After Lin Zhi and Jiang Chuting finished packing, they prepared to leave the inn.
As Lin Zhi walked out of his room, he passed by the room diagonally opposite and saw that the waiter was tidying up inside, which meant that the people inside had probably already checked out.
Lin Zhi looked inside, and his eyebrows suddenly twitched.
Jiang Chuting noticed that he had stopped walking, and turned to look at him. "Lin Zhi?"
Lin Zhi looked away, smiled at him, and took his hand to go downstairs together.
The man did say he had only paid for three days' stay, so checking out was normal, but a strange, inexplicable feeling welled up inside him.
What exactly was strange about it? His mind was shrouded in mystery, and he couldn't figure it out no matter what. So he simply stopped thinking about it; it wasn't important anyway.
The Lin family.
The weather was unusually nice that day, with plenty of sunshine. Lin Xi personally sorted out all the books Yun Zique used to love reading in her room, preparing to move them outside to air them out and prevent them from getting moldy.
She cherished everything Yun Zique left behind; these were all she had left to remember her by.
Lin Xi's personal maid, Chun Tao, knew that she liked to reminisce about the past while looking at old things, so she started the conversation by saying, "Master, the young master really likes to read these strange tales and legends. These books must be very interesting."
“Yes.” Lin Xi picked up a book, flipped through a few pages, and smiled. “He has loved reading these kinds of books since he was little, especially after he got married… I like to stare at him whenever he is engrossed in reading.”
Although Lin Xi was smiling, a hint of sadness crept into her eyes. She knew that he was almost always engrossed in a book, simply to avoid talking to her.
Chuntao noticed his expression and said in a low voice, "Everything was fine before. If that man hadn't interfered, the young master wouldn't have ended up like this..."
Lin Xi stopped laughing, wiped the pages of the book that weren't dusty with a handkerchief, and her expression turned calmer. "Alright, stop talking."
Chuntao immediately fell silent.
After Lin Xi finished tidying up, she didn't ask for help and spread out all the books in the courtyard to air them out. Before she finished, a subordinate came in to deliver a letter.
Lin Xi thought it was a letter from Lin Zhi. Lin Zhi wanted to go out and play by himself back then, but he was getting older, and Lin Xi couldn't keep him from doing so all the time, so she let him go and really didn't interfere or send anyone to watch over him, because she knew that doing so would make Lin Zhi angry.
Fortunately, during the time Lin Zhi was away, he would send letters back every now and then to let her know he was safe.
So when Lin Xi saw the letter arrive, she subconsciously assumed it was from her son, and a gentle smile appeared on her beautiful face.
When the subordinate presented the letter, he said, "Master, this was sent by Master Qiao of Changliu Manor. He emphasized that the matter in the letter is of great importance and must be delivered to you so that you can see it for yourself."
Lin Xi frowned upon hearing this. "Him? Why would he send me a letter?"
She did have some connection with Changliu Manor to fulfill her mother's last wish, but although the Lin family was the main force, she entrusted those matters to the people her mother had left behind. Unless it was something particularly urgent, they wouldn't reach her to bother her. Could it be that something went wrong on their end?
Lin Xi tore open the envelope, pulled out the letter, and unfolded it, wanting to see what it was all about.
But it was nothing like what she had imagined. After scanning only two lines, her eyes widened suddenly, her pupils seeming to have experienced a cataclysmic event, and her hand holding the letter began to tremble uncontrollably. She couldn't believe what she was seeing!
Seeing that she looked as if she had been struck by lightning, Chun Tao was surprised. "Master, what did the letter say? How could you..."
After reading the letter, Lin Xi's face turned pale, and she staggered back a step. Chun Tao quickly helped her to regain her balance.
"No, how could this be? How could this be? I don't believe it." Lin Xi was panicked and shocked. She shook her head vigorously, picked up the letter again, and read it over to make sure that she wasn't seeing things or had misunderstood.
In his letter, Qiao Xun said that Lin Zhi had gone to Changliu Village by chance some time ago, and he found that Lin Zhi was with a man.
Moreover, through observation, it was discovered that the man was very likely Jiang Chuting in disguise. Lin Zhi seemed to like him very much and was even preparing to take him back to the Lin family.
He was deeply troubled by this matter. After much thought, he decided to tell her so that she could resolve it as soon as possible, lest Lin Zhi be bewitched and abandon her like his father had been years ago.
Lin Xi gritted her teeth, her breath trembling rapidly: "It's him, it's him again! Why? Why? Why is this happening?" Anger and fear mingled within her. The name "Jiang Chuting" was like a curse to her; he was the one who had caused her half a lifetime of misery, and now, unrepentant, he was going to target Lin Zhi again? What right did he have? Gradually, resentment and venom filled her eyes. "Not only did he steal Zi Que back then, but now he's trying to steal my son. I promised Zi Que I wouldn't cause him any trouble, but what about him? Hasn't he hurt me enough? I can't let him succeed, I absolutely can't!"
What exactly is going on with Lin Zhi? Didn't he hate that person since childhood? He even stubbornly threatened to cause trouble for him when they were kids, so why is he with that person?!
Yes, disguise! The letter said Jiang Chuting disguised himself; he must have approached Lin Zhi deliberately with some purpose, and Lin Zhi was deceived. Lin Zhi doesn't like men; she's just like her father, bewitched by that man!
Lin Xi's eyes were bloodshot, and her breathing became heavier and heavier. Chun Tao helped her into the room. She had just slumped into a chair when she suddenly stood up, a dark undercurrent in her eyes.
