Chapter 90: Can’t Wait

Once everything was arranged properly, Wen Ruyu turned to her third daughter-in-law and said, “We’re leaving in a couple of days. You should pack up today and go stay with your parents for a couple of days. When it’s almost time to leave, I’ll send someone to call you back.”

Lin Xiaoyin was stunned upon hearing this. “Mother-in-law,” she said, confused.

Her mother-in-law wanted her to return to her family for a few days? But what about the things at home?

Wen Ruyu smiled gently. “You’ve worked hard recently. Now that Shu’er has finished her confinement, she can handle things at home. Besides, I’m not so old that my mind is muddled. I’ve handled the things you were in charge of, so don’t worry.”

“But…” Lin Xiaoyin hesitated, still unsure.

The family was busy at the moment. How could she just leave?

“Don’t hesitate. We’re about to head to the capital, and we won’t be back for a year or more. Who knows when you’ll have another chance to meet your family? Now is the time to go and spend a few days with your mother, say your goodbyes, and be filial while you’re still with them.”

Wen Ruyu then pretended to be upset. “There’s nothing more to say. If you don’t go, I’ll be angry. Go now.”

Seeing her mother-in-law’s faux anger, Lin Xiaoyin wasn’t scared at all. Instead, her eyes turned red, and she nodded before going down to pack.

She felt so grateful to have such a considerate mother-in-law.

Back in her room, Lin Xiaoyin packed two sets of clothes and, along with two of her maidservants, headed back to the Lin family.

Her mother, Mrs. Cao, was naturally happy to see her return and quickly had the room she used before prepared so the two could sleep together for the night.

Meanwhile, at the Lu family, after seeing off the third daughter-in-law, Wen Ruyu asked the servants about Lu Jinnian’s whereabouts.

Qingxue, who was by her side, replied, “He’s out playing. Whenever the master has a break from class, everyone goes a little wild.”

Wen Ruyu said, “Tell the servants to keep an eye on him. The world is in turmoil now, so he should take more people with him when going out.”

Normally, the household was busy, and as her son, Lu Jinnian should have been helping more. But Wen Ruyu was willing to give him time to deal with his personal matters.

With everyone leaving, things with Jiang Chao had to come to a conclusion, whether it was parting or staying together.

Sighing, Qingxue nodded.

After receiving Wen Ruyu’s instructions, Qingxue left to find Lu Jinnian.

Upon arriving at his courtyard, she saw that he wasn’t inside. She called for Liuli to come out and said, “When the fourth master returns, tell him that the household is busy these days. Don’t let him go too wild. The old lady has only been happy for a few days, and we don’t want to upset her.”

Liuli nodded, “Understood, elder sister.”

Inside Lu Jinnian’s room, the maidservant of the house, Daitao, saw Qingxue and came over. “Qingxue, come in, have some tea.”

Qingxue waved her hand. “No need. The old lady has things to do. Don’t trouble her.”

With that, Qingxue left.

After sending Qingxue off, Liuli went back into the house and said to Daitao, “The old lady doesn’t care anymore, so he’s free to be out there fooling around. Now, we’re the ones trying to talk sense into him. How can we stop him?”

Meanwhile, early in the morning, Lu Jinnian had already left for Liu Family Village, heading to the back mountain to meet Jiang Chao. This had taken him several days to arrange through others.

For the past month, every time the master had a break, Lu Jinnian would make the effort to come to see Jiang Chao.

Jiang Chao didn’t want his uncle to discover their secret, so they would meet secretly in the back mountain.

Lu Jinnian’s grandmother had allowed him to go, but what he didn’t know was that Wen Ruyu had already met with Jiang Chao before.

In the back mountain, Lu Jinnian held Jiang Chao and said, “In a couple of days, we’re leaving. Since grandmother has agreed to no longer interfere with me, I want you to come with us to the capital. We can live in a county near the capital, rent a house, and I’ll open a cloth shop. We can live our lives together from now on.”

Jiang Chao pulled away from his embrace and asked, “You won’t study anymore?”

Lu Jinnian nodded and looked at Jiang Chao affectionately. “No, I won’t. My brother is studying, and another brother has joined the military. I don’t need to study anymore.”

Jiang Chao frowned. “You’re talented at studying. If you give it up because of personal feelings, wouldn’t that mean I’m the one hindering you?”

Lu Jinnian smiled. “Don’t say that. Even without you, I wouldn’t like studying.”

“You know, when I went to the temple to find you, and saw all the dead bodies on the ground, do you know how I felt?”

Jiang Chao didn’t answer, only watching him.

Lu Jinnian sighed and shook his head, pushing away the bloody images from his mind. “I just thought, if we are fortunate enough to stay alive, I’d rather give up everything and live with you in the mountains. The world is in chaos, and I’m really afraid. I want to live in this beautiful time as long as I can.”

