Chapter 5: Collective Cleansing

Just as Lin Luoluo reached the door, Aunt Zhong came over holding Ziyu.

“Aunt Zhong, what brings you here? I was just about to come see Ziyu!” She said as she took Ziyu from Aunt Zhong’s arms and started to tease him.

“I heard from Lin Yi and the others that you are better, so I came to take a look.”

“Good, good. If the master and mistress were still around, they would be so happy to see you well, sob sob…” As she spoke, she covered her mouth and started to cry.

“You silly woman, why are you crying on such a happy day?” Uncle Zhong walked over and raised his hand to wipe her tears.

Caught off guard by the emotional display, Lin Luoluo quickly changed the subject.

“Aunt Zhong, where’s Huzi? Why haven’t I seen him?”

“That little rascal heard that the eldest lady was coming back today and rushed to the kitchen early this morning. I need to go check on him and make sure he cooks some of the eldest lady’s favorite dishes.” With that, she hurried off.

“Uncle Zhong, you sold the farms and shops to the pawnshop?”

“Yes,” Lin Zhong replied and left.

In the afternoon, Lin Luoluo sent Chun Tao away and returned to the courtyard where she used to live. Under the peach tree, she dug out a large box and stored it in her space.

Inside were some items she had taken from her parents before, including valuable jewelry, jade pendants, paintings, antiques… as well as worthless papers, bamboo balls, bamboo dragonflies, and grasshoppers, etc.

The items Chu Chenyu wanted were among them. At that time, Lin Luoluo had sneaked into the study when no one was paying attention, accidentally opened a hidden compartment, and took some things to play with.

Later, her father searched for a long time but couldn’t find them, thinking they had been stolen. Afraid of being punished if her father found out, she packed everything into a box and buried it.

Even Chu Chenyu’s people searched the entire General’s Mansion but couldn’t find anything.

Lin Luoluo retrieved the items and, along with Chun Tao, returned to the Yu Wang under the reluctant gazes of the two little ones.

That evening, after waiting a long time without seeing Chu Chenyu, Lin Luoluo asked the guards and learned he was in the study, so she went to find him.

After inquiring along the way, she arrived at the study door, saw that no one was guarding it, knocked on the door with no response, and pushed the door open to enter.

The scene behind the screen made Lin Luoluo cover her eyes with both hands, then peek out a little.

Inside, two people were half-dressed and passionately engaged, and when Lin Luoluo clearly saw the man’s face, a sharp pain shot through her heart.

Just as she was about to leave, she accidentally knocked over the screen.

“Bang…” The space suddenly fell silent.

“Uh, um, I’m here to find…”

“Get out!” Before she could finish, she was shouted at.

“I’ll leave right away.” She turned to walk out.

“Wait.”

“Get out.” Chu Chenyu pushed the woman beside him away.

The woman quickly adjusted her clothes and left, not forgetting to close the door behind her.

“Um, I came to give you something. Sorry for interrupting your good time!”

“Hand it over,” Chu Chenyu extended his hand toward her.

Lin Luoluo slowly walked over, placing the token and a map in his hand, and made her request.

“I’ve given you the items. The Damo envoy will arrive in the capital soon; I hope you can let us leave before that.”

Chu Chenyu paused for a moment, then casually continued to open the map.

It matched perfectly with the map that General Lin had submitted earlier. The Emperor had a piece, making a total of four pieces, and they were missing just one to complete it.

“Have you ever seen a similar map?” Chu Chenyu put away the map in his hand and looked at her lazily.

Lin Luoluo shook her head: “I haven’t seen it.”

“You still haven’t agreed to my request.” Lin Luoluo stubbornly looked at him.

“Do you really want to leave this badly?” Chu Chenyu’s face darkened immediately.

“Yes,” Lin Luoluo answered without hesitation.

Chu Chenyu pulled Lin Luoluo over forcefully and bit her lips, carrying a sense of punishment.

Thinking of what had just happened, Lin Luoluo felt nauseous, but due to the disparity in strength, she could only let him have his way. However, she also left marks of resistance on him.

