Chapter 22: Arrival at Linjia Village

The next morning, they reached the nearest county city. The seven or eight men all expressed their thanks to Lin Luoluo. After bidding their farewells, they each hired a carriage and went their separate ways, eager to return home.

A month later, they arrived at Xunyang Prefecture. By this time, Lin Luoluo was over four months pregnant, almost five, but since it was a twin pregnancy, her belly appeared as large as someone else’s at six months.

Over the past month, her belly had grown rapidly, making her feel uncomfortably tight, as if it were an inflated balloon.

Her movements became more cautious, and everyone worried about her bumping or hurting herself. They took extra care in looking after her, slowing down the pace of their journey.

After resting for a day in Xunyang, they set off again the following morning. When the middle-aged man and his family arrived at the inn, eager to thank Lin Luoluo, they discovered that they had already left, causing them to miss each other.

This led to a bit of frustration from his wife, who scolded him for not arriving sooner. After relaxing at home, he had overslept—was it his fault?

On the evening of the fifth day, they finally arrived at their destination.

A large group of people entered the village in full procession. To the villagers of Linjia Village, though they had seen their share of things, this was still a spectacle they had never witnessed before.

Under a big banyan tree near the village entrance, some villagers had already eaten dinner and were chatting leisurely.

Upon seeing the long line of carriages, they were shocked and started speculating.

Some quick-thinking villagers ordered children to go fetch the village chief (also the head of the Lin family clan).

The news spread quickly to nearby villagers.

Villager 1: “So many carriages, is some big shot arriving?”

Villager 2: “Is something major about to happen?”

Villager 3: “I don’t know about any big shots, but they must be wealthy people.”

Villager 4: “The carriages have stopped. Look, someone is getting off and walking towards us.”

Villager 5: “Hey, that young man looks so familiar.”

Other villagers also felt he looked familiar.

Villager 5: “Ah, isn’t that Jingming?”

“Could it be that he passed the imperial exam?”

“Did he return to the village as a high-ranking official?”

“This show of grandeur must be because he’s a big official.”

When Lin Jingming heard his fellow villagers talking, his face turned red.

“Ahem… Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, it’s me, Jingming…”

Just as Lin Jingming was about to introduce Lin Zhong, the villagers crowded around and nearly pushed Lin Zhong aside.

Surrounded by his warm, welcoming villagers, Lin Jingming smiled awkwardly.

“Jingming, you really are back!”

“Yeah, you’ve been gone for a whole year, and we hadn’t heard from you. Your family was so worried, they were asking everyone and still couldn’t find you.”

“We thought something bad had happened to you.”

“Well, you’re back now, so your parents don’t need to worry anymore.”

An elderly man, who was a close relative of Lin Jingming’s grandfather, pushed his way forward.

“Jingming, my boy, what official post did you take?”

Lin Jingming’s face reddened even more.

“Fifth Grandpa, I didn’t take the imperial exam.”

“What… You didn’t take the exam? Where have you been for a year then? And who are these people?”

The old man was in a panic. Lin Jingming was their family’s only scholar!

“Well, Fifth Grandpa, please calm down. Let me introduce someone to you first.”

Lin Jingming glanced around for Lin Zhong.

At that moment, the village chief and his son arrived.

“Make way, make way, everyone!”

The villagers obediently stepped aside to clear a path, allowing Lin Zhong to finally reach Lin Jingming.

Lin Zhong wiped the sweat from his forehead. His old bones were sore after being jostled by the crowd. Thankfully, the master didn’t disembark; it would have been troublesome with that large belly.

Lin Jingming smiled awkwardly at Lin Zhong.

“Uncle Zhong, I’m sorry! The villagers are too enthusiastic; please don’t mind!”

Lin Zhong secretly rolled his eyes. Could he possibly take offense? He would be living here for a long time, after all.

He waved it off.

“It’s nothing. It’s no big deal.”

Seeing that Lin Zhong genuinely wasn’t upset, Lin Jingming turned to the village chief and respectfully saluted.

“Clan Chief, Grandpa, I’m back.”

The village chief, relieved, patted his shoulder. The whole village had been wondering where he had gone, and they thought something might have happened to him. Sending letters had yielded no reply, which had made everyone anxious.

“Good, good! You’re back, that’s all that matters!”

Fifth Grandpa, looking both concerned and curious, asked, “By the way, did you see your Uncle Qing in the capital?”

The village chief also wanted to know what had happened. They were all wondering why Lin Jingming hadn’t taken the exam.

In fact, Lin Ying was Lin Jingming’s uncle, the son of his father’s younger brother. The whole family knew of him, but Lin Luoluo and her group had no idea.

Lin Jingming hesitated and then began to explain everything.

He told them that he hadn’t seen Uncle Qing but had met his children, and he had even been saved by Qing’s daughter. When he met Lin Luoluo and the others, he had noticed they were coming to the village, but there was no sign of Uncle Qing. His gut feeling told him that something bad had happened to them, but he didn’t dare ask. He had been holding it in until now.

The truth, however, was about to be revealed.

“Grandpa, Fifth Grandpa, this is Uncle Qing’s man, Lin Zhong.”

“Uncle Zhong, this is the village chief, also the head of the Lin family clan. This is Fifth Grandpa, who is the younger brother of Uncle Qing’s father. In fact, Uncle Qing is my real cousin.”

Lin Zhong was stunned. He had traveled with them for over a month and hadn’t heard any of this. The young man was really good at keeping secrets.

“Good evening, two elders. I’m Lin Zhong, the steward for General Lin. This time, we’ve come to Linjia Village to settle down with the young lady and young master.”

“Settle down? What happened?”

Both elders were shocked and worried about whether something had happened to Qing.

Lin Zhong nodded and was about to explain when Lin Luoluo, accompanied by her younger brother and sister, arrived.

Lin Luoluo, with her keen hearing, had caught their conversation and felt that since they would be living here long-term, it was only right to greet the elders.

“Clan Chief, Grandpa, Fifth Grandpa, Uncle, Aunt, Uncle, Grandma, it’s us!”

The three siblings greeted everyone together.

The village chief carefully looked them over, guessing that these were Qing’s children.

“Good, good, good, they’re all good children. But where are your parents?”

Hearing this question, the two younger children lowered their heads, starting to wipe away their tears.

The two elders exchanged a glance, sensing something was wrong.

Lin Luoluo wiped the corner of her eyes.

“Clan Chief, Fifth Grandpa, my parents… they’re gone. My husband is also gone. I was kicked out. We don’t have any relatives in the capital, so we thought we’d come back and settle here with my younger siblings.”

Lin Zhong: “…”

‘I wonder what the prince would think when he finds out he’s been abandoned…’

“Gone?” The village chief raised his voice in disbelief.

Lin Luoluo nodded.

Both elders were saddened and, unable to keep their composure, started crying.

The other villagers also teared up.

He had been such a good young man, orphaned as a child, and grew up with his sister. He was very kind-hearted and always helped out in the village.

At fourteen, after his sister married, he joined the army, saying he wanted to protect the country and the people.

At twenty, he returned to tell everyone he had become a junior general and brought a woman home. They had a wedding ceremony in the village, then left after half a month.

Later, he returned once more, this time as a senior general, with a daughter.

No one had expected that visit to be their final farewell.