Once they finished packing up, Lin Qingyu and Lu Wancheng took their leave of Father Lin and Mother Lin to return to the Nanâan Hou Mansion.
Everyone in Lin Residence saw them off at the gate of the residence. Lu Wancheng got into the carriage first so that Lin Qingyu could say good-bye to his family.
Although the Lin Residence and the Nanâan Hou Mansion were both in the capital, it was not easy for the Shaojun of a noble family to go back to his natal family. According to the rules, he must at least get the permission of his husbandâs mother. The number of times he could visit his parents could be counted on oneâs fingers.
Mother Linâs eyes were rimmed in red because of her reluctance to let him go. Lin Qinghe held his brotherâs hand and refused to let go. However, the most emotional one was Huan Tong, who had grown up with Lin Qingyu.
When Lin Qingyu got married, Huan Tong wanted to follow him to the Nanâan Hou Mansion. For the sake of his future prospects, Lin Qingyu forced him to stay in the Lin Residence. Huan Tong had neither father nor mother. By the time he could form memories, he had already been sold to the Lin Residence. He grew up knowing only to follow the young master and to serve the young master. Without Lin Qingyu in the house, he didnât know what he should do. He spent his days feeling muddleheaded, and he seemed to have lost his reason for living.
With much difficulty, he had endured, looking forward to Lin Qingyuâs return to the residence. Now that he was leaving, tears flowed from his eyes and snot came out of his nose. He wanted so badly to follow Lin Qingyu back to the Houâs Mansion. He even asked Mother Lin to speak for him, âRight now, you donât have anyone you can trust in the Houâs Mansion. You better take Huan Tong with you. That way, your father and I can feel a little more at ease.â
Lin Qingyu weighed the matter over and over. Finally, he nodded, âHuan Tong, pack up and get in the carriage.â
Huan Tong burst into a smile amidst his tears.
Lin Qingyu got into the carriage and briefly told Lu Wancheng about Huan Tongâs matter. Lu Wancheng gave an absent-minded smile, âThis is a happy event. The Blue Wind Pavilion is now full of girls. The yin aura is too heavy.â
Lin Qingyu sighed, âI just didnât want him to be trapped in the inner house like I am.â
Lu Wancheng disagreed, âWhatâs wrong with being trapped in the inner house? For a person with big ambitions like you, âtrappedâ may be the right word; but for me â Please, let me stay in the inner house my whole life, thank you .â
Lin Qingyu turned his head, âPeople who walk different paths cannot make plans together.â
The carriage started to move, and through the window, Lin Qingyu watched his familyâs figures gradually recede in the distance.
âGoodbye, Gege.â Lin Qinghe waved his little hand. Seeing Lu Wancheng, he then plucked up his courage to said, âGoodbye, Wancheng Gege.â
Lu Wancheng smiled. âGoodbye, Little Qinghe.â Closing the carriage window, he said to Lin Qingyu, âYour brother seems to like me very much.â
Lin Qingyu nodded, âQinghe has always had the bad habit of judging people by their appearance. Iâve thought of many ways to correct it, but itâs a pity that he still only likes to get close to people with outstanding looks.â
The corners of Lu Wanchengâs lips perked up. âIt seems like I heard someone compliment me on my good looks.â
Lin Qingyu glanced at him and said, âYouâreâŠindeed passable.â Although he couldnât agree at all with Lu Wanchengâs behavior, he could barely deign to look upon that face of his.
