Chapter 84 Reunion of Husband and Wife Lin Zhi suddenly felt something hitting the back of her head...
After Magistrate Deng left the room, Xingyun settled Lin Zhaoning's personal belongings and charcoal brazier, and looked at Pei Lang with some confusion: "Young Master, the Empress has been trying to stop this trip in every way, fearing that it will delay the Crown Prince's studies."
"Why do you insist on this? I'm afraid you'll anger the Empress. When we left the capital, I heard that the Empress was looking for a new tutor for the Crown Prince."
"What if His Majesty and Empress truly blame you?"
Pei Lang's expression remained calm: "I said long ago that I wanted to resign, but Xiao Ting wouldn't agree and even said that the position of Grand Secretary would be reserved for me."
"The capital is too chaotic and corrupt. I have also taught the eldest prince for half a year as agreed. What is there for the Empress to be unhappy about?"
"Instead of having to put up with their attitudes, it's better to bring Mianmian to this remote village where she can live comfortably."
He gently patted the sleepy child who was blinking, and Pei Lang's expression softened unusually in the candlelight.
"By the way, the young master asked us to investigate Pei Mingli's whereabouts last time, and he eventually disappeared near Pingyi."
"There are at least a dozen villages and towns around here, and Pingyi is the sixth one we've reached. If there's still no news from Pingyi, will you continue on, young master?"
The journey was arduous, and even with thorough preparations, it was still far less pleasant than the capital city.
Pei Lang gently tucked the blanket around Mianmian, his voice calm: "Let's go. I know Pei Mingli; his vigilance only goes this far."
"If he disappeared near Pingyi, then he would have left his mark in this area."
Even if he has made progress and left with his men, like a wild goose leaving its cry or a person leaving their mark, there will always be some clues left behind.
"Since Lin Zhi is not dead, he must still have left traces."
Hearing his young master's resolute tone, Xingyun opened his mouth but didn't dare to say anything, wondering how his young master was so sure that the lady was not dead.
After all, the innkeepers couldn't possibly lie to them about the scenes they had witnessed firsthand.
But now that the young master has something to look forward to, at least he seems more energetic.
They used to live a life of debauchery, or they placed all their hopes on those dream-fulfilling plants that they didn't even know if they were useful.
Just because of the crazy claim that the Dream-Remembering Grass could make people dream of their loved ones, the young master planted it for almost a year without missing a single day.
Seeing him personally taking care of Mianmian, Xingyun didn't want to disturb him any longer and quietly withdrew.
Pei Lang sat there for most of the night without lying down. Watching his daughter's little hand tightly gripping the rattle drum beside her pillow, Pei Lang's eyes filled with pain. He gently held her soft little hand and stroked the rattle drum, lost in thought.
He didn't know if what he was doing was right or wrong; it was all just his guess. If he really couldn't find Lin Zhi, he was afraid that his spirit would just dissipate.
How could he leave such a young and well-behaved daughter unattended?
Barely suppressing his pain, Pei Lang fell asleep, but even before going to bed, he couldn't help but think about where he should go to investigate the next day.
"Sister-in-law, the sky is overcast today, and it looks like it's going to snow. You absolutely cannot go today!"
Lin Zhi was wearing a newly made winter coat, with soft downy fur around her face, making her look like a delicate little rabbit.
He stood with his hands on his hips, looking at Feng Yujiao, and forbade her from taking the handkerchief to town again.
Feng Yujiao clicked her tongue lightly: "No way, you have no idea how well that handkerchief sold yesterday! I inquired about it after I got back, and they said that the person was a servant of the county magistrate."
"It's said that a distinguished guest came to the county magistrate's residence and specially bought this fine handkerchief of yours to take back and serve. He might even come back to buy more today!"
Just as Feng Yujiao reached out to snatch the basket of handkerchiefs from her hand, Lin Zhi dodged her: "No means no, you absolutely can't!"
"Cousin! Come and do something about your wife!"
As she spoke, Lin Zhi quickly picked up the basket and walked to the front door: "There are only ten left today. I'll go to town to sell them! I guarantee they'll all be sold out!"
Pei Mingli chased after them and saw the two of them going back and forth like this. He carefully put his arm around Feng Yujiao's shoulder and said, "Ajiao, you must be careful now. What if you catch a cold in this cold weather?"
"She's been feeling much better these days, so you should let her go."
Feng Yujiao still frowned, staring at Lin Zhi at the door with concern: "My sister is beautiful and single now, so no one in the village dares to ask for her hand in marriage. But there are bound to be wealthy families in the town."
"What if I develop feelings for her after seeing her? I always have my father with me when I go, so I'm not alone."
"I'm just afraid something might have happened to her. I've felt uneasy and depressed ever since I woke up today."
Pei Mingli frowned slightly upon hearing this, but he was currently busy taking care of his wife and couldn't leave...
Lin Zhi, oblivious to her brother and sister-in-law's worry, turned around happily to leave, only to bump into a figure.
"Miss Fei Yi..."
Seeing Luo Qinzhi blush and clutch his chest, Lin Zhi was startled and quickly took two steps back, looking at him with some concern: "Did you get hurt?"
Luo Qinzhi smiled and said, "How could that be? You didn't exert much effort."
Where are you going?
Lin Zhi looked down at the basket slung over her forearm and thoughtfully said, "Oh, I was just about to go to town to sell these handkerchiefs."
