There's no point in pursuing these matters now. Lu Yanzheng quickly had someone make arrangements to escort Jiang Qinyu and Village Chief Li away that afternoon.
That afternoon, at the main gate of the General's Mansion, Shufan and Pan'er reluctantly said goodbye to Jiang Qinyu.
"Auntie, can't we really go back with you?" Shu Fan hugged Jiang Qinyu's leg and looked up at her.
Pan'er looked at her pitifully, "Auntie, Pan'er wants to go back with you. I miss Grandma and Grandpa too..."
Jiang Qinyu patted the two heads and said helplessly, "Auntie has important business to attend to back home, so it's inconvenient for her to take you with her. You two stay here and wait for Auntie to come back, okay?"
"Don't worry, you two," Lu Yanzheng stepped forward and picked up the two children, one in each arm. "Grandpa Chen and the others will take good care of you in the manor."
Jiang Qinyu looked at Yunzhu and said, "Yunzhu, you must keep a close eye on the young master and young lady while I'm away. Don't let them out of your sight."
“This servant remembers. Amber and Aping are also helping me take care of the young master and young lady. Madam can go home with peace of mind,” Yunzhu said immediately.
Jiang Qinyu was not at ease, but there might be dangers going back this time. It would be inconvenient for her to take two children with her, so she could only leave them at the General's Mansion for the time being.
"You all take the young master and young lady downstairs first," Lu Yanzheng said to Yunzhu and the others.
Yunzhu and the others knew that Lu Yanzheng wanted to speak with Jiang Qinyu alone, so they curtsied and took Shufan and Pan'er away.
Jiang Qinyu's heart jumped into her throat.
Seeing her nervous expression, Lu Yanzheng chuckled softly, "Are you that afraid of me?"
The question from this morning still has no answer. The two of them have been tacitly busy with their own things all day and haven't spent any time alone together.
"Hehe," Jiang Qinyu chuckled awkwardly, "How could that be?"
Was she afraid? She was just afraid he would bring up what happened this morning again, okay?
Unfortunately, what I feared most came true. Lu Yanzheng raised his hand and tucked the stray hairs that had fallen across her face behind her ear, and said softly, "What I said this morning might have given me the answer?"
Jiang Qinyu, quick-witted, feigned ignorance and said, "I had no choice but to go back, didn't I?"
"You know what I mean. If this accident hadn't happened, would you have stayed by my side forever?" Lu Yanzheng asked earnestly, looking into her eyes that kept darting away.
He was in love with her, wanted to see her often, wanted to hold her hand at any time, wanted to embrace her, and even wanted to be her husband and wife.
If she is unwilling, he will not force her, but he will not give up either. As long as she has no one else in her heart, he will try his best to live in her heart.
Jiang Qinyu lowered her eyes, but she was actually feeling flustered, nervous and excited, yet conflicted and at a loss.
Lu Yanzheng was very patient, waiting for her to give him an answer.
After what felt like an eternity, yet also like the blink of an eye, Jiang Qinyu finally spoke, "Well, I haven't decided yet. I'll tell you next time we meet."
She kept her eyes downcast, her hands clasped in front of her, twisting her fingers together.
Jiang Qinyu didn't immediately refuse, because she also thought Lu Yanzheng was a good person and someone she could get along with. She wasn't immune to being tempted, but right now she really hadn't made up her mind yet.
Having witnessed so many cautionary tales, she deeply understands the principle that love is risky and marriage requires caution.
"Okay." Although he didn't get the answer he wanted, he wasn't rejected either. Lu Yanzheng felt relieved for the time being. His eyebrows and eyes softened, and the corners of his lips curved into a relaxed and carefree smile.
Jiang Qinyu only dared to look up after hearing his "okay," but what she saw when she looked up was this smiling face, and her heart skipped a beat.
"Then we'll be going now," Jiang Qinyu said dryly, her ears slightly red.
Seeing this, Lu Yanzheng felt even more confident, and his smile became even more charming. He nodded and said, "I'll see you off."
The things to be brought back to Dingshui Village had already been loaded onto the carriage. Jiang Qinyu sat inside, while Village Chief Li and Meng Tianze sat outside the carriage, and Lu Yanzheng rode alongside on horseback.
Jiang Qinyu sat in the car, touching her left chest, which was beating faster than usual. She felt a mix of sweetness and melancholy, a truly conflicted feeling.
Lu Yanzheng remained silent the entire way, quietly following beside the carriage.
The two, one inside the car and the other outside, felt quite alike.
Once outside the city, Village Chief Li said to Lu Yanzheng, "Azheng, let's go back!"
“Yes, Zheng, with us here, nothing will happen on the way,” Meng Tianze said with a smile.
Lu Yanzheng reined in the reins, cupped his hands to the two men and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Village Chief and Brother Meng. When you get back, please take good care of my parents. I will repay you in the future."
“Hey, you’re being too polite. We’re all from the same village, and we’ve always helped each other out. Besides, my niece has been a huge help to our village. It’s only right that we take care of her,” Village Chief Li said, waving his hand.
Meng Tianze chimed in, "Don't worry, Azheng. When we get back, we'll keep an eye on Liu Ruyi's matter for you and your sister-in-law. We absolutely can't let her steal your credit."
“Brother Meng, it doesn’t matter whether the credit goes to Qinqin or not, but it can’t go to Liu Ruyi,” Lu Yanzheng corrected.
Jiang Qinyu's current status cannot be too high-profile. The credit for the sweet potato needs to be suppressed for the time being, but it cannot be given to unrelated people with ulterior motives.
Meng Tianze slapped his mouth. "Look at me, I forgot what you just told me. Okay, I remember now, don't worry."
"I'm here too, A-Zheng. You guard the border, we'll take care of the rest." Village Chief Li waved to him. "It's getting late, we'll be going now!"
After saying that, he drove the carriage forward.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Qinyu couldn't help but lift the car window curtain and look back, only to see Lu Yanzheng looking at her as well.
Their eyes met in mid-air, and Jiang Qinyu saw him open his mouth and say two words: "Take care."
She pursed her lips, waved to Lu Yanzheng, and then went back into the car.
Lu Yanzheng waited until the carriage was completely out of sight before turning his horse around and heading back.
I hope everything goes smoothly for her when she goes back!
...
Jiang Qinyu and her group traveled via the pipeline, and since they didn't bring the children with them this time and didn't have much luggage, Village Chief Li and Meng Tianze took turns driving the carriage. The carriage sped along, and they returned to Dingshui Village in a day and a night.
"Finally back." Meng Tianze looked at the village entrance from afar, showing no signs of fatigue from the journey.
Village Chief Li was a bit older, but he had dozed off for a while leaning against the carriage last night, so he seemed to be in good spirits. Hearing Meng Tianze's words, he laughed and said, "We country folk still prefer our own village. As the old saying goes, there's no place like home!"
Jiang Qinyu smiled, looking at her own little courtyard at the entrance of the village, and suddenly felt an urgent desire to go home.
Just then, Jiang Qinyu and the other two saw Chen Shi chasing two people out of Jiang Qinyu's yard with a broom, and at the same time, Chen Shi's shrewish voice came over.
"Lu Yancai, Madam Ma, you two shameless bastards! Who told you your elder brother and sister-in-law aren't coming back? Even if they aren't coming back, does that mean you should be allowed to live in this courtyard? Bah!"
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