Chapter 148: Preparations Before Leaving
Jin Sui sat in the Martyrs’ Cemetery for a long time, feeling that she had let down the people buried there the most.
She had promised to look after their families. She wondered if Gu Changxiao would help her fulfill that promise after she left.
Walking around to the Heroes’ Monument, Jin Sui gently stroked the words on it. She had written the draft, and Cheng Yu had written the characters, because her handwriting was truly a bit ugly.
It was strange, though. The wind had felt very cold on the way here, but after sitting in the cemetery for so long, she didn’t feel cold at all.
She stroked the Heroes’ Monument and chuckled, “You are all really soft-hearted! You don’t blame me?”
Hearing footsteps, she realized the soldiers on patrol for the night were arriving. She sighed softly, not wanting to encounter anyone she knew at this moment. She waved goodbye to the tombstones in the cemetery:
“Goodbye, heroes of the border city.”
Instead of heading back, she followed a small path through the wilderness to the newly built greenhouse area. It was already so late at night, yet she could still see border soldiers from the Tuntian Camp carrying lanterns inside the greenhouses.
She suddenly remembered that she had promised Liu Xiaowei that she would pick a time in the next two days to come and see the tomato harvest. The potatoes and sweet potatoes would still take some time to harvest, but the first batch of tomatoes was ready.
She had even excitedly written a proposal, planning to hold a grand event for the tomato harvest during the polo match when there were many people around, inviting members of the polo team to participate.
Then, they would hold a tomato food exchange event, featuring candied tomatoes, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, tomato and egg drop soup, tomato fish balls, and tomato hot pot broth…
This way, in the winter when fresh vegetables were scarce, the greenhouse tomatoes would surely be snapped up at high prices by restaurants and wealthy families.
The yield of tomatoes was extremely high, and what’s more, the seeds she provided were the optimal variety from later generations, improved over many years. Even if she grew too many and couldn’t sell them all, it wouldn’t matter; they could still sell tomato sauce.
In the future, when the potatoes were harvested, they would be the perfect pair.
But now, she had no mood for it at all. She should remind Cheng Yu to postpone the harvest by two days and invite more people to witness it. Regardless, they had to establish the reputation of having fresh winter vegetables in the border city.
Someone spotted her and called out loudly with a lantern, “Who’s there?”
Jin Sui immediately turned and left. She saw a border soldier rushing out with a thin bamboo pole, shouting, “Trying to steal fruit again? You delicious little brat, I’ll break your legs if I catch you!”
He threatened to break her legs, but he was only holding a thin bamboo pole to scare her. What soft-hearted people they were.
Jin Sui slowly walked back, glancing towards the East. She wondered how the seaside base was coming along.
Heh, Liu Xiaowei had said on his last visit back that he hadn’t been back for so long that the city had changed so much, he almost couldn’t find his way home.
Next time he returned, he would be even more surprised. Oh my, even the Prince had changed!
Thinking of this, Jin Sui couldn’t help but laugh out loud. In the vast wilderness, her laughter was particularly abrupt.
Thinking about it carefully, she wasn’t the only one who had become a joke. Tonight, many people must be cursing themselves as clowns, just like her.
Li Heng might even slap himself in anger. Haha, being tormented by Li King was completely different from being tormented by a young Taoist priest.
The real Li King wouldn’t be able to pull off the tricks Jin Sui had used on him back then. After all, the real Li King cared about his reputation and had to consider the face of an Imperial Prince.
Although there was no sound behind her, Jin Sui stated with certainty, “Come out!”
Liu Yun emerged silently and asked curiously, “What are you laughing at?”
Jin Sui snorted coldly, “What’s it to you? Is your Master afraid I’ll run away, or afraid I’ll collude with the Black Feather Camp? You’re following me so closely.”
Liu Yun’s mouth twitched. “I’m afraid you’ll be in danger.”