Lu Wancheng was startled, as though he wasnât expecting Lin Qingyu to praise him. Even if Lin Qingyu himself didnât think it was praise; he was just telling the truth. Unexpectedly, at this time, Lu Wancheng, instead, became humble, âIâm overwhelmed, oh Number One Beauty.â
Lin Qingyu asked: âWhoâs the Number One Beauty?â
âYou.â
Lin Qingyu frowned, âSuch an assertion cannot be made. The world is so big and full of extraordinary things. Who could guarantee that theyâve have met all the people in the world? Since no one has, there is not means to compare.â
Lu Wancheng smiled lightly and said, âOh, but there is someone who has seen everyone in the world and she told me.â
Lin Qingyu naturally wouldnât believe such nonsense, âAbsurd.â
Lu Wanchengâs smile remained undiminished. He stroked his chin and said, âShe also told me that this face of mine is, in the whole book⊠I mean, in the entire Dayu, among the top five? I think itâs pretty average though. Itâs far more inferior than my face beforeâŠâ
He has started in once again on his long-winded nonsense.
Lin Qingyu closed his eyes to rest, cutting off Lu Wanchengâs voice from his ears.
Barring any unforeseen incidents, Liang Shi should already know about Lu Wanchengâs trip to the Lin Residence with the five carriages of gifts. He had no idea what her thoughts were about it and whether she would use this as an opportunity to pick a quarrel.
In theory, this matter had nothing to do with him and if Liang Shi wanted to look for someone, she should look for her son. However, on the surface, Liang Shi has always spoiled Lu Wancheng. It was Lin Qingyuâs guess that she wouldnât look to reason things out with Lu Wancheng. Tomorrow, when Lin Qingyu goes to greet Liang Shi, he will probably be given a âfriendly warningâ through oblique innuendo.
Thinking of this, Lin Qingyu felt irritated.
Once they arrived at the Nanâan Hou Mansion, a sleepy Lu Wancheng was carried out of the carriage. Huan Tong pushed Lu Wancheng, following behind Lin Qingyu. He looked around him curiously. When they were nearing the Blue Wind Pavilion, Lu Wancheng was almost awake. Yawning, he said, âIt seems like weâve gone the wrong way?â
This was clearly the way back to the Blue Wind Pavilion. Lin Qingyu said to Huan Tong: âDonât pay attention to him. Letâs continue on.â
Lu Wancheng placed his elbow on the armrest of the wheelchair, supporting his forehead on his hand. âAccording to the rules, now that weâve returned from the Lin Residence, shouldnât we go and pay our respects to my mother before returning to our room?â
Lin Qingyu paused and looked back at him. âAccording to the rules, you should get up early every day and pay your respects to her but have you ever gone?â
âI havenât.â Lu Wancheng said, using all his willpower, âAll the more reason why I should go now that Iâm awake.â
Lin Qingyu was suspicious. Normally, whenever Liang Shi came to visit the Blue Wind Pavilion, Lu Wancheng would either simply go through the motions and exchange a few perfunctory words with her, or says that he was unwell and that it was inconvenient to meet guests. He has never gone to pay his respects to her even once. One could very well imagine the outcome of this kind of relationship between mother and child. Today, Lu Wancheng was ill and he had been away from the house for the entire day. He had also sat inside the carriage for a long time. He was obviously very tired. Yet at this time, he actually offered to pay his respects to Liang Shi. Could it beâŠ
Lin Qingyu had a vague guess. He said, âYoung Master Hou is very filial. Let us make our way there, then.â
The two arrived at Liang Shiâs courtyard. Liang Shi had just finished having a late-night snack. When she heart that they had come to greet her, she someone prepare some refreshments.
Lin Qingyu pushed Lu Wancheng in to greet her. Seeing that Lu Wanchengâs complexion was not good, that exhaustion could be seen from the corners of his brows and eyes, she said, distressed, âAlthough it is only a matter of course for a husband to accompany his wife for her visit back to her parentâs house, Wansheng is ill, after all. Even if he doesnât go, the Lin Residence would surely understand.â
Lu Wancheng smiled and said, âQingyu said the same. He even set off without telling me to stop me from going. Mother, do you think he should be punished?â
Lin Qingyu raised his brows.
Lu Wancheng⊠Really did come for this matter.