“My sister-in-law is quite far along in her pregnancy now, and I’m worried about letting her go.”
Luo Qinzhi glanced at it briefly before quickly saying that he was also going to town: "I also need to buy two books, and I've borrowed a carriage to go to town."
"The weather is not good today, why don't you come with me, Miss Feiyi?"
"This..." Lin Zhi had already sensed his thoughts, so she didn't want to give him any more hopeless ideas.
But just as she was about to refuse, Feng Yujiao quickly said, "That would be wonderful!"
“The road to town is difficult to travel, and your sister-in-law will be worried if you go alone. It just so happens that Scholar Luo is going with you.”
"Neighbors can also feel at ease."
When Luo Qinzhi went out to catch the carriage, Lin Zhi frowned somewhat displeased: "Sister-in-law, why did you agree for me?"
"I can do it myself."
Feng Yujiao sighed, "You are in the prime of your life, so why are you unwilling to talk about marriage at such a young age?"
“I think this Scholar Luo is quite good. Even if you don’t care about him, think about how Aunt Luo takes care of you every day, and you take care of her in return. How compatible you are.”
Seeing that Lin Zhi was about to get upset, she quickly patted Lin Zhi's arm and said, "I was just saying it casually. If you're not happy, I won't say it again."
"I just don't want you to get tired. Go ahead, or the road will be difficult to travel if you go any later."
Lin Zhi was pushed by her and reluctantly got into the carriage.
The two racked their brains to find something to talk about along the way, chatting idly. Lin Zhi almost ran out of things to say, and they finally arrived in town.
Seeing the bookstore not far away, Lin Zhi quickly urged him to go after he had tied up the carriage, saying, "Go buy your books first. I'll just walk around here and sell them, so I won't keep you from doing your business!"
Luo Qinzhi wanted to say something more, but Lin Zhi had already walked far away in the blink of an eye.
After asking Luo Qinzhi for help, Lin Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was a good person, but she just wasn't meant to be with him.
Selling goods was not easy for Lin Zhi, but she came up with a good idea: when she encountered a well-dressed girl, she would chase after her and ask if it was the handkerchief that the girl had dropped.
Surprisingly, several of them were sold at once.
Sitting at the tea stall, holding a teacup to warm her hands, the warm tea quenched her thirst, and Lin Zhi felt extremely gratified as she clutched her heavy purse.
She had only been sitting down for a short while when another person sat down in front of her. Looking at Luo Qinzhi's beaming face, Lin Zhi's smile froze on her face: "...Brother Qinzhi, have you bought the books?"
But Luo Qinzhi simply took out a package from his pocket and placed it in front of her, looking at her with shining eyes: "Take a look at this."
The items on the table were wrapped in oil paper; they didn't look like books at all, but more like food...
Lin Zhi hesitated for a moment before opening the paper package, only to find the osmanthus sugar cake inside still steaming: "Try it quickly, it's fresh out of the oven."
“I heard from my mother that you love osmanthus flowers, so I bought some today since I happened to see them.”
Feeling the young man's burning gaze, Lin Zhi felt as if what she held in her hand was not osmanthus cake but a hot potato.
She dared not eat sweet potatoes, for fear of burning her mouth.
She quickly folded the paper package and pushed it back, forcing a smile: "No need, I just had some tea and can't eat anymore. You can take it back for Aunt Luo to eat."
"It looks like it's going to snow, I'll go sell the rest of my handkerchiefs first!"
But it seemed that God heard her voice. She had only taken a few steps out of the teahouse when a few snowflakes began to fall in front of her, and the dry, cold air rushed into her nostrils.
Lin Zhi rubbed her hands, feeling a little lost. She thought about selling some more handkerchiefs, but then she saw that all the pedestrians were heading home.
"Miss Lin! I bought some for my mother too. Why don't you try a piece while it's still hot..."
Luo Qinzhi caught up from behind and presented the sugar cake to Lin Zhi with both hands as if it were a treasure, looking very sincere.
However, the distance between the two shortened considerably because of his actions, which appeared to outsiders as an intimate and ambiguous gesture.
Lin Zhi felt a little uncomfortable and wanted to look away, but as soon as she looked away, she saw the person sitting on a tall horse from half a street away.
The man was handsome and extraordinary, but his face was even colder than the falling snow, and his demeanor was no longer as stern as before, but rather more mature.
Lin Zhi felt as if someone had hit the back of her head with a stick, and her head was ringing before she could react.
Pei Lang? How could Pei Lang be in such a small place?
He's lost weight, a lot of weight...
However, Pei Lang seemed to sense her burning gaze. He had been talking to a servant with his head turned to the side, but suddenly turned around. Lin Zhi was so frightened that she quickly lowered her head and hid behind Luo Qinzhi, pulling him away as they hurriedly left.
"My lord... my lord, what else do you need besides hot water bottles? Fresh goat milk, right?"
Pei Lang was called several times before he came to his senses.
"Yes, that's all."
Ignoring what the people around him were saying, he spurred his horse forward with his long legs, but after just one quick glance, he felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen and he could no longer move.
But it was as if God was playing a joke on him. He had just seen many people standing where Lin Zhi was, but the person he had in mind and eyes was not among them.
Pei Lang turned his head and looked around in confusion, but it still seemed to be just his hallucination.
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