Chapter 11
Cui Wuyang sent his trusted confidants to Cangxi to handle the funeral arrangements, but they could not find Miss Biao's body. After some investigation, they concluded that she was still alive.
It took several more months to find Luo Yan's whereabouts in Hanmei Town.
The trusted confidant had secretly observed Liu Langzhong and Jia Yufang to confirm that they were not bad people before revealing his identity.
But no one expected that Miss Biao had not ended up here, but rather that she had no intention of coming to the capital in the first place.
What can we do?
First, paint a portrait of Miss Biao playing in the town and send it back to the capital;
He then slipped another silver note to Jia Yufang, asking her to pass on a message and see if he could meet with his cousin.
Luo Yan hesitated for a moment: "Let's skip meeting."
For her, everything and everyone related to the male protagonist is a death sentence.
Jia Yufang felt the same way, but since she had suddenly received such a windfall, even if she didn't go to the capital, she felt she should go to the county or prefecture to buy a house and hire a tutor to continue teaching her music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and needlework.
Otherwise, the talent of Miss Luo from Cangxi would be wasted.
"A renowned talent? Me?"
Luo Yan blinked innocently. "You know how I do needlework. I can play the zither, but I'm not good at calligraphy, painting, or chess. Maybe this reputation is just people flattering me because of my parents."
The servants had no idea what skills their young mistress was good at. But when it came to needlework, it certainly gave Jia Yufang a headache.
"Grandmother, don't worry." Luo Yan patiently advised, "I have been weak since childhood, and it's hard to say how long I will live. Besides, I have my esteemed cousin to rely on in everything. If I can't make ends meet in the future, I can just go to the capital to seek refuge with him."
Although the words were crude, Jia Yufang thought about it and realized it really made sense.
His only concern was that the young lady would lose her reputation for talent and delay her marriage. However, the kinship with the Crown Prince could not be severed, so after much deliberation, he decided it was better to focus on recuperating.
Besides, there's a promising young talent in the family.
Zhu Yun, who was inexplicably given a loving look, was speechless.
Luo Yan asked in surprise, "Grandmother, why are you looking at him like that?"
"It's nothing," Jia Yufang said with a smile. "We'll talk about it when Yan'er and Yun'er grow up."
The trip to the capital was thus put on hold, but Luo Yan's mood was still affected, and she was listless all night.
Zhu Yun poked her cheek with his finger and said abruptly, "I'll go down the mountain tomorrow."
"I want to go too."
"No." He needs to get a more suitable sword this time, and go to Henghe Town to get a few more secret manuals. It will take a long time to get there, as it involves many places. If he takes Luo Yan with him, it will probably be a long time before they arrive.
However, before he could explain why, Luo Yan pouted and stormed back to her room.
Zhu Yun picked up his bewildered third sister and threw her out the window, planning to get the little thing out of Qingyuan Village the next day.
But then I thought, someone would definitely cry, so I had to give up the idea.
*
Luo Yan slept soundly and woke up having completely forgotten her troubles.
After breakfast, she took the meat strips her grandmother had cut and went to the shed to seduce the big cat.
The adult cat was grooming the kitten. When it saw Luo Yan approaching, it raised its eyes warily, but driven by its instincts, it followed the scent of meat and moved closer to her.
"for you."
She threw the meat into the food bowl, and the big cat nimbly snatched it up and ran off, forgetting even about the kittens.
Luo Yan brought her third sister back to the courtyard to bask in the sun.
Speaking of which, I have quite a few things to do today. I need to practice calligraphy, grade homework, adjust lesson plans, and also read the geographical records of the Great Li Kingdom.
Before she knew it, it was noon. After a quick bowl of noodles, Luo Yan took the kitten and went out to meet her few remaining students.
First, we went to Changsheng's house.
Changyi has been learning double-sided embroidery lately. When she saw Luoyan, she called out "Sister" weakly.
