Chapter 136: Someone Closer Now

“Get lost.”

Lu Chang Qing did not explain nor get angry. He simply gave the order for Wei Jing Yi to leave.

Wei Jing Yi was so furious, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Every time they argued, Lu Chang Qing would say he was heartbroken, and his mother would twist his ears off if she found out.

The next day, Wei Jing Yi took leave from the academy and told Madam Leng that she was taking her cousin out for a stroll. The two of them then took a carriage to Yun Bian Village.

Tong Jian knew the road to Yun Bian Village best, but since he was from Wei’s household, Wei Jing Yi didn’t want him to alert her parents. She specially told Shun Zi to drive the carriage, bringing the two of them to Yun Bian Village.

On the way, Wei Jing Yi continued to chatter: “Lu Chang Qing, I’ll tell you now, I’m taking you out because I’m afraid you’ll get sick from boredom at home, not because I want you to ruin someone else’s family.”

“You’ve read the Four Books and Five Classics, so you should understand propriety, righteousness, and shame. Don’t blame me for not covering for you, if you really have bad intentions, I won’t keep it a secret from my mother.”

“Does your mother know you’re so foolish?” Lu Chang Qing looked at him briefly but was too lazy to explain.

He gazed out the window at the passing trees, his mind wandering to thoughts of Ye Xin Ran’s life over the years.

His aunt had mentioned she had a difficult childhood, and things had only improved a little after marriage.

Although his aunt hadn’t gone into detail, the man must have treated her well, right?

Once his mother replied, accepting his sister, he would bring her to the city to live so she wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.

Despite preparing mentally, when he saw the Xiao family house, Lu Chang Qing was still shaken.

This was considered better than her past life?

Then how bad must her life have been before?

The house was in such poor condition, was it really fit for living?

After breakfast, Ye Xin Ran and Xiao Huai’an packed up their things and prepared to head up the mountain.

Li Mo had sent her a batch of Ice Spirit Flowers from another region, over two hundred plants.

The villagers were busy with the harvest, so Zhang Da Li, Er Zhu, and the others were busy gathering grain at home. There was no one available to help on the mountain.

Ye Xin Ran decided to plant a few herself.

The rest could be planted later when everyone was available.

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Lu Chang Qing getting out of the carriage.

“Little sickly? What are you doing here?”

Ye Xin Ran was genuinely surprised.

Their first meeting left a deep impression when Lu Chang Qing had said some unreasonable things, and thus she had nicknamed him “sickly.”

“Dr. Ye, I… I’ve been experiencing heartache a lot recently, so I thought I’d come over and have you take a look.”

On the way, Lu Chang Qing had already prepared an explanation, but Ye Xin Ran’s sudden appearance caused him to hesitate slightly as he spoke.

“How could that be?”

Ye Xin Ran furrowed her brows.

Lu Chang Qing had been taking heart medicine for several days now, so his condition should have stabilized!

Seeing the doubt in Ye Xin Ran’s expression, Lu Chang Qing quickly added an explanation:

“It’s not that bad. It’s much lighter than when it used to flare up.

It’s just that I’ve been sick for so long, and now that I finally see a bit of hope, I keep thinking it will get better faster.

I know you’re very busy, and I didn’t want to trouble you, so I came myself.”

He said this while still pressing his hand to his chest.

“Then come inside. I’ll check your pulse.”

Ye Xin Ran turned back to the courtyard and motioned for the two to come in.

Wei Jing Yi watched the tall man in the yard and suddenly felt a bit guilty.

Would Lu Chang Qing really risk it?

Dr. Ye’s husband looked like someone who could easily crush both of them.

Ye Xin Ran quickly explained to Xiao Huai’an:

“This is Madam Leng’s nephew, and I’ve treated him before.”

It’s him?

Xiao Huai’an looked at the man before him and could almost see a hint of disdain in his eyes!

Disdain? Or jealousy?

Xiao Huai’an suddenly found the situation interesting.

“Dear, it’s hot outside. Why don’t you go into the room and help him?”

He said, taking the initiative to open a door to one of the rooms.

Although the Xiao family’s house and yard were in a dilapidated state, the room inside was quite neat and elegant.

The furniture, bedding, and even the tea set looked relatively new and of good quality.

Seeing this, Lu Chang Qing’s mood lifted slightly.

But then, remembering that his sister must have worked hard to tidy up the room, his mood dampened again.

He would need to arrange for her to have a couple of maids! Lu Chang Qing thought.

After checking his pulse, Ye Xin Ran looked puzzled. “There’s nothing wrong with your pulse, so why are you experiencing this heartache so frequently?”

“Is it because you’ve been feeling down lately?”

Lu Chang Qing, fearing his lie might be exposed, quickly went along with it. “Yes, I think it’s because I’ve been lying in bed for too long, so I’ve been feeling a bit down.

That’s why my cousin suggested I go out for a walk and asked Dr. Ye to check on me.”

Wei Jing Yi, who had been day dreaming, immediately snapped out of it when he heard his name mentioned. He quickly added, “Yes, yes, it was all my idea, hehe.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Lu Chang Qing from the corner of his eye, but to his surprise, Lu Chang Qing didn’t even look at him. Instead, he continued, “Since there’s nothing wrong with my health, I’ll go up the mountain to help Dr. Ye plant the herbs!”

Wei Jing Yi: …

So you asked me to take leave just to go help with planting herbs?

Ye Xin Ran shook her head. “Young Master Lu, there’s no need for that. We have enough people to plant the herbs. Besides, your health shouldn’t be overexerted, so it’s best not to climb the mountain.”

“But didn’t Dr. Ye say I should be active? I’ll take it slow and just treat it as some light exercise.”

Seeing his insistence, Ye Xin Ran didn’t argue further.

“Then let’s go. The staff from Yong Le Hall are probably already at the foot of the mountain. We shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

“Mm!” Lu Chang Qing nodded and stepped out of the courtyard, waiting outside.

Ye Xin Ran and Xiao Huai’an took the necessary supplies for the mountain and locked the door behind them.

Wei Jing Yi, however, was still struggling to understand what was going on.

What’s happening here?

Lu Chang Qing suddenly insists on going up the mountain, and Dr. Ye doesn’t stop him?

Dr. Ye doesn’t stop him, fine, but Xiao Huai’an, why isn’t he stopping him either?

Can’t he tell that Lu Chang Qing is particularly attentive to his wife?

Wei Jing Yi, deep in his thoughts, was mentally playing out a dramatic scene in his head.

Meanwhile, the three of them had already walked a fair distance.

At first, Ye Xin Ran walked in the middle, with Xiao Huai’an on her left and Lu Chang Qing on her right.

At some point, Xiao Huai’an moved to the center, placing himself on Ye Xin Ran’s left side to protect her.

Lu Chang Qing noticed their interactions as they walked.

Xiao Huai’an had all the supplies on his back, and as they walked, he used his body to shield Ye Xin Ran from the sun.

Whenever Lu Chang Qing tried to move toward the other side, Xiao Huai’an subtly blocked his path, making it impossible for him to walk anywhere but the right side…

Rationally, Lu Chang Qing thought Xiao Huai’an was a good brother-in-law.

But emotionally, Lu Chang Qing couldn’t stand that his long-lost sister now had someone closer to her than him.

It was… infuriating!