Chapter 53 053 "If you don't want me to forget you, then come back soon..."
Xiao Yu had been saving up his strength in the prison cell for almost half a month, and he spent most of that afternoon on his wife.
Luo Fu's initial feelings for him, her dependence on him, and her clinging to him gradually turned into avoiding him, pushing him away, and finally, she was truly afraid of him.
"You want to kill me because I refuse to go with you?"
Xiao Yu naturally didn't have such wicked thoughts, but whenever he thought about having to part ways with his wife tomorrow morning, about the two of them being separated forever and not knowing when they would see each other again, about his wife who had agreed so readily in front of him now possibly pulling out the divorce papers at any moment after enduring the continuous loneliness of being confined to her chambers, and truly finding a new husband and forgetting him forever, and then looking at her disheveled hair, tearful eyes, and flushed cheeks, Xiao Yu felt a layer of fire burning all over his body, which he couldn't extinguish no matter what.
Xiao Yu was a self-assured gentleman, so he wouldn't ask his wife to tear up the divorce papers, and was still willing to give her the freedom to change her mind and leave at any time.
But Xiao Yu also had his own selfish motives. He couldn't bear to part with his wife, couldn't bear to leave her, and couldn't let her go. He wished he could tie her up with a rope and take her away.
After a long time, when Luo Fu could no longer cry, Xiao Yu finally pressed heavily on her, burying his face in her disheveled hair and panting.
The heat from the frenzy dissipated, and the cold of the first month of winter returned to the brocade tent. Even with the underfloor heating on, the exposed shoulders and necks couldn't bear it.
Xiao Yu lay down on one side, pulling the cotton-like lady into his arms with one hand and pulling up the quilt to cover her completely with the other.
Luo Fu was exhausted. After so many pleasurable experiences, her mind was a complete mess. All she wanted to do was fall asleep in his arms.
But it was already dusk outside, and the couple still had to go to Wanhetang for dinner.
"Go to sleep, I'll go by myself." Xiao Yu gently kissed the top of his wife's head. "Just say you cried your eyes out and are ashamed to see anyone."
It was too cold. The lady had only sweated a few times, and the cold wind made her susceptible to catching a cold. Although the reason for her crying all afternoon was quite different from what her parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law had guessed, her eyes were indeed swollen from crying, and she was not presentable to others.
Luo Fu wanted to pinch him, but her fingers couldn't muster any strength, so she just continued to hold him loosely.
Xiao Yu should get up and tidy up. He moved his wife's arm away and was about to get up when the arm wrapped around his waist again, preventing him from leaving.
Xiao Yu grasped that hand, squeezing it tightly, and whispered, "I will tell them that it was I who did not want to take you to my post..."
Before he could finish speaking, the lady cried again, pressing her face against his, her tears soaking his back.
Xiao Yu suddenly turned around and pressed her down to kiss her.
Luo Fu neither pushed nor dodged, but just kept crying. Xiao Yu kissed her until he stopped moving, and after the initial passion wore off, all that remained was the sorrow of parting.
"Go ahead, don't keep the elders waiting too long. We can talk when you get back," Luo Fu said hoarsely, wiping her eyes.
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In Wanhetang, Xiao Rong and Deng Shi sat in the main seats, while Xiao Hu and Xiao Lin's families sat on the east side, leaving the west side for the third brother and his wife.
"Father, I don't want Third Uncle to go to such a far place." The eight-year-old eldest son spoke sullenly, attracting everyone's attention, and the sorrow in the hall deepened instantly.
Just as Xiao Hu was about to say that the imperial decree had been issued and no one could do anything about it, Yang Yanzhen patted the eldest son's head, then looked at the third son and the second son and Ying'er sitting next to Li Huaiyun, and explained gently, "Your third uncle is a man of great talent and learning. Loujiang County is adjacent to the Dian Kingdom and is one of the key strategic locations around our Great Wall. There, your third uncle can better utilize his knowledge to serve the court. Your third uncle is determined to serve the country. You should all wish your third uncle a speedy success in achieving great things, and not cry and beg him to leave, right?"
Sanlang and Yingjie both nodded obediently.
Six-year-old Erlang looked up at his father, then at his burly uncle, and asked, "Then why don't Father and Uncle go to the strategic borderlands? Are they less talented than Third Uncle?"
Xiao Hu: "..."
Xiao Lin: "We already have enough military generals to lead troops to guard the border. Now we only lack civil officials such as county magistrates to manage the people's livelihood of a county. When a military general retires from the border, or when there is a war, it will be our opportunity to go to war and serve the court."