Liu Changsheng, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. He went out patting his little belly, holding a martial arts novel in his hand with unfamiliar characters circled on it, asking her for help as he walked.
The two arrived at Gu Yu's house.
Gu Yu's mother was gutting a wild boar, her knife swift and decisive, like a female knight-errant.
Luo Yan took the initiative to greet her: "Aunt Meixiang."
Zhou Meixiang's imposing manner vanished instantly, and she looked awkwardly at the fair-skinned little girl outside the courtyard: "Are you here to see Guyu?"
Hearing the voices, Gu Yu peeked out from behind the window and waved enthusiastically: "You've come."
He shared a room with his elder brother Gu Feng and younger brother Gu Yang. The room was furnished with a desk and bookshelves, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of someone who had studied diligently for years.
Gu Yu tiptoed and took the letter from the wooden box on top of the shelf: "My brother replied to me."
In the past, Gu Yu was illiterate, and the academy was far from Hanmei Town, so he could only ask fellow villagers to send messages. Now that Gu Yu can read and write, Luo Yan encouraged him to send his first letter. As his older brother, Luo Yan was equally delighted and replied with a full four pages.
“If my brother passes the imperial examination this autumn, we will move to town.”
Luo Yan praised her after hearing this: "You've always wanted to be an accountant. Once your parents move to town and take over the shop, your dream will come true."
Gu Yu blushed and her eyes sparkled.
Liu Changsheng remained silent, but upon closer inspection, his eyes were red.
He and Guyu looked at each other, vaguely tasting the bittersweet feeling, unaware that this feeling was called "parting".
Luo Yan, having experienced it herself, wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and comforted her, "It's just going to town, it's not far. When Guyu is prosperous, please invite us all to visit."
Grain Rain nodded emphatically.
Liu Changsheng realized what was going on and burst into laughter through his tears: "That's just nonsense."
The three people and the cat then went to Qinglian's house together.
The thin old man sat in the courtyard. Gu Yu went up to ask him what was going on and said that the Qingcao sisters had gone to the fields with Aunt Cui.
Luo Yan said sullenly, "She said yesterday that she wanted to come and study."
Upon hearing this, Liu Changsheng looked up from his storybook, his eyes filled with hope, and asked, "Then do I still need to study today?"
"Use it," Luo Yan whispered devilishly, "Even if the sky falls, you have to learn it."
*
As for Zhu Yun, he woke up at 1:15 AM.
He swaggered into Luo Yan's room and, seeing the girl sleeping soundly, couldn't help but want to tease her.
He rummaged through the weapons he planned to pawn, including a dagger, a hidden arrow, and a nine-section whip, and gently piled them on Luo Yan's stomach, but she didn't react at all.
Zhu Yun chuckled to himself for a moment, packed the things into his bundle, turned around and pinched her cheek, then used his lightness skill to leisurely descend the mountain.
Along the way, he saw several farmhouses raising horses. He picked the most beautiful one, cut the reins, and drove off.
Upon arriving in Henghe Town,
He leaped up and ripped off a few tiles, then reached down two boxes from the roof beam, examining them in the dim light. In the end, he kept the Shangguan family's "Heart Sutra of Sacrifice" and the Qin family's "Qingshan Pharmacopoeia," throwing the rest of the books and boxes into the fire.
The martial arts manuals that had been fought over so fiercely in the martial arts world were gradually reduced to ashes. Zhu Yun dusted off his sleeves and hurried to the next place.
...
Longxian County, Baiyun Temple.
Zhu Yun sneaked into the pawnshop in the dark and threw the bundle over the head of the dozing old novice monk: "Pawn it all."
The old novice monk was startled awake and instinctively looked at the gatekeeper, only to find him lying haphazardly on the ground. Unable to call for help, he could only whisper, "Great hero, spare my life!"
Having made his money, Zhu Yun wasn't worried about the person running away anymore, and casually sat back down in the shadows.