Liang Shi looked at Lin Qingyu. Revealing no trace on her expression, she paused and said softly, âQingyu was thinking of your health. What is there to punish?â
Lu Wancheng chuckled and said, âSince Mother has said so, then he wonât be punished. But it should not be taken as a precedent. Can you give me some time alone with Mother, Qingyu?â
Lin Qingyuâs feelings were complicated. âEn.â
Lu Wancheng chatted a bit more Liang Shi. He then seemingly inadvertently mentioned the return gifts. âQingyuâs return gifts were taken from my birth motherâs dowry, so I didnât tell Mother in advance. Mother surely doesnât mind.â
Liang Shi smiled. She took a sip of the tea and said: âThose were left to you by your biological mother. Naturally, how itâs dealt with is up to you.â
Liang Shi was not Lu Wanchengâs biological mother. Lin Qingyu had heard of it earlier. Lu Wanchengâs biological mother was Nanâan Houâs original spouse, the formal daughter of the capitalâs most influential official, Wen Guo Gong. Wen Guo Gong has two daughters, one married into the Nanâan Hou Mansion, and the other was the current Empress.
Lu Wancheng was born into the Houâs Mansion and also had a prominent maternal family. He had a promising future. It was a pity that his biological mother died due to excessive bleeding during the difficult delivery. Related to his premature birth, he was born frail and sickly, and was judged at birth, to not live past twenty.
Nanâan Hou loved his eldest son dearly and exhausted all efforts to treat him. He didnât dare to train him as strictly as one would a normal legitimate heir. Later, in order to have someone manage the affairs of the mansion, he married Liang Shi as his second wife and became the father to a daughter and another son.
Lu Wancheng had been raised next to the Liang Shi since he was a child and Liang Shi put him first in everything. Though she was not his biological mother, she was even better than a biological mother. â At least, this was how the matchmaker put it to Lin Qingyu before he got married.
After returning Liang Shiâs place, Lu Wancheng was almost at his limit. After taking his medicine, he lay down flat on the bed. Lin Qingyu also rested on the luohan. The two were still separated by the screen with the mandarin ducks playing in the water.
Lin Qingyu thought back on all the things that happened today and couldnât help asking, âYoung Master Hou, are you asleep?â
Lu Wanchengâs voice came from behind the screen, âNot yet. Why, care to have a nighttime talk by candlelight with me?â
Lin Qingyu said slowly, âActually, youâre not a fool.â
âOf course, Iâm not.â Lu Wancheng said with a laugh. âWhat were you thinking? When I was studying, I always got first place.â
Lin Qingyu didnât believe it. âCould a bag of lazybones like you even get first place?â
Lu Wanchengâs voice was fading, âEnâŠbeing tired of learning and getting first place arenât in conflict.â
âHow do you figure that?â
âThere are some things that I hate to do, but I know that doing it would bring me benefits. So I force myself to do them. This is the case with studying. This was also the case with paying my respects.â
Lin Qingyu thought for a while, and then asked, âBut youâve been laid up in bed since you were born, so how could you have had the chance to study with others?â
Lin Qingyu waited for a while, but when he didnât hear a response from Lu Wancheng, he knew that he had fallen asleep.
Past the first month, the days were getting warmer; winter, the most difficult time for the patient, was finally over. As the days warmed up, Lu Wanchengâs body was obviously getting better. He didnât need to rely on a wheelchair to get in and out. Aside from sleeping, he also liked taking a walk with his pet birds, he liked looking at the flowers, touhu, watching playsâŠIn short, he liked all things fun that didnât need him to move.
On this day, Lin Qingyu was in the study, dispensing medicine according to the prescription. The prescription was the one written by his father the day of his visit. He wanted to figure out the theory behind it. As for whether to use it for Lu Wancheng, he hadnât decided yet. In this prescription, several of the ingredients were toxic and would cause extra pain to the patient after taking them. He wondered if there were other relatively milder ingredients that could replace themâŠ
A crisp bird cry interrupted Lin Qingyuâs thoughts. This sound was mellow and pleasant to listen to. It would be a pleasure to listen to it during his leisure time. But hearing it when he was trying to concentrate was annoying.
