Mrs. Ling led everyone and saw Mr. Ling, Lu An and others off at the gate.

  Outside the Ling mansion, eight horse-drawn carriages had long been prepared and were waiting for some time.

  There were three carriages for luggage, and the remaining five carriages had Lu An and his son in one, Ling Dajie and his eldest son Ling Cai in another, and the maidservants and young servants occupied two more. Ling Jingxian and her brother Ling Xiao rode with their aunt Sun Shi and others in one carriage.

  Lu Qian took advantage of everyone's inattention and also slipped onto the carriage.

  Ling's family was both angry and amused, scolding: "A Qian, stop messing around and come down quickly."

  Lu Qian only said one sentence: "I'll send my father and brother to the dock, wait for them to get on the boat, then I'll come back." After that, he didn't say a word. No matter how much Ren Ling's wife coaxed him, he refused to get off the horse carriage.

  Ling's family had no way to deal with this stubborn son and could only follow him.

  The horse-drawn carriage in front has started moving slowly.

  Ling Jingyu was sitting in the second horse carriage. Lu Qian stretched his head to look around, his eyes fixed tightly on that horse carriage, as if he saw Ling Jingyu's figure through the thick wooden board.

  After a long time, Lu Qian finally withdrew his gaze and met Lu Xuan's inquiring gaze head-on.

  "Second brother, didn't you know anything about your sister-in-law wanting to leave Dingzhou for the capital?" Lu Hong's words hit Lu Qian's sore spot.

  Lu Qian gritted his teeth and calmly replied, "Sister Ju must be afraid that if she told me in advance, I would be heartbroken, so she deliberately kept it from me. This time she went to the capital, it was to help Brother Xiao find a famous doctor to treat his eye disease. Once Brother Xiao's eyes are cured, he will return soon."

  "Even if I have to stay in the capital for two more years, it's fine. Anyway, I'm not yet of age, and even if a marriage is arranged, it will take several years before we can get married. In short, I'll just keep waiting for her."

  I don't know whether I should persuade Lu Xun or persuade myself.

  Lu Hong didn't stoop to kicking someone while they're down, even though he clearly saw Lu Qian's flustered and forced calmness, he didn't expose him, just hummed in response and remained silent.

  Lu An furrowed his brow and sternly reprimanded, "A Qian, you and Jie'er have not formally settled the engagement yet, who knows what changes may occur in the future. Do not mention these words again."

  Lu An's old age has passed away, and by looking at today's affairs, he can guess a few parts of the true situation.

  If Ling Jingyu was willing to marry, she would not deliberately conceal the news of leaving Dingzhou. This move was clearly intended to avoid Lu Qian.

  Looking at Lu An's beautiful and elegant face, Lu Qian's hatred instantly filled his heart.

  If it weren't for Lu An's despicable behavior, how would Ling Jingyu have ended up in such a miserable situation? Ling Jingyu hated the entire Lu family to the bone and was unwilling to marry into the Lu family again, thus she avoided him at all costs...

  "I don't care if there are variables or not, in short, I won't marry anyone else." Lu Qian retorted stiffly.

  Lu An's dignity as a father was provoked, and he became furious, his face turning red with rage. He shouted: "You scoundrel! How dare you speak to me like that? Where did your filial piety, fraternal duty, loyalty, and righteousness go?"

  Lu An suddenly flew into a rage, and Lu Hui immediately became tense. He hastily signaled to Lu Qian with his eyes: "Second brother, why don't you quickly apologize to Father?" He also pleaded on behalf of Lu Qian: "Second brother is also deeply in love with Sister Yu, and in the heat of the moment, he lost control of his words. Please forgive him, Father."

  Lu Qian gritted his teeth and bowed his head in admission of fault: "Your son has misspoken, please punish him, Father."

  What can be done in a horse-drawn carriage?

  Lu An let out a heavy hum and fell silent, his face sinking.

  Afterwards, there was no more sound in the carriage. The atmosphere along the way was oppressive and depressing, making people feel suffocated.

  ......

  Ling Jingxu's mood at this time was extremely good.

