return trip
In the early morning, a cool breeze carrying moisture blew along the banks of the Wei River.
Because of the rain yesterday, the young ladies stayed overnight at Bihua Manor and are now about to cross the river back to the city.
The Zhen family's boat, used to transport guests, was moored at the ferry. The boat was about three zhang long, and its main cabin was as tall as a house. Under the black canopy, the doors and windows were spacious and decorated with gold-lacquered carvings. Its design was exquisite.
Everyone exclaimed in admiration and stepped onto the deck one by one. Before they even set off, they heard a commotion from the embankment.
"Where did you come from, daring to sneak ashore?"
Two men in tight-fitting clothes, carrying long sticks, ran to a small boat on the shore and stopped a young couple dressed in short clothes and carrying straw raincoats.
The young man had a square face and a somewhat naive grin. "Brother, we heard there are guests on the island, so we thought we'd come early to do some business seeing them off."
A burly man in tight-fitting clothes glared angrily, "When did our guests from Bihua Continent ever need you to come and escort them?"
Another man in tight-fitting clothes slammed his long stick into the ground. "It didn't rain last night or this morning, yet you're still wearing raincoats. Did you sneak ashore when it rained yesterday?"
The young woman raised her hand to cover her face, her voice trembling with tears, and said, "Yesterday when it was raining, the wind and waves on the river were high, so we went ashore as soon as possible, just to save our lives. If you knew, I don't think you would blame me."
Her voice was sweet and charming, and somewhat alluring.
The two men in tight-fitting clothes exchanged an awkward glance. Just as they were about to say something, another man in tight-fitting clothes dragged a small boat out from under the trees. A boatman wearing a straw raincoat ran out from behind, clutching the oar and begging for mercy.
"Like them, I also encountered a big wave in the river and had to go ashore to take shelter. I never expected that I would sleep soundly until dawn..."
The older of the men in the tight-fitting clothes frowned and waved his hand, "Alright, alright, you all leave now!"
The young couple quickly thanked them, ran to the shore, and rowed their small boat away. The man who had run out of the woods also pushed his small boat toward the shore.
After watching this farcical scene, everyone who boarded the ship laughed and walked into the cabin.
Mu Qing followed, secretly wondering if Zhong Linlan had been secretly sent to Bihuazhou by one of them, but if they were caught, how would Zhong Linlan leave? Then she thought, what does this have to do with her? Why bother worrying about this?
Last night, after hearing what she said, Zhong Linlan immediately let her go. He must have understood her meaning: if he didn't want her to harm him, he should stay away from her and not bother her.
Before long, the Zhen family's boat had crossed the river and moored on the riverbank outside the South Gate.
The young ladies strolled around the cabin for a while, still feeling a bit unsatisfied. After disembarking, they made plans to meet up again.
Ji Shuzhen stood on the shore, her gauze curtains fluttering in the wind, and said cheerfully, "Come to our house in a couple of days, you can enjoy the lake to your heart's content."
The Ji family mansion was spacious, with a sizable lake inside. Mu Qing and Liu Lingchun both knew about it, but Lu Tongxue had never seen it.
Lu Tongxue immediately expressed her interest: "Okay, then I'll go with Sister Qing."
Mu Qing was taken aback.
Yesterday, Lu Tongxue lost a lot of money playing cards, almost all of which was won by Ji Shuzhen. Last night, she came to Ji Shuzhen crying before going to bed, saying she had been bullied terribly. And now she's siding with her again. How good is that young master of the Ji family that she's so tolerant of him?
But then Liu Lingchun cheerfully said, "Then I'll go too."
Everyone was happy, and Mu Qing didn't want to spoil the mood. Besides, she had originally wanted to go to the Ji family anyway.
After saying goodbye, the Lu family's carriage arrived. Once inside, Mu Qing leaned against the carriage wall and closed her eyes to rest.
Lu Tongxue rarely saw her like this, and said, "Sister Qing, you won't blame me for agreeing without asking you first, will you?"
Mu Qing opened her eyes and looked at her, "You know this is wrong, don't you?"