Lin Qingyu didnât want to bother with it at all. He closed his eyes and tried to engross himself in his work. But the bird cry was incessant. Top it off with the bursts of laughter and Lin Qingyu couldnât bear it anymore. He got up and opened the window, and said coldly to a certain someone who was taking his pet bird out for a walk, âYoung Master Hou, please control your bird.â
Lu Wancheng heard his voice and looked back. He had a golden birdcage in his hand. Besides Huan Tong, he was surrounded by a group of orioles and swallows, all little maids of the Blue Wind Pavilion, attracted by the singing of the Hwamei in the birdcage. Behind him was a golden peach blossom tree that had bloomed early.
âItâs Doctor Lin,â Lu Wancheng talked to him through the window. The spring breeze blew, and his tail end of his tone was full of smiles, âWould you like to play with my bird?â
Lu Wanchengâs face was still morbidly pale, emaciated and bony. He had a lazy and casual bearing, with a handsome-ness akin to tipsy elegance. However, it gave Lin Qingyu the sense of a different kind of breath.
He had the inexplicable feeling that Lu Wancheng shouldnât have this âtoo weak to even stand up against the windâ kind of look. Rather, he should be a young man â lying low on horseback, with a storey full of red sleeves beckoning.â
âIâm busy.â Lin Qingyu said, âCan you keep the noise down?â
Lu Wancheng said, âIâm sorry. But youâve been locked away in the study for most of the day already. You should take a break.â
Huan Tong agreed, âThatâs right, Young Master. The sun feels so good today. You can come listen to the bird singing with us.â
âThe pursuit of petty pleasures thwarts high aims. Sorry, I won't be able to keep you company.â Lin Qingyu finished speaking and closed the window with a slam.
Lu Wancheng said regretfully, âYour Young Master can be really boring sometimes.â
Huan Tong and Lu Wancheng were playing together, but he still kept his familyâs young master firmly at the top of his heart. âThatâs because weâre in the Houâs Mansion. When he was in the Lin Residence, the Young Master wasnât like this.â
Lu Wancheng thought that of how Lin Qingyu had followed his mentor to study away from home for many years, and said, âYouâre right.â After that, he smiled again, âBut even if he is dull and boring, I thinkâŠâ
Before he could finish his words, a violent crash suddenly came from the study. Everyone hurriedly pushed the door and entered, only to see Lin Qingyu leaning against the bookshelf, with several medical books scattered around, along with a fallen wooden stool.
Huan Tong said anxiously, âYoung Master, are you okay?â
Lin Qingyu said calmly, âIâm fine. I just accidentally stepped on air when I was putting down the book.â He looked very uncomfortable when he saw so many people crowding around the door, âHave you all nothing to do?â
Lu Wancheng supported his arm and said with a smile, âDonât be shy. A falling beauty is still beautiful.â
âI didnât fall. I just sprained my ankle.â Lin Qingyu couldnât help letting out a low groan when the sharp pain hit, âHelp me to the bedroom. Thereâs medicine there.â
âHow can you walk like this?â Lu Wancheng said, âIâll carry you there.â
Lin Qingyu said in surprise, âYouâŠâ
What has gotten into Lu Wancheng? Has he suddenly forgotten about his weak body?
Lu Wancheng slid his hand to his waist and took him up into is arms.
With this embrace, Lu Wanchengâs face changed slightly and his body shook abruptly. He narrowly missed toppling over along with the person in his arms. Fortunately, Huan Tong was beside him to hold him steady.
Lin Qingyu turned pale from the pain. âIâm begging you. Donât toss me about anymore.â
Lu Wancheng has never been as flustered as he was now. âIâm notâŠâ
âIâll do it, Young Master Hou! Iâm strong!â
Lu Wancheng watched as Huan Tong easily carried Lin Qingyu on his back and quickly ran to the bedroom. He suddenly gave a low laugh and said, âDamn it.â