He then held Jiang Chao’s hand again. “In any case, come with me. Your family doesn’t need you anymore, your uncle doesn’t need you to support him. You’re free now, why stay here and suffer?”

Jiang Chao looked at Lu Jinnian holding his hand, and after a long pause, nodded. “Okay, I’ll go with you.”

Lu Jinnian smiled in relief upon hearing this.

But Jiang Chao added, “However, you’ll have to give me some time. I need to go back today to pack, and tomorrow at this time, you can come pick me up, okay?”

Lu Jinnian, seeing that Jiang Chao was willing to go with him, didn’t hesitate to agree.

They spent some more time together, enjoying each other’s company until late afternoon, when Lu Jinnian finally returned home.

Jiang Chao watched Lu Jinnian leave, then calmly bade him farewell.

Back at his uncle’s house, the lights were already on, and Jiang Chao packed up, taking two new outfits and a thick coat.

His aunt came in and said, “Everything is ready for you. Your uncle went to pick out a horse for you earlier. How’s your riding going?”

Jiang Chao replied indifferently, “I can ride steadily now.”

After dinner, the family settled down to sleep.

The next morning, as dawn broke, Jiang Chao finished dressing and washing up. He smeared some mud on his face, putting on a conical hat. His face no longer looked striking.

After having breakfast prepared by his aunt, he grabbed his bag and was ready to leave.

His uncle and aunt walked him to the village gate and watched as he left.

His aunt wiped her tears, reluctant to let go of the lonely child.

“Why are you going to join the army?” she asked.

Liu Da sighed. “It’s better than staying here, tangled up with the Lu family. It’s good that he’s leaving. It’ll put an end to this unfortunate situation.”

His aunt furrowed her brows, still worried. “He’s been in the temple since he was young, and he can’t even kill a fish at home. How will he fight on the battlefield? Can he even wield a sword?”

Liu Da thought back to the day of the fire at Longxing Temple when his nephew was covered in blood and couldn’t speak.

Meanwhile, Lu Jinnian, after parting from Jiang Chao, returned home with a joyful heart, eager to live his life without shame alongside Jiang Chao.

But after dinner that night, his right eye started twitching uncontrollably, and he felt uneasy.

He also thought back to how Jiang Chao hadn’t seemed particularly happy when they parted, though he was too overjoyed at the time to be sure of his memory.

Unfortunately, the city gates were already closed, and he couldn’t leave the city. He could only wait out the time, unable to sleep as he tossed and turned in bed.

The next day, Lu Jinnian woke up early, took his servant, and left the city again.

He went to Liu Family Village, but he didn’t dare to approach Jiang Chao. Since they were secretly running away, he couldn’t take him in front of his uncle.

So he waited from morning until afternoon without eating lunch.

But as the hours passed, Jiang Chao didn’t show up.

After inquiring, Lu Jinnian learned that Jiang Chao had left early in the morning to join the army.

At that moment, Lu Jinnian’s heart broke, and he returned home in despair, falling ill once again.

When Wen Ruyu heard the news, she wasn’t surprised. After all, Jiang Chao had already told her he was an independent child, and she knew he wouldn’t be swayed by her foolish son’s words.

When she saw Lu Jinnian so cheerful a few days ago, she had already sensed something wasn’t right.

Now, hearing that Lu Jinnian had fallen ill, she felt that this was only natural.

Jiang Chao must have already planned things out, and the past few days were just to leave behind a beautiful memory to soothe Lu Jinnian.

As for her son’s heartbreak, Wen Ruyu didn’t feel much.

She had already accepted that Lu Jinnian was gay, and as a parent, she had been understanding enough.

When it came to her son’s emotions, she didn’t interfere.

Heartbreak wouldn’t kill him. A couple of sick days wouldn’t hurt.

As long as it didn’t involve life and death, it wasn’t a big problem.

Lu Jinnian, deeply in love, fell ill from his heartbreak.

Lin Xiaoyin, at her parents’ house, knew nothing of this.

She had spent the night at her mother’s house, and in the morning, she and Mrs. Cao had washed up, had breakfast, and chatted, mostly about the Lu family.

At the table, Mrs. Cao kept piling food onto Lin Xiaoyin’s plate. “The other day, they were practicing military drills in the county. Your father said that your mother-in-law should hire a coach. But she didn’t agree. Now that you’re leaving, I’m really worried. What if something happens on the road?”

Lin Xiaoyin, listening to her mother talk about her in-laws, didn’t complain but instead replied, “My sister has some skills. She’s been teaching the Lu family’s servants how to fight. The coach in the county can teach some basic moves, but the really skilled ones wouldn’t come to our family. The regular ones are no better than my sister’s teachings.”

Mrs. Cao was puzzled. “But she’s just a girl. How could she have any skills?”

Lin Xiaoyin smiled. “Not only does she have skills, but she’s really good. I’ve seen it. She was taught by two reclusive female masters, and they’re really capable.”