"Anyway, I'll beg you to agree. It's the same if you agree beforehand." Lu Tongxue smiled softly and pursed her lips. "Besides, just by looking at the Ji sisters, I can tell that their family members are probably not easy to deal with. If I go to their Ji family alone, I'm afraid I'll be devoured alive."
Mu Qing's expression turned strange. "What do you think I can do to help you?"
In interpersonal relationships, she was not as quick-witted as Lu Tongxue. This trip to Bihua Manor was proof of that; Lu Tongxue handled everything with ease, while she was the one who needed Lu Tongxue's help to make amends.
Lu Tongxue lowered her eyes and rolled them around. "If you were here, you could give me courage. Everyone else has sisters, and I want an older sister by my side too."
Mu Qing: "..."
Lu Tongxue curled her lips into a smile.
Her cousin had the title of a future princess, which allowed her to benefit from it and made her someone people dared not look down on. When her cousin made a blunder, it only highlighted her cleverness and endearing nature. Compared to her, the Ji sisters clearly wanted to deal with her cousin more. In truth, the advantages were numerous.
The carriage quieted down as it entered the city, and the crowds and noise grew louder.
Lu Tongxue couldn't stay still, so she looked out the window at the street. As she looked, she noticed that the carriage was moving slower and slower. She asked a question and heard the driver say that there was an oxcart carrying goods moving slowly ahead, so they had to follow behind.
Lifting a corner of the carriage curtain, one could see that the oxcart was fully loaded with goods, and behind the canopy, someone was sitting on the edge, leaning a wooden ladder, making it inconvenient for a horse-drawn carriage to pass by.
As we walked slowly, turning east and west through several streets, the oxcart seemed to be going the same way and kept ahead of us.
When they reached East Street, the oxcart stopped.
The oxcart driver had a loud voice and asked a passerby, "Ma'am, how do I get to Wutong Lane?"
"Wutong Lane?" The middle-aged woman on the street also spoke loudly, "I live there, just follow me."
"Okay."
The passerby said again, "Is this whole truckload of furniture? Are you moving to Wutong Lane to live?"
“We are delivery people. The people who moved to Wutong Lane were originally musicians from Yiyeju.”
"A musician? Oh dear, if you have to play the zither day and night, there will be no peace and quiet."
"Sister, the music this musician plays is so good that people would pay money to hear it. If you get to hear it, you're really lucky."
"Why would you suddenly move to our run-down alley?"
"This area in the east of the city is more peaceful than other places."
After the oxcart and its passengers had gone far away, the horse-drawn carriage had already entered the gate of the Lu residence.
Lu Tongxue was quite excited. "Sister Qing, did you hear that? The musician from Yiyeju has moved to Wutong Lane nearby."
Mu Qing lowered her eyes in thought, "It sounds like that musician is no longer from Yiyeju."
"What does it matter?" Lu Tongxue said nonchalantly. "If we move to this area, we might not even need to go out. We can listen to the zither in a courtyard near Wutong Lane."
Mu Qing smiled, thinking that it was common for storytellers and entertainers in teahouses to change, but she wondered if Ayu, who knew the musician, would come to visit him. She hoped she wouldn't run into her.
Inside Yi Ye Ju, Ye Yu, dressed in a light blue robe and still completely masculine, sat by the window overlooking the building, slowly sipping tea.
When Zhou Xiaoyi knocked on the door, she put down her teacup and looked at Lu Xier, who came in with Zhou Xiaoyi. She looked much the same as when she first met her, with a light veil covering her face, a slender figure, and an otherworldly temperament.
"If Miss Lu insists on leaving, it must be because I haven't been hospitable enough."
After taking a few steps inside, Lu Xier stopped and looked at Boss Ye, who looked like a handsome young man with powdered face. Knowing that she was actually a woman, she could manage the teahouse so well and couldn't help but speak with respect.
“I am deeply grateful for Mr. Ye’s kindness these past few days, and I will definitely repay him if I have the chance. The reason I am moving away is that I have no intention of making a living by performing. In the future, if Mr. Ye would like to listen to my music, he can come to my place, and I will certainly clean and prepare for him.”