Xiao Rong: "That's right, civil officials and military officials are different. It takes a thousand days to train soldiers for one day to use them. Erlang, you should practice martial arts well and not disgrace the reputation of your maternal grandfather's family."
The eldest daughter-in-law came from a family of prime ministers and had long ago decided that her eldest and third sons should pursue literary studies. Xiao Rong couldn't interfere with his eldest daughter-in-law, so he could only act like a grandfather to his second son.
Erlang thought of his imposing great-grandfather, grandfather, and three great-uncles, and subconsciously straightened his little back.
At this moment, Xiao Yu arrived.
Seeing his family looking behind him, Xiao Yu explained to his parents, "Fu'er couldn't bear to part with me. She cried all afternoon and her eyes are swollen, so she's ashamed to show herself. She told us not to wait for her and to start the meal right away."
Xiao Hu and Xiao Lin exchanged a knowing glance, neither of them quite believing what he was saying.
Madam Deng glared at her, then ordered the maid to go to the kitchen to serve the meal.
Xiao Yu sat alone with no one around him, so Ying'er sat down next to her third uncle. When the eldest, second, and third sons saw this, they were all eager to squeeze over.
Xiao Yu: "...Whoever dropped a grain of rice or spilled soup on my side will be punished by copying a book."
The three boys then gave up.
After the meal, the table was cleared, and the children lingered around their third uncle for a while before Yang Yanzhen and Li Huaiyun prepared to take the children away first, leaving time for their youngest uncle to say goodbye to his parents and brothers.
Xiao Yu stood up and said, "Please wait a moment, elder sister-in-law and second sister-in-law. I have a favor to ask."
Yang Yanzhen and Li Huaiyun were somewhat confused. They asked the wet nurse to take the children away, and they returned to their husbands' sides to sit down.
After the children and maids had all left, Xiao Yu stepped forward and knelt before his parents.
Deng burst into tears instantly, while Xiao Rong turned his face to the other side.
Xiao Yu kowtowed three times, confessing his filial impiety as a son, and then mentioned his appointment: "Loujiang County is three thousand miles away from the capital. The latter half of the journey from Jingzhou into Yizhou is full of treacherous mountains and rivers, with rugged roads that are difficult for carriages and horses to pass through. We often have to walk over mountains and valleys. In sparsely populated areas, it is even more difficult to eliminate bandits. If something unexpected happens, I, Qingchuan, and Chaosheng can barely protect ourselves, but we may not be able to take care of Fu'er and the maid. Therefore, I have decided to leave Fu'er in the capital. Without this worry, I can concentrate on my official duties after taking office and strive to make achievements so that I can be transferred back to the capital as soon as possible."
At first, Deng was surprised, but when she thought about what her son had said about crossing mountains and valleys, she, a peasant woman who had worked in the fields since childhood, might not be able to handle it. Her younger daughter-in-law had been pampered by her parents since childhood, so how could she endure that kind of hardship? If she really went, not only would she suffer, but her son would also have to take care of her, not to mention the danger of being kidnapped by bandits. It was indeed better to stay in the capital.
Xiao Rong's first thought was displeasure. A man marries a wife so that someone can take care of him, provide for him, and show him warmth and comfort. His third son had already suffered enough by being demoted to that poor place. Having a beautiful wife by his side was some comfort. If his youngest daughter-in-law didn't go, would his third son have to suffer from loneliness every night?
Just as Xiao Rong was about to speak, he caught a glimpse of his eldest and second daughters-in-law, both from prominent families, nodding silently with reddened eyes. He paused, then heard his wife crying beside him, "That's how it should be. Fu'er has only been married into our family for less than a year and a half, and you've already frightened her twice. With her delicate body, she might perish on the way if she goes with you. If something really happens, how will your father and I explain to our in-laws?"
The image of Luo Dayuan limping towards him with sincere devotion flashed through Xiao Rong's mind. He closed his mouth tightly and nodded.
Xiao Yu: "After my son leaves, I entrust Fu'er to you two elders, my eldest brother and sister-in-law, and my second brother and sister-in-law to take good care of her."
As he spoke, Xiao Yu looked earnestly at his brothers and sisters-in-law sitting to the side.
Yang Yanzhen and Li Huaiyun would naturally agree. Xiao Hu, who had been scolded by his third brother when he went to pick him up that morning, nodded with shame. No matter what Xiao Lin thought in his heart, he would not refuse his third brother who was about to leave.
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Xiao Yu stayed at Wanhe Hall until the second watch of the night before his two older brothers escorted him back to Shensi Hall.