Jin Sui laughed even louder, laughing so hard she clutched her stomach and stood up. “I’ve seen many jokes today, and yours is the funniest.”
“Also, you’re afraid that if I die tonight, he won’t be able to convince everyone tomorrow, right?”
“Don’t worry, he may be heartless, but I cannot be unrighteous. We agreed to switch identities publicly tomorrow, and I won’t play any tricks.”
Liu Yun opened his mouth, wanting to explain a few things for the Prince, but in the end, it only turned into a sigh, and his figure disappeared into the night.
Jin Sui wiped away the tears from her laughter and walked past the brightly lit polo field, where a team was still practicing hard late into the night.
Fortunately, that simpleton Yan Shiyi hadn’t suddenly appeared tonight to talk nonsense with her.
He actually thought she and Gu Changxiao were in that kind of relationship. Haha, tomorrow, when Gu Changxiao’s true identity is announced publicly, Yan Shiyi’s jaw will surely drop.
It was already the third watch when Jin Sui returned to her lodging. She thought Gu Changxiao wouldn’t be in the room, but as soon as she pushed the door open, the light turned on.
Gu Changxiao suddenly stood up from the small couch, looking at Jin Sui intently, appearing somewhat flustered and uneasy. It felt as if he was the one who had wronged her.
Jin Sui didn’t even look at him. She took off her outer coat and prepared to add coal to light the fire. Gu Changxiao, also without a word, took a basin to fetch water.
After a simple wash of her face and feet, Jin Sui lay down on the bed fully clothed.
She could feel Gu Changxiao’s gaze in the darkness, like two beams of light, fixed on her inside the tent.
She remained motionless, and the owner of that gaze was also motionless.
Jin Sui found it increasingly amusing. Damn it, what a performance! He’s going to publicly chase me away tomorrow, and tonight he’s here pretending to be deeply affectionate. He’s a better actor than me!
Some things still needed to be clarified. She sat up and said, “Your Highness, can I take the box of silver under the bed with me?”
Gu Changxiao was stunned at first, then quickly replied, “Of course, that was yours to begin with.”
He quickly added, “Don’t worry, the subsequent dividends from the Rouge Shop and the restaurant will be sent to you through the Yan Clan’s channels.”
Jin Sui scoffed, “Forget it. If it weren’t for the name of Li King, the Yan Clan wouldn’t have cooperated with a nobody like me. I don’t want the subsequent dividends. Since I’m leaving, let’s cut ties completely.”
“I will donate that money to the army as compensation, managed by Cheng Yu and Chen Yunniang, so that the families of fallen soldiers can continue to live in the border city.”
Jin Sui flopped back down. She had a thousand things she wanted to tell Gu Changxiao, but his actions today were truly disheartening, and she didn’t want to say anything anymore.
The more she thought about it, the more disheartened she felt, and she couldn’t help but murmur aloud, “I offered my heart to the bright moon.”
Gu Changxiao said nothing, just watched her silently.
Jin Sui became somewhat annoyed. “If you’re afraid I’ll escape, you can just lock the door. How can I sleep if you watch me like a prisoner?”
Gu Changxiao quickly said, “It’s not like that.”
Jin Sui sneered, “Don’t tell me you can’t bear to see me leave? What’s the point? There’s no one else here, who are you putting on a show for?”
“I’m just curious how you acted before. What about being sworn brothers? As long as I stayed, you’d give me half of the border city. You must have been in great pain when you said those words?”
“It was clearly I, this young Taoist priest, who took your waist token on my own initiative and caused so much trouble in Yandi in your name. You didn’t immediately chase me away because you were afraid the Black Feather Army wouldn’t obey you? Or were you after my ability to make money?”
“Now that you’re familiar with the Black Feather Army, the granaries are full, and the money chests are overflowing, it’s time to kick out this imposter me.”
Gu Changxiao’s voice seemed to come from his chest. “It’s not like that!”