Anything that can be settled with money is a minor matter. The old novice was overjoyed. He turned the calligraphy and painting to reveal a hidden cabinet where gold and silver were stored. As he unlocked it, he asked, "Do you think this is enough?"
Zhu Yun didn't reply. He casually grabbed a few gold ingots, knocked the old novice monk unconscious, and slipped out through the back door of the temple.
Around the end of the day, the person had returned to Hanmei Town.
He changed horses twice along the way, and the fine horse he was currently riding in Long County was far more valuable than those owned by farmers. He had originally wanted to bring it along, but he was afraid that Luo Yan would see it and insist on learning how to ride it. The weather had been getting increasingly hot lately, and sweating would be bad for her health.
After careful consideration, they decided to leave the horse at the farmer's house as an apology.
Upon entering Qingyuan Village, he first went to the eastern mountain to try and combine his swordsmanship with the newly acquired mental cultivation technique. Before he knew it, he had practiced until dusk, and only then did he reluctantly head back.
It was getting late, and all the doors of the houses were tightly shut. Lights were lit inside, and shadows floated on the paper windows, like a puppet show.
The Jia family, however, hung two lanterns outside their courtyard, resembling the Big Dipper, to guide those returning home at night.
He suddenly realized that among all the lights in the homes, there was one that belonged to him.
Their pace slowed involuntarily, then quickened.
Zhu Yun pushed open the half-closed wooden door and first saw Liu Changsheng, whose mouth was greasy. The latter grinned and said to Luo Yan, "Your brother is back."
Luo Yan was focused on weaving a flower wreath when she almost blurted out, "What the hell?" But when she realized that her brother was referring to Zhu Yun, she jumped up and said, "Why did you take so long?"
She complained, but her eyes were full of joy.
Zhu Yun smiled and said, "Come with me."
The two siblings brazenly returned to their room, leaving Liu Changsheng completely ignored: "..."
Zhu Yun unfolded the bundle, which contained exchanged copper coins and loose silver, a few silver notes, two books, and a packet of peach blossom pastries.
Luo Yan picked up a piece and tasted it. It was sweet but not cloying, and she immediately thought of sharing it with her friend.
“Don’t share it with anyone else,” he warned. “I waited for half an hour myself to get it.”
"All right."
Fearing her third sister might steal some, she wrapped it up again and placed it on the top shelf of the display case.
When he turned around, he saw Zhu Yun turn around and push Liu Changsheng, who had come to join in the fun, out of the room, and said fiercely, "You're not allowed in my room."
No, no!
How come I never noticed how strong his sense of territory was before?
Liu Changsheng's gaze was drawn to the whip wrapped around his waist, and he shamelessly inquired about it. Luo Yan was equally curious, but she didn't hesitate and directly reached out to touch it: "It's smooth."
Zhu Yun: "......"
He was more concerned about why there were uninvited guests in his home, and asked in an unfriendly tone, "What is Liu Changsheng doing here?"
Luo Yan was still pulling on the whip, trying to figure out the material, and said without looking up, "The firewood today was chopped by Changsheng."
"No problem, no problem," Liu Changsheng asked, rubbing his hands together. "Can I touch it too?"
Zhu Yun sneered: "Go ahead and try."
When Jia Yufang brought out the food, she saw the three children chasing each other, clearly having made up. She teased, "Aren't you angry with Yun-ge anymore?"
Luo Yan: "......"
I'd really forgotten.
Liu Changsheng was equally carefree. He packed the rice tightly, added the fattest piece of chicken leg meat, and said, "Otherwise, I'll come back tomorrow to help you chop firewood."
Zhu Yun, unable to bear it any longer, said, "Even eating can't shut you up."
Just as Luo Yan was about to mediate the fight, she saw Changsheng's mother coming to greet them with a lantern. Jia Yufang got up to welcome her, and the two stood outside talking.
I could faintly hear the words "carpenter" and "poor thing".
Luo Yan thought for a moment, then realized that the carpenter was Qingcao's father. Could it be that something had happened to Qingcao?
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