During the past hour or so, Madam Deng slipped her youngest son a thousand taels of silver notes, telling him to spend it as needed and to take care of things as he should, so as not to suffer.
Xiao Rong gave his youngest son a treasured sword that he cherished greatly: "You know some martial arts and have some strength. If something really happens, don't hesitate to kill someone. Otherwise, if you're not ruthless, you'll only be ruthlessly killed by others, dying a violent death in a foreign land, your body left to rot in the wilderness..."
"Shut up!" Mrs. Deng almost grabbed a teacup and smashed it over her husband's head.
Xiao Hu had neither money nor weapons, and gave his third brother a pair of red-rimmed eyes: "Big brother is useless, I can't help you with anything." He still owed his third brother nineteen taels!
While his elder brother ran out and cried behind someone's back, Xiao Lin quickly instructed his third brother: "I used to have a colleague who had the same temper as you. After offending someone, he was expelled from the Imperial Guard and became impoverished, making a living by carrying goods and doing manual labor. He is highly skilled in martial arts. Knowing that you are going to Yizhou to take up your post, he is willing to accompany you. We have agreed that he will wait for you at the pavilion ten miles south of the city tomorrow morning. I have already paid him three years' salary. You can use him as a bodyguard; there is no need to be polite."
"Three years' worth of commission? How much is it in total? Where did you get so much money?" Xiao Hu suddenly asked from outside.
Xiao Lin and Xiao Yu: "..."
In short, Xiao Yu, now back by his wife's side, had a sword at his waist, a stack of silver notes in his pocket, and a guard waiting outside the city.
Luo Fu: "...You're lucky. Even after causing such a huge mess, your parents and brothers are still willing to acknowledge you."
Xiao Yu unfastened his sword and placed it on the table, sat down next to his wife, took out a silver note and handed it to her: "Keep it, I have a salary, it's enough for me."
Luo Fu took the silver note, opened a bundle on the table, took out a pair of Xiao Yu's underpants, and then took out the sewing basket she had just used. Inside was a piece of white cloth that could be used after a little trimming.
Xiao Yu quickly realized that the lady was going to sew the thousand-tael silver note onto his underpants.
"I really don't need it," Xiao Yu tried to refuse.
Luo Fu just kept looking at the needle and thread in her hand: "Take it back if you don't need it, but don't be stingy if you do need it. I don't want you to come back to the capital all skin and bones. Besides what Mother gave me, I've also sewed the five hundred taels of silver you initially gave me into another pair of underpants for you. Gold and silver are heavy and conspicuous, so I won't give you any more."
Xiao Yu was speechless. He sat down on the ground and stared intently at his wife sewing clothes for him under the lamplight.
When Luo Fu got up to wash, she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were swollen and she didn't look good at all. So she didn't want Xiao Yu staring at her like that: "Get up, just looking at you annoys me."
Xiao Yu: "Madam didn't even look at me."
Luo Fu glared at him.
Xiao Yu smiled, then suddenly got up and ran out. When he came back, he had brought back drawing paper and ink. Luo Fu continued sewing the silver notes, while he sat to the side drawing his wife. Time was limited, so he could only strive for a likeness.
Luo Fu glanced at it and, seeing that she didn't have swollen eyes in the painting, was satisfied. She then teased him deliberately, "What, are you afraid that you'll forget what I look like if you don't see me for too long?"
Xiao Yu: "Yes, after all, we've only been husband and wife for a year and three months. But I will miss you day and night, and I'm even more afraid that you'll forget me."
Luo Fu remained silent.
During what felt like the umpteenth time they were entangled together that night, Luo Fu finally bit his shoulder: "If you don't want me to forget you, then come back soon."
Xiao Yu was in great pain, so much so that he held the woman in his arms tightly, wishing he could become one person.
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Officials who have been demoted by the imperial court must set off as soon as possible without delay.
The next day, just as dawn broke, Xiao Yu, along with Qingchuan and Chaosheng, stood outside the gate of the Marquis's residence, facing all his relatives who had come to see him off.
Mrs. Deng held her son tightly, reluctant to let go, while Luo Fu stood beside her sister-in-law, stubbornly refusing to step forward.
"Alright, Mother, it's time for your son to set off."
Xiao Yu winked at his two elder brothers. After his mother was pulled away, Xiao Yu took one last look at his wife's tearful eyes and tightly pursed lips. He quickly turned around, mounted his horse, and galloped away into the distance without looking back.
Luo Fu lowered her eyes, tears dripping onto her clothes.
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Author's Note: [Poor thing][Poor thing][Poor thing]
100 little red envelopes, see you at midnight!
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