Chapter 538: Going Their Separate Ways
Xiao Yan actually knew that this news was a huge blow to Lu Qiniang.
When the news first came, Lu Qiniang thought that no one was at home, so she stayed in the house looking at Xiaoman and Siya's picture album and wiping her tears.
——She could live well in Qiongzhou, but she missed her children.
In fact, Xiao Yan was standing at the door at that time.
The door curtain hangs low, separating the two worlds inside and outside.
Lu Qinniang's fingers trembled as she stroked Xiaoman's chubby cheeks in the painting again and again. She bit her lower lip tightly to prevent a single whimper from escaping.
No matter how good and stable life in Qiongzhou is, it cannot fill the huge void in my heart.
That was her own flesh and blood, the child she had carried for ten months and given birth to at the risk of her life.
When Xiaoman called her "mother" for the first time, she wasn't there; when Xiaoman fell ill and nearly died, she wasn't there; she could only greedily absorb every detail of Xiaoman's first steps and babbling from picture books...
There is also Si Ya. Although she is not her biological daughter, she came to her side when she was in the most difficult time, but she did not fulfill her motherly duties.
Daya said in the letter that she was sensible and well-behaved, but without her mother by her side, no matter how sensible a child is, it still makes people feel distressed...
Outside the house, Xiao Yan's tall figure stood like a stone statue, silently in the shadow cast by the door curtain.
Through a thin curtain, the extremely suppressed, silent grief inside, like fine needles, pierced into his heart.
He heard the gasps she tried hard to suppress and saw her slightly trembling shoulders through the gap in the door curtain.
He knew what she was looking at and what kind of longing the album carried.
Isn't his heart like it's being roasted in a frying pan?
We are all far apart at this moment, but my longing for you is as deep as the sea, unfathomable, and separates us by thousands of miles.
How he wanted to lift the curtain, walk in, hug Qi Niang tightly in his arms, and tell her: "Qi Niang, I miss them too, and it hurts my heart."
But he can't.
He knew her too well.
Her vulnerability at this moment was revealed only when no one was around, after she had removed all her disguises of strength.
She was afraid that he would see it, afraid that he would blame himself more and suffer more because of her pain.
She would rather bear it silently than add any more burden to him.
Her strength has always been to protect the people around her, including him.
But now, Xiao Yan wanted to tell her something even more cruel.
"What's wrong?" Lu Qiniang had no idea what was going on and urged him with a smile, "If you have something to say, just tell me. Why are you just standing there in a daze? Are you still keeping me in suspense?"
"You stay with me in Qiongzhou." Xiao Yan said with difficulty.
"Needless to say?" Lu Qiniang glared at him. "If you chase me away, I won't come back after I leave."
"No, I mean, the two of us stay in Qiongzhou."
"Nonsense. If we don't stay in Qiongzhou, where else can we go? I...Xiao Yan, what do you mean? The two of us? What about Erya and Sanya?"
Lu Qiniang belatedly realized the key point.
But she couldn't believe it.
So she stared at Xiao Yan without blinking.
Seeing the reluctance in Xiao Yan's eyes, she was almost immediately certain.
"Xiao Yan, do you want to send Erya and Sanya back to the capital?" She paused, "Actually, that's fine."
She doesn't seem to be very sensitive about where she is.
But the two daughters, in their prime years, still want to go to a prosperous and wealthy place.
With Daya in the capital, Lu Qiniang has nothing to worry about.
"Not sending it back to the capital."
"Then where to send it? Someone you know? Is he reliable?"
"I'll tell you slowly." Xiao Yan really felt it was difficult to speak, so he pulled Lu Qiniang to sit down.
"Erya wants to go to Guangzhou Prefecture."
This was her own suggestion.
Erya is going to Guangzhou to do business.
The situation in Qiongzhou has been basically straightened out under her leadership, and several trade routes have been opened up.
She said that Qiongzhou was too small, like a shallow bay, and could not produce big fish that could sail far.
She wanted to go to Guangzhou, the largest port in the South China Sea, where merchants gathered, information was well-informed, and goods were shipped north and south, even as far as foreign countries.
She wanted to take root there, sell Qiongzhou's goods further, and bring back good things and new news from outside.
"She said she'd heard that someone in Guangzhou was organizing a fleet to sail to Southeast Asia, to Annan, Champa, and even further afield to Sulu and Java. The spices, gems, and rare woods there were extremely profitable. She wanted to try her luck."
There was another reason that Xiao Yan did not mention.
That is, if the new emperor really refuses to give them a place to stay, then going to sea will be the retreat for their entire family.
This is also what Erya told him.
Xiao Yan has no experience in raising a son.
But over the years, he watched his daughters grow up little by little, and felt that the process of raising them was both worrying and proud.
Having several daughters is truly the greatest achievement for him and Lu Qinniang in the past few years.
"Going to Southeast Asia?"
Lu Qiniang was silent for a long time, and all kinds of dangers emerged in her mind.
The seas were turbulent, pirates were rampant, the language was incomprehensible, and the customs were very different...
She could hardly help but want to object.
But when she saw the struggle and confusion in Xiao Yan's eyes, she swallowed her words.
Xiao Yan must have already advised him.
But you know what’s going on with your own children.
If Erya makes up her mind, no one can pull her back.
What's more, although she has experienced some twists and turns over the years, she has always been able to prove that her choice was correct.
Erya's world is wider than she imagined, and her ambition is much greater than she understands.
After a long while, Lu Qiniang spoke with difficulty, "Then, let her try. How much money can we give her?"
Except for what she had to leave behind, she wanted to give all the silver to Erya.
A poor family may be rich on the road, and I hope my children won’t have trouble with money when they are alone outside.
Lu Qiniang took a deep breath, trying to calm her turbulent emotions, and then said, "What about Sanya? Let her go to Guangzhou Prefecture with Erya? That way the two sisters can have someone to look after each other. Sanya is good at martial arts and can protect her second sister."
This was the best arrangement she could think of at the moment. The two sisters were together, and there was always someone to rely on.
"No." Xiao Yan shook his head, "Saya is not going to Guangzhou Prefecture."
Lu Qiniang looked at him in shock.
"I won't go back to Beijing either."
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