The next day when she woke up, what awaited her was still a bowl of abortion soup. Lin Luoluo drank it all in one go, suppressing her discomfort as she left the study.

Back in her room, she instructed Chun Tao not to let anyone disturb her, then entered her space, drank a cup of spiritual spring water, and brought in a bathtub filled with water, soaking herself in it.

It wasn’t until the wounds on her body healed that Lin Luoluo exited the space, changed her clothes, and left the Yu Wang with Chun Tao.

“What is the princess doing now?” Chu Chenyu asked Liu Yun, who he summoned in the study.

“Replying to the prince, the princess has gone to the General’s Mansion.”

“Mm, understood.” He waved his hand, signaling Liu Yun to leave.

Yesterday, Qingxue had returned and asked him why he was marrying someone else. Later, when Qingxue got drunk, she wanted to offer herself to him. It was clear that he liked her, but when they embraced and kissed, all he could think of was Lin Luoluo. In the end, he pressed on Qingxue’s sleeping acupoint, went to the study, and summoned a maid, wanting to verify whether he truly didn’t want to touch anyone other than Lin Luoluo.

The answer was obvious, leaving him somewhat annoyed about how to face Qingxue in the future.

Lin Luoluo arrived at the General’s Mansion and gathered everyone together, distributing a cleansing pill and a cup of spiritual spring water to each person, except for Lin Ziyu.

Seeing that there was nothing else to do, she went into her space to practice lightness skills.

The entire General’s Mansion was filled with a foul smell all day long.

In the evening, she instructed Lin Zhong to buy various seeds and seedlings in batches the next day, including vegetable seeds, medicinal herb seeds, fruit tree saplings, chickens, ducks, etc., and then left Chun Tao behind to return to the Yu Wang.

That night, Chu Chenyu did not come to find Lin Luoluo, which relieved her and gave her more time to practice lightness skills and read medical books.

The next day, Lin Luoluo went to the General’s Mansion again, taught them the lightness skill methods, and visited the storeroom to collect all the imperial gifts into her space.

In the afternoon, she also collected the items that Lin Zhong had bought. Lin Luoluo did not avoid them, and they did not ask many questions.

Since taking the cleansing pill, Lin Luoluo had become a god-like figure in their eyes.

In the following days, Lin Luoluo still did not see Chu Chenyu, and half a month passed like this.

One early morning, Lin Luoluo arrived at the General’s Mansion with Chun Tao, and everyone was already prepared to set off.

Lin Luoluo approached the front of the group and handed a package to Lin Zhong.

“Uncle Zhong, inside are some life-saving pills for healing and detoxification, especially the medicine in the water pouch. As long as there is breath left, it can bring someone back to life. According to the plan, we will meet in Yancheng, and you will take care of Zirui and the others.”

“Rest assured, eldest lady. As long as I, Lin Zhong, draw breath, I will protect the young master and the young lady.” Lin Zhong promised, thumping his chest.

“Eldest sister.”

“Eldest sister.”

Lin Zirui and Lin Wanwan hugged Lin Luoluo reluctantly.

“Eldest sister, you won’t forget us.” Lin Wanwan said.

“Eldest sister, you need to come find us quickly.” Lin Zirui added.

“You both must behave and take good care of yourselves and Ziyu. I will come find you soon.” Lin Luoluo rubbed their heads, her eyes reddening.

Lin Luoluo hugged Lin Ziyu and kissed him before handing him back to Chun Tao.

“Chun Tao, take good care of them for me.” She turned to Chun Tao and said.

“Mm! Miss, you also need to protect yourself and come find us soon.” Chun Tao nodded with tears in her eyes.

“Let’s set off!” Lin Luoluo commanded.

“Yes, let’s go!” With Lin Zhong’s order, the convoy slowly moved forward.

“Eldest sister, Zirui will miss you.”

“Wanwan will miss you too.”

The two shouted loudly from the carriage window.

Lin Luoluo waved at them as the convoy moved further away until they were out of sight. She could no longer hold back her tears, as during this time together, she had already come to regard them as her closest family.