"Go, have someone prepare the carriage; I'm going out."
The letter said Lin Zhi was coming back soon, but she couldn't wait any longer; she wanted to go and confirm it in person.
If everything is true, then she would rather die than let Lin Zhi be with a man, let alone let Lin Zhi be with that man!
Calculating the distance, there are only about three days left to Anyang. Jiang Chuting's internal energy is less than 30% left, but fortunately, he didn't continue. With this amount of internal energy, as long as he doesn't encounter a master, it will be enough to handle ordinary battles.
After his trip to the Lin family, he needs to return to the Nine Heavens as soon as possible.
That night, the two stayed at an inn. Jiang Chuting practiced his internal energy and regulated his breathing on the bed. After a short while, Lin Zhi brought in the food and invited him to eat together.
Jiang Chuting got up and sat at the table as instructed. Lin Zhi ordered his favorite light dishes, but he really didn't have much of an appetite, and when he tasted the food, he felt a little uncomfortable.
Jiang Chuting forced herself to eat two bites before silently putting down her chopsticks.
Seeing this, Lin Zhi couldn't help but sigh, "You haven't eaten much all day, and you're not hungry? Is your body made of iron?" Lin Zhi picked half of the rice out of his bowl and gave him the rest, "If you can't finish a whole bowl, you should at least eat half a bowl."
Jiang Chuting said helplessly, "I really don't want to eat." Not only did she not want to eat, she also felt tired and nauseous.
Lin Zhi sternly said, "Eat quickly, or you're not allowed to sleep tonight."
Jiang Chuting couldn't help but chuckle. She wanted to eat some more to reassure him, but her stomach churned again. After suppressing it, she pushed the rice bowl away a little and said to him, "I know you're worried about me, but I really have no appetite."
Lin Zhi immediately deflated, grabbing his hand and saying, "I don't mean to force you, it's just that you've lost weight lately, and we can't find out why, which worries me a lot. Sigh, fine, if you don't want to eat, then don't, so you won't feel uncomfortable after eating."
He wasn't eating, and Lin Zhi wasn't in the mood to eat either, so she just ate a couple of bites hastily.
After taking a shower, Jiang Chuting lay down on the bed, his eyes half-closed, trying to suppress the nausea. He had practiced martial arts since childhood and was generally healthy, rarely getting sick. Now, however, his internal energy had diminished, and his body was becoming weak. He only hoped to recover quickly; it wasn't that he couldn't bear the physical discomfort, but he didn't want Lin Zhi to worry about him.
After Lin Zhi finished tidying up, she also went to bed, and the two lay side by side.
Jiang Chuting reached out and tucked the blanket around him. Lin Zhi leaned closer and looked at him for a while before asking in a low voice, "Tell me the truth, is it because you're going home with me that you've lost your appetite?"
"no."
"real?"
"Really." Jiang Chuting reached out and touched his face gently, saying, "Don't overthink it."
Lin Zhi was silent for a while, then lay down flat, staring at the bed curtains. After a while, she said to him, "Chu Ran, I haven't told you this yet, have I? Actually, my father abandoned my mother and me for a man back then, and my mother and I both hated that man. Of course, I think it's wrong for my father to be so easily swayed, but he was still my father, and he's no longer alive. I've never even met him, so I can't blame him... Don't worry, I won't be like my father. Once I've made up my mind about someone, I won't change it."
Jiang Chuting blinked very slowly, without replying.
Lin Zhi glanced at him and continued, "I'm telling you this not so you'll overthink things, but so you know that we just hate people who ruin other people's relationships, not that we can't accept men being together. My mother dotes on me, and you're such a good person, she won't object to us."
From Lin Zhi's repeated mentions of Lin Xi, Jiang Chuting could tell that Lin Zhi had a blind trust in Lin Xi. To put it bluntly, Lin Xi was his mother who gave him life and raised him, and she mostly showed him her kind and beautiful side, so it was normal for him to be swayed by her opinions.
Jiang Chuting thought for a moment and asked, "What if your mother never accepts me being with you?"
Lin Zhi blurted out, "That's impossible."
Jiang Chuting didn't respond, so Lin Zhi comforted him, saying, "If that's really the case, then I'll go with you to travel the world, all over the country, and we'll go back when she's ready to accept it."
"Aren't you afraid of hurting her feelings by doing this?"
"Don't worry, it will never come to that. My mother isn't old-fashioned."
For the first time, Jiang Chuting truly realized that he had fallen in love with a boy not yet seventeen, and how naive his thoughts had been. Even if he weren't Jiang Chuting, Lin Xi probably wouldn't have allowed them to be together. He had known all along that this trip to the Lin family wouldn't be easy, but he still came because he knew he would have to face this day sooner or later.
Jiang Chuting was exhausted and fell asleep after talking for a while. Lin Zhi slowly released his arms from his chest, and very gently took out the bottle of Thousand Mile Fragrance, poured a little, and applied it to his neck.
Along the way, Lin Zhi was afraid that the same thing would happen again, so every other day, she would apply fennel seeds to his body while he was asleep.
That way, even if he leaves, we can find him by his scent and not panic.
Jiang Chuting was completely unsuspecting and slept soundly, never noticing anything. Moreover, like Xie Zhen, he couldn't smell the fragrance of the herb on his skin unless someone pointed it out; he simply couldn't detect it.
After Lin Zhi finished doing all this, she put the medicine bottle back, gazed deeply at his face, and leaned over to kiss his soft lips.
He thought to himself, "Chu Ran, I'm sorry, please don't blame me. I'm just too afraid of losing you."
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