Ye Yu smiled faintly, "Since you put it that way, it's not easy for me to keep you here. However, how are you going to deal with Jiang Likun? When he was here, he was somewhat cowardly, causing trouble a few times without really making a scene. But after you move out, it will be impossible to guard against him."
Lu Xier said, "The censor warned Young Master Jiang that if anything happened to me, he would definitely come after him, so I don't think he would dare to act recklessly. Besides, the place I moved to is Wutong Lane in Huarongfang in the east of the city. I heard that the area is usually quiet and peaceful, and no one dares to cause trouble."
Ye Yu nodded, "Aunt Man's shrewdness is unmatched by ordinary people. With her protecting you, you're practically worth ten of them."
Lu Xier said softly, "My godmother is my great benefactor."
Having said all that, it was inconvenient to say more. After wishing each other well, Lu Xier left.
Zhou Xiaoyi stood aside, a puzzled look on his usually cheerful round face. "Master, are we just going to let her go like that?"
"Otherwise what?"
Ye Yu sat back down and looked out the window at the ground floor.
Lu Xier, wearing a veil, carefully slipped out of the tea room. Clearly, she had come to say goodbye without telling Aunt Man.
Zhou Xiaoyi observed his employer's expression, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Should we try to let that young lady from the Lu family know?"
Ye Yu smiled, a slight smirk playing on her lips. "Why bother with this unnecessary thing? Wasn't Miss Lu good to you when she was here?"
"No, I was just talking nonsense."
Zhou Xiaoyi scratched his head, but he was puzzled. He had heard that when Aunt Man was looking at houses and ordering furniture, she intended to take the musician with her. The landlord was obviously very uneasy. Why was he so calm and composed now?
Seeing his master staring intently out the window, he gradually understood.
The master was never a warm-hearted person. Miss Lu should have known that the master was here, but she did not show up to greet him. Compared to her, Lu Qinshi was much more loyal and righteous.
It was uncertain what would happen next. Zhou Xiaoyi shook his head, slung the towel over his shoulder, and went out to greet the guests again.
Meanwhile, some people are anxious about what to do next.
On Bihua Island, deep in the dense forest, a burly man hunched over, pacing back and forth. After waiting and waiting, finally, a figure in deep blue reappeared in the forest and came before him.
He said anxiously, "Sir, the boatman who brought us here last night was discovered by the guards on the island and has been driven away. How are we supposed to get back?"
Zhong Linlan wasn't in a hurry. She asked the attendant named Kunshan, "Have you checked the fishpond at Bihua Manor?"
Kunshan nodded. "There is indeed a large grass turtle, completely black, but even if it is the one we are looking for, are you really going to offend Grand Secretary Zhen for the sake of a turtle?"
Yesterday was the Shangsi Festival. The gentleman spent most of the day entertaining guests. On his way back, someone stopped his sedan chair, saying that a local gentry had stolen his family's sacred tortoise, which he had raised for decades. During the robbery, his family members lost their lives. Because the gentry had presented the tortoise to Grand Secretary Zhen, there was no way to appeal.
Who would have thought that for such a matter, the adult would secretly take him to Bihua Island overnight? How are we going to get back now?
"Hmm, Elder Zhen has some secrets worth investigating. It's still early, let's get more familiar with this continent."
Zhong Linlan calmly looked around.
Kunshan had no choice but to suppress his anxiety and follow behind him, then asked, "Sir, why are your clothes so wet?"
The wind was strong on the island. He went to the fishpond and fished around. The wet parts had already dried, but the adult's clothes were still covered in wet stains.
Zhong Linlan looked down and said, "It's nothing, just a little dirt."
The two wandered around the island for half a day. As dusk approached, they ate some dry rations, found two dead logs, and came to a secluded spot on the shore, intending to use them as driftwood to swim across the river.
But then, amidst the shimmering water plants bathed in the setting sun, a boat's bow appeared, and a young couple were tying ropes to a tree on the shore.
"My wife, if we get caught again, what excuse should we use?"
"You jinx! Can't you think of something positive?"
"But……"
The young man suddenly stopped talking, glanced at the two people not far from the shore, and exchanged bewildered glances with the woman beside him.
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