Jin Sui said frantically, “Then what is it like? When you wanted to keep me, you were willing to bare your heart as proof. When you want me to leave, you don’t even bat an eye.”
“Yan Jiu was right. Even a tiger fallen into the plains is looked down upon by people like us.”
Gu Changxiao said nothing further. The quieter he was, the more fire burned in Jin Sui’s heart. She dug her nails into her palm, warning herself to stay calm. She still had Grandpa and Jin An to consider.
If you get angry for a moment, what will happen to them?
She had seen through it. There was a thick wall between the gentry, the powerful, and common people like her. True camaraderie was impossible.
She turned over and lay down again, finally saying, “Don’t worry, I will leave honestly and will not cause you any trouble.”
After an unknown amount of time, Jin Sui was almost asleep when Gu Changxiao suddenly said, as if begging, “Don’t go to the Yan Clan.”
Jin Sui originally wanted to say, “Where I go is none of your business!”
But she was truly heartbroken and didn’t want to say another word to Gu Changxiao. Moreover, she had no intention of going to the Yan Clan.
In a sense, what was the difference between Yan Jiu and Gu Changxiao? They were the same. When they needed her, she was Brother Ji; when they didn’t, she was young Daoist Ji.
Yan Jiu valued her abilities. Perhaps he would treat her with courtesy at first, but before long, she would just be an employee.
She had already worked like cattle and horses enough.
“I will leave Yandi and never set foot in it again in this lifetime.” After saying this, Jin Sui closed her eyes and fell asleep.
What she didn’t know was that Gu Changxiao stood leaning against the wall, watching her all night.
It was as if he wanted to engrave her appearance in his eyes and imprint it on his soul.
Jin Sui had always been optimistic. Moreover, she always felt that this life was a bonus. She had used the body of the pitiful original owner, a young girl, and taking care of her family was the most important task.
Being Li King during this period was quite interesting. She could consider it as acting in a play, and now it was indeed time for the curtain call.
She slept very soundly in the latter half of the night. She woke up when the rooster crowed three times. As soon as she sat up, she saw Gu Changxiao open the door and rush out.
She habitually wanted to greet him, but then she suddenly remembered yesterday’s events and lowered her outstretched hand.
After getting up, she first went into her space and took out a large bag of energy bars, which were specifically for Hei Hu.
That simpleton, she wondered if he would have a rift with Gu Changxiao after she left? She hoped Han Xing would look out for him.
She searched her space for a long time but couldn’t find anything suitable as a wedding gift. In the end, she took out two thermos cups and a gold bar from the silver chest.
She wouldn’t be able to attend Hei Hu and Bai Guniang’s wedding, so she considered it an early wedding gift.
She thought about it and decided to put nine-tenths of the silver chest’s contents into her space, leaving only one-tenth. She also packed a large portion of energy bars and commonly used medicines, to leave for Grandpa.
She didn’t go out for breakfast because she knew very well that as soon as she stepped out of the door, Hei Hu, Han Xing, and the others would come to say something.
She really didn’t want to repeat those words now, nor did she want to force a smile, so she decided to avoid everyone.
Until she heard Jin An’s voice, “Brother, are you up yet?”
“I’m up early, come in!”
Jin Sui opened the door and saw that Grandpa was already waiting outside with the carriage.
She carried the silver chest, and asked Jin An to carry her bundle of clothes. In fact, she had already put most of her frequently used items in her space, along with a thousand pieces of coal.
But she still had to go through the motions.
Jin An, despite his young age, had a worried expression. Jin Sui reached out and pinched his cheek, “Why the long face? Don’t you want to travel with your brother?”
Jin An quickly shook his head and whispered, “Why is Brother Gu like that?”
Jin Sui sighed softly, “Adults are all like this! You’ll understand when you grow up.”
Jin An looked up at her abruptly and said seriously, “I won’t be like this when I grow up! I’ll keep my word, and I won’t hurt my friends.”
