing had already pulled the bell, and soon there were sounds of movement outside.

Shen Hanxing went to the side room, and Wu Tong attended to her inside.

Wu Tong, while combing her hair, whispered in Lin Xingxue’s ear, “Madam, the general stayed with you all night yesterday.” She then explained what happened in the bamboo forest yesterday.

Lin Xingxue actually didn’t remember anything clearly. She vaguely remembered someone leading her out of the bamboo forest, and she had no impression at all of Lin Xingyan’s actions.

She walked out of the west side room, and Shen Hanxing was folding a letter. Seeing her approach, he said lightly, “Come and have breakfast. No need to pay respects today.”

Old Madam Shen already knew about yesterday’s incident and instructed Lin Xingxue to rest well.

Lin Xingxue sat beside Shen Hanxing. She took a bite of the bun and looked up at Shen Hanxing.

Hmm, does the husband have dark circles under his eyes because he stayed up all night with her?

But her husband seemed a bit cold. Was it really her husband calling her “Ah Xue” yesterday?

The young woman’s eyes were thoughtful, looking back and forth several times.

Seeing her struggling to pick up a bun, Shen Hanxing put down his chopsticks and looked at her, “Speak, is there something you need?”

Lin Xingxue subconsciously shook her head, and then nodded.

The servant brought ink and paper, and she wrote down in detail what happened before she entered the bamboo forest yesterday.

She was so anxious at the time that she overlooked some details.

First, a maid told her that Shen Hanxing might have gone into the bamboo forest. Later, another maid who happened to pass by informed her of the traps in the bamboo forest. As a result, she, in her anxiousness, entered the bamboo forest and encountered Lin Xingyan.

Shen Hanxing glanced at what she wrote: “So you suspect someone is plotting against you?”

Lin Xingxue shook her head and added a few more words: It’s not plotting, but using someone else’s hand to kill. Someone wanted to use her husband’s hands to deal with Lin Xingyan.

Of course, the ultimate target was definitely not Lin Xingyan, but Lady Han.

Lin Xingxue had already guessed who was behind it but didn’t plan to reveal it.

“What do you want to do?”

‘Tell them that someone is behind the scenes.’

As for other matters, let them investigate themselves, which would make them believe it more.

Shen Hanxing raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised that Lin Xingxue also calculated other people’s moves. He nodded and asked, “Is there anything else?”

Hmm…

Lin Xingxue actually wanted to ask if the gentle person who called her in the bamboo forest yesterday was her husband or just her hallucination.

After all, her husband rarely called her so affectionately.

Lin Xingxue hesitated for a long time but still didn’t ask.

Shen Hanxing thought she was worried about Lin Xingyan, and he put a bun into her bowl, “Don’t worry about the Lin family’s matters. I will handle it.”

At the moment, the Lin family had no time to worry about Lin Xingyan’s inability to speak.

Lin Fu was anxiously dealing with the matter of the Xia family, unaware that a letter had already been delivered to the Jinning Hou’s residence, written personally by the head of the Xia family.

Currently, the Xia family was not led by the old master, but since the only grandson of the old master was seriously injured, the head of the family could not stand by.

However, before that, he needed to ask for Shen Hanxing’s opinion.

“Tell Xia Yuan that this matter need not concern the Hou residence.” Shen Hanxing burned the letter he had put into his sleeve into ashes.

The spoiled young master raised by the Lin family should taste the bitter consequences.