  Ling Xiao was also leaving home for the first time, feeling both excited and a little nervous, subconsciously pulling on Ling Jingxuan's sleeve and asking in a low voice, "Jingxuan, are we almost at the dock?"

  Ling Jingyu smiled softly and said: "It's still early! We've only just set off for more than half a time, at least there are two more hours of journey!"

  Ling Xiao hummed softly and naturally shifted a bit closer to Ling Jingxuan's side.

  A wave of sympathy rose in Ling Jing's heart, so she took Ling Xiao's hand and started chatting with him in a low voice. Talking distracted her mind, and Ling Xiao's unease also dissipated by half, and a smile began to appear on his face.

  Sitting in the same carriage, Sun and others all witnessed this scene.

  Although she had grown accustomed to the closeness of these twin brothers over the years, Sun still couldn't help but feel secretly astonished.

  Boys and girls at the age of eight sit separately, as they grow older, even if they are biological siblings, they should keep a distance. It's rare to see people as close as Ling Jingyi and Ling Xiao.

  "Ah Shu, you and Ah Xiao are really deeply in love, can't bear to be apart from each other for a moment." Sun Shi half-jokingly teased: "I originally planned to let you and Ah Yan live together, now it seems that it's better for you siblings to live together instead."

  Ling Jingxian smiled and replied, "It's also good this way. I'm with Ah Xiao every day, if we're separated, it would be uncomfortable instead."

  In the unfamiliar city of Beijing, there must be many uncomfortable things. Ling Xiao's eyes can't see anything, and if she's not by his side, he will definitely feel anxious and uneasy.

  Sun's family lived in Beijing for a long time and was not familiar with Ling Jingyu and her brother. After saying two sentences, she stopped talking.

  ......

  Two hours later, they finally arrived at the dock.

  The official boat had long been moored at the dock, and the servants were busy moving luggage. The masters only needed to board the official boat and wait.

  Ling Jingxu got off the carriage first, then carefully helped Ling Xiao get off the carriage.

  A familiar voice sounded from behind: "Jiuzi jie."

  Lu Qian is indeed chasing after me again!

  Ling Jingxuan quickly furrowed her brow, then relaxed it and smiled as she turned around: "Cousin Lin, you're here too." Her attitude was calm and natural, even somewhat friendly.

  It was as if they were just an ordinary pair of cousins.

  Even so, the people around still looked over curiously.

  Lu Qian's expression was calm and collected as he forced a smile and said, "Since Sister Ju and Brother Xiao are heading to the capital, I've come specifically to see you off on your journey."

  Ling Jingxu continued to smile: "Thank you, Brother Qian. We will set out with Uncle and the others to seek medical treatment in Beijing. They will take care of us along the way, so you don't have to worry about us."

  Lu Qian had imagined that Ling Jingxu would have a reaction, either shock, guilt or avoidance. But he didn't expect it to be like this...

  Calm, serene and smiling.

  Wearing a perfect and flawless mask, all true emotions are completely concealed.

  The weak and kind-hearted woman who used to shed tears easily in her past life has been reborn, and is no longer the same as he remembered.

  Lu Qian's heart inexplicably felt a sense of unease, and he gritted his teeth, saying: "Sister Ju, I have something to say to you. It's inconvenient to talk here with so many people coming and going, how about we go to the carriage over there for a bit?"

  Ling Jingyu surprisingly did not refuse: "Alright. You wait for a moment, I'll have someone help Ah Xiao onto the boat first."

  As he spoke, he ordered Bai Yu: "Bai Yu, you and Jing Yu first help A Xiao onto the boat. I'll go talk to Qian for a bit and then come back."

  Bai Yu hesitated for a moment, and said in a low voice: "Miss, I'd better accompany you!" The last time the miss was alone with Lu Qian, something had happened that was still fresh in her mind. If it were to happen again, she would lose face in front of everyone.

  Ling Jingxiao saw through Bai Yu's thoughts and smiled reassuringly at her: "Don't worry, I'll be right back."

  Bai Yu could only nod in response.

  Ling Jingyu looked at Lu Qian again and smiled: "Qian younger brother, the boat will set sail soon, time is running out. Why don't we go now?"

  Lu Qian completely fell into passivity, nodded with a dull face.

  ......