Jin Sui chuckled, “Okay, I’ll remember that for you.”
Jin An’s eyes turned red. He felt wronged for his sister and for himself. Grandpa and I treated Brother Gu as family, so how could he treat us like this?
He promised to stay in the border city with us, but now he’s driving us away.
Compared to the dejected siblings, Grandpa Ling was in high spirits, cheerfully loading things into the carriage. He pointed to the thick cushion on the driver’s seat and the blanket wrapped around his legs, saying:
“See, it won’t be cold driving in the snow. Grandpa specially bought a large carriage, you and Jin An can even make tea inside.”
Jin Sui peeked inside. The carriage looked plain and old on the outside, but it was spacious and clean inside. The walls were lined with animal hide for warmth, clearly something Grandpa had nailed on overnight.
Jin Sui disagreed with Grandpa driving. “It won’t cost much to hire a coachman. Why should you drive yourself?”
Grandpa Ling chuckled, “My driving skills are excellent! I used to be a coachman when I was young!”
He leaned over and whispered in Jin Sui’s ear, “We can hire someone after we leave Yandi. Who knows if they’ll be reliable?”
Jin Sui understood Grandpa’s concerns. During her time as Li King, she had offended many people. Now that they knew she was a fake Li King and just a young Taoist priest, who knew if her enemies would arrange for someone to make trouble for them.
What if the person they hired was a spy? It was better for the three of them to leave quickly.
Jin Sui agreed, “I can also drive, Grandpa and I can take turns.”
Grandpa Ling asked with a smile, “Have you decided where to go?”
Jin Sui nodded. “We can’t go to Chang’an for now. It will take a few years, until Jin An is older and the matter of the real and fake Li King becomes a legend, and no one is paying attention to us, then we can go.”
“I like warm places, let’s go to Jiangnan! There are many academies there, so it will be convenient for Jin An to study. We’ll buy a villa. Grandpa can farm and raise fish, I can practice medicine, and Jin An can study for the imperial examinations. How about it?”
Grandpa’s face lit up at her words, and he nodded repeatedly, “Excellent, excellent!”
Of course, Jin Sui knew he was pretending. Compared to the small bridges and flowing water of Jiangnan, Grandpa would rather lead refugees to reclaim land in the rugged border city.
Jin An had a glum expression, feeling that no matter where they went, he couldn’t escape studying.
What made Jin Sui even happier was that Grandpa Ling took out a travel permit, for an unnamed town in Jiangnan:
“This belongs to a peddler who traveled all the way from Jiangnan to Luocheng. Coincidentally, it was for a grandfather and grandson, who contracted a plague and had no money for treatment, and were stranded in the suburbs.”
“I gave him two taels of silver and bought this travel permit.”
Jin Sui admired him, “Grandpa is indeed thoughtful. I completely forgot about this.”
Grandpa stroked his beard and smiled, “I thought it would be best if we didn’t need it, but it would be disastrous if we did. It’s always good to be prepared.”
Strictly speaking, two of the three of them were fugitives. If they asked Gu Changxiao for legal identities, there was a risk he would discover their true identities, and he would know their new identities thoroughly.
Given their current relationship, Jin Sui did not want any further entanglement with him.
If they asked someone like Yan Shiyi, they could also obtain new identities, but for the same reason, Jin Sui did not want acquaintances from the border city to know her whereabouts.
When she first escaped from her maternal uncle’s house, she had encountered trouble because of a travel permit.
To have completely forgotten about travel permits until now, it was true that having an elder at home was like having a treasure! Grandpa was indeed an old hand.
Dear readers, Jin Sui has accompanied you for another month. Thank you for your companionship and support! The new month, which is also the last month of 2024, I wish everyone all the best and abundant wealth!
PS, requesting monthly tickets.
PPS, have any readers noticed? Jin Sui has not taken a single day off since the book started!
